Forget to Love

Chapter 1 - Alone

A nice breeze ruffled the leaves of the trees. A few dying cherry blossoms, still pink in color, drifted along on the wind. Hitori reached out, catching one in his hands. He stared down at the little blossom. It was so small and fragile. Seeing them had always incited excitement and happiness in him. And now spring was over, they would be gone, he was watching the last remnants being stolen by the wind day by day. He wished the blossoms would stay. They reminded him of love and new life, the perfect symbols of springtime.

"Hitori-kun!" a familiar voice called his name. He looked up from the little blossom in his hands. It caught the wind and he watched with sadness as it was carried away. He turned his attention to the girl who was skipping toward him with a big smile on her face. He was surprised at first until he noticed it was just Sabishi, his neighbor.

"Look who's out of bed on time," Hitori commented as she drew closer. She stopped skipping and made a pouty face.

"You're so mean! Aren't you at least a little glad to see me?" she whined, poking at his shoulder. A faint smile played at his lips.

"I'm just teasing, of course I'm glad to see you, Sabishi."

She smiled earnestly, like she was relieved. "Do you want to walk to school? Just like we used to? ...Together...?"

Hitori remembered those times, years ago. They used to walk to school together every day, but now he couldn't recall the last time they had made the journey together. Maybe he had been withdrawing recently as his emotions ate at his insides. Or maybe they stopped because she had gotten lazy recently, sleeping in almost every morning.

"Sure," he agreed, beckoning for her to follow him. She stayed at his side, a slight skip to her step. They kept a steady pace together, keeping to their usual route without a word. He wanted to ask what she had been up to recently, but he knew nothing had really changed for either of them in the years they had known each other. He wouldn't call her his best friend, but maybe his only friend.

"So what made you want to walk together? It's been a few weeks, at least."

Sabishi shrugged. "Guess I was just in the mood for company, and you looked so lonely standing under the cherry trees for so long. I was starting to get worried. What were you thinking about?"

Hitori stifled a sigh. "Just about the time passing by, I guess. Another spring, gone. I don't really know why I was standing around. Just thinking, maybe."

She didn't say much else, but they continued to walk together contentedly. Something about her presence just lifted his spirits, so he was glad for the company. Before they knew it, their high school appeared. They climbed the steps and the school day began.

Hitori shared most of his classes with Sabishi, but they didn't talk much, even during lunch. For some reason though, he could feel her stealing glances at him when he wasn't looking. Every time he tried to catch her eye, she would pretend she wasn't staring. She just smiled back at him like she was hiding a secret. He tried to ignore it. That quirky girl was always acting funny.

The school day passed quickly. He didn't talk much to anyone. After all, he didn't know anyone from clubs or sports; he hadn't joined any. None of the guys approached him, and none of the girls seemed interested. Instead, his thoughts were occupied with picking up the newest edition of his favorite romance manga from the nearby bookstore. He made his way down the steps fighting the urge to hurry. He couldn't wait to read the newest edition, it almost hurt. A hand grabbed his shoulder. He looked back.