Silent Connection

xvi.

The next days went by slowly, each day blurring and blending into the last. I had nothing to do now that school was over for the summer. I spent the last few weeks of school studying and when I had the time I came to watch the boys' practices. By the end of term everything got so busy that I couldn't see them much. I was glad that I had at least been able to give them some cookies before they went off to Tokyo.

I wanted to watch the boy's practice, but I wasn't sure when they were coming back from Tokyo. Sadly, didn't have any of their numbers. So, it's not like I could contact any of them anyway. I would have asked Masami if she wanted to do something, but I knew she was working. That left me with trying to figure out what to do with all this free time.

I was upside down, hanging off my bed. My legs were sprawled over the mattress and the upper half of my body was draped over the edge. I thought that I could at least try to find a new perspective, and that maybe it would help. I wasn't so sure that it was working. I looked around my room, staring at the blank walls and empty shelves. Since moving in a couple weeks ago, I hadn't had time to really make the place feel like my own, not tied up with school and studying. Maybe I could try and fix that, like decorating my room today.

I decided to start with unpacking the last of the boxes I stowed away in my closet. I lifted myself back onto the bed before swinging myself off from it and walked over to the closet door. Smiling softly, I opened the door. I carefully slid the boxes out, unstacking them from on top of one another. I opened each and looked inside. The first box, the biggest one, was filled with books, the second with some art supplies and sketchbooks, I paused after I opened the third. I stared down at the contents within the box in front of me, the one I didn't know what was here. A box full of trophies.

I slumped down onto the floor beside the box, my eyes scanning the objects within. Mom must have packed them away and put the box with my things when I wasn't paying attention. I started pulling out the trophies, looking at each of them. They weren't very big, ranging from the size of my forearm, some bigger, some smaller.

I smiled down fondly at the trophy in my hand. It was the first one I had ever gotten. My name was etched onto a plate at the bottom. A sigh left my lips as I ran my finger over the engraving. That was a long time ago, a time when I was different. I let out another breath as I removed the others from the box. There was no point of dwelling on the things that I couldn't control, things from the past. I moved them alongside the wall after they were all out from the box. Now I need to decide where everything will go.

I finished emptying the other boxes, looking at everything I had on the floor around me. I moved the books to the bookshelf that was in the corner of my room. A smile made its way to my face as I put them in an alphabetized order. Next were the sketchbooks. I placed them on an empty rack at the very bottom of the bookshelf. The art supplies were put into a small crate and slid under my bed.

I placed my hands on my hips as I stared down at the trophies. I needed to find them somewhere to live. Maybe mom thought seeing them would make me happy, I'm not sure. They brought back a mountain of memories, some good, others bad. I was hesitant as I searched for a place to put them. I didn't know if I could face seeing them every day. I made the decision then to figure it out later. I tucked the trophies away safely, back in their box and into my closet. I could decide their fate on a later day.

I glanced around the room, crossing my arms. It felt better, but it was still missing something. I was trying to figure it out when a voice pulled me out from my thoughts.

"You afraid the walls are going to start moving or something?" I knew that voice! I quickly turned around, a wide smile on my face. I rushed forward, almost tackling the large figure as I wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug. His arms enveloped me, and he chuckled.