★ | I, Rhys Kakyoin | Jotakak

34 ★ Limerence

"And where do you think you're going?" Dad asks me sternly, his dark eyes drilling right into my own. Mom raises an eyebrow at me as he speaks, and I merely offer a sheepish grin and chuckle, tugging nervously at my shirt.

  "To my bedroom," I say.

  "Before that... we'd like to talk."

  "About... what?"

  Mom and Dad exchange glances, quietly pushing the other to talk with subtle nods towards me. For a few seconds, I stand where I am, watching them awkwardly, and soon it's Mom who turns to me. "We noticed some things about Jotaro and... his behaviour. And we're just curious if you're aware of that and why."

  I give them a dirty look. "I do know, and it's honestly weird to assume that I don't."

  "We're just trying to make sure that you know and you understand, that's all," Dad says, "and also that it doesn't change anything between you and him."

  "Well, why do you think I'm dating him? I've known it ever since the first time I visited his house, which was a month ago. I hope you aren't thinking that I'm not... mature enough to understand or something."

  "There's no need to get offended. We were just trying to make sure..."

  "But I'm not offended. I'm just saying that it's idiotic to think that I can't understand him because I'm not like him," I interject sharply.

  Mom sighs. "That's really not what we're trying to say."

  "Then I guess you worded it wrong." I shrug rather aggressively. "Can I go to bed now?"

  Dad, having nothing else to say, turns to Mom one last time; a gesture requesting her approval. She inclines her head, and Dad beckons me to the staircase silently. As swiftly as my twisted foot and crutches allow me to, I walk past them, mounting the stairs and making my way up in a fit of indignation from the brief conversation we'd just had. I still can't fathom why they would think that of me.

  As soon as I get to my bedroom, the first thing I do is flop onto my bed, sinking my head into the cold pillow as my eyes stare up at the ceiling above. Still completely lying down, I reach for my phone by the bedside table and I check for any new messages. Fortunately enough, Aito had sent me a reply quite recently while I was away having dinner. I instantaneously open it to read.

Aito:
All sorts of nasty stuff about him being half-Japanese and all.   19:37
They sort of expected me to add my own rude remarks about him to the conversation but I just stayed silent and they were a little annoyed with me   19:38

Noriaki:
Of course they're insulting him for that lol, the bastards.   19:59

This time, Aito is quick to reply.

Aito:
No kidding. I'm sick of these guys now, I should probably just ditch them sometime later.   20:00

Noriaki:
Yep, never too late to ditch assholes 😉✌️   20:00

Aito:
Lmao   20:00
You coming to school tomorrow?   20:01

Noriaki:
Yeah, definitely   20:01

Aito:
All right nice.   20:01
I'm gonna get sleep now.   20:01

Noriaki:
Ok goodnight   20:01

I turn off my phone and set it upon the bedside table to my right, continuing to stare up at the ceiling washed with a calm, honey-hued glow from the lamp beside my bed. Without even a glimpse, I reach for the photo frame sat upon the table next to me, and I quickly get a hold of it like I'd done this a hundred times before and know exactly where it's placed.