Mine

3.

Flashback - Age 10

You boarded the bus as usual and dumped your backpack on the floor at your feet. It was pouring down rain outside the shuttle, and you huffed as you ran your hands down your face and wrung out your hair. Puffed kids from running through the rain piled in and single-filed down the bus aisle, but none of them tried to sit next to you.

One time, a kid opted to standing up in the middle of the aisle over sitting next to you.

You perked up as you heard Light's familiar laugh, peering over the seat in front of you to catch a glimpse of him. Admittedly, you had developed a bit of a crush on him. Everyone knew it, even him. But it wasn't something you could help.

His hair was darker and dripping wet from the downpour, and you smiled at his smile. He was twelve this year, so he had started to lose his young boy charm. Maybe that's why you'd started to like him officially.

Your eyes connected and you looked away, your heart beat pounding in your chest from the small gesture.

"Yeah I'll see you's tomorrow!" He called out as his friends headed to the back of the bus. You didn't dare look at him, but you saw his red shoes appear near your bag, meaning he was sitting next to you.

"You're all wet," his voice said quietly as he clicked in his seatbelt. You stole a glance at him, and jutted your chin up.

"You're even more wet than me," you said, your hands trembling in your lap. You hated how nervous you got when he was around.

"I fell over in a puddle," he chuckled, extending his arm to show the long smears of mud on his freckled skin.

You nodded curtly, and the bus's door seethed as it closed before it took off. A small sigh left your lips as the rain continued to plummet against the window, drowning out the noise of the kids around you.

It had been raining all day, and you had forgotten your umbrella and your jacket, so you had been wet since the first period. It was cold, but now in the bus, the heater was on and you were so comfortable your eyes had started to fall.

You tried to keep your eyelids open, but you noticed yourself dozing off with your head lolling off to the side.

A warm hand reached around your shoulders and pulled you to the left, and you let it guide you to a comfortable pillow. By the time it registered that you were sleeping on Light's shoulder, he was shaking you awake and telling you it was almost time to get off.

~

A few days had passed since Light had come back, and sadly, you hadn't seen him much since the day he hugged you. He had said it was because he had several rotary events to attend regarding his experience, and you tried not to let it get to you too much. The alone time had given you some space to study for some exams and work on assignments, but as you sat on your couch, you found yourself zoning out.

You had been working on your assignment for several hours, and finally, you were too burnt out to continue. With a loud sigh, you shut your laptop and rubbed at your temples in a feeble attempt to get rid yourself of the headache that was coming.

The front door opened and shut quickly, and you didn't have to look over your shoulder to know that Light was back from his last event for the month. When you heard the sound of a rustling plastic bag, you finally gave in and turned your attention to him. There Light stood; Chinese takeout in one hand, his jacket in the other. He looked worn out, not so much as saying he was tired looking, but drained. You knew he had delivered several speeches in the last few days.

"Hey," you greeted with a smile, and you wondered if you looked as bad as he did. Still, his posture was straight and his shoulders were back, whereas you were sure your spine looked like a banana. He lifted his eyes to meet yours, and his returning smile wasn't as sincere, but a year ago, he would've snapped at you after such a busy start to the week.