What About Us

Part 1

I remember walking through the streets late at night, on my way home after a study session with two of my best friends, Mirae and Seiko. We had stayed at the library longer than any of us had ever expected, Mirae getting distracted every 5 seconds. She wasn't the type to study unlike Seiko, but she had agreed since hanging out was his idea. I was lost in thought as I walked along the sidewalk in the dark streets, nobody in sight. Not thinking anything of it, I decided to sneak down through backroads in hopes of getting home quicker. No harm in taking the creepy mysterious alleyways at night time, right?

Wrong. Someone jumped out in front of me, their body attempting to hover over mine. All I could make out in the shadows was a.. woman figure? 

"My, my. What are you doing out here all alone?" The woman circled around me. A fox stalking her prey. A shiver ran through my body as a gust of wind swished through the thin corridor of the alleyway, her stench of perfume poisoning my nostrils. Why did women always put on perfume as if they were taking a shower in it? 

Just as I had opened my mouth to respond to the creepy stranger, fate had other plans. 

"HEY!" Someone called out from behind me, startling both the woman and me.  I turned around to see the dark outline of the human approaching quickly. Luckily for me, the person pushed past me and glared at the woman. "Leave him alone, he's with me." 

The fire in the woman's eyes died down as they both stood there as if having a face-off. The tension in the air was high for a few seconds until the woman backed off, leaving with a simple scowl. Realizing I was now alone with this stranger, I turned to him and bowed my head in thanks. 

I almost flinched as they grabbed the arm of my school uniform, pulling me out to the moonlight. I sighed in relief as I realized I knew the person. It was my best friend Seiko. But wait. Did he follow me?

"Sei, why are you here? Weren't you with Mirae..?" I looked at him in confusion, remembering I had left him at the library with Mirae. She was always begging for me to help her get some more alone time with him as she was head over heels in love, though he never seemed interested. 

"I just saved your ass, and all you do is ask me questions? Not a simple 'Thank you, Sei. I don't know what I would have done without you.'" He gently punched me on the arm, "You're such a dweeb. When are you going to realize you have to actually acknowledge the help that people give you? You can't fix everything by yourself."