The Girl that Time Forgot

14. What should you do

It's an odd sight for Hinata to see you so out of it, especially after you seemed so cheery all through yesterday up till this morning. How could so much change in the span of one afternoon? You were sitting there, robotically spooning one mouthful of rice after the other, and she couldn't help but worry whether you were even chewing your food before swallowing. The last thing she needs is to fret about whether her newfound friend would end up being a choking hazard to themselves. And that's on top of her daily responsibility of looking after her boyfriend to make sure he doesn't go running off to yet another losing fight. Not that she could actually do anything to stop him.

She waved a hand in front of your face, but you didn't so much as blink as you scooped more rice into your mouth.

You were really out of it.

"(Y/n)-chan!"

COUGH

Cue the brunette instantly regretting calling your name, watching as you hack at food that got lodged in your throat. You grabbed your bottle of water, and chugged it, trying to wash it down. Eventually the coughing subsided and you leaned back in your seat with a sigh. Hinata didn't feel any less awful, though, knowing she ended up being the reason you inevitably choked on your food.

"I-I'm so sorry...!"

She instinctively handed you a tissue for... wait, what would you need a tissue for? There wasn't any spillage to be cleaned up, you only choked. Well, if she can use "only" when someone nearly choked. And here came the added embarrassment on top of the guilt.

"Here for the... um..."

You chuckled before taking the paper from her with a "thanks". She doesn't say it but she was grateful you decided to go with the flow, rather than point out her blunder.

But now that you were situated, she could finally ask you what was on your mind. And what a rather simple question it was.

"What's wrong?"

So she should have expected a simple reply from you.

"Oh, it's... nothing really."

But she sets you with a look that says she wasn't going to take anything less than the truth for an answer. Well, perhaps she could settle for a little less, but you weren't getting off as easily as last Friday when you brought that extra bag to school.

You averted your gaze but she stared hard, burning a hole into the side of your head.

You caved, and she can see it in the moment you met her gaze again before dropping it with a sigh. She practically glistened at your concession, but don't get her wrong, she only wants what's best for you. And it can't be healthy to bottle up your feelings.

"Well... what should you do when you've made a friend but..."

There's "but"s when it comes to making friends?

"...they turn out to be someone you've been trying to avoid any relations with?"

"Why would you avoid them in the first place?" Hinata asked, just as perplexed by your situation as you are.

"W-why...?" You sputtered, "...because I'm not supposed to be friends with them? It's... complicated."

She sees you struggling to give her a proper answer, but you bit your tongue instead and held back the truth. "It's complicated" always stood as some sort of ultimatum, where someone was about to reveal an entire life story or the exact opposite. And you looked like you were leaning towards the latter, ending your explanation at that.