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𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐟 𝐀𝐧 𝐄𝐫𝐚

You slowly trudge back onto the bus, following after Jirou. With a long sigh, you sit down beside her in the seat. You just finished your last track meet.

Now, you're very proud of yourself, hitting a personal record, and getting the best time in all your four years of running track. Still, you can't help but feel sad. This is your last year running track, after all, and you're finally done.

You're not running in the spring, because you plan on playing soccer instead. That means no more spending five days a week with Jirou, and no more fun bus rides with her.

"What's wrong?" She asks, noticing the frown on your face. "Nothing, it's just...I won't be able to run with you anymore."

"What do you mean? Aren't you going to run in the spring?" You shake your head, and she realizes what's happening.

"I know it's stupid, but I'm going to miss you a lot. I mean, I know we'll see each other around at school, and in art class, and we can still hang out, but I'm going to miss seeing you every day at practice." You sigh, trying to ignore the weighted feeling in your chest.

She wraps her arms around you, noticing how distraught you are. Normally, she isn't one for physical affection, and you have to initiate things like that, so her actions surprise you.

"I know, I'm going to miss you too." She murmurs. Maybe it's from the contact, or how emotional you feel, but the next thing you know, you're crying. It's probably PMS or something.

You feel embarrassed, trying to keep your sniffles quiet, as she combs her fingers through your hair. After a moment or two, you pull away, wiping your face.

"Promise me we'll still hang out, okay? You're my bestie, and I don't wanna get stuck with stupid Kaminari all the time. I think I'd die if that happened." You giggle, and she laughs too.

"I promise." The two of you intertwine your pinkies, shaking on it. And then, you both turn back in your seats, facing forward.

Letting out a shaky sigh, you check your phone, before turning it off and resting your head on her shoulder. The two of you are quiet now, leaving Jirou to think to herself.

She's going to miss you. More than you could ever know.

Running with you is always nice, especially on the long runs, when you have interesting conversations with each other about various topics, some related while others are random. And during track meets, when you two run together, you're always by her side. You trust and believe in her, more than anyone has.

But that's not her favorite part. Her favorite part is the bus rides after the meet when you two are sitting together. Sometimes you talk, sometimes you don't.

When you're in a bad mood, frustrated from something that's happened in the meet, or just don't want to talk, you plug in your earbuds and rest your head on her shoulder. But when you're in a good mood, you share one with her, and you listen to the songs together, with the playlist you both created on the way to meets.

And after the meets, you always hug or wave her goodbye. Jirou prefers hugs. When you feel so close to her, and you hold her, she can smell your shampoo and deodorant, and even the light smell of sweat she enjoys.

She likes every part of you. Your kindness, your humor, (even if it can be a middle schooler's at times) how pretty you are, your smile...your lips.

Yes, Jirou might have a small crush on you, and yes, you might be all she ever thinks about. And yes, she might want you and fantasize about you late at night when she's touching herself, but she can handle it.

It's not like you like her back, anyways. She's not sure if you even like girls. All you talk about is the guys you hang out with...

You two aren't going to hang out that much anymore anyway, so maybe she can forget all these stupid feelings, to begin with. She shakes her head, ignoring the thoughts and the lump in her throat.

The bus stops, making you both realize that you've arrived back at school. Everyone walks out, going to either their or their parent's cars or walking to the train station.

Jirou's father is waiting, and so is your brother. He went to see your meet, and he drove over to pick you up, which you're thankful for.

Before you two can go your separate ways, you walk over to Jirou, hugging her one last time. You hold her tightly, squeezing her a little, and she returns the gesture.

"I'm gonna miss you. I love you." You press a kiss to her cheek, not noticing how her face warms at the action. "Love you too."

Suddenly, your brother beeps his horn, making the two of you jump, and ruining the once tender moment. "Hurry up will you? I have work in the morning."

"Okay just give me a second!" You snap at him and roll your eyes. You turn back to Jirou with an apologetic smile.

"I'll text you as soon as I get home. See you later, babe." You let go of her, walking away. You wave to one another before you hop into the car. "Bye."

The moment you shut the door behind you, you're glaring at your brother. "What the hell's wrong with you, huh? Why do you have to be such a dick? I was just saying goodbye to my friend. The season's over you know, and we're not going to be able to talk as much."

"You can say goodbye to your girlfriend later. It's not like you're never going to see each other again. I have shit to do and work in the morning." He tells you, and you roll your eyes, leaning back in your seat.

He can be such a dick sometimes, but you love him. And you'd much rather live with him than your crazy ass mom.

With a sigh, you look out the window as the car pulls away, watching as Jirou's Father's car drives in the opposite direction of yours. Yeah, you're going to miss this.