Chapter 8: Rivals?
Year 2009, May
Haruna and Eisuke turned out to be great friends with each other, but it's a good thing that nothing much is going on between them. Some of their classmates think they're secretly together which is not. Haruna had been spending most of her time with Eisuke while Rina is usually eating alone in the rooftop. Tomomi and Mami had to accompany Rina, so that her loneliness would drop to a lower level.
Rina, on the other hand, was feeling very lonely almost every lunch break. Haruna had been spending less time with her already and she had no idea why. What if Haruna got tired of Rina already? No, that can't happen. Something must be going on between them.
* * * * *
It's lunch break already and I'm waiting for Haruna to eventually show up. Turned out, she did show up, but she was a little late. Haruna saw Rina's unsatisfied mood at the moment.
"Hey, Rinchi." Haruna greeted Rina innocently.
"What do you want?" Rina replied coldly. Rina was just so disappointed about Haruna spending most of her time to others instead of her. Clearly, Rina was already jealous.
"Err.." Haruna said in a mumbling tone and scratched her left cheek nervously. "I'd like you to meet someone.."
"Where is he then?" Rina asked.
"Psst!" Haruna called out for Eisuke and signalled him to go where she was at. Eisuke did what he was told to do and showed up.
Eisuke's eye suddenly widened when she saw Rina. Rina had her eyes widened as well.
"What are you doing here?" Rina asked coldly and walked towards Eisuke.
"You guys know each other..?" Haruna asked in confusion.
"A-ah, yes. We are pretty good friends since childhood." Eisuke stuttered and let out a fake laugh.
"He's lying, Haru-chan." Rina replied coldly again.
"Eh, why? He's been pretty good to me." Haruna defended Eisuke.
"You don't know what he did to me before.." Rina mumbled, but Haruna was able to hear every single word she just mumbled.
"What did he to do to you then?" Haruna asked with curiosity.
"He.." Rina started as she started to recall the memories that happened on that very day.
"He did what?" Haruna asked again. This time, Haruna was getting a little impatient already. She really wanted to know what happened these two before.
"Suzuki-san, it was all an accident." Eisuke suddenly spoke up and rubbed the back portion of his neck nervously. How can Rina still not get over with that? Like he said, it was all an accident.
"Rinchi, tell me.." Haruna begged. Rina let out a sigh before finally giving her answer.
"He threw sand at my face at the playground when we were kids." Rina finally answered.
There was a long moment of silence between the trio when Rina finally answered Haruna's question, but Haruna managed to break the silence by bursting into laughter. Haruna never knew that was the grudge Rina kept from Eisuke for a very long time. It was just a hand full of sand being thrown to her face. Haruna couldn't hold everything in already, so she had no choice to let it all out. Eisuke joined Haruna by laughing with her as well.
"Wh-what are you laughing at?!" Rina yelled like a tsundere as she felt her cheeks' temperature rising up, changing to a new color. She gave Haruna a slap by the arm when she never stopped her laughter. To Rina, Haruna deserved that slap for laughing at her honest answer. Rina was just being honest with her.
"Suzuki-san, that's the grudge you've been keeping all this time?" Eisuke asked between his laughter.
"Duh. What if I throw sand to your face, hm?!" Rina said.
"That's fine, but didn't I apologize to you back then?" Eisuke asked sarcastically. Yep, Eisuke did apologize to Rina back then, but that apology wasn't enough to Rina. She wanted to throw sand back at his face.
"Hmph. That wasn't enough." Rina retorted and crossed her arms in front of her chest annoyingly.
"Well, I hope I can make it up to you, Suzuki-san.." Eisuke said nervously as he continued to rub to his neck.
"Hmph." was the only sound that escaped from Rina's mouth.
"Come on, Rinchi. Eisuke's a pretty good guy. Why don't you become good friends with him, hm?" Haruna said.
"I don't trust him." Rina said in a very serious tone.
"Why not?" Eisuke asked and threw a playful smile to Rina.
"Because I don't like you." Rina retorted at Eisuke.
"Well, if you say so," Eisuke mumbled as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Does that make him your rival?" Haruna curiously asked Rina.
"Yes."
To be continued..
