the girl in the corner.

episode 23: final night, final gummies.

one night during our midterm break, suzuki and i were planning to meet up at the park. we scheduled the meeting a bit earlier than our usual late-night outings, for suzuki had told me her parents found out about her sneaking out. i'd laughed at that and told her we can meet earlier than that, if that's okay with them.

now, i was at the mini supermarket i first bumped into suzuki at. the memory brought a tiny smile to my lips as i stood at the snack aisle, searching for our favorite gummies. a sense of déjà vu surged through me, strangely feeling that suzuki would come and snatch the bag of candy i lay my eyes on the moment i find it.

i saw the row of the desired item, so i snatched a couple packs off the shelf and went to the cashier to pay for them. from there i made my way to the park.

i didn't find suzuki at the gate, so i decided to go inside and look for her at our usual spots, and if i don't find her there i'll call her. i first went by the bench we always sit on, but i found there were people there so i decided to go somewhere else.

i'd roamed the entire park, and i didn't find suzuki. i'd almost pulled out my phone and dialed her number, when one spot didn't cross my mind, though it being the most popular.

the lake. i haven't checked the lake.

so i went there. despite the lake being the park's main attraction, the area around it was quite empty. only two or three people other than suzuki and i were there.

suzuki sat on the grass by the edge of the lake. she was bent down and playing with the calm waters which reflected the lights around it. such scenery felt strange to me, as we'd always go to the park when it's dark. and it somehow fit suzuki's aura well, too.

i walked up to her and sat next to her on the grass. she looked in my direction to see who had come, and she smiled and turned her body to face me when she saw it was me. i handed her a pack of gummies after opening it for her then took out the other.

suzuki wasn't one to start conversations, so we'd often spend the first few minutes of our outings in a nice, comfortable silence while we enjoyed each other's presence. usually, suzuki would have a very thoughtful expression, one that seemed to look on to things beyond this world, or questioning simple things that haven't been questioned before, such as the origin of the candy we're eating right now. we once had an in-depth discussion about that.

but this time, suzuki seemed to have lost that thoughtful and curious expression of hers. she looked.. troubled. something was bothering her, so much so that she couldn't stop thinking about it. i discovered that suzuki had grown to conceal her feelings quite well over the years, and she never cracks an inch of a reaction until it gets too much. whatever was upsetting suzuki, it was big.

and so i asked her what was wrong. "suzuki? are you okay? you look.. sad."

suzuki only put another gummy inside her mouth and shook her head.

"really, suzuki," i entreated. "what's wrong? you know you can tell me. i'm not pressuring you, though, i'm just worried."

she nodded and met my eyes.

"it's.. something private," she said. "something happened at home, and it's been worrying me."

i nodded understandingly and lowered my eyes.

"alright," i said. "if you feel comfortable enough, you can tell me. i'm here for you."

suzuki showed me a bitter smile and ate another candy. after that, we sat in silence as we stared at the lake before us, both eating our packs of gummy candies. in a moment, i felt suzuki's cold fingertips brush over the back of my hand as it rested on the grass, and i immediately grabbed her hand in mine. she squeezed it and i returned the squeeze. she squeezed my hand tightly that night, as if telling me not to let her go.

i'm sure i won't. i know i won't. she won't be going anywhere.