If only he didn't.

CHAPTER 15, SOMEONE WHO LOOKED LIKE YOU (HERO POV)

I walked in the hallway, the sound of multiple conversations and frustration filled it, I was looking down at the homework. Multiple essays explaining genetical mental and physical conditions. It wasn't homework, but I also created multiple notes of psychiatry, GABRIEL would probably need it, maybe even SHANNON needs it?

I-I'm not hard to miss, actually. Surprisingly, tallest, in the whole academy. So anyways, I bumped into a girl. Wow, how surprising! Stereotypical bound-to-fall-in-love type? Not for me, my sincere apologies. 

"Oh, I'm so sorry, HENRY! Are you okay? Geez, you're tall." A girl, who looked like somebody that I used to know, stood in front of me, before turning around again. 

"It's okay, don't worry. I've seen you before though, with, uh, MONIKA?" I looked into her eyes, she was identical to her. 

"Oh yes, MONIKA! We're friends. She's friends with you too, I assume? I'm MARY." 

"MARY...MARY spelled with an I or a Y?" I knew it, she was going to be MARY. She was going to be identical to MARI. Unbelievable. 

"MARY spelled with a Y, why are you asking?" She stared deep into my eyes, softly smiling.

"No reason. It's, just like that...That MARIya Takeuchi? Ever heard of her? Great music." 

"Oh! Yes. I've always been interested in Japanese music. Do you think my name spelt as M-A-R-I suits me?" 

"Wow! Yes, M-A-R-I suits you well...You should- You should do that when addressing your name." 

We had conversed for minutes, until the bell rang. Did she know I was uncomfortable? Did she know I was barely listening? Did she know I was looking at her socks? Why would she wear beige socks? What's the point? Most importantly, why does she look like HER?

We hung out multiple times. Once in a coffee shop, I spilled coffee over her. Twice, we visited FARAWAY, guess how that went...Once in the dormitories, we just hung at hers, I hated how similar she was to her. Yesterday, we went out for karaoke to celebrate good exam scores, she brought me though. It went something like this:

"Ooh! What about Plastic Love? You feelin' it, HERO? No...Maybe, Stay With Me?" " MARY looked at me and quickly looked through music CDs. Many I recognized, but didn't say so. 

"Choose. It's your choice! I'll listen, don't worry." While she was flipping through the CDs, I remembered that both songs MARY mentioned were songs MARI sang. MARI sang Plastic Love on our 1st anniversary, she was very quiet, but it was loving, we were 13. MARI sang Stay With Me, on our 2nd anniversary, she was apparently singing to her mother and father for gratitude and memory, but she secretly told me it was just for me, we were 14.

"Okay then, Stay With Me it is!" She put in the CD and started singing. I found her voice soothing, so soothing that I fell asleep, but I was actually just bored of her.

.

.

A silhouette of a hanging girl, she was hanging from the tree. Silence filled the backyard. One girl vomited, the sight of the hanging girl nauseated her, except both girls looked older. One boy looked mortified, the sight of the hanging girl made him silent, but he still helped the vomiting girl, except he looked older. Two boys stood together, one caressing the other, they both looked tired and consumed with despair, except they looked older. I stood in front of the hanging girl, standing still, my mind copying the image forever, the faint voice of the hanging girl ringing in my head. Her voice, then silence. Her voice, then silence. Then 2 voices collided, they sounded identical. I looked up at the tree, a second hanging girl faded in. 

They looked the same. They hung the same. One girl was just more pale. The silhouettes faded out, disappearing. I wanted to leave. I wanted to leave this dream, No, this memory. I wanted to leave this memory, I wanted to get rid of my mind. I hate myself for remembering this. I hate myself for copying the image forever. I hate myself. I-