on the next spring | ✓

3

Never Not - Lauv

It was spring in 1996

"Silly, why are you wearing a padded jacket?" I creased my eyebrows in confusion when I saw her that day. The pink cloth wrapped her small figure as she walked towards me. The girl stopped functioning for a while. 

"Because - it's winter?" 

Which side of calendar was she referring to this morning? I sighed and my hands automatically unwrapped her scarf that was covering her neck and instinctively got rid of her padded jacket and I held those two items on my right hand. "It's spring, idiot. Give me your backpack." I ordered while reaching out my left hand for her backpack. The girl just stood there, probably still confused. I shook my head as I shoved the scarf and the jacket into her backpack and zipped it up. When I handed her belongings back, she gave me a confused smile. "Thank you."

I laughed to her face. "So sudden? You never thanked me before." I turned my back against her, ready to proceed with our routine. As I walked towards the school gate, I heard her mumbling "But you never did me a favor-" but I ignored her. I checked behind me before confidently placing my right foot on the gate, slowly climbing up, making sure no one could saw us. When I reached the peak, my eyes unintentionally caught her expression down there. 

She looked out of place. Was she fine? Did she got into a fight? Come to think of it, I saw a bruise on her wrist earlier, but I didn't say anything about it. 

"What are you doing, now who's the real idiot here? Get down! The principal will see us." She hissed, pulling me back into reality. Realizing how reckless I was in choosing places to examine her expression, I jumped off the gate, waiting patiently for her to come after me. But after a minute, she was still standing on the other side of the gate. She didn't move. I put my hands on my hip. "You want me to bring the 'idiot' back to you? Hurry up, why are you still lagging I swear -" 

"Shut up, I was just figuring things." Slowly, she reached to the gate, awkwardly and slowly climbing up the gate as if it was her first time. I groaned as soon as her feet touched the ground. I squinted my eyes on her, raging. "See? You're the silly one." I turned my back against her again and start making my way from the gate, heading to a place we promised to hang out at. 

"Wait up, little sprout!" 

I stopped. I turned to her, stamping my feet. "WE'RE OFF THE SAME HEIGHT!" 

She laughed me off, running slowly towards me and hit me softly on the head. "I grew up first!" And off she went ahead of me. All I could do was giving her a look,eventhough she was still unbotheredly half walking half jumping leaving me in front of the gate. 

Few steps after, she turned to me, laughing and offered me a smile. "Let's have a race to the garden! The later will get a penalty!" Upon finishing her sentence, the girl sped running before I could even comprehend. 

"THAT'S NOT FAIR!" And so I ran after her while screaming, trying to get her to stop. But she sure didn't. I ended up losing the race. 

A penalty won't hurt, I guess.

+++

I lied down flat on the grass, closing my eyes while inhaling as much air as I desire. It felt like the most sunlight I've received since the last three years. I felt so free and light, as if my burdens were lifted off my shoulder. Sent flying into thin air, like the dandelion spores flying away to find its new home. 

I could felt the petals that fall off the sakura tree - where I was lying under it - brushing off my cheek, but I couldn't care less. 

I opened my eyes as I looked at her, who was busy jotting down something on her notebook. My eyebrows creased. I had seen her using that one particular notebook for quite some time, but I wasn't caring enough to ask her about it. I just waited for her to open her mouth and say anything, but she didn't. And so we remained silent for the next fifteen minutes.