Adrift

Chapter 11

Koro started coughing as we were about to start riding home. I quickly pulled out a water bottle and handed it to her. Koro had finished off her own bottle after the three of us left the rope swing due to a similar coughing fit. She took a sip quickly between coughs and I was getting worried about my best friend. Koro had been sick multiple times recently and each time was for several days.

"You ok, Koro?" I looked at my friend as she took another sip of water.

"Yeah, my throat is dry. That's all." It was the same excuse Koro gave after the last coughing fit, too. However, she had been fine for the most part so I thought it might be left over from her last bout of illness. Koro started getting back on her bike after putting the water bottle in her bag. "Let's get going. Don't want to be late for dinner."

"Yeah, true. My mom probably wouldn't mind too much but I don't want to worry her." I hadn't told my mom how long we would be gone and I didn't have a curfew to worry about, but I had always been good about not being out too late unless my mom knew about it beforehand. "You guys can eat at my house if you want. There is usually tons of food. Mom always makes extra since dad died. It's like she is still making a meal for three when it's just the two of us. And dad always had seconds."

I realized the other two had gone silent. I almost never spoke of my dad. I guess I killed the mood a bit. It's been years but I still miss you, dad. I fought back the tears that were forming in my eyes as I traveled along with Aki and Koro. We traveled in silence for a few moments until Koro finally broke it.

"I don't know about you guys but I had a pretty fun day. We should definitely do more stuff like this, especially once summer break starts. We will have tons of time to hang out until we head off to college." The mention of college made me grimace. I already knew where I would be going. We all did and we were all going to the same place, though that wasn't exactly planned. It just happened to work out. I had decided where I wanted to go months ago and Koro was happy to come along since despite her excellent grades, she wasn't super serious about school. All three of us had a good laugh when we realized one day that Aki had also chosen the same school.

It wasn't that big a coincidence, though, since the school was in the town where we all lived and was one of the best in the region. I was still glad we would all be together after high school ended. I was pretty sure Aki and Koro felt the same way. Koro had told me as much and Aki seemed to prefer being with the two of us rather than being alone. He never said anything about it and I could still be wrong but I was convinced it was true.

"I had fun, too." Aki's comment tore me away from my daze. "I would definitely like to do this sort of thing more often." I couldn't see his face since he was in front of me, but I was almost certain he was smiling. I could hear a difference in his voice.

"Yes, definitely, me, too." I had to agree that it was a fun day and wanted to experience more of them while we could. "Maybe we should try to do something every weekend until graduation."

"Sounds good, but will it always be bike rides? I prefer to mix it up a bit." Koro, who was riding in the middle, glanced back at me and winked, though I had no clue why.

"It doesn't always have to be a bike ride, though there are tons of places to go besides the lake. We could do more movie nights or game nights. You know the blanket fort is still up in the living room."

"Yeah, I noticed that when we were there this morning," Aki replied. I could still hear the smile in his voice. The three of us pedaled on and were soon out of the forest. I felt it was much faster than before, though I didn't time it so there was no way to compare the two trips.

As we came out into the street for the last leg home, Koro slowed a bit to come up beside me. "What do you think of Aki?" Koro said it loud enough for me to hear but barely more than a whisper. "Do you like him?"

"Of course I like him. We are friends." Despite my decisive answer, I felt my cheeks get warmer and knew they were probably turning pink.

"That's not what I meant, and by the shade of your cheeks I can tell you already knew that." Koro glanced over at me every few seconds as though waiting for a response but then continued. "I have noticed a change in you since Aki started hanging with us."

"I..." I didn't know what to say. Do I like him? If I do, what does that mean? I don't think I know what I feel, but something is different. Once Koro pointed out noticing a change in me, I knew immediately she was right. It didn't mean I knew what it meant or even how to feel about it, though.

***

Once we got back to the street and left the trail the rest of the trip was quick. I continued to lead the group and was wondering what Koro and Ryou were talking about. I could hear that they were talking but could not make out the words. Trying to ignore my paranoia, I kept moving forward and didn't stop until we were back in Ryou's driveway.

Ryou and Koro were silent as they stopped next to me and got off their bikes. Ryou walked her bike into the garage to put it away and came back within a minute. I had to know what they were discussing, gathering my courage, and decided to just go for it. "What were you guys talking about before? You were being pretty secretive." It came out more accusatory than I meant it to be. Both girls froze and stared at me as though caught doing something they shouldn't. They each had a variation of a shocked look on their face.

"Just a little girl talk. No need to be so nosy." Koro was first to recover and fire back an answer. I felt the answer was reasonable but the shocked look that had appeared on her face made him hesitant. "Since we are being nosy, why are you so down all the time? I think today was the most I have ever seen you smile."

Now it was my turn to freeze in shock. I opened my mouth to speak but no sound came out. Koro was looking back at me as I tried to restart my brain. I wasn't sure how long I was frozen for, probably only a few seconds, but it felt like minutes. "I...I don't want to talk about it." I managed to force out an answer but stumbled a little.

"Koro, knock it off." Ryou was glaring at Koro. "Aki, you don't have to say anything but we are here if you ever want to talk about it." Koro's expression softened as she nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, sorry, I took it too far." I could see Koro meant it but I only nodded in response because I didn't feel like talking anymore. I didn't like talking about the things that bothered me. I didn't want to make others worry or be a bother by bringing others into my issues. Luckily, Ryou's mom came out with her bubbly personality.

"Welcome back! Did you guys have a fun day?"

"Yeah, mom. I invited them over for dinner. Hope that's ok."

"Of course, your friends are always welcome to eat with us. You got here just in time, too. It will be ready any time now." Josie seemed even more happy and hurried back inside. Ryou, Koro, and I followed her in. I was actually feeling pretty hungry. We had eaten our lunches a little early and were out exploring most of the day. I need to get more exercise. Or less, maybe. I am usually never this hungry. Will need to bring more snacks if we decide to be active all day again.

"What's for dinner? Do I smell garlic bread?" Koro also seemed to be ready to eat. "Do you need help with anything?"

"Yes, there is garlic bread in the oven. It's the only thing not done yet so I don't really need help but I appreciate the offer, dear." Josie's smile seemed to get even bigger and brighter. I saw Ryou's smile in her mother's. Though it probably went the other way, I didn't care. It was nice to see the joy and care in their faces.

Everyone helped set the table which made it quick work. The timer for the bread went off a few seconds later. Ryou's mom pulled the garlic bread out of the oven and put it on a large cutting board before bringing it to the table with a bread knife. "You kids dig in. I am pretty sure I heard Koro's stomach growling earlier." Koro sent a look to Josie but then smiled before grabbing food.

I couldn't help but smile as I watched the interaction. Since the others were currently serving themselves, I grabbed the garlic bread and cut it into several pieces so everyone could have some. When I went to put the bread in a place where everyone could reach it, I thought I saw Ryou looking at me but when I turned my gaze towards her, she was looking in Koro's direction. Thinking I imagined it, I started adding food to my plate as it became available. I realized I had barely stopped smiling all day as I began to eat.