A Shatterd soul

Ch.8

It seemed like the gods had finally decided to answer his prayers, at least to some extent. Startled from his sleep by the echoes of shouts and the sound of things breaking outside his house, he initially thought it was just another fight. It wasn't uncommon for teenagers and random adults to get into loud, senseless arguments over the silliest things, often waking up the whole neighborhood.

So, he wasn't too surprised at first. However, what caught his attention was how close the noise was to his own house, and the voices sounded strangely familiar. He quickly got out of bed, rushing down the stairs (almost slipping and breaking his neck) and out of the house, slamming the front door open and wincing as his injured hand throbbed.

To his dismay, he was greeted by the sight of Mikey and Draken, engaged in a heated exchange of insults that felt like punches to his eardrums. It was as if his cherished memories of his childhood had been shattered into tiny pieces, scattered all over the ground. How did fifteen-year-olds even have such strength? It was a mystery that left everyone guessing.

He attempted to intervene, desperately trying to prevent them from tearing each other apart. However, keyword : "tried." The moment his voice pierced through the thick tension like a dagger, both of their gazes turned murderous, focusing solely on him. In a nervous attempt to defuse the situation, he summoned a smile, hoping to alleviate the mounting aggression. For a brief moment, he noticed their glares dissipate as they recognized him, but it was short-lived as their animosity quickly shifted back toward each other.

they now dragged him into the argument, much to his displeasure.

"Takemichy, you're my friend, right?"

Mikey half-yelled, his anger devoid of any genuine hatred. Seriously, was he serious? Before he could even respond (not that he had intended to), Draken's annoyed voice clashed with his already pounding head, adding to Mikey's anger-but-not-hatred.

"Huh? The hell you're talking about? Takemichy is my friend, right, Takemichy?"

Draken clenched his teeth, briefly glancing at Takemichi before refocusing his gaze on Mikey. Meanwhile, Takemichi mustered the courage to approach, he wasn't scared of them. Just...careful., intending to put an end to this absurdity. However, fate had a different plan in store. Taking no more than a few steps, he stumbled over a broken piece of his scattered bike, losing his balance and landing face-first on the unforgiving concrete.

Well, as they say, curiosity does indeed kill the cat, huh.

His hand, wrapped in bandages, throbbed with pain as it accidentally brushed against a stray pebble. Why was he subjecting himself to this again? Oh yes, that's right. he had no other choice.

Not even a moment of respite followed his fall before Mikey and Draken seized the opportunity to mock him, bursting into laughter. Then, without any consideration for his bedridden state, they insisted on dragging him outside to join in their activities.

Well, at least it seemed like they had made up, right?

~♡~

As the third of August drew nearer with each passing day, Takemichi's anxiety grew in tandem. Hina, determined to bring him along, practically dragged him into the festival. In the preceding days, he had made an effort to spend time with Draken and Mikey, hoping to earn their trust. So Hina insisted, that it could be considered a double date since her blonde friend would be bringing her crush along. With no other option, Takemichi agreed.

Walking through the festival grounds, the rustling of his baggy black jeans and the swish of his leather jacket fabric accompanied his every step. The rhythmic sound of his shoes tapping against the pavement reverberated in the air as he searched for the person who had forced him into coming. The weather had turned slightly chilly, and with the impending rain, he had taken precautions to dress appropriately, preferring to be safe rather than sorry.