Frame Working Feelings: One Poem at a Time.

Happy Birthday!

As Natsuki's alarm jolts into activity, so does she. She sits up in her bed and reaches for her alarm, turning off the blaring noise. Natsuki then grabs her phone, and great, it's morning. She is soon cut off in her thoughts by her father bursting into her room.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" He screams, causing Natsuki to just place her face into her palm. He does a little dance over to Natsuki's bed and smiles.

"What?" She asks, and he hands her two gifts, a big box and a small one. Natsuki receives the big box first, opening it slowly. When she removes the top of the box, she finds a manga set of her new favorite series that she had been wanting. She had seen it in the library but never got the chance to read it. A huge smile appears on her face.

"Ahh, before that smile can get too big, I have one more thing," her father says, handing her the smaller box. Whatever is in here has a lot to beat. Natsuki unwraps the box and opens it. Inside are the keys to her dad's old car. He had recently gotten a new one to have more room in the trunk since he's been moving around a lot for work.

Natsuki can't contain her excitement and lets out a squeal as she quickly hugs her father. "Really! My own car?" She feels like she's living a dream right now. Her father chuckles and nods. Natsuki is overjoyed! She has always wanted her own car, and this one happens to be the same car her father taught her to drive in.

"I'll let you get ready for the day!" He smiles, and Natsuki nods, letting him go. He leaves the room, and Natsuki begins preparing for the day. She walks out of her room and across the hall to the supply room, retrieving her clothes from the dryer. She had fallen asleep the night before and forgotten about them. Rushing back to her room, she quickly slips into her uniform and heads downstairs to the kitchen.

She sat at the kitchen island, and her dad placed a plate of waffles in front of her. Her father had taught her how to cook and bake since she was about four, and she's been doing it ever since. He walked up behind her and played with her hair. "Hey! I just brushed that!" she groaned, but her father went to the downstairs bathroom and grabbed a brush.

He came back, brushing through her hair and putting it up in her normal pigtails. She usually does this herself, but her father was leaving town soon for business, and he felt like he had to do everything for her. Natsuki scarfed down her breakfast as if she hadn't eaten in months (👀), even though it had only been since last night.

"Don't eat too fast or you'll choke," her father giggled, and Natsuki laughed when she finished swallowing her food. He sat next to her and frowned a bit.

"What's wrong, dad?" Natsuki questioned.

"Just... your mom would be so proud; our little girl turned 18 today." I went quiet. It had been fourteen years since Mom left.

"Why... why did she leave?" I asked, and my dad grabbed my hand.

"Do you know Sayori Ito?" He said. I got a little stunned when he brought up Sayori, but nevertheless, I nodded.

"Your mother was a police officer; she had worked with Sayori's mother for many years. They even went to university together. They were best friends. One day, they arrived on the scene of a bank robbery. Everybody knew there were three robbers inside, but... nobody knew there was a sniper on the roof. Your mother, being the commanding officer, was trying to de-escalate the situation. After a while of failing, she ordered the troops to ready their weapons." As my dad told me the story, I went from shocked to scared to shocked again.

"Finally... Sayori's mother noticed the sniper on the roof, and as he pulled the trigger to shoot your mother, Sayori's mother took the bullet. Sadly, she passed away. I remember a couple of months later coming home to a note from your mother that read." My dad cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry for the pain I've caused and the pain I will continue to bring. But this was too much for me to bear. I can't be in this town anymore or with the people that remind me of her. I'm sorry, Kisho. But I have to go, please keep Natsuki safe." After hearing him say that, I felt sick to my stomach.

"So, she just... left her kid... her husband alone!" I said. My father nodded and placed his hand on my shoulder. I couldn't believe she'd do that to her family! Like, that's horrible. But... I think I could understand it, I mean if I lost Sayori I don't think I'd want to be in this town either.

"Well, you've given me the only parenting I need!" I smile and my dad smiles back.

"Now, you have to get ready for the day; I have the day off today so I'll bring you lunch later in the day!" I smile and pack my bag for the day, my dad drops me off at school, and I walk in. Ready to start the day...

My day was actually quite nice. I went from math to English, English to history, history to gym, and finally, gym to science. Then after all of that, I went to the clubroom, walking in, I saw a banner hanging up "Happy Birthday Natsuki" that's what it read. I look around tea and cupcakes were set up.

"NATSUKI!" Sayori yells, I look at her, and she runs over to me.

"What is all this?" I question, and she grabs me, pulling me into a hug. I just stand still like a piece of wood.

"Happyyyyy Birthday!" She says, letting me go and dragging me deeper into the clubroom.

"You guys set this all up for me?" I questioned, and she nodded. She grabbed a cupcake and handed it to me. I take a bite of it, and it was actually the best cupcake ever, besides mine of course.

"You didn't have to buy me cupcakes." I look around; Yuri and Monika must be slacking because neithe- Yuri walks out of the supply closet and over to us.

"We didn't buy them, I made them," Yuri said with a smile. I didn't know Yuri baked, and she actually did it well."So, Natsuki!" Yuri said with a smile, and my eyes watch Sayori slip away? I place my eyes back on Yuri.

"What?" I ask in my normal tone when talking with Yuri.

She hands me a small box with a ribbon on it. "I got you this!" she smiled and I look at the box, I finish the cupcake and take the box, I slide the ribbon off and inside the box was a necklace that had a Chakra tree on it.

I hate when she gets me stuff; it's like she's trying to buy my appreciation or something. "You keep it." I say in a colder voice.

"It's a gift..." She said, and I could feel myself getting angrier by the minute.

"No thank you." I hand her the box back and she puts it on her desk.

"Okay, oh also... Monika told me to give you my number and address because she paired us up for the festival." Yuri muttered.

"Great. Fine, give me your number and text me your address later." Yuri gave me her number and smiled at me.

"I would rather be paired up with Eito; you make this club so boring" I mumble to myself.

Yuri must have heard it.

(P.S when it looks like this, it's switching POVs)