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─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
mai. My two months of rest are over, and surprisingly, I felt a bit jumpy walking into school today.
It's finally senior year! Even though I'm pretty smart, academics can get me really down sometimes, to the point where I've wished for an escape, but I always manage to push through.
The thought of balancing schoolwork, college applications, and my social life feels overwhelming, yet there's a strange excitement about this last chapter of high school.
As I walked through the familiar halls, the sights and sounds of the school hit me with a mix of nostalgia and nervousness.
When I spotted two of my close friends by the shoe lockers, a wave of relief washed over me. I approached them with a big smile.
"It's so good to see you again." I said, hugging them both tightly.
"We literally hung out just two weeks ago, Mai." Himei, one of my best friends, said with a hint of attitude, rolling her eyes playfully.
"I know," I replied, laughing. "It just feels weird being back here again."
"It's only been two months." Yoru added as she closed her locker, shaking her head with a smile.
Despite their teasing, I could sense a slight change in them. Maybe it was just the weight of senior year hanging over all of us. I decided to steer the conversation to something more positive.
"We're finally seniors. graduation is coming up soon." I sighed, thinking back to my first day as a shy freshman.
I remember how daunting everything seemed back then, and now here we are, at the top of the food chain.
As we continued chatting about our summer adventures and plans for the year, someone tapped my shoulder.
I turned around to see the guy from the basketball team who's been a thorn in my side for years.
He was leaning against a locker with his usual cocky grin. "How was your summer, Aikawa?" he asked, clearly trying to impress me with his casual demeanor.
"Fine." I replied nonchalantly, hoping he'd get the hint and leave me alone. This guy had been pestering me since freshman year, and it was getting old.
"Say, senior prom is coming up. Would you like to be my date?" he asked, smirking as if he expected me to swoon at the offer.
I had completely forgotten about prom in the rush of everything else. "No," I said firmly, not even bothering to hide my annoyance.
I turned back to my friends, who were exchanging looks of judgment and amusement. I heard him sigh and walk away, his footsteps fading into the background.
"Why is he still here, anyway? He graduated 2 years ago." Himei said with annoyance, shaking her head.
"No idea." I replied, laughing a little. "He just doesn't seem to get the message."
"Oh, it's your boyfriend's friends." Yoru informed me. I quickly turned around and saw them walking towards us, so I approached them.
"Hey, have you guys seen my boyfriend?" I asked. They exchanged confused glances. "Uh, who?" one of them replied.
I frowned. They both knew about my relationship with their friend. Were they pretending not to know?
"Yoshi? I haven't talked to him since you guys went to Tokyo." I clarified.
Suddenly, their eyes widened, and they quickly walked away without another word, leaving me surprised and unsettled.
Did something happen? I wondered, feeling a growing sense of unease. I turned back to my friends, hoping they might have some insight.
Himei and Yoru both shrugged, "Don't worry, Mai. I think he's just late to school you know?" Yoru said as I started to worry.
This is unusual, Yoshi would always come to school early to hang out with me before class starts.
"There he is." Yoru said, pointing to my boyfriend, who was approaching his friends. I felt a surge of excitement and relief and quickly ran to him.
I hadn't seen him since the last day of sophomore year because he had been on vacation in Tokyo with his friends. Our communication had been sparse, so I really missed him.
"Babe, I missed you," I said, trying to hug him, but he gently pushed me away.
"So, you guys down for bowling tonight?" he asked his friends, completely ignoring me. They nodded and agreed, while I stood there, stunned.
What? He just pushed me away and acted like I wasn't even there.
Just then, the bell rang, signaling the start of the first class. As Yoshi was about to follow his friends, I grabbed his arm, forcing him to face me.
"What is going on, Yoshi?" I asked, my voice tinged with desperation and confusion.
He looked at me with a hint of annoyance and sighed. "Listen, Mai, I've been doing some thinking. I don't think this is going to work anymore."
I was taken aback, struggling to process his words. "What do you mean? Why now?"
He rolled his eyes, clearly irritated. "Things change, Mai. I've changed. I just don't feel the same way anymore. I think it's best if we go our separate ways."
I felt a lump forming in my throat. "You couldn't have talked to me about this? We haven't seen each other all summer, and now you're breaking up with me like this?"
"I'm sorry, but I didn't know how to tell you," he said, avoiding my gaze. "I just think it's better this way."
I sighed before continuing to ask questions because I needed better reasons for us to break up.
"What happened in Tokyo, Yoshi?" I demanded, sensing something was off about his behavior.
He had been with his friends for two months in Tokyo, and now he was acting completely different.
"What happens in Tokyo, stays in Tokyo." he mumbled, letting out a scoff. Then he looked at me seriously.
"Look, if you really want to torture yourself..." He paused, seeing my determined expression, before continuing, "Fine. We had fun, we partied, and I met someone else."
I felt like the ground had dropped from under me. "What? You met someone else?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"Yeah," he said bluntly, not even trying to soften the blow. "It just made me realize that I want something different. I'm sorry, Mai, but this isn't working for me anymore."
I stood there, unable to comprehend what he was saying. "So, you're just going to throw away everything we had? Just like that?"
He shrugged. "You really thought I'd stay with you after we graduated high school?" he asked, and I stared at him in disbelief.
These hurtful words were coming from the man I loved.
He pouted mockingly. "Oh, you did? That's so sweet." His condescension was starting to piss me off.
"Look, I'm sorry," he said, though his tone lacked sincerity. "But I've made up my mind."
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, stunned and heartbroken.
