All it took was an unfortunate encounter with someone who knew much more than what met the eye. From their meeting at an adventure course to measuring the distance between the sun and the moon, there was no telling how deep she had fallen for him; n...
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13 ☆ ( "I BELIEVE YOU, RIE." )
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"Sato Rie!" Mother called, exasperated. I remained laying stomach-flat on my bed, eyes staring into the beige-ish, pearl white wall that just-so-barely made its appearance on the right side of my pinewood-colored bookshelf. Distant, although she was only separated from me five feet away, Mother was banging against the locked door. "Sato Rie, come out this instant!"
I couldn't. I dare not open that door and unleash the monsters in my only sanctuary of serenity. Mother could break the door down if she really wanted to, but she wasn't that brave. She didn't care that much about why, just that I was unwilling to listen. Of course, she knew about what happened with Yamaguchi. Dad did, too. It was the first time they were in the same room together since I was seven. They sat right next to each other, playing the not-so-disjointed family, ruling away any possibilities that I was not as dangerous as perceived.
Like I said, I was never going to be trusted. Nobody was going to believe me. Not even Teacher Fujii believed me. I don't know about my friends, though. I think if there was anyone who cared about me more in that moment, it was them–but when I looked into the window of the teacher's office, back in the hallway where stragglers remained, I could see them standing there.
And their eyes expressed what formalities and words couldn't. They weren't happy.
"Rie, come out, right–!"
"Maybe we shouldn't pressure her," It was the first time I cracked a smile in over three days. The only reason I made such a face was because Dad didn't even bother to say her name, not even address her. That made me smile, truly, because not even sitting on the same couch could conceal their displeasure for each other, not even for a second. "After all, what she did isn't a laughing matter. Maybe she needs space to collect her thoughts."
"She hasn't eaten in three days. She hasn't gone to school in five! All she's done is drink water, stay silent, and sleep! Do you think that's healthy for her?! Do you think any of this is beneficial!?" Mother screamed in his face. She was still drowned out, beginning to sound like gibberish. My right eyelid began to pulsate from a lack of rest, so I closed my eyes. I transcended into darkness. "Hanae comes by every day. I have to continuously turn away because Rie refuses to come out! Do you think she's even alive in there!?"
