The Second Society

Chapter 2

SAKURA-

"And then Miss Sano tripped on her dress, it ripped! And do you know who she blamed? ME!" Ino complained "I swear! Just because she is bests friends with our boss, she believes no one can touch her. Wait until I get out of here and take my father's place in the company. That will show her!"

I just listened absentmindedly while we ambled along the large courtyard between buildings. The last few weeks had been horribly warm and humid to even stay away from the air-conditioned rooms, and today it finally rained. The dew still clung to the newly installed gardens surrounding the walls and windows. Floral and earthy scents mixed with moisture danced with the wind, sticking to my hair and clothes.

I loved it.

"And, the worst part is, she DEMANDED I pay for her repairs and the drycleaners!" Ino stomped next to me, her hands waving in irritation "Why is it my fault she decided to wear stiletto heels with a dress longer than her stupid face?" I choked on my coffee. Ino could be very creative with her insults, even if they made no sense at times.

"Ino, she might hear you" I whispered, you never know who is watching. Gossip was highly frowned upon if they catch you. Sometimes I wondered if this was some kind of boarding school for corporate workers. "The accounting windows are right above us, and they always keep their windows open. At least don't say her name out loud." I reminded her.

Just like little schoolgirls, we created our own code system to avoid getting in trouble. You can't catch a rule breaker if you don't have proof – we go by that motto at work.

Ever since our collage years, Ino and I had learned to sneak between the cracks, maintain our reputation intact and our social life secretive.

I probably wouldn't have survived University and make friends if it wasn't for her. Even this job would not have been possible if she hadn't put in a good world for me. It was my duty as her best friend to keep her out of trouble as much as hers.

"Right... sorry" she cringed. A snicker forming on her features. "At least I can vent it all out before our break is over. Hey, look at those" she pointed at a small island of flowers in the centre. "Must be the ones brought in this morning. Quick, help me take a picture! " She gushed, her love for flowers spilling from every pore. Ino clicked her heels and fished her phone out.

"What are those called?" to be honest, they looked familiar, but I had never seen one's as beautiful as those "They look like lilies."

"They are lilies" she chirped "Purple lilies to be exact, they must have been specially ordered" her blue eyes shined. After all, purple was her favourite colour. She circled the island, looking for a great spot where the sun didn't shine too much or too little.

Well, you learn something every day. I'd only seen white lilies – not that I have much experience with flowers - Growing up in a farm, most of what you see are wildflowers - natures best homes for bugs. My mother would surround the house in lavender and father would trim the land often enough to avoid unwanted weeds to spread.

At least the chickens loved them.

Living in a city made thing much more difficult to see any kind of nature, unless it's been intentionally placed or grew from unkept homes.

Sometimes I wished I had a garden, or even buy a pot, but caring for myself was hard enough. Recently it became even worse. From one flu to another, back-to-back. It's been driving me nuts.

"Do you want to be on the picture?" Ino asked from the other side of the island, her form half covered by the flowers as she bent down enough to get a picture of herself and a purple background of lilies.