A Rift Between Us

Chapter 60 - Acceptance & Forgiveness

"What would that be?"

Alara adjusted her glasses, her pinky fingers protruding away from the rest of her hands.

"You must possess the courage to pay a visit to Keiko and render an apology.

Me? Apologise to Keiko?

"But...she's the one tha-"

"I am aware, but have faith."

I guess I gotta trust her.

Alfie nodded. His cheeks burned with embarrassment, fogging his glasses.

"Keiko has been seated at a particular bench, give or take a dozen metres away, her eyes fixed squarely upon our personages."

She flicked her eyes to her right, indicating her position to Alfie. He looked to his left, struggling to focus as students crossed his sight line. An opening in the foot traffic revealed Keiko sitting alone. She was slouched forward, palms on either side of the bench. Her gaze was fixed directly at them, just as Alara had said. A dispirited aura enveloped her like a heavy shroud.

"She looks broken. It's the first time I've seen her like that."

"Yes." Alara nodded, twisting one of her curls around her finger. "If there is anyone who can rectify this situation, it is none other than yourself. I can assure you that she will not act of her own volition."

Her fingers tapped his arm twice.

"Depart at once, for there may yet exist a glimmer of optimism in Keiko's being."

The results paper gently crumpled in his hand as he picked it up from the ground. He gazed back towards Keiko. She sat motionless with the same posture, her long hair softly flapping in the breeze like a tattered flag. Alfie's head tilted up, clouds filling his vision.

Okay...let's do this then.

The crunch of his footsteps echoed in his mind as he approached. The bustling chaos of results day faded into a distant hum. A sharp creak and snap broke the silence as Keiko straightened, her previously drooped posture now rigid. She looked at him with wide eyes, a befuddled expression taking over her face. An awkward silence ballooned between them. Alfie circled the paper in his hand repeatedly, the scratching escaping into the wind.

"Hey err...I wanted to apologise." His face froze at an angle, avoiding eye contact. "That explosion of anger I had before the exam...it wasn't cool. I'm sorry I punched you."

She looked up at him with an expression he'd never seen before, like an orphan discovering a new family. Alfie scratched the back of his neck, his lips parting.

"I was also wondering...well...maybe we could be friends?"

Her pupils dilated. Alfie fixated on her cheeks as tears traced down her face. She sat motionless, dazed, as the tears curved to the left, carried by the gentle breeze.

Wow, she's crying. Keiko is literally crying...

Her head snapped around as she wiped her eyes with her forearm, a pinkish hue blanketing her face.

"Do you...really mean that?"

She kept her arm in front of her face, concealing it from Alfie. A billow of cool air spiralled into his lungs. He held it there, looking around at the school before exhaling.

"Yes. Yes I do."

Keiko's hands shot up to her face, her back slightly hunched as tears plopped onto the ground, some trailing down her arms.

Man, I've never seen her look so vulnerable...

Alfie's fingers wiggled as he considered patting her arm. He gazed at her a little longer. The resentment he felt for Keiko had faded, replaced by a quiet compassion.

I can't believe this is happening! He wants to be friends! He wants to be friends with me! I guess I have to tell him the truth...