Ao Haru Ride (Something Like That)

chapter 1 雨(rain)

"Ring!" It is afternoon, I am surprised by the warmth in the sun's ray even though it is Spring. Once more my breaths are quite invisible and the birds are more active in the sky, sometimes I miss winter and holidays that I spend with my family and friends. The still cloud lingers but today it is not a dense layer of grey but instead a chaotic array of white puffy shapes amid the blue. I grab my bag and rush outside from my classroom.
"Bye, Chie, Asumi" I say to my friend as they wave me goodbye.

I tilt my head upwards, this sun is not enough to burn and while it has the first lick of summer about it, I put that out of my mind. Savoring the moment as I saunter out the school.

As I walk toward the road I live where, this reminds me of the time I met him where my first heartbreak began. I remember that day it was sunny, you could never figured it out it was going to rain(it was summer) but...
It was my first year of middle school, and a sudden shower made us meet.

Flashback
The sound of running foot steps touching the floor as I run toward the temple.
"Drip drop" the sound of rain that falls this November is so different from the months we've just had. Before the drops were so ambient, all they brought was wetness. The blessings from the clouds alight on my skin with the coldness of the season ahead. They brush all over my face, why does it have to rain so suddenly? I hold my bag up making a mini contact with the rain pouring on me.

I run back the temple hopefully find a place where I can hide from the rain. I wipe off the wetness on my uniform.

I notice that I am not here alone, a boy wearing the same uniform as me, looking closely seems like he is in the same year as me, with black inky hair and cover with rainwater. He turns around and nods at me awkwardly to greet me as I nod back, feeling quite awkward. He is from other class which I know, Tanaka Kou.
"It came....suddenly right?"he asks, looking at the sky crying.
"Yeah...."
I take a glimpse at him wondering what he would say next, when I look at him he turns around, my heart skips a beat feeling shock and we both turn away, blushing.

As I brush my hair bangs, I see a crumble old flyer lying on the ground
"Sakisaka Shrine Festival"
Oh yeah, there is a festival coming up, I should ask him if he is going.

"Tanaka-kun, areyougoingtothefetival!" I shout out in embarrassment, my blood in my veins is rushing through my face making me blush even hard. Trying to make this conversation going, I try to add some of my points.
"I don't know if Yuni-chan is going? Maybe I will ask her?"

He turns and looks at me while I blush, the temperature on my body makes me feel warm and I almost forget that i am covered in rainwater.

"Here use this" he walks towards me he gives me his PE shirt and covers my head"You'll catch a cold, dry it with that."

"A gym uniform?" I ask, the scent from the uniform has Tanaka-kun's fresh smell, hesitation hold me back from using it, maybe he used it before and..

"It okay, I haven't used it even once," he pauses and says "Except once"

"Eh, then you did use it!" I say in an annoyed tone.

"Hahahahaha" he laughs, is he joking ? But his laugh distracts me with his deep voice, a richness of his tones, luxurious and warm, making me blush.

"Fine I'll use it"

"Sure, use it"

"Arigato" I say softly

Trying to hide my blushing face under the uniform, I can't help but just peep at him and I see a pink blush registered on his white pale face.

He is a class next to mine, from what I know he is a shorter than any other guys in his class and a soft-speaker, I rarely see him speaking with his friends, all he does is smile or laugh, like a girl with a gentle and pale skin and a girl personality.

One day, I return his uniform to him in a plastic bag, I am so proud that I didn't mess up washing a uniform.

"Arigato, for lending me this shirt" I say returning his uniform with both of my hands sticking out.

"Are you going to the festival? Did you make plans with your friends?" he asks tilting his head sideways.

"Huh? Not yet.." suddenly my head goes blank and shock that he would ask me, I know that i ask him first but that time I was trying to make the first move.

"7.00pm, at the clock in the Sakaku park." he is covering his face with his arm, feeling embarrassed, might be the first time he asks a girl out.

The next day, a guy from his class notices us getting closer and tries to be a detective and ask us what happen between us.

"Hey, whats going on with you guys? Just tell me" he says as he follows me around, I know him because he always sticks around in Tanaka's gang, but he can be very annoying.

"Just tell me, hey" he keeps saying the same thing, it is very irritating, I grip my hands in silence showing that I am annoyed, can't he notice ugh.

I turn around glaring at him,"Stop being so annoying! That is why I hate boys" My anger of boys can't be described, suddenly all the hatred crawling back to me, my history with boys are the last thing I want to deal with. It is very sad, the boys took my normal life away from me, thinking that makes me want to shout out everything I hate about them.(you know why she hates them so much, later in the story).

"That is why I hate all the boys" I shout at him, that time I didn't care about anything else, just the boy infront of me, that irritates the crap out of me.

Little that I notice, I see Tanaka-kun walking out of the classroom, I feel shock, my heart in me is beating very fast making me feel guilty that I want him to forget everything I said, it isn't meant for him but I did mention "boys", I feel guilty and I want to say to him it is not what you think it is. It the last time I see him, his back is the most memorable scene floating in my mind.

-Summer Festival Day-
The day I been waiting for is today, I try to look good in this new dress I brought in the shopping mall, I am thrilled to wear this for him to see me in this. But my heart can't seem to let it go because how I said that word"hate"infront of him. I promise that tonight I am going to tell him everything is a misunderstanding.

But I wait for him, as if long enough to let the next season flower to bloom, my head start to think that it was my fault that he didn't come, is that word hurtful to him? Did he think I mean it? Its getting pretty late, the stalls are closing maybe I should go, even I wait for him for another hour we won't have the time to enjoy. Every step I make is felling guilty and sadness is left in my footsteps, my heart hurts that time.

-The next day-
"Eh?! Tanaka-kun changed school? " a boy ask, huh change school? I was walking with my friends and notice someone is talking about Tanaka-kun.

"Someone said that he moved during summer break"

"Huh? He didn't even tell you?"

Flashback ends
He was embarrassingly awkward. Uncertain, he always fumbling his way through everything, but I really like Tanaka-kun, even now he still has a corner in my heart, I still want to go back to those days. It been three years since that happens, I manage to slip through my first year of term three of my high school safely.

Every time I pass through the temple, I think of him that he would be here but it is impossible, he moved, nobody knows where the hell is he.

It useless to keep thinking about him, maybe I should move on. Maybe tomorrow is better than today......maybe.

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