paper cranes | ✔️

xi.

all i needed was a hug.

it didn't matter who it was from.

i just needed a hug.

just because my best friend was moving away from me.

sometimes, the pain is too much;

it's to the point where your legs feel leaden and you can't move,

where tears are just trickling down your cheeks,

where you hide your face into your best friend's shirt,

as all they can do is say that they'll be back someday.

but anyways.

j, thanks for the pitiful, comforting hug.

✕ 

Mae couldn't stop the tears. She had known for a while now, that her best friend Lucy was moving away from her for the rest of high school. There was even a chance that the two would never meet again until...college? Maybe even later.

But all Mae did was cry.

Even through the celebration in the morning, with the food, drinks, videos, and pictures being taken, by the end of the day, the thought of her leaving dawned on her and Mae couldn't stand being happy. She knew that Lucy had to go. She knew; she didn't want it to happen, though. 

"Lucy...I don't want you to leave..." Mae cried, her salty tears falling onto Lucy's shirt as she hugged her without the intent of letting go. 

"You're the person that I'm closest to in the Academy and if you leave I'll never bond over Harry Potter to everyone else and I trust you a lot and I really don't want you to leave!"

"Mae, you need to stop crying," Lucy said, wiping Mae's tears from under her glasses. A tear trickled down Lucy's cheek.

"Look at what you did, Mae. You made me cry too," Lucy whispered, voice cracking as Mae began wailing and struggled to keep her calm composure. Despite the loudness of the speakers as the volleyball tournament was underway, everyone next to Mae could hear her cries and the anguish in her tears. 

"I-I hope we can meet someday...still..."

"We will. I'll FaceTime you tonight, even, okay? Please stop crying! I don't want this to be my last memory of you!" Lucy consoled, wiping her own tears with her shirt.

"If it'll make you happy before you leave, then sure," Mae said, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to keep her promise. The bell rang, signalling that the day was over, and that Lucy would definitely be leaving now.

Mae said she would stop crying. She stopped crying; as soon as Lucy left in her family's car to go to the airport, she resumed her painful sobs. Her friends themselves were in denial, unable to believe that Lucy had actually left. 

But suddenly, Mae was met with a hug. She didn't know who it was, but the person patted her back, and her cries reduced to hiccups, as she was surprised at the hug but comforted.

"Thank you...for the hug..."

"You're welcome, Mae," his voice said.

"J-Jasper?"

✕  

so the way this ends is that jasper gave mae a hug but she didn't know who it was because she was looking down and sobbing her heart out and jasper just gave her a hug and she said thank you and jasper said "you're welcome" and mae is surprised because in a chapter before, jasper said stuff about mae (not good stuff) and she thought jasper didn't like her.

yeah. 

so that's how it ends.

AND THIS IS TOTALLY REAL GUYS BECAUSE LUCY ACTUALLY LEFT AND GODDAMNIT I CRIED WHILE WRITING THIS CHAPTER

(the only thing that wasn't real was jasper hugging mae...another guy who i'm calling gingerhead [he's one of my friends] gave me a hug)

Amber4ever2 i'll miss you so much...

please take good care of yourself.

i hope you stay safe.

i...thanks for being there.

lots of love,

mae ♥

01001001 00100111 01101100 01101100 01101101 01101001 01110011 01110011 01111001 01101111 01110101 00101110