Connect

13: Absence

"She's really not feeling much better."

I was walking with Miku and Len through a local park. We found a bench and sat down. Len listlessly kicked the grass by his feet.

"It's only been a week," he mumbled. "She tries, you know. She doesn't want to remember the crap that happens with our parents, but she's only human. It tearing her apart and I feel so weak because I can't help her. She's...she and I aren't as connected as we were when we were younger..."

I sighed and leaned into Len's side. "They're still fighting, huh?"

"I think they might...my mom is thinking about getting a divorce..." Len croaked. "I'm scared, I...dammit, it's not supposed to be like this!"

"Len, maybe it's better if they separate?" Miku tried. Len shook his head.

"It'd break my sister," he whispered, pulling his phone out and putting it to his ear. We waited a few seconds, watching him. He took a deep breath. "Where are you?"

"I think it's Rin," I whispered to Miku, who nodded.

"N-Nothing, sis," Len continued quietly. "I just...I wanted to hear your voice. You're...you're going there?"

There was silence. Len exhaled sharply and held his head in his free hand.

"Take care, Rin, I...I love you, okay?" He said it softly. "Bye."

He put the phone away and glanced at us, one at a time.

"Where's she going?" Miku asked. Len offered a small, almost wistful smile.

"To her boyfriend's," he said. We gaped at him.

"R-Rin has a boyfriend?" I gasped. "Well, she's really pretty, so I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise, but..."

Miku gasped. "He must also be really pretty!"

Len laughed. "Well, she's always talking about him."

"She didn't tell us about him," I pretended to be angry.

"She was excited to see you two after so long," Len stood up. "Now, can we stop talking about this and go do something fun? I want to get my mind off of all this stuff."

"Sure!" Miku hugged him tightly and he yelped. I laughed and we had a group hug.

"Where do you want to go?" I asked, looking up at Len.

"Actually, I just remembered this really nice place we could go to," he grinned, ruffling both my hair as well as Miku's, simultaneously. "Come on, it's not too far. We can take the bus if you're feeling lazy, though."

He led us out of the the park, to a bus stop, where we grabbed a bus and rode it past a few more stops. After no more than five minutes, Len dragged us off the bus and we gasped at the sight.

"There's a beach?" Miku exclaimed. "This close to your home?"

Len shrugged. "I don't know. Rich neighbourhood, I guess. What's the point of having a nice home if your family can't get along, right?"

I punched Len's arm. "We're not going to talk about this," I said firmly. "Right?"

"Right," he chuckled uneasily, nodding. "Thanks, Gumi."

We walked towards the beach, which was littered with people lazing around in the sand, on picnic blankets, with umbrellas over them, stuck in the sand. Children ran around, laughing and screaming. I saw a group of people flying kites.

"My shoes are going to be full of sand..." Miku mumbled. "Should I take them off?"

"You're wearing flats," I said, glancing at her feet. They were bright teal flats. "Just pull them off. I've got a plastic bag in my backpack."