"You and Riko Sakurauchi have been friends ever since, you were six and have been inseparable ever since then but, then what will happen if you find out that Riko is moving away?! What will you do without her by your side?!"
"It was finally time for lunch, the best part of the school day for me!! I walked up the small stair steps to the cafeteria full of the scent of sushi and ramen. Delicious! I decided this was the perfect time to go look for Riko. She had to be in here since, Yoshiko said she was in her group so, she had to be in this school. I began walking past Kanan and Chika's table but, then stopped when, I heard Chika call me over. "Hey, (Your name)-kun! Come sit over, here with us!" Chika requested. I turned and slowly shook my head.
"Oh, I'd love to, Chika-chan but, I'm sorry. There's something I need to do, right now. Maybe, tomorrow." I simply spoke.
Chika slightly frowned but, nodded. "Okay." She sighed and continued chatting with Kanan.
I scattered around the lunch room, searching for Riko. I needed to find red hair. But, not just any red hair. Velvet red hair. I looked around like, a lost puppy until, I found a wave of red hair at a table with Yoshiko and a girl with short, wavy, blonde hair. I assumed she was Mari since, that was the other member of Yoshiko's group but, I wasn't 100% sure. The red haired girl's back was faced towards me so, I couldn't tell exactly if that was Riko. If it was her then, her hair had grown much longer and nearly touched her thighs. So, it did look like Riko from behind.
I approached the table, awkwardly. "Umm... excuse me." I mumbled. Soon, enough the red head turned around and immediately, I knew that it was Riko even, if I didn't ask. I took two seconds or so to wait for her to recognize me but, she stood silent. She didn't bat an eye. She just froze and waited for what I came over for.
"Uh, hi." I said to Riko. A mini smile appeared on her face. It was obvious that Riko had no idea, who I was.
"Umm, hi." Riko responded, awkwardly.
"Uh, R-Riko?" I stammered. Riko's golden eyes widened. She seemed shock and confused all at the exact same time. She seemed even weirded out, that I knew her name. Didn't she remember? I couldn't help but, think that Riko was acting kind of dense and aloof and that wasn't like, her at all. She usually seemed not as distant.
"Umm, I'm sorry but, how do you know my name?" She asked. Mari and Yoshiko seemed clueless, from behind Riko.
"Oh, we've met, before." I insisted, simply, hoping that that would ring a bell to her.
Riko shook her head. "Oh, have we? I'm sorry but, I'm pretty sure, that we've never met." Riko disagreed.
This was turning out, harder than I thought it was going to. "No, no. We have." I insisted, once more.
Riko gave me a strange look. "Listen, I hate to break it to you but, I'm pretty sure, I don't know you and you don't know me. I'm also, sure that we've never met. In fact, I'm positive. I don't recognize you. I don't even know who you are."
And right at that moment, my heart cracked into itty-bitty pieces. Riko Sakurauchi, my own childhood best friend, didn't know or recognize who I was?!
Tears began to fill up my eyes, like a waterfall. "I-I'm sorry, I have to go! Forget about me, Riko! I guess, I really don't mean that much to you!" I sobbed as, I began to run off and out of the cafeteria.
"Hey, wait up!" I heard her call from behind me but, I didn't care. Nothing was right with this world, anymore. Everything was ruined and messed up. So, Now I had nothing. Riko was forgetting me and that...
well, that really dug deep and carved an empty hole into my heart."
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