Take your time or I'll take your Heart

Chapter 4

"That really happened, didn't it?" Ryuji asked when I came onto the rooftop.

"It was real as you and me," I said.

"Good. I didn't want to think I was hallucinating," Ryuji said. 

"Damn, if I told my friend about this she wouldn't believe a single word I've said."

"You've got a girl?" Ryuji asked.

I was caught off guard with that question, "No, she's just a friend."

"Come on, that's what they all say. What's she like?"

"Like I would tell you," I said. "Besides, it was never like that."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure. I never thought about dating her. We've been friends since middle school."

"That just means you have a stronger connection," Ryuji pointed out.

"You do have a point, but I don't want to date her. I don't think how she would feel about that."

"I think she'd feel great about it! You're one badass dude. If everything that happened in the castle was for real, then she would have a badass guy with her. You'd be able to protect her."

"Really think so?"

"Hey, if you need any help setting up something, just call me. That reminds me, what is your number and chat ID?"

We exchanged numbers and continued our conversation.

"Can we get off the topic of my friend? It's starting to feel uncomfortable."

"Can I ask you one more question about her?"

"Go ahead."

"What makes her so special?"

"What do you mean?"

"This is the first time you mention her. If you had any other friends that meant to you as much as her, you probably would have mentioned them too. What makes her special?"

"Well, she just gets me. We both feel like outcasts. Especially in school. "

"How did you meet her?"

"I thought you were going to ask one question."

"I'm curious. Come on, you've gotta tell me."

"Fine. It felt like yesterday..."

I was walking into school. It was my first day and apparently, it was this girl's first day as well. We both rode the same bus to the school. She lived in my neighborhood. She was shy, just like me. When we first entered the school, we both felt a bit intimidated because all of the other kids had friends from the previous school year. Since we were new at the time, we were alone. That was one thing we had in common. We were both alone in a new school setting. We headed in and we had all of the same classes together. Which I thought was a bit odd, but that's how we've come to know each other. Our first class was history. I wasn't much of a history kid, but she was. She knew most of the answers to the questions the teacher was asking us. She got called out by him too. It was embarrassing for her to experience. I knew it was. I could feel it. All of the kids were calling her out for liking history. After that first day, the teacher purposely tried not to call on her when she knew the answer. When she was the last resort, he just said the answer. It really upset her. After a week of that happening and a week of her enduring some bullying, it was my time to step in.

I was walking down to lunch when I was walking towards her locker. A few kids were crowded around her, calling her names and slapping some books out of her hands. She tried to get them to stop. She tried to stand up to them herself, but she was just too shy to do so. The kids that were around her started pushing her around. Like pushing her into the lockers. None of the other kids paid any attention to them. I wanted to do something. So I did. I walked over to them and pushed my way through them. I stood right in front of her. I put myself between her and the kids that were bullying her.

"Leave her alone," I said.

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Yeah, you can't do shit's worth."

"I can do more than you think. It's not right to pick on a kid who just came here."

"You're new here too, aren't you?"

"I am. Your point is?"

"You obviously don't get our customs around here. You see, how we give a proper greeting to new kids, is to show who the real kids in charge are around here," the kid said and pushed me into a locker.

I sneered and when he went to ram into me again, I moved out of the way. He slammed himself into the locker. He snarled and one of the other kids came up and tried to grab me. I moved out of the way and he ended up tripping over himself. He fell and got up a few moments later. The rest of the group walked away and mumbled to themselves. I looked down and reached out to her. She grabbed my hand and I helped her up. I picked up her things for her and put them in her locker.

"Why would you help me?"

"Why wouldn't I? I couldn't let them bully you while I was literally right there. I didn't want to witness you having to go through that."

"But why though?"

"You seem like a lonely person. We were both loners upon arriving here. Might as well be alone together," I smiled.

She smiled at me, "What's your name?"

"Ren Amamiya."

"Y/N L/N."

"Nice to meet you, Y/N."

"Nice to meet you, Ren."

After that, we've been friends since.

"Sounds like you both have been through some tough shit."

"We were there for each other. We had each other's back. It was like we've known each other for longer than middle school."

"Sounds like you have been. Anyway, do you plan on visiting her? I'd like to meet her!"

"I was planning on this weekend, but I don't know it Sakura will let me."

"No sweat! Just say you're going out with friends."

"He wants me back at the cafe a little bit after it closes. I don't want to keep him waiting."

"I got an idea. We go out early in the morning, spend the day with her, and then come back before he closes."

"Alright."

"YES!"

"You're really keen on seeing my friend."