Right By Your Side (One Ok Rock)

Prologue

Summer, 2003

The sun was so bright today. A girl sat in the shadow of a giant tree next to the school pond with a book opened in her hand. She was so into the book that she didn't notice someone creeping up behind him.

"Ri~ko~!" She felt her hair being pulled by the caller.

"Ah! Tomoya-kun!" Riko was 100% sure it was her senior. She knew this voice really well and beside- no one in this school was allowed to do that to her.

Except him.

Morikawa Riko was a student in Kaido Junior High School. She was a nice, happy-go-lucky type of girl that everyone seemed to like her. She was always seen with her friends but after failing her math test this morning, she chose to reject her friends' invitation to grab lunch together and skipped her way here. This place really calmed my mind, she claimed.

Riko planned to just chilling here until the bell chimed. Now that her childhood friend was here and taking his place sitting beside her, she wasn't sure she should be glad or annoyed.

Riko turned her head to him and glared her eyes, contrast with a wide smile he returned upon seeing her scary expression.

"I heard you failed your math test?! Uwah, so you can fail too, Riko? Wuhu, no one expected that, did they? Hahaha i guess there really is 'the first time for everything' hahahaha".

See? This was why she was annoyed. Tomoya didn't know how to shut up. He talked first and thought later. And she hated that.

"But you know, Riko. A failure doesn't mean you can't be successful later, right? I told you this before, remember? The first time I played drum I nearly pluck my eyes out because it was too hard for me to follow. I didn't give up, though. And now I am the best drummer here! I am gonna be in the best band and get soooo famous that I traveled the world for free!".

And this was why she was glad.

She was glad because Tomoya was here. Because Tomoya always knew what went through her mind. Because Tomoya could calm her down in so many unthinkable ways.

Because she liked Tomoya.

Smiling slightly, she pushed his shoulder. That smile turned into laughter when she saw Tomoya rolling on the grass while screaming she hurt him. He was so dumb he never noticed those sparkling eyes she had whenever they were together like this.

Riko was happy. She had friends, she had Tomoya so everything was all good. She hoped life would be like this forever.

But of course happiness didn't last forever. Tomoya graduated and went to Tokyo to enter a famous music school there. She cried a lot the day they parted. Thinking it could be their last meeting, Riko thought that at least Tomoya should know that she liked him very much. It was in the entrance of the station when she hesitated for a while, wondering the best way to tell Tomoya that she liked him from the day they were both crying over a dead tree in their old elementary school when she was 10 and he was 12.

"Riko, that expression doesn't suit you! Are you sad you're not gonna see me anymore? Are you sad that no one is gonna disturb you when you study? Hahaha".

"No- I just- have something to tell you. But never mind. You aren't even sad that we're not gonna meet again".

"haha, don't worry! I am going to miss you!".

Her heart skipped a bit, she began to open her mouth to say something.

"Listen Tomoya-kun I—"

"—I promise you're gonna be so proud of me, Riko. I'll even call you everyday—eee, why are you crying now? Hey stop! People are looking at me weirdly now! Hush, hush!". He patted her head awkwardly, not knowing how to calm her down except making a terrible joke about the situation.