Mute

43 | Lies

I stared at the ocean blankly. I had lied to myself. I'd assured myself Shouto and his friends couldn't have done anything, but I'd been wrong. Shiro had come back to school on Monday, and hadnt told anyone why he'd been absent.

Not until lunchtime anyway. He'd ditched his friends and found me on the school roof. He proceeded to explain what had happened and apologized once more for kissing me. I'd been horrified, I still was. It just wasn't possible Shouto had told his friends and let them terrorize him into not attending school for the next week. It just wasn't.

"Emiko! Shouto is here!" Present Mic called from the front room. I glanced up.

"Thank you!"

Shouto walked into the living room a minute later and kissed my cheek before sitting next to me. "Hey."

I smiled slightly. "Hi."

Shouto paused, leaning back to examine me. I kept my gaze on the table. "Emiko? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

I hesitated. "Kind of."

"What was it? Was it Shiro?"

I didn't like the way his voice changed when he said Shiro's name. "Sort of."

"What did he do?"

I glanced up at Shouto, immediately disliking the guarded look in his eyes. "He came back to school today, he was absent all last week."

"Really? Must have been ashamed of how he treated you." He muttered.

I blinked. "No, Shouto, we already made up. Two days after I told you what happened. Wednesday." I elaborated. "We were good, which is why I don't think he skipped just to avoid me. Not because of that at least."

"Did he have the cold then?"

I inhaled deeply, mentally preparing myself for what I was about to say. "Shouto, did you...did you tell your classmates what happened?"

He was silent. I looked up at him carefully, examining his face. "You did...."

He exhaled and glanced away. "I was angry, they saw that and wanted to help."

"So they decided to terrorize him?" I shook my head. "Did you know they were going to do that?"

He was silent again, and I watched him, praying he hadnt.

"You didn't know right? You had no idea what they were going to do." I added. "Please tell me you didn't know." He glanced at me before holding his head in his hands and resting his elbows on his knees.

"Emiko..."

My heart fluttered, but not in a good way. "You knew..." His silence was answer enough. "You knew and you didn't stop them. Shiro was absent for a week Shouto, and you knew!"

"I was angry." He mumbled. "I wanted him to know he couldn't do things like that to you."

Realization flooded me like a cold wave. "You didn't just know. You were the one who planned it, weren't you?" I stood abruptly and he quickly did as well.

"Emiko, he kissed you, without your permission!"

I shook my head and turned on my heel, walking away. Shouto followed. "He apologized, I didn't tell you about it so you could deliver punishment."

"He deserved it." Shouto growled.

I stopped and stared at him with wide eyes. "I told you because I didn't want you to find out through someone else and ruin our relationship." I whispered. "I didn't want something I couldn't control to destroy that."

"Neither do I, that's why I wasn't upset with you. You couldn't control that."

I shook my head and opened my front door. "No, but you controlled what happened to Shiro." I dropped my gaze. "Your friends probably want to know that he came back to school today."

"Emiko..."

I shook my head and resolutely kept the door open. Shouto didn't move. "Emiko, listen, it'll never happen again. I didn't explode on you, and I won't, but I wont lose you because of him."

I shook my head softly. "You didn't. It wasn't him." I whispered. I walked past him. "Don't pick me up after school tomorrow." I added as I escaped up the stairs.

I heard the door close a few minutes later and hugged my pillow to my chest. I didn't want Shouto to leave, but I didn't know how I could talk to him after just now. How could he have done something like that, and then introduce me to his siblings like it'd never happened? Was it possible he'd only introduced me to them so I would be with him when his friends went to see Shiro?

I just didn't understand. How? How could he have done that? Lied to me like that? True, he'd never said he didn't, but not telling me was the same as a lie. It was to me at least.

I grabbed my phone, pressing the first number on my contact list. I waited patiently for the person to answer, biting my lip and brushing away a tear.

"Hey Emiko, whats up?"

I blinked rapidly. "Shiro, hi."

"Hi! Wait, you just spoke! Emiko that's so cool!"

I laughed shakily, brushing away the warm liquid on my face. "Yeah, umm, could you come over? I need someone to talk to and I don't really...have anyone else..."

"Sure thing! I'll be over soon, and Emiko?"

"Yeah Shiro?"

"Your voice is really pretty."

I laughed quietly to myself as he hung up, getting up and running a towel over a warm cloth. I washed my face, quickly reapplying my mascara.