Adrift

2

Aoi Ishiki ♀

"Aoi, don't make Daichi mad," Tomo's voice echoes in my ears.

A small hand tugs my blouse from behind. My body freezes, and my eyes widen. I must have gone crazy again. I blink in confusion and turn my head back.

There he is, wearing the same striped shirt and dark blue shorts. I'm now sixteen, but Tomo stands in front of me, still eight. He's supposed to be fifteen by now. The same feeling I had on that night creeps into my body. My skin tightens in discomfort, and my hands tremble in terror.

Tomo, what are you doing here?

He flashes a full smile, showcasing his broken teeth, then he turns back and runs onwards with his small legs. I swiftly walk towards where he is heading. His shoes would make a sound every time it lands on the asphalt ground and I could hear him breathing while he runs away from me.

Tomo then stops right in front of our school gates and disappears out of thin air. I rub my forehead and look at the other students shuffling inside. They didn't see him as I did. My mind is messing with me again though, Tomo is right, I should really stir away from trouble. That girl wasn't worthy enough for me to break my promise.

The first spot I go to is the nearest women's washroom. I duck my neck down on the sink and let the cold water run on my face. The cold water lessens the heaviness of my lids. After that, I walk inside a cubicle to silently piss.

It wasn't long until two girls enter inside the washroom. I took a peek of them at the small space at the edge of the cubicle door. I could see a portion of their backs. They're both short and have shoulder-length hair.

I clean myself with the bidet, softly tapping the button behind its nozzle so no one could hear the water coming out from it, but the attempt is a fail. I press the flush button and then it releases a loud sloshing sound anyone in the washroom could hear.

"I'm terrified of Ishiki senpai. I heard that she punched one of Matsui's girls early this morning." One of them speaks.

I roll my eyes and heave out a silent sigh. That's honestly too much effort just to put me off. They honestly did that to avenge that tall girl? Man, girls have a different fighting style. It's the sneaky kind.

The girls flinch as soon as I kick the cubicle door open. Silence immerses the washroom, and they quickly scramble out together. I stare at my reflection in the mirror. The baby hairs on my forehead are standing up and my nose is accumulating lots of dry flakes around it. I rub the flakes off my nose and made it even worse by making it red. Nevermind my nose, it's helpless. I run my hand on my baby hairs and try to press it down. Annoyed by my appearance, I leave the washroom and proceed to my class.

-

Classes pass by so quickly if you spend most of it watching the skies through the window. I also suggest looking down and covering your face with your hair if you want to sleep. Sitting at the last seat is the best.

During lunchtime, I spend it sleeping at the rooftop and enjoying the fantastic breeze cooling my wet pits. No one gathers to eat here anymore because of my ongoing presence.

"Miss Ishiki Aoi, please proceed to the principal's office." A frail woman's voice announces through the school speakers. I groan and scoff in response. Their plan works smoothly. What do I have to defend myself, huh? They'll believe them anyway because I'm the screw-up.

I storm my way down through the flight of stairs. The juniors who pass by would walk to the opposite side as soon as they see me. That's the right choice because you don't want to meet me when I'm pissed off.