Endless Love ("Neiko")

Broken Inside

She was frozen. She couldn't move. Seiko had just kept staring out to where Naomi had run away.

Naomi...

Seiko was sobbing, but she forced her eyes shut and took a shaky breath. Her fists clenched as she whispered to herself.

"I guess you hate me now, Naomi... I'm sorry..."

She opened her eyes and focused on the ground below her. She noticed that Naomi had dropped the pendant that was attached to her bag; the pendant Seiko gave to her. Seiko kneeled down and carefully picked it up. She stared down at it and began to tear up again.

She whispered to herself, "I need to give this back to her... I need to apologize."

Seiko stood up, picked up her bag and took a deep breath. She looked up and started walking towards Naomi's house.

On the way she held the pendant tight and close to her chest. She finally arrived and stepped up to Naomi's front porch. Seiko stared at the door unable to knock. Yet again, she stood frozen.

Just knock.

She took another shaky breath and put her hand to the door. She mustered up the courage to knock. She waited a minute and no answer. She tried again, no answer. She was getting worried.

Did something happen to her?

She tried one last time and this time knocked a little harder. There was no answer. Seiko started to get very worried over her friend, Naomi.

She pulled out her cellphone and called her. The phone rang twice and it went to voicemail.

She ignored the call. She doesn't want to talk to me.

She whispered quietly to herself, "I-I'm sorry, Naomi... I wish I never told you..."

She was softly crying and at the base of Naomi's front door. She couldn't force herself to get up, she felt weak. She hurt her friend and hurt herself.

She wiped her face and stared down at the ground. Seiko was crying uncontrollably.

"I-I'm sorry, Naomi! I'm s-sorry..."

She hadn't stopped blaming herself. She thought it was her fault. In her mind she lost her closest friend and the love of her life.

She wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her shirt. She inhaled a shaky breath, and stood up. She grabbed her bag, still staring at the ground. She clenched her fist around the pendant, took in a deep breath, and started walking slowly to her own house.

She started whispering to herself, "I should've never said anything to Naomi... I should've ignored my feelings and kept my mouth shut."

Just as Seiko was off Naomi's front porch she burst through the door.

"Seiko!"

Seiko looked back, shocked. Naomi was crying and she noticed Seiko had been crying as well. Naomi lunged herself at Seiko and took her in her arms.

"Seiko I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I shouldn't have left you! I shouldn't have ignored you!"

Naomi was crying very loudly. Seiko just stood there, frozen. She started to tear up and hugged Naomi back tightly. She wanted to be as close to Naomi as she could be right now. She had almost lost her friend and it seems she hasn't lost her at all.

After a couple minutes of hugging and crying the girls had calmed down. Seiko let go of Naomi and she did the same. They stood mere inches away. Seiko started getting nervous and backed up a step. She remember the pendant she still had in her hand and decided she should give it back.

Seiko spoke up first, "Y-You dropped this, Naomi."

She held out her hand which held Naomi's small pendant. Naomi reached out to grab it.

"Thank you, Seiko." She smiled sofly to her friend.

Seiko smiled, but it quickly faded. She looked down to her feet. Before Naomi could ask if she was okay Seiko started to speak.

"I'm sorry about earlier... Maybe telling you wasn't the best idea. I'm sorry if I hurt you..."

There was a long silence before Naomi spoke up, "You don't need to apologize, Seiko. You didn't hurt me at all. I was just...surprised. I didn't know you felt that way about me."

"Of course I do. You're the only person I think about like that. You're the first person I see when I go to sleep at night and when I wake up the next morning. You're my everything, Naomi."

Naomi was utterly shocked. She had no words. Naomi looked in her hand to the pendant that she was holding; the one Seiko gave to her.

Seiko felt uneasy in the silence.

"I-I think I should get going... My brothers and sisters are probably getting hungry. Bye, Naomi."

"Okay."

Naomi hugged Seiko one last time and watched her as she left.

Again, she looked at the pin in her hand. She clenched her fist around it and held it to her heart.

She whispered to herself, "I love you too, Seiko..."