Hanahaki (Short Story)

iii

03•23•20
Tuesday
5:00 pm

The perfect time has come. Classes have been dismissed and Violet was currently packing her stuff. She was having mixed emotions. The girl is excited for the plan yet nervous for the outcome.

She took out her phone and messaged the number that Connelly gave her. It was Xylan's. The girl even gave her beloved boy a nickname already.

To: Xy♥︎
Hi, this is Violet from your class. Connelly gave me your number. Sorry to disturb you, but can we please talk? I need to talk to you about something. I'll be waiting for you outside the school, near the fountain's Cherry Blossom tree.

From: Xy♥︎
Hi Violet. Sure, I'll be there! :)

It was just a small conversation but she can feel butterflies in her stomach. She put her phone on the part of her chest where her heart lies as if hugging it and ran to their meet up place. Her best friend, Connelly, was the one who suggested that place because he said it was "romantic".

Speaking of that boy, he said he'll go straight home, saying that he had an errand to run. Meanwhile, the raven-haired girl kept checking herself on her phone, using it as a mirror. Fixing her hair for the nth time until a boy with jet black hair caught her eyes.

"Oh! H-hey," Violet stuttered.

"Hey, Violet!" Xylan said with a million-dollar smile. "Sorry, I had to fix my stuff. Did I make you wait long?"

"Not at all!" Violet reassured him. "I am grateful that you still came here despite you being busy."

"It's no problem. I'm not that busy anymore, so I can make time for you," he said. "So what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, I- I just have something to tell you..." The girl's face was burning. "Xy... I like you! I like you a lot!" She bowed her head, ready for Xylan's answer.

"Please accept, please accept, please accept," the girl chanted in her mind.

Her beloved boy didn't answer so Violet raised her head and looked at the boy straight into his ocean blue eyes. The latter was looking shy, his ears were red and he couldn't look straight at the girl. The girl's hands were behind her back with both crossed-fingers.

"I... actually like you too, a lot. For two months now," her beloved boy—now her lover— said to the person in front of him, his right hand on his nape.

Violet's mouth went agape. "You do? But... I thought you have a girlfriend."

"A girlfriend?" Xylan tilted his head. "Oh, do you mean Sheena? We broke up six months ago. We're just friends now," he explained.

"Sheena... who?" Violet furrowed her eyebrows.

"Sheena Orsellé from our neighboring class, class 3-2. I told you about her a few weeks ago."

The girl's eyes narrowed into slits trying to remember who she was. Her eyes later went wide, finally remembering Xylan's ex-girlfriend.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "I remember her. You were classmates with her last year, right?"

"Yeah. We entered a relationship in the same year. She suggested that we keep our relationship a secret to the school, so we did. That's why no one knew about it," he clarified.

The two sat down on the grass and talked about the most random stuff. At one point, they talked about the traits they find interesting about each other and why they liked each other.

They didn't worry about the personnel locking the school gates since it usually closes at 8 pm. Students can still linger around the campus, but can't enter their classrooms anymore.

"Alright, I think that's enough for the day. We should get home now, it's almost dark out. Let's just text each other later," Violet suggested.

"I agree," Xylan nodded. "Uhm, Violet..."

"Yeah? What's wrong?"

"Oh, I was just wondering... uhm," he looked away from her, his ears turning red. He took a deep breath and faced Violet again. "M-may I walk you home? I noticed that you walk the same route as I do. Since it's almost dark out, I think it would be safer for us to walk home together."

Violet's cheeks turned pink at his statement. "Oh, sure! I would feel safe with you going with me," Violet smiled.

"Then, shall we?" Xylan said while standing up, grabbing his and some of Violet's bags.

"Yes, we shall," Violet giggled. The two started walking away from school.

Little did they know, someone was watching them the whole time.

"I knew that he'll accept her," the hidden boy whispered, sitting behind a still cherry blossom tree. Connelly, the hidden boy, was happy for his best friend, yet disheartened for his loss. His chest was aching so much, he could barely stand up properly.

Violet could've chosen him, someone she knew for almost her whole life and someone who she can easily reach. But she decided to choose Xylan instead, someone who is much farther from her reach, but didn't give up in trying to. Eventually, she got to reach the seemingly impossible.

She only knew him for months, but she saw something in him that wasn't present in Connelly. Was it the looks? The talent? Or was it because of their decade and a half long friendship that made her see him as nothing more than a brother?

He checked the time on his phone. An hour before they will close the gates. Since he still had some time left, he went to his happy place hoping to cheer up: the place where he and Violet first met.

03•23•20
Tuesday
7:45 pm

The boy sat under the special cherry blossom tree, repeatedly punching the ground. He was spacing out. He wasn't able to form any thoughts from the pain he is experiencing, both physically and emotionally. Time didn't matter anymore because he lost track of time. Connelly's phone vibrated in his pocket, regaining himself back. He didn't bother to check who texted him. He knows it was his best friend, the one he loves dearly, the one he thought will be the girl for him and... the one who broke his heart.

He could stay here all night, but he can't because his mother might worry. That being said, he silently stood up and grabbed his bag. He left the school's premises and walked alone on the cold, cemented sidewalk. He was emotionally and physically hurt. He smiled bitterly at himself and didn't mind his aching chest. This pain was not new to him, it already happened yesterday. This time, it was significantly more painful.

Because of the throbbing pain on his chest, he needed to walk slowly. His house is somewhat far from school, so it's going to take him a while to get home.

"What did I do to deserve this?"

-End of Chapter 3-