Ongoing Cycle

40

Mutually, [Y/N] and Kuro had agreed to keep their relationship private – at least for a little while. Spilling this information would only cause them more trouble than it would help them. Of course, [Y/N] was tired of keeping secrets from Miku and she did turn over a new leaf, so she had gotten permission from Kuro to break the news to Miku. So, after school on the first day back from winter break, her mind was whirling of ideas on how to approach this.

     She tightened the scarf around her neck, not just because she was cold, but to distract the nervous feeling. Glancing to the side, she watched as Miku blew her hot breath onto her hands. The poor girl barely brought any winter gear to prepare for such weather. The [h/c] haired female chuckled and shook her head before her face grew serious again. "Hey, Miku, can I tell you something?"

     One look at her expression was enough to make the dark haired girl worry. "Uh oh, should I be scared?"

     "No," [Y/N] quickly responded. "At least... I don't think you should be..."

     "That's not very reassuring," Miku pointed out with a small laugh, "but do go on."

     She took a deep breath and blurted it all out, "Kuro and I are dating."

     Wincing her eyes shut, she was afraid to see her friend's reaction. It was silent for a few seconds and furrowing her eyebrows, she peeked a little. Her mouth gaping, she opened her eyes entirely and grinned when she saw that Miku was smiling.

     "I'm really happy for you!" the girl exclaimed. It was genuine too, as [Y/N] could see it in her eyes. She didn't understand how she could be so honestly happy for her, but she knew she really did have the best friend in the world; Miku was someone who'd support her no matter what. She, on the other hand, was just a hypocrite. Her heart squeezed at the thought of this. [Y/N] had to better herself for Miku.

     "You're not mad at me?"

     "Why would I be mad?"

     "Well... you did have a crush on him," she muttered as she thought back to when her friend first met Kuro. That was only back in October, but it already seemed so long ago. So many things had changed since then. Life was more complicated now, but maybe this was for the best.

     "Nah, that was a shallow crush. Saying this might sound terrible, but I really only liked him because of his looks," Miku explained, her eyes dropping to the ground – lost in thoughts. "Now... Aoi is a different story. I hope she'll be fine with your relationship, but I honestly don't know."

     [Y/N] sighed softly. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't thinking about Aoi through all this. During their senior trip, it was obvious that she wasn't over him yet. It was going to be backstabbing for her once she learned that [Y/N] – of all people – was dating Kuro. The guilt was eating away at her, but she pushed it down. Aoi was a problem she would have to deal with later.

     "Do you mind if we keep this between us... at least for now? I don't want the whole school to find out about my relationship with Kuro just yet," she requested.

     Miku nodded and used her fingers to zip her mouth. They then hugged each other tightly and parted ways. Each step she took feeling heavier than the last, [Y/N] didn't want to go home. But she knew that if she spent too much time away from home, her parents would get suspicious and would go back to restricting her freedom.

     The walk was long and cruel, and by the time she got home, she could barely move her face because of the cold. Quickly unlocking the front door, she jumped inside and stood in the hallway for a few seconds to regain feelings in her limbs. Taking her warm jacket off, she ventured deeper into the house to find that both of her parents weren't home.

     Already feeling lighter, she entered the kitchen closet and pulled out a can of soda and a big bag of chips. Her parents always got angry at her for eating junk food, but since they weren't here, she decided to treat herself. Hugging the food close to her chest, she made a beeline to her bedroom and took out her homework. Homework was the least of her worries nowadays, but it wasn't like she could ignore it.

     Munching on her snacks while answering math problems, she was halfway through her work when her phone rang. Looking down at it, she was surprised to see that it was Shou. Holding the device up to her ear, she answered the call. "Hello?"

     His usual, cheerful voice could be heard on the other side. "Hey [Y/N]!"

    Loving how bubbly he was, she chuckled. "Hey Shou. What's up?"

    "Oh! So I recently went to a fortune teller and guess what!" he told her excitedly. A fortune teller? She made a face even though he couldn't see her expression. She didn't think he could get any more random, but here she was being proven wrong. He was so weird, but that was what made him so easy to talk to.

    "What?"

    "She said that someone I've just become friends with, will stay friends with me for forever! And since you're my newest friend, it's probably you! Isn't that so cool?! Can you believe that!? We'll be friends forever!" he exclaimed happily, almost yelling through the phone. Right now, she didn't care if fortune tellers were scams and that this didn't guarantee anything; his excitement for their friendship was enough for her to believe in it too. Her jaw dropping, she could feel her cold heart expand. Her shaky hands clenching onto the phone as she blinked away her forming tears. This boy was unbelievably a treasure and she could never let him go.

    Her voice quiet – due to the fear of it cracking — she replied, "Friends forever, Shou."