Spring Writes Stuff

43. Paper Hearts and Heart Strings

As the two of them proceeded down the long hallway, her hand squeezed around his.

When with other people, Agatha disregards herself for being a talkative person. Most of the time, she struggles to understand why she should react. She views it as more of a tool for getting rid of people from her rather than for creating relationships.

However, everything changed in the blink of an eye when a letter wound up stuck in her locker, when she meets that charismatic character she reads about in books, comes into her world. Kubo spun the world around her, illuminating all the sparkling bits she had never noticed before.

For her, his presence is like a haven, his warmth igniting something inexplicable. Meeting him, knowing him, and loving him is the one thing she never regrets in her life. Agatha knew it was a test for herself and a new chapter for them the moment he suggested introducing her to his closest friends.

"Are you sure we're not bothering them or anything?" she whispers to him, gulping the thickening lump in her throat.

Kubo gives her a kind grin as he glances at her. He lets go of her hand and throws his arm over her, drawing her petite form closer to his. The small gesture is enough to answer her concerns, encouraging herself to rest against him with a slight grin on her face.

They strolled together in silence for a long time. Kubo brings both of their steps to a halt in front of a wooden door labeled "Music Room."

"We're here," he says as he turns behind him and takes the doorknob, but he doesn't open the door right away.

He gives her one more look, softly asking for her last call. Agatha offers him a reassuring nod. Kubo didn't hesitate to open the door for them.

Her jaw dropped at the scene in front of them. The musical instruments are scattered all over the room. Agatha could bet that the two other students sitting on top of a teacher's desk are not meant to be at the center of the room.

"You're going to snap the guitar strings if you keep playing it like that, el loco," a guy with a strong Mexican accent warns the girl next to him.

"I was trying to play it like you, 笨蛋," the girl comments as she strums the guitar with her fingers, making an intriguing sound that made Agatha cover her ears respectfully.

"Can someone PLEASE explain what just happened here?" Kubo asks as he face palms with a groan. His annoyed tone caused Agatha to giggle.

The two students' faces immediately fell as they turn their gaze to them.

"H-hey guys!" The guy greets them with a nervous smile.
"Pretend you saw nothing." The girl quickly puts down the guitar as she hops off the table.

"Manolo's gonna kill us once he sees the Music Room like this," Kubo sneers as he crosses his arms. "I didn't expect things would turn out like this today."

Agatha can imagine his eye rolling at the two students, even though he's not facing her.

"It's okay," Agatha tells them with a small smile. Kubo faces her and returns her smile with his own, before he hooks his arm around her shoulder once again

"This is Miguel and Fei-Fei," Kubo says, gesturing to the students as he calls their name.

"Hola!" Miguel waves a hand.
"Nǐ hǎo, I guess," Fei-Fei chuckles as she salutes to Agatha.

"It's nice to meet you both," Agatha smiles to them.

"Migs, Fei squared, this is Agatha," Kubo tells them as he quickly kisses the top of her head, making her blush almost immediately.