Sakura Eyes

Chapter 70

Strong words are used in this chapter! Just a little warning before you read.

When Jake and I were walking back from the bench that day, Jake told me where Petal's grave was and that I could bring the others to pay our respects whenever. I expected to see a tombstone with her name on it, but what I didn't anticipate was Polina to be there.

She didn't even notice that we had arrived. Her shaking back faced us as she hunched over in front of Petal's grave. I gripped the flower in my hand.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't expect to see Polina up here. I thought Jake said she hadn't even come home for—

Catherine suddenly walked past me and got on to her knees. Placing the flower down on Petal's grave, she put her hands together and closed her eyes. 

Polina jumped and whirled her head towards Catherine before turning around to see all of us. Her glassy bloodshot eyes aimlessly glanced over us before she turned back towards the grave and began to sob.

Tristan and Justin silently followed Catherine's suit and sat behind the two girls to pay their respect.

I stole a glance at Yuri, who was still standing with me, and flinched. He didn't look like the Yuri I knew.  His eyes that were always bright and smiling had dimmed into a feeble sadness. His hand had balled into a tight fist and was slightly shaking. His whole body had tensed and was hunched over.

Just then, a strong gust of wind blew past us, and my hair went flying in the breeze. I turned my face and covered my face with my arm to block the blowing. As the wind caught Yuri's hair as well, his long bangs blocking his face suddenly lifted into the air.

For a second, as the sunlight hit his eyes, I thought I'd seen a pair of golden eyes instead of green eyes. But as quickly as the wind hit us, the breeze disappeared, and Yuri's hair fell back down, covering his eyes.

I reached forward and pulled his bangs back without thinking. Yuri looked up at me curiously with his normal eye color and blinked. I let go of a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding and dropped my hand.

"Are you alright?" I muttered.

Yuri tried for a smile which came out horribly unstable and wobbly and nodded. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before walking up to Petal's gray. I watched as he bent down and put the flower down gently in front of her grave before bowing his head. 

Before I could follow, I felt a hand grab my shoulder and turned around to see Jake. He dropped his hand and bowed his head. "Thanks for coming."

"Don't say that," I reciprocated the gesture. "There's no way I wouldn't have come. And...I...um...I offer my deepest condolences. I'm sorry for everything."

Jake shook his head and smiled. "Thank you, but also...don't burden yourself."

I lifted my head and glanced over my shoulder. Catherine was getting up from the ground and coming over. I nodded towards Jake before heading towards the grave and taking a seat next to the sobbing Polina.

Eyeing her out of the side of my eye, I realized she had come empty-handed. I glanced down at the flower in my hand and hesitated for a second before reaching over towards Polina and dropped the blossom stick in her lap.

She hiccupped and glanced at the flower in her lap blankly. I turned my eyes back towards the grave and stared at Petal's name engraved in the stone. With another deep breath, I closed my eyes.

Nothing came to my mind as I sat in front of the grave. I'd thought I'd have a lot to say, a lot to apologize for, yet I couldn't have any words. I thought back to Jade and Jake and gritted my teeth as I remembered their words of consolation.