The Past Seeping Into The Present

It has been eight years since I last saw Hikari. It was heartbreaking for me to see my first friend leave me. After she left, things in my family got worse. Dad didn't care the slightest, when Hikari left, actually, he was happy that she was gone.

"Finally, that spoiled brat is gone! That's what you deserve, you worthless brat!"

Even thought Hikari left, she inspired me to chase my dreams. I still remember our talks at the park.

"Again. Sing with more confidence."

Hikari was swinging on the swings and scolding me, while I was standing in front of the swings. I just finished singing the song, and Hikari immediately said to try again.

"I tried..."

My throat hurt.

"Well, not enough! One more time!"

She kept on encouraging me.

"Can I just give up?"

I thought that there was no way that I could do this. That it was hopeless.

"But what about our promise, then? Are you saying that you're breaking it?"

Her puppy eyes made me feel guilty.

"I'm not good enough!"

I was starting to get frustrated.

"My mom told me to not say something like that to myself. If you think that you're going to mess up, then you'll mess up, but if you think you can do it, then you can!"

She got off the swing, and got in front of me.

"...wow. That... I never thought of that."

Her words moved me.

"Yeah! That's why my mom is the best mom in the whole world!"

Hikari grinned.

Maybe you're right... I'll keep on believing!

That was one of our usual conversations we had at the park. Her support made me feel like I belonged somewhere... Until the day she left...

"I'm sorry, Gina! I'll call you every week!"

That day, she invited me over to her house, so I could say goodbye to her. The thought that I'll be alone with dad again scared me.

"You promise?"

I was hesitant.

"Pinky promise!"

She gave me a smile, which I returned it with a forced one.

"Okay sweetie, that's everything!"

Her mom shouted from the front door, while her dad locked up the house.

"Thank you for being our daughter's friend. She talks about you all the time!"

"Mom!"

Her mom laughed, while Hikari's face turned red from embarrassment.

"Come on, you two. Get in the car."

Her dad hurried them, as he got in the car. They all got in, and the car engine roared to life.

"Bye, Gina! I hope I see you soon!"

Tears were slowly falling down my cheeks.

"Bye, Hikari! Come back again!"

The window of the car rolled up, but she gave me a thumbs up. Wasting no time, the car drove off, leaving me alone on the driveway.

"I really am a horrible person."

I spent the rest of the day being beaten by my dad, who was annoyed by my crying.

She didn't call me once. Some things changed in my family. My dad was supposed to get engaged to a woman he met at a bar on one of his drinking parties. Her name was Fujino Naomi, and she had a daughter, Konno, who was an eight-year-old kid. This happened right after Hikari left. As it looked, things were going great for my father and Fujino, until she died from a liver failure. Konno was still a kid when she died, which made it harder for her, as she didn't have any relatives.

"Dad, can you adopt Konno?"

I felt bad for her, and wanted to give her some support, since she had none.

"No, I don't want to take care of another brat!"

He was seething with rage.

"You don't have to! I will take care of her."

I tried being polite.

"You, a nine-year-old, want to take care of her?"

He started laughing.

I just stood there, feeling enraged. He can do everything he wants to me. Beat me. Stab me. Kill me. I don't care. But he can't do this to her.

"I'll keep the house clean, prepare meals for all of us, and even mow lawns for money. If I can't do any of these things, you can just neglect us."

My voice was filled with determination, as I stared narrowly at his eyes.

"Ah, you're annoying. Fine, but it better work out for me, or I'll nail you to the wall!"

Since then, Konno lived with us, and I took great care to make her life as easier as possible.

In the present, our lives have become harder. Dad is in the hospital due to his poor health, and I have to do multiple part-time jobs, so I could provide enough for his hospital bills and our finances.

Today was just a normal first day of school.

As I was walking down the sidewalk, I was listening to my favorite rock group Deathz on my phone. Their newest song, "Down The Rabbit Hole", was a huge hit and I couldn't get it out of my head.

"Earth to brother!"

Finally noticing her shouts, I look to the person next to me.

"Konno?"

Konno has blue eyes and purple hair. She is around 160 cm tall, and wears our school uniform. At school, she is popular among the boys, but none of them dare to approach her since I had a "talk" with the last one. She is 16 years old now.

I paused the song and took my headphones off.

"When did you get to me?"

 I know I left home alone.

"I stopped at the bakery to get lunch with my friends, and it took us 20 minutes! When we exited, they saw you walking by, and then they started whispering about how gloomy you are, which made me uncomfortable, so I sent them away, so I could join you."

Her mouth moved at the speed of light, as she explained the situation.

"Aw, thank you."

I give her a teasing smile.

"I-It's nothing! Hurry! We'll be late for class!"

With that, we quicken our pace.

We barely made it in time, as the bell rang once I entered my classroom.

I made my way to the back window seat, before collapsing onto the chair.

Another day, more stress!

Our math teacher, Miss Mari, walked in and roll called us before giving an announcement.

"Okay class, before we start the lecture, I have a big announcement to make! This year, a transfer student will be joining class 3-A."

What does it have to do with us? We're class 3-C.

I think this was on everyone's mind.

"The transfer student is from Tokyo, and it's a well-known idol."

"WOAH!"

The whole class erupted.

No way, this must be a coincidence...

"Calm down!"

It took a few minutes for everybody to quiet down.

There's no way it's her!

"Alright, so, the transfer student is Okubo Hikari."

My eyes widen in shock.

What's she doing here?

"I'm saying this so that you know you have to respect her as a normal student here. Your homeroom teacher will have a talk with all of you concerning the way you interact with her."

After the announcement, I couldn't concentrate, until the bell for lunch period rang.

Everyone rushed out, probably towards the classroom of 3-A, and I was left alone.

This is bad... Now that I finally gave up on my dream, I have a working family, but if she finds me...

Memories of my childhood flashed through my mind.

I don't want to weigh her down.

With my resolve, I fish out the lunch from the bag.

This time, I had enough money to make a sandwich for me and Konno, which was a rare occasion, since we always have roll.

Bitting into my sandwich, I hear the door to our classroom open.

"And here is our classroom."

A huge crowd was standing outside, as one of my classmates showcased our classroom.

Wait, don't tell me...

"Hah, your classroom sure is spacious!"

The moment I heard her voice, I ran through the door at the back of the room.

Please, don't acknowledge me...

I turned around the corner and stopped to see if anyone was after me.

"Who was that?"

It sounded like she was still at the classroom and I didn't hear any footsteps.

Hah, thank god.

"Oh, one of our classmates. He's usually hostile when we approach him, so we leave him alone."

The guy from before spoke.

"It's weird that he ran out like that... He just sits in his place in silence all the time."

You damn rat!

"Don't mind him, he's not friendly at all."

Everyone seemed to move on, as they chatted about the life of an idol.

This will be a problem.