Separate Worlds, Pt. 1

The next day rolled around, and of course, it was a Monday — the most universally hated day of the week.

I shared the sentiment.

Last night marked the end of what might've been the biggest emotional rollercoaster of my life. So much happened that I genuinely considered skipping class today. Would've made up some excuse, slept in, and avoided the world for a little while.

Didn't help that Megumi was on my mind all night long. That alone was enough to mess with my head. And on top of that, the chaotic couple wouldn't stop blowing up my phone. Even after I tried explaining what happened at the mall, it turned into a disaster.

Didn't end well, but hey... At least I tried.

Now here I am, slumped over in the lecture hall five minutes before calculus starts, silently wishing for death.

Today's gonna suck. I can already tell. Too many things bouncing around in my head, and the biggest one of all...

"Megumi..." I muttered under my breath before letting my head drop onto the desk with a dull thud. "Ah, shit. What am I gonna do?"

Thud.

Right as my forehead hit the desk, a dramatic sigh, followed by the sound of someone dropping into the seat beside me.

"Well, well, if it isn't Shohei Taka, the man himself," Koga announced with a smug grin. "Finally, he has a girlfriend. Never thought I'd see the day. I'm tearing up. And it just happens to be—"

I reached over, jabbing him in the hip.

"W-what the?! Hey!" he exclaimed.

"That's what you get. Don't say her name, and stop calling her my girlfriend. I didn't get much sleep last night, so I'm not in the mood."

"Yeah, you never are. But lucky for you, I'm here anyway."

I forced myself to sit up, mostly because I knew he wouldn't shut up otherwise. Meanwhile, Koga sat there, arms behind his head like he owned the damn place, flashing that annoying grin of his.

"Rough night?" he asked knowingly.

"Don't start."

"Oh, I'm starting. So? Why did you end up going to sleep so late? Oh~ Did you two do the deeds?"

"W-wha—?! What the fuck are you saying?!"

"Haha! I'm kidding, man, I'm kidding!"

I slouched deeper into my seat as Koga chuckled.

"Seriously, though... Yue and I decided to go to the mall for our date, and what did we miss? Chiaki shows up with that creepy senpai of hers, and we bump into you with your face just a hair away from Megumi's. As if... you were about to kiss. It was like watching a live drama scene."

"It wasn't like that," I grumbled. "You guys are overthinking it."

"Mhm~ Sure we are."

"I mean it. It's not—"

"Not what? Not a thing? Not a moment? Not a spontaneous love confession in public? Come on, man. You've got to admit that it was at least something."

"Even if it was, it's none of your business."

"It became my business the second I witnessed it. Yue was squealing all night."

"Of course she was."

Before Koga could press me any further, some movement in the front row caught my eye.

Chiaki.

She'd just sat down a minute ago, but now, for whatever reason, she turned around in her seat. Our eyes met, and like she always did, she smiled and gave a small wave.

I hesitated for half a second before forcing a smile and waving back.

She turned back around like nothing had happened, but my head wouldn't stop replaying that moment at the mall — that weird look she gave me after Megumi blurted out that I was her boyfriend.

Was that even real? Or was my brain just being an idiot?

Probably the latter. I mean... Chiaki's always friendly. That's just how she was.

I sighed again, leaning my head back.

"Don't do it, man," Koga said. "You already have a way better woman. Don't fall for her cheap tricks."

"I swear to God, Koga..."

"Haha! My bad. But seriously, I wonder what's going through Chiaki's head right now. She's led you on for seven whole years. Now that you have another girl you're interested in, she must be panicking."

"...Think so?"

"I know so. I mean, she's got her senpai now, so I guess she'll be fine. But ohh~ boy, is she in for a wild ride when she finds out he's just a player. I still can't believe he tried to flirt with Megumi while he was on a date with her. That's freaking crazy."

"Hmm. Should I tell Chiaki?"

"What? Hell no."

"Pfft... Dude, you being serious?"

"Course I am! Why the hell should we be considerate of her feelings when she's never once been considerate of ours? Let her suffer. She deserves it."

I let out a weak chuckle despite myself. As annoying as he was, it did feel a little lighter having Koga around to spout nonsense.

The lecture rolled on just like any other morning. Long, mildly soul-crushing, and way too heavy on integrals for this early in the day.

I scribbled down notes half-heartedly, eyes flicking between the whiteboard, my notebook, and occasionally Koga, who was clearly not paying attention. The guy was leaning so far back in his chair it was a miracle he hadn't tipped over yet.

"You getting any of this?" I asked under my breath.

"Nope. I'm just here for attendance points."

"You're gonna fail."

"Don't act like you'll be any different."

I rolled my eyes and kept writing.

Derivatives. Limits. Chain rule. The usual suspects. The professor droned on, and my mind kept wandering back to her.

Before I knew it, the clock hit the hour, and it was time to wrap up.

"Alright," said the professor. "We'll continue from here next time. Don't forget to check the online portal for your assignment updates. You're dismissed."

The room immediately burst into the sound of zipping bags and shuffling notebooks. Koga stretched his arms over his head with a loud groan.

"Finally," he sighed. "I was two minutes away from faking a seizure to get out of here."

I shook my head and reached for my phone as it buzzed in my pocket.

It... was a text message from Megumi. I hesitated for a second before opening it.

[Megumi]: "Hey, Taka. Thinking about me~?"

I felt my stomach drop a little. Of course, that's the first thing she says to me. Before I could even think of a reply, another message popped up.

[Megumi]: "Looks like I was right since it's taking you this long to reply."

"Damn, bro, who's got you smiling like that?" Koga snickered, leaning way too close for comfort to peek at my screen.

"Back off."

"Is that her? Megumi?"

"None of your business."

"Oh, it's totally my business."

I laughed, pushing him back by the face.

"Get lost, man."

Koga stumbled a bit in his chair but recovered, still smirking like an idiot.

"You're whipped already. This is great. I should start making bets with Yue."

I ignored him and started typing a reply, my thumbs awkwardly hovering over the screen.

[Taka]: "You didn't even give me four seconds. And, for your information, I'm still in class. Stop bothering me."

[Megumi]: "Aww, boo..."

With that, I dropped my phone, glancing away to hide the controllable smile growing on my face.