Chapter 84:

It’s a Disheartening Chance Part 1

New Leaf!


I was currently standing on my balcony. It was currently almost midnight. Since my apartment is near the middle of the building, I got a good view of the lights in the Tronito night. I was finishing a conversation on my phone…

“Boss, are you sure?”

“Yeah, for sure. It’s odd that you’re speaking on behalf of Ren, but sure. He’s accumulated a ton of unused vacation time, so it’s totally fine for him to use them tomorrow.”

I nodded.

“Oh, thank you, Sir.”

“But you said that you were still coming in but probably at a different time, so why are you giving thanks? Eh, but whatever. You’re welcome.”

“Okay, good night, Sir.”

“Yup, night!”

I hung up and sighed… I then grabbed the railings and bent down as I moved my legs out, stretching my back…

I should be asleep right now, but I have things on my mind…

Honestly, I wasn't entirely sure about the things I told Camryn. That Ren loves her… That Ren is worried about her… It pains me to admit it, but none of it might have been the truth. But Camryn was sad and needed to hear those… Is lying still bad if it’s meant to cheer another person up?..

I slowly stood straight up. I then raised my arm and grabbed it with my other hand and bent my back to one side.

In fact, it’s been like this since I met Ren in high school. Sometimes, he’d act cold and treat me like a stranger — I’d constantly question whether we were really friends or not, but Connie or Valerie would assure me…Hm…

After a few seconds, I bent my back to the other side and switched arms.

I’m sure Camryn found my relationship with Ren weird — actually she probably found mine, Connie’s, and Valerie’s relationship with him odd. They’re so energetic and I treat him roughly, and that probably seems like we aren’t compatible with each other. But even so, we’re still friends — I think being able to act so casually with him is proof of that.

I then stopped stretching and spun my arms around in circles.

So, when I told Camryn that Ren actually cared and loved her, it might have been a lie. However, I have a strong feeling that this time, it isn’t… It’s the classic rom-com story of an energetic girl meeting a gloomy guy… Also, a couple of hours ago…

Dammit… Why did there have to be a long line? Couldn’t those ladies have pissed quicker!? Dammit, now I’m late for the show…

But as I walked out of the welcome centre, I saw something odd. It froze me in place and made me want to just observe.

Camryn… Why is she like that? Head down… Tightly grabbing onto the railing… Her limbs are slightly shaking…

I saw Ren speak, but it was too low for me to hear.

“Shut up!”

And then Camryn slapped away Ren’s reassuring hand and started to run…

“Huh? Camryn?”

I took a few steps in her direction, wanting to pursue her — I wanted to help her with anything she was dealing with. But I caught a glimpse of Ren… and I ran towards him instead.

“R-Ren, what happened!?

I ran up to him and looked at his eyes — they were wide open and quivering. I looked at his fingers — they were twitching. I looked at his mouth — it was slightly open…

I observed his entire face — this isn't Ren… What was he feeling?.. He was scared… He was nervous… He was confused…

“R-Ren? What happened?”

“B-Bailey?”

In the sky, there was a loud explosion from a firework. The following display would have been incredible, but I couldn’t focus on that right now…

Instead, I couldn’t move my eyes from Ren… The difference made it thousand times more worrying. I’ve never seen him like this before… He’s usually organized, but he’s messy right now… He’s usually calm, but he’s panicked right now… He’s usually cool, but he’s scared right now…

Ren’s left leg gave out, but he kept himself from falling by holding onto the railing. His eyes shut tight as if he were in a lot of pain.

I frantically put my arms forward to catch him.

“Ren!?”

“S-Sorry, Bailey…”

When he spoke, he sounded weak… But I could also sense some dread and repentance in his voice.

I softened my voice.

“Ren?”

“W-Why?.. N-No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…”

He covered his forehead with his free hand.

“Ren, what happened? Are you okay?”

“I… I don’t know. Dammit, what is this feeling… My head hurts so badly. It’s like…”

I saw Ren’s fingers tense up as they dug deeper into his head.

“Gah!”

“H-Hey, Ren, it’s okay… J-Just calm down-”

“I can’t, idiot!”

I was slightly caught off guard. His shout… So demanding and intimidating… But at the same time, it sounded so feeble and frightened…

“I’m just so confused, and I can’t stand that! God, this pain is just so unbearable… Gah, I can’t take it. Why am I receiving this punishment!?”

He turned his face to me. He was forcing his eyelids shut, but he was also resisting it to look at me.

“Bailey, why is this happening!? Why… What did I do wrong!? I…”

He removed his hand from his forehead and stared at me with eyes open in desperation.

“What the hell did I do to wrong the girl!?”

In the distance, I heard a whistling sound for a few seconds… followed by a loud explosion…

So that’s it, huh? It’s because he somehow made Camryn sad… But… that’s unusual for him…

I saw some nearby people staring at us, mumbling under their breaths and whispering to each other. Some of them had looks of puzzlement, concern, and annoyance on their faces…

I put my hands on Ren’s shoulders.

“H-Hey, hey, Ren… Um… It’s kind of late, so you should get home.”

“Huh?”

“You should get home… Take your car and drive home…”

“B-But-”

“Really, it’s fine. I’ll take the bus home, alright?”

“B-But-”

I removed my hands from his shoulders and moved a few steps away from him. I took a deep breath.

“Ren, I’ll go fetch Camryn and I’ll bring her back — I swear!”

I clenched my fist in determination.

“U-Um… R-Right…”

I nodded and quickly turned to chase after Camryn. She ran this way, but where did she go? And is she okay?

I was under pressure at that moment, and I was a bit indecisive about my decision. Ren somehow made Camryn sad, but that had to be unintentional — Ren just isn’t the type of guy to purposely do that. And because of their feelings, I think they needed time apart from each other, so I sent Ren home alone. But I had a hard time choosing. I wanted to console Ren who looked distressed, but I decided to chase after Camryn — she’s younger and probably needed it more, and even though she has a phone, I doubt she’ll answer it and she’ll be lost…

Ren… Camryn… What’s going on? But whatever it is, I swear I’ll help!

I then decided to stretch my legs, holding a leg up while using the railing to keep my balance.

There’s hope… When Camryn ran away at Aragain Falls… when Camryn swatted away Ren’s had… Ren was different. He truly was scared. He truly was confused. He truly was frustrated… Knowing that he somehow made Camryn mad… It truly filled him with guilt…

I turned around and started stretching my other leg.

But I’m still not sure… What should I do moving forward?

Tomorrow, I want to bring Camryn back to Ren… But would she want that? Despite what happened, I still can’t be sure of Ren’s opinion of Camryn… And if I’m wrong, I know Camryn will be crushed. She needs to get away from her past. She needs an adult that truly loves and cares for her… She doesn’t need an orphanage, foster home, or homeless shelter that needs to care for multiple people… She needs one — and that one is Ren Morales…

Or maybe…

Dammit…

I stood up straight and dug into my pocket for my phone…

I need advice — Dammit…