memories

During lunchtime, it was chaotic on the 2nd years’ floor. Some students wouldn’t eat and would just run around the halls with their friends or bring the 3rd years to their floor. Some would help teachers with delivering papers, and some would help club leaders deliver things. But most of the time the students would get distracted with the 3rd years. But others, like Hikari, would sleep. Because of her troublesome siblings, she wouldn’t have time to pack her lunch in the morning or after school. But they’d also leave her so exhausted that all she could do was sleep during her free periods and breaks.

Nakano was in and out of club rooms and teacher’s lounges, trying to be as helpful as possible. Although it was tiring (and honestly annoying), it was good to get on the good sides of teachers.

Nakano had left the teacher’s lounge for the third time in 10 minutes, helping out three teachers deliver boxes to clubrooms. There was 15 minutes of lunch and Nakano wanted to spend it rushing through homework for her next class. Just as she turned a corner, she bumped headfirst into the leader of the girl’s volleyball team. Both Nakano and the club leader fell to the ground, moaning in pain. The girl recovered quickly from the fall and stood up. “I’m so, so sorry- Wait, Ai-chan?” She said with a look of recognition in her eyes. Nakano looked up, her hand on her forehead. The voice sounded familiar. It was Yua Uchida, a childhood friend of Nakano’s. The two hadn’t been in any of the same classes since middle school, so this was their first time seeing each other in a while. “Yua?...” Ai groaned. Yua pulled Nakano up into a hug. “I was looking for you! First you were in your classroom, then the teacher’s lounge, then the art club; it was so hard to find you!”

Nakano groaned in both pain and annoyance. She and Yua had been best friends when they were younger, going out into the country every summer and ending it by going to the end-of-summer festival. Yua and Hikari had been best friends for a surprisingly long amount of time, leaving Nakano wondering how she never noticed Hikari.

“Oh, right! I almost forgot. You know Hikari, right?” The club leader asked. “Yes, she’s in my homeroom. Why? Did you need something from her?” Nakano replied, dusting off her skirt. Yua reached into her shorts, pulling out a folded-up piece of paper. “I remember when she used to help me with my spikes. Even when my hands were tired and my knees were almost bloody, she’d help me get better...” She said, staring longingly at the paper. “She might be mad at me right now, so could you hand this to her for me?” Yua grabbed Nakano’s hand and placed the paper into her palm. “It’d mean a lot.”

Nakano nodded.

There were now 15 minutes of lunchtime left. Nakano entered her homeroom to see Hikari slumped over her desk, her friends on the other side of the classroom. Nakano approached her sleeping classmate and poked her shoulder. After about 10 seconds, Hikari’s eyes fluttered open. “Good morning, Nakano-san.” Nakano sighed.

“Good afternoon to you too, Keita-san.”

Hikari straightened her posture and stretched. “It’s not cleaning time yet, is it?” She asked. “No, it’s only 12,” Nakano answered, pulling out the folded-up piece of paper from her skirt pocket. “Uchida-san wanted me to give this to you.” Suddenly Hikari’s expression changed. She had distanced herself from Yua since the end of her 1st year and hadn’t heard her name in a couple of months. She took the paper of the Nakano and unfolded it; it was a volleyball sign-up sheet. Nakano peared over Hikari’s shoulder. “That’s what it was,” she thought. Hikari didn’t say anything, but her face spoke for itself. Little notes and doodles on the paper were scribbled on by Yua as if the two were still best friends. Hikari tore the paper in half, crumpled it up, and stuffed it in her bag so she could throw it away later. “Do you not like volleyball?” Nakano asked. Hikari shook her head. “I like volleyball, I just don’t like Yua Uchida.”

Nakano sat in the chair in front of Hikari. “Would you like to talk about it?”

Hikari shook her head again. A loud growl broke the sudden silence.

“...I’m too hungry to talk.” She said, before resting her face on the table. Nakano stood up from her chair and walked over to her desk on the other side of the room. She dug through her bag for a bit before pulling out a neatly wrapped bento box and walking back over to Hikari. “I’m not as hungry as I was earlier. You can have it if you’d like.” Nakano said, sliding the box over to her classmate. Hikari unwrapped it, the smell of an all-meat meal filling her nose.

“Um… is this all…?” She stammered.

“My mom believes in a meat and vegetable diet, but mainly meat,” Nakano replied. Her face then turned red, fearing that Hikari found her weird for only having meat in her lunch. “I-I mean… I don’t eat meat all the time… I just packed meat for this week…” She said, feeling her face grow hotter and hotter.

Hikari broke apart a pair of chopsticks and picked up a piece of beef. “I don’t think it’s that weird.”

While eating, Hikari ended up explaining why she and Yua Uchida were no longer friends. She explained that Yua had been a great friend before they’d gotten to the second semester of their 1st year of school. Yua had begun taking almost everything that Hikari had–specifically their shared friend, Akio. When Akio showed the smallest interest in Hikari, Yua panicked and took Akio for herself. It was a betrayal that had been building up for a decade which left Hikari heartbroken.

By the time Hikari’s done explaining, she’s done with her all-meat bento.

Nakano sat there, fiddling with her thumbs; she didn’t know what to say. She was going to say “I’m sorry that happened,” but that doesn’t really do anything. Nothing seemed like the “right thing” to say.