A Day to Forget (Season 1 Finale)

Ken wakes up suddenly. He looks out the window to see that the sun hasn't risen yet. He sits up and checks the time on his phone: it's around 4 am.

Well, I'm on time.

He gets out of bed as quietly as possible to avoid waking up Rebecca, who is still sleeping peacefully on her side facing him. He admires her for a few seconds, smiling, then shakes himself out of his trance and puts on his shoes. The rest and care from Rebecca have done wonders for him because now he can move without the pain echoing throughout his body. Walking on tiptoe, he searches for his house keys, which he finds immediately on his desk.

I'll borrow them just this once... Sorry, Rebecca. He mentally apologizes to the sleeping girl.

He heads towards the door, from which he hears some strange noises. He looks through the peephole and not seeing anyone, he opens the door, and in comes Mister.

"So it was you. You've been out all night, huh?" Ken whispers. Mister meows as he continues walking.

"Yeah, be careful not to wake your owner." Ken leaves and closes the door as slowly as possible, then runs down the stairs. He's soon forced to slow down, as his body still doesn't allow him to exert too much effort.

As soon as he leaves the building, he takes the first taxi and tells the driver to go to the airport. During the journey, he messages Will to let him know he's on his way and notices six missed calls from his mom. He makes a mental note to call her later and tell her that he stayed over at Will's place.

The journey to the airport takes about two hours, and he's able to take advantage of it to rest a bit more. As soon as he arrives, he calls Will to ask for information about the flight to figure out where they are while he continues to move around the airport's hall. Nora would be leaving in less than two hours, after all.

Indeed, he manages to find them without too much trouble. At the moment, Will is bidding farewell to Nora and her parents.

"Ah, Ken!" Nora's father greets him as soon as he sees him. Ken is about to step towards them when his phone rings; it's a call from Rebecca. He bites his lip and silences his phone before continuing to walk towards them.

"Good morning." Ken greets them all and stands next to Will. He shoots a slight glare at Nora.

"We would like to talk to you a bit more, Ken, but we need to get ready for our flight."

"Of course, I don't want to keep you any longer. I'm just glad I managed to see Nora before she left." He lies.

"Don't worry, guys, we won't be gone forever." Nora's mom takes over, patting her daughter's shoulder.

The girl doesn't say anything, she just goes to Will and hugs him. He hugs her back, half of his face hidden in her shoulder. She whispers something to him that Ken can't hear, and he gives her a faint smile as they let go of each other.

"Goodbye." Nora says, almost in a whisper.

"Safe travels." Will says.

The family slowly walks away with their huge suitcases, and Ken and Will watch them in silence.

"Are you okay?" Ken asks, but he just needs to look at him to know that he's not okay.

"I'll be fine. And it's not like we'll never see each other again, we'll definitely talk on video calls." He sighs and looks at Ken.

"You didn't have to come... but thanks for doing it." He manages a smile, but his expression isn't one of happiness.

"No trouble. Do you want me to walk you home, or do you want to do something, like..."

"Thanks, Ken. You've already done enough. I want to be alone right now."

"Got it... See you at school then." Ken, still worried about his friend, decides to return to Rebecca's apartment.

* * *

Just as he left, he enters the apartment as quietly as possible thanks to the keys he borrowed. He didn't check the time, but the sun is already high in the sky, and he can only hope that Rebecca is the type to sleep in. He cautiously makes his way to his room but stops as he passes the kitchen, horrified. Sitting at the table, drinking a steaming cup of tea, is Rebecca herself.

"Good morning, Ken." Her tone is very calm and relaxed, but her expression betrays her. She's visibly annoyed.

"Do you want some tea?" She continues.

"No... I'm fine. Listen-" He enters the room and stands in front of her.

"Then do you want the apartment deed? Because the last time I checked, it was mine!" She gets up and snatches the keys from his hand.

"You listen: you could've answered my calls or my messages, or even left me a note before leaving! I thought you might have gone back home, but I didn't call your mom so as not to risk getting you in trouble in case you didn't come back. How can you just disappear a few hours after showing up in this state?!" She's starting to hyperventilate.

"Hey, calm down now... I'm here, aren't I?" He gently rubs her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her, only to receive a glare from her.

"You'd better have good explanations. I was worried sick!" She pushes him away, but in the process of calming her down, he manages to do so.

"You know, I can take care of myself. There's no need for you to worry." He nonchalantly sits down in the seat across from where she was sitting before she got up. He's starting to get irritated too.

"So. Why did you disappear in the middle of the night?" She asks, still standing.

"Nora and her family left this morning, and Will and I went to the airport to say goodbye. I just wanted to be there for my best friend." She chuckles a little, confusing Ken.

"I've suspected it for a while now, but I have to ask... do you think you're some kind of superhero? Do you feel like you have to help everyone around you in some way? I can't speak for Will, but do you think others want your help?"

"Why are you being like this? Of course, if I can help someone, I will. What's wrong with that?" He responds, confused and a bit thrown off by her words.

"Nothing. Except it's not about that. It's about pity."

"It's not the first time you've mentioned pity... do you still think I'm your friend because I pity you? Is that it?"

"Your absence this morning gave me a chance to think. You don't have any other reasons, otherwise, you would have taken advantage of them already. So it must be pity." She explains, almost slamming her palm on the table.

"I mean, otherwise, why would you think you're in-" She stops herself, realizing the mistake she made.

"What are you talking about? Finish the sentence, so I can understand where you're coming from." He almost pleads with confusion evident in his gaze.

"No, I..." Her eyes linger on the floor.

"Rebecca, please. You're the last person I want to argue with."

"Please." There's a degree of pleading in his tone.

"This is the problem! Why do you want to be my friend? Why do you want to spend time with someone like me? Why are you convinced that you like me...?" She exclaims. "Yes, I heard you yesterday. I'm sorry I pretended to be asleep." The tone of her voice drops as she lets out a sigh. "I'm sorry." She concludes, saying these words almost to herself more than to him.

He may be a little dumb, but he knows that the last sentence is Rebecca's response to his feelings. He understands it from the shift in her tone and from the fact that her eyes do their best to avoid his.

"Damn... Rejection really hurts. Huh." Despite everything, he tries to maintain his cool in front of her.

"I'm sorry for taking your house keys without your consent, and especially for making you worry. Now... I need to get home. Even my mom will be worried." He doesn't want to leave things like this, but he's so confused and taken aback by the situation that he can't help it. For now. He'll definitely come back to talk to her because despite Rebecca's accusations, he's genuinely in love with her.

"Yes... I-I'll see you tomorrow at school." She doesn't give him a second glance until the end. The only thing that indicates that he's left her apartment is the sound of the door opening and closing.

She finally sits down, crosses her arms on the table, and rests her head on them. Surely Oreo can hear her muffled sobs from his position near the entrance to the kitchen.