Salt & Sand

Hold on… Her family name is Jackson… Could she be related to that Jackson?

“There’s an American guy in my class with the same last name and blonde hair. Seems a little too convenient to be a coincidence.” There’s probably no way right? I mean she is a tall foreigner with blonde hair… But there’s probably a lot of those. “Maaya, does that Jackson girl have a brother?”

“Yeah, he does…” She responded.

“No way…”

“Hold on, you know her brother? I’ve hung out with him before! He’s super cool! If you know him you should for sure invite him to hangout with us sometime.”

Definitely shouldn’t tell Akito about this if that’s what Jackson’s actually like… But is he really…? I mean like ‘us’. Katsumi drifted his eyes across the room. Everyone here is some kind of misfit. Just taking a look at them I guess you wouldn’t really assume that, but none of them have really ever belonged anywhere…Most of their old friends and families pushed them away because of their choices… Is Jackson and his sister like that too?

Everyone across the living room was smiling.

Is that who I’ll become?

Everyone was deep in their conversations, with people they’ve known for so long.

Is that so bad?

“Katsumi?” Maaya pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Oh, sorry. For sure, I’ll ask him sometime during class.”

Maaya snapped her attention to Makoto. “And you, don’t do your usual… Makoto thing… and screw up your date.”

“What do you mean!? It’s always you guys setting me up with terrible people!”

Maaya pouted and turned away. “All my friends are super amazing. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Nobou. How do you put up with that everyday? Like seriously?”

The boy in question responded with some light laughter.

Makoto stood up and walked to the kitchen, as he did he took off his blazer and tossed it at Maaya. “I’m getting a drink…”

“Hey get me one too!” Maaya strained her head around.

He snorted in response, “Yeah, okay.”

“Hmpf— He’s so mean to me.”

At the kitchen island Makoto set out a few shot glasses. He made eye contact with Kenshi and Katsumi then motioned with his head for them to come over.

“Makoto, it’s never the right choice to drink your troubles away. It never works.” Kenshi sat down on a stool at the island.

“Sure is fun though. Plus it never hurts to try.”

“Fair enough.”

Makoto unscrewed the cap on the bottle and carefully poured four shots. His shot was filled just past the rim and was being kept in place by the surface tension.

The three raised their glasses, brought them back down the table, then their lips.

Two of the shot-glasses came back down empty.

“Mm, love that feeling… You got any chasers Katsumi?” Makoto asked.

No response came from Katsumi, his hand lingering on the full glass.

“Yo, Katsumi? Hello?” Makoto looked at Katsumi's hand which was holding a full shot glass. “Hey, if you don’t want to drink that I’ll gladly take the burden.” He started to reach for it.

These words pulled Katsumi back, he looked Makoto in the eyes and in a split second downed the shot. “Ahem— No-no, it’s fine.”

“Oh well, maybe one for the road.” Makoto poured himself another.

Why think about Arata now? What’s she got to do with anything? I’m here, right now, with my friends. So why is my mind wandering like that…?

“Katsumi?”

“Huh? What’s up?”

“Man, you’re really outta it. Did those punches also kill your brain cells?” Makoto laughed.

“Yeah-yeah, you’re one to talk.”

After Katsumi’s comeback Makoto changed the subject. “By the way, got any cigarettes on you?”

“Hm? Oh yeah—” Katsumi reached into his pocket and felt nothing. “Uh…” He reached into his other pocket. “Sorry, I think I lost them when I went out yesterday.”

“That’s weird, I felt like you always have some on you at all times.”

“Yeah, I’m all out right now, sorry. Maybe Nobou has some?” Kastsumi shrugged as Makoto went off on his quest.

I think I know exactly what happened to them… Arata probably went through my pockets and took it while I was knocked out! She can’t just do that! I– I feel kinda violated… Though that isn’t really fair to say… with what happened to her.

“—And when I got there, he was passed out. Like black eye ‘n lying cold. She brought him to a bench and had his head lyin’ on ‘er lap. She looked freaked the fuck out too—”

Katsumi and Kenshi walked back to the living room in the middle of Nara telling a story.

“Oh Katsumi, I was just tellin’ them ‘bout yesterday when Arata called me to—” Nara trailed off.

Katsumi stared at her with an open mouth.

“...To come help her bring you back… I think she didn’t want me to tell ya’ this…”

“W-what!? How— Why’d she contact you?”

“Well… ‘bout that. When I was leaving here a couple days ago, she apparently stayed up real late and was waitin’ for me outside her apartment. She said to me somethin’ like, ‘I need your contact information, in case somethin’ happens to Murakami I want ya’ to contact me.’ And I said, ‘Why the hell would I needa do that?’”

Everyone's full attention was now on Nara’s story.

“After I said that she seemed to get all angry and her face was turnin’ kinda red. So I thought i musta’ struck a real personal topic. I just decided ta’ give her my contact and left.”

Arata asking for Nara’s contact information… Is my well-being really that high of a priority for her?

Maaya chimed in, “Hold-on hold-on hold-on… Who’s Arata?”

“She’s—” Katsumi attempted to answer but was cut off by Nara.

“She’s his girlfriend!”

“No she’s not.” Katsumi refuted this as fast as he could. “She’s just a classmate.”

“Woah! wait-wait, Arata? That’s the girl next door!? Katsumi, you’re going out with her!?” Shouko brightened up after connecting these dots.

“Arata and I aren’t going out. She’s just been constantly bugging me, trying to get me clean from drugs.”

Shouko lightly tapped Makoto’s side with her elbow. “Hey hear that? Arata’s still available…”

Katsumi frowned and shook his head.

Kenshi spoke up next. “It’s not really like you have an addiction or anything dude. Why’d she be worrying about that at all?”

“That’s what I’ve been saying. Honestly, I think Arata just doesn't agree with it so she’s trying to force me to do stuff her way. It’s annoying at times...”

“Yeah I get you, I get you. It’s messed up when people force others to do stuff only their way.” Kenshi reached into his bag and dug around in it.

Makoto looked down into Kenshi’s bag and gave an exasperated, “oh my god.”

Kenshi chuckled a little, “It’s time again, Makoto.”

“You’re going back to that?” Makoto sounded a little unsure.

“Hm… maybe.”

This grabbed Katsumi’s attention. He swiveled his head around and looked down into the hand-bag. In it were various everyday items. Some money, a charging cord, perfume, and a little sealable plastic bag with a white powder in it.

“Woah, holy shit. Is that what I think it is? Are you being for real?” Katsumi commented.

“I mean yeah it’s just a little bit of… ya’ know—” Kenshi side-eyed Makoto, and Makoto picked up talking.

“It’s not really as bad as what you hear about it in the media. But still it’s bad… You shouldn’t do it.”

“It’s fine though,” Kenshi added.

Kenshi and Makoto spoke like they had rehearsed these lines together—as they were easily able to finish each other's sentences.

Kenshi closed his bag and nudged Makoto. “I think there’s a side-quest for us in the kitchen.”

Makoto stood up. “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

Kenshi got up and the two walked out of the living room.

Katsumi, overcome by curiosity, slowly pushed himself up off the couch too—following them into the kitchen.