When we were young

(Back in time) 

NOTE: SKIP TO CHAPTER 8 IF YOU'RE NOT INTO BACKSTORIES.

Henry Harrison- Main lead

Yamasaki Yuta- Childhood friend

I don't remember how old I was when it happened. Maybe 7 or 8, but it was the night of the school disco when kids were picking boyfriends and girlfriends to go with.

I was a very very unpopular kid, and naturally I had no intention of going there. It was traditional, my father said, and told me to find the prettiest girl and force my true feelings upon her. Like a true man.

I didn't have the courage and pretended everyone rejected me- that was, until the class king Yuta came over to me during break and whispered; "dyou have a partner to go to the disco with?"

"No," I said in reply, staring at my battered cartoon shoes. "But I feel sick so it's okay."

"No you don't." Yuta suddenly held my hand in his, an act of kindness that scared me. "Go with me." 

"But…" I said quietly, unable to think of an excuse. "But…"

"But?" Yuta had smiled and playfully kicked me in the shin, causing me to flinch. "You're a big Loser, Henry. We're going together."

Yuta, in my new close up view of him, was a really cute child with glass skin and perfect teeth. He scared me, being so loved and popular even though he was a transfer student. He was funny, he teased others a lot, and he even bullied people sometimes. He was above our average height towering over the whole class by about 2 heads.

He was rich too. His parents bought him school lunchboxes that were worth more than all our school shoes combined, and he'd encouraged other children to become smart and clean through enduring daily teasing and reminders of how poor they were from him.

I wasn't in the class spotlight. I used glasses to read, I got 100% on school tests and acted invisible because the others didn't like me. Yuta didn't have the chance to tease me for being extremely poor or for being a nerd since he didn't acknowledge me, but now that he was trying to befriend me would I have to stop studying and focus more on conjuring up stupid jokes to make the girls laugh? Would I have to beg my parents to buy me shiny shoes, or an expensive lunch box instead of my old tatted school wear?

"Henryyyyy," Yuta had then waved his hand in front of my face. "Tell you what. Come to my house after school????"

"I have my tutor coming over after school…" I had let slip accidentally. "I'm sorry…"

"What time? Come over when the tutor leaves." Yuta gave me a nudge to say he wasn't giving up soon, and when I looked at him his head was tilted in confusion, awaiting my reply, before his eyebrow slanted up comically and he sneered playfully, "or do you not want to come or something? What is it?"

"No, no I do.." I quickly answered, but I didn't.

"So come then." Yuta interrupted, pulling his childish baseball cap over his eyes. "4pm. Don't be late."

He stood up and walked off, leaving me there feeling stupid and hurt.

(Yuta's house)

I vividly remember following him inside where his parents were nowhere to be seen. I refrained from asking for a while- allowing him to take me on a house tour and show me every corner. Finally when we reached his bedroom I couldn't contain being without supervision any longer and asked, "where's your mum and dad? Are you alone in this big house all the time?"

Yuta had turned to me with a somewhat scary smile on his face. I couldn't make it out at first… he looked like a monster or a murderer mixed with a small innocent boy, and the complexion made me step backwards away from him. He looked at my feet edging away and smiled more gently before saying

"Dead."

I didn't know which question he was answering; it couldn't have been the first one, because although I was little I knew that social services wouldn't let him live alone, and it couldn't be the second because that answer wouldn't make sense. "What?" I asked slowly, feeling Like I didn't want a clear answer.

"I was joking." Yuta had said bluntly. "Now, let's play cars if you want."