Chapter 15: Connected links

The school bell rang. We sat in the same area and waited until everyone leaves. We held a book up to pretend we were reading as our eyes glared at the pages of words to the courtyard, waiting everyone to be gone. No one was in sight and waited a little longer to be sure. Shima and I got closer to our sides were practically against each other. We turned and looked at each ours. We closed our eyes and trusted our hands to reach for the other's face. Our face was pulled to the middle area between us. Our lips meet for a moment before pulling off for the world not to see. We got up and began to walk out the school.

"What have you been doing? Your face changed so much."

Shima leaned in front of me as we talked and placed once again quickly her hand on my cheeks.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to take the risk of having your family finding out by my voice. I didn't remember your phone number, and I couldn't visit even if I wanted to take the risk. I wasn't sure of my location until a while back and had forgotten your house. You know what happened right?"

"Yea, I did. It was messed up how the world works. I understood why you didn't want to visit but… You could have come to the place where I normally go."

"I'm sorry, I had to sort through a lot of stuff recently. I really wanted to see my father too, but never have the time."

"But the face though. The light brown eyes and long brown hair seems a little strange when I'm not used to it."

My hands rushed to my face to quickly cover it up. I turned around before turning back as my fingers loosely open for my eyes to lay sight of Shima's face which I haven't seen so long.

"Yea, I know."

…

We walked over the large three leveled oval and crossed through the roads.

"You know… I have begun writing a book as of recently."

"Really? Cool. How's it going along?"

"It's about a fantasy sky island where a curtain material dug up from an isolated hole. I have finished the first book and was in the middle of the second book. The first one didn't sell well and was quickly put down with low sales."

"What themes is it about?"

"Themes? I have never considered it. I just wanted to write a world where I dreamed of living in, a fun and safe place where I think is at peace."

"It must be hard for you to try to write something tragic due to the accidents."

"Yea, I couldn't really bring myself to write something terrible. The characters I create almost feel alive inside my head. Whenever I want to do something bad, I feel almost like the same as the character and experience it myself."

"I see, it was always like this, wasn't it. You have always said that the character writes themselves and the world is a reflection of the character and how it would have brought out. But Llowie, you have to face reality a little more. After all, it's tragical things that sell; people have no interest in day to day lives of a peaceful world. Don't you forget your specialty."

"I know… I just can't…"

I walked up the stairs up to the third floor.

Shima looked over at me.

"Why do you want to write in the first place? I know you started to write before you disappeared. You never talk about it."

I opened the door to my room and pushed open the door.

"I really… just dreamed of a world… where I could feel happy… where a family would look at me…"

I couldn't stop my tears as my knee crumbled to the ground right before the footsteps a little inside the front door. My hands fell to the ground in front up onto the footsteps. The water covered my eyes as my hair fell covering my right and left sides. I didn't know why I cried, I forgot it. Those memories when I was a kid.

Shima reached out her hand and placed it on my shoulders. She bent her legs down to be on the same level as me. Her right hand moved out to rush up a bit of my hair. My eyes turned over for me to violently grab her on her shirt and pulled her down. Her face faces mine as my hands reached the end of the uniform. My hands stopped as I realized what am I wanted to do. My hand was frozen before it moved away back to me. My left hold over my right as I placed it near my torso and curved down my back while my legs spread out with the lower half touching the ground holding the rest of the body up.

"How… Could…I? A dear… friend… I'm… so… sorry… Shima"

"Llowie, take a look at yourself. Are you in the right condition to write a happy story?"

"I… don't know what… to do… anymore"

I lip was curved entirely down. I wanted to stop my tears, but it only ended up more coming out. My lips curled down and stretched as if it was going to tear off. It hurts; my heart, my eyes, my lips. My heart my ponding so fast, it felt like it was going to pop.

While I was in a crumbling mess, Shima sat straight up and looked at me before shutting the door. Shima returned seating in front of me. She leaned over and bent her back a little as her face slowly pokes into my personal space. Her right hand went to pull down my tightly gripped hands while her left pushed aside some of my hand upwards. For a moment, I stopped tearing, and my hands loosen. My face lifted to see her before she would kiss me again. My eyes closed. My mouth opened a little before loosening up to a natural pose. My spin felt almost non-existing as I fell forward into her as our lips separate.

'For that second, I was happy… but also sad. How could someone like me ever deserve such a good friend?'

"Thank you, Shima."

I was quickly asleep.

Chapter 16: Doubt

I quickly brushed away a blanket before coming to my sense that I was in my bed. I sat up and looked around my room. On the right was an empty area with my laptop while my the left was a wall. I looked in front to see the stove having something cooked. There was no one around. My usual slippers weren't near my bedside and the lights were strangely off.

'Did she not want me to wake up? Why the slipper which I used to walk. I can feel my foot to know my socks aren't on as well. Did she not want me to leave? Is she telling the police to come over? Why did I ever trust her?'

I quickly got off the bed and dashed for a turn for the front door to only see it close as Shima was already inside holding a light and red bag with her left hand while the right was occupied with pulling the door. The door shut behind her. She locked it looking back before rising her head towards me. She held out her left hand towards me.

"This is your favorite, right?"

Shima pulled a green and purple paper box out from the hard-angled bag. What she held was Peach and Raspberry Parfait dessert, my personal favorite from my favorite shop. I was frozen in shock.

"Sorry, I had to go downstairs to collect the order otherwise, it would have melted… Hm, what's the matter? Did I order the wrong dish?"

My shoulder suddenly loosens and drops down. My head was facing down unwilling to meet her.

'How could I?'

My eyes wanted to cry, but it was so dry only so little came out. Shima quickly put the food away on the ground and rush to me. He wrapped me in her arms and pulled me over like a teddy bear. We were so close; I could hear her every heartbeat along with mine.

"I'm sorry Shima."

"Stop it, get over the smaller stuff, Llowie. Let's eat."

"… Yea."

I tried to sound out a happy noise but all it sounded like a crying barely speaking child.