Chapter 13: Second Stop (2)

The first place Sayako took them was the same classroom Hiyori once occupied for their first year of high-school. As soon as she walked in, looking around, a strange feeling washed over her. It was a mix between nostalgia and fear.

 

“I remember sitting there…” whispered Hiyori, looking at the seat that once was hers. The chairs and tables were the same. Just as the blackboard at the front. She could almost hear as chalk was hitting against it, while she was sitting in her place, hurrying to copy the teacher’s notes from it before he wiped it off. Always. Way. Too. Quickly.

 

“Thinking about how many other students called it theirs since then, really messes with your mind!” smiled Sayako “I never thought time would fly this quickly! One day I was a stupid teen, worrying about if I did my homework or not… and now I am a teacher, scolding other kids who forgot theirs!” 

 

“It was that many years ago… huh?” stood at the doorway Hiyori, not going in further and even Everlong stopped pushing her, letting her contemplate. “I still remember vividly… Sitting there… I already let Fujiwara copy my math homework, in exchange he would replace me in cleaning duty! Then you came to question me! Heh…” chuckled before her smile faded “That day I may never be able to forget!” sighed while her old friend gently put her hand on her shoulders, rubbing it slowly.

 

“Give it time.” said Sayako, trying to cheer her up a little. 

 

“I did.” answered with a bit of a bland voice.

 

“She is right!” spoke up Everlong suddenly “I’ll let you two talk a little, I’ll go down, I saw a vending machine while coming in! I’m going to get some drinks, want some?”

 

“An ice tea, thank you!” bowed towards him Sayako and after he left she was still looking towards the staircase for a little while. “He looks… mature. Rare to see foreigners here!”

 

“Is it?” asked Hiyori and her tone was flat, her eyes even a bit condescending as she watched the side of Sayako’s face. 

 

“Yeah.” nodded, not really picking up on it “Let’s go up to the roof! We used to have lunch up there, remember?”

 

“If we had lunch!” said, walking next to her, going upwards “If I remember correctly I usually bought sandwiches and you usually borrowed them because you forgot bringing your own, most of the time!” 

 

“Ahaha, okay, okay~ Maybe~ But not every time!” laughed after being reminded of those days.

 

When they were finally up there, the wind was a bit stronger, catching Hiyori's long, loose hair. She closed her eyes a little, letting it hit her face as she walked forward, until she reached the chain link fence around the edge of the rooftop.

 

“Was this always here?” asked, reopening her eyes as in her mind the roof was empty, without fences.

 

“Yeah, it was!” nodded Sayako, walking next to her, watching the morning sun, gently placing her hand on Hiyori’s shoulder.

 

“I won’t jump!” replied immediately, looking downwards.

 

“I’m not thinking about that! I’m just… glad to know you are okay!” replied, fighting with her own tears. “I knew you for a long time and you were… just gone!”

 

“Got sent to rehab because of my injuries and because of the medication I received. I built up a painkiller dependency thanks to that! Then I was put into an orphanage. I was even in a sanitarium for a year or so.”

 

“...” grasped onto her more strongly, listening to her calm and emotionless voice as she recalled her years to Sayako. Hiyori’s tone was as if an outsider would read it from a paper and not live through it personally! 

 

“I’m mostly living off of welfare checks and odd jobs now. But I am self sufficient!” stepped back, looking up at her with a smile that finally broke the camel’s back and Sayako knelt down, hugging her strongly as she started to cry.

 

Hiyori was surprised at her reaction, not knowing what to do… but it felt good. Somehow, it felt… relieving, even if it was not her who was crying loudly! She just hugged back and in the end she was the one who comforted her old friend.

 

…

….

……

 

When Everlong arrived at the roof he just walked up to the girls who were sitting at the edge of the roof, their backs towards the chain link fence, talking. 

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“Here~” smiled, interrupting them as he pressed one ice tea to Sayako and an iced coffee to Hiyori. 

 

“Oh, thank you!” said the two at the same time, taking it from him.

 

“No problem!” chuckled, reaching into his vest’s inner pocket and picking out a box of cigarettes.

 

“You can’t smoke on school premises!” said Sayako immediately, in a very teacher-like voice that reminded Hiyori of the fact that the girl next to her was not a child anymore but a grown woman and she was not back in her childhood times. No matter how pleasant the previous little chat they had was, making her forget everything for a brief moment, reality came back knocking.  

 

“Oh.” replied Everlong, blinking once before he just picked out one, lighting it up “So, how is it going?” asked, even offering it up to them. 

 

“Pft…” chuckled Hiyori, trying to hold it back as she just pulled a piece out, letting Everlong light it up for her.

 

“You!” pursed her lips Sayako before she also pulled one out.

 

“Rules are good. Necessary even!” said Everlong as he was flipping his lighter rhythmically, watching the two girls “But they are not flexible and we, humans are! You can’t smoke here because it would be a bad influence on kids and also, it would bring your power over them and their belief in the whole system into question if they see you smoking yet they are punished for it!”

 

“Yet all three of us are breaking the rules now!” replied Sayako, blowing out smoke through her lips. 

 

“Not if there are no kids around!” smiled Everlong “It’s the same with the age old question! If a tree fell in the forest and there was nobody around, did it have a sound at all?” Before Sayako could answer, the warning bell shook her whole body. 

 

“Not good! I have to go to class!” said in a voice that drew a smile onto Hiyori’s face as she heard the exact same words and tone many times in the past. She was looking around nervously, where to throw her cigarette as there were no ashtrays around on anything like that!

 

“No worries, I’ll destroy the evidence for you~” winked at her Everlong, taking it out from her mouth, pinching the burning end of it, turning Sayako’s face bright red for some reason. 

 

“Thanks! Hiyori!” turned away hurriedly, meeting with Hiyori’s bland look, with her slanted eyes, watching the two flirting. She was thinking that Everlong should just jump off the roof with Sayako and commit a secret lovers suicide as soon as possible. “Here!” took out a business card, giving it to her “My number! Please call me, okay?” leaned forward, hugging her again before rushing away.

 

“Huh… She tutors others in private?” murmured Hiyori, watching the simple card between her fingers, that told her, Sayako was not just a literature teacher but also helped others learn english in private.

 

“That is a pretty edged voice you have there.”  said Everlong with a knowing smile, looking down at her.

 

“You think?” asked, feeling completely normal yet all of her body was brimming from jealousy and clear anger of an unnatural kind. 

 

“I know! Because that thing is hugging you right now from the back, whispering into your ears. It has been doing that since we stepped into the premises! Especially after I lifted my hands off of you!” 

 

“...!” flinched immediately, throwing everything to the ground, trying to shake it off like if a bug was crawling up on her skin. 

 

“Relax!” patted her head, drawing her closer to slowly pat down her full body, relieving her from the unnatural feeling she was having so strongly now. “There~ Should be fine now~” picked out a new cigarette, placing it between her trembling lips, lighting it up. “Slowly now! Let it clear your mind!” said, looking into her eyes, picking up Sayako’s card from the ground.

 

“T-t-thanks…” said after a minute of silence as her trembling finally stopped.

 

“Sure!” smiled, patting her face before standing back up, stretching. “Come! I… borrowed a few documents! Put them in the car, it is best to leave before they find out they are missing!”

 

“...?!” watched his back as he was leaving towards the door to the roof. She almost fell over hearing his words before she hurriedly followed him to get away as soon as possible.

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