Chapter 126

Rin.

Len and I were walking to school with Miku and Kaito. We were talking about the festival and how today was the last day of school when suddenly, we heard a scream behind us.

"W-What was that?" Len yelped. We all spun around to see Neru and Oliver rollerblading, holding hands so that they wouldn't fall, their shaky legs threatening to give way any moment.

"That was Olly the chicken!" Neru exclaimed as they came closer.

"Neru!" Oliver shook his head and slipped, falling to the street, "Ow!"

"Ha!" Neru slowly bent down to help him up but she lost her balance as well, "Yow!"

She fell onto Oliver, her head hitting him in the stomach and making him cry out.

"Neru...," he groaned, "You're heavy!"

"Ugh...," Neru rolled off of him and slowly lifted herself to her feet. I ran up to her and grabbed her hands so that she wouldn't fall again. Len did the same for Oliver.

"So, Olly, er, I mean, Oliver," Len chuckled and Oliver grimaced, "What's up with the rollerblades?"

"It was Neru's idea," he groaned, rubbing the back of his head, "She insisted that we spend the summer learning how to rollerblade together."

"Huh," I smiled and looked at Neru, who blushed a little, "That's pretty cute."

"S-Shut up, it's not," Neru shook her head, "I'm stupid."

"You two should try skateboarding," this was Meiko, who was followed by Mikuo. They were both, quite aptly, on their skateboards.

"I don't think I could take it," Oliver mumbled as Len helped him along the street. He glanced back for a moment and frowned, "Hey, is that Gumi?"

We all turned to see the green haired girl, walking rather than running, her hands in her pockets and her head down. I opened my mouth to say something, but I didn't. I did think, though.

That was the first time any of us had seen Gumi walking alone after she had gotten together with Yuma.

"Something's wrong," Miku whispered. Gumi looked up and met my eyes. Her lips began to quiver and her pace slowed. I took a few steps towards her and she froze in place, pulling her hands out of her pockets and balling her fists.

"Gumi?" I was standing in front of her now, "Whats the matter? Where's Yuma?"

She hiccuped and began to cry. I wrapped my arms around her and she sobbed into my shoulder.

Gumi never cried. Never, ever, ever. She had, on occasion, been driven to the verge of tears, but she never completely broke down like that. I rubbed her back soothingly and her breath came in short gasps.

"Yuma's...he's gone!" She screamed, "He's gone, he's gone, he's gone!"

"What?" This was Kaito. Miku walked up to us, along with the rest of the group. She took Gumi's hand and held it tightly.

"Where did he go, Gumi?" Her voice was low and comforting, "Tell me, what happened?"

"He...moved...dad transferred, future, school, help...helpless," she couldn't even form sentences. We led her down the streets with us and Kaito handed Miku a tissue. The teal haired girl used it to wipe Gumi's tears away.

"How long have you known?" I asked, "When did he go?"

Gumi.

"He told me after the concert, and his flight was at five this morning!" I was louder than I should've been, "He's in the plane right now..."

After I had parted with Yuma, I went back to my mom's car and got into the front seat because she had insisted.

"Gumi, please," she had said. I wasn't in the mood to argue. She knew, anyway, that while I wanted to cry in the dark, I needed a shoulder to cry on.

I was sitting silently in the car, facing the window and watching the fleeting, glowing city lights, and it was about twenty minutes later that my phone buzzed. I fumbled and pulled it out.

Yuma: Hey.

Yuma: I'm sorry. I know you won't forgive me. I know I don't deserve to be forgiven.

Yuma: I was ignorant. Should've told you before I first hugged you, back near the ice cream shop.

Yuma: Please listen, Gumi.

Yuma: I love you.

Yuma: You're the only girl I'd ever run after. I mean it.

Yuma: I miss your kisses already.

Yuma: I miss your hand in mine, your laughter, your face, the heat that you radiated when you'd sit next to me, lie next to me.

Yuma: Remember the fireworks? It seems like it was so long ago.

Yuma: God, I just can't stop.

I inhaled slowly as I read his messages.

Yuma is typing...

I scrambled to reply.

Gumi: I lve yuo

I couldn't even spell that properly, even though I meant it with all my heart.

Gumi: I forgive you.

Gumi: I need to hear your voice.

He replied and my hands shook as I read his message.

Yuma: I'll call you. Right now.

He did, he called me. Right then and there, in the car as we sped down the highway, he called me.

"I missed you," he said. I closed my eyes and pressed the phone against my ear.

"I missed you, too."

"How long have we been apart?"

"About half an hour," I replied.

He laughed softly. It was forced and weak. It made my knees shake, his voice, so close and yet so far away. Soon, he'd be further away.

We talked for a while, a long while. I stayed on the phone during the entire ride. He narrates his adventures to the airport's coffee shop. He described the jackets in the shops. He bought a chocolate bar and told me how it tasted.

When my mom stopped the car in our driveway, I ran up to my room, grabbed the charger, plugged the phone in and continued to talk, lying in bed with my phone beside me.

"Gumi, it's late," he said.

"It's only...," I yawned, "Only three-thirty."

"You should get some sleep."

"I want to talk to you."

There was silence. I heard a muffled announcement in the background.

"So do I," he finally said, "But they're calling on us to get in the plane now. I need to go."

"You won't be able to talk to me on the plane, huh?"

"You need to rest," he said, "Tomorrow's the last day of school."

"But you won't be there."

"Goodbye, Gumi."

"Don't hang up," I said sharply.

"You can't let yourself fall apart because of this. I love you. You're strong, Gumi, strong enough to keep going."

"Yuma, no!"

"Please. I swear, I'll call you again soon."

He hang up. I gaped at the phone's screen.

Call ended. Duration: 1:15:43

And then a message. A photograph of Yuma at the airport. I gently pressed my lips to his picture and closed my eyes. I couldn't sleep, but I had tried. For him.

And then, there I was, with Rin and Miku holding my hands as we walked to school. Everyone was quiet. I glanced to my right and saw Neru, Oliver and Len. Then, I looked to my left and saw Kaito, Meiko and Mikuo. I looked down at my hands. Rin and Miku.

"We're still here," Rin said, almost as though she had read my mind, "Besides, you two can still talk and video call each other!"

"And maybe you'll be able to visit him someday," Miku smiled.

"Maybe," I looked down at my shoes. My mom would never let me go alone, and we couldn't afford going as a family, "I want to go to the same university as him, but that's..."

"Hey, it's only a year away," Rin said, "We'll keep you company till then, okay?"

"In fact, we should all go to the same university!" Kaito yelled into the sky, as if asking God to do just that.

"I don't know about that," Oliver said as he struggled to stay upright with his rollerblades, "I like it here, but if Gumi wants to go, then I support her."

"So do I," Miku said, "You'll make it."

I smiled a little. It took some work, but I did it, because I had these people. I had these friends. Without them, I'd probably be somewhere else.

And I had something else.

"Thank you, guys," I whispered, slipping my hands out of Rin's and Miku's. I took a deep breath and ran towards the school, turning onto the track and running. I ran my heart out, I ran till my river of sorrows became shallow and started to run dry.

I ran a lot after Yuma left. I needed to. I put his songs in my iPod and occasionally ran while listening to them, but they just made my stomach churn. I missed him more that way, but at least I had his voice and the memories that the lyrics brought back.

One year. I needed one year.

"Gumi, it's almost time for class!" Miku yelled as the group stopped near the school entrance, slowly spilling in and heading to their classes.

"Okay!" I yelled back, cutting through the field and running up to Miku. I looked at her for a few moments, my heart pounding like a drum, and then I hugged her.

"Thank you," I whispered.

Haku.

"Class dismissed."

As soon as I said that and the bell rang, the classroom exploded with cheers. Chairs were pushed back and books were stuffed into bags. Then there was a stampede as the teenagers rushed out the door, squishing through the small frame.

I smiled and sat down on the desk - yes, the desk - and started putting my things away. A few seconds later, the excited screaming of the students had died down, but one person still stood in the doorway.

Dell. I looked at him with a smile and he walked in, closing the door behind him with his foot. He approached me and our gazes met.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," I echoed, reaching into his silvery hair, "That's it, then. School's out."

"Just for two months."

"Exactly," I reached into my bag and pulled out a flyer, "And that's why I was thinking about this."

He frowned and took the flyer from me, skimming it and flipping it back and forth. He looked confused. Finally, he looked back up at me.

"What's this?" He asked.

"I thought we could go," I said, pulling him closer.

"Mountain climbing?" He whispered.

"Are you scared?" I smirked, my cheeks flushing. We were only inches away from each other.

"N-No," he mumbled.

"Then why are you hesitating?" I kissed him.

"We'll go," he said, "Do you want to?"

"Of course I do. I think it'll be fun. Besides...there's no one else I'd rather go with."

That was how Dell and I ended up going mountain climbing during the summer.

I don't like this chapter very much. I think, the quality will be going downhill...ugh...
Two chapters left. Expect a lot of monologuing.