Chapter 16

Rin.

I shouldn't have broken down like that in front of Len. It was bad when I had accidentally told him about my mom, but this was even worse. Why did I allow myself to become so vulnerable and open around him? At least he didn't take advantage of that; if it were someone else, they would probably end up exploiting or blackmailing me somehow.

"Do you want to wash up?" Len asked as we left the stairwell. It was then that I realized that I was holding his hand. Yelping, I pulled back.

"S-Sorry!" Len apologized and stepped back, "You just went ahead and held my hand, and you seemed so upset that I didn't want to make things worse!"

"You idiot, I was supposed to apologize!" I couldn't help but smile slightly. We both paused as our yells echoed down the halls of the school, which was just about empty now, with only a few teachers wandering.

"Okay, okay, Rin," a smile began to form on Len's face as well, "Let's stop this. I'll wait for you while you go and wash your face."

Len.

I was really surprised when Rin held my hand. I know she didn't mean to take it, and she hadn't taken it because she liked me, but her mind was someplace else. Something was bothering her, and she wasn't telling me about it. I didn't want to force her, though.

Still, when she held my hand as we left the stairwell and walked down the hall, that was all that I could focus on. Her hand was so smooth and small and wonderful in a way that I can't even describe. Every few seconds, my eyes would flick to one side and glance at her bright, lemon coloured hair, bangs falling over those sapphire eyes that had now shed tears twice because of me. Why was I hurting her? I liked her so much, and didn't want to cause her any harm, but somehow, I still was.

While I waited for her outside the washroom, my phone vibrated. I pulled it out to see a message from Kaito.

Does Miku like Mikuo?

Where did he get that idea? My fingers trembled. I wasn't sure what sort of a reply to give Kaito. Yes, no, I don't know? Kaito was my best friend. I had to tell him the truth. Besides, it's not like he liked Miku or anything. At least, he had never told me that he did...

"Okay," Rin said as she came out of the washroom, "Let's go, we're late! Miku's a stickler when it comes to punctuality!"

I laughed, trying to lighten the atmosphere while internally hoping that my reply to Kaito's text wasn't going to cause any trouble, "Will she smack us with a leek?"

"I hope not!" Rin giggled. We ran down the hallway, Rin in front as she led me down the halls and towards the room where the music club was. She pulled open the door and grabbed me by the shoulders, pushing me in before her.

"Whoa!" I stumbled in and was greeted by the stares of members of the music club. I looked around at them, slightly out of breath from chasing Rin down hallway after hallway. Some of them I knew, and others I had only seen around the school.

Miku was standing in one corner with an earpiece on. She walked up to me as Rin stepped in, throwing an arm around my shoulder. Suddenly, I began feeling even more nervous.

"Lenny boy," Miku put her hands on her hips, "What're you doing here?"

"I, er...I," I couldn't compose my sentences, and I'm pretty sure that Rin's arm around my shoulder was contributing heavily to that.

"He's joining the music club!" Rin proclaimed proudly, throwing her head back. Her hair brushed against my face and my rational thoughts began to dissipate. Casually, I moved aside and pretended to look around at the room and at the other members.

Miku clearly took note of my move. She knew how I felt about Rin, so that was to be expected. I just hoped that she planned to keep her promise and that she'd stay quiet about it.

"Len? In the music club?" Miku frowned at me, "Can you sing, Len?"

"I...don't think so," I answered honestly. Rin walked up to me and lightly smacked me on the head, "Ow!"

"I think he can," she smiled, crossing her arms, "And I want him to sing with me."

"We can't just pick any old song and get both of you to sing it, you know," a boy with blond hair and grey eyes said from a corner. He was sitting by a drumset, wearing a fedora on his head.

"That's why I decided on the song beforehand, Oliver," Rin said.

You did?! I thought. I wanted to sink into the floor.

"We're going to sing 'Melt,'" Rin continued. I panicked. That was one of Miku's most famous songs.

"Sounds good," Miku said, "Might as well give Len a chance, but we'll have to use a prerecorded instrumental version. Yuma and Kaito aren't here."

Rin.

Kaito. Where was he? I wished that Miku hadn't mentioned him; my mind was playing the scene from math class over and over again.

"Rin, are you okay?" Miku waved a hand in front of my face.

"Yeah," I said, "Sorry."

"I got the disc," Mr. Gakupo said, holding up a CD. He was the only teacher who was part of the music club, "You two want to get your headsets on?"

I nodded, taking two headsets from Miku's hands. I handed one to Len.

"Here, put this on," I looked at him. His face was knotted with worry, "Are you alright, Len? You've heard the song, right?"

"Many times, but that doesn't mean that I can just go ahead and sing it!" Len insisted.

I put my hands on his shoulders. "Len, this isn't a test. They're not going to kill you if you screw up. You're not going to die. But just in case...," I paused and pulled him towards me for a quick hug, and then I pulled back, "Just in case you do, remember that I believed in you."

Mr. Gakupo pressed play, and the instantly recognizable first few notes of the song began to play, the music box sounds and the start of the guitar.

(La, la la la la la la...)

There you go, a nice, long(er) chapter that ends with kind of a cliffhanger!