Yesterday, while I was walking with my friend in the quad, I saw a girl with her head down and her shoulders moving in jerky up and down movements

Yesterday, while I was walking with my friend in the quad, I saw a girl with her head down and her shoulders moving in jerky up and down movements. I stopped my friend and we took a longer look at the girl crying. She was sitting cross-legged on the bench, her long hair flowing down and covering her saddened and wet features. Her hair was just as I wanted mine to be so badly... long and straight but curly on the ends. It wasn't permed - I see her often to be able to tell that it's natural. And even if she wasn't looking up, I can tell that she's beautiful. What with her pointed nose peeking out from the long curtain of hair dangling and her eyes that shows from the little gaps between the strands of her hair. I have seen her before - when, where, how? I'm not sure. And that made me walk to her, completely ignoring my friend who was asking where I was going and who eventually left me when I didn't answer upon her 5th call, and ask what was her name.

"Hyacinth", she said, without meeting my eyes, in the most polite tone anyone has ever used to answer me. She was the same age as I was, if not, a one or two years younger and as she slowly showed her face I could see what beauty used to be there before it was smudged and ruined by tears. A big line of mascara stained her pale cheeks and her eyes were red as cherries. There were faint pinkish red marks on her face that made me think more. What had happened to her? Why was she there alone? Don't her friends care? Doesn't she have a boyfriend? Of course, she has. I remember whispering to myself.

My string of thoughts was broken by a question from her. "I know you... You're that girl... Eya-chan. Why are you here?" She asked that question with all honesty and straightforwardness that it was hard not to answer. 'I uhhh. Wanted to sit down with you.'

"Why me?" Hyacinth said while taking out her pink and blue striped handkerchief from her 'secret pocket'. All girls in our school had secret pockets on the right side of our skirts. Anyway, back to my story.

'I, well, I wanted to get to know more students since this is my last year of high school. You know, to have some friends.' said I, in my too-good-to-be-true-amazingly-polite voice. 'Well, since you already know me, it would be stupid if I re-introduce myself. But I came here for friendship, Hyacinth.' I continued, while stretching out my right hand to shake hers. After looking at it for a while, I was relieved she actually took and shook it. I stared into the sky for a while, creating a random oh-my-gosh-what-a-boring-topic about the weather and such.

'Oh my... What an awful weather we have today.' I said, glancing at her. She sighed.
"Yeah... The sun's been hiding a lot lately..."

We wrapped our jackets tighter as the cold August wind swept by us. It was the 27th, a Friday and a storm was coming that day. They didn't suspend the classes though the majority of the staff didn't teach that day. And so, students wandered around in a multi-colored jungle of jackets, sweaters, umbrellas and raincoats, all finding places to chat or play with their friends. In front of us were little Freshman boys who played sipa. I watched the smallest one play. He was good - in fact, he was great. If it weren't for his height. My attention was caught by a guy in my year, who looked exactly like someone I knew so well - too well, to be frank - who was sketching something I couldn't see. Just when I was about to think deeper, Hyacinth save me again. She was crying again.

'Hey, what's wrong?' I asked, unable to hide the concern in my voice. A big part of me wanted to cry with her, I wanted to ask what was wrong. But I know that I should give her time and let her say it when she feels like it. And so I just stared, stroking her back and listening to her helpless sighs, as my heart fell into pieces with every tear she shed.

EYA