Suggested listening: "Say Something" by A Great Big World ft. Christina Aguilera
They were kissing again. She felt her heart break again. They were in the corner, away from everyone else, and they were quiet. Unbelievably quiet, actually. The only reason why she knew they were there was because she had walked through the door to the roof a few minutes after everyone had already gathered for lunch. She had spotted them in the corner; so close they were almost one person, with their lips locked together passionately.
On some level, she had expected it. Ichigo had never showed any sort of inclination towards girls- always blushing when a girl's body was brought up, though that was the only thing that showed that he might like them. Maybe he was bisexual. She had no idea, and it really wasn't any of her business anyway, but she had always thought that she might've had some sort of chance.
But after he met Hirako Shinji, all of her chances went out the window.
Sitting next to Tatsuki, she could see them in her mind's eye, despite the fact that they were behind her and she had not really seen them well in the first place. But the image would be forever imprinted in her brain. She smiled and she laughed, but she had never been more heartbroken. Maybe Tatsuki picked up on it. She wouldn't past her- the brunette had been her best friend for years. She knew the signs.
When lunch was over, Ichigo and Shinji were nowhere to be seen, and she guessed that they had left to kiss somewhere more private. Or maybe they just went back to the warehouse. It was not unlikely- they only had their elective period left, after all, and a lot of students usually skipped those. Tatsuki pulled her aside when everyone else had left the roof to get ready for the final class of the day. "But, Tatsuki-chan," she protested when she felt the tug on her arm, "I can't miss class~"
Tatsuki just shook her head and closed the door to the school, tightening her grip when she tried to leave. "No, Orihime. I'm not blind, like you all seem to think I am. I can tell this is not the normal bull you all deal with lately. This is something personal. You're hurting, and I need to know why."
Orihime flashed her friend a smile. They both knew it was false. "I'm fine, Tatsuki, really, everything is a-okay!"
A flash of pained annoyance flashed across the tomboy's features. "Really?" Gray-blue eyes seized her up, looking her up and down; searching the redhead's face for hints. Her eyes softened. "This is about Ichigo and Hirako, isn't it?" she guessed.
Tears sprung to her eyes, and she knew her façade was over. "Yes," she whispered brokenly. Her arms fell to her sides; her fingers going halfway limp. Her backpack brushed the concrete floor below them. "You know how I've loved him for so long…"
Tatsuki reached out and pulled her close. "I know, Orihime. I know," she soothed.
She refused to cry, and was successful. "I'm giving up. I can't do this anymore. I'm giving up on him."
"Can you?" Tatsuki questioned, her voice barely a whisper in her ear.
She remained silent. What could she say? Giving up on someone sounded so easy. She knew, though, that it would be hard. Especially giving up on Kurosaki Ichigo.
"Well?" Tatsuki prompted again, pulling away and resting her hands on her friend's small shoulders. "Say something. Can you really?"
She closed her blue eyes, and a few tears slipped out from beneath her lids. She sighed, feeling her breath shake and a lump form in her throat. "I love him, but he loves Hirako-kun. There is nothing I can do. What can I say? I had my chance. I let it go, let him go, a long time ago. It's not a matter of whether I can or not, Tatsuki-chan. I have to," she replied, barely a breath.
For a long time, they stood in silence. Orihime's eyes dried after a little while, and she just stood there, across from her best friend and closest confidant, not saying a word. They both were aware that they had missed their final class. Somehow, neither of them really cared.
They were sitting down when the bell finally rang. It wasn't long afterwards that the door to the roof opened again, and Ichigo's head appeared. "There you two are," was his greeting. "Com'on, school is over, you'll both probably be yelled at tomorrow, but you can't stay here all night."
Tatsuki looked up at her childhood friend. "I suppose so. We'll meet you down there in a minute," she said, like nothing was wrong.
He nodded, slipped a rock between the door and the doorframe to keep them from being locked out, and disappeared. Tatsuki glanced back at Orihime, but the girl just waved her off. Blinking, the girl finally nodded, and left the roof.
The wind picked up, and Orihime walked to the edge of the roof and leaned on the railing, looking down at her peers as they chatted and texted their parents or friends while leaving after a long day. She sighed, catching sight of Ichigo and Shinji, the two talking adamantly about something or another. She followed them with her eyes as they walked to the edge of the grounds, looked around, and then took off in a rush of Shunpo.
It didn't matter that she had crushed on Ichigo for a long time. It didn't matter that she had lost her chance. She sighed once more and turned away, her whisper of, "Goodbye, Kurosaki-kun," lost on the wind.