Eh, not too sure how this turned out. I managed to turn this into a five part story via my own curiosity.
Anyway, R&R!
-OrpheusEx
Ib, now in her freshman year, chewed on a sweet lemon tart that her mother packed for her. The sour flavor made her pucker her lips, but they were a good snack.
They made her feel happy.
They made her feel safe.
They made her laugh.
They made her brave.
They made her sad.
She honestly didn't know why she loved them, but whenever she ate them, she'd suddenly be the perkiest, brightest, and happiest student you ever met...
...but if you really knew her, like the boy sitting across from her did, you would see the that smile turned upside down as it reached her eyes, that she lost that spring in her step, that she wanted to lash out at the world, that she wanted to suddenly cry and never stop...
That she was lost.
"Ib? Hello? Ib?" A kind friend's voice pierced her thoughts like a particularly sharp palette knife.
"Yeah, Adam? Something wrong?" She said, in the most energetic voice she could muster. The facade had become second nature, being everything she could do to stop herself from crawling into a little ball and sobbing. She stared at her classmate with the dirty blonde hair and blue rimed glasses with a hollow look she hoped he didn't notice.
"I asked you if you liked your birthday gift." He held a photo of the two smiling at the beach. A fake blue rose was hot glued to the small frame. In the picture, she had a small yellow lollipop in her mouth.
It had been lemon flavored.
"I love it!" She really did. But Ib suddenly felt melancholy, almost like she was at a funeral.
The boy adjusted his glasses a little and looked a little red. "Great! I hoped you would, Ib."
They sat in a nervous silence.
"Um... Well, Ib. All of our classmates are joking around about us... "Adam and Ib and all..."
God. Really? She knew where this was going.
"... I was thinking maybe we could, well..."
She couldn't. She couldn't explain why, but she couldn't.
"I'm sorry, Adam... But I can't. Not now... Gomennasai, Adam-kun." Her facade was starting to crack now. Before she could break down any further, she turned around and left, wiping her eyes with her sleeve as she walked.
Both felt a small bit of themselves break as they glimpsed each other's tears.
