After Naruto left last night, I started working on the flyers for the upcoming field trip, the students must choose between another camping trip for two days and one night, or two days and one night in Kyoto. Honestly, they give them the same option last year and the only reason we went camping was to serve as a punishment. Either ways, the fliers took an extra hour of my sleep schedule, and now Naruto is outside my bathroom door, waiting for me…it's so strange. Maybe it's the lack of sleep, or the simple presence of another person outside my door that makes me shiver in the steaming water.
I finished tying my shoelaces and called out, "let's go", before realizing what an odd phrase I had just said. Having someone wait for me to finish showering, and then leaving together to school…it's a warm memory I haven't experienced in a while.
I hate it.
Five minutes into walking towards school, I deliberately stayed back, and bit by bit created enough distance between us, erasing any traces of relation between us. It reached about ten feet when Naruto stopped abruptly.
"Hand." He raised his hand, and dramatically twisted his head back to me. I twitched at his stupidity. "I said, Hand." I sighed.
"Are you an idiot, my hands are full." Is he messing with me, or is it the blonde hair? "I've been carrying these fliers since we left, then again you probably never noticed since you left earlier" as if I stepped on a mine, he suddenly stomped like a child and roughly took my shoulder in his hand.
"You're too slow, at this rate we'll be too late" I accommodated my steps to keep up with his pace, and couldn't help but see the weird stares we received from people, a few pointed fingers and laughed while some called out
He practically dragged me all the way to the school's front gate, with peoples' stare already burning holes through me. I know I'm not supposed to be next to Naruto, and our relationship wouldn't make any type of sense. Regardless, he allows me to walk on my own to class, and even helps me take the fliers to the student council office, I retaliated at first, but caved when a teacher called me out in the hallway.
By the time I finally had time to think, I received a text, 'Bring ramen noodles to roof top. The usual ones.' My stomach growled, I only have enough lunch money for one meal, and this ass is taking a huge bite out of it. In the end I settled for vending machine snacks, and a bottled water, it was all I had enough money for when I finished getting the fresh ramen noodles from the cafeteria. I usually buy a small meal on the way to school, but lately the student council has taken a chunk of my wallet as well…
I reached the last steps of the roof top, It gives off a melancholy type of feeling, I rarely visit this rooftop, but at my old school, it felt like all my break was spent up here, similar to now…back then I was also dragged to the school roof…and here I am following the same steps from my past. Even if I move away…the problem remains with me, huh?
This time however, it was me who pushed that roof top open, my own pandora's box. I walk towards the sleeping figure laying on the ground. I quickly place the food on the floor and make my way back, however as if straight out from a zombie movie, an incredibly cold hand seizes my ankle, dragging me down towards the cold cement floor. Or so I thought.
A warm corpse serves as my cushion.
"Fuck, get off." He coughs and slightly pushes me back.
"I'm sorry!" I apologize automatically, "-but you were the one that pulled my leg first."
I tumble back, and realize the lunch boxes next to him, as does my stomach. I squint at him in question, cursing him in my head.
"Why did you ask me to bring ramen noodles, when you already have this much food." He waves his hand in the wind, like a mad man.
"I can't eat all of this, it's too much for one person, obviously." My head develops a migraine from this single conversation.
"Forget it, I'm leaving." I said those words, yet his eyes chained my body to the ground. What annoying piercing eyes. "Fine, I'll stay, so stop it with the face." I begin to open my snacks out of pure frustration.
"Share those." He snatches the chips I had once held dearly in my arms. I can feel my insides boiling once more.
"Bastard aren't those two enough for you! This is all I have for my lunch." I swing my fist and aim right at his stupid gaze. Right in between his beautiful sapphire eyes.
"These are for you too." I stop my vicious fist, and tilt my head, confused, and thankful. "I made some at home before heading over to your house. You skipped breakfast, right? I had enough to make another lunch box. You can have it, since I have the noodles too. It's too much for me." He points with his chopsticks to the lonely lunch box behind him. I take the lunchbox with me, and cave into the sudden urge to pat his head.
"Thank you, but I'll be eating this somewhere else. I don't really like rooftops." I take three steps before I freeze once again at his words.
"Because of Yamanaka High School?" my stomach immediately sinks, as if swallowed completely by a black hole. The hunger I felt earlier churns into a sick feeling of dread. "I'll be honest with you. I didn't ask you to come here just for the food. I came to affirm everything today." I can't. I don't understand a single word he's saying. All the memories are flooding me, I can't breathe. "Hinata, you attended Yamanaka High School, where you were beat almost every day. Both your parents brought nothing but sorrow to you, I don't understand how you stand having their pictures in your house."
"Stop, stop it…stop" I manage to wheeze out a few words through the horrid chest pain, why won't he just stop!?
"Your father was fired from his job, and your mother followed soon after. I even heard there was a rumor at her work. Did you know your mother screwed someone besides your father? Maybe that's why he suddenly became so shitty at his job." He laughed into his palm. "I can understand a bit since my father was also fired, due to your mother's incompetence. Honestly, why couldn't your family keep their business within themselves, even going as far as dragging my family into your mess. I'll let you know something though. I know what it's like to live far from the warmth of a real family, however there's a big difference between us two. While I left my family, you were simply abandoned."
Naruto raises from the ground, makes his way towards me as I stand glued to the cement. "This is enough proof right? That I know your dark little secret of a past. As it was once said, the past doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes. And I am quite the poet." Flashes of the body Naruto pulverized the first day he approached me flash in my head, and suddenly I'm the one laying on the ground, soaked in blood and surrounded by the same group of girls from back then. My body trembles and my knees fail to hold me, I fall to the ground, my hands clutching the stinging pain in my chest. A feeling I thought I had forgotten. Naruto kneels in front of me, takes a hold of my trembling chin, and tilts my head to meet his eyes. His behavior opposes his previous words. A thumb crosses over my cheek; I failed to realize how wet they've gotten from the tears.
"Don't touch…don't touch me…" I whisper through soft cries. His face came closer to mine, and I felt a soft tap on my forehead. As if a switch turned, I took the box full of food, and slammed it against his face. While he was caught off guard, I made a run for it, quickly making my way towards the first girls' bathroom I saw. The happiest I was that day was finding that empty bathroom, that empty stall, and same seat I took a year ago. My past has caught up.
