A/N: Im sorry these chapters are kind of short. I just have a lot going on: NJHS, High School Algebra, etc. I have the role as Public Relations Offical in NJHS too so that's kind of busy as it's a role I had to run for to get.
Anyways, as far as the actually story writing time goes, I only get the morning I'm on the bus and late at night to write basically. Plus I have to check over everything. You would say "Just get a Beta!" but, to be honest, I finish my chapters on the day they're due xD. My schedule is too crazy for a Beta.
Anyways, please enjoy the chapter!
Len wasn't with Rin that Monday.
She had seen him in class of course: he sat right in front of her. But throughout all of the day he never spoke once to her.
It was beginning to make Rin worried for him. What if he got depressed? What if something happened to his family?
What if he found out the debt problem?
An anxious feeling began to rise inside Rin as she realized he wasn't at his shoe locker either. Did he just hate her now? Anxiety began to take over her brain. He was probably fine, she was probably overreacting, but nothing rational come through to her fully. She couldn't help but think the worst had happened, no matter how absurd it was to think like that when all the problem really was was just Len not talking to her.
"Ugh, Rin, stop doing that," She muttered to herself as she dropped her shoes. She quickly slipped them on and put her indoor shoes in her locker, closing it and making her way to her house.
She turned the corner from the gate of the school, expecting to see no one, but to her surprise someone was in front of her. A girl with a long blonde side ponytail. She recognized her.
Neru-san.
Did Neru-san have a club? It was pretty late to be walking home at this time...
Why didn't she wait for Gumi-san?
The more Rin thought about it, the more confused she got. What kind of sister left family behind at school? She decided to see what Neru-san did, as long as she stayed on the same path as her. She trailed behind to make sure the other blonde wouldn't get suspicious.
Neru-san suddenly stopped at the train station, looking into the crowd. Rin waited a distance away, watching Neru-san plunge into the crowd and come back out a second later holding someone's hand. Another blond. A boy.
Len.
"You're not talking to that other girl now, are you, my precious Len-kun?" Neru-san asked in an innocent voice, holding both of his hands and putting her face up to his. She was purposely trying to be endearing, Rin realized. "Good. She doesn't love you like I do."
Len pulled his hands away from hers, but she kept an iron grip on them. "I-I..." He started, trailing off when Neru-san touched a finger to his face, making his face flush.
"Hush, now. It's different with me. You may not realize it yet, but I'm the only one who will truly ever love you. Nobody else stands a chance against my torrent of undying affection for you." Neru-san suddenly looked up and grimaced. "Stupid Nero," She muttered, letting go of Len. She looked at him with warmth in her eyes. "Hopefully you'll realize soon..." Her voice hung in the air as she walked away, leaving Len visibly shaking.
Rin wanted to walk up to him and comfort him, to make sure he was okay, but she knew it wouldn't be accepted. Len had been ignoring her: why would he open up to her now? She sighed. It seemed like Neru-san was forcing him to do this, but...
Why was he still not talking to her?
She forced her feet to move and to get on the train before it left. She went to a different spot than her and Len-san's spot in hope he wouldn't see her if he got on the train.
0o0o0o0
Rin: Is Neru-san in a club?
Rin pressed enter on the text to Gumi-san as she sat on her futon, staring up to the ceiling. She wouldn't let anyone else get involved in this 'Len not talking to Rin' mess, but at least Rin thought it would be okay to get a little bit of information about Neru-san. Hopefully it would help her and not confuse her more. She had enough of that for today.
Her phone buzzed a second later:
Gumi-san: Yes, she does. She's in the Drama club. Why?
Rin: I saw her while I was walking home. Curious.
So that explained that. Neru-san was in a club so she always stayed late for it. But there was still the mystery of why Len wasn't talking to her.
She got up off her futon, grabbing a piece of blank paper and a pen and sitting down at the small kitchen table. She wrote Len's name, her own name, and Neru-san's name in a triangle. Maybe Neru-san was forcing Len not to talk to Rin. Maybe Len just didn't like Rin anymore. Maybe Rin was unknowingly being rude to Len so now he was ignoring her.
Rin only got more confused from this ordeal. She gave up and held up the paper in front of her, scrawled with connections from one name to another. She would have to wait to see how this played out, she realized.
She sighed. Her life was becoming darker again.
