Her tears were cold by the time she came to us. I had been in Lily's room at the time, quietly listening to her rant about Neru's sudden obsession with Oliver. The door had slammed open, and a silence as thick as midnight fog swept over the room where there had been a buzzing conversation only moments before. Lily had put her hands on her hips, her heels muted by the thick sunshine-colored carpet. Finally getting close enough to Gumi to see her tear-stained face, Lily's watery eyes widened, and she embraced the sniffling girl. They stood like that long enough that I felt uncomfortable standing off to the sidelines and sat Gumi down on Lily's bed, quietly assessing the damage.
"Oh, Gumi... What happened?" She shook her head weakly, wiping her cheeks. Lily offered her one of her own designer tissues, a sunshine yellow, matching her blonde hair. Gumi took it, the traces of a grateful smile lingering on her lips. The girl sighed shakily, twirling a stray hair around her polished finger. We waited for what seemed like hours, and finally, she spoke. Lily's eyes narrowed, eager for revenge. Tears burned in my eyes, silently sympathizing, but I kept them under control for Gumi's sake.
"I'm sorry you have to s-see me like this." She took a deep breath and continued, not giving us enough time to comfort her. "It's just Miku, you know how she is. It's not important." Lily didn't buy any of it.
"Don't lie, Gumi. It's more than you're letting on, we both know it is. You never let anyone see you cry." Gumi looked the blonde straight in the eye, her own hard. Lily didn't blink. I fidgeted.
"No, it isn't, Lily. I'm human too. I just came here because I didn't know where else to go. Now I realize that it was a mistake." She stood up to go, smoothing her skirt and polishing her goggles casually. Lily grabbed her arm.
Gumi straightened, and her head turned away from Lily's pleading face. It broke Lily's heart, I knew, to be labeled an unworthy friend. It was one of her most well-known traits. Lily was a fierce friend that would stand up for everyone. Friends like her were few and far between, and I knew Gumi was lucky to have her as one of her closest. "I'm sorry, Lily. I shouldn't have said that." Lily waved it off, but tears were visible in her aqua eyes.
"Whatever, it's okay. Just tell me what happened." Gumi nodded, her eyes evading Lily's watery ones. And so Gumi began to speak.
She poured her heart out to us that day. We laughed, we cheered, and we cried bitterly throughout her heart-wrenching tale. We all knew this was difficult for proud Gumi - to show her weaknesses like this required true bravery and unwavering trust. I had never known that someone could go through so much and still keep it bottled up inside. Lily asked her friend if she had a diary, and said it would help. Gumi shook her head, alarmed, replying that someone could get ahold of it, and no one would see her as the same fearless Gumi again. We vowed to each other that we would tell no one of Gumi's private life and secrets, and we would keep that promise no matter what happened. Then Lily told her own secrets to us, about how she had always had feelings for Kaito but was too shy to let them shine.
"Shy? Lily, you're like, the freakin' opposite! Ask him out!" Gumi encouraged. I watched on, and then asked a question. I tapped Gumi on the shoulder.
"Doesn't the boy ask the girl out, Gumi?" A moment of silence hung in the air.
I expected Lily and Gumi to agree with me.
I expected them to correct themselves.
I expected Kaito to ask Lily out, not the other way around.
I expected everything but... this.
Lily snorted. Gumi chuckled.
And then it was a full-fledged laugh-a-fest, with me humiliated beyond belief and Lily and Gumi enjoying my confusion to the fullest extent and further. Tears streamed down their rosy faces as I stood, still clueless. I didn't think it could be so amusing to ask that little question, but it appeared it was. After the girls had finally controlled themselves enough to actually speak a few words before bursting into helpless laughter, they explained the situation to me. Our conversation was seared into my mind.
"Omigosh, Miki! That's ridiculous!" Lily laughed again, clutching her stomach.
"You're hilarious, Miki, honestly!" Gumi shook her head at me, giving my hair a fond ruffle and wiping the tears of full-out laughter from her eyes.
"No, really. Doesn't the boy ask the girl out?" I eyed the girls, assessing their reaction. I cocked my head to the side, thinking. This time, I repeated myself, more firmly. "Doesn't he?" I insisted.
"Welcome to the 21st century, girl!" Gumi and Lily smacked a high five. I waited, genuinely confused.
"Sweetie, we're not in prehistoric times!" The two giggled as if sharing a private joke. And, I thought, they kind of were.
"Listen. Alright, we can ask guys out now. It's not, like, a sacred rule or anything. Yeah?" I nodded, unsure, but hoping that I would understand in time. Besides a few snickers afterwards, the subject was dropped and we moved on. We talked about different things, like how annoying Kaito was, and other girl things.
And, in that moment, I knew that Gumi and Lily were on my side, and that I could truly depend on them for whatever I needed. Maybe even boy problems. I bit my lip, but decided to keep quiet for now. I couldn't trust them just yet.
Not yet, but soon...