Kono pushes Chin away

Chapter thirty seven

Kono lay on her bed thinking. She had a terrible day at school and then when she popped into the nearby café for coffee she had heard a group of Chin's friends whispering about his attachment to Kono. She didn't think Chin cared that she was younger, they were like brother and sister they had always spent time together but after hearing what his friends thought she started to doubt their relationship. Kono was certain Chin would never have said anything about her but she did understand he was older than her. He was in his last year of secondary school while she was in her first. She understood that he was older; he had his own friends and interests. She sighed and decided it was probably time to start giving Chin his space.

Chin waited at the school gates for her checking his watch as every other kid seemed to leave but her. What he didn't notice was Kono hovering by the window of her class waiting to see if Chin would give up and go home. He would often walk home with her and turn down going surfing with his mate in favour of her. She was starting to feel guilty and thought pushing Chin away would be better for him. Half an hour passed and Chin still stood waiting, she checked her phone and saw he had called her twice and left one text. She sighed and hurried downstairs to meet him.

"Cuz why are you so late?" Chin asked as he went to hug her but she moved away and began walking.

"Oh I erm…"

She was going to say she got detention but knew Chin would then start interrogating her and maybe even tell her mum. He was super intent on Kono doing well at school.

"Cuz?"

"Oh I had to go to the bathroom" Kono replied with a false smile.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah why wouldn't I be?"

"Are you unwell?"

"No Chin why would you say that?"

"You said you had to use the bathroom…it took you half an hour?" Chin questioned knowing there was hardly ever ques for the bathrooms after school.

Kono blushed as she realised her cousin now thought she had an upset stomach or something equally embarrassing…

"There was a que"

Chin frowned knowing something was up. There was definitely no ques when he had walked passed.

"Cuz I passed the bathroom's there was no que…are you sure everything's okay?"

Kono hated Chin's detective instincts sometimes and racked her brains for something to say to get him off her back.

"I erm…went to the bathroom but I erm I got my period and had to go get a tampon" Kono explained with a blush even though it was all rubbish.

"Oh okay" Chin chocked as a blush rose in his own cheeks.

When the cousins arrived at Kono's she quickly said goodbye and headed towards the door.

"Don't you want to surf?" Chin asked confused by her behaviour.

"I have homework" Kono replied before going in doors.

Kono's odd behaviour lasted for nearly two weeks. She eventually told Chin to stop waiting for her after school and she always made an excuse for why she was busy at weekends. Chin was dumfounded as to her behaviour but concluded that she was just growing up and no longer wanted to hang out with him. He did understand, she was a pre-teenage girl with a strong mind. He always knew the day would come when it was no longer cool to hang out with him but he always assumed they would still spend time together at weekends.

It was Kono's surfing competition and she was chilling at the beach waiting to compete and hanging out with some of the other surfers. Her parents and other family members had arrived to support her and normally Chin would be there too but she had text him telling him not to come. She wanted him to hang out with his friends and not feel tied down to watching her. He had replied saying he would love to watch her but she insisted he did her own thing. Chin had of course told his parents this when they questioned why he wouldn't attend and he explained that Kono didn't want him there. Mele and Nani sat on the sand waiting for Kono's heat and discussing their children.

"She asked him not to come" Mele began as Nani looked confused.

"What?"

"Kono text Chin last night and told him to go out with his friends and not come today"

"Oh…they've hardly seen each other lately"

"Do you think they had a fight?"

"I don't know but it would very unlike them…I know Kono's growing up and can be super feisty but she would never normally argue with Chin and he would always be the voice of reason" Nani sighed.

"Maybe it's just hormones"

"I'll talk to her" Nani smiled as they stood to cheer Kono on.

Nani ruffled Kono's hair as they arrived home. Kono grinned but moved away like most young girls her age. She ran to her bathroom to shower and change before finding her mum outside in the hammock.

"Hey keikei you want to join me?" Nani asked.

Kono grinned and jumped into the hammock with her mum. She loved her mum to pieces and they were really close.

"Well done for today ipo"

"Thanks mum"

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Yes! I love surfing so much!"

"You're so good baby; you're going to be my little surfing star"

"Mum" Kono droned as she snuggled closer.

"I wanted to have a little chat with you" Nani whispered.

"Oh?"

"I was speaking to auntie Mele; she said you asked Chin not to come today"

"Erm…he was busy"

"Was he?"

"I don't know but I didn't want him to think he had to come…he has his own friends and stuff"

"Keikei have you and Chin had an argument…you've hardly seen him lately"

"Were fine"

"Kono?"

"I heard his friends talking"

"What did they say baby?"

"They were talking about how much time Chin spends with me and how he chooses me over friends"

"But isn't that nice, you love spending time with him"

"I just thought maybe he feel like he has to be with me and I don't want his friends to say stuff about him…I know that he's older and has his own friends and stuff"

"So you thought pushing him away would solve things?"

"Maybe"

"Has it?"

"I don't know…he's probably having fun with all of his mates"

"Have you been having fun without Chin?"

"Not really but I can't expect him to hang out with me all the time"

"Keikei I'm pretty sure Chin loves spending time with you…auntie Mele said he sat at home today wandering what it is he's done to upset you. He didn't go out with his friends because he wanted to watch you surf"

"Oh"

"I think you should talk to him darling"

"Can I go see him now?"

"I'll drop you at his house now"

Kono walked into her auntie and uncles house. She greeted them both and Chin's sisters and thanked them for watching her surf that day. She then headed upstairs to find Chin. She knocked on his bedroom door before entering.

"Kono?"

"Hey"

"Hi…are you okay"

"I erm wanted to talk to you"

"I need to talk to you to…look I don't know what it is I've done cuz but I'm really sorry if I've upset you and…"

Kono didn't let Chin finish speaking before she ran into his arms and they fell onto the bed.

"It's my fault Chin"

"Talk to me ipo"

"I heard your friends talking about how you spend so much time with me and pick me over them…I thought maybe you felt obligated to be with me but that you would rather be with your friends so I thought if I pushed you away you would go off with your friends and that would make you happier. I didn't want your friends talking about you" Kono rambled as the two cousins lay on the bed.

"Oh cuz…"

"I missed you"

"I missed you Kono…trust me I love spending time with you and whatever friends you heard talking, trust me there not worth my time if they don't like me hanging out with you. It upset me when you stopped walking home with me and when you said I couldn't go to your competition today, I love our walks home and watching you surf. I'm with my friends all day at school and after school and when you have competitions is our time together. I see my friends plenty but I promise I will never stop wanting to hang out with you"

"Really?" Kono grinned

"Really cuz"

"Can we walk home from school together again?"

"Of course cuz"