Sakura and I were in our homeroom deciding what we should do that weekend; I was lucky enough to have it off. "How about a movie? We haven't done that in a while," I suggested while taking a bite of my sandwich. She started to nod but then stopped herself. "Sure, only…" "What?" "Don't you have to start working on college admission forms? They'll be due soon."
I gulped, resting my chopsticks on my bottom lip for a second. That's true, I forgot all my friends are still in the process of applying for universities….. universities in Japan. "Erm, well, I…. I have been…. uh… um….." I was so gracious when the unexpected ringing of my phone cut me off. I checked the screen to see an unknown number. "Excuse me," I politely removed myself from the classroom to go out into the hall. Finally with some privacy, I clicked the answer button.
"Hello?" "Hello. Is this Miss Misaki Ayuzawa?" "This is she," my voice audibly lowered as I was flooded with a wave of negative emotions. I'd received several unidentified calls in my day- it was never good news. "I'm calling in reference to Mr. Ryota Ayuzawa. This was the emergency contact number he gave us." My heart dropped as I silently continued to listen. Oh no… Not again; not this again. Those were the only thoughts whirling around in my head as the man carried on.
"It appears Mr. Ayuzawa missed his meeting with his probation officer." "W-what? N-no, no; I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. My grandfather's been sober now for two years; he would never deliberately miss an appointment like that," I couldn't control how shaky my voice was. "I understand your concern, Miss Ayuzawa. Nevertheless, he did miss his court-mandated meeting with his officer. As such, we'll have to do an inquest." "I… I understand…" I was getting choked up and fast. No… No, this isn't happening; Grandpa doesn't drink anymore, this can't be happening. "Can you tell Mr. Ayuzawa to give us a call as soon as possible?" I think the poor cop had sympathy for me. I nodded, not realizing that he couldn't see me do so. When he didn't reply, I figured he was waiting for a verbal response. "Y-yes, I will." "Thank you, Miss Ayuzawa. Sorry to call you during school hours." "I-It's ok." Click!
I heaved, clutching my phone in my hand. My mouth was open, I was breathing that hard. God, Grandpa- why? Just why? You were doing so well. This is the worst time in the world for you to mixed up with the courts again. I mean I just got accepted into the University of Amsterdam; you were going to move halfway across the world with me. Why now, of all times? Why now?
A hiccup erupted from my throat as I couldn't hold it together anymore. I collapsed to my knees, landing on the floor with my arms dangling down at my sides like noodles. My eyes stared out into space as my mouth hung open. A tear dripped down my cheek, followed by another, and another. I felt like I hadn't felt in two full years- this agonizing weight on my shoulders. What could I do? I couldn't leave Grandpa; both my parents were dead, and he was the one who raised me. He was my guardian. But damn, this was so hard. So unbearably hard.
It was around this time that I realized I wasn't alone in the hallway anymore. I blinked absent-mindedly to my left side to see none other than him just a few feet away. His hands were buried in his pockets and he looked decidedly not happy. I guess I don't blame him; a crying woman kneeling on the floor in her high school hallway- that would alarm anyone.
I don't know how much he heard, if anything or everything. And at the moment, I didn't care; I had much, much bigger worries on my mind. Instead, I elected to simply stare at him, not bothering to stop the tears from flowing; I learned a long time ago that trying to make myself stop crying would only make me cry more. After a few seconds of observing this, he took a few steps towards me. Without saying a word, he knelt down right beside where I was and looked me straight in the eye. My own stare grew as his hand reached up to brush a tear off my cheek. Then he said something to me I'll never forget- I'll never forget because it's the first words we ever said to each other.
"You're strong….. I can't believe how strong you are," his voice was gentle, deep, and husky all at once. I liked it; from those first few words he spoke, I already liked the sound of his voice. But what he said perplexed me. Here I was, bawling on the floor like a child, and he called me "strong". I didn't think I looked strong to anyone right now. He retracked his hand and waited a moment before continuing. "I knew you were strong before, but I had no idea…." No idea of what? I blinked at him confused. His eyes sharpened onto mine with intensity…. intensity and sincerity. "But don't try and push yourself too hard. Just watching you… makes me worry."
