The message alert Yukie was anticipating finally came. She was at practice, running drills with her team when her sock vibrated – she hid it there in case of emergencies. No one usually bothered her during practice; most of her friends were on the team, so when her cell phone went off she knew it had to be him.
Calling a bathroom break, the impatient teen ambled off the court and returned to the locker room. She figured it would buy her some time before someone came looking for her; she could make up an excuse that wouldn't embarrass her quite as much. Leaning against her locker, Yukie retrieved her phone and flicked up the screen, reading the short reply she got back.
You rang, she snorted in annoyance. Frankly, she thought he'd ignore her; like the hundreds of times after the incident – which got him suspended – she tried to contact him.
Yukie began to type a reply, attempting to keep her anger out of the message. She simply asked him again if he'd mind meeting up with her after practice, but his next response got her blood rushing in embarrassment.
[Are you wearing those cute bloomers the old pervert coach enforces all the girls wear?]
A second message quickly lit up her screen.
[Can I see? 😉]
She rolled her eyes. Karma liked to tease her too much. Except it was her fault he brought this up, so if there was anyone to blame for her humiliation, it was herself. She always whined about the old man to Karma; about his flirty attitude towards the girls. The red head even had her believing that Mr. Tanaka knew all the volleyball team's chest measurements. It was a lie, of course – a game Karma and she used to play. She, however, was not in the mood to play with him today.
"I need to clear some things up with you; face to face if possible. Meet with me beneath the Graffiti Bridge in a hour," Yukie read out loud as she typed it.
She wanted to wait and see what he'd say, but she honestly needed to get back to the gym – she didn't want Mr. Tanaka to come in looking for her.
Practice let out a few minutes late because of Yukie. She couldn't focus, not with Karma on her mind. Something was shady; he was acting like nothing had happened between them and she wanted to know why. It honestly worried her. She was certain that he was going to use those pictures he took of her as leverage for something, she just didn't know what.
Walking hastily across the empty parking lot, Yukie located her bicycle on the rack and quickly retrieved her key to unlock it. She nearly forgot about her friends, who followed her from building, until one of them called out her name, bringing her back to reality.
"Where are you going in such a hurry? Thought we were going to the parlor for ice cream, or did you forget?"
Ayame – a cheerful teen with short, purple hair – puckered her brow, laughing at the stunned look on her friend's face. She truly thought that Yukie had lost her mind. There was a story to tell and Ayame wanted to hear it.
"No," Yukie stuttered. "I … just need to get home. Got to cram for the math test." She wasn't entirely lying.
"Please. You're going to crush it," Ayame chirped.
Undoubtedly she would, but without peace of mind, this whole Karma business would drive her insane with worry. Yukie led her bike out of the rack after reattaching the combination lock onto her school bag, then glanced briefly to her friends. She intended to apologize for canceling on them, but Sayuri interrupted her.
The orange haired teen gasped in excitement and pointed at something or someone across the lot from them. "Is that Asano?"
Of course it was Asano. His short, strawberry blonde hair was easily recognizable. Yukie watched him stroll across the yard, heat spreading across her face. When he glanced over at them, she thought she might die of embarrassment, having been caught staring.
Sayuri on the other hand was over the moon. She waved at him, wanting so bad for him to notice her. "We should invite him to tag along. Do you think he'd say yes?"
"I doubt he would," Ayame said honestly. "Not if Yukie isn't going."
The warmth intensified, tearing up Yukie's eyes. She hated how Asano made her feel. It was just a meaningless crush, but her body reacted in ways that made her think it was more.
"Why do you say that?"
"Oh don't play dumb," Ayame snorted. "You know Asano had everything to do with the fact the you're in A Class this year. There's no denying that he likes you."
It was true what she said; he somehow talked his father – chairman of the school board – into transferring her at the beginning of her third year, but Yukie was certain that it wasn't because he liked her. It was because Asano was all about statistics and rank – the highest held all the power in this school.
Yukie was in no way smarter than the handsome student council president, but she worked hard and scored in the top 10, then managed to keep it. This granted her a moment with Asano in which he offered her a proposal; score high in each of the five core subjects and he'd give her a place in the Big Five. They were the most prided students at Kunugigaoka Junior High and Yukie was rumored to be in running.
At the time, she refused him an answer. The next exam was a couple months away, and Yukie had no intention of giving him what he wanted until she was sure. Huffing a tired sigh, Yukie chose not to address her friend's earlier comment. Ayame was a cocksure; she thought she was always right so there was no point in arguing with her. Sayuri, however, seemed to be on her side.
"Let's not bring this up again. Obviously she doesn't want to talk about it … but we should consider still asking Asano to go with us."
Yukie admired her determination. Her friend really had it bad. "Go for it, Sayuri."
"I'm not going to let him say no this time," she chirped, gripping her hand into a tight fist.
Ayami rolled her eyes and took the lovestruck teen by the shoulders, leading her in the direction that Asano went. As she did, she glanced back over her shoulder and mouthed a profanity at Yukie.
All she did in return was stick out her tongue. She then hoped on her bike and peddled quickly out of the parking lot. The Graffiti Bridge where she asked Karma to meet her was less than a mile from the school. It took her no time at all to get there.
Yukie left her bike near the road and slowly hiked down the grassy slope towards the canal. Several fisherman were out, sitting along the shore, but she paid them no mind as she made for the area beneath the bridge.
The crossing itself got its name from the graffiti on the walls. It was mostly a haven for delinquents, but couples sometimes met beneath it too.
Yukie knew that this was an extremely risky place to meet, but if hanging out with Karma taught her anything, it was that bullies had a pattern they consistently followed – he called this open season – and it wasn't quite time for them to leave the arcades yet. She generally chose this spot because the bridge was closer to her apartment and she had no plans to stay longer than necessary; clear the air then be off.
Stopping at the aperture, she was honestly surprised to see that Karma had arrived before her. He was dressed in his street attire, which told Yukie that he'd skipped school. She rolled her eyes teasingly and stepped up onto the concrete riser, slowly approaching him. He was turned, writing something on the wall in permanent marker.
"What are you doing?"
Yukie peaked over his shoulder and snorted in laughter. It was a cartoon drawing of Nagisa with a word bubble over his head that read: call for good time. His house number was included with it.
"I don't think Nagisa will appreciate you setting him up with desperate, amorous high schoolers," she stated.
Karma smiled. "Once it's on the wall, it's out of my hands."
She pursed her lips in thought. Her mind often reflected on things irrelevant to the topic when set off. The statement Karma made got her reflecting over the poor souls whose futures were only writing on the walls. Most of them – usually the couples – who signed their names, undoubtedly came to regret it. She assumed so, because every time she came to the bridge, someone's name was marked through; as if fate had an influence.
Yukie never understood the gravity of it, because at the time, Karma and she poked fun at the thought of couples buying into the whole forever and always quote. However, something was fascinating about how one single concept could hold so much beauty to it. She wondered if instead of mocking the idea, she should have embraced it. Maybe then she wouldn't have had a falling out with Karma, then this reunion wouldn't have to feel so forced and awkward.
Huffing a deep sigh to compose herself, she gave Karma a relieved expression, wondering if he too felt anxious. "I can't believe you came here."
"Didn't you text me, demanding me too?"
Yukie rolled her eyes. "You make it sound like I bullied you into it. That's why I hate sending messages; it sometimes deludes the reader."
"Or maybe you just like intimidating me," Karma mentioned. He puckered his bottom lip and tossed up his hands in defense. "Please don't hurt me too bad, miss. I did everything you asked."
"You're the devil, I swear. Take this seriously," Yukie retorted.
Karma smiled and leaned back against the wall. Sometimes she made him laugh; her attitude towards him flipped like a switch. Hot or cold? He enjoyed the change. "I get it; all business and no pleasure. Well then … lets hear it. You wanted to clear the air, right?"
"You really frightened me yesterday, you know? I haven't seen or heard from you since your suspension, then out of nowhere, you show up and threaten me. I just … want to know what you plan to do." Yukie reached out and grabbed his arm, clenching the fabric of his long sleeved shirt into her fist. "You want to get back at me, don't you? Because I wasn't there for you like I should have been. Is that what the pictures are for?"
The satisfied teen broadened his smile. "Are you serious? That's extremely petty, even for me. I only said that to get you riled up. Has being in A Class warped your sense of humor?"
A weight dropped from her shoulders. She realized how crazy she looked, but Yukie honestly didn't want to be cast out by her peers when she was so close to gaining the credit she deserved. Having skill was not enough when no one gave you the chance to shine. She felt this way in D Class, until she had enough and pushed herself to do better. So many sacrifices had to be made – countless sacrifices that she regretted – but she knew in the long run that she'd be happy. Or at least she thought she'd be.
Yukie missed Karma; she really wanted to have her cake and eat it too, but she knew that she couldn't. He was a memory and she needed to leave her shadow life behind if she wanted to be someone. But something was holding her back; something she couldn't yet see. Staring at the clear, slow moving water in the canal, Yukie hoped that it might give her an answer, but instead, it set off a memory. She nearly lost her composure.
"I just remembered something. You fell off this riser before and into the canal, maiming yourself."
Karma chuckled. "Some delinquents broke a bottle and I found it. The glass went right through my palm – hurt like hell. But you know … I remember you pushing me."
"That's why I felt bad and took you to the hospital on my bike," she remarked with another eye roll. "There was blood all over my school uniform, so you paid me back."
"It was funny seeing you cry like a baby when the doctor gave me stitches," he claimed.
Yukie puffed out her cheeks in embarrassment. "Don't tease me for caring. I honestly didn't want to see you hurt."
He snorted out a laugh, then glanced at her. She was very much the same girl he once knew, but also poles apart from the caring, tomboy he'd been friends with in the first two years of junior high. What had happened to her? "You're definitely not a baby anymore, but you've lost your self-reliance."
She felt like she had been struck in the gut. Something about his words turned her to rubble. Yukie couldn't bear the person she had become; a selfish girl hell bent on power. She blinked away the sudden tears and tried to make herself admit that she missed being with Karma – with Nagisa – without consequence, but she couldn't. This was her cue to leave.
"I should get home." Turning, she said her partings and waved over her shoulder. It honestly felt like goodbye forever.
Karma smiled. "Don't sound so upset. You'll see me again."
Repressing a sob, Yukie pursed her lips and walked away. Silent tears poured down her sullen face. Why had life dealt her such a terrible hand?