Let the Rain Fall
pass the broccollini
Author's Note: Two chapters in one day! Review, please.
Chapter Four:
Well, it turned out he had been eating some pretty bad granola. The school had given him a day off on account of food poisoning, but it made him even more nauseated to think of all the work he'd have to do when he got back. After puking out his innards for what seemed like an eternity the night before, he was able to get some rest. It was 1:07 pm.
His "parents" had wished him well and given him some medication to ease his upset stomach. They both had to go to work that day, even his "mother". She was out working with a charity she had recently become involved with. They were selling baked goods to raise money. So he was alone. Finally, time to catch up on the historical novel he had been reading.
In the middle of the Revolutionary War between America and England, he received a phone call. A brief glance over the caller id screen told him it was his smile. His Miyazawa.
"Arima?"
"Uh...hello?"
The sound of her voice was crackly due to poor reception. Sitting up in his bed, he pressed the phone harder against his ear, as if that would make her words more clear.
"Arima! How are you? I heard from Asaba that you were sick! Are you ok?"
"...what, oh...yeah. I'm fine. Just a little queasy, that's all. How are you doing?"
"Are you sure? Do you need any medicine or anything, because I live next to this pharmacy where there's—"
"I'm fine, really. Besides, my parents are doctors. I'm as medicated as I could possibly be. Anyway, how's school going? Am I missing anything important?"
"Not really. But I could bring over my notes after school, if you like."
"Yeah, that'd be great."
The line suddenly went silent. Arima pulled the phone away from his ear and checked the screen to see if he had accidentally pressed the "Disconnect" button. He hadn't. A few minutes later, her voice sounded from the opposite line again.
"Hello? Arima?"
"...Yeah, I'm still here. What happened?"
"Oh, nothing. It's actually lunch right now, and I'm not supposed to be using the phone."
A small smile crossed his face. He could practically imagine her ducking under the table to sneak this call. See, she did love him.
"Oh, ok. Well, I'll see you after school."
"Bye!"
Click. He leaned back on the comfortable down pillows he had propped up against the headboard. They were cool and crisp. He continued reading his novel, though now somewhat distracted in anticipation of the arrival of Miss Miyazawa, and ate a small bowl of rice. Luckily, he was able to keep it down. In fact, he had started feeling better and had watched reality TV for the remainder of the afternoon. A few hours passed, and he heard the knock at the door.
"Coming!"
He pressed the red button labeled "POWER" on the remote control, and the black screen of the TV immediately went blank. Within moments, he had walked to the door and opened it.
"Arima! Are you ok? We brought work. And snacks!"
"We?"
Asapin popped out from behind the bushes. Apparently he had lost an earring.
"Arima! How are you feeling? A thousand paper cranes."
The blonde handed the bucket filled with a thousand origami cranes to Arima. A small smile crossed Arima's face. He still had the 1,000 cranes that he had received when he had left for Kendo Training over the summer. After inviting them in, they shared notes and study tips for about an hour while Asaba watched a show on TV titled "Women—A Journey".
"Oh! I forgot to call Mr. Ugarashi to tell him I can't make kendo practice. I'll be right back."
"Ok."
Miyazawa returned to her studies, humming a catchy commercial jingle, as Arima left for the phone. After making his call, he headed back for the living room where his friends were. However, upon hearing them converse, he paused and eavesdropped from behind the opposite wall.
"He seems ok."
"Yeah, I was pretty worried about him. Maho was making it out that he had some sort of deadly illness. She said something about him needing a new kidney."
They chuckled together for a moment before resuming the conversation. Arima had his ear pressed against the beige wall.
"Why do you even watch that show?"
"...huh, this? I dunno...it's better than studying. And the women are pretty good-looking."
More chuckling. Ha ha ha. Asaba the Womanizer.
"You know, you're pretty good-looking too."
Freeze. What was this pretty boy saying to his Miyazawa. Sure, she was good-looking. But only he was allowed to say so.
"Why...thank you."
"Does Arima ever tell you that?"
Of course, idiot. It's only the most obvious thing in the world that he cared about this girl. Every moment of his day was filled with thoughts of her. He met her at every opportunity after classes and school. He had even caught his "parents" glancing through a wedding catalog.
"...um, n-not really. I mean, he loves me. That's all that matters"
That's right. Say it again. Say you love him. He's everything to you. Your first love. Your only love.
"Hm. Well, a man should pay more attention to his beloved.
...I would."
Arima stepped towards the two, revealing his place behind the wall. They were sitting next to each other, and his arm was casually slung over her shoulder. Asaba was holding his Miyazawa.
Asaba was holding his Miyazawa.
Asaba was holding his Miyazawa.
Asaba was holding his Miyazawa.
Arima couldn't keep the rice down anymore.
He puked.