"So...Kagome." Ayame said.

Ayame was her best friend. She was always there for her, and knew everything...well, almost everything about her. Kagome trusted her, and thought they'd be friends until the day they died, like a lot of people think, but they really believed it. But, it was her birthday. Kagome was about to burst with all the news, but kept it in. It wouldn't be any fun if she knew, would it? Kagome pushed the tickets into her wallet and pushed the phone to her ear a little more. It was hard to hear through her parent's yelling. "Yeah?"

"Are you going to come over and visit me? It i is /i my birthday, after all." She sounded a little excited.

"Mmm...of course I will! I always do, don't I?" She played with a long strand of black hair. She laughed to herself about her plan: Saying she would be there in a few hours, showing up immediately, seeing the look on her face when she showed Ayame the tickets. "But, I have to do some laundry. I'll be there in a few hours, okay?"

"Aww...why do you do this to me, Kagome! You get me all excited, and then you go and say it's going to be longer than you thought. What kind of friend are you?" She pretended to cry.

Kagome thought she heard a laugh, but ignored it. i Probably the connection... /i She thought. "The kind who doesn't buy you a birthday present."

"WHAT!"

She laughed. "That's right, Ayame. I didn't get you shit."

"Damn! Even shit would be okay with me!" Both girls laughed for a few seconds. When they were done, Ayame added, "So, how about this. I'll wait for a few hours, and you'll come by, right?"

"Yeah. Oh, but, hey. I've got to get off, okay? My mom's yelling at me."

"Your mom sounds weird. I'm glad I've never met her."

"Ha. Okay, goodbye." Kagome listened for the familiar click, and slid her phone into her bag. She looked down at all the green grass, and up at the clear blue sky. i It's a wonderful day... /i She lifted her legs up and back inside her room. When she was in and standing, she turned around and closed the window she was hanging out of. The bright sunlight left streams of gold from the glass to the blue-carpeted floor. She grabbed her bag and put it on her dresser, turning off the radio. She thought for a moment, and pulled her phone back out. She flopped on her bed, and searched for one name: Koga.

Koga was, well, her boyfriend. They had been dating for three years, and every year she feels like they're getting closer. She loves him, and he loves her. It's just a wonderful love story. There have been several occasions when she was about to tell him about her life at home, the Higurashi Mansion, as she has heard her mother call it. But, Ayame showed up in her mind, and she didn't say a word. i Maybe it's just better that way, /i She thought not too long ago.

She found the name, and pushed a button. She put the phone up to her ear, and listened to the rings. After a few, she frowned, and hung up. She flipped it shut, and got up to put it in her bag. i He's not been answering my calls a lot lately. /i She laid back down on her bed. She stared up at the ceiling. i I wonder what's going on... /i She was about to close her eyes when she remembered she had to go see Ayame. She jumped off her bed and grabbed her bag, leaving the room. She ran down the carpeted stairs to the main room, ignoring her parents yelling at her, and out the big, stained glass front door.

The neighborhood was big, and quiet. Every house was bigger than the last, and each was different. Every bright green yard was more taken care of, and the driveways were longer as you went down the long, seemingly endless road. Kagome walked around the house to where the garage was. Behind the house was a lake, big enough for boats to go crazy on. And, she saw when she was putting in the password to open the garage, they already were. It was April, and that was enough to start the summer activities. She opened the garage, and walked to the side, past the expensive cars and to the red one. It wasn't something you'd expect to see if you lived on that road; it was something an average person might have. But, it was simple, and that was good enough for Kagome.

She drove. It wasn't too long of a drive, but it was long enough. She had to leave the city, and go through the town next to it to get to where she was going. She took the highway; it was faster. i I hope Ayame likes these tickets. I paid an arm and a leg for them. /i That made her think of her biology teacher from last school year, who told the class about why they use that expression. She rolled her eyes, and found the road she was looking for. She turned on it, and then went left on another road. She was getting to the little neighborhood that always reminded her of perfect little towns. There were a few rectangle blocks, full of houses that would vary a little bit all the way down the road. They looked almost the same, but weren't. She found the white house with the blue shutters and pulled into the empty driveway. Kagome turned off the car, and got out, grabbing her bag.

She frowned. Ayame's parents, obviously, weren't home. But she saw the garage was closed. i There isn't anything in there. /i She thought, remembering all the times she had laughed at her friend for it. i Why would they close it? /i

She walked to the front door, and up the one step from the driveway. She grabbed the doorknob, and turned it, hoping it would be unlocked. It was. She grinned to herself, and silently walked into the living room. There wasn't anything on; it was quiet. She peaked into the kitchen, but nothing was there. She walked to the stairs, and heard something. She stood there, wanting to hear it again, but didn't. She slowly walked up the stairs, and heard it again, but kept walking. She found the wooden door at the end of the hallway, turned the knob, and pushed open the door.

center /center

Her bag dropped. Her jaw dropped. Everything sped up. Her vision was blurry; the tears were in the way. She didn't know what to do.

"Kagome!" She heard the scream from in the room. She saw Koga fall off the bed, and Ayame cover herself up. "Kagome!" She yelled again.

She ignored her friend. Her foot kicked something, and she glanced down. It was her purse. She grabbed the strap to the bag and slung it over her shoulder. She walked down the stairs, slowly. Ayame ran to her, her slim body wrapped in a thin sheet. She was pulling on her arm.

"Kagome! Please, don't leave! Let me expla-"

She turned around and punched her. Hard. She turned back around so she wouldn't have to see her friend holding her mouth, a trickle of blood come from the corner. She left the house, got in her car, and drove off.

center /center

She didn't know what she was thinking. Just the simple fact that her friend had betrayed her, had lied to her, with her own i boyfriend /i (Well, ex-boyfriend now...) was enough to make her sick. The clouds covered up the bright, beautiful sun she had been lusting over earlier that afternoon. Kagome drove. To where? She didn't know. Everything went fast, everything was a blur.

She stopped in the middle of no where. It was a dead end, and trees lined both sides of the gravel road. There weren't any houses, just trees, and grass, and, well, gravel. She cried. She didn't move, just cried. In that day, everything had gone wrong. She didn't want to go home and get yelled at for leaving. She just wanted to sleep. She felt something come up, and opened the car door. It was starting to rain. She made it three feet from her car, and fell to her knees. She let it all come out. She was puking until nothing came up. Her chest hurt, her mouth tasted awful. She saw the chunks mixed with the goo and wanted to puke some more, but didn't. She got up to get back in her car when she saw the vomit on the front of her blue shirt. She reached into the car, grabbing the napkins she keeps from McDonalds or Burger King "just in case", and wiped it off. There was a big wet spot, and she felt her eyes get wet again. They hurt, just like everything else. She opened the trunk and grabbed a gray shirt, pulling off the blue one. i No one's here...they can't watch... /i She thought. She threw the blue one behind a tree.

center /center

Kagome sat in her car, watching the rain. It had been twenty minutes since she had to change her shirt. Her eyes were dry and red. Her cell phone rang once, but she turned it off and threw it in the back seat. The clock on the dashboard said 4:32. She sighed, leaning her forehead against the steering wheel. She closed her eyes, trying to let the thoughts from the day disappear. She slowly slid into a dark, uncomfortable sleep.