It was night-time already, and the temperature drops by the minute, but Rinka was sitting outside in the swings. She was not alone, of course, as a few of her friends has left school around the same time as her from the school festival, after the folkloric dance. The quiet and lonely atmosphere was ideal for the group to share their impressions and experiences.
As Yoh blabbers on about something or another of no consequence, Higa notes how much Rinka shivered out in the cold wind. He was about to say something, but Alma beat him to the punch and decided on helping her out.
"Are you cold?" The boy asked with that kind tone that was reserved to his best friend.
She nodded. "Yes."
"Here." He took off his hoodie and handed it to her. "Wear this."
The brunette gladly accepted the hoodie and pulled it on her body, feeling relieved with the warmth.
"Thank you." The girl smiled at him.
He slung his arm around her in response and pulled her closer, holding her in his arms.
Higa, in turn, did not like that spectacle one bit. It should have been him that gave her something to wear when she was cold. It did not help at all when Naraka gushed at the pair, making all kinds of insinuations that made him feel sick to the stomach.
He looked at the two of them, jealousy and disgust in his eyes. Then he stood up and just left without saying a word. An awkward silence befell the group that was left behind.
"It must be constipation!" Yoh concluded as a joke, and so the conversation restarted.
Higa likes Rinka for as long as he could remember, probably from the very first day they met. He could not really explain why. Maybe it was because she was the exact opposite of him. She had good grades in school, she had two left feet and spaghetti arms and she was always nice to everyone. Maybe he was fated to meet and love her, and as such, there was no escape.
As for what she felt about him… Well, it is complicated. There were times that even his thick skull could notice that Rinka might appreciate his company a little too much, but as soon as she took a step towards him, a rumour would emerge or a deranged girl would confess to him, and so she would be scared away, as she should.
He was known for sleeping around with every girl that even looked at him and, even if this is not actually true, he was rather violent and did not have much going for him. He overthought everything and felt like he was not good enough for her, especially when compared with Alma. It is for the best if she finds love somewhere else.
That being said, she could find love somewhere else far, far away from him. He did not need the constant reminder that he could never have her because she was seemingly attached to Alma's hip. They did everything together, and it was painfully clear how much that boy favoured her.
Higa was jealous of what Rinka had with Alma, and watching them together was a special sort of torture. He wished that he had that with her. He wanted her to be his so much, but there is no point in hoping if he had to compete with a person that never lost. Besides, he genuinely cared for his friend, and he can only wonder how crushed he would be if they ended up together. He does not want that over his head, nor could he be the one to ruin that relationship.
So, Higa had no choice but distance himself from Alma and Rinka whenever the two were hanging out together. He hated it when they were acting all mushy, and that seemed unavoidable whenever they were together.
"It looks like it's snowing!" Rinka giggled, looking around the absolute disaster unfolding around her.
The brunette had pulled a recipe for Christmas cookies from the internet and wanted to try out. Naturally, Alma volunteered to help, but he had accidentally ripped the flour packaging while trying to open it and now everything in his kitchen was covered in flour, including the two of them.
"Merry Christmas, Rinka!" He laughed, throwing some of the flour towards her.
"Hey! This means war!" She yelled, throwing some flour back at him.
Higa was sitting in the living room, a cold bottle of soda pop in his hand, along with most of their friend group. He did not want to be there and be subjected to listen to the two of them have fun, but Alma had wanted him to stay and he was too much of a follower to not wield to the pressure.
Higa wanted to be the one to make Rinka laugh. He loved her laugh so much that he could listen to it forever.
If only he could.
Higa could stand this situation for a while, at least until they graduated high school, but he finally had his fill this afternoon. They, as always, were together, having a winter picnic at the beach.
Rinka was sitting on the sand next to Alma, as they talked amicably about nothing in particular, watching the waves hit against the cold stones.
Everything was okay until Alma placed his hand on her thigh, caressing the outside of her leg with his thumb. The laughter died out and Rinka felt weird about it, but decided not to comment about it.
Higa, on the other hand, was furious when he saw that. He felt something he had never felt before. It was a mix of anger, jealousy and protectiveness that overwhelmed his senses. He was ready to plummet Alma, no matter the cost.
He walked over to the pair and sent an angry glare towards his best friend before looking at you.
"Can I talk to you for a sec, Rinka?" He asked through gritted teeth, trying so hard not to lose the sliver of self-control he was able to maintain.
Rinka was a bit confused with the request, but recognized the urgency on his voice and agreed to the demand. Higa lead her away from the rest of the group, hoping to have some privacy.
He got straight to the point, not wasting a second. "Are you dating Alma?"
"Excuse me?" The girl spluttered.
The baseball player glared. "You heard me, Rinka."
She winks rapidly for a moment, hoping to gather her thoughts. "Where is this coming from, Higa? I know nothing of it."
"I'm asking 'cause I can't take this anymore! I'm so damn sick of it!"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm so fucking in love with you and it hurts to see you with Alma acting all cute and shit. I'm driving myself insane." He sighed and sat on the sand, hiding his face against his palms. "So, please, tell me, are you dating Alma or not?"
She is taken aback. She is absolutely speechless, and she could hardly believe what she had just heard.
"You're in love with me?" Rinka asked quietly, sitting down next to him and looking at his crouched figure.
He raised his sights. "Yes."
"But you're the heartbreaker!" She exclaimed, confused. "There were so many girls you could have your pick from."
He scoffed. "Is it so hard to believe that I can have feelings for you?"
"A little bit, yes." She responded.
"Please answer my question. If you're with him we can pretend that this conversation never happened."
She shook her head. "No, I'm not dating Alma, nor do I want to in the future. You want to know why is that?"
"What?" He mumbled.
"I'm in love with you too."
