As always, your reviews continue to boost my ego. Thank you guys so much. :)
Here it is~!
Rima arrived at school two days later on crutches, her bandaged foot now safely placed in a cast. Her mom had driven her to school, so she was there earlier than she would've liked to be (though she supposed she should be grateful for the extra time to get around). People would think of it as an opportunity to ask her questions about how she had injured herself, and she hadn't thought to come up with an excuse that didn't make her sound idiotic.
She sighed as she maneuvered to her locker, head down in an attempt to avoid the other students' watchful eyes.
Rima eventually reached her destination, leaning heavily on her crutch and the surrounding lockers as she entered her combination. She had managed to open the stupid thing, sure... but how was she supposed to carry her books? She had thought that her mom was being smart by telling her to leave her bag at home, but she soon realized how bad an idea that had been.
She was about to give up and head to class empty-handed when a voice made her stop in her tracks.
"Need some help, Rima-chan?"
The petite blonde turned around, only to see a pleasant, waving Nadeshiko and a slightly concerned Amu.
"Um... yes, if you don't mind," she mumbled, sighing softly.
Nadeshiko giggled and Amu smiled lightly, wanting to tackle the girl with a hug but fearing that it would knock her over and inflict more pain on her foot. They both asked Rima what she needed from her locker before removing the items and locking everything back up.
She looked grateful, trailing behind them at a much slower pace. She still wasn't entirely used to the crutches yet, and they were wearing her out.
"You okay, Rima?" Amu called back from up ahead. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," she responded tiredly. "Thanks for asking."
Amu nodded. "You know, when Nadeshiko told everyone that you were in the hospital, they all freaked out. They wouldn't calm down until she explained that it was just a broken foot and nothing more serious than that. But make sure you eat lunch with us today, okay? Just so that they can be reassured that you're doing all right."
Rima nodded, only speaking her 'yes' aloud when she realized that her friends up ahead couldn't see her actions.
It wasn't long before they reached the classroom; the bell hadn't rung yet, so they were the first ones there. Rima made her way to her desk in the back of the room as Amu and Nadeshiko set her things down, the short girl falling into her seat with minimal amounts of grace. She thanked the two, sighing with relief as she let herself relax. She glanced over at Amu, who was sending her worried looks, and smiled reassuringly. The girl eventually returned the smile.
And then her gaze fell on Nadeshiko.
It's not like she wouldn't have done the same for the purple-haired girl if they had been in the same situation with reversed roles, but it was the readiness with which Nadeshiko had helped her a few days back that surprised Rima. After how cold she had been, too...
"Nadeshiko-chan," she called after a moment, fighting the embarrassed blush that rose to her cheeks. She hadn't called her that in a long time.
A bright smile lit up the other girl's face as she responded. "Yes, Rima-chan?"
"Come here, please," she mumbled.
Nadeshiko walked over, looking a little confused as she did so. She fiddled with her ponytail as she settled herself down on the surface of a nearby desk, eyebrows raised expectantly. "What is it?"
"My mom said something about someone needing to take care of me over the next few weeks, and that someone being you. Is this true, or not?"
She nodded slowly. "Yes, it is... I hope you don't mind. I know you don't like me very much, but your mom said I was one of the only people she could trust."
Rima appeared conflicted as she mulled this over in her mind, weighing her animosity toward the girl with gratefulness for having her life saved. Eventually, she sighed. "I guess if it's anyone, it should be you. I do still trust-" she shook her head, clearing her throat. "Nevermind."
What am I saying? she thought frustratedly. She wasn't even sure that she wanted to be friends with Nadeshiko again, yet a large part of her was already trying to open up to the warm-hearted girl. She couldn't let herself trust so readily. It was what had gotten her into this situation in the first place.
Nadeshiko was still smiling; she had finished the rest of Rima's sentence in her mind with a bit of smug satisfaction. "Is that all?" she asked moments later.
"Yeah, that was it," Rima nodded, avoiding Nadeshiko's gaze. "You can go sit down, now."
"Whatever you say, Rima-chan," she grinned, returning to her seat to talk to Amu.
As the teacher walked into the classroom to begin the day, Rima felt a pang of jealousy.
At first she thought that it was about Nadeshiko stealing Amu away from her, but that wasn't quite right.
Unbeknownst to her, her feelings toward Nadeshiko were changing. She was unconsciously starting to worry about losing her oldest friend, who she'd told herself she'd never forgive, to the pinkette sitting on her left.
.~*~.
The rest of her classes before lunch went as per usual: Rima let her mind wander and hardly participated. Barely anyone asked her questions,and it was turning out to be a fairly relaxed day.
As soon as Rima stepped into the cafeteria, she was nearly knocked to the ground by a hyperactive Yaya, a bright smile lighting up the younger girl's features. If Nadeshiko and Amu hadn't been there to steady her, she would've fallen over.
"Rima-tan, I missed you! When I heard about your foot, I was sooo worried. Are you okay?"
Rima grinned. "Yeah, I'm good. I missed you too, Yaya."
She was helped to the table, where she sat, setting her crutches down underneath her seat.
"Hey, Mashiro-san! Good to see you back." Kukai flashed her a winsome grin, holding up his hand for a high-five.
Rima had to lean across the table, but she finally managed to reach his hand and slap it. She couldn't help feeling a little foolish as she settled back down.
"Glad you're feeling better, Mashiro-san," came a more subdued voice.
Rima glanced up to find Tadase smiling kindly at her."Ah... thank you, Hotori-kun," she nodded. The attention left her feeling flustered, and her golden eyes fell to her lap.
They all pulled their lunches out, with the exception of Kukai and Yaya, who went over to the lunch line to buy their food. Rima engaged in small talk with everyone else at the table, cracking a smile every once in a while as she ate.
A long while passed before anyone mentioned her foot again.
"So how did it happen?" Amu asked, eyebrows raised.
The short blonde almost choked on her food, "What?"
"How did you break your foot?"
The others looked up from their meals with curiosity.
Rima faltered, unsure of what she was going to say. "Um... well... I was-"
"Rima-chan and I were walking out of the school together when she slipped on some trash on a step and fell down the stairs, landing with her foot in an unusual position. She told me she couldn't walk and that her foot was causing her a lot of pain, so I had my mom drive her to the emergency room. She just wasn't here yesterday because the doctor suggested that she stay home and get some rest; the break itself was pretty ugly," Nadeshiko said, turning and winking at Rima. If the girl wanted to keep the real reason a secret, then Nadeshiko would help out when she could.
"Aw, how unlucky," Amu said with a small frown. "How long do you have to keep the cast on?"
Rima was grateful that she knew the answer to that question. "Two months or less. I'm hoping that it won't take that long. Moving around with these crutches is getting to be really inconvenient."
They laughed, and a small smile graced Rima's lips. She hadn't been with them in a while, since Nadeshiko had shown up. She had thought that they preferred her company to Rima's.
But even if that was true, she now realized that just being able to talk and laugh with them was more than enough for her.
This chapter was a bit of a non-event. Sorry for the lame update; it's testing week for me, so.
I hope you enjoyed it anyway.