"Was it fun?" Koji asked during lunch.
"Sure," Takuya muttered.
"Doesn't look like you had fun?" Koichi said as he opened he's soda.
"How am I going to have fun? I was distracted," Takuya glared to Zoe.
"Distracted?" JP said.
"I can't think. I can't concentrate on what to say. I didn't even know where I was going!" Takuya's fist came down on the table.
"It's a good thing you survived while you were driving," Koji said. "It's a miracle that both of you are alive."
"We lived because I didn't drink," Takuya raised his eyebrows. "Look, she's just a friend of mine, nothing else."
"Yeah, right," Koichi smirked.
"Anyways, do you wanna hang out after school?" Takuya asked.
"There's nothing to do at home, so why not?" JP agreed.
Koji and Koichi stared at Takuya. "Were you asking us to hang out with you?" Koji cleared.
"Yeah, is there a problem?" Confused.
"After all these years, we finally got a hang out time with Takuya!" Koichi cheered.
"He's awake!" JP said.
"Is this natural?" Takuya narrowed his eyes.
"Since this is your first time to hang out with us? You lead us, captain," Koji patted Takuya's shoulder.
He had no idea what gotten to his friends.
Mrs. Kanbara and Shinya stared at Takuya during breakfast, and he tried to ignore them but he couldn't.
"Are you sick?" Mrs. Kanbara asked.
"Will you guys stop staring at me like that?" Takuya said. "It's creeping me out!"
Shinya put his hand on Takuya's forehead. "No fever." Shinya answered her Mom's question. "What did you do to my brother?" Shinya asked Takuya.
"I am your brother," Takuya replied.
"Someone must've slapped him to life," Shinya told his mother.
"Well, it's good that Takuya's back," Mrs. Orimoto.
"What is wrong with these people?" Takuya thought. "Sure I've been acting like a zombie for years, but that doesn't mean anything!"
School was the opposite. Now that he was paying attention, it was clear that no one was watching him.
He remembered the first time he saw Zoe—how desperately he's wished he could turn gray, face into wet concrete of the sidewalk like an oversized chameleon. It seemed he was getting that wish answered, year late.
It was like he wasn't there. Even his teachers' eyes slid past his seat as if it were empty.
He listened all through the morning, hearing once again the voice of the people around him.
Zoe looked up when he sat down next to her in Biology.
"Hey, Zoe," he said with a put-on nonchalance. "How was the rest of your weekend?"
She looked at him with suspicious eyes.
"Super," she said, turning back to her book.
"That's good," he mumbled.
His fourth hour class got out late, and the lunch table he always sat at was fully by the time he arrived. Zoe was there. He wondered how long she'd been sitting there, unable to remember if his on the right table.
He was beginning to get annoyed with himself.
Koji, Koichi and JP looked up when Takuya sat down next to Zoe, Takuya can see them smirking.
He tried to catch up with the conversation.
"What did you boys do this weekend?" Zoe asked, not sounding as if she cared about the answer.
"We were going to have a picnic on Saturday, actually, but…we changed our minds," Koji narrowed his eyes on Koichi. There was an edge to his voice that caught Zoe's interest.
Koichi, not so much. "Don't' start with me," he said.
"Well," Koji said, seeming more hesitant than usual though he was always reserved, "if Koichi didn't forget to lower the stove, Mom and Dad wouldn't have changed their minds, you're so irresponsible!" Koji told to his twin. "Way to go, brother."
"Will you get over it?" Koichi hissed.
"So, what did you this weekend, Takuya?" JP asked.
Everyone looked back, waiting for his response.
"Zoe helped me with my schoolwork, after that, she and I hang out at the park. And then I spent Saturday afternoon and most of the Sunday down at the mall with Shinya."
The eyes flickered at Zoe and back to him.
He wasn't sure what the hell he was doing at the park. He continued to walk slowly down to Zoe. His hands were shaking. He knew that part of the reason he did this was the nightmare; now that he was really awake. There was a feeling when he was with Zoe. Unattainable and impossible, uncaring and distracted…that's what he feels when he's with her but there's still something more, something he never felt before except the movie night. He had to believe that.
The words ran through his head, tonelessly, like he was reading them rather than hearing them spoken.
I think I'm in love with her.
He was lying to himself by splitting his reason for coming here into just two parts. He didn't want to admit that strongest motivation. Because it was mentally unsound.
The truth was he wanted to be with her again, like he had in the strange movie night. For that brief moment, when she touched Takuya's hand, he's heart stared pounding. It hadn't lasted. He wanted to touch her hand. He wanted to find some way to repeat the experience…
So he was going to follow him. He stated to go fasted to Zoe. How long had he been walking? Shouldn't he have reached her yet?
And she was there, sitting on the bench.
"Come sit with me if you want," she said.
He automatically sat next to her.
"What brings you here?" Zoe wondered as she continued reading her book.
"Brought what on?"
"Why did you suddenly decided…to go here?" It sounded like she changed her question halfway through.
He shrugged. "Ijust needed some fresh air. You know I love parks."
"What a weird question, I shouldn't have asked you that." She turned on the mp3. Zoe peeked at Takuya's expression as the music filled the air.
His eyes squinted. "What? You think boys are the only who can listen to rap?"
"Just surprised," he said.
"You like this?" She asked doubtfully.
"Sure."
It would be much too easy to interact with Zoe normally if he had to work to tune out the music, too. He nodded his head, hoping he was in time with the beat.
"Okay…" She stared at the sky with wide eyes.
"So what's up with you and your Dad these days?" he asked quickly.
"That's none of your business."
The question hadn't started her talking like he's hoped it would.
"It's really hard to think what to say," Takuya mumbled, and then he tried again. "Have you been out with anyone lately?"
"I'm only going out with you." She rolled her eyes, and sensed a long story. He clutched the opportunity.
"Do you wanna get something to drink?"
She groaned, getting more animated. "It's so hot! Chocolate Milk Shake would be nice."
"Cool."
Zoe stood up and started walking while Takuya stayed behind her back. While they're walking to 'Shake', Koji pulled Takuya's jacket shockingly without Zoe noticing. They were behind the wall.
"What the hell was that for?!" Takuya demanded, knowing Koji spying at him. "Are you spying on me?"
"You like her, don't you?" Koji hissed to Takuya.
"Nope," It was obvious that Takuya was lying because he was blushing.
"Admit it Takuya, you like her!" He almost shouted. Takuya smacked Koji's face as hard as he can. "OW! Ouch!" He whimpered.
"Shh," Takuya shushed. "So what if I like her?" He finally admitted.
"Have you told her about your feelings?" Koji kept rubbing his smacked head.
"Nope and never."
"If you won't, then I will." Koji came out of the wall and called Zoe's name. Zoe turned around and waved at Koji.
"What is it?" Zoe walked to Koji.
Before Koji answers Zoe, Takuya covered Koji's mouth with his hands.
"All he wanted to say is…is, hi!" Takuya smiled as he lied and let go of Koji. "I'll catch up on you!"
"Are you sure?" Zoe raised her eyebrows.
"Of course, I'm sure. I just need a private time with my best friend, Koji," Zoe walked quickly to the 'Shake'. "This is only between you and I. Koichi's not going to know and especially JP, understand?"
Koji gulped. "Fine. I'm should leave now, I don't wanna come between you and Zoe," he insulted.
"Hey, Zoe!" Takuya felt an unfamiliar surge of enthusiasm at Zoe's smile.
"Here's your shake." Zoe handed him his chocolate milk shake. "I've already paid on that," she noted.
"Thanks."
After they finished drinking, Takuya brought Zoe in front of 'Convenience Store'.
"You want something explosive?" Takuya held a one piece of rock.
"I'm always into some action," Zoe stretched her arms.
"When I said ran, ran like hell, okay?" Takuya noted her.
"What are you going to do?" Zoe wondered.
"When I ask you something, just answer yes, simple as possible," Takuya smiled widely.
Zoe gulped. "I'm ready."
Takuya sighed. "Do you want me to throw this rock to the glass?"
"Aren't we going to get in trouble?" Zoe asked.
"Just answer."
"YES!" Zoe shouted.
Takuya threw the rock to the glass. The rock landed in the mess of shattered crystal. The sound was like the crash of boulders in a rock slide. There were a lot of jagged shards of glass.
"RAN!" Takuya and Zoe ran as fast as they can. They were both laughing.
Finally, they stopped far away from the store.
"That was fun!" Zoe gasped. "I enjoyed that, even though I only watched."
"I haven't done that for years," Takuya exclaimed. "Are you still afraid that you might get into trouble?"
"Nope. Not anymore. Because I wanted and needed that. So if I ever get scolded by someone because of that, ignore is the only solution."
"I'm gonna show you the best place I always go," Takuya pulled Zoe's hand involuntarily. Zoe didn't react where Takuya's taking her again. Takuya can feel again his heart pound, he can't avoid hearing the best of his heart.
They stopped in beside of the western building, midway down the street, where there is a fence with a poster:
NO ENTRY
"What does that have to do with anything?" Zoe wondered.
"I'm saving the best for the last."
"But it's fenced."
"Exactly."
"And you know we're not supposed to go in there," Zoe pointed to the sign. "Can't you see, 'No Entry'?"
"Then what's the park for?"
Zoe bit her lip.
"You stay here while I go in," Takuya joked.
"Don't leave me," Zoe begged. "Okay, fine, how do we get pass it?"
"Good choice," Takuya grinned. "We climb, of course."
As they got over the fence, Zoe realized the way was mostly flat, and he held the damp ferns and webs of moss aside for her. When his straight path took them over fallen trees or boulders, he would help her, lifting her by the elbow, and then releasing her instantly when she was clear. Zoe touched Takuya's skin, and his heart thud erratically. Thrice, when that happened.
Takuya tried to keep his eyes away from Zoe as much as possible, but she slipped often. Each time, her beauty pierced him through with sadness.
For the most part, Zoe asked a few questions about where they're going.
"Are you sure this is a park?"
"I only called it a park, because deep down inside to the forest, it's a park, there's just no bench and swing like the park we've just been," he explained.
After several minutes, the light filtered through them. For the first time since they'd entered the words, she felt a thrill of excitement—which quickly turned into impatience.
"Are we there yet?" She teased, pretending to scowl.
"nearly." He smiled at the change in her mood. "Do you see the brightness ahead?"
She peered into the thick forest. "Yes?"
"After another few minutes, she could definitely see a lightening in the trees ahead, a glow that was yellow instead of green. She picked up the pace, her eagerness growing with every step. He let her lead now, following noiselessly.
She reached the edge of the pool light and steeped through the last fringe of fern into the loveliest place she had ever seen. The park was small, perfectly round, and filled with wildflowers—violet, yellow, and soft white. Somewhere nearby, she could hear the bubbling music stream. The sun was directly overhead, filling the circle with a haze of buttery sunshine. She walked slowly, awestruck, through the soft grass, swaying flowers, and warm, gilded air. She spun around, searching for him with sudden alarm. Finally spotted him, still under the shade of the canopy at the edge of the hollow, watching her with cautious eyes. Only then did she remember what the beauty of the park had driven her mind.