Chapter 9

I'm leaving the nurse's office and walking under my own power. Mostly. My ankle still isn't entirely healed, but I can put some weight on it now, so I can use a cane. Before going to class, I take a quick stop in the restroom. When I'm washing my hands, Ai comes rolling in at her usual speed.

"Hey, Kayoko, glad to see you're not in your wheelchair anymore."

"Thanks. I'm glad too. Especially because you can have your thing back now, you know?"

She laughs, "Yep. Things are once again how they should be. Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You and Carsten. Are you a couple?"

"Nope."

"Do you like him?"

"Not like that. We're just friends. Why?"

She blushes, "I think he's really cute. I've been talking to him before class lately too, and he seems really nice. I was wondering if he would be into a girl like me. Has he ever said anything about me?"

"Um…no, he hasn't. What exactly do you mean…'a girl like you.'"

She sighs, "You're going to make me say it?"

"I…think I have to, because I don't know what you mean."

She wrings her hands together and quietly says, "Whether he'd be okay with a girl in a wheelchair. It…isn't something all guys…want."

"Oh. Well, I think I know him well enough to say that he isn't going to disqualify you for being in a wheelchair. Frankly, any guy who would sucks anyway. If you want, you can join us for lunch today. Might give you a chance to feel things out."

She nods, "That's a good idea. Hey um…don't tell him about this, okay? Or…you know…anyone?"

"I won't, don't worry."

She smiles and then leaves the bathroom.

As I leave the restroom myself, I realize she left without using any of the facilities. She must have seen me come in here and decided to follow me in to talk about Carsten in relative privacy. She must really like him. She's such a big flirt that I sort of assumed she was more confident about this kind of thing. I guess I was wrong. She jokes about her wheelchair being her 'thing,' but I guess she does it to cover up her insecurity about it.

—-

The bell rings for lunch time and Ai is over to me and Carsten in a flash. She rolls herself next to Carsten and flashes him a very big smile.

"Hey Carsten, Kayoko invited me to come eat with you guys today. My arms are tired. Would you mind pushing me?"

She's so bold. I could maybe learn a thing or two from watching this girl at work. So far, I'm clueless about how to do this sort of thing.

Carsten is a little flustered and says, "O-oh. Yeah, sure." When he gets behind her to push, she winks at me.

Once the three of us are in the elevator he remembers the last time we were in the elevator with Ai and he says, "Hey wait, didn't you say full-time wheelchair girls don't need people to push them?"

She laughs, "Oh. You remember that, huh? Well, most of the time we don't. But there are exceptions." She winks at me again.

Once we pick up some lunch and go to the quad, we find Akari already there. She looks a little nervous when she sees there is a new person in our group. She has gotten pretty used to me and Carsten, but still isn't doing so well with others. I probably should have texted her about this.

"Hey Akari, this is Ai. She's in our class too."

"N-n-nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

Once we've all sat down on the grass, Ai starts fidgeting in her wheelchair and turns to me. "This is not a very wheelchair-friendly place to eat, is it?"

I laugh, "Not really. I was bummed when I was in mine and couldn't get out on the grass. I'm sorry."

She thinks for a moment and then says. "Hey, Carsten? You look strong. Would you mind picking me up and putting me down on the ground?"

She's telling the truth about feeling left out, but turning that into a way for Carsten to touch her in a fairly intimate way is genius. Should I be taking notes? I'm in a wheelchair sometimes, after all. I guess I weigh significantly more than she does, so maybe I shouldn't expect guys to be able to lift me. Plus, I probably shouldn't praise her too much until I see if it works.

Carsten blushes and says, "P-pick you up?"

"Yeah, it's not a big deal. I don't weigh very much, promise. I just want to be down there on the grass with all of you. I'm kind of faraway up here."

Carsten stands up and says, "Yeah…okay."

I notice that Akari is also surprised by our new lunchmate's behavior. In fact, she might be angry about it. It is hard to tell. I may be mistaking her anxiety for something else.

Carsten gets up and surveys the situation.

"Um…how should I…?"

"Here, you just bend down, and I'll put my arms around your neck, okay? Then you can put your left arm around my lower back and the other around my legs, under my knees. It should be easy from there."

He nods and does as she asks. When he bends down, she puts her arms around his neck as she said she would. She leans forward so he can reach around her back, and then he puts the other are under her legs. He lifts her up, and she giggles a little bit. She makes sure their faces are very close to each other. In fact, I think their cheeks may have just touched. She has a big smile on her face.

"See? I knew you were strong."

Carsten smiles at her, "Where do you want me to put you?"

"Hmm…how about next to where you were sitting?"

He nods, but then when he gets there he stops for a moment and says, "Um…how should I position you?"

"Good question. I have almost no feeling in my legs so balancing can be tricky. Just put me down on my butt and I will lean back on my hands, and then you can move my legs, so they are in front of me."

This whole thing not only makes them touch one another, it really is also a way to see how well he handles the fact that she's in a wheelchair and has serious issues with mobility.

He nods and puts her down. Just as he's about to adjust her legs, Akari says "Oh…um, I c-can do this p-part, for you." and she moves her legs before Carsten can. "Is that g-good?"

Ai looks a little disappointed for a moment but hides it quickly. Clearly she was trying to get Carsten to touch her more. "Yep, that's good. Thank you, Akari."

Ai sets up shop next to Carsten, and even scoots herself a little closer to him using her arms.

"Man, it is really nice to be down here on a day like this. Thank you, Carsten."

He smiles at her, "No problem. I'll put you back in your chair, too."

She smiles and with just a slight tinge of seductiveness she says, "Good. I would really like that."

Well, maybe it wasn't that slight, because both Carsten and Akari have picked up on it. Carsten looks at Ai and blushes. Ai doesn't look away from him either, she just smiles an innocent little smile. They stay looking at each other and smiling for several seconds. Meanwhile Akari's face has some more definite signs of being upset.

Akari starts to gather up her things and says "I h-have t-to go. See you at b-band, K-kayoko."

Oh no.

Carsten and Ai both say, "Bye Akari," and I add, "Okay, see you then!"

As she's walking away, I pull out my cell phone and text her, "Is everything okay?"

I look up and Carsten and Ai are talking to each other and laughing. Ai is making sure to put her hand on his arm when he says something particularly funny. I'm already starting to feel a little like a third wheel from the display they are putting on.

I look back at my phone and see Akari has responded.

"Can we talk after band today?"

I respond, "Yeah, sure."

When the bell rings, Carsten effortlessly picks up Ai and takes her to her wheelchair. Just when he's about to put her down, Ai takes advantage of how close they are and kisses Carsten on the cheek and says, "That's for helping me."

Carsten seems to appreciate the gesture, as he turns red and smiles a big goofy smile before putting her down in her wheelchair.

"Um…I'll push myself this time. I think I had enough rest. I'm going to go on ahead."

She is blushing bright red herself and seems to want to get away, so even though she looked so confident, I think she's kind of embarrassed about what she did and isn't sure she should have been so forward. I don't think she should be though. I think her plan worked. She takes off at high speed as me and Carsten make our way back to the school building.

"Um…do you think she-?"

"Yep."

"Yep? You don't even know what I was going to say."

"Okay, fine. Finish."

"Do you think she likes me?"

"Yep."

"Oh…I guess you did know what I was going to say. How are you so sure?"

"Were you at the same lunch I was?"

He laughs, "I guess it was obvious."

I laugh, "Very. What are you going to do about it? What do you think about her?"

"She's really cute. I think I might get her number and talk with her some. See if there's something there."

I nod, "I think that's a good idea. Good luck!"

Hopefully this works out for Carsten. He's a good guy, and I think Ai seems like a pretty good fit for him. Of course, the bad news is that I think my other friend might be hurt if they end up together.

—-

After band practice is over, Akari comes and stands near the piano while she waits for me to pack up my things.

"Hey Akari, I'll just be a second. Where do you want to go?"

"I d-don't know. S-somewhere private. M-maybe my dorm?"

I nod, "That's a good idea. Let me text my mom."

I write, "Hey mom, helping a friend. I don't think it will take too long, but I will probably be a little late to meet you at the car."

She responds, "I was about to text you. I'm running late too, so good timing! Have fun."

We walk off to the girls' dorms, and we reach Akari's dorm room. I find myself in the pinkest space I've ever been in. I mean, I knew she loved pink, but this is intense. Pink sheets, pink towels, pink stuffed animals, pink bedding, pink posters. And of course, she has a pink holder for her two dozen pink headbands. It's kind of giving me a headache. She also has a large bookshelf that is filled to the brim with romance manga. There's also one lying open next to her bed. She must read them every night. This might be the girliest room that ever existed.

She sits down on the bed with a somber look on her face. I move her desk chair so I can sit close to her and sit down.

"What did you want to talk about?"

She frowns, "Um…I th-think I like C-carsten."

"Oh? You only 'think' you do?"

She fidgets. "W-well, we've been talking a lot. Especially t-texting. I like that because it doesn't m-make me anxious. W-we've gotten close, I guess. I didn't think I l-liked him until today, though."

"Ah, did you get jealous seeing Ai flirting with him?"

She scoffs and looks very annoyed, a face I haven't seen from her before. "Y-yeah. I d-don't know w-why she had to be all over him like that."

"Yeah, she was intense. She certainly made it obvious she is interested in him."

"D-do you think he l-likes her?"

I sigh, feeling bad for what I'm about to say, but I shouldn't sugar coat this for her.

"Well, by the end he was flirting back. After you left, she even kissed him on the cheek, and he liked it. He got her number in class. There's a pretty good chance they will start dating…I think. I'm sorry."

She crosses her arms, "Well, they aren't d-d-dating yet, right?"

"Not as far as I know."

"W-what should I do?"

I get up from the chair and sit next to her on the bed. I put my arm around her shoulders.

"I wish I could say. I have almost no experience with this. I um…confessed to a guy a few weeks back and got rejected. So, I'm not the right person to ask about how to get a guy to like you, much less in a love triangle situation."

"Y-you? You got rejected?"

I laugh, "You seem to think that I'm the kind of girl all the guys want, but trust me, the evidence would indicate that's not who I am."

"D-doesn't C-carsten like you?"

"He told you about that, huh? Yeah, he used to at least. A couple weeks into school he confessed to me. I didn't feel the same."

"Why d-did he like you?"

I laugh, "That's…kind of a funny question. I dunno, he said I was pretty, and he liked being around me I think."

She looks down and says in a very defeated voice, "Oh."

"Why did that upset you?"

"I'm n-not p-pretty…Y-you and Ai are. So, I d-don't have a chance."

"Hey, don't say that. Do you really think you aren't pretty?"

"Yes. I...l-look like a boy."

She really doesn't. But maybe this explains her obsession with pink? She thinks it makes it more clear she's a girl or something.

"Listen, Akari. The first time I saw you, I thought you were pretty. I still think you are. Don't sell yourself short."

She looks at me with what must be genuine surprise, "Really?"

"Really. You have beautiful eyes, pretty hair, and great skin. And you're petite, lots of guys like that. I am sure a lot of guys think you're pretty."

"B-but I don't have any…" She gestures towards her chest.

I laugh, "I'm sure that's not true. You don't have big conspicuous ones, sure, but that's not everything. Besides, if that's what you're worried about, it isn't like Ai has you beat there."

"Th-that's true. I w-wouldn't mind having yours though."

I laugh, "Thanks. But I like your body too."

She smiles bashfully, "Okay. What d-do you think I should do?"

"Well, I think if you really feel this way, you should probably confess to him. And soon. Because after what we saw today, Ai doesn't strike me as the kind of girl who is going to take her time with this. It does sound like you have a little bit of a head start though, since you've been talking with him so much. Maybe that will help."

She wrings her hands together and shifts her body, "W-what if I g-get r-rejected?"

"I'm not gonna lie to you. It will suck. It will hurt. But that feeling is only temporary. If it doesn't go the way you want it to, we'll have a girls' night or something, okay? My mom mentioned wanting to meet you recently. She's good at girls' nights. She helped me a lot when I was hurting because of a boy." I laugh, "Also my mom has small boobs, and she was the kind of girl that all the guys wanted to be with. So, there's a good example for you."

Akari giggles. "Okay. Th-thank you." She suddenly puts her arms around me and hugs me with such force that I can't help but grunt.

She immediately lets go and looks at me. "A-are you okay? Did I-

I laugh, "No dislocations this time. You just startled me."

She relaxes and hugs me again, this time more gently. I hug her back.

"Th-thank you for talking with me. It helped. N-next time you have b-boy problems you should tell me, okay?"

"I will, Akari. So, what's your plan?"

"I'm going to c-confess to him. T-tonight, I think."

"That's bold, but probably a good plan given the competition. Well, good luck. Let me know how it goes."

—-

The next morning my mom and I are heading to school. I didn't hear anything from Akari, and I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe she confessed and they embraced each other and spent all night talking or…doing other stuff. Or maybe he rejected her, and she was so crushed she couldn't text me. Either way, I should probably let my mom know about the situation.

"So, you want to meet my friend Akari, right?"

She nods, "Of course. She's your friend. Your aunt seems to like her too."

"She's who I was helping yesterday. She's having some boy problems, and I don't know how they're going to go. But I promised her that if things didn't go her way, the three of us could do a girl's night."

My mom laughs, "Okay, that could be fun. Although I guess given the circumstances, I hope it isn't necessary."

"Yeah, I'm not sure. She's a really shy girl. She was too sick for school until now and hasn't really had friends her own age before, so she's anxious all the time about social stuff. So, I'm a little worried. If things didn't go well, could we do it tonight? No club activities, right?"

She nods, "Yep, that should be good."

"Okay, thanks mom."

—-

When I get to the classroom, Ai and Carsten are already there. She has positioned her wheelchair so she's sitting as close to him as possible, and he has her arm around her as they chat about something with their faces very close together.

That girl is impressive. It's been about 24 hours since she told me she liked him and was all anxious about it, and it looks like she's already bagged him. You would have no idea that she was worried or nervous about it either. She seems so confident. This sucks for Akari, though. Still, I can be happy for these two while feeling for Akari.

I smile at them and use a teasing tone. "Hey you two. You look all cute and lovey-dovey. Something I should know?"

They both blush, it is especially noticeable on Carsten's very fair skin. He smiles and says, "Yeah. We're together now."

My smile gets bigger. "That's great. I'm happy for you both."

Ai says, "Yes, thank you, Kayoko. I told him you helped."

I laugh, "Hey, all I did was invite you to lunch. You did the rest."

She giggles and looks at Carsten, "That's true."

I get out my phone and text Akari, "Hey, I don't know what happened on your end, but I'm in class now and Ai and Carsten are a couple now. I'm sorry."

She responds, "Oh. Okay. I won't be at lunch."

While I'm thinking about what to say to her, she adds, "Girls' night?"

I smile, "Yep. My mom is on board. Meet us in the faculty parking lot around 4:00 and we can go to our house."

"Okay, see you then. Thank you."

—-

Lunch with the new lovey-dovey couple was…interesting. If I thought I felt like a third wheel yesterday, I definitely did today. It was like I wasn't even there for long stretches as they talked and giggled and touched each other unnecessarily.

Still, I can't help but be happy for them. Especially Carsten. I think this probably means he is 100% over me, which is a relief. I was worried he was hurting because of me, and I don't need to think about that anymore.

Now that the school day is over, I am heading for the faculty parking lot. I run into Akari (luckily not literally) as I'm leaving the school building.

She doesn't look like she is in very high spirits. I guess I don't blame her. She smiles at me, and I hug her. She seemed to like this yesterday, so it's worth a try.

"I'm sorry today sucked."

When I look down at her I can see she is tearing up a little.

"M-me too."

We break the hug and walk in the direction of the faculty parking lot. "So, do you want to talk about it tonight? Or keep your mind off of it?"

"T-talk about it, I think. Some at least."

"Okay, what exactly happened on your end?"

"N-nothing. I texted him saying I wanted to meet up and t-talk. And he didn't r-respond. Wh-which is unusual for us. Or…w-was…before Ai. He used to always respond fast." Her voice cracks and she looks at her feet, "H-he still hasn't responded."

"Seriously? That's kind of messed up. I…guess he is getting swept in his new relationship, but not responding at all? Not even with a 'Sorry, I can't? I will have a talk with him."

She stops in her tracks and says "N-No!" with enough force to make me flinch.

She blushes, realizing how loud she was.

"I'm sorry. B-but I will be fine. At this point I think it is better if he n-never knew I l-liked him. So, d-don't say anything to him, please."

"Okay that makes sense." I laugh, "You know, I wish I could go back in time and unconfess, so I see the appeal."

By now we've reached the parking lot, but my mom isn't here yet, so we wait near the car.

Something occurs to me, while we wait. Akari knows a lot at this point, including the fact that my dad passed away, but she doesn't know I am adopted. Come to think of it, I guess I haven't told any of my new friends. It honestly isn't something I think about that often.

"Don't be too surprised when you see my mom. She doesn't look anything like me. Once you see her, it will be pretty obvious I was adopted."

"Oh. Y-you were? When?"

"I was a baby, so I don't remember anything but my parents. So, she is my mom in every important way. I'm just saying, it might be a little bit of a shock. So, I thought I would prepare you."

"Y-you really look that d-different?"

I laugh. "Yes. I won't spoil it for you though. Oh, here she comes."

I look at Akari to see her reaction. There is only one person walking towards us, so she has to know who I mean. When she sees my diminutive mother, who is even smaller than her, she smiles and tells me with her eyes that she knows what I meant. Now that I'm seeing them both together, my mom looks more like Akari's mom than mine.

My mom arrives and smiles at me. "Hey sweetie, sorry I was a little late. This must be Akari."

"Yes ma'am. It is nice to meet you, Mrs. Nakai."

Huh. She really does seem much more confident talking to older people.

My mom smiles at her. "Oh, we can't have that dear. You don't need to be so polite with me. I am a very informal person. You can just call me Emi, and you definitely don't need to call me ma'am."

Akari looks concerned and doesn't say anything.

Maybe formality makes her feel better? Or does my mom act too much like a young person? Could be either.

My mom realizes she made have made a mistake and says, "If you are more comfortable being formal with me, that's okay too. Just…call me whatever you want, okay?"

"I th-think I will go with Mrs. Nakai for now."

My mother smiles at her, "Okay. That works for me. Shall we get going?"

I get in the front seat and Akari gets in the back.

Once we're in the car and on our way, my mom says, "So, Akari, Kayoko tells me you had some boy trouble?"

"Yeah. A b-boy I like has a girlfriend…now."

My mom nods, "Yeah that can be tough."

"K-kayoko tells me you are quite good at talking through boy stuff."

My mom laughs and looks at me, "I hope you didn't oversell me, dear. But I suppose I do have a fair bit of experience with that kind of stuff compared to you two, so I will help if I can."

"Th-thank you for letting me come over. I appreciate it."

"Of course, dear. My daughter talks quite a lot about you. And your music teacher is my best friend. So, I have heard enough about you to be very interested in meeting you."

Once we get to the house my mom goes to the kitchen and starts making dinner. I offer to help her, but she waves me off to spend time with Akari, so I join her in the living room.

"Y-you guys have a nice house."

I smile, "Thanks. I like it. I have lived here my whole life. Well, after the orphanage anyway."

Akari giggles, "You were right. I would n-never have thought she was your mom."

I laugh, "I know, right? It used to be more believable before I got so much bigger than her. I do look a little more like my dad."

I walk over to a picture on the wall of the three of us from when I was 14, Akari follows me.

"See?"

She nods and looks at him for a few moments before looking at me and saying, "Is it w-weird for me to say your dad was handsome?"

I laugh, "No, I guess not. My mom will love that actually."

I yell loud enough for my mom to hear in the kitchen, "Hey mom!?"

Akari looks at me with pleading eyes, trying to tell me not to tell her. But I ignore her because I know how my mom will react.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Akari thinks Dad was handsome."

My mom quickly emerges from the kitchen and joins us looking at the photo.

She sighs lovingly and says, "He was wasn't he. The best-looking man in the world, I think. That messy hair, those kind eyes. His big, strong hands. And you should have seen his bod-"

"Okay mom, we get it."

She laughs, "Sorry. I got a little carried away." She looks at Akari who is blushing and winks, "You have good taste, dear."

"I-I'm sorry you lost him."

I can see my mom wants to hug Akari from a step she takes towards her, but she must be worried about how she would react, because instead she just puts her hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you. Now, I'm going to get back to the kitchen. Dinner should be ready soon."

After she leaves, Akari can't help but giggle softly. "Your mom is pretty funny. Also, you're right. She has small boobs and got with a guy as good looking as your dad."

I sigh, "Okay, I think I have reached my limit on talking about how attractive my dad is."

Akari giggles, "Sorry."

She hasn't been stuttering as much and is being much sillier than usual. It is nice to see.

"You seem a lot more at ease here than you do at school."

She nods, "I feel more comfortable in a house. Probably because I spent so much time in one as a kid. It feels more controlled than school. I know everyone in here. Even in my dorm room I don't really feel l-like I can relax. There's…too many people around that I don't know. I can hear their voices and I um… w-worry ever time s-someone walks by, that they w-will knock on my door and t-try to talk to me."

"That must be hard."

"It is. I am getting b-better, believe it or not. But it's still hard."

I nod, "I believe it. I've seen you get more relaxed and confident since I've known you."

She smiles and walks over to Saki's bookshelf. "I see this is where you k-keep all the music."

I follow her.

"Yep. This is sort of the music corner. My piano's over there."

She looks at the pictures on the shelf. She points at the figures in one of the pictures. "This is your dad, right? And the music teacher?"

"Yep, that's them at Yamaku when they were just a couple years older than we are now."

She points at Saki, "Who is she? She is in all of these, most of them with your dad. I k-kind of recognize her."

I smile at her. "That's Saki. She was my dad's first wife. She was a composer. She passed away very young. Only about 10 years after this picture, sadly. Most of this is music she wrote."

"Saki…" She pauses and looks like she is thinking hard. "...Enomoto?"

I smile. "Yep, that's right."

"That's really cool. They have a l-little exhibit about her in the University of Tokyo concert hall. I s-saw it after I decided to come to Yamaku, so I remember thinking it was cool that she went here. She's a big deal."

"Yep, that's her. She, and my aunt of course, are the ones who inspired me to be a musician."

Akari gets excited. "Wow. It's kind of like you have music r-royalty in the family!"

I giggle, "I never thought of it that way. I have always known Saki. So she didn't seem so special to me. But yeah…I guess I see what you mean. What got you into music? You started playing so young."

"My dad also p-plays the French horn. Not as a professional or anything, though. I couldn't really go out and play like other kids a lot of the time because of p-pain or surgery. My um…hips were the worst. So, I could s-sit okay, but not stand. So, he taught me to play since I could do it alone, inside, and sitting down. I ended up really liking it." She closes her eyes and smiles from ear to ear. "It helped me through some hard stuff. It b-became kind of like therapy for me over time." Her smile gets bigger, and now I realize she is thinking of the feeling she has when she plays. "When I play, I don't feel any of my anxieties or worries. I just feel…happy. It's almost like I'm a different person."

I feel myself choking up a bit.

"Th-that's really great. Beautiful, even."

"Really?"

"Well, yeah." I laugh, "Much more profound than my reason for playing."

She laughs, "Maybe, I guess. But you h-have music royalty on your side. So, we're even."

My mom comes into the living room and says, "Hey you two, dinner is ready."

"Okay, we're coming."

We sit down to dinner with my mom, who made my favorite thing: Sesame soba shrimp stir fry.

I look over at Akari who I can see is enjoying the food. She looks up and sees my mom eating in her usual fashion and she can't help but stare. I probably should have warned her about this. After staring for a moment, she just smiles at me and goes back to eating.

"This is really good Mrs. Nakai."

My mother is still in the middle of eating, so she has to swallow an especially large bite of food before she can say, "Thank you. This is Kayoko's favorite." She smiles wistfully. "It was her dad's too, actually. I even made it for him on our first date."

"What? I thought you went to a restaurant."

"Well, it depends on what you consider a date, I guess. That was what we did the first time we went out as a couple. But the day we became a couple I made him dinner at my apartment."

Akari smiles, "That's really nice. This is a r-really special dish, then."

My mom smiles, "It really is."

We go back to eating in silence for a bit and when my mom finishes, she laces her fingers under her chin and says, "So tell me about your boy problem, Akari."

Akari takes a deep breath. "Okay. Well. I became r-really good friends with this guy. We talked a lot and opened up to each other. I realized yesterday that I liked him because this other girl was all over him being flirty. Like all over him."

My mom nods and Akari moves past this part of the story. But clearly that part is ingrained in her mind. I guess I can't blame her. 'All over him' is a pretty accurate description.

"So, I texted him and said I wanted to talk. I was going to confess. But…he never responded and showed up at school today with that other girl as his girlfriend. It hurts m-my feelings quite a lot…that he never responded."

"I see. That does sound hard. Tell me, what is this boy like?"

"It's Carsten, mom."

My mom raises her eyebrows and Akari looks at me with deep concern. I guess she didn't know my mom knew him.

"She is his physical therapist. Sorry, I should have mentioned that."

My mom smiles softly at her. "Akari, I won't tell him, don't worry. This is girls' night, right? It's all about saying things that the boys don't ever hear."

Akari smiles back and relaxes, "Okay. Thank you."

"It would really bother me too that he never responded in any way after you two have been texting each other so much. Make me want to slap that boy."

Akari giggles, "That's basically what your daughter said. Though a l-little less violently."

My mom laughs, "Yes, she is gentler than me. She gets it from her father. Anyway, this does sound like a tough situation. Especially because you are all friends. You eat lunch together every day, right?"

"Yeah. I didn't go today b-because of it."

"Unfortunately, the only thing I can recommend is giving yourself some space and time. Missing lunch for a bit is probably a good idea. I know it stinks that you didn't get the guy, but you're a really pretty, sweet, talented girl." She winks at her. "And trust me, guys love the petite thing."

Akari blushes and giggles. My mom is pretty good at this, even when it isn't me.

"So, you just keep on being you, and eventually you'll find a guy. I'm sure of it. Don't let this make you think less of yourself."

Akari smiles at my mom, "Okay…thank you so much for all that. It helps me feel a bit b-better. Kayoko was right, you're good at this."

My mom smiles, "I'm glad I could help. Hey, would you two like some ice cream? I don't think it would really be girls' night unless we ate some."

I roll my eyes, "Mom, you'd use any excuse to eat ice cream."

"Oh? Does that mean you don't want any?"

"...no, I do."

"That's what I thought. Would you like any Akari?"

"Yes, please."

"I think we only have chocolate, is that good with you?"

Akari nods and my mom heads to the kitchen with a smile on her face.

When my mom leaves the room, Akari says, "Your mom is really amazing."

I smile, "She really is, isn't she?"

Akari asks, "Do you…think I can stay the night? I know it's short notice, b-but I really like it here. I'm more comfortable than I have been since school started. I feel like I can relax."

It breaks my heart a little to think that when Akari is at school and not playing her French horn, she is constantly anxious. Even in her dorm room.

I smile at her, "Sure. A slumber party would be nice. I am pretty sure my mom will be okay with it but let me check."

When my mom returns with the ice cream, I ask "Mom, can Akari stay over tonight?"

My mom looks a little surprised but says "Sure. But where will you girls sleep?"

"I dunno. We could share my bed, or Akari could sleep on the couch. Whatever she wants to do."

"Yeah, we can share. B-but if it's too last minute, I understand."

Mom replies, "No, it's fine. You have your medications and things like that?"

"I just have a m-monthly injection, so I'm good there. I um…might need to borrow some clothes, though."

"Oh, that's no problem. I think we are close enough in size, I have some stuff you could wear."

"Okay, thank you."

We enjoy our ice cream mostly in silence. When we finish, my mom gets some pajamas for Akari and then says, "Well, girls. It has been a nice night. But I need to get to bed."

Akari stands up and gingerly walks over to my mother before hugging her. My mother hugs her back with a smile on her face.

"Th-thank you for everything tonight, Mrs…Emi. You welcomed me here, made dinner for me, talked with me about my problems, you're letting me stay when I sprung it on you and you…even gave me some of your clothes. I r-really appreciate all of it."

"It's no problem. I quite enjoyed having you. You're welcome here any time, okay?"

Akari nods, and she is sniffling slightly. It is a pretty cute sight overall. I'm glad she feels better about Carsten, but it almost feels like getting to come here and feel more at home and less anxious is having the biggest impact on her mood.

Eventually they break the hug, and my mom comes to hug me too before saying, "Okay, goodnight girls." Then she wags her finger and in a mock strict tone says, "Don't stay up too late!"

We head to my room and change into our pajamas before settling into the bed. I have a double bed, so there's plenty of room. Especially because she's small.

As I continue to think about how difficult things are for Akari, I come up with an idea.

"I'm glad to see you loosen up so much here, Akari. I will have to ask my mom, but I think she will agree, if you ever really need a break from campus, you can stay here a night to recharge your batteries."

"Thank you. You and your mom are like the nicest people ever."

I laugh, "I don't know about that."

Suddenly, Akari's phone buzzes. She picks it up and furrows her brow.

"Is that who I think it is?"

"Yeah. He said 'Sorry for not responding to this sooner. D-do you still want to meet up and talk?'"

"Well…at least he responded…eventually, I guess."

"What do I say?"

"Hmm…if I were you, I'd be tempted to ignore it for about 24 hours."

"That's not a bad idea. I was thinking m-maybe just a one-word response of 'No.' might be good too."

"Yeah, either of those sounds good. You could even do both. Wait 24 hours and then only one word."

She smiles. "Ooo, yeah - that's what I'll do."

She puts her phone down.

"I do think you'll probably need to stop texting him so much for a while, until you feel better about stuff."

She nods, "Yeah…I kind of figured that was included when your mom said distance." Her voice gets quiet and sad. "S-seems like he doesn't really want to text me anymore anyway, with Ai the picture...It's gonna be hard. We talked for a while m-most evenings. It really helped."

"You can always text me if you want to talk."

"That's true." She sighs. "I don't know what I'm going to do about lunch. I don't really want to go back to eating alone. B-but I also don't want to be there with them. Maybe if they weren't all over each other it would be okay…"

"Yeah, I get what you mean. You and I could go off and eat together for a little while."

"No, I don't want you to s-stop being friends with them or anything. I will figure something out."

"Okay, that sounds like a plan." I yawn and roll over to turn off the light on my nightstand. "I guess we should go to bed."

"Yeah probably. I'm pretty tired too. Hey, Kayoko?"

"Hm?"

"You're my best friend. Really…my first best friend. You've really done a lot for me and if you're ever having a hard time let me know, okay? I w-want to be here for you, too."

"I was just thinking that I had a new best friend, too." I roll back over to face her. "I'll tell you about my boy problems. You'll keep a secret, right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Well…the guy I confessed to? It was Daisuke. I guess you sort of met him, he was the other guy who helped me the day we r-ran into each other."

"Oh. He's the music teacher's son, right?"

"Right. So, he's sort of like my big brother. I've known him my whole life. But I ended up falling for him…he helped me a lot after my dad passed."

"Yeah, I can s-see that, he's pretty cute."

"He is. Well, it turned out he's gay. Which I didn't know, obviously. He isn't exactly 'out' so that's the part you shouldn't tell anyone. Carsten knows he rejected me, but not all the details."

"That must have been tough."

"It was. On top of everything I felt stupid for not knowing and reading the situation so wrong. I…really thought he liked me, because he helps me so much and is so sweet to me. I confessed the day I hurt my ankle because he was there and helped me. He held my hand through the pain and let me rest in his dorm room. I…was so sure that he liked me when that happened. But he did it because he sees me as a little sister. I should have known that. I mean, before I started to have romantic feelings for him, I saw him as a big brother."

Akari says, "I don't think you should feel s-stupid. This stuff is hard. I mean, it turns out he does love you, just like family. I guess that line is hard to see sometimes. I think if I was in your position, I would have thought he liked m-me too."

"Yeah? Thanks. That makes me feel better. I also feel some guilt because it seems kind of messed up for me to be so upset because he's gay."

"Well, you aren't upset because he's gay, right? You're upset because you wanted to be with him, and you c-can't."

"Yeah, that's true. Anyway, in the end, I asked for some space and time, and he gave it to me. But now, I miss him. I think I'm ready for him to be a big part of my life again."

"Yeah, I guess I get that n-now that I'm going through sort of the same thing. I'm going to miss Carsten. How long did it take you to feel like you're ready to be friends with him again?"

"It's been almost a month."

"How did you know you were ready?"

"Just hearing you talk about Carsten tonight, mostly. I could tell that my feelings for Daisuke aren't nearly as raw as they were. I think I'll text him now."

"You should. What are you going to say?"

I get my phone and type out the text, reading it to Akari as I go. "'Hey. I just wanted you to know that I've had enough space and time, and I'm ready for us to be friends again.' How does that sound?

"Sounds good to me."

"Okay." I hit send. "I feel very relieved sending that. Thanks for helping me figure that out."

"I'm happy to return the favor. It has b-been…a really great night. Goodnight Kayoko"

"'night Akari."