A month can change a lot despite what many say.
You could lose your job or get promoted to CEO.
You could purchase a new car or crash your current one into a random ditch.
You could move on and find someone new, or you can still be stuck on the feeling of betrayal.
Not enough time lapsed to forget the memories.
And it definitely was not enough time to heal.
But it was enough time to start moving forward.
~~~
The summer heat had become unbearable by August.
Most afternoons were spent hiding inside my room with the air conditioning on max...
Even family diners and cafes did the trick at staying cool.
...
“Ren?”
“Hm?”
Mio pointed at the blank television, “Movie.”
“We literally watched one a few hours ago.”
“And?”
“We also watched one last night.” I said, focusing on the cards in my hand.
“And?”
“We have watched one nearly every day.”
I stared at her and she stared back.
“Ugh, fine” I said, placing my cards face down and scooting towards the table.
Mio grinned ear to ear, “Let’s watch another horror movie!”
I grabbed the TV remote, “You pick horror a lot because you know I hate it.”
...
“Which one?”
...
I looked back to see Mio sneakingly peeking at my cards.
“MIO!”
Mio shot up quickly and stiffly, “I WASN’T LOOKING!”
I glanced back towards the TV, flipping the input.
“TADA!” Mio yelled, slamming a card into the pile, “Draw four!”
I flipped the input to a movie and scooted back, “Here you go.”
I picked up four cards, all seemingly to be useless, “Hey... you didn’t swap the cards out... did you?”
...
I glanced over my cards and saw Mio sweating intensely.
“Mio..?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, oh hey the movie is on!” She said, throwing her cards around the room.
“Ughh, I guess I win.”
Mio quickly turned her head around at me, “NO!” Then turned her head back towards the television.
Whilst facepalming, “Yes yes, you win, oh how I lost oh so terribly~”
“You sound stupid you know.”
I felt a vein burst in my forehead, “HEY, you cheated, I don’t want to hear it.”
“You were bound to lose to me, I just sped it up.”
“You sped up my anger that’s what.”
“Blehh” Mio said, making a face as she sticks out her tongue at me, “Loser.”
“Just watch the damn movie.”
“Oh so mean~”
I stood up with a small groan.
“Where are you going now?”
“To get some popcorn.”
“GET ME SOME TOO!”
I looked her dead in the eyes, “Beg.”
“Ew no, you’re gross.”
“Haha, suit yourself.”
...
In the kitchen, I heated up a bag for a little too long, causing it to burst in the microwave, “Ah crap.”
I then put in another, “She can have the one that exploded, hehe.”
...
After a few minutes, I walked back with two bowls of popcorn, holding out the exploded one to her, revealing darkened popcorn puffs.
“Why does it look like that?”
“It bursts in the microwave.”
“Then give me the other.”
“Make it your damn self then.”
Mio pouted softly, “Fine...”
“Dammit.” I then gave her the normal popcorn.
“Why-?”
“Cause you’ll ruin the movie with the bad mood you’d be in if I gave you the exploded one, wouldn’t you.”
“Maybe...”
I sat down quickly, stomping the bowl in her lap and ‘enjoying’ the darkened popcorn as we watched a wild murderer on the screen.
~~~ A couple hours later ~~~
“Man, that movie sucked... You could tell who the murderer was the whole time, and the suspense was non-existent."
“You wanted a horror movie, and you got it.”
“Rennn, there’s a new horror movie at the theaters, let’s go see ittt...”
“Movie theaters are still off limits for me, go by yourself.”
“Rennn, why are you so weird...”
“You- Oh I oughta.”
“But I don’t want to go aloneee-.”
“Go with Kota or Kaito, give them a ring.”
“But they don’t like horror moviesss...”
I felt my eye flinch with every complaining sentence that left her mouth.
“You-” My phone vibrated on the table beside us.
“Who is it, who texted you at this hour, let me see!”
“Calm down, it’s just Zak, telling me about the birthday party.”
“Oooh, who’s? Zak’s?”
I looked at her, “You were literally invited to it, it’s for Aoyama.”
“Ohhh... I forgot-”
“Of course you did.”
“When is it again-?”
“Tomorrow night.”
“Ohhh... Where-?”
My eye twitched, “I’ll take you, just wear something nice.”
“I’ll go shopping tomorrow~!”
“Just be back here by 4pm.”
“Roger!”
~~~
I kept checking my phone’s clock, standing outside my front door, “Any time now...come on...”
The door swings open, “I’m all ready!”
“You took two damn hours to put on makeup! We’re late.”
“It takes a lot to make myself all pretty, it’s a drastic change from my cute makeup.”
I exhaled loudly, “Just... let’s get a move on.”
Mio salutes teasingly, “Aye aye!”
...
Walking down the streets as the sun set at the far end, with the warm air dissipating as the city lights began to glow, Mio and I walked side by side to the party.
Mio kept checking herself in a handheld mirror while I kept checking the time.
Mio glanced over at me fidgeting, “Look at you being all nervous-”
“I’m not.”
“You absolutely are, you can’t fool me.”
“I’m not, Mio.”
“Your hands are shaking.”
“What? No they’re not!”
“I made you look-”
“They’re my OWN hands, I don’t need to ‘look’ to know if they’re shaking or not.”
“Uh huh-”
Mio then put away her mirror, and bumped into me.
“The heels making you stumble while walking in a straight line?”
“That was on purpose you idiot.”
“Ohhh, so you wore them to look taller is what you’re saying-”
“I did NOT say that-”
“You didn’t deny it, shortie.”
“Okay mister beanstalk.”
“Jealous of my height, huh?”
“Am not!”
“You totally are, you’re so short.”
“I’m 160 centimeters and growing!”
“Growing? When’s the last time you ‘grew’?”
Mio pouted, “Meanie.”
“Haha, caught you red-handed.”
“Traitor,” Mio said, jumping in front of me and grabbing my hands.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKpC5RWON6A
“Wha-”
“Your hands aren’t shaking anymore,” She said, looking at my hands as she gently held them.
I didn’t realize it before, but seeing her soft shades of mascara and red lipstick on her soft lips made her look really mature, since I’m always used to her being a brat.
She actually looked sort of... beautiful.
“My hands... were never shaking, you’re seeing things.”
“Ren.” Mio looked up at me with a serious expression.
“Yes?”
“You can’t fool me.”
I looked away embarrassingly, “Thank... you.”
“Good!” She cheerfully raises my hands with hers.
I didn’t even realize when my nervousness left completely.
“Maybe you’re not completely hopeless.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m saying maybe you aren’t just a bratty fridge-raider.”
Mio looks at me as she lets go of my hands, “You’re weird.”
“Takes one to know one.”
“Maybe that’s why...-”
Mio looked away for a second.
“...we’re such good friends.”
I paused, “We’re friends? I thought you were just a lump of trash in my room.”
“HEY.”
~~~ After a few minutes of walking ~~~
“Mio?”
A voice called out from behind us.
We both turned back, seeing a group of three guys approaching us.
I heard a small shriek from Mio, as she takes a couple steps back slowly.
“It is you!” One of the guys says as he stands directly in front of her.
Another guy approaches behind the other, “Wait, is that Haruto’s girlfriend?!”
Mio scratches her cheek, “Ex... girlfriend.”
“Oh-”
The guy in front looked surprised, “You guys broke up?”
“Yeah...”
“Dang, what happened?”
“He cheated...”
“Oh-”
“Yeah...”
Then he shrugged, “Honestly, not surprised.”
“Eh-?”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlmuF2XIJ1
The other two guys laughed.
“I mean, Haruto was always an idiot.”
Mio laughed slightly, “You’re not wrong there.”
The guy then smiled, “Well, if you’re single now...” He said, leaning in as the guys behind him smiled, “You should come hang out with us sometime.”
For some reason, I really didn’t like that.
Maybe it was because they knew Haruto, or maybe because I wasn’t even acknowledged.
Or maybe because-... Actually I didn’t know why.
...
“Are you free right now? We’re about to hit up a bar, it would be great if you could join us... we could have a little bit of fun...”
Before I could think further, my body moved on its own, grabbing Mio’s hand, “We’re going to be late to the party, dear.”
Everyone went silent as I pulled Mio with me, running away.
‘Dear’?
‘Dear’?!?
Why would I say that?!?
I glanced back, seeing Mio with her head down and the guys looking confused in the background.
...
We finally arrived at the entrance to Aoyama’s house.
In the midst of catching our breath, Mio burst out laughing, “What was that?!”
“I panicked.”
“Dear?!”
“I KNOW JUST SHUT UP PLEASE.”
“DEAR!?”
“STOP.”
She laughed even harder.
I had never wanted to dig a hole and curl up inside it more than I did right now.
I looked at the house’s doors, with loud music vibrating the door.
“Shall we go in?” I pointed at the door, knowing all of my dignity had died the moment I said that to begin with.
As I put my hand on the handle, the door swings open revealing Zak holding two beers, “HEYYY!”
“Hii~” Mio waves.
Zak pulls me in while holding out a beer to Mio, “Cheers.” He says, clinking his beer against hers.
Mio walks inside and past me, “Looks like you were left out~”
“Who’d want to be involved in anything with you?”
“BLEHHH!” Mio makes a weird face at me, “Enjoy your non-existent beer in your hand!”
I felt a hand go around my shoulder, “I have some people for you to meet.”
Oh no-. That was the last thought I had before Zak dragged me around the house for an hour, introducing me to the birthday boy Aoyama, Aoyama’s girlfriend, a group of delinquents; Kasai, Takei, and Daila, and reintroducing some old faces like Iori and Naomi.
When I was finally able to catch my breath, I found myself lost in a crowded area.
But the thing that always saved me at most parties was nearby.
The food table. The most reliable escape from large crowds.
Finally, peace, and they had a load of sandwiches, mini cake slices, chips, and dips.
I reached for the serving tongs but another hand reached for them at the exact moment.
Our fingers bumped.
“Ah.”
“Ah-”
I looked to my side.
“Oh-”
“Oh, it’s just you.”
It was Mio.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxMZS8Fel1
“Just? I ‘just’ got a glimpse of freedom and you had to ruin it.”
“And you ruined my snack time.”
I reached for the tongs again, but so did she, bumping into each other again.
But this time, I reached for them but so did she.
“I was here first.”
“I’m the lady, be a gentleman and let me have them.”
“You’re going to take all the food.”
“All your fat is going to go to your height, let me have some while you go on a diet.”
“That is NOT how that works, you idiot.”
We stared at each other, before both bursting into laughter.
I gave her the prongs, “Here’s my apology for earlier.”
“Aww, look at you being a gentleman for once.”
“Heh... I didn’t mean to weird you out with that, sorry.”
“Wait, it wasn-”
A sudden arm wrapped around Mio’s shoulders.
“There you are.”
I watched as a guy stepped around her between us.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Really?” Mio asked.
“Yeah, the seat at the bar was getting cold.”
Mio looked over his shoulder at me, causing him to turn around.
“Ah- Didn’t see you there, my name’s Sho.” He said, holding out his hand.
I started reaching my hand out but he quickly pulled it back and looked back at Mio.
“Come on, let’s go grab a drink and continue our conversation.”
Mio hesitated slightly, then her eyes drifted towards me.
She acknowledged my existence again.
“Oh... You want one too?”
I forced a smile, “Nah, I don’t really like to drink anymore.”
Something flickered across Mio’s expression, a brief look I couldn’t quite understand.
“Oh...”
She then looked away, “Okay.”
Without a beat, he placed his arm around her back and guided her towards the bar.
Sho looked back at me again, “You sure you don’t want one?”
“I’m good, thanks.”
“Suit yourself.”
Sho started escorting Mio towards the bar.
Mio glanced back once, then a second time, then disappeared with Sho into the crowd.
I stood there for a few seconds, holding onto an empty plate, staring at the location where they blended into the crowd.
Maybe food wasn’t the play, I grabbed a drink instead of some soda and walked the other way.
When I turned a corner, a girl’s voice rang out as she collided directly into me, “Ah!”
The plate in her hands tilted, allowing for some dip and chips to land on my shirt.
“Sorry!”
“No, I’m sorry.”
We both paused, then looked at each other, immediately apologizing again.
Then we bent down, picking up the chips scattered on the floor.
The girl had long dark hair tied behind her head.
She looked equally embarrassed, “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“I wasn’t either, don’t worry.”
She accidentally dropped a few more chips onto the floor.
We looked back up at each other and laughed.
“I guess we’re both guilty.” I said.
“That’s probably fair,” She laughed.
Suddenly, another voice appeared, with the feeling of a cold drink spilling all over my head.
...
The girl froze, I froze, and the first girl froze.
“...”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpehZ1DuHD
“...”
“...”
...
The second girl slowly lowered the now-empty cup.
“Um... oops.”
I stared down at my food-covered shirt as the drink dripped from my hair.
Then I looked at her and back down.
“...Oops?”
“Yep.”
The first girl buried her face in her hands, “Oh my gosh.”
For some reason, I wasn’t even mad, the situation was too ridiculous to process.
The second culprit had short black hair with a completely unreadable expression.
She then bowed, deeply, “Sorry.”
The apology came so sudden but delayed that I started laughing.
“It’s okay-”
“No.”
“It really is, don’t worry haha.”
She pointed at my shirt, “I committed a crime.”
That finally broke me, I laughed hysterically.
The first girl laughed too, and even the second girl looked slightly amused.
“Come on.” The first girl stood up, “Let’s find a towel before he becomes the second food table.”
I turned around, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw a familiar red lipstick across the room.
But when I looked again, whoever it was had already disappeared back into the crowd.
Afterwards, the three of us made our way through the house, eventually finding the laundry room.
There were cleaning supplies, boxes, and thankfully, towels.
I used one to dry my head and wipe my shirt as the other two stood nearby, still apologizing.
The first girl bowed, “I’m Sakura.”
The second girl bowed immediately after, “I’m Hana.”
They both looked at me, “Ren.”
Then Hana pointed, “You look less wet now.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, “Thanks.”
Then Sakura laughed too, “I think that’s the nicest thing she’s said all night.”
“It sure seems so,” I added.
“I can be nice sometimes.” Hana said, cheerfully.
For the next twenty minutes, the three of us somehow ended up sitting inside the laundry room talking.
Mostly because none of us wanted to return to the crowded areas.
Plus, Sakura was easy to read.
Every thought appeared directly on her face.
If she was embarrassed, you knew, if she was excited, you could tell, and if she was confused, you definitely would know.
Hana was the complete opposite though, half the time I couldn’t tell if she was joking or serious about most things she said.
But somehow, the friendship we started to make worked because of that.
Eventually our contacts were exchanged and a group chat was created, mostly because Sakura insisted.
“We need a group chat name.” Sakura added.
“What about... Quiet People.” Hana suggested.
I added in, “What about The Three Musketeers.”
Sakura mentioned, “What about the Survivors of the Crowd?”
...
Ten minutes later, the group chat was finally named: Anti-Party Dwellers.
I hated it, but I could feel it growing on me.
Then after some more chats, we returned to the party, the rest of the evening seemed to pass by surprisingly fast.
The birthday song was sung, the main cake was passed around, and people sang random songs through a karaoke machine someone brought out.
I had some genuine fun, and made friends with people that weren’t there just because I was introduced through a friend.
~~~
The party ended around midnight, with Zak standing near the entrance saying goodbye to everyone.
“Thanks for coming!”
Eventually it was just me and Mio walking through the quiet streets.
She stumbled slightly as we walked through the calm city.
Most of the traffic was gone and only a few dim streetlights remained.
“How was the party?” I asked.
Mio immediately looked at me, “It was okay,” She responded, rolling her eyes.
“How was the time with Sho?”
...
“He’s funny.”
“Oh?”
“Very talkative.”
I felt a small twist inside my chest, not enough to hurt or matter, but just enough to notice it.
“Ah, that’s cool.”
...
The conversation became dry.
“So.”
“Hm?”
“Are you staying over again?”
...
She looked at me like I had asked something stupid.
“Where else would I go?”
“Home?”
“Beep. Wrong.”
...
She stretched her arms, “I’m too lazy, plus, you wouldn’t make a pretty girl walk home by herself this late at night.”
“Maybe.”
My phone vibrated.
I pulled it out as we walked.
The group chat from earlier had become active, ‘Anti-Party Dwellers’.
Sakura: Had fun tonight!!
Hana: Sorry about your shirt Ren.
Sakura: HE SAID IT’S FINE
Hana: I committed a crime.
Sakura: LOL IT’S OKAY
Ren: I had fun too, and it’s okay LOL
Almost immediately, both girls messaged me separately.
Sakura apologized again through 6 messages, while Hana apologized with three words, “I am sorry.”
I found myself smiling while typing messages.
Suddenly, a warm breath brushed against my ear.
“What are you doing... dear?”
I jumped sideways as I covered my ear.
“What was THAT?!”
Mio looked at me with a teasing expression.
“You called me ‘dear’ first.”
“THAT WAS DIFFERENT. YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK.”
“How?”
“YOU WERE IN A PICKLE.”
She laughed.
I bowed slightly, “Sorry.”
The laughter slowly faded.
“...It’s okay.”
I resumed walking, still texting and recovering from the psychological warfare.
“...Thank y-...”
She whispered something.
“...saved me...”
I looked back at her, “What’d you say?”
“Nothing.”
She sounded disappointed for some reason and I couldn’t figure out why.
The rest of the walk home passed quietly.
Even after the conversation in the group chat ended, the smile on my face remained, but not from the new friends I made.
We walked inside my apartment, she took off her makeup as I got ready for bed.
After laying in bed, my phone started blowing up. It was the group chat.
Hana and Sakura were discussing meeting up again, and were inviting me to join them.
“What are you giggling about?” Mio asked, walking into the room.
“I made some new friends, and we’re planning another hangout.”
“Oh cool, are they one of the friends Zak introduced you to?”
“Nah, they’re some girls I met at the party.”
“Oh... is that so.”
“They’re pretty funny actually.”
“Did Zak also introduce you to some people?”
“No, he didn’t talk to me after we first arrived.”
...
“Then how did you know he dragged me around?”
“I’m going to bed, goodnight Ren.”
Mio turned off the light and laid in the futon, looking away from me.
“Goodnight,” I said, texting on my phone as the night went on.
Before I realized, it was nearly 4 am.
Me, Hana, and Sakura spent the last few hours chatting about many things, which led to us finding out we all had many things in common, like our disdain for horror movies, and liking to cook our favorite dishes.
I turned over in bed, facing towards Mio.
I glanced at her, but I had to look away, as the memory of Sho kept popping up.
“Ugh,” I turned back over.
I closed my eyes.
Yet every time I did, I kept seeing the same thing.
Mio grabbing my hands.
The guys approaching Mio.
Mio looking back as Sho led her away.
...
“What a pain,” I mumbled.
I pulled the blanket over my head.
Sleep never came easily that night despite the earlier events.
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and then Add to home screen.