SPRING ~ Her Spectacles

Boredom might as well kill me! The teacher did not enter the class, attending an important meeting, or that was what she told us. Most of my classmates were having chatters in groups, or talking so loudly with their cell phones, some were sleeping, making funny snoring noises while others, revising. Among these so-called bookworms, one caught my eyes. It was a girl, reading attentively, once in a while, she would check for words in a big, thick dictionary beside her. Then there came a silly idea.

Stealthily, I crept to her seat, reached for her spectacles on the table and held it high. I threw it simultaneously between my hands, cheering; more and more eyes were focusing on me now.

“Look at this! Old spectacles!” I shouted. “No, no! They’re ancient! ANCIENT!”

It all happened in a blink of an eye, the spectacles slipped through my fingers, accelerated as being pulled by gravity and…

PANG.

Fragments were shattered all over the floor and there was a dead silence, just before it turned into whisperings, murmurings. I had just transferred to this school for one week and had already doomed myself. Quickly, though it was futile, I struggled to collect the fragments.

“Em…mmm…I’m sorry…I meant it as a joke!” I explained, trying to make silly expressions to prove my sincerity.

It was also the first time that I really saw her face. Her black hair was so long that it almost covered the left side of her face, leaving only the right side visible. The eye was small just like a Japanese, her cheeks were surprisingly pale and her lips were as white as snow. First sight of her face made me think that she was a ghost.

“Go away.” she responded briefly.

“Well…If you say so.” though, it took me a few minutes before I could really say that.

When the school ended, I tried to follow her. From an average distance, I could see that she was slowly pushing her bicycle out of the school. Without her spectacles, she might not be able to ride on it, or I thought so. It was all fine until I sensed some three people approach her. One of them kicked her bicycle aside, while the other two approach her closer and closer. My instinct told me to help her however, my cowardice kept pulling me behind. My knuckles were shaking badly, eyes shut tightly.

“Help her.”

“Don’t help her.”

“HELP HER.”

“DON’T HELP HER.”

“HERE GOES NOTHING!!!” I shouted and the next thing I knew---I was charging towards them.

BONG.

One out of three was down, I knocked him unconscious. Realizing this, the other two took out baseball bats, preparing their blow. Now, I was really doomed, my trembling arms covering my head, mumbling words, asking for His help. Doomed, doomed! So long, Dad, Mom!

The strange thing was they did not hit me, instead I heard them scream and something fell heavily on the ground. There was a figure in front of me, with right leg still high in the midair while the two men, lying solid on the ground. It was the girl I had been following! She took down two men by herself! Balancing her stance, she went to get her bicycle and just the moment I thought she would leave me unnoticed, she turned to face me.

“Come.”

I would never follow a stranger but this was different. I did like she said, perhaps my body was moving by its own will. We took a few turns and arrived at a place which I had never been before. I stood frozen as it was my first time coming to such place, where sunflowers were blooming mightily. Their golden orange buds awed me, their scent, wonderful than anything else I had smelled. We went deeper into the garden and when we finally stopped. She turned, facing me.

“You’re alone, aren’t you?” she asked, her face still emotionless as ever.

“Huh?”

“The thing you did this morning. My spectacles. You were trying to get attention, did you not?”

It stroke me right into my heart. She was right. My parents were successful businessmen; they were so busy that they couldn’t take care of me. I had to transfer to this new school so that I could live with Grandma, the only person who would care about me. I did have friends here, and yes, she was right. Attention. That was what I wanted.

“A man should never be afraid to admit his weakness.”

“WHAT DO YOU KNOW?! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME!! MY PARENTS DON’T EVEN CARE ABOUT ME! MY EXISTENCE! THEIR VERY OWN CHILD!! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT BEING ALONE!!” I screamed all-out, heart was burning.

“I do.”

She moved aside to reveal two stones built side by side. Flowers were growing at every possible edge of the stones.

LOVED FATHER TAKESHI KITO (1960-2005)

LOVED MOTHER MATSUURA KITO (1963-2005)

These words were carved on the stones. No words could possibly come out from my mouth. My emotions were all mixed up.

“Accident. They were picking me up at school. A truck went astray and crashed them. Right in front of me. You see, I’m alone as well.”

Then she must have been suffering throughout the years, I thought. What a fool of me to shout at her just now.

“I…I am…I’m sorry.”

She did not answer me, but her face seemed to be paler than before.

“H…Hey,” I embraced myself, fighting with my cowardice again. “You have any admirers?”

“No.”

“Hahahaha…” I laughed until my tears came out. “Then can I be the first? Do I have to fill any forms? Or take any numbers? O’, sweet lady, please answer me!”

During that moment, her face was not pale anymore, it turned red, blushing I supposed. Her eyes were moving up and down, she dared not to look at me. Her lips seemed to be speaking but no words could be heard.

“Very well then, silence means a “yes”. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kite.” I said, placing my left arm behind, right arm in position of shaking her hand.

Though hesitated, she still took up her hand, thus we shook hands.

“I am Ayaa Kito.”

“My pleasure meeting you.”

Days after that day would never be the same anymore.

by-sacredsword P.S. finally a new story..T_T