Connect

29: Somebody From the Streets

"Oh, God, I must've worried Len. He's angry, isn't he?"

"No, he's not," I patted Rin's arm. We were standing in the middle of the field, where Kaito had spotted Rin. After heading down, I had ran up to them. They were no longer hugging. Just talking.

"He's just worried," I said with a small smile. She hugged me suddenly, very tightly.

"I texted him, saying that we found you," Kaito said, pocketing his phone. Rin let go of me and nodded.

"I lost my phone," she said slowly. "It's stupid, really. I'm so sorry, Gumi, Kaito..."

"Don't be sorry!" Kaito and I happened to say this at the same time. We glanced at each other.

"I was feeling kind of...well, crappy," Rin laughed a little at the end of her sentence. She scuffed her shoes against each other. "Stupid things, selfish me. Skipped last class and got onto a bus. Started roaming around the city. Aimlessly, really. Somewhere along the line, I lost my phone. Didn't really care, though. I was..." Her voice started to crack. "I was...it's just...why does everyone have to fight? I was pissed. Pissed at my parents. L-Like I said, stupid. I know. I'm fucking stupid and I can't help it, I..."

"Rin, stop," Kaito grabbed her forearms. "Don't talk like that."

"I worried you," she whispered, crying, looking into his eyes and then into mine. "And you, and poor Len, and Miku...he probably took it out on you, didn't he, Kaito? He thought you did something to me or..."

"No, he didn't," Kaito was firm. I nodded in agreement.

"He just wanted to find you," I said. "So let's get going. Let's go home, alright?"

She wiped her eyes and we started to walk along. Her boyfriend took her hand in his and she leaned against him as we walked. I didn't let it bother me. Actually, I smiled a bit; she had someone to lean on, both literally and figuratively. I was glad that he had found her first, that he had called out to her before I did. I had faith that he was just the sort of person she needed to make it through the divorce.

Len and Miku were standing outside the twins' home when we got there. Len's eyes just about lit up at the sight of his sister. He took a step forward and she let her hand slip out of Kaito's, running up to her brother and throwing herself at him, hugging him.

"I was scared," Len whispered, holding her tight. Miku clung to his arm. It looked kind of funny, seeing two girls clinging to Len, even though one was his sister.

"I'm really sorry, Len, I...I got some sense knocked into me," Rin said. She looked at us. "I came back to the school because I talked it out. And then you found me...Kaito, Gumi."

"I'm just...I'm happy that you're safe, Rin," I smiled, feeling a burst of warmth in my chest. She smiled back, so pretty. A perfect match with Kaito.

They do look very nice together, really.