WildFire

26

Lie or don't lie.

You weren't sure. You weren't sure what would be a lie in this scenario. You didn't understand why he might've been mad. Your eyes widened as a possibility came to you. Was it because of your rude argument with him earlier–did he think you were jealous? Did he think you liked him?

"I-I, what?"

Dumb answer. 

Stupid [Name]. That exaggerated high pitch at the end didn't seem believable, and your face was probably not helping you pull off the 'I'm totally innocent and don't know what you're talking about' persona. But to be fair, you really weren't sure why he thought you were mad.

"Why were you avoiding me this morning?" he asked, his eyes staring down at you with such intensity, you thought perhaps your head would burst like a water balloon.

That might've been better than answering the though. A little wave of relief made you relax, safe in the knowledge that he didn't realize your petty jealousy. Then, you processed the rest of that question.

No way. 

Before the day before, you hadn't even seen eachother in the hallways, much less talk. How did he come to the conclusion that you were avoiding him–not just, you don't know, going to class as usual. 

He was right, of course, that you were going out of your way to subconsciously steer clear of him after that hug.

You didn't know what to do at that moment. 

A small part of you just didn't know what to do after being shown so much love from Kunimi. It made you feel like you were going on the worst roller coaster of life. One that didn't have any safety features and looped upside down. That kind of roller coaster.

"I've been avoiding you?" you tilted your head to feign innocence. "What?"

"[Name]," Kunimi sounded tired, as you slowly edged away like a coward. He gripped your arm in a deathly grip, and you gulped in anticipation. He stared down at you, then let go, mumbling, "Can you please tell me if I did something wrong?"

There it was again. A vulnerable side of Kunimi that you were afraid to see. You could play and laugh at a cat all day long as long as it hissed and batted you away, but when that cat finally rolled onto its back–showing you it's exposed underbelly–you weren't exactly sure of what to do next.

Should you pet the kitty's belly, and risk the dismemberment of your arm? Or should you walk away and risk never seeing such a vulnerable side of the cat again?

"Argh," you pressed your hands over your face, letting out a frustrated noise. The darkness that suddenly enclosed around you was comforting, but you could still hear the students walking and shouting, and you could still feel the warmth of Kunimi standing right in front of you. "You didn't do anything wrong! I'm the wrong one–I can't figure it out!"

Kunimi seemed surprised by the outburst. And so did you.

"What can't you figure out?" Kunimi pressed.

You turned red, though this blush might've really been from fury. Fury at yourself. "I–I," you spluttered, stumbling back a few steps until your back hit a locker painfully.

"You...?" Kunimi echoed, waiting in anticipation.

The halls were beginning to tilt sideways. What was gravity doing? Why were there three Kunimis staring down at you? Everything seemed to whirl together, edges blurring reality from imagination.

"I–I don't know!" you shouted, clutching your head. A few students shot you glares as you shuffled back, towards your classroom. Your eyes darted around, landing on your classroom's wooden plaque. You repeat yourself again, this time more of a whimper than a shout, "I don't know."

Kunimi seemed hurt as he reached out for your hand again.

You flinched away, shooting him one last look before you mumbled, "I–I have to get to class."

You couldn't even force out the last words you desperately needed–you were so, so confused. You just ran away, tripping over your feet as you hurried to your classroom as the final bell chimed through the halls. You couldn't even say what you needed to say:

I'm sorry.