After Story: Compassion

Chapter Fifteen: A Break in the Action

I watched, somewhat amused, as Ashton's smile grew broader and broader as I told him about my 'date' with Ryou. "...and after that, I walked her home. " I finished. "We were both pretty tired by then, so we didn't talk much on the way."

He simply sat there, smile in place, nodding slowly...

The next thing I knew, I was in a headlock. "All right, Okazaki!" he yelled, laughing maniacally. "You got her to open up! Yes! Yes! YES!!" Out of the corner of my eye I could see him pumping his fist.

"Hey, leggo!" I protested, though part of me liked being in the headlock for some weird reason. "This is-"

I felt myself released and fixed my collar as he plopped down onto the park bench we were sharing. "Sorry; just got a little worked up," he said.

"Yeah, I get that," I replied. "It seems like you're more excited about it than I was."

"Why wouldn't I?" He waved his hands around with a goofy smile. "We saw some real progress, some real growth!"

"Well yeah...I guess," I said. "What I mean is; why are you so excited? It's not like you get anything out of this."

"Who says I don't?" he countered. "If even one person gets one step closer to seeing her own value..." He threw his hands up, letting them fall back into his lap. "It's all worth it."

"But it's not like you want to date her."

"Oh...I see." He studied me for a minute. "I think I get what you're asking now, but...I'd have to go all Christian on you to answer."

Part of me was curious what he would say, but... "Maybe another time."

"Sure," he replied smoothly. "So...what are your plans now?"

"Well, I'm helping with the set-up for the festival next weekend, so I don't think I'll be...what was the word...? Pursuing!" I snapped my fingers. "I won't be 'pursuing' her next weekend."

"Nothing stopping you from talking to her at school, is there?"

"Just my nerves," I admitted. "Oh, yeah...I wonder if she's still going to help with the set-up, too."

"Huh?"

I licked my lips. "We both said that we would help the Student Council president with the festival setup, but that was before she dumped me." Interesting; it didn't hurt as much to mention the break up. "Now...I'm not so sure if she'll be there. She'd have to get time off from her nursing job, anyway."

"Well, her actions are outside your control," he said. "What you can do, however, is think about what you could say to her or talk to her about if she does decide to show up."

"That's true... It's kinda funny," I chuckled, "thinking about all the stuff that I've worried about that I couldn't control."

"It's about learning where your boundaries are," he remarked. "We all have to go through that at some point. Kids can end up bouncing off each other for years until they figure it out, and even some adults end up having to deal with them."

"Really? I thought grown-ups had it all figured out."

He shook his head. "I've found that if one doesn't commit to maturing, then a so-called 'adult' can be nothing more than a really big toddler."

I scoffed. "You serious?"

He nodded solemnly. "I've had to counsel those types; I think you'd be surprised to hear some of the arguments they'll make. Anyway..." He stretched his arms over his head. "...this has been interesting, but we have some work to do, don't we?"