Adventures of a Broken Heart [Old Version]

02: My Friend

Remember Info-chan? The girl who blackmails girls, sells panty shots to boys, hack people, and provided service to a psychotic little teenager?

You'd expect messy hair, thick glasses, and a nerd look to them.

That's exactly what Ayano sees when a new student came in front of the class. She at first looks extremely bored and uninterested in all the fake shit the teacher is saying about her—

"Could you introduce yourself?"

She smiles when her red, gleaming eyes land on Ayano. "I'm Rin Akari."

And of course, the teacher would ask her to sit down conveniently right behind Ayano.

She's watching my every move...she's watching my every move...she's watching my every move... is all Ayano could think of for the rest of the class until they're dismissed for lunch.

"Hey, there," the red-haired girl now known as Rin wraps her arms around Ayano's neck. "Excited to see me?"

"Not really," is Ayano's immediate reply.

She finds herself buying just two bags of chips and orange juice, and then walking outside with the new girl while eating.

"So, how's your love life?"

Ayano groans. "Shut up," she snaps before grabbing the chips away, only to find it completely empty. "Really?"

Rin snatches it back. "I'll throw this away real quick."

She turns around the corner, passing by the male delinquents, and throws the back in the trash can beside the incinerator.

"Are you looking for trouble?"

Rin rolls her eyes. "No. I'm just here to throw a bag of chips away, thanks."

"Cone here, you little shit," one of them growls and is about to attack the unfazed Rin, but Ayano appears around the corner just in time.

The delinquent slowly lowers his weapon. "You're her friend?"

Ayano feels as if she's achieved coolness by making him lower his weapon just by existing. "Yes. She's a sassy little diva, but ya know, I gotta show her around." she lies and pushes Rin along.

Coming from the opposite side of the wall, a tall guy appears out of nowhere.

How'd he hide there without me noticing? Rin wonders.

He pulls out a cigarette, and sighs the smoke out. He turns to the delinquents and it seems as if they're asking them questions about the two girls, but Rin and Ayano are already way out of hearing-shot.

The guy's piercing glare lands onto Ayano, but it seems like that's just the way he looks. His turns away his face of curiosity and focuses on smoking again.

"Is that even allowed?"

"If the teachers don't see it, yes," Ayano chuckles.

"Ayano-chan, hey there!"

Rin turns around first before even Ayano can, and immediately regrets it when she starts choking on her orange juice.

She did not expect a half-naked boy proudly showing his rippling abs, just standing and grinning down at Ayano.

The girls walk up the stairs just to say hello.

"Strange, I never see you around anymore, do I?" he laughs. "Have you been busy?"

"Yup," Ayano laughs along, but if only Aso looked and listened closely, he'd hear the slight nervousness.

"With what?"

"Um...stuff."

"Oh. Okay," he doesn't seem to feel suspicion coming from Ayano. "I heard you recently started hanging around those delinquents." he looks at them far into the distance, all gathered together. "Are they threatening you?"

"Nope, not at all," Ayano replies. "They're actually pretty friendly."

"Hm..." he looks at them once again. "Doesn't seem like it to me."

"Welp, you should never judge a book by its cover," the words that escape Ayano's lips almost seems to fit her perfectly as well.

Wow. Maybe they did.

"Hey, there," Aso finally acknowledges the girl standing beside his childhood friend. "What's your name?"

"Rin Akari..." she mumbles.

"Hey," he smiles, and waits until a few seconds of silence to talk again. "So, I better get back to practicing. It was nice talking to you again, I really missed you." he bites his lip. "I mean, like...a-as in I missed talking to you since we don't talk anymore. Ha-ha..." he trails off. "Okay...see you around, Ayano-chan."

They walk off, back to the direction of the school.

"So you also have been ignoring friends...all because of Taro."

Ayano frowns.

"Have you also been ignoring Osano?"

Ayano widens her eyes when she remembers the text she sent on Friday.

Osano💞🖕:
Hey

—

"Good job, you said hey, and when he texted back, you ignored him," Rin sarcastically says. Ayano gives her a menacing glare. "But hey, on the bright side, you still texted him." Ayano looks back at her phone, hesitating to even type anything. "After 8 weeks."

Ayano pushes her away before texting Osano again.

Me:
Where are you?

The reply comes in almost less than 20 seconds.

Osano💞🖕:
Where I always am at lunch

"Welp, looks like you've got a date to go to!" Rin teases and pushes her back into the building. "I'll just play games out in the courtyard. Nobody's there during lunch anyway." she winks at her before leaving.

Ayano goes up to the rooftop and sees no one but Osano— and Midori getting distracted by her phone.

"Hey," Ayano tries to smile at the lonely Osano. "How're you?"

"Fine."

"I don't know why I suddenly started shutting you out," Ayano goes straight to the point.

"It's fine."

"Is it really?"

Osano pouts and looks down. Ayano flips her head and looks up at Osano's eyes. "Is it really fine, Osano?"

Osano can't help but laugh at Ayano's desperate attempt to apologize without saying sorry. He knows Ayano hated saying sorry, but he knows she really is.

"You're lucky you're cute," he squeezes her cheek and pulls back up.

Osano forgave her.

He called her cute too.

Ayano can't help but feel a little bit of heat rise up to her cheeks. I'm...cute?

— End of Chapter 1 —