This Is Not a Tragedy

6 | Fathers Suck

"You'll be late for class, so tell me quickly."

"Ah, it's okay," he whispers, shaking his head. "I-I have Music next."

I'm not sure how having Music makes it okay to be late to class, but whatever.

"Um..." He looks at his shoes. "I have clean up duty after school so... But... it won't take me very long... S-so..."

"I got it. I'll wait."

His head snaps up with wide eyes. "R-really?"

"Mhm." If you're going to be that surprised, why even ask?

When his mouth forms into the biggest grin, I'm completely taken off guard. He gasps and covers his mouth with his hands.

Why is he so happy? "But..."

Mouth still covered, he looks at me, the joy in his eyes fading.

"Why didn't you just tell me at lunch?" Hiramoto gasps again as if he hadn't realized. I roll my eyes, honestly a bit amused. "Uh... Go to class. Don't be late," I tell him, walking back towards my classroom.

"Yes!" he complies enthusiastically, then his footsteps patter down the stairs.

When I enter the classroom, the girls are now crowded around one of their desks, near the door. "So he does have friends," one mutters—mutters but intentionally makes it so I can hear.

"Maybe they're related," her friend offers.

"That has to be it," another agrees.

I sit down at my desk as they continue. "Wasn't that boy a little strange?"

The first girl gives a sarcastic laugh. "Ha, then they're a great fit."

I can't stand the kind of gossip that goes on literally behind someone's back. My response to Mori yesterday has garnered me hate from a lot of his friends. I don't care, but this is the first time I've experienced such widespread hostility. After watching my peers interact with one another for years, I've seen the pettiness of people. I don't need them. I don't need anyone.

***

Staring at the ground, I wait for Hiramoto at the front gate. All the voices around me are friendly—people telling their classmates and friends that they'll see them tomorrow, then splitting up—occasionally alone but mostly in pairs or groups.

I look up just in time to see Hiramoto jogging towards me. The light in his eyes is so pure that, for some reason, I feel guilty.

When he's a couple of feet away, I begin to walk down the sidewalk, towards the station. As always, he follows. What's different today is that he speeds up his pace to walk beside me.

"I-I want to show you something. I-is it okay?" he asks with an air of excitement.

"Uh-huh."

He pulls his sketchbook out of his bag and flips through some pages. With two hands, he holds it out to me. I take it and look at the sketch. It's the cherry blossom tree—wood grain detailed, its branches spread out, splitting into others and then into twigs. The amount of detail is impressive. But those branches are bare. All the petals are on the ground. Instead, on the tree branches are black birds. I flip the page and find the same thing, but with more birds and the petals have turned into feathers. Another page and the birds are so concentrated that the tree is full, branches covered in black. I never really understood art, but this is kind of dark, right? When I start to flip to the next page, I see red and quickly close it.

"Um... It's interesting. You draw well," I say, handing it back to him. How can someone so innocent draw something so morbid?

At the compliment, he grins and lets out a short giggle. "Oh!" His hand shoots over his mouth.