Author's Note
Enjoy! I'm going to try and update more often, to actually finish off this story to work on a new one.
Thank you for still reading!
Your POV
You've pulled yourself back into the expensive hotel. Fingers pressed over your eyelids while you're hunched into some corner.
Gods... why is this happening?
You look back up, numerous amounts of people are walking past you, entering into different walls of the building. Some walk up the gold railed stairs, some travel through the elevator, and some go outside the sliding door.
It's going to be noon pretty soon, and you want to have some time before you have to do your poker games.
Terushima was just a one time thing.
No need to remember.
"Y/n! Kaori's not texting me baaaccckk!" The boy whines. Legs swinging erratically off the cushions of your couch.
You're sat at the table, studying work your teacher has assigned as homework.
"You shouldn't be bothering her. Kaori is a top student, she's probably studying very hard right now." You grit your teeth, a bitter edge coming into your voice.
Of course that was unnoticeable to Yuuji.
"Focus on your own homework. Ms. Hina isn't going to be happy if you skip again."
"But Y/nnnnnnnnnn," He whines, curling up onto the cushion, knees to his chest.
"Kaori is so cool! And homework is so BORING!" His voice booms at the end, huffing out dramatically as he leans himself back into your shoulder. Slumping against you.
"Plus I have you to do it for me."
Dark fluffy head of hair presses into your neck, Yuuji lazily leaning into your shoulder, causing you to be unable to write because of the pressure.
"Not anymore." You spit. "Get off me," with a scowl, your other hand goes up to pinch at his ear.
"Ow—ow—" His face scrunches, eyes squinting and cheeks convulsing.
"Maybe Kaori would like you more if you did your work." You release his ear once he's scrawled his way back to the other side of the couch. The boy rubbing his hair with the palm of his hand to release the tension.
He pouts. Lips turning downwards. "But I don't want to..."
"You want the girl but don't want to put in any effort?" Your eyebrows raise. "Kaori doesn't even like you. She's too good for you."
That's when Yuuji's expression turns sour. Eyes darkening and an unimpressed frown forms on his face.
"When I get a boyfriend, I'll make sure to put in my full effort. Unlike you!" You spit out bitterly. He just couldn't see you, at all. You've been here for him the whole time. You guys have been best friends since the beginning of second year.
"Yeah right!" He bickers back. "Like anyone will ever love you. You won't even get a boyfriend in high school!"
It stings.
"You don't mean that Yuuji..." You pause. Looking at him, praying it not be true. Cause at least he loved you, wether it be friend or lover.
His eyes soften, eyebrow tension lessening and his lips shake.
"I'm sorry." He whispers. "I really like Kaori... and I know she's too good for me." Yuuji is looking down, fiddling with his feet that are pressed together and wiggling his toes.
Is that why you don't like me...?
Because I hang out with you, does that mean I'm the same level as you then?
"But I really like her, I know you helped me get her number but I want to spend more time with her, too." He adds shyly, still focusing on his feet.
"Will this make you..." ...will this make you appreciate me..?
"What?" His face twists in confusion.
"Nothing,"
"Y/n, help me pleaseeeee." He begs, pleadingly, looking at you like a puppy.
You retract back, a million thoughts going in your mind. Would Yuuji still care for you if he had someone else? Would Yuuji maybe appreciate you after this? Would he be more inclined to spend time with you without you coming to him?
You knew be wouldn't but you couldn't deny your best friend... or who you think to be your best friend.
"I'll help you."
"Yes!" He bounces off the couch, a fist in the air in victory.
This behavior only kept going.
Terushima doesn't really... like you.
I mean, you guys were just kids who knew each other for a long time.
You guys hung out by chance, whenever convenient for the both of you... him more so than you because you wanted to spend them with him.
You wanted a friend. Just wanted to be fucking loved. Is that so hard...?
Currently, you're sitting on a posh leather couch in the living room. Waiting for... life to come along. You have your next match in thirty minutes, but too tired to move. Too busy being emo.
Contemplating the past.
Thinking about the hardships you faced in life.
You have to get up anyway. The past is over, nothing you can do. You're in a better place, you probably have more money than Terushima and Kaori combined.
But that doesn't matter when—ugh, your happiness used to be banked on Terushima.
For a few weeks, you two stuck around Kaori. To which she attached onto you and Yuuji quickly, warm and bubbly. The life of the party.
You hesitated in doing so. Helping Yuuji get closer to Kaori.
But in doing so, the effects weren't so... ideal. In fact they were the opposite of what you wanted.
Including someone new in your group... just caused things to go downhill.
Kaori would walk home with you guys... as she lived in the same direction as you both did. When she parted ways on the walk halfway back home, the conversation between you and Yuuji would die down... get dryer.
It was clear... he stopped trying to stay friends with you.
He stopped answering your calls. Stopped answering your text messages. He always gave you a little wave when he saw you but didn't try to further care for you more than he would with a stranger.
You guys didn't share food anymore like you usually did during lunch. He stopped even trying to invite you to lunch, and his friends would just cast confused gazes between the two of you before not even bothering to take another glance at you.
Yes, something had changed. It's what you knew what all along, what you were most hesitant for.
Kaori.
But he could have still stayed friends with you while also being friends—maybe even closer than that—with Kaori. So what changed? Why throw you away?
Did being friends all these years mean nothing? Too afraid to say anything... for fear that, possibly what you feared most would be true.
So you let it continue... in hopes that maybe he would realize and maybe... maybe those little events during class kept you going.
The times where he would do more than wave at you, and even come in to pull you into a side hug while ruffling your hair.
The words he would say, "She's my best girl friend."—you know what he meant by girl friend—you are his bestest friend. The one whose known him since childhood. Nobody here at your middle school could compare to how close you guys were.
You both were so close that rumors about you guys dating had started and you couldn't help feeling a teeny bit giddy and proud about it. It just went to show how close you both were.
It warmed your heart. Having a friendship you believed would last the rest of your lifetime.
And when you both would walk home, your talks going on for so long that one of you would end up staying at one of your houses. Depending on whose parents were home to cook dinner.
Over the years... your heart gave out to the other. His mischievous little boyish smile, and his innately caring nature had softened through to your introverted little heart.
The fact that he was smart and skilled was a plus.
Even throughout the months where he didn't notice how you've fallen for him. Didn't matter much to you, as long as you guys were friends that all that mattered.
But... so much had changed.
Kaori came in, during late middle school. Yuuji had stopped making time for you. Then of course the lost of one of your most trusted, and significant pillars of your social circle had left your life.
Life just had to add, piling more self depreciation into your life.
Rumors in the school going on where Yuuji fell in love with Kaori. And your classmates going around, whispering about how you and Yuuji didn't spend time anymore.
How Yuuji has a new girl in his life.
How the rumors that you guys were dating died down.
Now you're away from them.
You're sat by the window while he was sat all the way across the room by the doors... with Kaori right beside him. Truly such a shame that you were now locked far, far away from them.
But you had lunch, and free time to spend with them... sure... not so likely.
Kaori and Yuuji spent lunch together, with his friends and a few of her friends. Their own posse.
Why weren't you there with them? Stupid, stupid girl.