"Do you remember me now, Y/N?"
Old memories flood your mind. Sora Matsuki...
Was your only crush.
He was the only one that helped you cope with your parents' divorce. But, he is a also reason why you didn't believe in love. You were only twelve years old.
Flashback...
"Y/N? Why are you crying?" your best friend asked as you sat alone in the park.
"My parents are getting a divorce..." you manage to say, but it broke your heart even more.
Sora sat beside you and hugged you softly, "I've known your family for so long, I'm sure your parents will talk it out."
You plant your face in the crook of his neck and sob harder, "They haven't spoken to each other in a week, Sora! It's over for us!"
You stop your crying temporarily when you hear a sniffle that isn't yours.
"Please don't cry, Y/N."
You look up at him, and his eyes are clouded with tears.
"You're making me cry," he says as he wipes his own tears with a smile.
Smiling while crying... was interesting. It showed that he was strong enough to deal with his emotions.
Tears still stream down your face silently as your best friend wipes them away.
A month after the divorce...
Sora was the only person keeping you from running away. He cared for you so much, and it really showed. At the time, you believed that there was still a little bit of hope that love does exist in the world.
That was... until he had to leave you.
"Y/N," he says, "My parents are making me move to Europe for a while. I'm so sorry."
Piece by piece, your world was shattering and slipping away.
You start to cry, and he comforts you saying, "I'm so sorry, I have no choice. I'll come back here for you soon, okay?"
"You'll forget about me..." you reply.
He shakes his head and holds your head with both of his hands to make you look at him, "I won't forget you. I'll be back when I can, okay?"
You nod slowly as he walks off. And from the same exact path Sora took to walk home, you noticed a trail of tears.
Present...
"Don't tell me you actually know this guy, Y/N," Jotaro butts in.
"I could really say the same for you," Sora retorts and glares at him.
A single tear falls down from your right eye. You couldn't tell if it was from joy or pain.
"I do..." you say, "I remember you."
Sora reaches out to wipe your tears once again. A familiar memory pops up: a hand coming towards your face with a gentle smile. It's abruptly stopped because Jotaro grabbed him.
You grabbed Jotaro's arm and moved it away from Sora with a glare. You hug your old best friend tight, but school had started.
"Sora, you should get to school. You're late," you scold him.
"I know, but I just needed to see you. Go inside, I'll see you after school and we'll catch up, okay?" he replies.
You nod and rush into the school, waving goodbye.
Jotaro observed with a scowl. How are you letting a guy who you haven't seen in almost 6 years back into your life so easily? He's been waiting for you while you were waiting for someone else!
Throughout the day, everybody spoke about you and Sora.
"Did you see Y/N with that cutie from Kaisei? Jotaro definitely has some competition now!"
"They go way back, no way Jotaro will beat him!"
"Isn't he so handsome! He looks like a dream!"
You were lost in your thoughts as conversation broke out in class. Sora is back, but you're two totally different people now. Jotaro has been waiting for you for a very long time, and you can't allow Sora to break through your shield! You'll tell both of them that you're only interested in being friends.
~~~
At the train station...
You made it early to your train and you had 10 minutes before it came. Hmmm... a snack sure does sound nice.
You look to your right and see the same sea green eyes piercing your own. He was extremely close, clearly distraught.
"You think I only like you for your looks, right?" he asks.
You shrug, "You don't know me and you always asked me out of the blue in junior high, so probably."
He sighs heavily, "You never even gave me the chance to get to know you. If you're gonna have a crush on Matsuki, then you have to weigh it out fairly."
You turn to him, angry, "You don't know a thing about what happened with me and him, okay? So I'll tell you. Sora is... another reason why I don't believe in love. He left me in my time of dire need, but I know it wasn't his fault... I was just young and heartbroken and I let it get the best of me. He's back and I don't know how to feel. So just... drop it, okay? You don't know me like he does."
"No, you're wrong, You don't know me. How could he forget your extreme seasonal allergies? Y/N, you don't even know why I have a crush on you. You're pretty and all... but that's not what I'm after," he responds.
"What is it then? A bet to see who can break my heart of stone?" you argue.
"No, Y/N! Listen to me... On the first few days of junior high, you know I was short. Weak. Biracial. I did find you gorgeous at first, but I've always seen how kind you were. You never got mad at our annoying classmates, except for one time. The one time you ever got mad at someone was not because they offended you, but because they were picking on me."
Flashback...
"Ow!" Jotaro whines.
"You want another one? Beat it, this is my seat next to Y/N," your classmate says.
"B-But I got here first! How is it your seat?" Jotaro argues.
PUNCH!
"Enough!" you yell, "Kaito, leave him alone! He was here first. Don't be a jerk!"
You shot a deathly glare at your classmate who then scurried off to the back of the classroom.
You walked over to Jotaro, asking, "Are you alright? Let's go to the nurse's office."
You shoot him a sweet smile as he looks at you in awe.
Present...
"And how do I know about your allergy? You grow them in your front garden, but you never walk near them without a mask," Jotaro continues.
"Oh wow... I forgot about that day. I'm sorry Jotaro, and if you'll allow me... I think we would be good friends," you stare at the ground with shame.
You look up at him, but this time, the glimmer of hope is in your eyes, not his. He smiles and nods.
The train comes, and you two get in, sitting beside each other on a sideways row of seats. A few stops later, you see Sora enter. His face lights up he sees you, but you see his glare toward Jotaro immediately.
He sits down beside you, leaving you sandwiched between the two boys.
"Hey, Y/N! I didn't catch your number, so could you put it in my phone?" he asks.
You agree and give him your number as Jotaro looks away.
"Anyways," Sora says, "We haven't seen each other in forever, so how about we catch up over dinner tonight?"
You smile at him, "It sure has been a while, so let's eat! Your treat."
He laughs, "Of course it's my treat, I'm the one asking you on a date!"
You pause, "A-a date?!"
He raises his eyebrow, "Well, what did you think it was?"
You frown, "If it's a date, then I can't. Sorry, but you should know very well why I'm doing this."
He nods, "No problem, we'll just go as friends then, I guess..."
"O-Oh... okay!" you stammer.
And with that, the silence continues and you're left with a very jealous Jotaro.
"Don't look at me like that," you say in response to his constant glare.
"Who is he to you?" he asks in a harsh whisper.
You smile at the ground, then whisper back, "Surprise, he's my only crush."
His mouth opens slightly at your revelation, "I thought you didn't believe in love."
Your gaze follows your swinging feet, "That was before my parents split."
He nods slowly in understanding, but it still pains him. Maybe he really should back off...
Nope!
He leans in close to you, staring intensely into your teary eyes, "Y/N."
You feel his hot breath on your face, and you blush intensely, "W-What?"
He smiles mischievously as he says what you expected, "Please go on a real date with me."
You opened your mouth to give him a surprising answer, but someone else leans just inches away from your face, "Well, well, the delinquent chases after the innocent girl, how cliché!"
"...Sora?" you question his antics.
Jotaro gets up and gets in Sora's face, "Why can't you just mind your own business?"
He smirks and whispers in his ear, "She will never choose you over me. Remember that."
While that may have been true a few years ago, Sora is almost a stranger to you. How could he forget about your horrible pollen allergies? On the other hand, Jotaro noticed that you were allergic without even asking...
But what do none of them know about you?
You can read lips. Sora forgot to cover his mouth when he whispered in Jotaro's ear.
You would have chosen him over Jotaro 100 times over when you were twelve, but you're 17 now and you have a greater bond with someone who clearly cares about you.
Sora's stop is coming up, and you decide to cut him off.
"Sora?" you call for him.
He responds to you like a lost puppy, "Yes, Y/N?"
You give him a smile almost as mischievous as Jotaro's. You lean into his ear and whisper clearly, "You had almost 6 years to get a hold of me somehow. If you really cared about me, you would've even sent a letter to my address. I reject everyone, so you have no chance, either. Please, never contact me again."
He scoffs and gets off the train, "I liked you, you know? Is your ego so big that you reject everyone? I was just busy."
You sigh as your heart breaks a little. Getting closure from your long-awaited first love hurt. It would hurt more if there wasn't anyone to fill the love that you lost.
But the person who's been filling the gap for you has been doing it for 5 years.
And he's right in front of you.
As you get off the train, you grip Jotaro's wrist to get his attention.
"Hey... I'm sorry for not noticing you fully for years. You've watched over me for too long, and you know well enough that I reject everyone who asks me out. It was your whole mission to get me to date you, anyway. But I'm going to make you fail," you say, determined.
He raises an eyebrow, "How will I fail?"
You smile at him warmly, "Because you're not the one asking me out. I am...
...so, would you like to go on a real date with me?"
He laughs a little at the irony and hugs you tight in response, "I thought you'd never ask."
End