Once Akira was finished with his phone call, he said, “I just got hounded by my agent. I think we should head back soon.” He got in trouble because of me. I replied, “You can go ahead. I still have to go back to the eye doctor. I’ll see you around.” Akira stuffed his card into my hand and said, “Pay for the appointment with this. You can pay me back later.” I wanted to refuse his generosity, but I couldn’t afford to at the moment. Once I make enough, I'll make sure to pay him back.
I smiled, “Thanks Akira. I owe you one. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can. I’ll see you around.” He waved at me, got into his car and drove off. I was left there staring at his card. It felt pretty sh*tty knowing that I was using him for his money. I guess I'll have to work extra hard to pay him back. After classes, I usually went to my part time job. I worked in a restaurant as a waitress. It was a small family restaurant that served ramen and soba.
By the time I was done with my appointment it was already 3pm and classes were close to being over. It was pretty dumb that I forgot my bags and everything at school. The only option I had was to walk back to school. It was a 30 minute walk. It wasn’t much compared to my commute to school every morning. Once I got to school, everyone was already leaving. I sighed in relief when I noticed that no one was there. Mikami and his lackeys were seriously annoying and I wasn’t in the mood to deal with them. I grabbed my stuff and headed to work immediately.
************
Something was seriously different. The only thing different about me was my contacts. I didn’t have glasses that prevented my hair from getting into my eyes. I trimmed my bangs so they wouldn’t get in my eyes. It was seriously different though. People were treating me differently than normal. When I got on the crowded subway, I wasn't shoved around. People were giving me space and some of the male students were blocking the other passengers for me. Their uniforms were different from mine, so I assume they’re from a different high school.
It was strange being treated nicely. It probably isn’t my looks. Sayuri tells me that I'm not pretty and I'm sure she says that to be honest. It’s not only Sayuri that says this, many people have told me that I’m not pretty. Just wearing contacts doesn’t change anything. I’m sure they’re just being nice. The male students blushed and ran off after I thanked them. The bus ride was smooth. When I got to school, people were making way for me. It was like parting the red sea!
I looked around and found passerbys pointing at me and whispering. Did I have something on my face? I rushed to the restroom and stared at my reflection in the mirror. There was nothing wrong. I washed my face and dried it. I grabbed my bag off the countertop and went to class.
When I opened the door to the classroom, everyone went silent. Every pair of eyes went straight to me. I nervously walked past everyone and got to my seat. Sayuri saw me and rushed to me, “Mika, where’s your glasses?” I responded, “I couldn’t get them fixed right away, so I got some contacts temporarily.” Sayuri looked worried for some reason, “You shouldn’t have come to school without your glasses. I heard that contacts can damage your eyes. You shouldn’t wear them often.” Why was Sayuri against me wearing contacts? I found it odd. I’ve never once broken my glasses before, so I never got this reaction from Sayuri. She seemed anxious.
I stated, “I see many people wear contacts. I don’t see why I shouldn’t be able to wear them.” For one second, I noticed Sayuri’s expression change. She glared at me. I didn’t know if I was imagining things, but in the next second, her expression changed back to normal. She said, “Mika, you know I'm your best friend, right? I wouldn’t lie to you. I just wanted to be honest with you. I don’t think contacts look good on you. Maybe you should wear glasses, like you always do. It’s also way more comfortable.”
I agreed with her on the last part. It was indeed more comfortable to wear glasses. I found that my eyes dried out way more wearing contacts. I told her, “Thanks Sayuri for the advice, but I won’t be able to wear glasses for a week. They won’t be ready till then.” Sayuri didn’t seem too happy about it. She grabbed a strand of my hair and asked, “You also cut your hair. Why did you cut it? I thought you said you liked having long bangs.” I Just thought it was poking my eyes so I trimmed it. Sayuri frowned, “I don’t think your haircut looks good on you. I have this really pretty hair pin. Let me fix your hair for you.”
She got a hairpin from her desk and walked over to my desk. As soon as she grabbed my bangs, another person smacked her hands away. I stared in shock. Who hit her? I turned my head to see who it was. It was a student I’ve never seen before. She was pretty and had her long black hair tied up neatly. She glared at Sayuri, “You’re awful. You call her your best friend, but you just insulted her. It’s definitely not normal to call your friend ugly. I don’t think you’re truly her friend at all.” She turned her attention to me and said, “and you, why do you sit there listening to her insult you like that. Don’t you feel angry?”
I didn’t know who this person was, but I didn’t know what to say. I was speechless. Sayuri frowned, “Who are you to say anything? Mika is my friend and I can say whatever I want. It’s not like she’s offended by what I said. Right, Mika?” Sayuri was right, I didn’t feel offended… wait, did I? I felt something wet on my cheek. I touched it and realized I was crying. I got up from my seat and ran to the restroom. Was I normally this weak mentally? Why was I crying? Sayuri is my friend and I should be used to this, but why?
I heard a knock on the bathroom stall door, “Hey, are you okay?” It was the girl from before. I wiped my tears and said, “I’m okay. Just leave me alone.” The girl sighed, “I know she’s your friend, but I wanted to help you. She doesn’t really seem like a friend. I think she’s bullying you.” I frowned, “What does it matter to you? It’s between Sayuri and me. You don’t even know me.” She tried explaining, “It’s because I know what you’re going through. She’s gaslighting you. You may not know it, but I’ve had toxic people in my life. I just wanted to help you out.”
I swung the door open angrily, “Stop butting in. I never said that she was bullying me. I’m used to it already. People don’t like me. She’s the only friend that I have. So could you please stop trying to tear our friendship apart?” She sighed, “If that’s what you want, okay, but you have to know that she isn’t normal. A friend should always be by your side and should lift you up not tear you down. I hope that you’ll realize this sooner.” After saying what she had to say, she walked away. I assume she went back to the classroom.
No comments:
Post a Comment