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“Reiko...” Souko sat alone again in the forest in the spot where until a little while ago, she had gotten to see Reiko every day. She may have finally made friends at her new school, but she still couldn't let go of her.
“Reiko, I'm so sorry.” As she said it, she knew it was meaningless, at least as long as she was saying it to the empty air rather than to Reiko. It was then she made the decision: she would go find Reiko and apologize in person.
Probably Reiko never wanted to see her again, but she felt too bad to have never apologized properly. Maybe it would only be for her own satisfaction, maybe Reiko wouldn't want to hear it, but it hurt too much to leave things that way.
That was how she found herself in the neighboring town, looking for Reiko. She wandered around, looking at signs. Although she knew the name of the school Reiko went to, that didn't mean she know where it was. Eventually, though, she happened to see a pair of girls walking by who were wearing the same uniform as Reiko.
“Um, excuse me,” she called out, approaching them.
“What is it?” One of the girls asked.
“Could you tell me where your school is?” Souko asked. The two girls looked at each other, but one of them told her how to get there.
“Why do you want to know?” one of them asked.
“I'm... uh... looking for a friend,” Souko explained.
“Really, who is it? Maybe we know her.”
“Uh, you probably don't know her.” Souko panicked a little. “...Thank you for your help. I have to go now.” She hurried away from the two girls before they could ask her any more questions, and headed in the direction of their school. It was already late, though, and by the time she got there, and she didn't see any sign of Reiko.
The next day, she went to Reiko's school in the neighboring town right after her own school day finished. On her way there, though, she stopped when she heard a commotion. Nervously, she turned in the direction of it to see Reiko.
The commotion she heard was Reiko grappling with some boy while other boys watched on. Some of the boys seemed to be trying to stop the fight, but others were encouraging the boy in the fight. Souko stared on from a distance. Reiko threw the boy to the ground and ran, straight in the direction of Souko. Reiko's eyes widened at the sight of her, and she stopped up short.
“What are you doing here?” Reiko asked, before turning back to see if any of the boys were following her. Thankfully it looked like none of them were.
“Re... Reiko.” Reiko turned back at Souko saying her name. Souko had come this far. She had to say it. “I'm sorry.”
“For what?” Reiko looked genuinely confused.
“For saying... for saying mean things about you. Just because I didn't know it was you, it wasn't okay to say. I'm really sorry.” She couldn't say anymore, couldn't ask Reiko to forgive her.
“You're so weird. Why are you always apologizing? I'm used to it. I'm used to people saying bad things about me.” To hear Reiko say that hurt.
“But I know now, you're not like that.” Souko wanted to plead with Reiko.
“I mean, they're not even wrong. Didn't you just see? I'm strange, and I'm violent, and I fight with boys. People get injured because of me.” Reiko's voice was flat.
Even seeing Reiko fight, her thoughts hadn't changed on the matter. Reiko had always said things that were slightly off and seemed a little rough. Even if she was strange or violent, Souko realized that she would always want to spend one more afternoon with her, however many afternoons she had. She didn't know how to say it in a way that would make Reiko understand.
“Tomorrow,” Souko said instead, “I'll be waiting at the same place in the forest. Please... please.”
“Do what you want,” was all Reiko said in response.
As promised, Souko waited in the forest the next day for Reiko's answer, whatever it would be.
Her heart swelled with hope when Reiko came into view. With a glance off to Souko's side, Reiko's face shifted into a look of annoyance, but Souko didn't see anything there when she turned to look.
“I don't understand you.” Reiko said once she made it in front of Souko.
Souko stood up. “Thank you for coming, Reiko.”
Reiko looked troubled, but finally grabbed Souko's hand. “Come with me. There's something I want to show you.” Souko followed, twisting her hand to hold Reiko's back. After a distance, they came to a field of flowers.
“They're beautiful,” Souko said, breathless more from the sight than from the walk here.
“They're blue.” Reiko paused and her eyes met Souko's only briefly “I thought you might like them.”
“I love them.” Souko caught a hint of a blush on Reiko's cheeks. Reiko looked away and lied down in the flower field. Souko sat down next to her and touched the delicate petals of the flowers. Impulsively she plucked a handful and started to fasten them.
Reiko sat up. “What are you doing?” Souko finished the flower crown she had been making and plopped it onto Reiko's head.
Reiko was blushing. She looked cute. Souko had thought that she looked cool and that she looked beautiful before, but this was the first time she thought she looked cute. Already Souko felt as though she was getting more than she could have ever hoped for today, and yet she felt like reaching for more. She grabbed Reiko's hands in her own and twined their fingers together.
“I like you! I want to be your friend,” Souko declared to Reiko's shocked face.
Reiko looked up and down and side-to-side. “We're already friends.”
Souko gripped Reiko's hands tighter, smiling wider than she thought she'd ever smiled before.