The hug was nice and warm and for a moment Seika felt like she could forget her worries, just a little bit anyway. Seika took a step back as the hug finally broke up, feeling a little less frustrated. She was glad that she had Ayano with her when things were so confusing right now.
“Grape is fine, thank you” Seika said with a smile as she accepted the can of juice. It was still cool to the touch so Seika pressed it against her neck to cool off from her jog over. “So, uh,” Seika paused for a moment as the memory of Ryuu coming to tell her to stop hanging around Ayano flashed through her head. “Any thought as to what we should do first?”
//... into the dark she stepped, but never did she feel free of the gaze...//
Ayano opened up her can of apple juice and took a sip of it, unable to let go of the sensation left from that hug. She’d felt it before, the nervousness, the awareness of the touch of their skins… But never with a girl.
Right, she had to focus on finding out how to prove their innocence. Pushing the thoughts surrounding the hug away, Ayano gestured for Seika to follow her, walked over to a bench nearby and sat down.
“We need to think - whoever did this was either trying to frame you or put the drugs in the wrong locker.” She said, hoping it’d be the latter not the former. Ayano touched her chin and sat with her thoughts for a moment until her eyes widened.
“Security camera!” She exclaimed. She was pretty sure the school had its fair share of security cameras, but didn't know if there was one that would’ve captured the criminal in Seika’s locker.
“Yeah, but… why would anyone want to frame me? I can’t understand it.” Seika said, moving the can from the back of her neck to her forehead for a moment as she followed Ayano. It was pleasantly cool against her flushed skin, though her cheeks still felt warm even with the cold drink. She slid down onto the bench next to Ayano, turning her can of juice over in her hand before finally cracking it open. She looked up as Ayano mentioned the school’s security camera, a quick smile finding her lips.
“That’s really smart!” Seika said, bumping Ayano’s shoulder with her own. “Do you think they’d check if we asked them?” Seika added. Feeling a little more hopeful, she lifted the can up to her lips and took a drink. It was nice and sweet, but she frowned.
“Also, uh,” Seika said, clearing her throat. “When I was leaving school Ryuu stopped me and said I should stop seeing you.”
//... into the dark she stepped, but never did she feel free of the gaze...//
“Were teenagers not mean in your old school?” Ayano asked rethorically. She'd seen it plenty of times, and sometimes people were just assholes. Her boyfriend couldn’t possibly be one of them, his best friend, maybe. Ayano smiled to herself, thinking that if Brian had tried to frame Seika for drug use because he got rejected he wasn’t nearly smart enough to hide from the cameras.
“We’ll ask tomorrow morning.” Ayano said, her mood instantly improving, but not for long. Not after the last words Seika said.
“What? Did he tell you why?” She asked. Maybe he was just being protective of her, or jealous. Ayano’s cheeks turned pink, but only because of the chilly wind that blew past them.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Seika said with a faint sigh as she took another sip of her drink. She couldn’t deny the logic behind Ayano’s words there, but if you wanted to frame someone wouldn’t you want to do it to someone you had a grudge with? Her expression remained conflicted as Ayano asked her about what Ryuu had said. Should she have brought it up?
“It might have just been nothing, you know? But it’s just, he was definitely trying to intimidate me, and he asked if I thought it was fair that I was dragging you down with you, and that it was selfish of me to want to still see you after what happened.” Seika said, slowly rubbing her shoulder with her free hand before she took another sip.
//... into the dark she stepped, but never did she feel free of the gaze...//
That didn’t sound like Ryuu, not the version of him he Ayano was familiar with, but Seika had no reason to lie. Not only did she not have a reason, but there was something Ayano couldn’t explain, a feeling. She didn’t know how she knew Seika wasn’t lying, she just did.
“It’s not selfish.” She said. “Besides, you didn’t ask me to get suspended with you. But we’ll fix it, so don’t worry about it.” She’d have to talk to Ryuu later, tell him to apologize to Seika. It was getting darker and chillier.
“Yeah,” Seika felt her shoulders relax, and she breathed a small sigh as Ayano said that. Right, she had made her own choice to help out too hadn’t she? Seika pressed a hand against her chest for a moment feeling just a little lighter. That was silly wasn’t it? Even if it was Seika’s lips split into a wide smile before she took another sip of her juice. As Seika moved the can from her lips, her mood seemed to have improved.
“I’m going to owe you a really big favor once we get everything sorted out.” She said with an easy laugh and a wink. She drew in a breath of the cool night air, before nodding. It was nice being together. “It is getting late, isn’t it?”
Seika paused a moment before she laughed, “just want to make sure I don’t get lost again?” She said with another wink and a turn of her head. “My house is back this way, it might be a little late to give you a tour, but you can drop by anytime you like.”
Why was her heart fluttering so much at that? With a tilt of her head for Ayano to follow, Seika started to walk. Not too fast, so they could enjoy the night together a little longer.
//... into the dark she stepped, but never did she feel free of the gaze...//
Ayano laughed along with Seika, pushing away the doubts and fears that conversation had planted in her mind.
They were gonna be fine. They’d find the culprit, prove their innocence and be back on the track team in no time. Ayano glanced at Seika as they walked towards where the girl’s house was. Ayano hadn’t been there before, but it was a small town; If you walked long enough, you’d eventually reach your destination.
“I’ll race ‘ya.” She gave her shoulder a small push and started running as fast as she could, laughing at the unfair advantage. With the cold wind blowing on her face, Ayano couldn’t help but smile.
“What? Hey!” Seika called after Ayano with a laugh as the other girl suddenly took off down the street. She chased after her, the sound of her laughter punctuated by the echo of their footsteps as they ran down the street.
———
The next morning came sooner than she would have liked, and the feeling of something heavy lingering in the pit of her stomach returned as she slid on her school uniform. She ate her breakfast quickly, not wanting to be under her mother’s judgmental stare any longer than she needed to before she left to go to school.
She couldn’t help feeling nervous as she jogged to the school gates. Would they be able to watch the security camera to see who the culprit was? No, there was no point in worrying about it.
“Okay, let’s do this” Seika muttered to herself as she stepped through the gate.
//... into the dark she stepped, but never did she feel free of the gaze...//