Content with God as I sat two seats behind her on the bus while on our way to school, my initial reaction of simply just seeing her passing her star sparkling gaze, caused me to remained motionless. For had it not been for the fact we were childhood friends, it couldn't have been she no longer than seven years ago when she moved away with her family.

Even now, I was still able to recognize her sweet, honey scented shampoo from the moment she boarded the bus. The first time I saw her was a couple of days ago at school. She had arrived as a transfer student and already, my shocked expression caused some concern as the class luckily went on without prying into whether we knew each other.

Moving forward as the bus came to a stop, the cold, wet scent of the pavement, entered the bus in a guest of cold air. With it, the air only amplified her scent throughout the bus as it hovered for a while until settling down. Nearing our last stop as we both took the same route, our paths remained parallel as I was still faced with uncertainty on whether she wanted to hear from me or ignore me now that we had gotten older.

With the new change in scenery and self awareness in our lives, I wanted to walk beside her and play around like we once did when we were kids again. However, I coldly reminded myself that things don't always go stay the same as people change over time.

Pushing my feelings into a pit in my stomach, I stopped myself from making any advancement towards her as I felt she did not want me interfering in her life. My surprise came shortly after she arrived as she coldly rejected male students that were making friendly advancements towards her as she ignored them or told them off on the spot.

Since then, I became skeptical on whether she was the same little girl whom shared her smile with the world, regardless who talked to her or somebody else entirely. I found it saddening as I could still remember her bright, beautiful smile as we raced along the shore on one of the hottest days of summer with our friends as kids.

Snapping back from my past, I stood up as I had reached my stop. As I walk in an orderly fashion, I slowly made my way off the bus while taking a quick glance toward her. Quickly flinching as her eyes began turning to meet mine, I looked straight ahead while I rounded the corner and opened my umbrella.

I slowly hesitated to turn around as I felt an uncomfortable feeling in the pit off my stomach. Planning an elaborate ruse to stop and let her pass me by, I pretended to fit in my shoes properly. Passing me by without an umbrella, her radiant brown, honey scented hair was getting wet under the passing rain clouds.

My eyes followed her head and I began to take action and was about to cover her under my umbrella.

A sudden surprise made me freeze in place as she took out and opened an umbrella as she continued walking almost as if she had been expecting me to act the way I did. Dazed for a quick second, I was simply relieved she had an umbrella with her so she didn't run the risk of catching a cold. Content with the notion that she was taking care of herself, I turned and took a different route as I went to the nearby convenience store a bit out of my way.

Stopping in to brew a hot chocolate from the machine, I picked up a straw and paid as I headed to school with a hot cup in my hand. Upon arriving late, I calmly walked inside while slowly heading into class as I sipped my hot chocolate.

Opening the door and walking to my seat as I rarely came in late, I sat down and started the day.

Not long after did I relax over my seat as I yawned and asked permission to use the bathroom. Walking to the bathroom without any real motivation, I simply thought about yesterday and what I was going to do today.  

Given the time I spent studying, I had finally managed to beat the level I was stuck on while I played on my computer up until midnight. Just as I had always played games since I was a kid, I now played them together with my friends who shared the same passion for gaming. As such, I would stay up for hours all the while, studying extensively as I took up the task of multitasking my love for games and homework at the same time.

I am near the top of my class in terms of grades and  overall exam scores. In terms of how I was in elementary, I had always taken the top spot when it came to tests and exams only until after graduating elementary. Now a days, I send half my time playing games as I don't put in my all at half the things I take part in. Knowing full well that I can take the top spot again, I chose not to as to avoid criticism from others as image is the second most important thing to a high schoolers in this day and age. .

Since it is a requirement for me to have good grades, all I simply care about was being able to play my games with peace of mind. Once I was finish with my homework, I play until either I fall asleep or power through to the next day. Afterwards, when I get home that same day, I would then fall asleep when I got to my room.

~

I began heading back to class after freshening up.

Almost abruptly, as I walked out from the bathrooms into the hall, I crossed her honey scented hair as it brushed against my cheek as she ignored me completely. Heading into the girls bathroom, I could only continue staring straight ahead, frozen, as I didn't pretend it didn't affect me that she would say a normal greeting. Depressed, I made my way back to class.

Sitting down, I picked up my pencil and focused on my work as I reviewed what I had long since finished.  She then, she began taking up my mind as I remembered the sweet, little girl and compared her to this totally new version. As I recalled each passing day she had yet to greet me, I began getting slightly irritated when she casually spoke to her friends after not seeing then a whole day.

"Could have said hello… " Opening my eyes as I had whispered under my breath out of frustration.

My mind suddenly stopped as I turned to face those around me with a slight smile. Embarrassed, I lightly turned as class continued. Beating myself up mentally, the careless nature of my stupidity remained focused on my mind as I got through the rest of the day in a haze.

~

Taking a different route home, I walked along the empty shoreline and stood as the breeze picked up around the edge. Cracking a slight smile, I could clearly see fragments of all of us playing childish games.

As I cleared my gaze with my hand, memories in the air came and went the more I walked along the shore. As the light of the sea that once held a deep blue in concert with the sun during summer, due to illegal dumping, was now a green, algae infested tide pool covered in all sorts of trash. The community often holds charity events to clean the seashore, however, that only solved the problem for a couple rod weeks at best. Ever since its closing, it had long since been declared off limits to the public for health risks.

Walking along the edge, I turned to head home as I saw an old poster on a pole that advertised martial arts in a nearby dojo. Heading there as my next memory from when we were kids began playing out as we trained together under our teacher and her strict, older sister, Callie.

Always laughing even when she got pummeled to the ground, she would get right back up with a glint in her eye and a blinding smile to accompany her warm personality.

Turning my gaze as the once, functioning dojo had long since been abandoned as the master of the dojo failed to keep up with the rent. It was a pity when it closed down near the end of summer, however, we both had other things to worry about at the time.

Walking straight as I stopped at a crossroads, I could still recall the old, metallic stench the force of the train would make as it pick up after passing on rainy days.

Paved over and renovated into a three way express lane for residential vehicles, I crossed the street while drawing closer to home. Still hearing the ring of the alarm the train guards would make, I felt a wave of nostalgia slip away in the freezing weather.

Rounding the corner as I saw my house in the distance, I could still recall the days I would come from school to find her sitting in wait in front of my house. As my memory faded, I saw still saw her sitting in the same place.

"Huh? "

Approaching beside her a she had her eyes closed, I was about to lightly wake her until her natural beauty memorized me in place. Close enough to hear her every breath, I only gazed as her every hair strand, fell gently over her eyes. I crouched down like when I was a kid and chuckled as she would twitch her nose whenever I poked it gently. Reaching my a out and touching her nose, by reflex, she stood up on edge as she threw me onto the ground and pinned me as if I was some sort of criminal.

"Ah! Uncle! Uncle! "

"K-Kirra?! What the hell were you thinking?! "

More surprised with her talking to me than the immense pain I was in, I stuttered while finally giving her a proper greeting.

"Its great t-to see you, too. Could you l-let me go? "

~

Having let me go shortly afterwards, I invited her inside.

I brought her a drink from the fridge while she sat on my bed in my room. Looking around, she lightly scoffed at the photo of us and her sister as we congratulated Callie on earning her black belt. Sitting down at my coffee table, I set my drink down while handing the other drink to her. As we sat in silence, I grew impatient and spoke first.

"I know I'm a bit late in saying this… but, I'm glad you're back… Tina. "

Looking up as she turned away to stare at a photo my mom took of both of us when we both started at the dojo, she picked it up as I was a bit embarrassed I kept it out in the open. Putting it back, she then stood up and began walking along the shelves as she looked at every one of my pictures growing up.

"What have you been doing for the past seven years? "

I didn't know what to make of the situation as I simply responded as I would have when we were kids.

"I hope your old man isn't giving you a harsh time like he did when we were kids… "

Stopping as she turned to tell me he had passed away, I apologized as she shook her head and smiled. Trying to lighten the mood, I tried to steer the conversation with asking how her mother and sister were doing. Stopping all together, she walked around and sat beside me at the coffee table. Opening her eyes to meet my gaze, she then rested her hand onto the table and spoke softly.

"My mom is out of the country for work… and Callie opened up a dojo in, Tokyo… well… is there anything else you want to ask, me? "

Turning my gaze away from hers, I slowly turned back and then quickly spoke to keep her talking.

"About the last seven years… is Mr. Mittens still alive and well?  "

Tilting her head as she bursted out laughing, I then suddenly felt at ease, but,  embarrassed all the same as she stopped and spoke.

"We haven't seen each other for seven years and you want to know if my cat is okay? Jeez, Kirra! Your still as half baked with answering as ever… "

Growing in content, I smiled lightly and spoke.

"Well, I always did get along better with your cat than I ever did with yo-"

Putting me in an arm hold as she begged me to finish my sentence, I yielded and apologized as she released me.

"In any case… how've you been? "

Tilting her head as I was being more direct than before, it seemed to have caught her off guard as she spoke.

"I… got new extensions?! "

Looking up at her head as I saw the brown highlights tied behind her ribbons, she smiled and continued.

"My mom told me we were moving back into our old home for a while a few weeks ago… so, I'll be able to come by more often now that I don't have a curfew to keep. "

Smiling as she thought I was being the odd one, I stood up and reached into my drawer on my desk while taking out a small, gift wrapped box, I stopped beside Tina and presented it her.

"Since your birthday was three days after you guys moved, I forgot to give this to you as an early present… Even though I'm seven years late… Happy birthday, Tina. "

Looking up at her glistening eyes on the box, she lightly held it in her hand as she set it down on the table and unwrapped the strings. Tough it was dusty, she lifted the lid and inside, she found a set of four seasonal hair pins as they changed color depending on the whether.

Thinking back a year before our last summer together, we passed by a jewelry store where they had them on display. After seeing g the bright smile she gave the hair pins, I just knew I had to get them for her birthday.

For the almost an entire year, I saved up my enough of my allowance and by spring, I had managed to buy them on time as the shop went broke a month after. Holding them in my hands, I smiled brightly as I couldn't wait to see her warm smile turn into a wild scream.

As she began to cry without an expression on her face, I hesitated as I asked her what was wrong. Quickly, I then apologized for being late until she stopped me cold by throwing her arms around me.

Hugging me tightly as she dug her head into my shoulder, I sat without a clue as she suddenly spoke in a soft, gentle tone as though speaking any louder would cause her to break.

"I was against the idea of us moving… but, my dad insisted and I ran away that night before we left… I actually came over to see you and tell you to run away with me… but… Callie found me shortly after coming home from school and took me back… I didn't want to go… I hated having to leave, Kirra… "

Digging her nails into my shirt as she held me tighter, I could only bare it as I patiently listened to what she had to say.

"When we first moved here eight years ago… I didn't know anyone or expect to make any friends. I hated my father for making us move around homes while growing up…In fact, the day we met, I got into a fight with him at home until he slapped me out of frustration… I then ran away as I often did and in that moment… I found myself near the shoreline… Imagine my surprise when I looked down and met a strange… dorky looking little boy who was drawing equations in the sand all alone. "

Closing my eyes, it felt as if I was reliving the moment where we first met. Her nostalgic scent sent me back in time to when she first appeared as if she had come down from the sun itself to bring light into my life.

It was in that moment, I began to truly hear the sound of the ocean as it was carved deep into my mind as her curious smile made my heart skip a beat for the first time in my life and even to right now as I held her. Before I knew it, I had fallen for her since the moment we met on the beach that day…

--