As I walked home from school, all I could do was think about who this Saruto person is. I'm sure the worried feelings were plastered across my face. "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" I heard a sudden voice from behind me. When I look up to see who it was, I quickly recognized her. Since my head had been lowered from my thoughts, I hadn't noticed her standing on the sidewalk.
"Uh-yeah, school." I responded to her, while she stared at me. This was one of the girls that I had tried to make a move on, on the first day of school. This one just so happened to be the one that laughed in my face. Her red hair and green eyes really stood out, but what stood out even more, was how young she looked.
The girl then started to approach me with a smile. Once she got close enough, I realized something off about her uniform. Her skirt seemed to be hiked up more, and her shirt was unbuttoned, revealing her cleavage.
As she stood inches away from my face, I felt my face warm up. I was also nervous and confused on why this girl was so close to me. "You seem to be having a rough day. Could I make it better for you?" As she asked me that question, I felt my soul hit the ground and plumage straight into hell. What the?!
While I was frozen from the sudden approach, Dejin came from out of nowhere. With his bag hanging over his shoulder in a careless way, he looked down at the both of us in an annoyed expression. However when he and the girl next to me made eye contact, she quickly turned her head away from him with annoyance. "What're y'all doing hanging out?" Dejin questioned.
I didn't know how to answer that question, and it seemed like the girl beside me didn't know how to either, as we were both silent. Suddenly Dejin walked up to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, while simultaneously walking me away from the girl with the orange hair. "I have a favor to ask of you. Koyoko, right?" Dejin asked, before looking over his shoulder at the orange haired girl. The two made eye contact with one another, and the tension between them was definitely there.
"Yeah.." I responded to Dejin as we continued walking. But after that, he had taken me somewhere farther away from my house. Which confused and also worried me. "Hey, Dejin..I told you I should probably get home now-" Once I said those words, he interrupted me.
"Hey man chill out..or I might have to take Haruka from you." Dejin said in a nonchalant way, along with a smile. While I looked up at him, I realized once again that he could take Haruka from me. She doesn't think I'm cool. She thinks this Saruto person is..
"Now come on." He nudged me in the direction of a dark alleway. Once he did, I immediately turned around to go back out, however Dejin stood in my way.
"Hey I should really get back now. My mom is waiting for me." As I tried to leave once again, I also tried to walk past him. But once he grabbed my shoulder, I could feel the difference in strength between us.
In that moment, I felt my body jolt. And when I looked up at his face, I felt shivers down my spine. His original nonchalant smile and expression had faded. Instead, he stared down at me with this cold stare. "Let me go.." I felt my heart speed up quicker as I muttered those words from my trembling lips.
"Let me go!" As I struggled to break free from his grip, he grabbed me with both hands instead, and lured me deeper into the dark alleway. I could feel the sun fade away from this area, along with my composure. I didn't know what would happen. Murder? Assault? Mugging?
I continued trying to break free, until I heard a voice come from behind me from the depths of the alleway. "Yo, Dejin..You got our money yet?" I heard that voice from behind, accompanied with the smell of cigarette smoke. My heart dropped as I stopped struggling, and slowly turned around to see who it was.
A group of atleast five guys who seemed to be second years at our highschool or a few years older stood inside of the alleway, leaned up against the walls. Realizing that I was now trapped between them and Dejin behind me, I didn't know what to do. "Instead of that, you brought this pipsqueak here." A man with a cigarette in his head, patchy facial hair, and bags under his eyes spoke as he walked up towards us.
"This guy..he has your money." Dejin said, while shoving me forward. The push dropped me to my hands and knees, and infront of the man infront of me with the patchy facial hair. As I looked up, I realized the other guys had now stood beside him. So now, all of them were hovering over me, and they didn't seem to have good intentions.
"No..no I don't have it. I don't have your money. I'm just going to school and trying to live and.." As I said those words, I felt my vocal cords trembling, along with my eyes watering from the fear that I was feeling. The man with the cigarette looked over towards Dejin, and they made eye contact with one another, before averting their attention back to me.
"I'll need my money by the end of the week.." He said as he squatted down infront of me, with a knife held up to my face. "Or else you get hurt. Do you understand?" Once he asked me, all I felt was fear. So I instantly agreed with his words.
"As a warning for not having our money right now..something has to happen to you." He said before standing up. He then snapped his fingers, and the other guys approached me with intimidating glares.
As I stared up at them, I quickly got back on my feet, and tried to get away. Though I was instantly grabbed by the hair and thrown to the ground. Afterwards, all I could feel were shoes hitting against my face and body, accompanied with fists as well. "Stop!" As I yelled out, I could feel my body start to ache, and really hurt. "Please!" I stuttered, with watery eyes.
To the side, the man with the cigarette was holding Dejin back, while Dejin seemed to be yelling at him about something. In the moment I couldn't tell. But after what felt like an hour of getting beat, they had finally let me go.
The group of guys had left, leaving me and Dejin alone in that alleway. They left us, reminding me to get their money on time, or consequences would follow. Now on my hands and knees again, I watched as blood dropped from my nose, and down on the ground. "Why..?" I muttered while breathing heavily, with Dejin staring down at me. "Why did you do this to me?!" I looked up at Dejin with that question, though he seemed completely unfazed.
I stared at him, while trying to catch my breath. "Those guys won't do anything to you. But they would do something to me. Get their money, or I take Haruka away from you. Your choice." He said those final words to me, before leaving me alone in that alleway.
As I sat in silence, I started to question. Why must I struggle so much to achieve what I want? Why do things keep getting in the way? This isn't the reality I wanted, not even close. Reminiscing on what has happened so far only made me realize that more. Haruka mentioned some guy named Saruto. That girl who approached me on the sidewalk. And now this.
Soon after, I got home. I ran through the door, and quickly got up the stairs so that my parents wouldn't noticed my bruised and banged up face. "Where were you-" My mom was about to say to me, before I ran upstairs. "Sorry for being late. Wont happen again." I said to my mom, making her and my father look at eachother in confusion.
Afterwards, I walked to the bathroom, and stared at myself through the reflection of the mirror. I cleaned my face up, and continued staring at myself. While looking, I reflected on what's happened. Is Haruka worth it? She doesn't even think I'm cool. Why would she even want a loser like me, when she could have someone like Dejin? Maybe it would be best if I call it quits now.