It had been some time since I had last spoken to Natsumi and Ichiro. We cut ties after I joined Young Killers. Today, I told Bleed and the others that I was taking a break from all the fighting and that I would lie low. I felt like hanging out with them was clouding my mind. From my true self.
As I walked back home, I saw someone standing outside my house. It couldn't tell from afar, so I walked closer to see. It was someone in a school uniform. As a walked closer, they turned my way. It was Natsumi. She was waiting for me.
"Hiro. I'm going to get you out of this mess."
Said Natsumi.
Mess? Is she talking about me joining a gang?
"I don't know what you're talking about, but you and me aren't friends anymore. You ain't helping anyone."
I responded. Natsumi looked disgruntled at my response.
"I didn't talk to you because Ichiro and I didn't want to be involved! I felt guilty about it, so I decided to come to your house and tell your parents about what you've been doing so that they stop you!"
Natsumi said in a worried tone.
I couldn't let her do that. If my parents found out, they would hate me. I had to find a way to stop her.
"Listen Natsumi. I get why you didn't want to talk to me, but you can't tell my parents. I took a break from fighting and being in the gang. Trust me, I'm going to change..."
Before I finished, Natsumi interrupted.
"It doesn't matter! I should've stopped you from joining! It's my fault. Now look at you. You weren't like this! I'm going to fix it…"
Natsumi sprinted to my door. She wanted to get my parents' attention.
My quick thinking made me take hold of Natsumi and cover her mouth. Her big eyes looked shocked.
"LISTEN TO ME! I'm going to change, Natsumi! Remember when we were kids? That time when I stole someone's toy in the playground? I got caught and I never stole again. Or in middle school, when I cheated on an exam and I got all the answers wrong? I never cheated again. I promise, I just made a mistake!
As I tried to reason with her, she seemed to calm down. I moved away from her.
I hadn't noticed, but my mother had heard the commotion and had suddenly opened the door.
"Oh, Hiro! It was you! Why didn't you tell me that you invited Natsumi over? I could've gotten the house ready!"
My mom said, as if I had brought her on a date.
Natsumi was flustered, and her face was red. She knew that we had to play along.
"Sorry."
I said with a nervous tone.
"Thanks for having me…"
Natsumi said quietly while looking at the floor.
We walked to my room upstairs and continued to act like nothing happened. We sat down in my bed.
"Look Natsumi, it's not your fault. I'm sorry for earlier. Please forgive me if I made you worried."
I said.
"It's ok. I'll try to forget about it, ok? But you stop hanging out with those delinquents. I care about you, ok?"
I could see her blushing.
"Alright. Alright. I will."
I responded. Truth is, it wasn't that easy, but I wanted to defuse the situation.
"Been a long time since I've been in your room. It hasn't changed."
Natsumi said out of the blue.
"Oh right. True. It's been a while."
I responded.
"Not just I was worried, you know. More people found out about the fight with Kotaro and everything. Others cared about you."
Natsumi said.
"Yeah right. I'm just the quiet kid. No one cares about me…"
I responded in a melancholic tone.
"They do! I've made new friends, and they told me that they had always wanted to meet you!"
Natsumi said.
No one really talked to me except Natsumi and Ichiro. But she claimed that people wanted to know me. I wonder if it was true. Nonetheless, I was just glad that we talked it over and defused the situation.
"Maybe you should introduce me to them, I guess…"
I said hesitantly.
"I will! You don't need those delinquent friends! We'll make many friends and everyone will respect and acknowledge you!"
I'm glad I have Natsumi as a friend. She's a good person. But I had already vowed to be a Young Killer's member. It would be hard to be able to leave. I wanted to let Natsumi know that I appreciated it.
I got closer to Natsumi and she had a confused look. Suddenly, I hugged her. She blushed, but then embraced me. I wanted her not to be worried about me. I know she would do anything for me. Through my body heat, I calmed her down.
"Thank you. Really."
I told her sincerely.
"No. Thank you. You're my best friend"
Natsumi responded. Her eyes were teary.
This was my way of telling her not to worry and that she had nothing to do with this. I got myself into this. I'm glad I got to discover my secret skills in fighting, but I really wasn't a delinquent deep down. But sometimes, it's not easy to leave something that you vowed to become.