‘What a jerk.’

I couldn’t help but let a thought linger in my mind as I reflected on the events of yesterday.

If you couldn’t tell already, I was specifically annoyed by the person named Ash I met yesterday.

‘I mean I tried to be polite and everything. But instead, her first instinct was to call me some brat. What the hell was her problem with my school to make her act like that?’

I wanted to keep pondering the incident, but my thoughts were interrupted.

“Hey Elliot, you good?” a voice asked.

Looking to my side, I remembered what I was doing and where I was.

‘Oh yeah! I’m walking to school with Tristan. I can’t believe I was so zoned out that I forgot.’

“Yeah I’m good,” I answered.

Tristan shrugged and turned his face back to the front of us.

‘Now that I think about it, I should ask him my question before we get to school.’

“Hey Tristan,” I said.

“Yeah?” He replied.

“Why are you so unbothered all the time?” I asked.

Tristan raised his eyebrow slightly and paused for a moment.

“After a while, I just realized that there isn’t really any meaning to it all. No purpose. So there’s no point in getting super upset or happy about anything. None of it really matters in the end.”

Listening to Tristan’s words, I frowned.

“You already know all this. Why’d you bother asking again?” Tristan asked.

“Just curious to see if your answer changed,” I replied.

‘I guess it was dumb of me to ask. He’s been like this since the seventh grade, I doubt his opinion will change now.’

After a few moments, we reached the school and headed inside.

But I wasn’t really prepared for what I would find inside.

‘Is she okay?’

As I entered the cafeteria, I was surprised by the sight of someone at my table.

Soon after I sat down and got to actually see the individual up close.

Nishimoya.

Seeing her there was completely normal considering she arrived earlier than us every day.

But right now, she looked distraught.

She was wearing her uniform like usual and her hair was the same as always.

Her face, however, looked much different.

Her eyes had small and barely noticeable bags underneath and her expression seemed agitated yet filled with worry.

In all honesty, I was taken aback.

“Hey Nishimoya, are you alright?” I asked, my concern evident.

Nishimoya, whose gaze was focused on a book, raised her head to look at me.

Visibly, her expression changed to one that was more calm even though it still had an air of unease.

Then, she nodded and went back to reading.

‘She isn’t even speaking. Since when has Nishimoya liked reading this much?’

Looking at the book she was reading, I noticed it was the one we finished in English class.

The same book we were supposed to make a group project about.

‘Why is she rereading it now?’

It was weird to see her nose deep in a book again. Her habit of studying like that had become much less prominent over the years.

So it was strange seeing her get back in that habit once again. 

‘It’s probably not that big of a deal. No point in worrying over it.’

I had many questions but I chose not to pry.

Instead, I just sat and spoke with Tristan until classes began.

Still, even when classes began, I couldn’t help but worry about Nishimoya.

In art, I was surprised to find out that Soriel was in my class, but she ended up skipping class after quickly finishing our assignment, leaving me alone again.

It kind of sucked to be alone, but I didn’t mind it that much since I was in art.

For some reason, though, I couldn’t stop worrying about Nishimoya.

In social studies, I glanced at Nishimoya every few minutes just to see if her expression got any happier.

In English and Math, I considered what might have happened to Nishimoya, even while helping Aurora and taking notes.

At lunch, I tried to subtly interrogate her but my attempts failed miserably.

“Hey Nishimoya, is anything bothering you?” I asked.

“Mm, mm,” She mumbled, turning a page in her book.

“Nishimoya, are you upset?” I asked.

“Mm, mm,” Nishimoya replied once again.

“Nishimoya, what are your thoughts on the political and economic state of the world?” I asked.

Looking up from her book, Nishimoya smiles.

“Respectfully, be quiet Elliot.” 

From that point on, I was even more worried.

Nishimoya never told anyone to be quiet.

So through science, Spanish, and my coding class, my mind was filled with even more worry than before.

Eventually, school ended but I was still worried.

So I came up with an idea.

I decided to ambush her when school ended.

“Nishimoya!” I exclaimed, running to her as she exited the school building.

“Elliot? Is something wrong?” She asked, with a solemn expression.

She seemed to be trying to act as normal as possible. 

But I didn’t buy it.

“Let’s go to a cafe together,” I requested.

At my suggestion, Nishimoya paused for a moment, her face making an odd expression.

Kind of like she was confused, concerned, and surprised all at the same time.

‘What’s up with her? Did I say something weird? Maybe I have something on my face?’

I tried thinking hard about what may have caused her confusion, but nothing came to mind.

Except for one thing.

“Oh wait, crap. No, not like a date or anything. As friends. Pals. Amigos,” I blurted out.

Nishimoya’s previously tense body became visibly relaxed.

“Oh okay. I can try to spare a few minutes. I’ll just text my parents that I’m going to the library,” She responded.

Realizing that Nishimoya understood what I meant now, I sighed in relief.

Then, my eyebrow twitched.

‘If she thought I meant a date, why the hell did she react like that?! The thought of dating me can’t be that bad, right?!’

As I had this internal debate with myself, Nishimoya had already informed her parents of her lie.

“I’m done texting my parents. Are you ready to go now?” She asked.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I nodded.

And then, we embarked on our life changing journey to the nearest coffee shop.