"Alright, Cam, you're driving—and I call shotgun!" Nacina announced, skipping happily to his car.
Was she angry? Or excited?
Serco and I got in the back seat together. I tried not to stare, but every time I glanced at him, he wore this terrifying expression that was hard to describe. His face reminded me of my father's—back when he was alive. If I ever upset my dad, he'd give me this look—angry and disappointed at the same time. It used to make my chest feel like it was caving in.
I didn't want Serco to feel that way because of me. But I didn't know how to help, other than letting him talk to Will.
Suddenly, Cam slammed on the brakes, making me extra thankful for my seatbelt.
We'd arrived.
We got out and stood in front of an unfamiliar house. Nacina checked her phone and nodded. "This is the place," she confirmed, then dialed a number. "We're here. Bring him out."
After a few minutes, Kriss and Will came outside. Will looked surprised to see me, but Kriss had a mischievous smile on her face—so I knew she was in on the plan.
"I think you owe someone an apology!" Nacina shouted, dramatically pointing in my direction.
Ugh. So embarrassing. I hid my face.
"Go away," Will grumbled, trying to retreat back into the house. Kriss blocked his path.
"I already said I was sorry," he mumbled.
"Text messages don't count," Nacina shot back, clearly knowing what he meant. "Do you even know what you're sorry for?" She lowered her arm and put her hands on her hips.
Will rolled his eyes. "Akina, I… I'm sorry I kissed you," he finally said, sounding deeply embarrassed.
"WHAT?!" Nacina, Cam, Kriss, and Serco all blurted in unison.
Will's face flushed red. Clearly, he thought I'd already told them.
"That did happen… and yeah, I'm upset about that," I said quietly. "But what really hurt was you leaving without me. I thought we were friends."
My voice trembled. I could feel everyone watching me.
"Okay," Will said flatly, then turned to Kriss. "Can you move now?"
"It was raining last night. Twenty Degrees Fahrenheit —Negative seven degrees Celsius," Serco snapped, his voice low and dangerous. "You let her walk home in that, and you don't think you owe her an apology?"
Serco was seething. One step toward Will and I instinctively grabbed his hand.
"It's okay," I whispered. "Calm down."
Will frowned. "Oh, I see... That's why you're mad. You could've just told me you had a boyfriend."
He looked at Serco, then smirked.
"Hey, maybe you should watch her. She was all over me after I kissed her last night—begging me to do all kinds of things. I only left because she was so desperate. It was disgusting. I'm not into sl*ts."
That was it.
Before I could stop him, Serco punched Will in the face—with his free hand. A single hit and Will was out cold.
Huh. So Serco's ambidextrous. Good to know.
I struggled not to laugh as Will crumpled to the ground.
We sat on Will's porch while Kriss held an ice pack to his nose. All four of us waited for him to regain consciousness before getting ready to leave.
"Say you're sorry," Kriss said flatly, looking at Serco.
I blinked in surprise. I know she's been friends with Will for a long time, but… really?
Serco didn't respond. He sat apart from the group, arms crossed, scowling.
Will looked at me and muttered, "I'm sorry… that you don't like me."
Serco's glare could've burned a hole through him.
Will flinched and quickly added, "And sorry for offending your boyfriend. Hope you didn't get sick or anything walking home."
"We're not dating. We're just friends," I said quickly.
Will smiled faintly. "My mistake." He winced, clearly regretting his choices.
All of a sudden, Serco stood saying,
"I have to go," As soon as his statement left his lips, I wanted to ask him to stay… but I didn't. I stayed quiet.
I watched him walk away and once he was out of earshot, Nacina leaned in whispering, "There's hope. I really think Shion likes you."
My heart fluttered—half joy, half fear. Last time she said someone liked me, she was right.But this time… I didn't argue. I didn't want to jinx it.
I asked to go home after making sure Will was okay. The ride was quiet.
With everything that happened today, I finally think it's okay to like Serco. Just a little. I know these feelings aren't shallow, now. There's something different about him—a strong chemistry and a quiet understanding I've never felt with anyone else.
I just hope he feels it too.
That night, as I lay in bed, Serco sent me a text.
How are you? Sorry for leaving so suddenly. And sorry for punching your friend.
I laughed and texted back,
He was asking for it. I'm fine now. Thanks for asking.
His reply came almost instantly.
That's a relief.
I smiled, flooded with warmth. I texted him good night before falling asleep with my phone hugged against my chest.
The sound of Serco's voice awoke me the next morning,
"Answer my text." My phone chimed.
Groggy, I opened my eyes and checked my phone.
Good morning.
I smiled again. I should make him record a longer sentence for me—his voice wasn't a bad way to wake up.
"Wake up!" my mom suddenly yelled, bursting into my room and shattering the mood.
Ugh. The irritation was back.
"I don't want to go to school," I groaned, pulling the covers over my head.
She ignored me and ripped them off, and then cruelly turned up the AC.
I had no choice but to get up.
The walk to school was uneventful. Nacina wouldn't stop talking about how satisfying it was to see Will's nose get broken. Honestly, I was impressed she could keep that story going for ten whole minutes by herself.
We eventually parted ways, and I headed to class.
Will wasn't at his desk. Maybe he stayed home? His injury must've been worse than it looked.
Kriss glanced at me and gave a half-hearted wave, but didn't say anything.
Did I ruin our friendship? I told Nacina and the others not to come... Should I have been more forceful?
Luckily, I didn't need a partner in Culinary today. One awkward moment avoided. Still, I was more bored than usual, and the time dragged by.
I checked my phone before Calculus—no messages.
The rest of the day improved once I saw Nacina again, but I couldn't shake the disappointment when Serco still hadn't contacted me.
The next morning, I checked my phone again.
Still nothing.
I've gone weeks without talking to someone and barely noticed. But just one day without hearing from Serco, and I was crawling out of my skin.
Maybe I need a stress ball. Or a chew toy.
Something.