'Holy crap I'm sore…'
Getting out of my bed, I took some time to stretch for a bit.
It was Monday morning and for some reason I was in the mood to work out harder than usual the night before.
Unfortunately, I had to deal with the consequences.
'Man, I really wish I didn't have to go to school…'
School was always a pain, no matter the day.
On the bright side, I'd see Soriel again.
Over the weekend, we hadn't texted much.
I didn't know how things would be, with her still mourning and everything, but I was still going to look forward to it.
Trying to ruin my school day with worry before it even began would've been a pretty stupid thing to do.
So, just like that, I got ready for school.
**
"What's the instructions say?" I asked, holding a bag of ice in my hand.
"You can pour it in. Then, we'll immediately start using our hands to squish it and things like that," Nishimoya responded.
We were in our second period science class and were performing an experiment.
An experiment where we made ice cream.
You see, since our class did exceptionally well on a recent test, Mr. Bostav decided to give us a break by letting us make ice cream.
So we were given paper instructions and began to make it all on our own. Fortunately, Nishimoya was my partner for the experiment.
Once we finished mixing the ice, vanilla mixture, and other things, we were ready for toppings.
Mr. Bostav brought a good few toppings ranging from chocolate syrup to even cherries.
Of course, I got all of them.
"Yum," I heard Nishimoya mumble.
She was eating the ice cream at an unusually fast pace.
"You really like that ice cream, huh?" I commented.
Nishimoya nodded happily.
Honestly, I did too so I began to devour mine as well.
**
'She's here…?'
It was lunch time and I was approaching our table in the cafeteria.
While I did, I noticed someone was already sitting with Nishimoya.
She had blonde hair and striking amethyst eyes.
'Soriel…'
"Hey you guys," I said as I sat down.
Tristan quietly sat down next to me.
"Hi Elliot, Hi Tristan," Soriel greeted calmly.
Her tone was slightly mellow but still warm and polite.
"Is everything alright? Why weren't you here before? Are…"
"Nishimoya, chill out."
"Oh yeah, sorry."
I gestured to Soriel, signaling that she could answer if she pleased.
Soriel nodded and began to speak.
"I'm sorry for not spending much time with you all recently. My grandfather…passed, so I've been dealing with a bit of grief," Soriel explained.
The table went silent.
Nishimoya's face turned surprised and then solemn.
On the other hand, Tristan's face remained calm but he swallowed silently.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Nishimoya said quietly.
"Yeah, I'm sorry to hear that," Tristan added.
I stayed silent since I had already said the same many times before.
"Thank you both," Soriel replied.
After that we kind of went into an awkward silence.
I tried changing the topic even more awkwardly and we began discussing other things.
The atmosphere still wasn't great but I was happy Soriel was back.
My friend group was made whole once again.
**
"Are you ready?" I asked, sitting on the floor.
"No…" Soriel responded.
School had ended and we were in the music room together.
Soriel sat on her piano stool, her fingers hovering over the piano keys.
"If you want to start being able to play again, you'll have to practice," I said.
"I know. But it's still so painful."
Soriel gazed on the piano, an inexplicable emotion swirled within her amethyst eyes.
I flashed the best smile I could muster.
"I believe in you."
Soriel smiled back, even though it was a little forced.
"Thank you."
She placed her hands on the piano keys and began to play.
It was a subtle melody.
For a few seconds, it was smooth and coherent. However, it soon became muddled and distorted.
Soriel's face turned grim, a mixture of anger and sadness in her eyes.
Her fist clenched and she raised it above the piano keys.
Then, she brought it down.
"Huh?"
I caught Soriel's fist.
"It's okay. You made my progress. That's all that matters."
Soriel bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Okay…" she managed to force out.
We just had to go one step at a time.
That's how Soriel would progress.
And how I could stay at her side.