English Version of Ano Hi (That Day)
Justin, Farvel…
He heard that voice again in his dreams, that familiar voice which had been haunting him for a month now. Restless, with his jet black hair all disheveled, Justin was slightly startled as a ray of sun light shot directly on his face through the window at the spot where the curtains are halfway furled. He tried to block the light with his right hand but it was of no use. After a while, when he finally realized that he would not be able to go back to sleep anyway, Justin sat up on his bed and gently rubbed his eyes.
After a minute of stretching to clear his dizzy head, Justin tried to hold on to that voice. It was a difficult feat. The more he tried to remember how it sounds, the more it slipped away from his mind. It was like trying to keep water from flowing out of his clutch. It was very much like trying to have contact with a bubble without popping it out.
Justin stood up and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He was entirely a mess. But instead of cleaning himself up, Justin just looked away and started rummaging inside his wardrobe to replace his pajama with decent clothes. Since it is weekend which means he does not need to attend school, he can do whatever he decides on.
As he was pulling on his red shirt, someone knocked on the door.
“Justin, are you up already?” At the sound of the voice, Justin recognized that it was his mother.
“Yeah, do you need anything?” Justin asked politely, pausing his actions for a while.
“No,” her mother answered. “I was just going to announce breakfast is ready.”
“Okay then. I’ll come out in a minute!” he replied.
Justin quickened his pace. He barely fixed his hair since it just goes with his charming face. Anyway, he does not brag about his looks. Just like any other guy, Justin is convinced that he does not look anything close to handsome.
Afterwards, Justin went straight to the dining room. He can sniff the smell of hot porridge, sausages and oven-cooked bread even before he entered the place. He sat swiftly in front of the dining table where his mother instantly served him food.
“Good morning,” his mother greeted, beaming at him.
“Good morning mom,” Justin smiled back then grabbed the toast and the butter container.
“You’re going out today?” inquired his mother, scrutinizing his get-up.
“Uhmmm…yeah…” Justin managed to say amid his toast-filled mouth. He chewed his food completely before continuing. “I’m going to meet Elise.”
“Elise?” asked her mother, utterly confused.
“Yeah, you know…her friend…” answered Justin quietly.
“Oh…” said her mother, comprehension slowly dawning on her face. “You mean, Shaine’s friend.”
Justin suddenly felt a stab of pain somewhere deep inside him. For the past few weeks, he was trying very hard to avoid hearing her name, his bestfriend’s name. Wait, are they still best of friends? Justin doesn’t know the answer to that. She left without forewarning him. She just asked to meet him by the playground where they usually hang out with each other and then out of a sudden, bade goodbye.
Justin felt a pang of irritation, anger perhaps. His eyebrows furrowed simply at the thought. Why couldn’t she disobey her parents for once? Why couldn’t she be more assertive of her feelings?!
It must have been very selfish of him to think like that, but Justin knew better. He knew Shaine more than anybody else. He knew that Shaine doesn’t want to go, that she was just following her parents’ decision again. He knew that Shaine couldn’t defy her parents even if that means sacrificing her own happiness.
“I’ll be going,” Justin said out of a sudden. He stood up indignantly from his chair, deposited the plate in the sink then went straight out of the door without waiting for his mother’s approval.
Justin took his bike and pedaled away. Just as he was close to their meeting place, it started to rain. Justin suddenly had this feeling very much like déjà vu, and he abhorred it. He hastily headed to a nearby convenience store where he parked his bike on the covered side. Secured that nobody would try to take it away in case there are snatchers hanging around, Justin slipped inside the store.
There were quite a few people inside the store. Justin watched as the queue of people by the counter slowly lessened. The girl who is behind the counter smiled at Justin as he entered. Justin saw no reason not to smile back so he did. He then roamed around the store. It was very easy to search for something or someone since the store was rather small. After a short while, he saw Elise sitting alone by the table on one corner.
“Hey,” said Justin, taking the seat beside her.
“Hey!” said Elise, her face suddenly lighting up. “I didn’t expect you to come.”
“Well I didn’t expect I’d come either,” admitted Justin. “Something weird got into my head, I guess. What are you going to say anyway?”
“Uhmm…” Elise hesitated for a while. “Actually, it’s about Shaine.”
There again. Shaine. Why is it that when you’re trying to avoid a topic, it comes up more often? That’s exactly what Justin thought. He tried to keep his expression blank since he knew that Elise is watching him for any visible signs of concern, irritation or whatever she expects to flicker across his face. After a while, Elise sighed, looking a bit disappointed.
“What about her?” Justin said coolly, avoiding having eye contact with Elise.
“She didn’t mean to go…” muttered Elise in an almost inaudible voice.
Justin resisted the urge to say, “I know. How could I not know?! She IS my best friend.” It was a relief he still had his brain working or else he might have said something to hurt her feelings. But, it was just his instinct to claim that he knew Shaine better than any other friend she ever had. It is a bit cruel of him to not have shown his real feelings to Shane earlier when he had the opportunity, but the truth is, he feels quite possessive when it comes to her. He didn’t know why, he just felt that way.
“And…?” Justin acted as if he really doesn’t care.
“And I know she’s important to you…”
For a moment, Justin had lost his ability to speak. Elise, with that very confident face of hers, said those words too bluntly it almost sounded like a spell she casted over him, making him partially impaired. Of course, Shaine is important to him. How could she not be? She was the first to recognize who he really is…
“NEWS EVERYONE!” someone shouted. “We have a new classmate!”
Whispers and murmurs broke out at that instant. It was very big news. Who would transfer in the middle of the semester when everyone had already taken their second examinations? But wait, this guy from Denmark had the guts to satisfy that question!
“I heard he’s a straight-A, perfectly talented student back in his school!” Someone in the class announced brightly. Girls startled to giggle and louder talks suddenly emerged in the surface.
“I think he’s brilliant! I can’t wait to see him!” A girl who has her hair tied in braids said.
“Do you think he’s that perfect, cool type of guy?” Another said in an almost incomprehensible way because she suddenly burst into fits of giggles prompted by her fairy-tale sort of imagination.
“I’m definitely going to be friends with him!”
“Why couldn’t it be a pretty girl?” Someone from the guy’s crowd grumbled. Others muttered in agreement. “That would have been great!”
“SHUT UP!” The girls said in unison.
Just then, the teacher entered the class and told them to go back to their proper seats. After the class had finally settled down, he cleared his throat to catch everyone’s attention and opened his mouth to speak in a formal tone.
“I have something to announce,” the teacher said. The room went deadly silent. Everyone was anticipating for the teacher to continue. The intensity of their stares was almost tangible and frightening.
“You will have a new classmate starting this day. It is a bit unexpected but he came from Denmark and his parents wanted him to study here,” the teacher paused for a while and then continued. “I’m going to introduce him to you now.”
The teacher went to the door and beckoned someone to go inside. As soon as the new guy crossed the threshold, the girls repressed their giggles. Standing before them was a guy about five feet and five inches tall who has tousled jet black hair that goes with his fair complexion, warm brown eyes and godly features that most people only see in the covers of famous magazines. No doubt the girls are floating in their own havens while the guys couldn’t do anything but stare at them, strangely dumbfounded.
“Hey. My name is Justin, Justin Ehlers. I’m sixteen and I hope that I’ll be able to cope up with you guys soon,” said Justin as shortly as he reached the center of the room. He then smiled warmly at them.
Barely a week had passed since his first introduction that the rest of the school adored him. Everywhere he went, girls swooned just to have a good glimpse of him as if he’s an unknown species that came from the zoo to be looked at. Justin knew that what they saw is the physical him, as always. Nobody ever tried to understand him as a human being.
But then, his view of the world changed at that time when the class was grouped by their history teacher for a project and he was coincidentally grouped with Shaine. Back then, he barely knew her. She’s not the visible type that you could just notice inside the class. She was sort of quiet and different in some way.
That day, the teacher gave them her time for the groups to talk about and decide on the project. Just as he was expecting his groupmates to leave everything up to him as what their other classmates usually do, Shaine spoke.
“I’ll be handling this one,” said Shaine, looking at him. “You look ready to drop.”
Everything started just because of those simple words. Becoming closer and being best friends soon followed after that. Justin found it very pleasant to have her around. What’s difficult from him before suddenly became much easier. The word “fun” had a lot more meaning in it than before.
It would have been nice if everything stayed that way. But no, she has to go and leave him.
RRRRIIIIIIINGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!
Justin, irritation etched on his face, groped for his cell phone on the bedside table. He was having a good dream about winning a basketball game when out of a sudden his phone burst out ringing. If that wasn’t nerve-racking, he doesn’t know what is.
Finally, he picked up his phone, quickly pressed the answer button and located it close to his left ear.
“What?” Justin snapped in annoyance through the phone.
“Hey, it’s me. Shaine.” The voice from the other end said.
“What do you need?” Okay, it must have sounded harsh but Justin was not really in the mood to chat with someone, even if it is his bestfriend.
“We need to talk,” said Shaine in this very serious tone.
“Okay, talk.”
“I didn’t mean like here on the phone. I meant in person.”
“Shaine, look-“Justin said in exasperation.
“I know it’s a bit sudden and I’m disturbing you…” Shaine interjected. “But I really need to say something. It’s important. Meet me at the playground. I’ll be waiting. Bye.” Without prior notice, she hanged up.
For a while, Justin just stared at the phone. What in the world is this very big thing that she needs to talk about in person? Maybe it’s something about her parents, or her homework in math, or her pet dog eating another pillow…
Whatever it is, Justin just laid his phone beside him on the bed and closed his eyes. Maybe he didn’t mean it but one moment he was just contemplating on things and then suddenly he was swept back to dream land.
When he woke up, the first thing he noticed was the color of the window. Justin rubbed his eyes and looked again. He was wrong. It wasn’t the window, it was the outside. The sky was gray in color and rain was pouring real hard. Bewildered, Justin hastily looked at his wall clock. It was five in the afternoon, exactly two hours since Shaine had called. Instinctively, he roused up from his bed and wore his shoes. He didn’t bother tying the lace properly. He was very intent on going outside.
Justin slammed shut the door to his room. He was in a hurry. He didn’t know if she’d still be there but it was worth trying. He hastily ran to the front door when his mother caught him in the arm.
“Wait!” his mother said, apparently appalled with his rash actions. “Where are you going? Can’t you see it’s raining like mad outside?”
“I’ve got to meet Shaine. I’ll be back soon, don’t worry,” Justin said in haste.
He ran out of the door, unlocked the bike from being chained in their fence and quickly pedaled away. It took him about ten minutes to get to the park. There were quite a few people by then but they were running at every direction, trying to look for shade. Justin looked around. The rain was beating against him hard. He was dripping wet but he didn’t care. Justin just continued searching for Shaine. For a fraction of a minute, he seriously thought she must have gone home already. Who would wait in the rain for an hour? Much more, two hours? Justin almost slapped his head for doing that to her. He could not do anything if she got mad at him.
But then, as he was about to give up searching, he saw someone by the bench in the middle of the park. It was a girl. She didn’t have an umbrella. She was just sitting there calmly as if the rain was nothing. When Justin turned around the corner, he was stunned to see that it was Shaine.
He parked his bike beside a tree and then ran quickly to her.
“Shaine, I’m sorry I-“Justin hastily apologized to her.
“I’m glad…” said Shaine gently, shaking madly from cold. Her arms were folded across her chest. “Y-you c-came…”
Justin suddenly felt a wave of guilt coursed through his veins. How could he have let this happen? Plus, he couldn’t understand how Shaine could just wait in that condition. It was very strong of her…
“Stupid,” Justin said, watching her shiver in the rain. “Why didn’t you find a covered place? You should have gone home. I will more than understand…”
“B-but I really w-wanted to t-talk to you…” Shaine admitted.
“Well then, let’s find a place better than here…” suggested Justin, pulling her up to her feet but Shaine resisted.
“It’s fine here…” said Shane, trying to smile at him. “Besides, we’re already wet.”
Justin sighed exasperatedly then took the vacant seat beside her.
“You’re really stubborn, aren’t you?”Justin said coolly. Shaine waved it off with a small laugh.
For a short while, they stayed silent. Justin kept glancing at Shaine. Nothing has changed in her except for the fact that she looked more mature. Her brunette hair still has that natural curl as though the rain has no effect on it. That calm expression of hers made Justin feel everything’s okay. But then, there was an endless depth in her eyes like there was something miserable she’s hiding.
“Justin…” Shaine said out of a sudden.
“Hmm…?”
“Do you remember what happened when we poked a random crazy guy on the street before?”
“What? The one who chased us ‘til nightfall? Yeah, I kinda couldn’t forget that,” Justin answered eventhough he didn’t know why Shaine’s suddenly talking about that.
“That was good memory, wasn’t it?” Shaine chuckled.
“Uhuh…” Justin nodded in agreement.
“What about that time when we put chili sauce on Riley’s pasta?” Shaine continued.
“Yeah, Riley’s expression back then was priceless,” replied Justin cautiously. “But Shaine…”
“Hmm…?” It was Shaine’s turn to be questioned.
“Why are you suddenly talking about those stuffs?” asked Justin, looking at her in eye. “It’s making me uneasy.”
Shaine was unable to answer at first. It was as if she’s trapped in her thoughts. After a while of silence, she finally spoke.
“We’re moving.”
“What?” asked Justin, completely bewildered. “You lost me.”
“We’re leaving. Dad wants us to move to Japan.”
Justin was dumbfounded. He wasn’t able to say anything. Shaine waited for him to answer but when he didn’t, she continued.
“We’ll never come back. That’s the plan. You won’t see me again.”
Justin muttered something really unintelligible, “Oh.”
“I just wanted to say it to you, you know…” Shaine forced a smile. “It would be bad if I just leave without saying anything, right?”
“Right…” said Justin. At that time, Justin was barely aware of what he’s saying. It’s just that, reality was still not sinking in his brain. His mind was refusing everything he was hearing.
“Well, that’s really it,”said Shaine, sadness was now visible in her expression. Justin didn’t know if it was because of the news or because of his lack of reaction that Shaine thought he doesn’t care at all.”I gotta go. Justin, farvel…”
That was the final bomb for Justin. Farvel…it was the Danish term for a long term goodbye. It surprised him that Shaine knows a Danish word but it shocked him more than ever that the word she knew was the word that will hurt him the most.
As the rain continued to pour down, Justin wasn’t able to do anything but watch as Shaine go farther and farther away. He couldn’t move. He had lost the energy to do anything more than watch. And as the last of Shaine vanished from his vision, it was only then that he realized something special.
“Justin, she loves you…” said Elise, breaking his trail of thoughts. “More than a friend, that’s what I meant.”
Mixed emotions filled up the gap in Justin’s heart. He didn’t know what he’s supposed to feel. Moreover, he didn’t know the purpose of knowing anymore.
“Why now?” said Justin coldly. “Why do you have to say this now when you could have told me weeks earlier? Why now when she’s gone?”
Justin stood up indignantly and went out of the store. He grabbed his bike and started to walk. It was still raining but he didn’t care. Out of a sudden, as he was just about to cross a familiar street, he came to a halt and looked up at the gray sky. It truly felt like déjà vu. If he could just turn back the time, he could still be with Shaine. If he could just go back, he would definitely do it just to spend more time with her. If he realized it before everything happened, before she went away, he could have told his bestfriend that he loves her. If his heart was just on the right place when it all happened, he could have made the biggest difference in the world without having any regrets.
Every little thing that he let slipped could have changed on that day.
owari. ^^
Minna-san, hisashiburii da ne? :)
He heard that voice again in his dreams, that familiar voice which had been haunting him for a month now. Restless, with his jet black hair all disheveled, Justin was slightly startled as a ray of sun light shot directly on his face through the window at the spot where the curtains are halfway furled. He tried to block the light with his right hand but it was of no use. After a while, when he finally realized that he would not be able to go back to sleep anyway, Justin sat up on his bed and gently rubbed his eyes.
After a minute of stretching to clear his dizzy head, Justin tried to hold on to that voice. It was a difficult feat. The more he tried to remember how it sounds, the more it slipped away from his mind. It was like trying to keep water from flowing out of his clutch. It was very much like trying to have contact with a bubble without popping it out.
Justin stood up and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He was entirely a mess. But instead of cleaning himself up, Justin just looked away and started rummaging inside his wardrobe to replace his pajama with decent clothes. Since it is weekend which means he does not need to attend school, he can do whatever he decides on.
As he was pulling on his red shirt, someone knocked on the door.
“Justin, are you up already?” At the sound of the voice, Justin recognized that it was his mother.
“Yeah, do you need anything?” Justin asked politely, pausing his actions for a while.
“No,” her mother answered. “I was just going to announce breakfast is ready.”
“Okay then. I’ll come out in a minute!” he replied.
Justin quickened his pace. He barely fixed his hair since it just goes with his charming face. Anyway, he does not brag about his looks. Just like any other guy, Justin is convinced that he does not look anything close to handsome.
Afterwards, Justin went straight to the dining room. He can sniff the smell of hot porridge, sausages and oven-cooked bread even before he entered the place. He sat swiftly in front of the dining table where his mother instantly served him food.
“Good morning,” his mother greeted, beaming at him.
“Good morning mom,” Justin smiled back then grabbed the toast and the butter container.
“You’re going out today?” inquired his mother, scrutinizing his get-up.
“Uhmmm…yeah…” Justin managed to say amid his toast-filled mouth. He chewed his food completely before continuing. “I’m going to meet Elise.”
“Elise?” asked her mother, utterly confused.
“Yeah, you know…her friend…” answered Justin quietly.
“Oh…” said her mother, comprehension slowly dawning on her face. “You mean, Shaine’s friend.”
Justin suddenly felt a stab of pain somewhere deep inside him. For the past few weeks, he was trying very hard to avoid hearing her name, his bestfriend’s name. Wait, are they still best of friends? Justin doesn’t know the answer to that. She left without forewarning him. She just asked to meet him by the playground where they usually hang out with each other and then out of a sudden, bade goodbye.
Justin felt a pang of irritation, anger perhaps. His eyebrows furrowed simply at the thought. Why couldn’t she disobey her parents for once? Why couldn’t she be more assertive of her feelings?!
It must have been very selfish of him to think like that, but Justin knew better. He knew Shaine more than anybody else. He knew that Shaine doesn’t want to go, that she was just following her parents’ decision again. He knew that Shaine couldn’t defy her parents even if that means sacrificing her own happiness.
“I’ll be going,” Justin said out of a sudden. He stood up indignantly from his chair, deposited the plate in the sink then went straight out of the door without waiting for his mother’s approval.
Justin took his bike and pedaled away. Just as he was close to their meeting place, it started to rain. Justin suddenly had this feeling very much like déjà vu, and he abhorred it. He hastily headed to a nearby convenience store where he parked his bike on the covered side. Secured that nobody would try to take it away in case there are snatchers hanging around, Justin slipped inside the store.
There were quite a few people inside the store. Justin watched as the queue of people by the counter slowly lessened. The girl who is behind the counter smiled at Justin as he entered. Justin saw no reason not to smile back so he did. He then roamed around the store. It was very easy to search for something or someone since the store was rather small. After a short while, he saw Elise sitting alone by the table on one corner.
“Hey,” said Justin, taking the seat beside her.
“Hey!” said Elise, her face suddenly lighting up. “I didn’t expect you to come.”
“Well I didn’t expect I’d come either,” admitted Justin. “Something weird got into my head, I guess. What are you going to say anyway?”
“Uhmm…” Elise hesitated for a while. “Actually, it’s about Shaine.”
There again. Shaine. Why is it that when you’re trying to avoid a topic, it comes up more often? That’s exactly what Justin thought. He tried to keep his expression blank since he knew that Elise is watching him for any visible signs of concern, irritation or whatever she expects to flicker across his face. After a while, Elise sighed, looking a bit disappointed.
“What about her?” Justin said coolly, avoiding having eye contact with Elise.
“She didn’t mean to go…” muttered Elise in an almost inaudible voice.
Justin resisted the urge to say, “I know. How could I not know?! She IS my best friend.” It was a relief he still had his brain working or else he might have said something to hurt her feelings. But, it was just his instinct to claim that he knew Shaine better than any other friend she ever had. It is a bit cruel of him to not have shown his real feelings to Shane earlier when he had the opportunity, but the truth is, he feels quite possessive when it comes to her. He didn’t know why, he just felt that way.
“And…?” Justin acted as if he really doesn’t care.
“And I know she’s important to you…”
For a moment, Justin had lost his ability to speak. Elise, with that very confident face of hers, said those words too bluntly it almost sounded like a spell she casted over him, making him partially impaired. Of course, Shaine is important to him. How could she not be? She was the first to recognize who he really is…
“NEWS EVERYONE!” someone shouted. “We have a new classmate!”
Whispers and murmurs broke out at that instant. It was very big news. Who would transfer in the middle of the semester when everyone had already taken their second examinations? But wait, this guy from Denmark had the guts to satisfy that question!
“I heard he’s a straight-A, perfectly talented student back in his school!” Someone in the class announced brightly. Girls startled to giggle and louder talks suddenly emerged in the surface.
“I think he’s brilliant! I can’t wait to see him!” A girl who has her hair tied in braids said.
“Do you think he’s that perfect, cool type of guy?” Another said in an almost incomprehensible way because she suddenly burst into fits of giggles prompted by her fairy-tale sort of imagination.
“I’m definitely going to be friends with him!”
“Why couldn’t it be a pretty girl?” Someone from the guy’s crowd grumbled. Others muttered in agreement. “That would have been great!”
“SHUT UP!” The girls said in unison.
Just then, the teacher entered the class and told them to go back to their proper seats. After the class had finally settled down, he cleared his throat to catch everyone’s attention and opened his mouth to speak in a formal tone.
“I have something to announce,” the teacher said. The room went deadly silent. Everyone was anticipating for the teacher to continue. The intensity of their stares was almost tangible and frightening.
“You will have a new classmate starting this day. It is a bit unexpected but he came from Denmark and his parents wanted him to study here,” the teacher paused for a while and then continued. “I’m going to introduce him to you now.”
The teacher went to the door and beckoned someone to go inside. As soon as the new guy crossed the threshold, the girls repressed their giggles. Standing before them was a guy about five feet and five inches tall who has tousled jet black hair that goes with his fair complexion, warm brown eyes and godly features that most people only see in the covers of famous magazines. No doubt the girls are floating in their own havens while the guys couldn’t do anything but stare at them, strangely dumbfounded.
“Hey. My name is Justin, Justin Ehlers. I’m sixteen and I hope that I’ll be able to cope up with you guys soon,” said Justin as shortly as he reached the center of the room. He then smiled warmly at them.
Barely a week had passed since his first introduction that the rest of the school adored him. Everywhere he went, girls swooned just to have a good glimpse of him as if he’s an unknown species that came from the zoo to be looked at. Justin knew that what they saw is the physical him, as always. Nobody ever tried to understand him as a human being.
But then, his view of the world changed at that time when the class was grouped by their history teacher for a project and he was coincidentally grouped with Shaine. Back then, he barely knew her. She’s not the visible type that you could just notice inside the class. She was sort of quiet and different in some way.
That day, the teacher gave them her time for the groups to talk about and decide on the project. Just as he was expecting his groupmates to leave everything up to him as what their other classmates usually do, Shaine spoke.
“I’ll be handling this one,” said Shaine, looking at him. “You look ready to drop.”
Everything started just because of those simple words. Becoming closer and being best friends soon followed after that. Justin found it very pleasant to have her around. What’s difficult from him before suddenly became much easier. The word “fun” had a lot more meaning in it than before.
It would have been nice if everything stayed that way. But no, she has to go and leave him.
RRRRIIIIIIINGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!
Justin, irritation etched on his face, groped for his cell phone on the bedside table. He was having a good dream about winning a basketball game when out of a sudden his phone burst out ringing. If that wasn’t nerve-racking, he doesn’t know what is.
Finally, he picked up his phone, quickly pressed the answer button and located it close to his left ear.
“What?” Justin snapped in annoyance through the phone.
“Hey, it’s me. Shaine.” The voice from the other end said.
“What do you need?” Okay, it must have sounded harsh but Justin was not really in the mood to chat with someone, even if it is his bestfriend.
“We need to talk,” said Shaine in this very serious tone.
“Okay, talk.”
“I didn’t mean like here on the phone. I meant in person.”
“Shaine, look-“Justin said in exasperation.
“I know it’s a bit sudden and I’m disturbing you…” Shaine interjected. “But I really need to say something. It’s important. Meet me at the playground. I’ll be waiting. Bye.” Without prior notice, she hanged up.
For a while, Justin just stared at the phone. What in the world is this very big thing that she needs to talk about in person? Maybe it’s something about her parents, or her homework in math, or her pet dog eating another pillow…
Whatever it is, Justin just laid his phone beside him on the bed and closed his eyes. Maybe he didn’t mean it but one moment he was just contemplating on things and then suddenly he was swept back to dream land.
When he woke up, the first thing he noticed was the color of the window. Justin rubbed his eyes and looked again. He was wrong. It wasn’t the window, it was the outside. The sky was gray in color and rain was pouring real hard. Bewildered, Justin hastily looked at his wall clock. It was five in the afternoon, exactly two hours since Shaine had called. Instinctively, he roused up from his bed and wore his shoes. He didn’t bother tying the lace properly. He was very intent on going outside.
Justin slammed shut the door to his room. He was in a hurry. He didn’t know if she’d still be there but it was worth trying. He hastily ran to the front door when his mother caught him in the arm.
“Wait!” his mother said, apparently appalled with his rash actions. “Where are you going? Can’t you see it’s raining like mad outside?”
“I’ve got to meet Shaine. I’ll be back soon, don’t worry,” Justin said in haste.
He ran out of the door, unlocked the bike from being chained in their fence and quickly pedaled away. It took him about ten minutes to get to the park. There were quite a few people by then but they were running at every direction, trying to look for shade. Justin looked around. The rain was beating against him hard. He was dripping wet but he didn’t care. Justin just continued searching for Shaine. For a fraction of a minute, he seriously thought she must have gone home already. Who would wait in the rain for an hour? Much more, two hours? Justin almost slapped his head for doing that to her. He could not do anything if she got mad at him.
But then, as he was about to give up searching, he saw someone by the bench in the middle of the park. It was a girl. She didn’t have an umbrella. She was just sitting there calmly as if the rain was nothing. When Justin turned around the corner, he was stunned to see that it was Shaine.
He parked his bike beside a tree and then ran quickly to her.
“Shaine, I’m sorry I-“Justin hastily apologized to her.
“I’m glad…” said Shaine gently, shaking madly from cold. Her arms were folded across her chest. “Y-you c-came…”
Justin suddenly felt a wave of guilt coursed through his veins. How could he have let this happen? Plus, he couldn’t understand how Shaine could just wait in that condition. It was very strong of her…
“Stupid,” Justin said, watching her shiver in the rain. “Why didn’t you find a covered place? You should have gone home. I will more than understand…”
“B-but I really w-wanted to t-talk to you…” Shaine admitted.
“Well then, let’s find a place better than here…” suggested Justin, pulling her up to her feet but Shaine resisted.
“It’s fine here…” said Shane, trying to smile at him. “Besides, we’re already wet.”
Justin sighed exasperatedly then took the vacant seat beside her.
“You’re really stubborn, aren’t you?”Justin said coolly. Shaine waved it off with a small laugh.
For a short while, they stayed silent. Justin kept glancing at Shaine. Nothing has changed in her except for the fact that she looked more mature. Her brunette hair still has that natural curl as though the rain has no effect on it. That calm expression of hers made Justin feel everything’s okay. But then, there was an endless depth in her eyes like there was something miserable she’s hiding.
“Justin…” Shaine said out of a sudden.
“Hmm…?”
“Do you remember what happened when we poked a random crazy guy on the street before?”
“What? The one who chased us ‘til nightfall? Yeah, I kinda couldn’t forget that,” Justin answered eventhough he didn’t know why Shaine’s suddenly talking about that.
“That was good memory, wasn’t it?” Shaine chuckled.
“Uhuh…” Justin nodded in agreement.
“What about that time when we put chili sauce on Riley’s pasta?” Shaine continued.
“Yeah, Riley’s expression back then was priceless,” replied Justin cautiously. “But Shaine…”
“Hmm…?” It was Shaine’s turn to be questioned.
“Why are you suddenly talking about those stuffs?” asked Justin, looking at her in eye. “It’s making me uneasy.”
Shaine was unable to answer at first. It was as if she’s trapped in her thoughts. After a while of silence, she finally spoke.
“We’re moving.”
“What?” asked Justin, completely bewildered. “You lost me.”
“We’re leaving. Dad wants us to move to Japan.”
Justin was dumbfounded. He wasn’t able to say anything. Shaine waited for him to answer but when he didn’t, she continued.
“We’ll never come back. That’s the plan. You won’t see me again.”
Justin muttered something really unintelligible, “Oh.”
“I just wanted to say it to you, you know…” Shaine forced a smile. “It would be bad if I just leave without saying anything, right?”
“Right…” said Justin. At that time, Justin was barely aware of what he’s saying. It’s just that, reality was still not sinking in his brain. His mind was refusing everything he was hearing.
“Well, that’s really it,”said Shaine, sadness was now visible in her expression. Justin didn’t know if it was because of the news or because of his lack of reaction that Shaine thought he doesn’t care at all.”I gotta go. Justin, farvel…”
That was the final bomb for Justin. Farvel…it was the Danish term for a long term goodbye. It surprised him that Shaine knows a Danish word but it shocked him more than ever that the word she knew was the word that will hurt him the most.
As the rain continued to pour down, Justin wasn’t able to do anything but watch as Shaine go farther and farther away. He couldn’t move. He had lost the energy to do anything more than watch. And as the last of Shaine vanished from his vision, it was only then that he realized something special.
“Justin, she loves you…” said Elise, breaking his trail of thoughts. “More than a friend, that’s what I meant.”
Mixed emotions filled up the gap in Justin’s heart. He didn’t know what he’s supposed to feel. Moreover, he didn’t know the purpose of knowing anymore.
“Why now?” said Justin coldly. “Why do you have to say this now when you could have told me weeks earlier? Why now when she’s gone?”
Justin stood up indignantly and went out of the store. He grabbed his bike and started to walk. It was still raining but he didn’t care. Out of a sudden, as he was just about to cross a familiar street, he came to a halt and looked up at the gray sky. It truly felt like déjà vu. If he could just turn back the time, he could still be with Shaine. If he could just go back, he would definitely do it just to spend more time with her. If he realized it before everything happened, before she went away, he could have told his bestfriend that he loves her. If his heart was just on the right place when it all happened, he could have made the biggest difference in the world without having any regrets.
Every little thing that he let slipped could have changed on that day.
owari. ^^
Minna-san, hisashiburii da ne? :)