She's Got A Way | MizuEna

by WormInDaDirt

Summary:

“This is nice but could use some work”

I throw my phone on the floor, “Who are you, my dad?” I mutter grumpily before rolling over in my bed. Sometimes I wonder the point of putting yourself out there if nobody even cares. I try to keep my mind off the subject of art until I eventually drift off to sleep.

or...

Ena's discouraged with the little feedback she gets on her art account online until she gets a new fan. That fan being an account with the username, "Amia"

Chapter 1: Feedback

(Ena POV):

“Ena, it’s dinner time, come on out.” Akito calls after delivering three harsh knocks on my bedroom door. I sigh and sit up,

“Tell mom I’m not hungry.”, I grumble before plopping back down on my pile of various pillows and stuffed animals in the corner of my bed. A moment of silence follows our short interaction before Akito yells again,

“She says she wants you at the dinner table with the rest of us.” He sounds clearly annoyed. Though I wouldn’t mind arguing with him for a while, I know I won’t win when mom herself said I need to come out. I throw my phone down unnecessarily dramatically and trudge out of my bedroom.
I step outside to see Akito waiting for me outside my door, “Had to make sure you’d actually come out so mom wouldn’t make me take multiple trips to your room..” He explains before heading to the kitchen. I roll my eyes in response and follow him. To be frank, I actually am quite hungry, I just have little to no motivation to get out of bed anymore since school starts back up tomorrow.

I sit down at the table and mom hands me a plate loaded up with food. She constantly worries about me not eating but I just end up eating leftovers from dinner later at night to avoid awkward family dinners like the one I’m currently sitting at.

“So, are you two excited for school tomorrow?” My dad asks, poking at his food. He clearly doesn’t know what to talk about and wants to attempt to break the awkward silence.
Unfortunately for him, the topic doesn’t pass well.

“Uh, guess so.” Akito murmurs before continuing to shove food in his mouth. I merely shrug my shoulders then begin to nibble at my own food. Damn, I wish I brought my phone with me…Why’d I have to set it down? I sit, thinking to myself about regrets of small things that don’t actually matter in retrospect.
This time, Akito breaks the silence, “Mom, can An, Kohane, and Toya come over after school tomorrow?” He asks.

“Sure!” She responds, collecting everyone's empty plates and putting them in the dishwasher. We all thank mom then return to our separate areas.
I one again plop onto my bed and get on my phone, since it’s the only thing I can bring myself to do. I soon realize that I haven’t posted online in a few days, which is unusual for me. Though, this is due to the fact that I haven’t been doing anything as of late. Normally I’d post pictures of myself out and about downtown, or at a trending cafe but these last few days I’ve been sitting in bed doing nothing.

I snap a quick selfie of myself in my bed, making sure to capture a few of my cute stuffed animals in the background. I slap a quick brightening filter on it and give it a stupid cheesy caption before posting it without another thought. Instantly after I post it, a few likes and comments already start to roll in. I start to think about my art account and my curiosity is piqued on how it's been doing. Not only have I not posted any recent selfies, but I also haven’t been drawing or monitoring my art account.
I quickly switch accounts and to my disappointment, my weeks worth of new notifications are three likes and one comment. I check my most recent post, 14 likes and one new comment.

“This is nice but could use some work”

I throw my phone on the floor, “Who are you, my dad?” I mutter grumpily before rolling over in my bed. Sometimes I wonder the point of putting yourself out there if nobody even cares. I try to keep my mind off the subject of art until I eventually drift off to sleep.

Knock, knock, knock! “Ena, wake up. We have school in an hour.” Akito wakes me up every morning for school. I don’t really remember when it started but it kinda just stuck after a while. It’s not like it’s a bad thing though. I would never admit it but it’s nice to know that he cares. Though he’s ready in the morning way before me, he always waits for me so we can walk to school together, honestly it's kinda sweet.

Chapter 2: 14 Likes?

(Mizuki POV):

As I walk inside the school building, I notice a taller boy with bright purple hair on his phone with his back to me. I hold in my laughter as I creep up behind him then eventually shake his shoulders in an attempt to scare him. Unfortunately, he just turns around and gives me a small laugh, “Mizuki, I heard the excessive amount of key chains on your book bag jingling from the second you stepped towards me.”

“Ah Rui, you know me way too well, what can I say?” I ask with a smile.

Rui slightly chuckles in response but trails off, and his eyes fail to meet mine. In fact, they gaze somewhere behind me. I turn around and attempt to examine where he’s looking, “Ohhhh..” I tease. He elbows me and his face slightly flushes, though he still doesn’t look away from the smiley blonde boy near the school's entrance.

The bell suddenly rings and I cease teasing Rui for his crush and I head to class.

I sit down in my first period class and am instantly greeted by a bubbly girl that matches my exact energy, “Mizuki! I’m so happy I have a friend in this class. I was afraid that I’d be alone and you know that history isn’t my best subject…”

I laugh in response because I know that all too well. While it’s not exactly my favorite either, I always seem to do okay in it and I guess that's all that really counts.
An and I get caught up in conversation for a while until the lesson starts. We receive orders for an assignment and to work with partners, “Man, an assignment on the first day? Whatever happened to a 40 minute syllabus?” I groan, pulling out my school computer.

“I know right! We better not have any homework or else…” She replies.
After pulling through the extremely boring assignment we have approximately 10 minutes of free time to chat.
“Hey An, do you wanna hang out after school today?” I ask, hoping to fill up my empty calendar.

She frowns, “Aw man, I would love to Mizu! I’m going to Akito’s house after school today. We’re gonna work on some technical details for our new single coming out.” She says, disappointed.

“Wait, An! I didn’t know you were in a full band! Last time I checked you just did street singing!” I say, slamming my hands on the desk in pure shock.

She laughs before responding to me, “I totally forgot to tell you, it was a really recent choice. We formed maybe 2 weeks ago.” She explains.

“Well you know what, next time you guys go out and perform, invite me, I’ll be your biggest fan!” I say, excited for my friend's career takeoff. We talk a few minutes more about the progression of her new group apparently titled, “Vivid Bad Squad”. Though, our conversation is quickly terminated by the bell ringing abruptly.

A few more class periods pass by with nothing interesting to note about them. History seems to be the only class that actually gave work to do. The rest of my classes were the normal expected first day of school experience, long syllabuses and listing of rules that have been ingrained in our brains since grade 1.

Eventually I make it to my one study hall of the day, which is the last period. At first I wasn’t sure how to feel about it but having a study hall last period just means I can get all my homework done at school. Not that I have any homework on the first day of school anyway. Tomorrow is when I should be concerned about all of that. But for now, I can just scroll on my phone in peace.

I slip my earbuds in and play a random playlist of Miku songs I enjoy. Then, I get on social media. I don’t post, I just like looking at other peoples posts, as a matter of fact I don’t even go by my own name online, I use the nickname, “Amia”.

After a bit of pointless scrolling, I stumble upon a certain post that puts an end to my scrolling. It’s a photo of someone's artwork, a very well drawn picture of a landscape. Though it’s not just a generic old mountain with trees and an ocean, this feels different. It’s a picture of a forest in nearly all gray-scale. I’m not normally one to connect with artwork but this post makes me feel something. The forest gives off a feeling of such mystery but also a hint of sadness that leaves an aching feeling in my heart.

“Only 14 likes?” I whisper to myself, a little louder than I meant to. I leave a like on the post and decide to comment on how it makes me feel,
“This is so cute! I luv how this piece makes me think and how vulnerable it seems” After leaving a comment, I’m curious on what else this artist has to offer. I click on the account to see her name is “Enanan” and surprisingly only has 32 followers. After gazing at a few more posts, I follow her and leave a few more supportive comments.

I notice that the study hall is coming to an end in a matter of a minute or so, so I turn off my phone and slide it into my pocket. Then, I get the rest of my things around to leave.

Chapter 3: Influence

(Ena POV):

After school, I plop back down on my bed. School wasn’t too bad but it wasn’t the same without Airi. Her parents moved closer to the girl academy so she’s attending school there this year rather than Kamiyama like me.

I met this kind but very loud guy named Tsukasa, we have a few classes together and I guess he knows Akito. I found that pretty strange since I feel like Akito would be rather annoyed with Tsukasas personality. I didn't bother explaining that Akito and I are related because I figured he already knew.

Speaking of Akito, I hear him and his friends enter through the front door. It’s pretty hard not to hear them since Akito is bickering with someone as they walk through the front door. I peek my head through my bedroom door and notice them going straight to Akitos room. Huh? Normally Akito gets a snack after school.. I thought for a while that he must be hungry.

I sigh then walk to the kitchen once they are out of sight. Akito has been alright recently. I open the fridge and pantry and grab a few things from them.

Knock, knock, knock! “Eh? Come in…” Akito says from the other side of the door. I enter with a tray of cookies, apple slices and an empty cup for each of them and a bottle of apple juice for them to split. They’re all sitting on the floor and all seem very surprised.

“Ena, what's all this for?” He asks, suspicious at my kindness.
“You didn’t get a snack after school, I thought you might be hungry is all…” I say, with a fake annoyed tone, then I set down the tray.
“So you’re Ena? I’ve heard so much about you, I’m An!” The girl with black and blue hair exclaims. She almost reminds me of Airi. The blonde girl beside her smiles sweetly, she seems rather shy. Toya gives me a head nod as a greeting. I know Toya since he and Akito have been friends for a while now, but the other two I’m unfamiliar with.

“It’s nice to meet you guys! I hope you’re taking care of my little bro!” I say, just to embarrass Akito. He flushes and rolls his eyes jokingly. I give them a smile and leave.

After that, I head back to my room. Seeing Akito with his friends inspires me to talk to mine, so I pull out my phone and shoot Airi a message.
“Hiiiii! U wanna go to the crepe place tmrw??” Airi is basically my perfect match in friends, so just like me she answers her phone very quickly.
“YESS ofc!! Meet me outside of my school since its otw” I smile and send her a thumbs up. Now I’ll actually have something interesting to post. My selfies always do well but they do even better with Airi in them since she’s a former idol. In fact, she’s starting back up the business again but with a new group. I’m excited to see Airi back in action again.

Thinking of Airi gets me thinking about art. Airi is one of the few people who recognizes my art for what it is. She’s always been my inspiration to keep it up.

I pull out my sketchpad and a pencil and begin to draw. A few moments later the rough draft is done but I hate it…What a surprise… “Ugh!” I toss the sketchpad aside.

I whip out my phone and notice a few notifications from my social media posts, which is no surprise until I remember that I never switched off my art account last night. I excitedly pull up my account to see a new follower. They left a comment that reads,

“This is so cute! I luv how this piece makes me think and how vulnerable it seems”
I feel a big smile form on my face. It’s not everyday that I receive a comment like this that actually sees the work I put into what I post. I also notice that this same person, “Amia” liked more of my posts. “Looks like I have a fan!” I say to myself excitedly.

I put my phone down and continue to draw, new motivation fueling my movements. For once, when I put my pencil down, I like what I see. I smile to myself, snapping a picture of the piece and posting it. I rip the piece out of my notebook and tape it to the wall. I admire it, not only the art itself but the influence behind it is what makes it so powerful.

I lay back down, content with what I have done.

Chapter 4: Exchange

(Miziki POV):

 

After my final study hall is finally over I’m relieved with the amount of homework I completed. I grab my book bag from underneath my chair and put it on. I leave the class when the bell rings and I wait outside the school building for An because we’re going to some crepe place after school. After a few minutes of waiting, a hand lightly taps my shoulder,

“Mizuki! Let’s go!” An says joyfully.
I give her a smile and we begin the walk to the crepe place. It turns out the place is close to the girls academy.
We take seats at a table of four since it’s the only table open because the place is surprisingly very busy. As I monitor the menu, I hear An shout some names so I look up at her and she’s waving towards the entrance.

“ENAAA! AIRI!! Come sit with us!” She exclaims. With little to no warning, two girls take seats next to us. Airi, I’m familiar with, she went to Kamiyama last year and we got along quite well. This girl who appears to be Ena I haven’t met before. Though, I can’t seem to look away from her and I’m unsure why.

“Thanks for inviting us to sit with you An! If you didn’t we wouldn’t have anywhere to sit. Maybe next time we shouldn’t take the scenic route here, Ena…” Airi says in a joking and relieved manner.

“Yes thank you! For being one of my brother's friends, you’re pretty cool, An.” Ena says calmly. She gives a small laugh that could charm any guy.
“No problem, have you guys met my friend Mizuki?” An says, motioning to me. Airi nods her head and gives me a welcoming smile.
“It’s nice to meet you Mizuki, I’ve seen you around. You have some really great fashion!” Ena exclaims, taking a look at some changes I made to our boring school uniform. I feel my cheeks turn hot and I giggle awkwardly, “Thank you so much! And it’s great to meet you too!” I say. She smiles.

After introductions we all get our order taken by the waitress and we start to chat about school and other random topics.

Eventually, we finish our food and it starts to get late. We all pay separately and leave the crepe place. Airi and An live close by each other near the girls academy while Ena and I live near Kamiyama. We say our goodbyes to Airi and An and Ena and I walk home together.

“Now that I think about it, don’t we have our last period together? Study hall?” Ena asks.
“I think we do!” I respond, remembering her at the table next to mine.

We talk a little more before we exchange socials.
“Mine is “Amia”,” I explain.
Suddenly, her face brightens up, “Amia?” She pulls out her phone and displays my account, “This Amia?” I nod my head in confusion. She gives me a big smile,
“You follow my art account!” She then shows her account and I gasp.
“That's YOU?”
Our conversation continues on for a while and she expresses how glad she is that I love her art. Now that I know the account belongs to a friend, I have even more reason to support it.

She ends up giving me the username to her main account as well. I was surprisingly shocked by how famous she is. Though I guess it makes sense, she’s gorgeous after all. Who wouldn’t follow a pretty girl like her online?

Later on the walk, we reach the point where we’d have to go our separate ways. But i end up walking her home since I was having too much fun chatting with her to stop. When we arrive at her house, I take in how nice it is. She has a big welcoming seeming home that stands out on her street of plain houses. Outside, a ginger guy is mowing the lawn. He stops, “Ena, dad told me to tell you to talk to him when you get home.” He takes a small glance at me before looking back to Ena.

She rolls her eyes, clearly annoyed, “Fine…” She turns to me, “It was nice to meet you Mizuki. I’ll see you around.” Her tone totally switched up from before her dad was mentioned. I wonder what's up with that? I shake off my worries and wave to her as she steps inside her house. I turn around and start the short journey to my own house.

Once I get home, my mom warmly greets me. I take off my shoes and hastily kick them by the front door before heading to my bedroom. I swing off my backpack and plop down on my bed.

Something is different about Ena… I don’t know what it is but she’s just different from anyone else I know. I sigh heavily, “Why can’t I stop thinking about her?” I say, hardly audible, to myself.

I plug my phone in and don’t even bother changing into pajamas before covering myself with my countless pink blankets and comforters of different textures and shades. I force my eyes shut and attempt to sleep on these strange thoughts.

Chapter 5: Amateur

(Ena POV):

 

“Okay dad, what did you-” I walk into the living room and he isn’t there. Did he just forget and went to bed? I shrug it off, I was dreading talking to him anyway.
I walk into my bedroom and to my surprise my dad is standing in there, staring at the wall I displayed my newest drawing on yesterday. I immediately sigh and drop my bookbag on the floor, “Yes?” I ask, in a clearly grumpy tone.

He pulls his phone out of his pocket, “I found your social media account, the art one.”
My heart feels like it’s dropped down to my stomach, it beats rapidly. It’s not like I’m not allowed to have one or anything, my parents really don’t care what I do online as long as it’s not OF or something. I just know that he’ll have something to say about-. My thoughts are interrupted,
“Look, you know what I’ve told you time and again. This won’t help, I told you that nobody recognizes amateur art.” He blankly says, scrolling through my account on his phone.

I grit my teeth and ball up my fists. I look down at my shoes to avoid showing him the tears forming in my eyes, “I’m not an amateur, people like my art. I’m so sick of you acting like you’re better than me when you’ve been here once too!” I scream, looking up at him with glassy eyes. At first I was trying to suppress my anger but that’s gone far out the window by now.

He totally dodges what I said, as if it has no meaning to him at all. Instead, he turns around to look at the drawing taped to the wall behind him, “...I see what you were trying for here. I suppose it could’ve turned out but there’s just not enough emotion or knowledge poured into it. Ena, I don’t mean to hurt you but you just don’t have the emotional capacity an artist does.” He rants, and I can tell he has more to say but I simply can’t let him continue on any further before I butt in.

“I don’t..have…the emotional capacity…?” I start off whispering, but I can’t stop there. My words flood out of my mouth before I have any time to process a single one of them, “MY EMOTIONAL CAPACITY IS JUST FINE. AS A MATTER OF FACT, IT’S YOU WHO’S BUILT IT UP SO FAR!” I’m fully aware of how loud I’m yelling, I’m fully aware that it’s gotten mom and Akito’s attention but I don’t care. “Leave…Get out,” I say in between sobs. I don’t bother looking at his face again, the sight of it alone is enough to make me sick. Yet despite my pleas, he stays still, “I SAID GET OUT..” I scream once more, and this time he obeys without a single word to me, he doesn’t even bother to take another glance at me.
I fall to the floor and continue to cry. It’s a pathetic sight for sure but I just can’t help myself. Years upon years of build up all came out at once. I’ve given him a piece of mind or two after he said snobby remarks such as those but I’ve never gone so far before. Minutes pass by that feel like hours before I stand up, my legs feeling like they’re made of jello. I stand before the drawing I hung up out of pride just yesterday. I look at it once more, yesterday it was my best creation. Today I see it just how he does. I really am worthless aren’t I? I can’t even do what I’ve been trying to do all my life.

I pull the drawing off the wall, not even minding the paper slightly ripping against the tape. I take one final glance at it before shredding it into multiple pieces with my hands. I aim all the pieces into the trash can, just one misses but I don’t bother looking at it again.

After that, I make haste packing my sketchbooks, pencils, paints and other art materials into a box I found inside my closet. The packing makes a heavy ruckus but it’s the least of my concerns. I pack and pack, almost finding pleasure in seeing tightly packed paper corners being bent and pencil leads snapping.

All of a sudden I collapse onto my floor. I weep into my hands and lay down on the hard wood beneath me. I wipe my eyes roughly then afterwards looking at my hand covered in smeared mascara. I become aware of how pathetic I probably look right now, sprawled down on the floor with mascara and tears all over my face, all puffy eyed. Before I have any time to think any longer, my eyes begin to shut and the exhaustion takes complete control over me.

I wake up a while later, unaware of the time. Though what I am aware of is the soft white blanket covering my body, I'm still on my floor. I notice an open pack of makeup wipes to my left with one coated in mascara sitting on top of the pack, I feel my face and my smudged makeup is gone without a trace left. I nearly jump when I hear snoring beside me and I see Akito laying with me, holding his phone. A random video is playing repeatedly as if he’d fallen asleep with it on. I turn his phone off and stare at him for a second. No matter how much we fight, he really is the best little bro I could ask for.

I stand up and put the blanket down. I reach down in an attempt to pick him up, he is way heavier than when he was little… I manage to get him up and he slightly opens one eye. “Come on, I’m taking you to your bed.” I whisper.

He nods his head and leans his head on my shoulder while I prop him up and I walk him to his bed. Once we get there he lays down and I cover him up with his blanket.
I turn to leave and he says something, “It’s just like when we were little, I’d have a nightmare and I had you tuck me in instead of mom..I didn’t think she checked for the monsters as good as you did.” He laughs.

I give him a smile before I turn around and say, “I know I don’t tell you enough but I love you, Akito. The next time we fight, please remember that, and know I never mean what I say in those spats.”

“I love you too Ena.” He says, then I close his door and return to my room.

Chapter 6: Middle School

(Mizuki POV):

 

It’s the weekend now, thank goodness. It’s been a pretty strange week. And by week, I just mean yesterday meeting Ena. Anytime I meet a new friend, I’m chatty and just like I am with somebody I’m close with. But for some reason I was unusually nervous around her…

My thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a gentle hand on my shoulder, “A little too deep in thought are you? Fufufu…” Rui says teasingly.
“You wish! I was just trying to give you a chance to scare me today!” I totally lie but play it off as a joke rather than a fib. He merely laughs in response. Rui and I are meeting up at the mall today, not for any specific reason. I’m just really irresponsible with money and need somebody to tag along while I shop.

First we walk into a store filled with a load of cute plushies. I begin looking through a large display filled with pink ones. Suddenly, a conversation topic forms in my head, “So…How's it going with you know whooo?” I ask, in the same teasing manner he had used with me earlier.

His face turns bright pink in an instant. In fact I think it could color match with the display I’m looking at quite well. He frowns and sighs before speaking, “I feel like it’s going nowhere. He’s the most blunt person I’ve ever met! Every hint I give him flies right over his head…” He lowers his own head in despair.

I pat his back softly, “Rui, he has to like you. He’s always talking about you.”
He stops to look at me for a second, “Wait how do you know?” He seems confused.
I realize I forgot to tell him a plan I’ve had hatched for a while now, “Oh! I totally forgot to tell you that I was talking to him the other day. I was trying to get some scoop about how he feels about you.” I say slyly with a cheeky grin on my face. Ruis interest seems immediately piqued. “So?? What did he say…?” He asks very engagingly. I’m almost taken aback by his sudden perkiness.

“Well, he said you’re really great to be around, and that you always make him smile!” I declare as proud as a mom of her kids' graduation.
His face flushes even more. We talk of Tsukasa for a while while I rummage through what feels like endless amounts of plushies. Every plushie on the rack is a different shade of pink but none are the shade I’m looking for. I want one that would look cute on the new pink hanging chair I recently installed in my room.

But suddenly, one certain plushie catches my utmost attention, “Huh?” I whisper softly to myself. I pick up the plushie and rotate it around in my hands. It’s a cool brown colored bear holding a pastel pink heart. This plushie caught my attention for a number of reasons, first of all because it’s the only brown plushie in a display of pink ones. Though also holding it here in my hands, it reminds me of Ena. Looking at its empty black eyes reminds me of Enas' beautiful brown ones full of life and joy. Maybe it's the color of the plushie being Enas' exact hair color but I can’t shake how much it reminds me of her.

“What's that you’ve got there Mizuki?” Rui asks, peering his head over my shoulder to examine the plush, “That’s not exactly what I thought you’d pick. I thought you’d grab a pink one.” He says, truly analyzing the small action.

“It’s not for me. I think I’m gonna buy it for a friend.” I say with a smile.
He seems perplexed for a moment before speaking, “You’ve never been one to buy gifts. You literally showed up to my 12th birthday party with a napkin you wrote on in crayon for my gift…” I giggle for a second at the funny memory before replying, “Guess I’m a changed woman…” I say, walking over to the register with him following. I pay for the plushie then we exit the store. It was a little expensive but that's okay…

“So, who’s that for anyway?” He asks curiously.
“Just someone I met a few days ago.” I mumble, looking at all of our possible lunch options in the food court.

We end up deciding on a really good noodle place. We order, then take seats at a table while waiting for our food.
“Back to this…?”
“Girl.”
“Yes, back to this girl. You must like her a lot to get her something so soon?” He asks. I don’t immediately pick up on his choice of tone or his curiously excited expression.
“Yea, I do- Wait…No… It’s not like that!” I say, my face turning pink and warm. Seriously, having romantic feelings for Ena is out of the question since we only just met yesterday…
“I didn’t say anything…” Rui remarks slyly, leaning back in his chair. At this point, the food arrives at our table, so I pause the conversation until our food is received and the waiter is gone.

After shoving a large bite of noodles in my mouth I say, “You said many things without really saying anything at all…” I fight back, going back for a second bite of noodles, in shock of their deliciousness.

Rui merely smiles, letting out a small chuckle before taking a bite of his own food. We eat quietly for a while, the only sounds being passerby's chit chat and occasionally the scraping of a fork against one of our plates. Normally, I would be uncomfortable with such silence, but Rui and I have unlocked such a strong friendship. The silences we share are comfortable, as though we are just enjoying the others' presence. Sooner than later, we finish our food and clean up appropriately.

We exit the food court and I point towards a store that’s never failed me in my clothes shopping endeavors. We approach the store and I start by gazing at the wares in a rack of clothes just out the store's entrance.

Just as I’m about to say something, the words of a person walking by catches my attention, “Isn’t that Mizuki, from middle school, that weird guy?”
“Yea I think you’re right… Looks like he got even weirder, look at what he’s wearing.” Their friend says, giggling. They both laugh and attempt to act discreet as they pass us by.

My legs start to feel shaky, as if they can’t support the weight of my body any longer, so I put my hand on the clothing rack to maintain my balance.

“Mizuki… Don’t listen to them.” Rui says, his tone now a stern and serious one.
“I think I need to go home.” I say, stumbling on my words ever so slightly. Rui just nods his head lightly. He says something but all I can hear now is my own thoughts and a slight ringing. The walk home was a big blur. All I could remember was the sound of my heavy breathing and my heart beating abnormally quick.

When I get home, I plop onto my bed and begin to cry. I don’t cry often, not during sad movies, not when I get shots at the doctors office, so why now? I wipe my eyes and stand up, looking at my reflection in my full length mirror.

After middle school I moved school districts, grew my hair long, pitched my old clothes for new ones, bought loads of makeup and accessories, and bought extensions. The school district I moved to happened to be Rui’s. I knew Rui in middle school since we both went to the library after school for peace and quiet. One day we sat at the same table and instantly clicked. We met there every day after that. Since we both now go to the same school we stopped.

I stare at my reflection in confusion. A guy? Am I really still a guy? Then for a split second, I swear I saw myself from middle school staring right back at me. I jump then clutch strands of my long hair to prove I’m still the present me.

Chapter 7: You Don't Care

(Ena POV):

 

My alarm for school in the morning goes off, and by alarm I mean Akito bangs on my door. I sigh and for some reason find it extra hard to get out of bed. Then my mind drifts away to a strange thought, Mizuki’s pleasant face and cheerful laughter come to mind for no specific reason. Then I remember that we discovered we have a study hall together, yes that’s why I was thinking of them so suddenly.

The thought of a nice study hall gives me the motivation to get out of bed and get ready for the day. Upon finishing getting ready, I leave my room and Akito is waiting for me by the front door. “You’re not getting breakfast?” He asks.

I ignore him and open the front door to leave. He says nothing and follows after me. Sure, maybe it wasn’t the kindest thing to do to ignore his care for me but what's the point of caring for me anyway? It’s a habit he should shake off.

“So about last night, was it something dad said?” He asks quietly, knowing it’s a question I don’t want to hear.
“It’s none of your business…Just leave it be.” I say, already very sick and tired of this so-called conversation. Arriving at the school couldn’t come any slower.

“It is my business. Do you know how scary it is to find you laying on the ground in a state like that? For all I knew you could’ve been dead.” He snaps at me, his tone getting harsher.
I stop my walking and he stops his as well to look at me, “Oh just stop! You don’t care, nobody does. Nor do I need them to, I’m fine. I wish you would just leave me alone.” I continue walking as I approach the school. Akito doesn’t start walking once again until there’s a big enough gap between us.

When we both arrive inside the school building, we go our separate ways. He goes to Toya and Tsukasa while I stand aimlessly with nowhere to go. Eventually I see a light pink ponytail that makes me happier than it should.

I tap Mizuki’s shoulders from behind with a laugh, “Mi-zu-kiii!” After arguments with Akito, I put on my best fake smile but when Mizuki turned to me with such beaming eyes and a bright smile, it felt like I didn’t have to force the smile forming on my own mouth.

I notice that Mizuki was talking with someone before I approached, “Ah, I’m sorry for interrupting, my name is Ena Shinonome.” I say politely, having to look up quite far to reach the eyes of her friend.

“Oh it’s no problem, I enjoy meeting Mizuki’s other friends, especially ones I’ve heard so much about! My name is Rui Kamishiro.” He replies. Rui seems like a great guy and all but all I could focus on was one thing, she talks about me? We only met a few days ago, sure we’ve been texting multiple times every day but why’d that make me so happy??
“RUI! Shut up.” Mizuki remarks, embarrassed. I laugh about it and the three of us talk about school and music. That is until the bell rings. Most of my classes go by in a blur due to my lack of friends or interesting topics.
I enter fifth period and put my head down the second I get to my desk. A few minutes go by until I get a piece of paper slid to me, I take hold of it and it reads,

“ARE YOU OK?” Then under the text there’s a stick figure Tsukasa with a thumbs up. I giggle a bit and lift my head, “Yea, just a rough night last night.” I murmur, looking the blond boy in the eyes.

“That’s too bad! Do you wanna talk about it?” He asks.

I shift in my seat a bit, I hate having people pity me, “Thanks for offering but it’s nothing really. How are you?” I ask, knowing that’s his favorite question. He perks up and begins explaining every single tiny detail about his week. About ten minutes later he talks about his chat with Toya and Akito this morning. Apparently that subject is still a little touchy for me since according to Tsukasa, I had a physical reaction to his name, “Eh, is something wrong Ena? I was just talking about my friends and you suddenly jumped a bit.
“Oh, it’s nothing really. I was surprised when you mentioned Akito since he’s my little brother, I didn’t know you two were friends.” I bent the truth just a bit to get out of an awkward explanation about our spat from this morning. I also pretended that I didn't know they're friends.

He gasps and slams his hands on the table dramatically, “Akito’s your brother?!” He says, extremely loudly.

I nod my head and pretend that my ears aren’t about to bleed from his extreme volume. He doesn’t seem to notice and continues speaking like it’s normal, though for him it probably is. “He’s never mentioned you! That’s so odd!”

I look to the floor for a second and I think that it’s probably for the best that he hasn’t. It’s not like I have any sort of positive effect on his life after all, I really only cause him inconvenience. Like last night, then the fight this morning. I really am the worst.

Chapter 8

(Mizuki POV) :

After school I wait around the front door for Ena to come out. I want to give her the plushie now before I forget about it, then we’ll part ways and I’ll go home and do absolutely nothing with my life like always…

Then I notice a particular brunette exiting the school, looking at her phone rather than her surroundings. “Ena!”

“AH!” She yells and drops her phone on the ground before realizing it’s me, “Ah, Mizuki you scared me…” She laughs, picking her phone up.
“Clearly.” I laugh as well. “Anyway, I was at the mall the other day and I got you this.” I dig the plush out of my backpack then hand it to her.
She looks surprised, “For me, seriously?” She seems as if she doesn’t believe me, like it’s a joke.

“Uh yea!” I say, getting anxious that she doesn’t like it. She smiles then hugs it, “Thank you! I love it.”

I sigh deeply in relief. For some reason I was super nervous for a second there. That’s pretty strange… We share a moment of silence. Just as I’m about to say goodbye, she suddenly blurts something out,

“Do you wanna come to my house? I really enjoyed hanging out with you the other day.” Her face becomes a light shade of pink, and she tucks a small strand of hair behind her hair, awaiting my response.

“Sure, sounds like fun!” I respond, unusually overjoyed that she asked me. I don’t bother messaging my mom since she’ll be home late due to work, I’ll just text her when we get to Ena’s house since I know for a fact that she won’t mind.

As we near her house, I recall its pristine appearance and it makes me curious on what its interior looks like. Seeing Enas bedroom seems so foreign to me since I’ve only seen snippets of her walls in selfies on her social media page.

We eventually arrive there and we walk inside.
“Welcome home Ena! Oh, you brought a friend. One that isn’t Airi for once…” A woman who seems to be Enas' mom greets. I smile at her.
Ena makes a snarky comment about how she has plenty of friends and I resist my laughter. Then we head to her room. She lets me in and closes the door behind the both of us.
I really take in the peaceful scenery. Her room does feel very Ena, there’s posters of famous art pieces and there’s stacks of papers coating her desk. There’s a box containing loads of art supplies not very discreetly hidden beside her trash can.

I notice her place the plushie I bought her on a shelf that contains other cute things that fit the vibe of the plushie. I hope that means that I was spot on with my gift picking abilities.

“So, do you wanna watch a movie?” She asks, looking at me. I nod my head and we take a few moments to discuss the choice of movie.
She sits on her bed, covering up with the blankets and pats beside her, “Come on, sit down. Sorry my bed isn’t too big…”She says shyly.
“No worries! I don’t mind snuggling a bit.” I reply jokingly, but I feel my face turn hot at the thought of snuggling with Ena. She laughs and I notice her cheeks flush pink.

When I sit beside her, our shoulders are touching which isn’t a big deal…Or it shouldn’t be. Why is my heart beating so rapidly? Can she hear it too? What if she’s uncomfortable? I shake all the unnerving questions from my head as the movie she selected starts. Now it’s not my preferred kind of movie but I’m happy with whatever Ena’s happy with.

Not even thirty minutes into the movie things get quiet, too quiet. I look over at Ena but to my surprise she’s fast asleep. Her head subconsciously falls onto my shoulder. I sit there awkwardly, unknowing of what to do. So I end up just sitting there doing nothing until I feel my eyelids become heavy and I fall asleep.

I wake up, hours later. The sky through Ena’s window is clearly darker than it was before we fell asleep. Aw man, I should probably head home.

I’m careful to get up without waking Ena, I place her head from my shoulder to her pillow. As I’m about to exit her bedroom, something slides under my shoe, nearly causing me to trip. I pick it up, it’s a small ripped piece of paper, pencil sketches are prominent all over it. I look at the floor to see other pieces of the once full paper, some also being in her trash can. I recognize these fragments of a picture, this is a drawing from her social media page, Isn’t it? I remember liking this one a couple days ago. Why’s it all torn up and thrown away.

I look back at the peacefully sleeping Ena in her bed, now readjusted to a different comfortable position.

Oh Ena. You seem so confident on the outside, but I can’t help wondering how confident you truly are on the inside.

Chapter 9: Sweetie

(Ena POV):

 

I wake up to a knock on my door. Though I’m extremely confused since it’s a Saturday, therefore Akito shouldn’t be waking me up on the weekend. The weekend is when I get to sleep in until four pm.

“Ena, can I come in?” He asks, the usual harshness of his tone is gone.
“Yea…” I reply between yawns and stretches.
He comes inside and awkwardly leans against my bedroom door. Based on the way he stares at me, I can tell I look a complete mess. I am quite a crazy sleeper after all…
“So my band got a gig tonight for this restaurant downtown and was wondering if you wanted to go. I don’t expect you to, but I figured I’d ask anyway.” He suggests, a twinge of nervousness hanging in his voice. He anxiously messes with the drawstrings on his yellow hoodie.

It takes me a minute to process what he just said since I woke up about two minutes ago. But after I finally realize what he said, I reply, “Sure, when is it?”
He looks surprised, his arms drop down to his sides, “Oh uh, it’s at eight. It’s three right now.” He attempts to hide the smile fighting to form on his lips.
The sight makes me crack a small smile, “Okay, do you need a ride?” I ask.

He shakes his head, “An’s dad is giving us all rides there to help with lugging the instruments and equipment.” He explains, excitement clear in his voice. A funny thing about Akito is that when he’s excited about something, he’ll ramble on and on about it endlessly. He’s done it since he was a little kid.
I sit there and listen as he rambles happily until mom calls him from the kitchen, “Oh well anyways, thanks Ena.” He says, hiding his pure joy. He then closes my door behind him and goes to my mom.

I trudge out of bed to my closet. This is a special event for Akito so I shouldn’t just show up in sweatpants and a t-shirt, instead I pick out a gray sweater that goes off the shoulders and a black skirt to go with it.
After planning my outfit and brushing my hair, I get a sudden thought. “Maybe I should invite Mizuki?” I mutter to myself quietly. She is a friend of An’s so it wouldn’t be weird if she showed up. But what if she’s tired of hanging out with me since we just hung out yesterday…?
I shake off the doubt and pull out my phone to text Mizuki.

“Heyyyy! Akito and his band have a concert tonight, wanna come with?”
She instantly begins typing, which is quite surprising to me. I’m not sure why though, I guess I feel like she just has better things to do than text me.
“OMG YES!”
A wave of relief washes over me, realizing that all the negative thoughts were just in my head, and she’s not sick of me after all. I’m not sure why but the thought of hanging out with Mizuki is simply exhilarating, it makes me even more excited for this concert than I was before.
My new found motivation urges me to get ready and look my very best.

 

__________________________

I arrive at the venue, it’s a nicely presented restaurant with dainty string lights around the top of the door frame that illuminate the place beautifully in the dark of the night. I pull out my phone to shoot Mizuki a text, only to hear my name being yelled from across the street.
“Ena!!” Mizuki’s dashing towards me, waving her arms around as if she’s oblivious to the rest of the world around her. It would’ve made me laugh if she wasn’t running across the street without making sure it was safe to go first. It in fact wasn’t safe to go, a car came to a screeching halt beside her, nearly running her over. Though she didn’t even seem to notice.
“Mizuki! Be careful!” I scold as she reaches the sidewalk where I’m standing.
She giggles in a carefree and mischievous manner. As I continue complaining. Though her laughter and smiling face causes me to smile as well, while I try maintaining my serious act.

“Jeez, you’re so oblivious to your surroundings, you idiot… Let’s go inside.” I mumble, a cheesy smile still plastered on my face.

She follows me into the crowded building. The way Akito described the place, it seemed as though it would be a small crowd at an unpopular restaurant but practically every table here is filled with extra seats pulled up at them. It’s almost overwhelming. Though Mizuki's mere presence made things more tolerable.
After scanning the room for a few minutes, Mizuki and I secure two seats at the bar near the back of the venue. Though our seats are in the back, we still get a clear view of the stage, which I’m grateful for.

The bartender approaches us, “Can I get you anything to drink, ladies?” He asks kindly.
“Yes please! Can I get a Shirley Temple?” After ordering, I look at Mizuki, awaiting her response.
“I’ll have a Shirley Temple as well!” Mizuki says, looking back at me after ordering.
The bartender heads to the back and begins to make our drinks after we place our orders.

“Hm, now that I think about it, this would be a pretty good post…” I think aloud. I instinctively whip out my phone and open the camera app. I lean in close to Mizuki, our cheeks practically touching and I smile. She smiles too, her face becoming increasingly red for some reason.

After snapping the shot, I analyze the picture, “Awe, we look so cute!” I gush, the picture truly is perfect. I add a caption in the description of the picture and I post it on my main selfie account. I also save the picture to my gallery since it’s such a good picture.

Mizuki’s face remains a bright shade of red for a few minutes before it fades back into her usual complexion. I don’t bother questioning it. Just then, our drinks arrive.
Mizuki and I pull out our wallets but I stop her from opening hers, “Here’s a ten for both of the drinks.” I say, handing the bartender the cash. He nods his head and thanks us before heading to serve another customer.

“Wow, thanks Ena! You’re such a sweetie.” Mizuki exclaims, teasingly pinching my cheek.
I start laughing, “Hey, cut that out!”

Chapter 10: Smitten

After the show, Ena and I make our way through the crowd to see the performers. An spots me right away, “Mizuki! I’m glad you could make it tonight.” She exclaims, pulling me into an embrace that only lasts a few seconds before she pulls away.

“You guys did great tonight!” I respond, thinking back to their spectacular performance. All of them truly are talented and passionate with what they do. Even though the only one of them I’m particularly familiar with is An, I found my gaze drifting to each band member at some point, in complete awe at their ability. An thanks me in response but her attention is quickly drawn to a man calling out to her from the crowd, most likely her dad. She says her goodbyes and runs to go see him.

I look over at Ena. She’s talking to the ginger guy that was mowing the lawn at her house the other day, I assume he’s her brother. I approach them, unknowing of what else to do.

“Hey guys! Dude, you did so good up there!” I say in a friendly tone to the ginger guy. He looks appreciative of the praise but also slightly confused about who I am. Though that’s quickly settled by Ena butting in,

“Akito, this is my friend Mizuki. Mizuki, this is my little brother, Akito.” She says.

A small smile paints Akito’s face and he nods his head to greet me, “Thank you Mizuki. I’m surprised Ena has friends…” He mutters the last part just loud enough for the three of us to hear cheekily.

Ena lightly hits his arm with her hand and rambles something along the lines of having more friends than Airi. I’m not sure who Airi is but supposedly she’s a friend of Ena’s. Though for some reason, the thought of Ena hanging out with another girl makes my heart sting a little bit. I attempt to ignore the strange sensation in my chest and try to focus on something else.

“Akito!” The quiet yet excited voice of a girl is heard from behind Akito. I notice a girl with blonde pigtails approaching us and I recognize her as a part of Akito’s music group.

Ena and I exchange glances when we notice Akito’s shoulders stiffen when he hears her voice, “Kohane. What’s up?” He asks, making an attempt to sound nonchalant. Though the slight stutter and nervousness of his tone is very clear.

She stands beside him, a small light pink blush coats her cheeks and she flashes him a kind smile, “Great job tonight.” She says, sounding equally as anxious as Akito.

He gives her a similar smile before responding, “You too.” After a moment of silence between them, her name is called and she says her goodbye to Akito and leaves.

“Akito, what was that?” Ena asks teasingly. She leans forward, examining his flushed cheeks that are now starting to fade back to their original complexion.

“Nothing…We have to get home, let’s go.” he mutters, clearly attempting to dodge any further questions about the topic. He grabs Ena’s wrist and starts dragging her away in the direction of the door. She sighs and they bicker a little bit. She takes a short break from arguing to smile at me warmly.

I smile back though I don’t even have to try to smile, it happens instinctively upon seeing the happy look on her face. Whenever Ena smiles that beautifully contagious smile of hers, the world feels a little brighter than before.

__________________________________________________

When I arrive home from the concert, I head to my bedroom, pretty exhausted from the wild atmosphere of the concert.

I plop onto my bed and am surprised to see that Ena sent me a message two minutes ago,

“Thanks 4 going to the concert w me! I had so much fun!!”
I smiled, thinking back to the nice night we shared. Even though for the most part we couldn’t chat since bands were performing, we still enjoyed each other's company. When a band covered a song Ena knew, she would tap my shoulder repeatedly out of excitement, I found that adorable. And it made me wish she knew every song they played.

I responded almost instantly, excited that she reached out to me,
“Np! I had a lot of fun too! I luv hanging out with u” My heart flutters anxiously at the reply I sent. We haven’t known each other long but I already see her as one of my best friends, I can only hope that she feels the same way.

My heart nearly skips a beat when she sends a message back, “I’m glad u think so too!! We need to hangout moreee!! <3”

A cheesy smile creeps its way onto my face at her response. Not only did she agree with me, but she also sent a heart!! I make haste to send her a heart as well. I then turn off my phone and plug it in for the night, deciding that I should probably get to bed soon.

As I snuggle next to my array of blankets and cute stuffed animals, I shut my eyes and make an attempt to go to sleep. That’s when my mind flashes back to the events of this evening. I recall Ena’s warm and joyful smile that she gave me. To think that a gorgeous and happy smile like that was flashed at me floods me with a sense of bliss. Ena truly is a work of art, seemingly painted by the gods themselves. From her elegant beauty, to her kind and teasing personality. Everything about her is simply magnificent in every way. I think I’m in love.