Ironies of life

Chapter 8: You are just like him.

“So basically Dante tricked everyone. Your mother, the people at the party, Gala and you. Not to mention the other girls.” Revised Loin, making sure he understood everything.

“Exactly.”

“And you figured out all of these things by your experience yesterday, yet you still can’t tell why he's doing this.”

“You got it.”

“From my point of view, he's just a jerk.” declared Loin.

“Welcome to the club. I realized that a while ago.” Naoki was expecting a intelligent comment from his friend, but he didn’t seem very brilliant minded that day.

“I mean, I can only see one reason why he would do that. Maybe he doesn’t want you to be going to parties and hanging out this summer.”

“If that was his goal, he’s definitely achieved it.” Naoki shrugged dejectedly. “But what is the point? To ruin my life? I really, truly believe there must be something else. I don’t want to think that he's just picked on me in elementary school and has been teasing me just for the sake of teasing me ever since.”

“Whatever it is, you don’t need to overthink it. Now everything is over, you’re going to university, starting a new life… We’ll probably be able to live together inside the campus and there are going to be less rules there than here. Your mother will see that you are such a grown up after that and Dante is just going to be a story we’re going to talk about later in life and laugh about.”

“Have you always been this positive?” Naoki was kidding.

“I’m just trying not to fall in your path of negativity.”

“That’s easy to say when you’re not being punished until who knows when. But I think you’re right, I should let it go. I should forget about Dante as I’m doing with Gala because otherwise these people are just going to hurt me. By the way, you were right when you said she just used me to get into the prom. I haven’t seen her since the moment we arrived yesterday and she hasn’t even apologized.” Naoki sighed.

“In the beginning I was hopeful about Gala, because you know what people say: ‘If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. And if they don't, they never were.’ And Gala came back all the time, year after year, so I thought I might have an opportunity over and over again. But now I know that’s not right. It took me a while to realize-even if you told me before-that Gala just comes with us for convenience. It’s not like she's a bad person, she just has friends she would prefer to hang out with rather than us. She just comes when she runs out of options, and that’s okay, we have never force anyone to join us, we can still be sort of friends… But even I know that is not going to lead to any good place. So my final decision is that I’m going to forget about looking at her that way, completely. And I’m going to try to do the same with Dante but this guy… he’s mysterious, that’s why I can’t stop thinking about him. I need to know why he would do what he did with me… It’s simply stuck in my head and…”

“If…” Loin interrupted him, and he wasn’t the type of person that interrupts people for no reason so the intrusion surprised Naoki. “If you knew his reason… would you forget about it?”

“Yes, that’s my point. Where have you been the last few minutes. Were you even listening? Why do you seem so nervous suddenly?”

Loin looked aside for a couple of seconds, like trying to decide what to say.

“Don’t be rude with me.” Loin muttered, internally scrambling to fix his big mistake.

“Loin look at me. You’re hiding information. Don’t even bother denying it, I know you are hiding information. Is it about Dante? Please don’t leave me wondering.” Naoki begged.

“Forget what I said, it was just a stupid comment.”

“By any chance, do you know Dante’s reasons to treat me like that?” Naoki could almost look through his best friend. Loin was lightly tapping his hand against his leg and kept looking around.

“I might know something.”

“Do you mean I’ve been wondering why would he do that to me for all these years, and now that everything is over you decide to tell me you knew why?”

“It’s not that easy… at the beginning I didn’t know it. I just found out four years ago...” Loin couldn’t look him in the eyes.

“I’m waiting.”

“I’m not going to tell you, I don’t have the right to tell you secrets about anyone else.” said Loin weakly. He looked guilty and apologetic for being unable to speak out.

“What!? Now you are sharing secrets with Dante? What kind of joke is this?” Naoki stood up.

“Calm down… maybe…”

“Calm down? What do you mean calm down? How can you tell me such a thing and expect me to be calm?!” Naoki began pacing frantically, deciding if he was more angry with Loin for hiding the information for four years or for being so calm while saying “I’m not going to tell you.” “Since when are you conspiring with my enemies?” he accused his best friend.

Loin stood up too, taking his crutches with him.

“Don’t be hostile with me.” He finally made eye contact. “Is the information really that important?”

“Are you kidding me!? I’ve been dealing with it all my life. Maybe if you told me when you knew I could have done something to avoid this. Maybe right now I won’t be the person I am. I would have had things easier, been more successful, more popular… I wouldn’t have to go through high school scared of Dante’s next move… And now you are asking me if the information is THAT important? It was just crucial for my life. Thank you.”

“I thought you were happy just being my friend… and I heard the information on accident so I didn’t think I had the right…”

“You thought you’d rather leave my life in high school in hell? Wise option.”

“I’m done with this conversation.” Loin stepped away a couple of meters bravely, but in the end Loin was Loin and he couldn’t help being tender and adding: “Let’s talk once you calm down. I’ll come another day.”

“Another day? Where do you think you are going?” Naoki tried to stop him, grabbing one of his crutches and Loin almost fell after losing his equilibrium.

He was too angry to say sorry, but he was sorry. And when Loin looked as him like he was the most awful person in the world, he was guilt ridden.

“Weren’t you the one complaining when Dante pulled my jacket knowing that I couldn’t walk?” He didn’t even let Naoki talk. “You are not that different from him right now, you would do what is in your power to obtain what you want. Wouldn't you? Maybe you need this time out, Naoki.”

Naoki’s disbelief face was intense when he saw Loin walking all the way down the street without looking back.