THE FORGOTTEN SPRING

CHAPTER 6

"THE FORGOTTEN SPRING"

by: Dark Flame Master

KAI'S POV

"Ugh... my head hurts," I muttered to myself as I opened my eyes. It was Saturday—finally. No school, no noise, no people to deal with. But just as I began to enjoy the silence, my phone started ringing. I groaned and turned over, glancing at my phone sitting on the desk beside my bed. Who would call this early?

I picked up the phone and checked the screen. "Ah, right. It’s Cyrus’ birthday today," I whispered to myself. I opened our group chat and scrolled through the messages. It was already noisy with birthday wishes even though it was just the four of us in the chat.

"Happy Birthday, Cyrus," I typed quickly and hit send. Honestly, I didn’t understand why they bothered texting when we’d all see each other in school anyway. Typing was so tiring. I’d rather talk in person—though even that wasn’t something I was good at.

I got out of bed and headed downstairs. As usual, Mom was already cooking. She was always up early. I tried to sneak past her, walking on tiptoes toward the bathroom. The last thing I wanted was for her to notice me.

"Kai, is that you?" she called out without even turning around. How does she always know?

"Kaa-san, ohayou!" I greeted, hoping she wouldn’t ask too many questions. (A/N: Goodmorning mom"

She turned to face me, her eyes wide in surprise. "Kai, are you okay?" she asked, walking toward me quickly. "Did you just call me kaa-san? What happened? Is something wrong?"

Great. I just dug my own grave. Why did I call her that? Now she’d ask endless questions. "I’m fine," I said, trying to sound casual.

She didn’t look convinced. "You always call me kaa-san when you’re scared about... that," she said softly, her hands gripping mine.

"I told you, I’m fine," I replied, pulling my hands away.

Her expression turned stern, which was even worse than her usual worried face. "Fine? Yesterday, you came home having a panic attack, and now you’re telling me you’re fine? I was worried you know. Okay, I won’t push. But remember, you can always talk to us."

"I’m sorry, Mom," I muttered, feeling guilty but also desperate to escape the conversation. She sighed and turned back to her cooking, but as I walked away, I noticed Dad standing nearby. He didn’t say anything, but his face looked sad. I hated that expression. I knew he still blamed himself, but it wasn’t his fault.

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The weekend passed awkwardly, and I could feel the tension in the house every time I crossed paths with Mom. I hated it. I tried avoiding her as much as I could, but it didn’t matter. Even when I thought I was being sneaky, she always found a way to ask if I was okay.

That annoying guy at the park—it’s all his fault. If I hadn’t sat there, none of this would have happened. But wait, no, it’s not my fault. Why should I have to change where I sit just because some weird guy decided to show up. Yeah, it’s definitely his fault.

I couldn’t stand the heavy atmosphere in the house. I stayed in my room longer than usual, lying on my bed and staring at the ceiling. Every time I closed my eyes, I could hear that guy’s voice calling me "Kai-chan." Why did he even decide to call me like that?

"Kai, did you hear?" Hana’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts as I sat down. She was fussing over Kerk, putting girly hair clips in his hair.

"Hear what?" I asked, glancing at Cyrus, who seemed completely fine with whatever Hana was doing to Kerk.

"We have a new classmate," Kerk said, wincing as Hana tugged on his hair a little too hard.

"Ow! Stop pulling!" he complained.

"Do you want to be a girl?" I blurted out without thinking.

Kerk blinked at me. "No. Why would I?"

"Huh? What?" I asked, confused.

"You just asked me, didn’t you? And even if I did, why would it be a problem?" Kerk replied, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean… isn’t it weird? A guy liking cute stuff and... liking another guy?" I stammered, realizing too late that I’d said something stupid. He would think I'm being weird.

Kerk frowned. "So, you’re saying I’m weird?"

"No! I mean…" I trailed off, feeling the heat rise in my face. "Gays are disgusting," I muttered before I could stop myself. I really need to shut up now. Kerk glared at me, and I immediately regretted speaking.

"You know, you’re being—"

"Okay, class, quiet!" the teacher’s voice interrupted, saving me from whatever Kerk was about to say. "Good morning. You have a new classmate today. Please be kind to him." I let out a sigh of relief and whispered a quick "sorry," but he didn’t look at me.

"Ohayou. Aihara Haru desu," (A/N: Goodmorning, I'm Haru Aihara)

When I glanced at Cyrus, he whispered, "This is your fault." It probably was, but I didn’t understand why Kerk was mad when he just said he wasn’t gay. Before I could dwell on it, I noticed a note on my desk.

"Yoroshiku," (A/N: Nice to meet you)

Kerk had written, "Fine, I forgive you. But you have to share two tamagoyaki at lunch." I looked at Kerk, who quickly turned away, hiding his face. At least he wasn’t mad anymore.

"Kai-chan? KAI-CHAN, DAYO NE?" (A/N: Kai? You're Kai right?)

"What?" I froze. Someone just called me by that name.

"Kai-chan!"

No. That voice. I looked up and saw him—the new guy, Haru. My stomach sank. Without thinking, I grabbed a book and tried to hide behind it.

"Shitteru no?" the teacher asked Haru. (A/N: You know him?)

"Un, Kai-chan wa boku no kare—" (A/N: Yeah, he's my boy—) I glared at Haru, who immediately corrected himself. "Iya, osananajimi da yo." (A/N: I mean my childhood friend)

The teacher pointed to a seat in front of Cyrus. "Jaa, Cyrus no mae ni suwatte ii yo." (A/N: Okay, you can sit in front of Cyrus)

Great. Now I’d have to deal with him being close.

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Class was a nightmare. I couldn’t focus because Haru kept staring at me. His stupid smile made my skin crawl. Childhood friends? I didn’t have any childhood friends. Cyrus is the only person I knew since I was a kid.

When the bell finally rang, I grabbed my bento and prepared to leave. But, of course, all the girls swarmed Haru. "Asshole," I muttered under my breath as I watched him. He was so cheerful earlier, but now his face was cold and indifferent. If only they knew he liked guys.

"Kai, let’s go," Cyrus said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Y-yeah."

As we walked to the cafeteria, I felt uneasy, like someone was watching me. My heart started racing, but I tried to stay calm.

"Kai, are you okay?" Hana asked.

I nodded quickly, not trusting myself to speak. Even as we ate, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me. It made me feel sick.

"Still, hearing someone call you Kai-chan earlier caught me off guard," Cyrus said, taking a bite of his food. "It’s the first time I’ve heard that since we were kids."

"You’re done already?" Kerk asked, looking at my barely touched food.

"I’m not that hungry," I mumbled.

"Then I’m gonna eat it," Kerk said, not waiting for permission.

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After lunch, I went to the bathroom, hoping to calm down. "I feel better now," I muttered to myself as I stepped out.

"Kai-chan!"

I jumped, spinning around to see Haru standing outside the bathroom.

"Wha—what are you doing here? Are you following me? Stop it already, you’re so annoying!" I snapped.

"Ehh? Ima nante itta no?" (A/N: Ehh?? What did you say?) he asked, tilting his head like he didn’t understand.

"I said don’t follow me!" I repeated, walking away quickly.

"Eigo? Sore eigo?" (A/N: English, Is that English?) he muttered. "Chotto shika wakaranai kedo." (A/N: I only understand a little bit though)

What was the point of going to an international school if he couldn’t understand English?

"Otoko demo onna demo nai hito wa......" I mutured to myself. "DAIKIRAI DATTE ITTANDA!" I shouted, turning to glare at him. (A/N: I SAID I HATE SOMEONE who is not a guy or a girl)

"Otoko dakedo," (A/N: I'm a guy though) he replied, pointing to himself and smiling. Was he insane? He wasn’t a guy—he was gay! "Sore ni, Kai-chan ga suki," (A/N: Beside, I like you) he added, his smile widening.

That was it. I couldn’t take it anymore. This guy was officially the most annoying person I’d ever met.