No Destination
By Jessica
S.
----------------------------------------------------
“Squirt!
Get the door!” I called moments after the doorbell rang.
“You
get it!” my little sister called back.
“Get
the door! NOW! I’m BUSY!” I was. I was sitting at the kitchen table working on
a book report. My report on ‘A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich’ was due in
three days, and I was only halfway through my report.
I
heard the door open and Sakura greeting Yukito. I knew it was Yukito because of
the high pitched ‘hi!’ Sakura squealed. I heard Yukito talking; I didn’t know
what he was saying. He’s quiet-spoken. “In the kitchen,” Sakura said.
Yukito
walked all the way to the kitchen and stood in the doorway for a couple minutes
before I looked up. He was studying me, watching me intently.
“What?”
I asked.
He
stared at me dumbly. For a moment, then
shook his head. “Oh, nothing.” He walked over and sat across the table from me.
“Can we talk?” he asked quietly.
Now
it was my turn to stare dumbly. Yukito never asked to talk. He just said what
was on his mind.
“Sure.”
“Somewhere
private?”
“Um…how
about my room?”
“I’d
prefer somewhere…more private.” He motioned to the living room where Sakura was
watching TV.
I
glanced at the clock. It was just a bit past 4.
“We
could…walk around,” I suggested.
“Alright.”
He was already out of his chair and to the kitchen door before I could even out
down my pencil.
“Wait
a minute,” I complained as I shut my books. He paused for a moment at the
kitchen door, then continued walking. I ran to catch up with him at the front
door.
“I’ll
be back in a little while, Squirt,” I called to Sakura.
“Where
are you going?” she asked, twisting backwards on the couch to look up at me.
“Out.”
I put on my coat.
“But
where?” she pressed.
“Just,
OUT.” I slammed the door and jogged to catch up with Yukito, who was already at
the end of the driveway.
We
walked all the way to the school in silence. We didn’t purposely walk there,
it’s one of those subconscious things; you go to a place a lot and when you
have no destination you automatically start walking.
We
reached the bench we sometimes around at during lunch. “You wanna…sit down
here?” I ask.
“Sure,”
Yukito says as he sits down. Quickly, I note. I sit down next to him. We sit
for a few minutes in silence. He faces
me, his grey hair falling over his eyes.
“Touya…”
he stops speaking. I stare into his yellow eyes, silently urging him to
continue. He clears his throat. “Touya. You know I would never deliberately
ruin our relationship…”
Oh
no. No no no. He can’t be.
“Are
you…” I choke out. “Are you…you’re…breaking up with me?”
“I’m
sorry,” he says quietly.
“Why?”
I cry out. Still looking into his eyes, I feel mine fill with tears.
“I
just…don’t love you that way anymore.” Yukito kisses me goodbye and leaves.
I sit with my head in my hands. I don’t know how
long I sit there; but it gets dark and slightly cold. Wearily, I get up and
start walking home. The porch light is on and the door is unlocked, I note
gratefully. I slip inside quietly. Sakura’s not in the living room anymore,
she’s upstairs, probably talking to Kero or one of her friends. I can hear Dad
in the kitchen, probably having a cup of coffee or reading the paper.
Sakura
must’ve heard me; she’s standing outside her door waiting for me. “Where did
you go?” she asks.
“Nowhere.
I didn’t have any destination.”
She
stares at me quizzically for a moment, then her expression clears. “I’m sorry,”
she says. I don’t think she understood what I said, but I think she understands
the hurt in my eyes. She’s a good kid. I smile at her. “It’s ok,” I say as I
reach out and ruffle her hair. “’Nite Squirt,” I say as I head to my room.