I sat in my assigned seat, my heart hammering in my chest.
Am I... nervous?
It was strange. I had never been nervous about seeing or talking to him before.
What if... things are awkward?
What if he doesn't want to talk to me?
What if—
Before I could spiral any further, I quickly cut off my thoughts. I leaned back into my chair and took a deep breath.
This isn't like me. Since when did I think this much about it? I'll just do what I wanna do.
Hoshino was busy talking to one of his friends. I didn't want to interrupt him—besides, I'd rather talk to him alone—so I remained seated. Even so, I made sure to keep track of him from the corner of my eye.
The bell rang, signalling the start of homeroom. The stragglers all sat down in their assigned seats, and the chatter died down almost instantly.
The teacher stood at the front of the class and gave a generic speech about the new year before starting attendance.
She called each student's name one by one. The moment she called my name, Hoshino—who had been slouching on his desk—shot up like he'd been struck by lightning.
"Here," I said.
He turned his head toward the sound of my voice. Our eyes met. A slow, knowing smirk crept onto his face. I couldn't stop my own from matching it.
We continued to stare at each other, a silent acknowledgment that the year of silence was officially over.
The teacher called out the next name, and we both returned to how we were, as if nothing had happened. Hoshino slouched again, and I faced forward with a straight back.
After that, she resumed her lecture. I spent the rest of homeroom counting the seconds until the bell.
*Ding* *Dong* *Ding* *Dong*
It was now the first period. There was a five-minute gap between homeroom and first period. It was more than enough time.
As I stood up from my desk, someone slapped me on the back. I didn't need to look.
"Yo. It's been a while."
He sounded... different. His voice used to be so high-pitched, almost childlike. Now, it was deeper with a slight hint of sarcasm. But that didn't dull my excitement one bit.
Instead of replying, I pulled him into a big hug. He let out a surprised groan, then gently patted me on the back.
"Hey… don't you think you're too old to be treating me like a kid still?"
I didn't let go. And he didn't push me away. We just stayed like that in silence.
After a few moments, I pulled myself back with an obnoxious cackle. "Haha, sorry about that."
"It's fine," he said, stretching his back. "How've you been? It feels like forever since I last saw you."
"I should be saying that to you! I tried texting Kevin about where you were, but even he didn't know."
His brow winced just a millimeter at the mention of Kevin, but I didn't think much of it due to the excitement.
"When that didn't work, I even went to your house," I continued, the words spilling out. "But it turns out you moved! Where have you been?!"
Hoshino slid his hands into his pockets and took a slow breath. "Well, for starters, I moved—as you can tell. I moved when I entered high school. After that, I was really busy setting up the place and stuff. On top of that, I had to adjust to the new environment here."
He let out a small, tired exhale. "That's why I've been kind of away. It's not like I was avoiding you. If I were, I wouldn't even be here right now."
It made perfect sense. Moving was hard for people our age, especially when it was your first time. I knew that better than anyone. If anything, I should've reached out more.
"Sounds like you've had a rough year," I said.
He let out a solemn chuckle. "Yeah… but, it hasn't been all bad."
"I can see that. I saw you talking to a girl earlier–" I nudged him with my elbow, a devilish grin spreading across my face. "Who was that? Is she your girlfrienddddd?"
It's only normal that I would be curious about this. As far as I know, Hoshino's never shown love interest.
To my disappointment, Hoshino scoffed. "Oh, shut the hell up," he said flatly, pushing me away. "I'll have you know I'm not ready for a relationship right now. I think I'll enjoy my single life a bit longer."
I stared at him blankly. "Is that supposed to be an excuse for why you can't pull?"
"Don't ask questions you already know the answer to."
We both glanced at each other—then burst into a genuine laugh. The sound was easy. Natural. Just like before.
What a relief…
I knew Hoshino would always accept me, but being able to talk like nothing happened—even though I hadn't heard from him in a whole year—was a weight that I didn't know was this heavy.
"Well, it's about time you head to class, right?" Hoshino asked.
I glanced at the clock. One minute left until the first period started.
I gasped in sheer shock.
No way… am I going to be late on the first day?! My image is already ruined!!!
Hoshino let out an amused chuckle at my despairing expression. He turned around and began walking out of the class while I stood frozen.
I-I don't even know where the class is! It's so over for me!
"How long are you going to be standing there?" he asked, looking over his shoulder with an arrogant smirk. "I'm going to walk you to class, so hurry up and tell me where it is."
Without waiting for my reply, he stepped out of the class.
"...Ah!"
I quickly grabbed my things and rushed after him in the hallway, digging through my bag for my schedule.
Before I could find it, Hoshino sighed and reached into my bag himself, pulling out the first paper he touched. Coincidentally, it was my schedule.
He quickly scanned it. "Okay, you have language first. That's on the first floor."
He shoved the schedule back into my bag and shot me a sly grin. "Try to keep up."
Suddenly, he took off. He ran down the hall, leaping down half a full flight of stairs with no regard for safety.
I couldn't let him outdo me, so I pursued. We weaved through the crowd of students until we reached the classroom door.
I was clutching my knees, completely out of breath. Hoshino, on the other hand, acted like he wasn't fazed at all. But he couldn't hide the drop of sweat that rolled down his cheek.
"Well, this is it," he said, giving me a small supportive tap on the shoulder. "Good luck, bud."
Hoshino turned around and began walking away. I was about to just head into class when I saw him heading toward the exit doors. The ones that led outside.
"Wait," I shouted, calling out from behind him. "Where are you going?"
He didn't bother turning around; he waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, I'm gonna skip. I don't feel like going to class today." He said it like it was just another day for him.
What? But it's the first day of school.
The sweat on my back suddenly turned ice cold. I tried to speak, but the words died in my throat. For some reason, something deep inside me whispered—"Don't ask."
Without waiting for my response, he pushed the door open and stepped outside. The door shut behind him with a soft click.
Looking back now... that was the first major sign that something had changed in the time I hadn't seen him.
There had been small hints before—slouching on his desk, not wearing the proper uniform. But this school was more lenient, so I brushed it off.
Skipping class, though... that was different. The old Hoshino in elementary and middle school followed the rules like he would die if he broke them.
He was a bit of a pushover, even. I remembered a time he had a panic attack because he forgot to return a pencil he borrowed from the teacher.
So to see him break those rules so effortlessly… it wasn't like the Hoshino I knew at all.
Well, people change. He's not a kid anymore. Of course, he'd grow up.
That's what I told myself. But no matter how much I tried to reason with it—the unease in my chest wouldn't quiet down.