Once Yu and I finished singing, we returned to the others. The moment we sat down, Luna and Remi laughed at us for choosing such a 'niche' genre of music—and laughed even harder when they found out I was the one who chose it.
Even though I knew it wouldn't have changed anything, I gave them the same explanation that I gave Yu. There was nothing to be embarrassed about, anyway. I actually liked white girl music. I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it, but it was enjoyable now and then.
Once the laughter settled, both Mei and Sora went up for their turn. We kept alternating in pairs until our time ran out, and it was time to head home.
***
Mei POV
Hoshino had just gotten up with Yu to perform their little "duet," as Yu called it.
I wasn't sure what else I was expecting, but Hoshino was—to put it bluntly—terrible.
Even so, I couldn't take my eyes off him. I most certainly wasn't enraptured by his voice, but seeing him try, no matter how bad he was, was almost... funny.
Before I even realized it, just like everyone else, I was laughing at him, although not as loudly as the others. In fact, my own laughter was so much quieter that I wouldn't have even believed I was, since I couldn't hear it—but the scraping in my throat proved otherwise.
And it all passed in the blink of an eye.
Now—I was driving everyone home.
The group was mid-conversation, but their words were nothing but muffled background noise to me in the moment.
Whenever someone asked why I wasn't talking much, I'd respond with, "I'm tired and want to focus on the road. I don't want to risk anything, y'know?"
Remi was the first to get dropped off. Then Sora, then Yu. With each person who left, the sense of foreboding lingering in the back of my head grew deeper.
I… don't want to go home...
"Ah, this is my stop," Luna said, her voice pulling me back.
I stopped just outside her driveway and watched as she entered her house. The moment her front door closed and she was out of sight, I grabbed Hoshino's hand.
"Hey… do you want to stay out just a little longer?"
The sound of the rain pelting against the car's frame was like static in the background, making the silence between us that much heavier.
Then, Hoshino laced his fingers through mine, keeping his gaze fixed on the windshield. "Sure, I don't care. Let's just stay in the car at the parking lot, though. It's raining hard."
"Yeah…"
Without letting go of his hand, I shifted the car's gears and drove off. Once we reached the parking lot near the alleyway, we did what we always did.
The already bleak sky grew darker with each word we exchanged and every stretch of silence we shared.
We talked about a lot of things, most random, some new—but exams weren't one of them. I never brought it up, and neither did he.
Before I even realized it, we had spent hours together here, and it was 9:00 p.m. It was now time to part ways—and go home.
For the first time since I first started talking to him, I didn't feel fulfilled or complete by the end of it. It wasn't enough—his warmth wasn't enough.
Still—
No…
I don't want to go home.
I want… to stay out just a little longer.
But my body moved on its own. Mustering every ounce of strength I had, I slowly pulled my hand away from his. Our fingers dragged along each other until our only connection was the tip of our index fingers.
That touch lingered longer than the rest, but just like the others, it snapped.
The moment it did, my body loosened, my muscles going cold and limp as I grabbed hold of the steering wheel.
Whatever…
I shifted the gears in the car and drove off into the darkness.
I did everything I could.
But there's no more running.
I would've had to go home eventually.
But.. it's fine.
It's not like I'll get my results back right away. And it's not like Father would say anything until the marks were released.
And who knows? Maybe I was still first in my grade.
Maybe… everything will be alright.
As I thought that, thunder struck, the world igniting in a bright flash of white for a split second, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, the leather keeping my mind from slipping away once again.
My gaze didn't flick to Hoshino a single time as I drove—but I still kept him in my peripheral vision, watching his every move with a sliver of hope in my heart.
Hoping that he'd notice something. That he'd say something.
But of course, he wouldn't. It didn't matter how sharp he was. It didn't matter how sharp I was, either. There were some things you wouldn't see or understand if nothing was said. And this—
This was one of them.
Eventually, we reached the front of Hoshino's house. I watched his retreating figure grow smaller as he left the car and crossed to his house. Even as the door shut behind him and he was nowhere to be seen, I kept staring.
That is—until thunder struck again.
I shifted the gears for the last time and drove off in the direction of my house.
As the distance between me and my home shrank, the sound of the rain grew more distant—
*BA-BUMP* *BA-BUMP* *BA-BUMP*
—as my heart pounded in my ears.
My chest shrank and swelled rapidly, a tingling, pins and needles-like sensation wrecking my nerves with each passing breath. Even so, I continued driving, ignoring the shaking in my arms.
I thought I could bear it until I got home—but I was wrong.
Unable to take it any longer, I pulled over to the side of the road and shut my eyes, allowing the darkness to swallow me for a brief moment.
…Enough!
I lifted my left arm—then pressed it against the steering wheel.
When the pain came, everything stopped. My heart, my chest, and even my nerves. Everything vanished.
When I opened my eyes again, there was nothing but the sound of rain pattering against the frame of my car.
I took one deep breath, then drove the rest of the way home. The rest of the ride passed by before I could even process the time.
The moment I stepped out of the car, the rain soaked me through in mere seconds. I should have taken out my umbrella beforehand, but it was too late for that now.
I opened the door to my house and stepped inside. As I did, all light ceased, and I was welcomed by the familiar darkness of my home once again.
"I'm home."
I quietly slid off my shoes and climbed the stairs. Drips of water slipped off my clothes and hair, tapping the ground with a soft patter as I ascended.
As usual, the hallway upstairs was completely dark, with the only sliver of light spilling from the bathroom—where the sound of running water and Mom's muffled sobs carried through the door.
I didn't want to linger too long, so I scurried into my room and shut the door behind me.
Silence settled at once, and with it, a slight chill ran through my arms.
My damp clothes stuck to my skin, and my hair hung heavy on my head.
Ah—I need to take a shower.
Following that thought, I turned to the closet.
Just as my hand reached for it, however, the door to my room burst open—bringing with it a foul, pungent odour that plagued my nose.
My whole body tensed before I could even fully process the stench.
The foreboding feeling that had been weighing on the back of my mind twisted into a nauseating sense of dread that rattled me to my core, snapping me out of my daze.
I whipped my head to the side.
My room was just as dark as any other area in the house—if not more so—and yet, I could see it, see him, clearly; the big, shadowy frame of my Uncle.
But worst of all, I could vividly make out the curve of his lips.
"Mei," he said, his deep voice carrying through my bones. "Today is the last day of exams, right? I hope you haven't forgotten our promise…"
The moment he uttered those words, I remembered. Remembered what he told me a few weeks back—and what I had told him.
N-No...
He took a step closer to me.
I flinched and took a step back.
No…
With that one movement, his face creased into a hideous scowl.
"Mei… don't make this any harder than it has to be."
He inched closer, and I inched back—until my back hit a hard surface.
I frantically glanced back.
The wall was pressed right behind me. There was nowhere left to run.
No…!
I turned around again—and there he was. Standing right in front of me.
"Mei," he said, his voice containing something ugly. "All you need to do—is listen to me."
He slowly lifted his hand.
All I could do was watch as his hand closed the space between us.
But just before it got too close, my body moved on its own.
…NO!