3. Grocery Shopping (1/2)

chapter two

i was thirteen when i met her.

to be completely honest with you, i had no idea who she was at first. she was a strange sight to behold, hunched over and violently vomiting into a trash can as the fresh fe

uary snow gently floated down to land upon her

unette locks. it wasn't an unusual occurrence, however, as there was a bar not too far away. every so often drunks would wander over to the gas station nearby in hopes of safely hitchhiking.

i softly sighed while quickly striding to the gas station, purchasing a bottle of water and a chocolate bar before exiting. walking back to the area the girl was, i texted to my mother that i ran into a friend and might be a while. the girl was finishing up, and clumsily wiped her mouth of any residue that may have lingered. when she turned and spotted me, her eyelids furiously fluttered and she flushed pink at having been caught vomiting.

"you looked like you might need this," i sheepishly grinned, offering the water to her, "it's always a pain when you throw up, and are unable to wash out your mouth."

she sent me a wavering and tear filled smile, "thank you."

turning my back to allow her some privacy, i quietly decided that she wasn't intoxicated like i had initially suspected. judging by her tears, it was most likely due to an emotional fit that stressed her out enough to the point of throwing up. poor girl, something quite bad must've happened if she worked herself up enough to this point.

"i'm done now," she shakily announced to me, allowing me to turn back around, "thank you for the water. i…i should probably go home now."

i silently appraised her for a moment, and judging by her downtrodden expression and the way her voice cracked when she said the word 'home', she probably didn't actually want to go.

"there's a small café nearby," i started in a flawlessly hesitant tone of voice, "i was planning on getting food there, but i don't feel comfortable walking by myself at this time of night."

that was a lie. i was out here to purchase ingredients to make a cake for raito's birthday tomorrow, but she didn't have to know that.

sliding my gaze down to the ground, i moved my feet into a pigeon toe stance while wrapping my arms around myself in a manner that determinedly screamed uncomfortable. i continued in a near whisper, "would you mind going with me? i would buy you dinner to make up for it, of course. i just…"

"i'll go," she interrupted me, letting out light yet empty laughter as she wiped her face of any remaining tear tracks, "don't worry about paying for me. you already bought me a bottle of water, i can't ask for anything more."

"i appreciate it," i thanked softly, proceed to peer up at her through my eyelashes and sending her a smile.

dinner was a quiet affair.

besides us telling the waiter what we wanted, we didn't speak to each other. it was a comfortable silence of course, and i was happy that i was able to properly deduce that she needed some peace to recollect herself. this of course didn't stop me from sneaking glances at her, wondering what exactly had occurred for her to have been so upset.