"Rin! Riiiiiin!"
You had started running. Without an excuse or explanation, your legs just dashed off to his direction...to Rin's direction, leaving everyone else behind. It probably wasn't the best thing to do; still, you couldn't restrain yourself from this situation; the feeling of guilt had already set itself in the pit of your stomach, and you had to get it out, before it festered you from the inside.
Thankfully, you spotted the burgundy haired boy stomping down one of the halls. He was probably headed toward the locker rooms.
"Rin." Once putting your hand on his shoulder, he tugged it away reflexively; the action, bringing an acidic feeling to the back of your throat. "Rin, I'm sorry. You did not deserve that." He just kept on walking, so you hurried to stand in front of him. "Rin, please. I'm sorry!"
"Sorry is not good enough!" Raising his voice, he shot a death glare to your direction. Perhaps it was the sight of tears in your eyes that made his expression soften a bit; but he looked away almost immediately. "I just want to be left alone." He sighed, and shoved right past the you that was still frozen in place.
/Dammit!\ Your vision blurred and the strength drained from your knees as you collided to the ground with shaky, inaudible sobs. "You knew I liked Makoto, Rin...so why...?" Talking to yourself didn't help much, and the feelings got worse once you heard your name being called in the distance. /I can't be seen like this.\ So once again, you ran. You ran and ran as fast as you could with your weighed heart; and though your leg was far from being in perfect conditions, there was just no way you could let them find you in your current state.
The exit seemed so far away, but relief washed over once the sunlight came into view. The voices came closer; Makoto's shouts rose notably above everyone else's (or rather, his voice is the one you paid the most attention to). But somehow, you managed to escape.
"[Name]?" Your mother had been calling diligently from behind the door the past half-hour. Still, you knew that you weren't going to budge. Two days had passed since the Swimming Prelims and you hadn't left your room once (only for food and going to the bathroom).
"[Name]," She finally decided to open the door, "*Sigh* I really don't know what's bothering you and I know you won't tell me, but your friend was nice enough to come visit you, so you better man up and go greet him."
/Him?\ "Wait, mom," You peeked your head out of the bed sheets, "who's down there?"
"Maybe you should find out for yourself; though you probably have an idea already." She gave you that look that only mothers could pull off; the kind of look that portrayed a smile in her eyes, without her actually smiling.
And of course you knew who had come to visit you. You'd been receiving messages from Gou and Makoto, nonstop (even a few from Rei and Nagisa). You just hadn't bothered to go ahead and check your cell phone. You kept it locked away inside your drawer, dreading the thought of touching it, or even looking at it; like it was some sort of cursed object. It wasn't their fault. They had absolutely nothing to do with this; you just didn't want to drag them down with your problems, so you didn't. And to your eyes, that was absolutely fine (or so you thought).
Your focus veered toward your mother, whose eyes surveyed you with concern; the hole in your stomach now burning with more intensity. The realization hit you with all its force. You had been pushing your mother away all this time, too, not giving her the credit she deserved. She was your mother after all; she at least deserved an explanation.
