Date Her Instead Vol. 5

Chapter Three: Friendship Repairs

At home after school that Friday, Haruna sent a text to both Chiyo and Jasmine. She started by saying she was sorry for not talking to them at school and then suggested that they go out tomorrow so she could give a proper explanation. Haruna kept her message short on details, wanting to make sure she'd be able to say everything she wanted to in person. Giving an apology and a full explanation face to face would certainly hold more impact.

A few minutes later, she received a simple reply from Jasmine. All it said was, "sure." With only one word, it was hard to tell exactly how she felt, but Haruna decided to take it as a good sign she agreed anyways. Following that message was Chiyo's response, but that one was easier to understand. First was a sticker with a puffed-up pouting face, then another sticker with what appeared to be a wounded heart, then finally wrapped up with, "U better explain!"

Seeing Chiyo's message made Haruna laugh a little, although part of that was directed at herself. "I understand why she's mad," Haruna thought. "I really shouldn't have dodged her like that..." Over the course of a few hours, guilt had substantially built up in her mind. After everything Chiyo had done for her, Haruna had intentionally left her out and pushed her away. By extension, she had done the same to Jasmine too. A part of Haruna worried that her actions might have caused even more damage on that front than with Chiyo.

In the time that Haruna had known Jasmine, she couldn't really say the two had ever been particularly close. Really, Haruna had only become acquainted with Jasmine because of Chiyo, so it was like a friend-of-a-friend sort of relationship. Even as time had gone on and Haruna got to know Jasmine a little better, it was still hard to say just to what degree they could call each other friends. They never hung out together without Chiyo and rarely exchanged text messages. Haruna knew about all of Jasmine's boyfriends (both past and whichever one was current at the time), but she never asked for details.

Their relationship had always been one that was probably best described with the phrase "we know each other." However, in recent months, the two had started to get closer. Haruna had begun to talk to Jasmine more individually instead of just waiting on her to chime in on the conversation. They had spent time together, just the two of them, and Jasmine had even helped Haruna on multiple occasions with her pursuit of Kanako.

Now, after so blatantly refusing to interact with Chiyo or Jasmine, would those actions hurt the new, fragile closeness Haruna had gained with Jasmine? It was something that caused her worry. "I don't think Jasmine's the kind of person to hold something like that against someone else, but... then again, it's not like we know each other that well," Haruna thought. "For all I know she could have a vengeful side." Although, that felt doubtful considering all of the relationships Jasmine had been in. "I feel like I would've heard a story or two by now if she had gotten back at one of her ex-boyfriends."

Haruna's worry was still unresolved though. Even if there was little evidence to support her vengeful Jasmine theory, there was still Chiyo to think about. Haruna was pretty sure she knew why Chiyo had gotten so upset with her. It went beyond just being dodged and ignored for the day. No, the main issue certainly had deeper roots than that.

For more than a moment or two, Haruna stared at the messages Chiyo had sent her. Obviously they were mostly meant for the current situation, but they could be applied to other times in the past too. Really, how much had the two of them been through? It felt like so much and at the same time, nothing at all. In the context of her current situation, it seemed like there had been plenty of other times that Chiyo had gotten mad at Haruna for one reason or another, although her anger was usually short-lived. "Here's hoping that's still true," Haruna thought.

After scrolling through an internet search for a little bit, Haruna decided on a place for the group to meet up at and sent them all the location, along with the time to be there. With the schedule and venue now taken care of, Haruna let out a long breath. She'd be able to resolve her small conflict with her friends, but the biggest one in her life still remained. Admittedly though, she hesitated to call it a conflict. "It's kinda hard to say we're fighting in any way when I just keep avoiding Kanako and she just keeps looking for me," Haruna thought. Regardless, it was definitely the problem most prominent in her life at the moment. It felt like all she could do was hope that her friends would be able to offer some assistance.