A L W A Y S

Four

Nova's POV

What the fuck, I think to myself.

Soaked in what I hope is just water, I stand in front of the doors to heat my skin and shirt. This is the only way I can dry my good shirt off for right now.

This feels like the first day all over again, but I don't think it was intentional this time. Whatever the case, the feeling of wet clothes sticking to cold skin is a combination I hope to never feel again on this earth.

After the whole fiasco, Kamasaki helped me escape as quickly as possible. Thankfully, we stumbled upon the principal on the way out. The moment she looked at me, she knew I was in trouble. I am thankful she allowed me to take the rest of the day off because this has to be the worst day ever.

"Are you okay?" Kamasaki asks as he zips up his jacket, wrapped around me, to hide my wet shirt from view.

"Yeah," I respond with a sigh.

"Do you want to borrow my extra shirt?" Kamasaki asks politely. There is a hint of concern in his voice, and I'm thankful he is here to help me.

"I'm okay," I say, "the principal is letting me go home early, so I'll be able to change when I'm home."

"Can I come with you?" Kamasaki confidently asks, "I can walk you home to make sure you get home okay."

"I can walk her home," A stern voice hits me and a flash of shock rushes through my veins.

Flinching at the sound of that tone, I turn around to see Kenji approach with his jacket in hand.

The halls are currently empty, with no one in sight. And good thing, too.

Everyone returned to class after lunch while I was with the principal. I must have spent a while with her, since I notice the time on the clock about to change to release the students again. However, there is no room to think about the students leaving their classes. In front of me is a Kenji I don't completely recognize. He's angry, I know that. But there is a hint of something I don't recognize masked underneath that anger.

It's hard to comprehend what's happening right now as I observe a very tense Kenji. I've never seen him this pent-up before. His hands are balled into a fist, and his eyes are glaring holes at me. It's almost, intimidating to see.

"That's nice of you, Kenji, but I can do it. I've been helping her since the incident—I will see it through." Even though Kamasaki jokes around a lot, at this moment, his words feel like a threat.

Ignoring Kamasaki completely, Kenji approaches me within seconds. It's as if he didn't hear a single word that came out of Kamasaki's mouth. And before I know it, I'm flinching at Kenji's touch.

"You're such a fucking klutz, Nova!" Kenji lectures into my face. For a split second, I want to rebuttal and argue back. But the words don't come. Instead, I watch as Kenji rip Kamasaki's jacket off me to replace it with his, "You have two legs that can easily dodge –"

"Futakuchi," Kamasaki interrupts.

Suddenly, the tension heightens as I feel Kamasaki lace his fingers through my hands, "Please don't talk to her like that –"

At this rate, I no longer have a clear sense of direction. Kamasaki's hands are warm around mine as he pulls me back closer to him—away from Kenji. All at once, I feel myself being ripped away. But feeling like this requires me to be attached to something, and somehow, I'm not sure what I'm being ripped away from.

In slow motion, I watch as Kenji's arms drop to his sides. The feeling of emptiness begins to replace the space between Kenji and me, and suddenly, the pits of my stomach become restless. Right now, I'm too afraid to look at his face. Too afraid to process what is happening. Too afraid of how Kenji's reaction will affect me. Instead, I choose to watch Kenji's hands drop to his sides in defeat.