Honey & Silver

18

.................................

(Daichi's POV)

School simply isn't the same without Koshi around.

Or, for that matter,

Life simply isn't the same without Koshi around.

It's hard to be on time when he's gone.

It's hard to get good grades when he's gone.

It's hard to be inspirational when he's gone.

It's hard to be happy when he's gone.

The halls feel empty and boxed-in.

The laughs that ring out from other students sound faux and hollow.

Colors seem duller somehow.

I haven't talked to the Sugawaras other than that night at the hospital.

They brought over some cookies to cheer me up, but I couldn't seem to enjoy them.

My grades are slipping away from me.

My father pretends to understand.

My brain feels like an abandoned pond.

Various different kinds of plants and fungi litter the crystal surface with its murkiness.

The water has turned gray.

Dragonflies never visit.

The lily pads have all rotted.

A collection of cards sits in my school bag, to bring to Koshi for when I go visit him in the hospital.

"Get well soon!"

"We'll be waiting for you!"

"We miss you!"

As if he can hear you.

I wish he could.

............

Balloons cover the ceiling. Cards practically spill over the bedside table.

The afternoon sun filters through the curtains, like a golden spotlight on the angel in the bed.

His hands limp, his lips dry, and his eyes closed.

Hopefully, I will live to see his smile once again.

On my way home, it starts to rain. Cars splash the puddles into sidewalks, street lamps and lights from shops reflect in the water. The sounds of steps, cars swishing around, and the distant sounds of people talking all mesh together to form the soundtrack of my walk home.

I pass by a park.

Maybe, I should stop by, and take a little detour.

I remember when we were kids, Koshi and I hid a volleyball by a fallen streetlamp and some bushes. There are patches in the grass that show there used to be a bench there, or they were planning to put one in.

Suga and I had our first date there, so that we could check if the ball was still there.

It was.

It was pretty worn, but there was still Suga's signature on it, marking the ball as his property in faded black ink.

On Suga and I's first date, he told me to sign my name on the ball too, so we could be there together.

To this day, no park ranger or anyone has ever touched the ball. Either, it's an unspoken agreement that nobody moved it, or nobody has actually found it.