Affinity

Chapter 41 - Crying Laughter

ok listen here - I felt so bad not posting for a whole ass month you get another chapter
this one reignited my love and passion for the story so pls enjoy it made me cry a little because *emiko* ok ty for coming to my tedtalk

Emiko hadn't spoken to her friends in weeks.

At least, not really. Sure, there'd been passing conversations in class and answering basic questions - but she hadn't really spoken to them since she'd been released from the hospital.

Her phone sat upturned on her desk, screen darkened. She'd lost her older device in the kidnapping, so this new piece of technology was almost entirely foreign to her. Sakura had no doubt purchased it and the case, dropping it off at the school one day when Emiko hadn't been around.

Thankfully at least, somehow the contents of her phone had been saved so she could avoid the awkward conversation of getting everyones contact information again. All of her photos had been saved, and even though she was angry beyond words at Sakura still, the same photo lived on the screen as it had for years. Her hands were trembling but she was trying to avoid focusing on that. She'd sent the text less than a minute ago and she knew that neither Momo nor Kyouka were ever attached at the hip to their phones.

She let out a heavy sigh, pressing back from her desk and flopping onto her bed. She'd decided after her last therapy appointment that she needed to speak with her friends, because she knew they were worried about her. She'd gotten back to the dorms and immediately pulled up an old group chat between she, Jirou, and Yaoyorozu, and she'd grinned brightly at the messages displayed on screen.

The last communication there had been almost 2 months ago, and they'd been planning their weekly girls night. Something that Emiko had always looked forward to, that hadn't happened in months. She'd swallowed her fear and typed out a single message with shaking fingers.

Emiko: I miss you guys.

She knew they wouldn't respond right away, but she couldn't help the anxiety that was puddling in her chest with each second that passed. She slung her arm over her eyes, blocking out the setting sun blasting into her bedroom from the patio doors.

Bz.

Her phone buzzed on her desk and she burst forwards, grabbing it off the table.

Jirou: come down to my room then

It wasn't a lot to go off of, but still. Emiko stood quickly, tucking her phone into the pocket of her pajama pants. They hung low on her hips and she grabbed a sweater from the floor before moving out of her room. The hallways were quiet, and Emiko was thankful for that. It was easy to slip through them undetected when nobody else was around, and though she was trying to make amends for keeping herself distant for the past few weeks, she wasn't ready to have everyone sprung on her at once.

—-

Kyouka had wrapped her arms tightly around Emiko the instant her fingers tapped the wooden door. The gesture nearly knocked her off her feet, but Emiko wrapped her own arms around Kyouka within a second. She knew her friend well enough to know that the action was likely making her uncomfortable, but neither girl cared. Neither of them cared that they were shaking and crying in the doorway of a bedroom where anyone could walk by and see them making a fool of themselves.