Sing With Me

I'm Ready

       Maki didn't go to school the next day. She stayed, buried, under the warm covers of her bed. Thoughts whirred through her mind. Happy thoughts, thoughts of embarrassment, thoughts of doubt, thoughts of fear. They had confessed their feelings to each other. She hadn't yet replied to Nico's text. How could she? How could she fit all of her feelings into one reply, one small amount of words? Impossible. She felt that she should have done something more, that she could have made things more comfortable between them. She hoped Nico wasn't worried about her. She prayed that the two of them could be together. Be a couple. With all this in her mind, the finality of it was always the same. What would others think? Two girls together... How would that be received among her classmates- among μ's?

It was another dreary day outside, from what she could see from her bedroom window. It made her feel a bit sadder than she would normally in a situation like this. Once in a while she would sit up in bed and simply stare out at the clouds; clouds she knew were moving quickly but only appeared to creep slowly through the sky above. She sat, twirling her richly pink colored hair around her finger as she thought about Nico. A knock on her door broke her trance.

"Maki, dear?" It was her mother. Maki took a deep breath.

"Yes?" She replied weakly. She had told her mother she wasn't feeling well as an excuse for skipping school. It was something she never did. She took pride in her high marks, and never lowered herself to skipping class. But this was crippling, thinking about love like this. She couldn't go to school and she definitely couldn't face Nico. The door to her room opened slowly.

"I brought you soup." Her mother smiled, "Tomato! Your favorite." Her mother's violet eyes lit up at the sight of her, the same violet as her own. Maki returned the smile sincerely.

"Thank you." She turned toward her mother as she approached her bedside, proceeding to place the soup on her nightstand and sit down on the bed next to her.

"Maki..." She looked at her daughter with genuine concern. "Is everything alright? Did something happen?" Maki quickly shook her head no.

"I just don't feel well." She lied. But at the same time, it wasn't a lie. She didn't feel up to confronting anything or anyone. She needed time to think.

"Hmm.." Her mom sounded defeated as she leaned back, making a frustrated face. "You were never one to express your feelings too openly." She looked over at her daughter. "Whatever it is, don't be afraid to tell me, or anyone else you trust..." She sat up and stood, starting on her way out of the room. Before she disappeared behind the door, she said quietly, "It's always better to just let it out."

Maki sat, a bit shaken by the statement her mother had just made. What did she mean? Let it out how? She pondered for a bit before deciding on an action. She picked up her cell phone and flipped it open. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Nico's previous text.

"I like you." It read. Maki blushed heavily at the thought of Nico, especially the thought of her sending her something like that. But then she thought about Nico being sad, missing her. She needed to do this. She took a deep breath and clicked open a new reply.

"Meet me in the park."