Words Don't Come Easy

Chapter 3: New Encounters

September, 2016

"Sakura-chan." The voice belonged to Tomoyo; Sakura was certain of that. But for some reason, it sounded like she was far away―as if she was calling her name from the top of a mountain.

Why is she so far away?

"Sa-ku-ra-chan." Her tone was more urgent now. It sounded like she was in trouble.

What happened to Tomoyo-chan?

"Sakura-chan, wake up!" This time she yelled. Sakura jolted up with her bedsheets falling around her. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and saw Tomoyo standing at the end of the bed with her arms crossed against her chest. "Don't you have to get ready for work?"

Tomoyo was a sight to see. She was dressed from head to toe in beautiful clothing. Her wavy hair was neat and her makeup was perfect. It was the complete opposite of Sakura's current state. She was in her old, flannel pyjamas and had her hair sticking out in all different directions.

Her hand reached over for the iPhone charging on her bedside table. Sakura's eyebrows darted up. "Tomoyo-chan, I'm going to be late!" she cried as she pushed past Tomoyo into the bathroom. Today was her first day as a teacher's aide at the local elementary school so she had to look her best. Not that there was anyone special to impress but parents often come in with children on their first day so a little extra effort wouldn't hurt anyone.

After applying a light pink lip tint, she proceeded to brush her hair. She had grown her hair out since she left high school. It hung just below her shoulders now but it was nowhere near her waist like Tomoyo's hair. She stared long and hard at herself in the mirror, gathering her hair and mimicked the hairstyle she had in her youth. After a couple of seconds, her mouth twitched and she let go. The old bob haircut made her look like a teenager again which is something she didn't want. If anything, she wanted to be taken seriously at her new job―from both her peers and students.

In the reflection of the mirror, Sakura could see Tomoyo's head peeking through the door. "Let me fix that for you." Tomoyo took the brush out of Sakura's hands and braided her long, golden brown locks. She then twirled her around in a circle, checking if everything was in place. Satisfied with what she saw, Tomoyo's hands held Sakura an arm length away. "Sakura-chan, let me take a photo of your first day of school!" She brought a camera out of nowhere, as if she had been planning to take a photo of Sakura all morning.

Sakura giggled at Tomoyo's antics. "I'll have to pass on that, Tomoyo-chan." Tomoyo pouted. "It's my first day of teaching, not my first day of school," Sakura emphasised. She remembered when her father took photos of her at the beginning of every school year. She loved when he did it. She loved going to school too. Sakura was the type of student to be involved in everything. Athletics, festivals, clubs. Though, this changed when she entered university. Her friends went to different cities, different universities. The pressure to decide on a career for the rest of her life was too much. With too many options and no clear direction, Sakura was lost. She still was and that's why she was thankful she came to Tokyo. Hopefully, teaching would be her passion and if not, she was determined to find something else.

"You can't be serious." Sakura wanted to laugh. She knew Tomoyo was a bit crazy after their first phone call but not to this extent. "You're going to make me late."

"And you're going to deprive me of inspiration." She retorted. "Pretty please?" Tomoyo gave her puppy dog eyes. It was a common tactic she used to get what she wanted. It worked on her mother, her friends, her ex-boyfriends―everyone―and she knew Sakura would be no exception.

"Just one photo."

The walk to the primary school wasn't too far from where she lived. That's part of the reason why she picked the apartment in the first place. The other reason was the cheap rent due to having a roommate. She was originally worried at the thought of a roommate. Sakura was unsure if they'd get along or if the roommate was a good person. After meeting Tomoyo, any worries she had went completely out the door. Tomoyo was more of a friend than a roommate at this point. She had been nothing but kind to Sakura so far and Sakura couldn't wait to see what the future had in store for them.