“You mean, he didn’t tell you?” Yua replied curiously.

“N-no he did not, this is news to me” I sighed.

“Yeah, he’s dating this girl from class 1-A, I heard she’s one of the popular ones” Yua said as she scrolled through her phone.

“I can’t believe he didn’t say anything to you, you guys are like best friends…” Reiji added in his quiet tone.

“Yeah” I mumbled. I suddenly felt as if I was sinking, and I couldn’t understand why.

I had a great time with Reiji and Yua but I decided it was time for me to head home. I know there was more time in the day and that I didn’t have to be home yet but I couldn’t help the cold wash that poured over me. I thought it would be best to go home and rest. When I got home I grabbed a small snack from the fridge and told my parents I didn’t feel well and would be skipping dinner. They tried to probe and ask what was going on, but I just told them my stomach was hurting so I was going to call it an early night. To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what was going on with me.

I sat in bed, picking at my snack and scrolling through my phone. ‘I haven’t texted him at all today’ I thought to myself as I stared down into my phone. I typed out several messages before finally settling on one to send.

“Hey Byte, it’s me, I haven’t heard from you or seen you all day, and I was starting to worry. I spent the day with Reiji and Yua today, I heard you have a girlfriend now.”

I sat and stared at the message for a few minutes before sending it. I was hoping to get a response right away, but all I ended up getting was a notification that the message was read. I felt the tears start to well up in the corners of my eyes, but I stopped myself. ‘What is going, why is he acting this way?’ I thought to myself as I dried my eyes. And this feeling I was experiencing, this dread, this melancholy, it couldn’t all be due to the news I heard today?

Right?

I decided that if Byte wasn’t willing to talk with me over text then I would just have to go to his dorm and ask him what was going on (listen to yourself, you sound like a stalker). I planned to wait till my parents were asleep, and then sneak out of the house in the middle of the night and make my way to Bytes dorm room. This would be risky for a few reasons

If my parents caught me I would never be allowed to leave the house again (for now and for all eternity, I know how they are) Our highschool doesn’t allow visitors at night in the dorm rooms, so if we got caught, it could spell serious trouble If I happen to run into trouble like last time, Byte won’t be here to save me

I decided that I would walk through the wooded area until I got to the open city, then I would catch a taxi to bring me directly to Bytes dorm instead of risking walking in the dark anymore than I had to. I also grabbed a can of pepper spray I had bought after the incident a few months ago from my closet.

“I never thought I’d ever have to use this” I whispered as I looked at the light pink can. Suddenly that night came surging back into my memory. The deep purple of night, the man with the gun, and Byte.

“Behind me, now”

“But, you”

“NOW”

Byte had saved me that night, risking his own life for mine, but things seemed so different now, and I needed to know why.

The cold air nipped at my face as I walked along the frozen landscape. I couldn’t believe how cold it was that night, but it was to be expected since it was winter. Not to mention it was night, where the warmth of the sun couldn’t find the city. I passed by the site where Byte had crashed that fateful day a few months ago once more. It seemed at this point I always did, It’s not like I meant to, but I just find myself here.

I kept plodding along until I got into the inner city, where I called the cab. Once I was inside not only was I glad because I could feel my body warming up, but I also felt safe. It didn’t take too long for the taxi to arrive at my destination, I paid my fare and gave a warm thanks to the driver before getting out and walking into the dorm. I sat and stared at the door for a few seconds, trying to steel my nerves before making my approach. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have come’ I thought to myself for a few seconds. But then I started to think about Byte, and all we had been through together. ‘He was my friend, my first friend I had made since coming here’ I thought. Memories flashed into my mind like a slideshow, as I knocked on the door.