12 Roses

3 | Names and Phone Numbers

All your life, you and Tsumiki have worn the same uniform.

When you were small, you wore a dark blue blazer over a button top with a skirt and stockings that stopped just above your knees.

Then in middle school, you wore a tan blazer over a button top with a tie and the same bottom.

And now, you stared at her, and she stared at you, but neither of you viewed the same meaningless sewn together fabrics, with the same colours ties and same length pants.

Your uniform was completely navy blue, asymmetrical with a pin of the school's logo near your left shoulder. Stockings with an end that disappeared under your skirt.

And Tsumiki wore a dark red, with a button top under her blazer, and a black skirt that stopped at her knees.

"It looks hot for the summer," she said with a trying grin.

"We get summer uniforms." You looked her up and down, from the high ponytail she gathered her hair in, to the black buckled shoes on her feet.

She took your hand, saying, "Let's walk to the bus stop," with enough enunciation for you to read her lips.

You nodded and followed her to a lonely bench near the end of town, where Nanako and Mimiko were already waiting... wearing two different uniforms.

The four of you looked at each other, signing a mutual agreement to not talk about school.

You had your backpack on your back, your eyes fixated on the end of the road where the bus would come.

Nanako scrolled through photos on her phone, hiding her face behind it.

Mimiko began unravelling a knitted stuffed animal, which had uneven eyes and different lengths for its legs.

And Tsumiki hugged her bag, which sat on her lap, wrinkling her skirt.

The first bus came and you stood up, stepping through the doors once they opened... without Tsumiki.

You sat down and stared out the window, seeing your three friends standing and waving to you like they'd never see you again. You smiled and waved back, seeing Tsumiki sign, "See you under the second tree to the right of the first tea shop!"

•••

You walked off the bus without even trying to get out a "thank you" to the bus driver and rushed towards the school, hoping no one would bother to try saying hi to you or trying to even speak to you.

There was a folded paper in your pocket that read what class you needed to go to, and you prayed that the school was situated so it was easy to find and you wouldn't have to ask someone.

A map, you hoped, to guide you rather than someone who wore headphones and had their hands jammed in their pocket, or someone who chatted with their friends while their hands held their backpack straps, or someone who scrolled through their phone with their earbuds stuffed in their ears.

You moved through the swinging doors at the entrance and began walking through the halls as fast as your legs could take you, your eyes darting to the room numbers at the top right corner of the doors.

222, 222, 222, you mouthed, reading that all the numbers began with one.

After a while, you came to the conclusion that there was a second floor, but where were the stairs?

Your mom had given you a notepad with a small pen in case you had to communicate but you looked around, finding that no one seemed approachable at all.