Pretend (Ryeji)

Chapter 9: Progress?

—🎬 START 🎬—

Today is the day Joanne asks Lucy to go out with her on a date. Today is the day Joanne tears down the barriers chaining her frightened spirit and lays it all out on the table, wears her heart on her sleeve. She spent forever mustering up the courage, lost sleep last night due to a mix of paranoia and excitement. This wouldn't be easy. It could be seen as risky because of what is celebrated today, including a few unfavorable outcomes that might occur.

Graduation day is typically a joyous occasion. Joanne always viewed it as such, the freedom that comes with leaving this hell of a school. After all, it is the day of the ceremony, the day that marks the beginning of a new segment of their lives.

There was also the chance of losing the friendship she treasured with Lucy. It's not every day someone falls in love with their best friend, and it's not every day that someone admits it to that very person. How would it work if Lucy hadn't felt the same? If the feelings weren't reciprocated?

Furthermore, there was the risk of having a broken heart. As scary as that sounds, it came second to the thought of losing Lucy for good.

Despite praying up and down, and everywhere she went, only hoping for a positive outcome to this decision, wishing for this to be the best day in her life, it turned out to be one of the most hurtful, perhaps even the worst.

Coincidentally (not really), each girl had wellness checkups later in the afternoon following the ceremony. After spending time with their families separately, Joanne arrived at her appointment without knowing what was happening to Lucy. Aside from learning that her best friend has checked out of the hospital, she wasn't given many details when she showed up due to privacy reasons, but the reception lady she's close with mentioned that Lucy and her parents just headed out.

Not caring if she's late for her appointment or not, Joanne dashed down the stairs to beat them to the lobby. It wasn't good for her to do this, an act that led to her never-ending rapid heart palpitations. But to hell with that! She had a best friend to find.

Inevitably, thanks to her quick steps, Joanne found the girl she was searching for right outside the automatic doors to the entrance. It seemed that she was too slow to beat them down here or outside, but at least she found them before they could depart.

"Lucy!!"

"Jojo— "

"Make it quick. We have places to be." No need for a second glance, once her voice was heard, Lucy's mother suggested Lucy not take her time and continued to walk off with her husband, whereas Lucy stopped moving herself.

"I'm... so glad... I caught you— phew! That was exhausting. Shit~ " Within arms reach now, Joanne tried to speak between her heavy breaths, hands pressed against her knees as support while she continued to pant. As instructed by her doctor, sports and anything related to them were something she shouldn't partake in. She isn't supposed to be running the way she just did, and now she understands why. She feels warped.

"Why were you running?? You know what the doctor said." Lucy scolded her friend immediately, then searched the bag hanging off her shoulder for a bottle of water and quickly uncapped it, offering the bottle to the younger girl.

"Shut up... I was... looking for you." She spoke between gulps this time.

"You shouldn't run after me," Lucy warned sternly, hand pressed against the other's shoulder.

Ryujin looked up, a part of her act for this scene. The last thing she expected was to feel a bit troubled by the expression on Yeji's face. She couldn't help but feel concerned.