Thread by @5ystemCrashed

#ShortStories

Written by Fatal 5ystem.
At Summer's End - Part 1

Cruelty exists within us all. However, it is more prominant in others. There is no reason for it, or rather there is no excuse for it. Not any good excuses. It is just the way humans are. For the both of us, we

have endured our share of it. It is always the worst when it is from the people we trust. A kind of betrayal that that impales our very being.

July 18th.

I had finally gathered the courage to ask out a girl in my class, and had asked her to meet me bhind the school gym during

lunch period. She showed.

"You wanted to ask me something?" She asked. Her expression blank.

I have always been bad with confessions. Even after hours of rehearsing, it is wasted because I cannot figure out way to do this and not feel awkward about it.

"Yamanoue-san." I say

nervously. "I like you. Pleae go out with me." I said while doing my best to maintain a stern posture. It felt weird because I wanted to bow when i said it. I was fighting every impulse to follow the overused trope that I only see in media.

Yamanoue-san chuckled for a second

before anwering with, "Gladly." Then followed it with soft smile.

It was surprising that I managed to pull that off. We exchanged email adresses and phone numbers and went about our day. We walked home togther. Everything seemed perfect. We passed our homeroom teacher in the

hallway. She had given us a look of mild intrigue. But she greeted us with a smile. "Shimazaki-kun. Yamanoue-san. Be careful going home."

There was something off about our teacher today. Maeda-sensei had a lot of makeup on today. Maybe a hot date after work? She's only 25. I

cannot understand why she would need that much makeup on. She is plenty attractive without it. It was something that caught my attention, but I chose to ignore it. Saori-chan and I walked home together.

One day left before summer vacation starts. One of pain and new beginnings.

Saori-chan and I hung out a lot for the first week of dating. We went to all sorts of places. We went shopping in Harajuku. Stop for some tea in Shibuya. Go to arcades in Akihabara. Rode some rides in Bunkyo. Strolling through Asakusa park. It was an absolute blast. We even

shared a kiss the skytree.

After a week of going on dates, I started to realize that my wallet was beginning to look rather thin. Spent a lot of money having a good time with Saori-chan.

So I decided to get a part time job. I worked in a music store as a clerk.

July 27th.

Mom wanted me to go to the local grocery story down the street and pick up some ingredients for dinner. On the way back, I walked by the little playground that was dimly lit by a street lamp. A woman sat alone on a swing, swaying back and forth, gently. The tips of her shoes

dug into the earth and the subtle movements of her ankles is what allowed her to sway. The way the light rained down on her shadowed her face and it appeared that she was looking downward. But a lone speck of light dimly illuminated from the dark abyss of her face. She was

smoking a cigarette. A soft tune was eminating from her. A hum that was barely audible. I heard the sound of thunder in the distance and resumed my walk home. As I looked back, the woman shown no reaction to sound of distance thunder. Nor did she notice the cloudy sky above. She

did not even notice me as stood there staring at her for a short period of time. It was like nothing in the world existed to her. Nothing but the swing she sat on. The feeling I got from her the opposite. It was as if she hads thought that she did not exist to world.

July 29th

I started working at my part-time job today. Saori and I have been keeping in contact with other via email on our phones. We call each other when we have time. It is frustrating really. I want to spend time with her and go on dates but I need money to do it. My parents are not

going to give me an allowence forever, right? I need to work at it. Problem is, if i want the money I need to spend time away from Saori. But that is how the world works.

On my way home after my shift, I passed that dimly lit park again. This time, no one was there. Just an

empty swing that squeaked a tiny bit when a gentle breeze touched it.

What happened to woman? I thought as my eyes strolled through the tiny playground. Next to swingset was a bunny slide but i could'nt see if there was anybody in the crawlspace. Looking back over to the empty

swing, I see a number of cigarette butts and a beer can on the ground below it. Did the woman from before do this?

It was irresponsible. What if kids got into it. I walked over and grabbed the beer can that was empty and began picking up the ciggarette butts strewn about.

Some of them had traces of lipstick caked on and others had bite marks on the filters. I thought it was kind of strange. Nevertheless, I quickly disposed of everything. I didn't want to be questioned by some cop taking a walk.
Washing my hands became a priority now. I went home.

July 31st.

I probably wont see my paycheck until tomorrow and it is not going to amount to much. I just started after all. I need to suck it up and ask my parents for some money. I want to take Saori out. Damn, I should have planned ahead.

I decided to email Saori and asked

if she wanted to go out somewhere in a couple days. She replied with, "I'm sorry. I can't. Maybe a bit later?"

"Sure." was my response.
After closing the music store, I walked home from work. Going by the park again. There she was. That wman from before, sitting in the swing.

Gently swaying to that tune she was humming. Cigarette butts were littered beneath her, but she wasn't smoking one at this time. She had a can of beer in her right and she would sip from every so often. Once again, she did not exist to world. She existed only to me. So i decided

to approach her.

"Excuse me? Ma'am?" I called to get her attention.

Startled, she looked up, and her face was slowly being highlighted by the street lamp. She was a familar face. Her eyes were red and her makeup smeared. She was crying. But I knew her.

"Maeda-sensei?"

TBC

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