The Group

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CHAPTER 29: THE GROUP

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The group met at the park on Wednesday.

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It was the same as always. Hana brought snacks. Yuki brought homework. Ren brought his sketchbook. Mei brought her book. Charlotte came even though no one had invited her.

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I sat on the bench and watched.

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But something was different.

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Hana was quieter than usual. She was still smiling. She was still passing out snacks. But her smile didn't reach her eyes. And she kept checking her phone.

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Yuki was more competitive than usual. She was doing her homework like it was a race. She was correcting Ren's grammar. She was challenging everything he said.

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Ren was making darker jokes. They were still funny. But they had an edge to them. A bitterness. Like he was laughing at something that wasn't funny.

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Mei was more withdrawn than usual. She was reading in the corner. She was turning the pages. But she wasn't seeing the words.

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Charlotte was watching. As always.

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I noticed.

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I didn't say anything.

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I just sat there and watched and noticed.

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At some point, Hana's phone buzzed.

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She looked at it. Her face changed. The smile disappeared. Just for a moment. Just long enough for me to see.

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She stood up.

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"I have to go," she said.

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"Already?" Yuki asked.

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"I forgot something."

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"What?"

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"Just something."

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She grabbed her bag and walked away. Fast. Too fast.

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I watched her go.

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No one else seemed to notice. Yuki went back to her homework. Ren went back to his drawing. Mei went back to her book. Charlotte looked at me.

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She noticed that I noticed.

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I looked away.

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───

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The group broke up an hour later.

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I walked home alone.

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I thought about Hana. The phone. The face. The walk.

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I thought about the way she had left. The way she had said "just something."

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I thought about the fact that I didn't know anything about her. Not really. I knew she was cheerful. I knew she was kind. I knew she made bento she didn't eat.

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But I didn't know why.

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I didn't know what she was hiding.

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I didn't know what was wrong.

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But I knew something was wrong.

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I just didn't know what. 27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JxR9bm3VS

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