The Morning After

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CHAPTER 31: THE MORNING AFTER

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I saw Hana at school the next morning.

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She was standing at her desk, talking to one of the girls from her homeroom. She was smiling. She was laughing. She was performing.

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I watched her from the doorway.

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She was good at it. Better than I had realized. The smile reached her eyes. The laugh sounded real. The way she tilted her head and touched the other girl's arm was so natural that I almost believed it.

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But I had seen her flinch.

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I had seen her mother grab her arm.

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I had seen the door close.

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I walked to my desk and sat down. I didn't look at her. I didn't say anything. I just opened my notebook and pretended to study.

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She came over a few minutes later.

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"Good morning," she said.

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"Morning."

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"Did you do the homework?"

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"No."

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She laughed. The performed laugh. "You're going to fail."

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"I know."

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She walked back to her desk.

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I watched her go.

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I noticed the way she held her bag. I noticed the way she kept her left arm close to her body. I noticed the way she didn't use her left hand.

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I noticed.

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I didn't say anything.

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At lunch, she sat with us on the roof.

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She had brought bento again. She handed one to Ren. She handed one to me. She didn't take one for herself.

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"Aren't you eating?" Ren asked.

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"I ate earlier."

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"You always eat earlier."

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"I have a big breakfast."

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Ren didn't push. He just opened his bento and started eating.

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I watched Hana.

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She was smiling. She was talking. She was performing.

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But I noticed she was sitting differently. Her left arm was still close to her body. She was using her right hand for everything.

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I didn't say anything.

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I just ate my bento.

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───

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After lunch, I caught up with her in the hallway.

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"Hana."

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She stopped. She turned. She smiled.

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"Yeah?"

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"Are you okay?"

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The smile flickered. Just for a moment. Just enough for me to see.

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"I'm fine," she said. "Why?"

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"No reason."

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She looked at me for a long moment. Then she smiled again.

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"You're sweet," she said.

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She walked away.

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I stood in the hallway and watched her go.

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I noticed she was holding her left arm close to her body.

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I noticed she was walking faster than usual.

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I noticed everything. 18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6t41oAV0H

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