The Group Again

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CHAPTER 35: THE GROUP AGAIN

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The group was quiet on Saturday.

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We were at the park again. It was the same group. The same bench. The same snacks. The same silence.

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But something was different.

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Hana wasn't there.

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She had texted Yuki in the morning. She said she wasn't feeling well. She said she was sorry. She said she'd see us on Monday.

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Yuki read the message out loud.

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No one said anything.

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Ren broke the silence.

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"She's been acting weird," he said.

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"She's always weird," Yuki said.

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"No. Weird-weird. Not normal-weird."

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"She's tired."

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"She's always tired."

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"Then maybe she's just tired."

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Ren didn't say anything.

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He went back to drawing.

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I looked at the empty space where Hana usually sat.

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I noticed the way Yuki kept checking her phone.

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I noticed the way Ren was drawing something new.

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I noticed the way Mei was watching the sky.

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I noticed the way Charlotte was watching me.

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Everyone was worried.

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No one was saying it.

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At some point, Yuki said, "I'm going to go see her."

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"Now?" Ren asked.

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"Now."

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"Do you know where she lives?"

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"Yes."

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Yuki stood up. She grabbed her bag. She didn't say goodbye. She just walked away.

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I watched her go.

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I thought about following her.

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I thought about what Charlotte had said. You can't fix it.

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I stayed.

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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. I thought about Yuki. I thought about Charlotte. I thought about what she had said.

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You can't save everyone.

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I knew that.

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I had always known that.

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But I also knew that showing up mattered. I had learned that the hard way.

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I opened my notebook when I got home.

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The one with Akari's name.

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I looked at the last page.

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"The thing about being invisible is—"

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I picked up my pen.

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I didn't finish the sentence.

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But I wrote something else.

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A new sentence.

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A new page.

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A new beginning.

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"The thing about being invisible is—you see things no one else sees. And sometimes, that's enough."

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I closed the notebook.

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I didn't know if it was true.

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But I wanted it to be. 7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMJKWEEu5T

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