It was pretty late in the day.
The student council stuff was pretty time-consuming. I wasn't really sure what the point of me being there even was, in the end, I did not contribute a single word.
It was pretty chilly despite it not being winter. There was also a heavy wind that constantly pushed my hair onto my eyes. The trees were bending slightly and leaves fell like droplets of rain on the path. The sunset was just slightly visible, forming a cloud of purple and red aura in the sky.
I heard some panting behind me.
"Ollie!"
It was Maia, she was acting awkwardly hurried.
I turned as she approached me, but as she got closer, she showed no sign of slowing down.
Suddenly, she put on a pair of glasses and frantically unscrewed the lid of her drink bottle. Her hair was all messed up from the strong, unpredictable wind.
"What are you doi-"
Before I could finish my sentence, she grabbed onto my tie and pulled the two of us to the ground with all her strength.
"Honestly, you're an idiot, looking at me like I'm a stranger."
We fell onto the grass beside the sidewalk. It was an awkward position, I had my hand beside her face supporting my body. She was laying down completely on her back, her hair strewn on the ground around her face. Her eyes were looking directly into mine. It was a position that would've looked like I was assaulting her to any unknowing bystander.
Before I could get up, with the drink bottle in her hand, she poured it all over her own face. The sun glimmered on her face. There was so much water that her face, hair and upper half of her uniform was completely soaked. The water on her glasses also blocked most of her vision.
Suddenly, something clicked within me.
This view in front of me, I had seen it before.
Almost choking on her words, she began speaking to me.
"O-ollie, do you remember me now..?"
Well, I did remember her.
"Yes."
There were tears flowing down her face along with all the water, but it wasn't that she was sad.
In fact, she smiled brighter than she had ever smiled before.
"Ahh..." she let out a sigh of relief.
I had met her before, many years ago.
She pulled a twenty-dollar note out of pocket with her soaking wet hands and offered it to me.
"Here's the money I owed you~"
She laughed playfully as she stuck the money into my blazer pocket.
*
It was six years ago.
A happy-go-lucky girl was looking through some glasses at a store. She went through several, trying them on one by one. Each time she would gently slide them onto her ears and push the glasses onto her nose. She shuffled across to the mirror and smiled as she appreciated the look of each different pair of glasses. This store was the highest-end when it came to glasses
It wasn't that she had poor vision and needed prescriptions, she just liked the look of them on her face, a serious appreciation.
I wonder if I can afford one yet?
She took a little wallet out of her skirt pocket and looked at the money inside.
Sixty-seven dollars.
She was just slightly off the amount for the one she wanted.
I'll just ask my brother if he'll lend me some money.
She walked out of the store and towards her brother who was sitting on a bench inside the little shopping centre. Her brother seemed to be intensely observing a little note.
"Theo, can you lend me some money~"
She received no response from her brother who was engrossed in something much more important.
"Is this a love letter?!" He muttered.
"What was that?"
Suddenly, her brother realised her sister's presence and swiftly folded up the note.
"Y-yeah?"
"Can you lend me some money?"
"No." It seemed her brother was not particularly interested in this offer.
She pouted and made a sad face.
"Please~"
"What do you need it for anyway?"
"I just need fifteen more dollars to buy these glasses I really want!"
Her brother felt a minimal amount of sympathy for his begging sister.
"Fine, just leave me alone."
"Yay~"
Her brother reached into his wallet and pulled out a five and ten-dollar note.
"Thank you~"
"You better pay me back!"
His little sister smiled happily and wandered back into the store. She made her way over to the huge display of glasses on the wall and took the one she wanted down.
It's so cute.
Content, she walked over to the cashier to buy her long-awaited gift for herself.
After a little interaction with the cashier, she held a bag with the glasses in a case, tucked inside.
I want to wear them now, there's no one I know around, right?
She had been made fun of several times at school for wearing glasses even though she had no problem with her eyesight. Due to this, she made a personal rule to only wear the glasses in private.
As she made her way out of the store, she looked across to the spot that her brother was previously sitting in. It seemed he was no longer there.
I guess I'll wait here for him.
She took a seat on the bench that her brother was originally sitting on. After sitting there for a little while she decided to take out the glasses that she had just bought.
There's no harm in trying them on for a little while.
The little girl swung her legs on the bench, happily appreciating the glasses which sat on her nose.
He's taking a while.
She began to be worried. What if her brother had left without her?
Did I make him mad when I asked to borrow the money?
She decided to stay and wait a little longer.