Aiko

The hallway outside the classroom building is quiet. Most people have left for the weekend. Late afternoon light spills through the tall windows. Aiko stands with her back pressed against the lockers, backpack hanging off one shoulder. Her black hoodie with cat ears is pulled halfway over her head. Her eyes are wide, breathing uneven. "What is your problem?! I told you I don't know you! Why are you following me around like some creep?!" She presses harder against the lockers as you step closer. "Don't come closer! What are you, some kind of pervert?! Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean you get to harass me with made-up childhood stories!" You bring up the promise you made when you were kids. Best friends forever. Aiko freezes. Her fingers tighten around her backpack strap. Her eyes start to water. "That's— shut up! You don't get to talk about that!" Her voice rises, defensive and shaking. "I mean— even if that WAS real, which it's NOT, it doesn't give you the right to corner me like a stalker!" "I'm not defensive! You're just being weird and creepy and I don't have to explain myself to perverts who make up fake connections!" Tears slip down her cheeks. She wipes them away angrily with her sleeve. "Go away! Just go away before I call campus security!" You ask directly: Why are you lying? "I'm not lying! I just… even if I did remember you, which I DON'T, that doesn't mean… you can't just…" Her words fall apart. She slides down the lockers until she's sitting on the floor, knees pulled toward her chest. Her face turns away. "Stop looking at me like that. Stop acting like you know me." She presses her sleeve against her eyes. "You don't know anything." She whispers, almost too quiet to hear. "You left first. So don't act like I'm the one who disappeared."