Turning around to lock the door to my house, I heard the door to the neighbors open and close. 'That's funny.' I thought. 'Our neighbors are never out this early.' Ignoring the fact that everything lately has been just plain odd, I walked down the sidewalk to the gate, only to find somewhere there waiting for me.
"Morning Lily!" Izaya said with a bright smile. He leaned up against the fence and patiently waited for me to walk up.
"I-Izaya...!?" I managed to stutter out. What was he doing here? I knew he followed me home, how else would he know where I lived? After getting lost in thought yet again, Izaya pulled me out of my daze.
"Still not woken up yet, Neighbor?" He chuckled. I blinked and stared at him, not comprehending what he was talking about until the last moment. I stood at the gate and took another moment to think about it.
"Wait... neighbor? But I didn't know they had a kid... are you visiting?" I asked, probably sounding stupid. Another chuckle. Yep, now I felt stupid. I opened the gate and started walking with Izaya close at my side.
"Hardly. I just moved into the house next to yours."
"You did...? I don't recall any moving trucks..." I tried my hardest not to make eye contact. I kept my gaze on to ground beneath me as I walked.
"From what I've heard, the family that used to lived there moved in the middle of the night. I moved in yesterday morning with no possessions." He laughed and scratched the back of his head. "So that just means that I have to start fresh on my belongings."
Something about that just didn't seem right... but I wasn't one to ask questions. What if he was a criminal and he forced the former family out? I don't want to get hurt if that was the truth and I learned it. But he seemed nice enough... maybe he is telling the truth. For now, I suppose I'll believe it. "Wait, what about your parents?" I asked him curiously.
"I live alone now. My parents died when I was born and I've been living with distant relatives ever since." His voice seemed to change, like it was truth, but not completely. It wouldn't be right for me to pry, though. So I let it be.
"I-is that so...? I'm terribly sorry..." I could feel the choked up tightness in my throat. I had parents, but they stopped caring for me when I turned five. That was also around the same time the other abuse happened. It dawned on me, my dream last night. The event that happened took place at a time where I appeared five. Tears started to form once again, until I remembered the promise I made to the little boy in my dream. I managed to hold them back, but not before Izaya noticed them.
"H-hey...! There's no need to cry over me!" Izaya smiled sadly and patted my head, leaving his hand there when he stopped patting. "Come on, now, Lily. I refuse to let friends cry over me. Especially cute ones like yourself."
I stopped walking, making Izaya walk past me and turn back. "Lily...?" My eyes were wide, staring at the ground. My mouth was open, but it made no sound. Did he just say... I was a friend? And... I was cute? My cheeks heated up immediately as my feet quickly started to walk on their own to the school. Izaya tried to keep up, but as soon as we reached the crowd of students entering the school, I hid within the mass and lost him.
Of course, I couldn't lose him forever. We were in the same class, and he sat right next to me. But I could at least hide in the classroom before anyone else showed up. As always, I was the first one to enter the room. Even the teacher was out getting her daily coffee before school started. I made my way to my seat and took out my notes and started review, like I always do.
I noticed Izaya try to enter the room before he was swarmed by the other girls of the class. He was dragged back out into the hallways even before he stepped through the door. I was relieved, but for some reason, my heart felt strained. I sighed the feeling away and returned to my studying.
The final bell rang for class to begin, that's when everyone filed in, made their way to their seats, and the teacher walked in 2 minutes late to start class. Izaya took his seat next to me. The feeling of being watched started again. I made sure to keep my attention on my notes.
Lunch came around and, like normal, I left the room towards my normal spot on the roof. I also left behind a dark blue-haired boy trying to follow me, but was stopped in his tracks by the girls of the class. Typical. Halfway through the break, he managed to follow and find me again.
"Why do you sit up here all alone, Lily?" Izaya asked, taking a seat next to me. I took a sip of my juice box and looked up at him, not saying a word. He just sat patiently, waiting for a response. With a sigh, I decided to start talking a bit.
"It's a complicated story." I began. "I don't want to burden anyone with the details of my life..." I averted my gaze from his. I noticed his expression changed to what seemed like disappointment. Maybe even a pleading pout?
"You're only saying that because you've never told it to anyone before, is that right?" Izaya asked me, catching me off-guard. He took my hand that wasn't holding a juice box in his and gave a sweet smile of trust. I looked at his hand, cheeks heating up again, and slid mine away from his. "Don't you trust me?"
That was the bullet that hit my heart. I've never trusted anyone before. Was it because I've been abused and ignored all my life. I made one more glance at him through my bangs, he was smiling at me, a smile that said I could believe and trust him. My heart beat quickened with every moment I stared at him. My stare returned to the ground as I opened my mouth to speak.
"...Okay. I'll trust you with my story." And there, the flash back made it's way into view as I started speaking of my short histroy.
