I slipped on my shoes, leaving the house with a heavy sigh. Was I really doing this? Yuki had practically forced me into it.
The walk to the store was short. When I finally reached the grocery store. I stepped inside. Grabbing small premade meals and bags of chips.
"Hey, Wan!," the cashier greeted with a smile.
He was a guy around my age. Always with a laid-back attitude. "How've you been?"
I replied. "Busy with school. How about you? Are you still working here?"
"Yeah, still at it." He scanned my items quickly, then leaned in a bit, lowering his voice. "Hey, have you heard about the new ATWT server starting tomorrow?"
"Of course," I said. "Everyone's talking about it. It's going to be hardcore mode, right?"
"Yeah," he laughed. "To bad I'll be working for the next few hours so I can't play at launch"
"Sounds like it," I muttered, thinking of the long nights I'd spent in the game world.
"Guess we'll see how it goes."
He handed me the receipt. A smile returned to his face. "Take care, man."
"Yeah, you too," I said, grabbing the bags.
The cool air hit me as I stepped back outside. I couldn't wait to get home. I walked down the street. My mind wandered back to the game. The hardcore mode was definitely a step up.
A woman suddenly crossed the road in front of me. Her purple hair was pinned up with a gold butterfly hair accessory. She was walking with purpose, not noticing the speeding truck heading her way. I rushed forward. Shoving her out of the way.
After getting a better look at her, I realize her hair is wet. It must have rained earlier. The tips of her hair are black, while the roots are purple.
The truck passed us. My heart pounded in my chest. The woman stumbled back.
"Are you okay?" I asked, catching my breath.
She looked at me and then quickly nodded.
"I'm fine, thanks." Her voice was soft, but oddly calm.
"I should've been more careful."
"I didn't think so. I just saw you and… well, that truck was moving too fast," I said, feeling a bit awkward.
She smiled at me. "I guess it's lucky you were there. My name's Tama, but my fri… people call me Pendant."
"Wan," I said, introducing myself.
I look into her eyes and see a sadness I recognize. Part of me knows that if I leave her like this, it will not end well.
I kneel and start picking up the groceries, glancing back at her purple eyes. They look dull, like something inside her has faded.
"Tama," I say quietly. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Surprise flashes across her face. "What do you mean?" she asks, her voice cold.
"You could have avoided that truck," I say. "Yet you didn't. Why?"
"You don't know me, stranger," she says. She turns away, but I grab her wrist and pull her back.
"No," I say. "I don't know you. But I'm willing to listen."
I let go, and she stares at me. "If you want…" I trail off.
Together, we finish picking up the groceries. Nothing is broken, luckily. We sit on a nearby bench. She does not seem like she wants to talk, yet I do not know why I am so fixated on her.
Tama breaks the silence first. "Thank you, Wan," she says.
"I don't want to trauma dump on you," she continues.
"Why not?" I ask, meeting her eyes. "We will probably never see each other again. There is no point in being scared."
"I can start if you like."
A small smile crosses her face. As I begin to talk, she fidgets with her hair, retying it and slightly changing the style.
"My sister and I live basically alone," I say. "I always have to live up to her. She is better than me at everything, and I think she hates me. I am starting to worry that if I died, she would be happy."
"I understand," Tama says softly. "My mom died when I was young. After that, my father killed himself."
"I'm so sorry," I say.
"There's nothing you can do," she replies. "I lived with my grandmother, but she recently died of old age."
"Don't you have friends you can lean on?" I ask.
"I could ask you the same thing," she shoots back.
"I don't," I admit. "I've always stayed home and played games. I don't think I've ever had a real friend."
She studies me before speaking.
"I'm the opposite," she says. "I have six people I would call friends. Not one of them came to my grandmother's funeral. Not one of them even reached out when they knew she died. All I feel is pain and rage. I hate this world. I hate them."
"My advice to you, Tama," I say, "is to keep going. Become so strong, so wise, so smart that they regret their decision."
She looks at me, surprised.
"Thanks," she says. "But I'm already the smartest person in the world."
"That's the spirit," I say with a smile.
"And my advice to you, Wan," she says, "is to keep going too. Solitude breeds the best of us. When you reach the top, people will want to meet you, to stand beside you. Don't let them."
I glance at my watch. Time seems to move faster now. The moon hangs above us, washed in a strange green hue, even though I know it is white.
I try to keep things light. "It's good to meet you, Tama. But I should really get going. Watch out for trucks like that."
She nods, her expression turning serious. "You should head home quickly, Wan. I know your sister cares about you."
I raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"For sisters, it's hard to admit," she says. "But she loves you. Go."
"How would you know?" I say, my voice stiff.
"One of my friends has a brother, and she always says behind his back how great he is, but to his face she treats him like garbage."
"Take care, Tama."
"Take care, Wan."
She gives me a small, almost cryptic smile.
She sat there for a moment. I walked off down the street. The feeling of unease lingering. Her words didn't make sense. The way she said them gave me chills. Maybe it was just a weird encounter.
I truly hope I helped her, though I didn't do much.
Either way. I shook off the feeling. Looking down at the groceries in my hands.
I started heading home.