Chapter 2: THE POSTER AND THE PROBLEM *

*Chapter 2: The Poster and the Problem*

*TW:* Bullying mention, panic attack, emotional abuse

---

I thought avoiding Kaito would be easy.

I was wrong.

It turns out when you go to a school of 800 people, "avoid" really means "strategically schedule your entire life around one boy’s track practice."

Monday. Art room at lunch. Safe.

Tuesday. Library after school. Safe.

Wednesday. I take the long way home to miss the crosswalk on 4th. Safe.

Thursday ruins me.

---

The poster is due today.

I spent all week on it. Five drafts. Erased holes in the paper.

The team running into sunrise. Gold and red. Hopeful. Stupid.

I hated every second of drawing it and I loved every second too.

"Turn it in at the gym after 4th period," Kaito had said.

"Don’t be late."

I’m late.

I’m standing outside the gym doors with the poster tube in my hands and my heart trying to crawl out of my throat.

Rule #1: *Avoid Kaito.*

Rule #3: *DO NOT fall for him.*

Both of them are screaming.

The doors open before I can knock.

Kaito. Sweat on his neck. Hair messy. Holding a water bottle.

"You’re late," he says. Not mad. Just... stating it.

"I had a test," I lie. We didn’t.

He steps aside. "Come in."

The gym is empty except for him and the echo. It smells like rubber and metal.

In the old timeline, this is where it got bad. Where he’d corner me after practice with his friends and "accidentally" knock my sketchbook into a puddle.

I keep three meters between us.

He points to the bench. "Put it there."

I do. My hands shake. I hate that he sees.

Kaito picks up the tube. Unrolls it.

Silence.

He stares for a long time.

"It’s good," he says finally.

"Thanks."

"No, like. Really good." He looks up. "You made us look like we weren’t gonna lose."

I shrug. "You might not."

His mouth twitches. Almost a smile. "You believe that?"

"I have to draw it."

He laughs. One short sound. It’s ugly and real and it makes something in my chest hurt.

In two years, he won’t be laughing anymore.

"Here." He pulls out his wallet. 2000 yen. Exactly what he promised.

He holds it out. Our fingers brush when I take it.

Static.

I pull back too fast.

Kaito notices. His eyes flick to my face. To my hands.

"Hey," he says. "You okay?"

"Fine." The word comes out too sharp.

He doesn’t push. Which is worse.

Old Kaito would’ve pushed. Would’ve called me jumpy and weird and made his friends laugh.

This Kaito just nods. "Cool. Thanks for the poster."

I should leave.

Rule #1.

But my mouth moves anyway. "Why’d you ask me?"

He blinks. "What?"

"For the poster. You could’ve asked anyone in art club."

Kaito leans back against the bleachers. Thinks.

"Because you don’t talk much," he says. "People who don’t talk much notice things."

I don’t know what to do with that.

So I nod and turn to go.

"Ren."

I freeze. He’s never used my first name.

"Yeah?" My voice is small.

"See you around," he says. And it doesn’t sound like a threat.

---

I don’t breathe until I’m outside.

That went fine. That was fine.

No bullying. No rain. No April 12th.

I’m lying to myself.

---

Friday. Hallway between 2nd and 3rd period.

I’m walking fast, eyes down, hugging my books.

"Watch it, freak."

It’s not Kaito. It’s two of his teammates.

I remember them. They were always with him. Always laughing.

I keep walking.

One of them steps in front of me. "I said watch it."

My chest goes tight. The hallway gets loud. Too loud.

Beep beep beep like hospital machines.

I’m 18 again. On the ground. Rain.

A hand grabs my arm. Not hard. Just enough to pull me to the side.

"Oi. Leave him alone."

Kaito.

The two guys look at him. Then at me.

"Since when do you care about him?" one of them mutters.

"Since he drew our poster," Kaito says. Easy. Like it’s that simple.

"Come on. Practice."

They leave. Grumbling.

And it’s just me and him in the hallway.

My heart is still racing. I’m shaking.

Kaito looks at me. Really looks.

"You’re pale," he says.

"I’m fine."

"Bullshit." He says it soft. "You having a panic thing?"

I nod once. Can’t speak.

He sighs. Runs a hand through his hair. "Come here."

He doesn’t touch me. He just walks. And I follow. Because I don’t know what else to do.

He takes me to the rooftop. It’s supposed to be locked but the latch is broken. Everyone knows.

We sit with our backs to the wall. Far apart.

The wind is cold.

"Better?" he asks after a minute.

I nod.

"Good." He pulls out a juice box from his bag. Peach. Tosses it to me.

"You looked like you were gonna pass out."

I take it. "Thanks."

We don’t talk for a while.

It’s not comfortable. But it’s not awful.

Finally he says, "They’re idiots."

I look over. "Who?"

"Those guys. They think bullying is funny." He picks at the grass. "It’s not."

The air goes still.

I should say something. Thank you. Why did you help me.

Instead I say, "You used to think it was funny."

Kaito goes rigid.

"Yeah," he says. Quiet. "I did."

I wait for the excuse. For "you were annoying" or "everyone did it."

It doesn’t come.

He just sits there. Looking out at the school.

"I’m trying to be better," he says. "Don’t know if it works."

Something cracks in me.

Rule #3 is on fire.

"I should go," I whisper.

"Yeah." He doesn’t look at me. "See you, Ren."

---

That night I can’t sleep.

I keep thinking about the rooftop.

About him saying "I’m trying to be better" like it cost him something to admit it.

I open my sketchbook.

I don’t draw Kaito.

I draw the rooftop. Empty. Two juice boxes. Wind.

Under it I write:

_Rule #1: Avoid him._

I cross it out.

_Rule #1: Avoid him when it matters._

That’s worse.

On April 12th in the old timeline, I was alone.

Today, someone sat with me until I could breathe again.

Hope is dangerous.

Hope gets you killed.

But I close my eyes and for the first time in two years, I don’t dream of tires.

*END OF CHAPTER 2*

---

*AUTHOR’S NOTE* 🫶

Okay. We did the first save.

*Next:* Chapter 3: "New Friends and Old Habits"

Where Ren tries Rule #2 and it goes... badly.

Thank you for reading. Be gentle with me and with them 🫶

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