Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ Specific Gravity ❯ Heartbreak ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7: Heartbreak

The house was completely quiet when Mrs. Shindou arrived home. She was surprised and a little worried. Normally, one of the children would have dinner started by now, but there was no sign that anyone had been in the kitchen all afternoon. “Hello?” she called. There was no response. She moved to the bottom of the stairs. “Maiko? Shuichi?” After still no response, she went upstairs.

The door to Shuichi's room was open. He was lying in the middle of the floor with his back to the door. For a moment, she felt a sharp panic and then she saw his side rise and fall as he took a breath. He's asleep. Feeling relieved, she continued down the hall to Maiko's room. Maiko's door was closed. Mrs. Shindou knocked. There was no response and she knocked again. This time, she heard a muffled response. She opened the door and went in.

Maiko was lying on her bed with her arms wrapped around her pillow. Her face was blotched and her eyes were red. She had obviously been crying. Mrs. Shindou hurried to sit down beside her.

“Maiko! What's wrong?” She stroked her daughter's hair.

“Yuki…” Maiko whispered.

Mrs. Shindou's heart stopped. “Did he… do something to you?”

“No.” Maiko's voice was desolate. “He's been… seeing someone else.”

“Oh!” Mrs. Shindou was surprised. Eiri Yuki had seemed so fond of Maiko. He had spent so much time at their house. She stroked Maiko's hair again. “I'm sorry, dear. Sometimes young men develop other interests…” she began.

“It's Shuichi!” Maiko cried suddenly. She sat up and flung her arms around her mother's neck. “He's been sleeping with Shuichi!”

“What?” Mrs. Shindou was confused. She was sure she hadn't heard that right.

Maiko wept on her shoulder. “Yuki and Shuichi are lovers. He admitted it.”

Mrs. Shindou did not know what to say. With a son and a daughter, it had never occurred to her that she would need to be prepared to handle a boyfriend conflict. And Shuichi was too young for an intimate relationship! How had this happened? How had she not seen it? Sudden fury burned in her stomach, making her feel nauseous. She had trusted Eiri Yuki! She had trusted him with her family and he had betrayed them! She embraced Maiko tightly.

“I am so sorry, dear! I truly believed he cared for you.”

“He used me so he could spend time with Shuichi!”

“He used all of us, including Shuichi,” Mrs. Shindou said as gently as she could, trying to suppress her own anger. “I know you're angry with him, but Yuki victimized him, too.”

“He knew what he was doing!”

“Shuichi is still a child, Maiko. He is too young to understand what he was getting into.”

Maiko sat back and met her mother's eyes. “He's sixteen. He's not a little kid.” She frowned unhappily. “I'm trying not to blame Shuichi, but how can I forgive him? He knew how much Yuki meant to me.”

Mrs. Shindou nodded. “I understand how you feel. I know it's hard.” She took Maiko's hands in hers. “We just have to take this slowly. I'm sure Shuichi feels as badly as you do.”

Maiko heaved a deep sigh. “Dad will be home soon. I'd better go start dinner. Maybe doing something normal like cooking will make me feel better.” She offered her mother a faint smile.

“I'll be right down to help you.”

Maiko passed Shuichi's door without looking in. Following her, Mrs. Shindou stopped in the doorway and looked down at Shuichi. She walked around and knelt down in front of him. Shuichi had his fists clasped together in front of his chest but his eyes were open. He had clearly been crying too.

“I talked to Maiko,” Mrs. Shindou said.

Shuichi looked up at her with a wounded expression. “I didn't mean to hurt her,” he whispered.

“Did he seduce you?”

Shuichi shook his head slowly. “I wanted to be with him.”

“Shuichi, you are too young to have those kinds of feelings.”

“I'm not too young!” he exclaimed. He pushed up onto one hand. “I love Yuki! I really do!”

Mrs. Shindou sat back on her heels. Shuichi's confession made her angry. “He used you, Shuichi, and he deceived Maiko so he could get away with it. I can see that your feelings are very strong, but it's over. I forbid you to see Eiri Yuki again. I forbid you to speak to him. That means no phone calls, no email, no text messaging, no instant messenger. I mean it.”

Shuichi stared at her. His face went pale. “Please, no! I need him!”

“That's enough!” Mrs. Shindou stood up. “Do as I say, Shuichi. Eiri Yuki is no longer welcome in this house.”

Shuichi slumped to the floor with a heartbroken sob. Mrs. Shindou closed the door behind her as she left. Her own eyes were stinging. How had she let this happen to her children? How could she have been so fooled?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Maiko was glad she and Shuichi seldom walked to school together. She was not prepared to face him yet. It hurt to think that all the time she had been talking to him about starting a more intimate relationship with Yuki, he was already involved in one. Once again, she was left to wonder what was wrong with her. Was she so unappealing that even a boy was more attractive? And now she had to face her friends. Maiko wondered if there was any way she could hide it.

But as soon as she walked into the classroom, she realized there was no point in it. Sooner or later it would come out. Better that she be the one to say it than let spiteful rumors spread it. She also realized that her face was giving her away, because as soon as Naniko looked at her, her eyes went round. She hurried over to Maiko's desk as Maiko sat down.

“Maiko, is something wrong?” Naniko kept her voice low, almost as if she knew.

“I guess it shows,” Maiko answered quietly. She managed a faint smile. “You did warn me, though. Yuki and I broke up.”

“I'm sorry,” Naniko said with genuine sympathy. “Was he seeing someone?”

“Yes.” Maiko didn't elaborate and thankfully Naniko didn't ask.

“Well, you did go out with him longer than anyone else ever has. That's something.”

“I suppose.”

Naniko went back to her own desk, but she leaned over to whisper to Hitomi as soon as she sat down. Maiko lowered her eyes. It would be all over the school by lunch time.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Eiri holed up in the journalism room during the lunch break. It seemed as if everyone knew he and Maiko had broken up and half the girls in the school were lining up to take her place. He had forgotten how persistent they could be. Maiko had certainly kept him insulated from this nonsense. He didn't look when someone entered the room. Most people knew better than to bug him when he was working.

“So she found out.” Tohma spoke from behind him.

“Yes.” Eiri kept typing, hoping Tohma would take the hint and go away. Instead, he walked all the way around and leaned on the other side of the desk so Eiri could not avoid looking at him over the top of his monitor.

“What about Shuichi?”

“His mother called me last night and told me she had forbidden him to see me again. She asked me to respect her decision and leave him alone.”

“Are you going to?”

Eiri frowned at him.

“You said you're really attracted to him.”

“I respect Mrs. Shindou.”

“Well then, if you need someone to help you drown your sorrows and relieve any tensions you might be experiencing, I'm happy to volunteer my services.” Tohma grinned at him. Then he looked up and his smile faded. “Uh oh.”

“Yuki, can I talk to you for a minute?” Shuichi's voice sounded forlorn and lost.

“Go away, Shuichi,” Eiri said flatly. “You're not supposed to talk to me.”

“But Yuki, how can I do that?” His voice was shaking. “You know I need you.”

Eiri stood up but he didn't turn around. He didn't trust himself to meet Shuichi's eyes. “I think Maiko would prefer it if no one knew about us. We can trust Tohma to say nothing, but I think it would be better if we were not seen together at school. You should go.”

Shuichi choked back a sob. “Don't you care about me?”

“It doesn't matter now. It's over between us.” He closed his eyes at the sound of Shuichi's heartbroken sob. The door closed and Eiri sank back into his seat. He scrubbed a hand over his face.

“He looked really hurt,” Tohma said.

“I'm such an idiot,” Eiri said softly.

Tohma studied his face. “You really care about him, don't you?”

“Like I said, it doesn't matter now.” Eiri started typing again. “I don't want to hurt either of them any more than I already have. It's over.”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Yuki's rejection crushed what little hope Shuichi had left. He had felt guilty disobeying his mother, but the need to see Yuki overwhelmed him. And then Yuki wouldn't even look at him. It was devastating. The rest of the day passed in a blur. He did not even notice when the final bell rang and they were dismissed for the day.

“Shuichi, wake up!” Hiro nudged his shoulder. “School's over.”

“It is?” Shuichi looked up. Most of the other students had already left. Mr. Hanodi was gone as well. “Oh.”

“What's the matter with you?”

“Maiko found out,” Shuichi answered in a hoarse whisper.

“Oh.” Hiro sat down. “That's not good.”

“My mother told me I couldn't see Yuki anymore.” Tears began to spill down Shuichi's face. “But I went to see him anyway. He wouldn't even look at me.” He sobbed helplessly. “I thought once maybe he loved me, but now I think he was just using me for sex. He never really cared about me.” He buried his face in his hands. “But I'd still go to bed with him if he asked me,” he wept. “I can't think about anything but him.”

Hiro put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I'm sorry, Shuichi.”

“What am I going to do?”

“Go home and play music. That's what you do.”

Shuichi continued to weep. “Yuki said I was talented.”

“You are talented.”

“He liked my voice.”

“You have a beautiful voice.”

“Do you think he ever cared about me?”

“I don't know how he couldn't. You're a great person, Shuichi.”

Shuichi wiped the tears from his cheeks. “Do you think Maiko will ever forgive me?”

“I know she will.”

Shuichi stared at the wetness on his fingers. “I feel like I'm never going to stop crying.”

“You will.”

“You must think I'm a fool.”

“I don't.” Hiro clasped Shuichi's hand and squeezed it. “You fell in love with someone you shouldn't have. That's not foolishness; just bad luck.”

“But I still want him, even if he was just using me.”

“That's why your mother forbade you to see him,” Hiro said gently. “So you would have time to get over him.”

“I don't think I'll ever get over him.”

“Give yourself time.”

Shuichi hung his head. How could he explain this to anyone? How could he explain that he would rather be with Yuki, even if Yuki didn't love him, than suffer miserably without him?

-o-o-o-

“So you're still here.”

Eiri turned at the unfamiliar male voice to find a student whose face was vaguely familiar. The door to the journalism room stood open. The hallway beyond was empty. The young man leaning casually against the doorframe was quite handsome, with long hair hanging loose around his shoulders.

“Can I do something for you?”

“Yeah, you can answer a question. Were you just using Shuichi or did you really care about him?”

“Why should I tell you?” Eiri answered without expression. “Who are you?”

The young man smirked. “Well, that tells me how much you know about Shuichi. I've only been his best friend since grade school. I am Hiroshi Nakano.”

Eiri had heard of him. He was one of the top students in his class and very popular with the girls. Eiri folded his arms across his chest. “My relationship with Shuichi is none of your business, best friend or not,” he replied.

“Oh, really? So you don't care that you ripped his heart out today by refusing to look at him? He worships the ground you walk on and you can throw him away, just like that?” Hiro glared at him from under his lowered eyebrows.

Eiri held Hiro's gaze evenly. “His mother forbade him to speak to me. I was honoring her wishes. Don't you think I've done enough harm to that family?”

“At least you acknowledge it.”

“I don't really want to discuss this, Nakano. My relationship with Shuichi was private and now it's over. If you want to talk to someone about it, talk to him.”

“I did.” Hiro strode forward until he was standing directly in front of Eiri, staring down at him from the advantage of his upright position. “I got to sit there and listen to him say that he would still go to bed with you if you asked him, even though he knows you don't love him. I got to sit there and watch him cry knowing damn well there was nothing I could say or do that would make him feel any better. You crushed the heart and soul out of my best friend, not because you dumped him, but because you're a heartless bastard who couldn't even lie and say you loved him. Shuichi gave you his heart and you ground it underfoot. I hope you rot in hell.” Hiro turned on his heel and marched from the room without looking back.

Eiri unfolded his arms when he realized his hands were shaking. He looked down at his trembling fingers. “Shuichi thinks I don't love him,” he whispered. He looked up at the open door and the empty hallway. “When did I ever say I didn't love him?”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It seemed odd to Maiko that something so heartbreaking could happen and life just went on. She still had her clubs and classes to attend. The play she had been rehearsing for all semester went off without a hitch, despite a last minute panic. Nothing about her life had changed except that Eiri Yuki was no longer a part of it. She still saw him occasionally at school, but he did not try to speak to her. It was as if they had never been involved. In a way, Maiko wasn't even that hurt. Not for herself anyway. She had had fun with Yuki.

What hurt was Shuichi. The end of his relationship with Yuki had devastated him. Although he still spent most of his time in his room playing music, the irrepressible sparkle that she had always associated with him was gone. He was listless and deflated.

He also wasn't eating. A slender boy to begin with, Shuichi began to look emaciated. Maiko could not help worrying about him. He was her little brother after all, even if he had been sleeping with her boyfriend.

“Maiko, would you please call Shuichi for dinner?”

“Sure.” Maiko went up to his room but she stopped outside the door. Shuichi was singing. Maiko stopped to listen to him. The song had a pleasant, lilting melody, but the words were heartbreaking. She swallowed and knocked on the door. Shuichi broke off.

“Come in.”

Maiko opened the door. “It's time for dinner, Shuichi.”

“I'm not hungry.”

Maiko stepped into the room and settled onto her knees. “Shuichi, you need to eat. You're practically a skeleton.”

He looked down at himself. “Does it matter?” His voice was forlorn. There were tears in his eyes. “I'm really sorry I had an affair with Yuki behind your back. I loved him so much I couldn't stop myself from doing it.” The tears slid down his cheeks. “I still want him even though I know he never loved me.”

“How do you know he doesn't love you?”

Shuichi sniffed. “He doesn't even look at me now. I might as well not exist.”

“That doesn't prove anything. He probably just doesn't want people to know.”

“If he loved me, he wouldn't care.”

Maiko couldn't answer that, but for some reason, she found it less humiliating to think that Yuki cheated on her because he loved Shuichi. Otherwise… Well, that meant he had just been using them both. “Please come eat something, Shuichi. For my sake.”

He blinked at her uncertainly. “Do you forgive me?”

Maiko nodded and she offered him a small smile. “Yeah, I forgive you. I can hardly blame you for falling in love with him. Everyone else has.”

Shuichi smiled through his tears.