A small wooden boat floats on a calm sea. The skies are a clear blue and there is no one else around. A boy sits in the boat holding his knees up to his chest with his arms and is trembling a little. His face is a little red from crying, but tears aren't currently flowing. The boat goes up and down gently with the water as it floats along. There are no oars and no motors. No means of propelling the boat at all. This small boat is in the hands of the currents as it slowly makes its way through the ocean. There is no way to know where it will end up or even if it will ever make it back to land. The boy curls up in a ball and starts crying again as he lays on the floor of the boat.

***

I left my house as usual and started walking. My mood is slightly upbeat thanks to the new friends I have made. It isn't long before Koro comes into view up ahead, waiting for me to show up. I breathe a sigh of relief that my fears were unwarranted. They really do want to be friends with me. Koro said hello as I approached. There is a strange look on her face. Something I had never seen on her before. "What is that expression for? You seem, I don't know, unsure of something."

Koro looks at me like she is about to say something but then we hear Ryou yelling hello to us and she turns her attention away. I hope she is doing ok. Maybe she is still a little shaken from her near death incident. I continued to ponder the meaning as Ryou joined us and we all walked to school.

"I had a hard time with that homework assignment last night," Ryou exclaims as we are walking. Her statement goes mostly unnoticed by me. I snapped back to reality after she spoke and replayed the words in my head.

"Yeah, it was a little tough but not too bad," I replied after an awkwardly long pause. Now Koro seems to be back in the conversation and is listening as she looks at the two of us.

"I agree with Aki, it wasn't that bad."

"I guess that makes me the dumb one of the group," Ryou replies as she smiles and holds in a laugh. I didn't notice her expression but didn't like what I heard.

"Don't say that. You are just as smart as us. You are ranked like fifth in our class," I retorted somewhat louder than needed. Ryou looks a little stunned and for a moment can't seem to talk. She blinks a couple times before replying.

"You are the highest ranked student in the class, Aki. That's two spots above koro and 4 above me."

"So? Doesn't mean you are the dumb one. Everyone has their strengths. I am sure there are things you are better at than me." I may have spoken with more excitement than necessary. Koro smiled a little at my reply, making me realize my mistake.

"She wasn't really being serious. It's nice that you came to her defense but no need to get riled up." Koro's response confirms what I didn't notice until that moment. I internally facepalm at my actions.

"I didn't realize. I am sorry."

"No big deal. Nice that you tried to cheer me up even if it was unnecessary." Ryou smiled bigger and I relaxed a little. We spent the rest of the walk to school discussing the homework and comparing answers. I smiled a little as the conversation went on. It was nice to socialize and have a good time. When we arrived at school, I was a little sad the fun had to end but knew they would chat more at lunch. I hope they like me enough to walk with me every day. As predicted, Ryou and Koro joined me for lunch in the gardens. There was more silence than anything as we ate, but I still enjoyed the company. I wonder what we will talk about on the way home. I should ask more questions to get to know them better. Hopefully they won't be put off by my curiosity.

I met Ryou and Koro at the gates again to walk home together. I used the initial silence at the beginning to ask them something. "So, what do you guys like to do? Outside school, I mean"

"Mostly just hang out," Koro replied, causing Ryou to nod in agreement. "The usual stuff like watching tv or going to the movies. On nice days we like to go outside to find things to do. It's really just to hang out with friends, the activity is not important."

"Yes, and sometimes we will bake cookies or play a game," Ryou added.

"That's cool, I love movies, actually," I replied as I stared down the road in front of us. "I mostly go alone, unless it's something my Mom and sister want to see." My mind drifted to thinking of being alone. I don't know if it was visible on my face but Ryou and Koro didn't say anything, though that may be because they didn't know what to say. I can't be such a downer in front of them. It might make them abandon me. They didn't seem to notice when my sadness showed up but glad I was able to hide it again. They probably would have commented if they saw. Right?

***

I immediately saw his demeanor change and recognized the meaning. I wanted to say something but maybe it was best to let it pass? Why is he so sad? I have never seen such a look on someone's face. Filled with despair or regret or... something. If I get a chance to talk to him without Koro, I can ask him then. We walked most of the rest of the way in silence except for some small talk about the weather or comments on others walking nearby. I turned to head up my street, but stopped and turned back around to say goodbye to them both. As they continued walking, I stood there a moment watching. I hope he is ok. Maybe I should do something to try to cheer him up.

I walked the rest of the way home thinking of how I could cheer up Aki. No immediate ideas, but maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe something simple will help. I could text him and thank him for walking home with us. That seems a little lame. But it might help him open up a little. He seems to be almost scared of us. I don't think we are all that intimidating. Maybe I should ask him something like he asked us. I kept thinking about it even after I got home. I was distracted by it and silent through most of dinner and then retreated to my room to think of how to help. My mind kept coming back to texting him. Mostly just to talk with him. I didn't really know much of anything about him any more. Determined, I pulled out my phone and sent a message to Aki.

"Hi, Aki. This is Ryou."

I sat at my desk waiting for a reply. I pulled out my homework to pass the time and also to distract myself from the waiting. I had just started pulling out my notebook when my phone buzzed.

"Hi, Ryou. How's it going?"

"Good, you?

"Doing ok, I guess"

"That's good"

No new message came after that. I saw the dots to show he was typing a reply but they kept disappearing as though he was unsure about something. Then the dots stopped appearing altogether. Did he give up? What was it he wanted to say to me? Should I ask? I don't really know what to do, but something is better than nothing.

"Hope it's ok we pulled you into walking with us every day"

"I don't mind. It's nice to walk with someone instead of alone"

"I agree"

Not knowing what else to say and since I didn't get any more messages, I decided to leave it there for now. I kept seeing that face he made and it bothered me. Tomorrow, I will try a more direct approach and maybe do an activity or something with him. And Koro, if she wants to join us. I went back to my homework as I thought about what to do tomorrow. I wanted it to be something good that he would really enjoy.

The next morning, I had yet to come up with anything. I pondered the whole time I was getting ready for school and during breakfast. It wasn't until I left the house to head to school that it finally dawned on me. Seems so obvious to me now. I picked up the pace in my excitement and got to the meeting spot slightly early. Seconds later I spotted Aki and Koro walking my way and waved to them. They both waved back, though Aki's wave was much less enthusiastic than Koro's. Is he still sad from yesterday or is this something new? As I thought about it, I realized he acted this way a lot. All the more reason to enact my plan.

Before Aki and Koro reached me, I sent a quick text to Koro so that she knew the plan and to make sure she was on board. Koro immediately texted back with yes in all caps and with several exclamation points. Glad she is willing to help but why so much enthusiasm? I had no answer so I went back to planning. I wanted to make sure Aki had a good time and would maybe be more cheerful. At the very least, make some good memories before graduation.

A minute later, Aki and Koro had reached me and the three of us began walking to school in silence. I noticed Aki seemed a little less sad when he got to the meeting spot but his face was mostly blank as he stared ahead of us down the road. Is the blank expression meant to disguise his feelings? If so, it's not very effective. Maybe I should invite him now? Then he can have something to look forward to. "Aki, I was thinking we should all do something after school today. You and Koro should come to my house and we can play games. Maybe watch a movie. What do you think?" I waited for a reply but his expression never changed. I began to wonder if he didn't hear me but a few seconds later he smiled a little and nodded his head.

"Yeah, sounds fun. I will text my mom to make sure but I don't think she will mind. Want me to bring something or are we just going straight there after school?" Aki asked. He seemed much more engaged now and was smiling a little.

"We will just go straight there after school. Are you two ok with that?" I asked, already knowing the answer. Koro and Aki nodded simultaneously as they looked over at me. This made me feel happy. I returned their nods with a big smile as we kept walking. Koro also had a big smile but Aki, while not looking sad, still looked a little down despite a slight smile on his face. The rest of the walk, we discussed possible snacks for our get-together.