The sun rose gently through the hospital window, spilling light into Kana's room like a slow exhale.
But she didn't feel it.
Kana hadn't slept. Not even for a second.
Her pillow was still damp. Her body ached from lying curled up in the same position all night. Her eyes were red, puffy, and tired, not just from crying, but from everything.
She stared blankly at her Twibbler home page. No new notifications and no messages.
John was gone.
Gone because she'd pushed him away, because she had to. Because it was the only way to protect what was left of her heart.
So why did it hurt this much?
She bit her lip and whimpered as another wave of grief punched through her chest.
She grabbed a tissue.
Then another.
And another.
She couldn't stop the tears as they came in quiet, painful bursts, little sobs that sounded more like gasps for air.
Then she heard a knock on the door and it was followed by the door slowly creaking open.
Jane: Kana? Are you awake? Someone's here to see you.
Misa followed right behind her, holding a small bag of snacks and a drink. She had come to visit her just before she headed up to school.
Misa: I thought I'd come by early—oh…
Their words dropped the moment they saw her.
Kana was a mess. Her hair tangled and her eyes were swollen. The phone was still clutched in one trembling hand like it was the last thing tethering her to reality.
Jane's smile faded instantly.
Jane: Kana…
Kana didn't answer. She turned away from them, curling tighter into herself like a wounded animal.
Kana: I'm fine, I'm fine, really...
Misa: Stop... don't do that...
Jane walked over and sat beside her on the edge of the bed.
Jane: You're not fine. You're hurting.
At that point, Kana couldn't keep it in anymore. She burst into tears, loud & ugly sobs.
As she cried she spoke as the words barely made it through her sobs.
Kana: I broke up with him. I—I blocked him too. I told him it was for the best and now he's just gone.
Jane exchanged a worried glance with Misa, who slowly sat on the other side of the bed.
Kana wiped her nose on her sleeve and continued, hiccuping between words.
Kana: We fought… he said things… and I said things back… and I thought I was doing the right thing but now I—I don't know anymore…
Her voice cracked violently on that last word, and she collapsed forward. Jane caught her and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.
Jane: It's okay. You don't have to explain everything now.
Jane held Kana tightly as she cried quietly into her arms while Misa did nothing but watch the whole thing unfold in front of her.
******
The morning bell echoed across the schoolyard, its usual chime drowned out by the murmur of students pouring into the building.
Ivan trudged into the homeroom, slinging his bag onto his shoulder with a lazy shrug. He looked half-awake, earphones still tangled in one hand, a protein bar half-open in the other.
As he stepped into class, his eyes instinctively glanced toward the seat near the window.
John's seat.
Empty.
Ivan blinked, confused for only a second, then let out a short breath.
Ivan: (muttered) Probably running late.
It wouldn't be the first time John had dragged himself in five minutes before second period, hair a mess, hoodie halfway falling off his shoulder, muttering something about missing his alarm.
But thinking about what had happened yesterday, those memories of John coming late now held a different meaning behind them and it wasn't a pretty one.
Ivan dropped into his own seat, just one seat ahead of John's, unwrapped the rest of his bar, and tapped through his phone as the other students slowly filtered in.
But still—no John.
The clock on the wall clicked forward.
8:05.
8:10.
8:14…
Then the classroom door slid open and a teacher walked in with a stack of papers in his hands.
Teacher: Alright, everyone, quiet down. Let's get attendance out of the way.
Ivan barely looked up until the names began.
"Adachi."
"Here."
"Fujimoto."
"Here."
"Wellman…"
The teacher paused.
He looked up.
"Wellman…?"
Silence.
Ivan turned his head toward the seat behind him again.
Still empty & untouched.
A strange weight settled in his chest. The teacher clicked his tongue and moved on, but Ivan wasn't listening anymore.
His eyes were glued to that chair.
Yesterday's memory flashed back like a flicker of static.
He recalled everything that had happened during their lunch break yesterday, the confrontation with Rachel and Joseph acting out the way he did.
Ivan looked at the front of the class and Rachel was looking back at him or rather at John's empty seat but once they made eye contact with each other, Rachel turned her head forward.
Joseph was supposed to be seated on the right side of John's seat but he had apparently switched seats with another person and was now seated at the other end of the room.
Ivan sighed deeply.
Ivan: Things were already weird between John and Rachel. Now this?
John had never missed a day of school before. Not unless he was sick. And even then, he'd complain about staying home out of boredom.
Ivan leaned back in his chair, arms folded, his frown deepening.
Ivan: Did he stay home because of what happened the other day…?
His gut twisted.
He remembered seeing John's face bruised. He remembered the scowl on his face. And he remembered, faintly, every single word that he said to Joseph and Rachel before the teacher came in and put an end to their scuffle.
Ivan tapped his pen against his desk, lost in thought.
Ivan: Things can't really go back to the way they were huh?
*****
Kana had eventually calmed down a few hours later and after a while, Jane and Misa left the room as Kana said she needed some alone time. This was after Kana had explained everything that had happened between her and John the night before.
Misa sat on the bench in the hallways and furiously tried to call John after she had left the ward but he was unreachable for some reason, but that didn't stop her from trying to call him while Jane stood beside her and just watched her do so.
Jane: You know calling him continuously wouldn't make anything better.
Misa: I know that. I'm just… Why would he say that to her?! He's supposed to be the one person who never says any of that!! Some boyfriend he was…
Jane looked at the time and it was already past 12PM and then looked at Misa who was still in her school uniform and sighed.
Jane: So you're skipping school today?
Misa looked and realized she was still wearing her school uniform.
Misa: Oh.. I must've lost track of time while we were with Kana. But… Don't worry, this isn't the first time I'm skipping school so I already have my excuses all lined up.
Jane: Is that something you should be bragging about?
Misa: (chuckles) You're right, it's not.
There was a brief silence between them as they both began to reflect on what Kana had told them a few hours ago about her fight and break up with John. But Jane however was seeing things differently.
Jane: To be honest… I think the fault in their relationship is from both of them. Kana was scared, so she pushed him away before he could hurt her and maybe she convinced herself that was the only option. But John… John let his emotions get the better of him too and said things he shouldn't have.
She paused to look out the window before continuing.
Jane: They're both hurting. But neither of them knew how to talk about it without making it worse. These things happen from time to time and that's just what it means to be young… and in love. They care about each other, maybe too much for their own good. And sometimes when you care that deeply, the fear of losing someone makes you act like you already have.
Misa: ...I know you're right. I just… (exhales sharply) It's hard to see Kana like that. I've never seen her so broken. It scared me.
She looks down at her phone, thumb still hovering over John's contact. Her voice softens.
Misa: I wanted to believe he was the one person who wouldn't hurt her. That he was different. But I guess even the best people crack sometimes, huh?
She clenches the phone in her hand while Jane stood and listened to her as she spoke.
Misa: I still don't think what he said was okay. But maybe… maybe he didn't mean it the way it sounded. I mean, John's always been kind of reckless with his emotions, right?
She glances at Jane, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.
Misa: Do you think they'll ever fix this? Or did they break something that can't be put back?
Jane sighed and stared at the ceiling unable to come up with a response that would please Misa and herself too.
Jane: Who knows?
******
The soft breeze whispered over the rooftop of the hospital, carrying with it the scent of rain. Kana sat at the edge of the rooftop garden, her knees tucked to her chest, her thin hospital cardigan pulled tightly around her shoulders as she stared at the glowing screen of her phone.
John's Twibbler profile sat open in front of her, a profile she had just blocked the night before. His posts were still there: stupid memes, rambling thoughts about anime, random photos of his lunch, blurry pictures of the sky he'd taken just because it looked cool.
She stared at his profile picture, the same one he'd had since they first met online. That carefree, slightly awkward smile, like he didn't know how to pose for a photo but did it anyway.
Her thumb hovered over the Unblock button.
And then… she pulled it away.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Kana: …No. It's better this way.
She said it out loud, like the words themselves might harden her resolve. But all they did was hang in the air and dissolve, carried away by the growing wind.
A faint drizzle began to fall, light and delicate, almost hesitant. Kana glanced up, letting the cool mist kiss her face before she finally stood up, her legs heavy. She slipped her phone into her pocket and turned toward the stairwell.
As she walked back inside, the drizzle turned into rain, steady, cold, and relentless. The echo of raindrops against the hospital's metal vents filled the silence around her as she moved slowly through the sterile halls.
She didn't want to cry again.
But her chest ached.
Her steps echoed faintly against the polished floor as she let her mind drift to the memories, to the beginning of it all. That one message he'd sent her, the one that started it all...
"I really liked your poem. It resonated with me because it's exactly what I'm going through in my own life. I'm just glad that someone out there is able to understand what I'm really going through. Thanks again for writing that poem. Hope to see more of them…"
That one message… that one kindness… had changed everything. It gave her a reason to smile, to laugh, to wake up and check her phone and to feel seen.
And now, here she was, walking away from the very person who saved her.
Kana swallowed hard, her hand brushing against the wall for support as her heart twisted.
Kana: It's too late now. He was hurting because of me. This is the only way to protect him…
She turned the final corner that led to her ward. The hallway was quiet, bathed in the dim glow of afternoon rain filtering through the tall windows.
And then she stopped dead in her tracks.
There, standing at the far end of the hallway, was John.