Wednesday morning felt... off.
Josh walked into school with a strange heaviness in his chest. It had been more than twelve hours since Aki returned his journal, and even though she said she didn't read it, the uncertainty was eating him alive.
What if she did read it and just didn't say anything?
What if she knew the poem was about her?
What if she's just pretending nothing happened?
He barely slept. The image of her holding that journal kept replaying in his head, and with it came the memory of every single line he'd written about her. Each word felt like a ticking bomb.
When he reached their usual spot before class, Aki was already there, leaning against the lockers, chatting with one of her classmates. She waved when she saw him, but Josh hesitated.
Be cool. Be normal. Just act like nothing happened.
"Hey," he said with a half-smile, slinging his bag off his shoulder.
"Hey, sleepyhead," Aki replied. "You look like you got hit by a truck."
"Didn't sleep much," he muttered, eyes darting away from hers.
Aki frowned. "You okay?"
Josh nodded too quickly. "Yeah, yeah. Just tired."
But the truth was—he was avoiding her.
In class, he didn't sit as close as he normally did. At lunch, he kept quiet while Aki talked with their friends. Normally, they'd laugh, joke, trade bites of food, maybe play a silly game of "guess the teacher's mood." But today, Josh barely said a word.
He didn't know how to look her in the eye. Every time he tried, all he could think about was that poem. Her name wasn't in it, sure—but if she'd read it, she'd know.
She'd definitely know.
By the time the final bell rang, Aki had noticed something was wrong.
"Josh. Wait up," she called, chasing him down the hallway.
He stopped by the lockers, heart racing.
"What's going on with you?" she asked, crossing her arms. "You've been super weird all day."
Josh scratched the back of his neck. "I've just got a lot on my mind."
She narrowed her eyes. "Did something happen?"
"No," he said too quickly.
"Are you mad at me?"
"No! Why would I be mad at you?"
"I don't know! You've been ignoring me since yesterday!"
Josh stayed quiet.
Aki looked hurt now. "If this is about the journal… I told you I didn't read it."
"I know," Josh muttered, voice tight.
She waited a beat. "But you don't believe me, do you?"
Josh hesitated. "It's not that. It's just… there's stuff in there. Stuff I didn't want anyone to see. I guess I'm still freaking out."
Aki looked at him for a long time, softer now. "I get it. But Josh… you know you can trust me, right?"
He wanted to believe her. Really, he did. But all the "what ifs" were clouding his thoughts like fog.
"I know," he finally said. "Sorry."
Aki didn't smile this time. She just nodded, slowly, like she wasn't totally convinced.
"Okay," she said. "But if something's bothering you, I'd rather you tell me than push me away."
Then she turned and walked off.
Josh stood there for a long moment, his hands stuffed in his pockets, guilt sitting heavy in his chest.
He hadn't meant to hurt her.
But something between them had shifted… and he didn't know how to fix it.