‘That’ Side Character Chapter 13: Text Messages

“Oh! Yes, of course! Anything for Kenma,” you said excitedly, “oh wait… Kenma! I forgot to tell Kenma I was coming here!” 

Lolita gave you a funny look and you laughed.

“Oh, my friend at school is named Kenma and he looks just like the cat here.”

Before Lolita could reply, you dashed off to the cat section and ran along the cages until you got to cat Kenma’s one.

“Hey, Kenma!” you greeted the back of the blond tuft haired cat.

It turned its head and looked at you then looked away again and you smiled.

“Wait!” You pulled your phone out of your pocket and flicked it open to camera, “smile, Kenma, I need to send this picture to Kenma.”

The cat looked at you and you took a picture, thanked it, then opened messages to your friend Kenma and sent the picture.

With no explanation.

…………………………..

Back at home, Kenma was rapidly punching his thumb against the A button- his health bar getting dangerously low, as the monster he was fighting, towered over him.

The fight seemed to be going backwards.

He wasn’t winning.

Suddenly, the defeat signed popped up on screen and his character face planted and the sad sound of defeat crackled out from the speakers.

He scrunched his nose with frustration and dropped the PSP, still held by his hands, into his lap and sighed.

At that exact moment he heard his phone ding and he looked over at it.

It was a message from an unsaved number, and they had sent a picture.

He stared at the freshly lit up screen.

Then slowly reached across and picked his phone up.

He opened the message to a picture of a cat, it was a little blurry, and had no other message with it, and he stared at it for a bit then shut the phone screen off and looked down at his PSP as the reload screen ticked over.

……………………….

Excitedly, you awaited a reply from but none came.

You put your phone in your pocket, promising you would check later, and then went about cleaning out water bowls and chatting to the cats.

Once you had finished that, you went on to clean the Guinea pig cages, then pat the puppies and get the milk ready for the little baby ones that still didn’t have their eyes open yet- praising the mummy dog for doing such a wonderful job with her babies, even though she was not well herself.

It was close to the time you were meant to leave and you dragged the trash out to the bins before clocking off for the night.

“Lolita! I’m done!” you called happily.

“You’re a gem,” Lolita said with a warm smile, reaching out to give you a giant grandma type hug. 

“Thanks,” you wheezed in her arms, suffocated by her love.

“When are you back in darl?” she asked as she let you go. 

“Uhhh… umm… I forget! I’ll check,” you said running off to check the roster, “a few days, 2 days, not tomorrow but the next day,” you said with a smile.

“I look forward to seeing you again sunshine,” Lolita said as she waved you off.

You left, happy and feeling complete, skipping your way back home.

Then you remembered your phone and pulled it out.

Kenma hadn’t replied.

Your face fell and you stopped skipping and stood still for a second.

“Why didn’t he reply? Do I have the wrong number? I’m pretty sure it was right?”

You clicked into the message and saw that he had seen the picture that you had sent him, but he just hadn’t replied.

“Hey,” you sent, “what did you think of yourself as a cat?”

You hit send and then put your phone in your pocket and kept walking to home.

……………………….

Kenma heard his phone ding but ignored it until he had cleared the next level, then reached over and looked at it.

“I don’t even know who this is?” he thought, putting the phone back down after reading the messages.

You got home and checked your phone again, still no reply.

So you rang him.

He heard his phone ringing and looked over at the number.

“Now they’re calling me,” he thought with mild annoyance, all he wanted to do was play his game. Who was this person??

He let it ring out and you looked down at your phone with frustration.

“Hey. At least reply my message!” you sent.

He heard the ding and angrily paused his game then picked his phone up.

“I don’t know who you are but go away,” he sent, tossing his phone across the room.

You got his message and suddenly realized that you hadn’t told him who you were.

With a suddenly loud groan of realization, you quickly texted him again.

“Kenma! It’s me! Y/N.”

He heard the ding of reply, but ignored it again, until he had finished at another good point in his game, then got up reluctantly and picked his phone up.

You had just put your phone down when it dinged and you pounced on it to pick it back up again.

“Oh. It’s you,” he had sent and to you, it was comical. It was a very Kenma thing to send in a message. 

“Yes it’s me, did you like the picture?”

“Yeah,” he replied.

You grinned.

“Ok, I’m gonna eat. See you tomorrow,” you sent back to him.

He got the message, but didn’t reply and you went about the rest of your night, happy again with that small interaction.

……………………………….

The following day in class the teacher called for you to get into pairs for a project that would be due at the end of next week.

“You will be expected to work over the weekend and into next week and it will be due Friday morning.”

“Ugh,” you groaned internally, rolling your eyes and looking out the window, “why does school have to be so boring? Who is going to be doing projects in the future? Not me. This is completely useless. I could be doing something far better, like patting Kenma at the animal shelter or…” you snapped out of your daydream and looked around to locate human Kenma and that’s when you realized that everyone had started to pair up and you’d been left on your own. 

In a fit of fear you jumped up, head whipping left and right.

Everyone already had a partner and your heart sank.

“Not again,” you wailed internally.

“Y/N!” the teacher called your name, “who is your partner?”

“Me?! Uh… umm… I…” your mouth opened and closed, your panic stricken eyes begging silently to each classmate around you.

Through your stress, you saw Kenma walking towards you and you focused on him.

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