An Unwelcome Invitation

Sunday.

Rin wasn't expecting much. Just another slow, quiet day like yesterday.

She had no plans, no obligations, and no distractions. Just the familiar silence of her room, the occasional sound of cars passing by outside, and the faint ticking of the clock on her wall.

She lay on her bed, scrolling mindlessly through her phone. Nothing interesting.

Then, out of nowhere, her phone buzzed.

She nearly dropped it. A message?

Rin frowned. Who would even text her?

Her fingers hesitated before opening it.

Unknown Number: [Hey, Rin.]

A chill ran down her spine.

She didn't recognize the number, but something about it already felt wrong.

Then, another message.

Unknown Number: [Meet me at the park behind the school. 3 PM. Don't be late.]

Her heart pounded in her chest.

Who was this? Why were they telling her to meet them?

Before she could type a response, another text appeared.

Unknown Number: [It's Sakura, by the way. You better show up.]

Rin's stomach twisted.

Sakura.

How did she get her number?

Rin's first instinct was to ignore it. Delete the message, block the number, pretend she never saw it.

But would that even help?

Sakura wasn't the type to just let things go. If Rin ignored her, she'd find another way to get to her—at school, in front of everyone, somewhere worse.

And besides… Rin had no idea what she even wanted.

Her mind raced with possibilities. Was she going to humiliate her? Threaten her? Did she know about Anko?

She sat up, staring at the message.

3 PM.

That was in a couple of hours.

Her hands tightened around her phone.

What should she do?

---

Rin stood at the edge of the park, arms wrapped around herself.

She shouldn't have come.

She knew that.

And yet, here she was, shifting uncomfortably under the cold afternoon air.

The park was empty, no kids playing in the distance and no old man walking his dog.

But Sakura wasn't here yet.

Rin exhaled sharply. Maybe this was a mistake.

Maybe she could leave—right now.

But before she could even turn, a voice called out.

"Well, well, you actually showed up."

Rin froze.

Sakura stood a few meters away, hands in the pockets of her jacket, her usual smirk plastered across her face.

And she wasn't alone.

The two girls from her trio flanked her sides, their expressions just as smug.

Rin's heart sank.

Of course.

Of course, she didn't come alone.

"What do you want?" Rin asked, her voice quieter than she wanted it to be.

Sakura tilted her head, pretending to think. "Hmm… good question."

Her two friends snickered.

Then, taking a step closer, she said, "I've been meaning to talk to you, Rin."

Rin didn't move. She forced herself to stay still, even as her chest tightened.

Sakura's smirk widened. "You've been acting different lately."

Rin swallowed.

"Did you hit your head or something?" One of the girls sneered. "You suddenly forgot your place?"

Rin clenched her fists. Her place?

Sakura took another step. "You know what I'm talking about, don't you?"

Rin didn't answer.

Sakura's smile dropped slightly, her eyes narrowing. "Anko."

Rin's breath caught.

"You really think you can get all buddy-buddy with her just like that?"

Her voice was still playful, but there was an edge to it now.

The other two girls crossed their arms, nodding in agreement.

"She's out of your league, you know," one of them said.

"Yeah," the other added, "don't get too comfortable."

Sakura hummed. "That's why I called you here."

She took another slow step forward, until she was right in front of Rin.

Her smirk was gone now, replaced with something colder.

"You need to stay away from Anko."

Silence.

Rin felt her throat close up.

She knew this was coming. Of course, she knew.

Sakura wasn't the type to sit back and watch.

But hearing it—having it said so plainly—felt different.

She lowered her gaze, feeling the weight of their stares.

But then…

She thought about Anko.

The way she smiled at her. The way she chose to sit with her. The way she noticed her.

And something inside her pushed back.

"…No."

The word left her lips before she could stop it.

Sakura's eyebrows raised.

"…What?"

Rin swallowed. She could feel her entire body trembling, but she forced herself to stand her ground.

"I won't." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but she knew they all heard it.

Sakura stared at her for a moment.

Then, she laughed.

A slow, mocking laugh that made Rin's skin crawl.

"Wow. Look at you." She clapped her hands together. "Getting all brave now, huh?"

Her friends giggled beside her.

Rin said nothing.

Sakura's smirk returned, but this time, there was something darker behind it.

"Well then." She leaned in just slightly, her voice lower. "I guess we'll have to fix that."

Rin stiffened.

And before she could react—

Sakura shoved her.

Hard.

Rin stumbled backward, her foot catching on the uneven ground.

She barely had time to catch herself before she fell, landing harshly on the dirt path.

Pain shot through her hands and knees.

The girls laughed.

"Aww, still as pathetic as ever," one of them cooed.

Rin's head spun. She tried to push herself up, but before she could, Sakura crouched down beside her.

She reached out, grabbing Rin's chin between her fingers.

"Listen carefully," she said, her voice soft but sharp. "I'm not gonna tell you again."

Her nails dug into Rin's skin.

"You. Stay. Away."

Then, just as quickly as she grabbed her, she let go.

Rin flinched, but she refused to let them see how shaken she was.

Sakura stood up, dusting off her jacket.

"Well," she sighed, stretching her arms, "I think we got our point across."

Her two friends nodded, looking satisfied.

Sakura flashed Rin one last smirk.

"See you at school, loser."

And with that, they turned and walked away, laughing as they left Rin sitting on the cold ground.

Alone.