At first, after Jun Lin left, everything still felt... bright. I told myself that I’d wait for her, no matter how long it took. There was hope that carried me through those first few weeks. She’d come back, just like she promised. I could handle the waiting.

But days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. The brightness faded. Each shift at Grizzco felt longer, harder. Without her wild energy keeping things unpredictable, everything felt... empty. I kept looking for her—expecting to see her light blue ink splash across the battlefield, reckless and bold. But it never did.

Eventually, I stopped looking. I stopped hoping. I told myself I was fine, but deep down, I wasn’t. I felt cold again, like I had before I met her. The world around me became dull—just grey ink splashed across an endless sea of nothing.

I started to revert. My old self came back. I wasn’t the Jaycee who laughed with Jun Lin at the café, the one who found excitement in each Salmon Run shift because she was there. I became colder, sharper, just like I used to be. I went back to surviving, nothing more.

Every day was the same. Every shift, just work. No emotion. No meaning. I avoided people, shut myself off. There were no more coffees, no more late-night talks. It was just me again. Just Jaycee. Alone.

The Phone Call

I didn’t even realize two years had passed. The days blurred together, one after the other, until one night, my phone buzzed. I barely glanced at it—probably some random alert—but then I saw the name. Kent. It had been forever since we talked.

Kent had been my best friend growing up, before we drifted apart. He’d moved out of Splatsville to chase his career dreams, and last I heard, he’d become some hotshot programmer for a big tech company. I hadn’t thought about him in a long time.

His message was simple:

“Yo! Long time no see, man! I’m back in Splatsville for good! Meet me at Hagglefish Market—our old spot. We need to catch up. Tonight, okay?”

I hesitated. I wasn’t in the mood for catching up, but something in his message pulled me in. Maybe it was the idea of seeing someone familiar—someone from before all this.

I grabbed my jacket and headed out.

Hagglefish Market

The market was as bustling as ever, but it felt quieter to me, almost distant. It had been years since I’d hung out there. Kent and I used to spend hours here, messing around, watching the merchants haggle, and eating way too much street food. Now, it felt like a relic from a time I barely remembered.

Stolen story; please report.

I spotted Kent almost immediately. He hadn’t changed much—still tall, with that goofy smile that never seemed to leave his face. He waved at me, his voice booming over the crowd.

“Jaycee! Over here!”

I walked over, forcing a smile. He grinned and clapped me on the back like no time had passed at all. “Man, it’s been too long! Look at you, still the same Jaycee, huh?”

I nodded, not sure what to say. “Yeah. Same old me.”

Kent didn’t seem to notice my lack of enthusiasm. He started talking about his job, how he’d finally made it as a lead programmer for some big company in Inkopolis. He seemed genuinely happy, and for a moment, I envied him. He’d found his path. He’d moved forward.

And me? I was stuck. Still waiting.

The Confession

As we walked through the market, Kent must’ve noticed my silence. He stopped, glancing at me with a concerned look. “Jaycee, you okay? You’ve been really quiet.”

I sighed, running a hand through my tentacles. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to talk about it, but something about being with Kent—being back in this familiar place—made the words come out.

“I’ve been waiting, Kent,” I said quietly, my voice raw. “I’ve been waiting for two years.”

He frowned, confused. “Waiting? For what?”

“For her. For Jun Lin.”

At that, Kent’s expression shifted from confusion to curiosity. “Jun Lin? The girl you were talking about before? I don’t think I’ve ever met her.”

I nodded, the weight of it all finally settling in. “Yeah... she left two years ago. Said she was going to Inkopolis to chase her dream. She promised she’d come back. I tried to contact her, but she never responded to my messages. I didn’t want to spam her.”

Kent raised an eyebrow. “And... she hasn’t reached out at all?”

“No,” I admitted, the frustration and sadness bubbling to the surface. “I’ve been waiting this whole time, and I haven’t heard from her. I thought... I thought she’d keep her promise.”

Kent was silent for a moment, taking it all in. “So, what was she like? Why do you care so much?”

The question caught me off guard. I thought about how to explain her vibrant spirit, the way she lit up a room, the laughter we shared. “She was... amazing. Full of energy and dreams. She made everything feel alive. I thought she was the one.”

Kent nodded, his expression softening. “Jaycee... you should’ve reached out to her more. It’s been two years, man. That’s a long time to wait without a word.”

I clenched my fists, hating how stupid I’d been. “I know. I thought... I thought if I just waited, she’d come back.”

Kent gave me a sympathetic smile. “You believed in her. But that doesn’t mean you should put your life on hold. Maybe it’s time to take a break from waiting and start moving forward.”

I looked down, feeling the weight of his words. He was right. I’d been waiting for something that might never come. And in the process, I’d been standing still, letting my life pass me by.

New Beginnings

Kent gave me a light punch on the arm, trying to cheer me up. “Hey, look, man—I’m back in Splatsville now. So at least you’ve got me around again. We can hang out, like old times. Things don’t have to be so... heavy.”

I glanced at him, a small smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. Kent had always been good at lightening the mood. Maybe he was right. Maybe I didn’t have to keep waiting in the dark.

“Yeah,” I said, nodding. “Maybe I can start moving on.”

He grinned, satisfied with my answer. “That’s the spirit! Come on, let’s grab something to eat. My treat.”

As we walked through the market, for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt a flicker of hope. Things hadn’t turned out the way I’d imagined, but that didn’t mean my life had to stay stuck in place.

Kent was back. I wasn’t alone anymore. And maybe, just maybe, I could start moving forward again.