DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely nothing.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: No flames please! I just did this as a little break from my Ouran Haru/Neko sequel. I needed something a little less deep. Heh. Well, I hope you enjoy!
The alarm blared, shaking her senses and stealing her away from the one thing that made her feel good.
Ken. He plagued her dreams from the moment his tear-filled eyes pleaded with her to wait for him. Didn't he know? Whether he did so or not, she would.
She absent-mindedly reached for the teddy-bear that lackadaisically occupied the pillow next to hers, giving it a squeeze before sighing deeply and stretching her body, readying herself for the morning ahead. A very long morning, in fact. It seems that time crawls by, taunting her with every slow-torturing tic and tock. She's never prepared for each new day, because she can't escape the stagnancy.
Yeah, one down, but how many more?
This would prove to be nothing more than another to go it alone; another day to deal with Amber and her bitch-crew, to receive the angry unsatisfied glares of Castiel, to not meet the expectations of work-a-holic Nathaniel, to ward off being dragged out shopping or talk about games non-stop with the twins and to find that damn notebook that Lysander keeps misplacing. Real peaches, her peers. Super fucking pleasant.
Groaning, she rolled her eyes behind clenched lids. A small pang pits in her stomach.
Because, it's yet another day without chocolate cookie-filled walks and blatant appreciation from the adorably nerdy Ken.
Her Ken.
Candy looked through her impressive closet with a scrutinizing eye, her diligent hands a blur as the hangers scraped upon the pole. Her judging gaze softened on the pieces of the last outfit she wore with him, sweet memories swamped her mind in swirls of phantom giggles and the feel of his arms holding her close.
Letting a small smile grace her features, she nodded through the pleasant chills skittering across her skin, decidedly grabbing her outfit of the day. If this little action would help her to feel closer to Ken, so be it.
Candy quickly shrugged out of her night garb, replacing it with the sentimental pieces, relishing the feel of the fabric as her footsteps guided her through the morning routine, out of her complex and down the street toward school. Arms wrapped around her middle as if in reverie, she pressed onward and through the entrance of Sweet Amoris High in higher spirits than she had in the last few months.
Absently she found herself stopping in front of her locker. With the flick of her nimble fingers, she swung the door open gasping utterly terrified at the sight inside. As gnarly as the image, the mirror within was indeed a freaking blessing.
Somehow, she had walked out of her home without even the swipe of a brush. The horror! Frantic dainty hand-claws combed through small tangles of her lustrous tresses; messy yet healthy, Candy could at least pride herself with it's maintenance... Most of the time.
As if it were a prank played on her by nature and her bed, it was really voluminous today. Freakishly so.
Thanking the powers-that-be for whatever prompted her to buy more than one water the day before, she quickly nabbed the plastic container, twisting the cap off of it to wet her hands and patted the strands at the roots willing them to obey. Strident orbs critically stuck at her reflection she scoffed, giving up the vain battle. Reaching for her books and securing the cap to the water she slammed shut the locker, peeved at such a novice folly.
An odd sight assaulted her when she turned for class, causing her brow to quirk and her mouth to fall. There, center of the wide hall, Amber was being kissed as if she were the heroine of some dreamy nonsensical romance novel.
Something about this was unnerving. Candy felt it from the tips of her toes to the very ends of the capacious mane upon her crown.
Cold and heavy was the knot forming in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't tear her eyes away from every hammering aspect, goading her beyond her limit. The mystery boy's hands were tenderly grasping the sides of the blonde girl's face, caressing her, tilting her head to bring her in deeper. Amber's knees were visibly weakening as the tall brunette's plump lips claimed hers, fiercely, with almost punishing force. It was quite impressive, but Candy couldn't shake the feeling she had.
It hurt. It pained her deep and badly beyond reason. Is it because I don't like her? Because she doesn't deserve some epic once in a lifetime fling? Jealousy?
Whatever it was, it won out. Candy turned on her heels, running with as much speed her body could produce, through the obnoxiously pink doors, out into the abandoned courtyard and ending at the shelves of brilliantly colored daisies and poppies, roses and ferns of the Gardening Club. Her feet heavily seeking justice from the ground as she fled the scene embarrassed with herself and pissed off at the world.
She sunk against the wood, staring out with unseeing eyes. That's what it is... I feel alone.
A mirthless chuckle escaped her throat in place of the sobs that threatened to escape, because it was true. And here I am, in the last outfit I wore with him sitting in the last club I shared with him... Candy felt alone and ultimately pathetic for just being happy wearing a eyes clenched shut at the thought, burning, welling. Why couldn't I tell him? Why couldn't I just let him know how I really feel?
Hindsight is always 20/20... and a dick, always burgeoning regret as if it were a damned medal of honor.
She opened her glassy gaze up to the cloudless sky, a hot trail trickled down her sorrow-flushed cheeks.
"I miss you, Ken. Just... come back to me, please?" Rough and low was her voice before it cracked into a whisper. "I love you, damn it."
Her glassy orbs shut again, pondering what could have been as she grabbed fists full of the grass to her sides, trying to hold on to reality and not let her day-dreams lead her to disappointment.
Candy's eyes snapped open at the distinct crunching of grass nearing. Footsteps. Great. Someone would find her here, and of course, she would be an utter mess.
Tousled brown hair, a megawatt smile and dog-tags clanking met her fleeting red-rimmed glare.
"You... You're the guy that was kissing Amber, huh?" Candy choked out, trying but failing to keep the bitterness from her timbre. "Sorry... I'm Candy... And I'm a mess. I guess I should be glad that even someone like her has someone..." Trying to hide her sniffle, she gave a mirthless chuckle. "And now I'm rambling. Heh... Sorry."
He stopped in his tracks, brows furrowing in confusion at her words his smile fell.
"First off: you have your information mixed up, lady! Maybe you should check with all your sources before coming to conclusions." He smirked a little, softening his gaze upon the obviously troubled female he moved to her and sat next to her. She closed her eyes again, sighing and scooted to the side, away from him in the slightest. She wouldn't look at him, she couldn't. He had just happily made out with the biggest bitch of the school... She wouldn't hold it against him, she just wouldn't look at him.
"What do you mean? Hardly makes sense, I literally witnessed you face-deep in the haughty blonde." The question came out bored, completely uninspired and not convinced. Though,... right now she wasn't really down for investigating anyone's love life. She couldn't even get hers straight.
"Simply? Revenge." His amused tone didn't go unnoticed, though instead of laughing as he would have expected, she rolled her skyward eyes and sighed again. "What's got a pretty girl like you down?"
She visibly flinched at the compliment and he cocked his head. What happened to her? Where did her confidence go? Her curiosity? Her happiness? She's like a fricken ghost.
He bit his lip, waiting for her reply. He could tell she wasn't comfortable in his presence, every move he made she'd counter with another away. His heart clenched in his chest painfully, like being stabbed at with invisible knives. Twisting and jabbing, the organ drawing tight to get away.
"I lost someone I... just miss him is all." She scoffed lightly at her understatement and buried her face in hands she didn't know were trembling. "I never got to tell him some things and it all just seems so... impossible now."
Just like that, his pain subsided leaving a fluttering warm heat to grow and spread through his chest to his extremities, tingling, torrid, tickling. The feeling rushed all of his senses making him want to laugh and cry at the same time.
Then, a freezing slap from the hand of reality stopped him in his mental tracks, one question on his mind that would be make or break. silently he berated himself for letting his pride get ahead of him.
"Uh... What was his name?" His voice was gritty, unsure if he wanted to know the answer. He averted emerald eyes to a particularly interesting blade of grass, watching the tiniest of sugar ants scale the green tower.
"Ken." His named rolled from her lips in a heady breathy whisper, igniting all the nerves of his flesh with freezing heat and volts electricity. It was involuntary and it's presence would not be banished, the boy smiled like a fool. Hard. The muscles in his face and neck ached furiously with his attempts to not giggle. Turning toward the dejected female that was still buried in her own palms and placed his hand on her petite shoulder.
"Look at me." His tone was deep, serious, demanding but happy. It's timbre wrapped around her, soothed her and somehow completed her like the aggravating missing piece to an intricate puzzle. It's message beyond the words was both familiar and strange.
She found she just couldn't deny him. Her hands fell to her lap and she cricked her face to the side to look at the boy beside her.
It felt like the world stood still, time slowed and her heart stopped beating. Those sage pools joyously reflected her as only one other set ever had. His smile gleamed at her as she covered her slack-jawed shuddering gasp. Her eyes widened, darting over every part of him, absorbing the sight in front of her and committing it to memory along with all the others. Candy both giggled and sobbed when she launched her self into his arms for a hug she'd waited months for: without his voice, his smile, his laugh, his love. He was home and finally FINALLY in her embrace.
His delicately yet securely held her shuddering frame, wrapping her up tightly, willing the pressure to convey how much he missed her, how much he loved her... everything that he wanted to say but couldn't.
He would have been content staying like that forever but she pulled back and obliging her, he loosened his arms to allow her to move.
Her hands moved from his back, sliding up his hot neck to his head, dainty fingers tangled themselves in his chestnut locks. Fisting the strands and pulling him in. She accosted his lips with her own, tasting him, memorizing him with tenacious eagerness. Pulling on his lower lip, she ran her tongue over its soft curve. He groaned at the feel of her granting her access, but taking control. He loved her for years, unable to tell her straight out he hoped she'd understand. He battled her tongue with his, stroking her, feeling her intimately, claiming her.
Their lungs protested the need for air, and they broke head to head, Ken's breath splayed hotly against her cheeks and she sighed, sinking further into his frame. Candy's half-lidded sated gaze stayed upon him as he folded her in closer, as if he were to let go, she'd disappear.
She wouldn't blink, he wouldn't let go and both spent these simply moments enjoying the feel of the other, praying beyond all thought, beyond all wordy comprehension that this wasn't just another dream.
Please read and review! Like it? Say so! Hate it? *Constructive* critique! But please, nothing rude... I'm a sensitive soul. :)