Chapter One: Don't Shoot The Messenger

Disclaimer: I don't own KH.

A/N: This is the new rewrite of Why Am I Going To College? Please enjoy the story (and thank the wonderful bbb136 for beta reading)!

I lay on my gray couch in a tangled heap, too tired to bother with getting to bed. The night before last I had gone out partying to try to clear my head of the knowledge that this was the anniversary of leaving my family. I had left them with a slam of the door and with feelings still raw and hurting because of the fight.

My parents and I don't and didn't have a good relationship. I know many people say the same thing about their parents but we really didn't. My dad was a gambler and investor that seemed to be gifted with Midas's touch, while mom was a woman who was cold and powerful, almost reminding me of a wild cat. She owns a franchise of karate studios and there are still rumors that she used to be an assassin before she married my dad.

Yep, you guessed it all right. I am Roxas Thunder, the son of millionaires, Larxene and Luxord Thunder. Of course, no one really knows about me. Why?

Well, a thousand years ago (read: three years ago) my parents decided we should be honoring the old traditions and they organized for me an arranged marriage with another heir.

One wedding that never came to be.

I paled at that thought and shook my head to dispel it. I knew that I spent too much time thinking about the past; I should be spending more time with the future and the present day- as well as with my friends.

I jumped from the couch, the sleepiness erased from my mind for the moment, and I looked around the large apartment I shared with a few friends. In the world of the rich and snobby there were always a few stray heirs that could never be tamed. Those individuals, heirs to fortunes bigger than what some people could dream of, were the ones that banded together and moved to a place far away from Radiant Garden.

My friends and I, we moved to a small settlement called Twilight Town. Here nobody knew our parents' names and of the lives we had left behind. Everything that has happened since we arrived because of this has been quiet, peaceful and free.

Well, maybe not the quiet and peaceful. You see, my friends aren't exactly the silent or calm types. Sora, Demyx, Marluxia, and Xigbar are the types who scream from the highest building in town (Twilight Tower to be exact) with a megaphone. Each of them also had that special personality which made it impossible for any one of them to blend in.

"Roxas? What are you doing up?" Demyx yawned, looking ragged with his hair spiked and twisted in different directions and his eyes still puffy with sleep.

"It's the day." I explained, groaning as horrible little thoughts about my family that I'd done my best to forget about came rushing back.

"New Year's?" Dem replied, widening his eyes.

I had, after admitting that today was indeed one of the worst ones in the year for me, pressed my face into the comfortable couch cushion, trying to close my eyes and clear my mind. But at Demyx's response I couldn't help but lift my head and stare at him with my eyebrow arched and my expression one of pure bewilderment.

"What? New Year's? Dem, have you looked at a calendar recently?" I asked him in disbelief and pointed towards the kitchen where Marly had posted on the wall one of his flower power calendars.

"Okay sorry! It's a honest mistake." Demyx retorted back like an indignant child, arms folded and his normally playful smile in a pout.

"Dem, it's August." I told him and watched as his face was stained with a bright red blush. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"I guess what they say about alcohol and brain cells is true." Dem muttered, shifting his weight and I laughed at his words. Demyx was definitely living proof that alcohol did destroy brain cells.

"Yes, but you wouldn't have it any other way." I laughed again. Being in our early twenties, twenty-one to be exact, we both loved to indulge in the vices that the government finally allowed us. We could drink as much as we pleased whenever we pleased- as long as we didn't drive afterwards of course.

"Yeah that's true, I mean who doesn't like to go partying or clubbing?" Demyx grinned. Demyx being the carefree and jolly person he was enjoyed our pastime more than anything. Sometimes a little too much, or at least that was what we tried to tell him but he just preferred to party hard and work way less.

I couldn't blame him though, because I loved it too and so did the rest of the house. In fact we all had gotten jobs so we could earn enough money to start a club in Twilight Town and possibly spread it to far regions. Well, that and apartments and food didn't come free. Even in small towns like Twilight Town where rent is only one hundred dollars a month compared to Radiant Garden's more extravagant one thousand dollar rent.

I stood up and walked into the kitchen tostare at the silver surfaces with weary eyes. I ransacked the cupboards and managed to find a Poptarts box, but when I peered inside the box was empty and it almost seemed like it had been vacuumed cleaned.

"When will Sora or Marluxia go grocery shopping? Whose turn is it again?" I asked, as I knew that it wasn't Xigbar's or mine because Xigbar had done it last week and I always had to do it before him.

"I don't know. I think Sora's but as I am not allowed to shop or even tag along I could be wrong." Demyx answered with another of his trademark smiles as he surveyed the inside of the fridge.

"Of course! After you only bought candy on a sugar rush for the entire week with the grocery money, I say it was a well thought out consequence." I retorted as I remembered the long afternoon Xigbar had spent chasing Demyx around the house after he saw what the other boy had brought home.

"One time." He reminded me as he closed the fridge door, unsuccessful in finding anything to eat.

"Yes, and the other time it was popcorn and Marly was about to strangle you because he hated popcorn. Or maybe he was allergic, I can't quite remember which." I looked through the many cabinets and cupboards one more time before admitting defeat and closing the doors. Nothing was in there.

"Okay I get it! I am an irresponsible Peter Pan kind of guy!" Dem rolled his eyes and sat down at the table with a huff.

"Thank you. I am always right." I smirked and watched Dem's jaw drop.

"Liar!" He cried loudly, pointing a slender yet strong finger at me.

"Quiet Dem, you will wake up the others." I said warningly.

"I will not." Dem stuck his tongue out at me but froze when he heard loud and heavy footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Hide me." He cried and shoved me in front of him like a shield just as the door opened.

"Hey." Marluxia greeted me as he walked to the table. He didn't so much as glance in Dem's direction when he moved, swaying his hips in a natural walk. Marly was cocky, arrogant, and definitely self confident to the point of narcissism. Of course I think he had to be since he had naturally bright, pink hair that made everybody (myself included) think that he was celebrating Valentine's Day everyday.

Dem looked at Marly and then in the direction of the stairs. I knew he thought Xigbar would appear and make his skin his favorite colors: black and blue. Luckily for him it was only the naturally loud Marluxia.

"What are you two doing?" Marluxia asked, wrinkling his nose as he eyed the position Dem and I were still in.

"Oh sorry!" Dem cried and finally let go of me. I felt myself loosen up and I leaned against the counter as Dem sat down at the table with Marluxia. I looked down at the white tile floor of the kitchen and sighed. Now that the rush was gone the memory of slamming the front door of my parents' house and driving away filled my head. Gosh, even after three years it felt so weird to call it "my parents' house".

"Do I need to do anything for you?" Marly murmured, taking one of his kinder and less haughty tones. I looked up at him, realizing my face probably wasn't a rainbow of happiness at the moment.

"Okay, what is today?" Dem asked in frustration. I had only just opened my mouth to speak when Marly answered for me.

"God, I swear I don't know whether you pretend to be this dumb or if you actually are. It's D day." He announced, raising his nose up at Demyx.

I frowned at his tone. I still didn't like how Marly talked at times, though I understood why he did. His behavior was based off the same thing which was depressing me now: family. I had always known, even before I heard it from anybody else, that nothing messes up a person more than family.

"Oh! The day we take care of Roxas! However, how are we going to take care of him when the grocery shopping isn't done, like say my beloved Goldfish?" Demyx asked the pink haired house mate. I turned to look at the cupboards at that sentence. I knew Demyx would be cranky and upset without his favorite snack.

"It's Sora's turn! However, he hasn't come back from his boyfriend's yet." Marly informed him.

"You know what? I'll get the food. I need something to eat anyway." I said and grabbed my keys and the grocery list that we kept on the marble counter.

"I love you!" Demyx shouted, smiling a fool's grin. He then tried to make a heart with his hands but somehow it ended up looking like a spade…

"Me too." I shot back with a smirk and went upstairs to get some proper clothes on. I couldn't go to the grocery store in this little town with the clothes I had on yesterday.

Rushing through my morning routine I turned to the mirror and looked myself up and down. I was wearing my usual white jacket with a blue shirt and my black and white checkered bracelets. I also had on my black jeans and my checkered black and white shoes, which I liked wearing solely because they went with my bracelets. I grabbed my phone and slid it open to check my messages.

I glanced through them all but paused at the last one. Riku? Wasn't he with Sora? And he rarely messaged me anyway, so what did he want now? Curious, I opened the message and gulped.

Riku's parents were close friends of my own so when I saw the words "your parents want to talk to you" I knew that I needed to thank Riku for dealing with his parents long enough to get the message. I also needed to hit him for it too because I knew that I was in for a world of confusion and chaos.

I groaned, running my hand through my spiky blonde hair. I dropped my phone back onto my desk. I couldn't believe this was happening to me now!

Resigned to my fate, I plodded down the stairs with the grocery list and with a tired goodbye to the two house mates, left to go shopping. I needed something to take my mind off this.

God, if I could get away with it I would shoot you, Riku. Damn the messenger, even if he is your best friend's boyfriend.

R and R! Please don't favorite without reviewing!