Hello all! Hee he, just so you know this is a combined fic with TWO AUTHORS! Yup, you can count 'em: one, two! This fic is brought to you from the combined imaginations of princessOFdarkness and twisted-hearts!!!
Flashbacks are in bold, and the last person who talked will be the one talking as flashbacks are in first person! Thoughts are in italics. Song lyrics are in bold italics!
We do not own Kingdom Heart… sadly, or Starbucks… Oh my God I wish! Or any of the bands or movies we mention or the songs we have stuck in here from time to time unless we tell you we own it – in which case it probably belongs to princessOFdarkness seeing as she writes songs occasionally. But that's only if we say that princessOFdarkness wrote it mind you! (For example, the song in her story titled 'Without You Around' which Axel sings is hers because she wrote it herself!)
Yup, well that's it… so here we go then!
Chapter 1: Moving In
Miserable – that was the best word for the look on the faces of the two teenagers huddled together in the back seat of the rundown old car that was speeding them away from their home. The two looked at each other exchanging a look that could only mean one thing: I want to go home.
The boy sighed deeply, his blonde hair falling gracefully in front of his crystal blue eyes as he glanced fleetingly at his twin sister. She was absorbed in a sketch at the moment, her eyes flitting this way and that as she smudged bits of her picture with the tips of her fingers and thumb, her pencil placed firmly between her teeth as she worked. Whether she could sense her brother's eyes on her staring at her or she could feel his tension, she looked up at him catching his eye again. Taking her pencil in hand she wrote three words, three small words her twin nodded in agreement with at once: I hate this.
"Aw, why so glum kids?" Their stepmother asked a smirk firmly in place just for them. They both knew she hated them, not that she had ever said it aloud.
"Um, I don't know Larxene, let's think." The boy said feigning stupidity, a finger placed on his lips sarcastically pretending to be thinking deeply. "Oh, I know Larxene, I know what it is! OUR MOTHER JUST DIED OF CANCER!"
"Oh." Larxene said softly more to herself than to her stepson, turning back around so that she couldn't see him and the smirk now firmly in place on his mouth. "Well you could try to be a little nicer about Brandon."
Brandon – the antisocial authority-thwarting urban rebel emo outcast, or so everyone at their old high school had said when they talked about him behind his back as he walked passed them in the halls. Half the school had been terrified by his moodiness and avoided him, the other half choosing to 'beat his punk ass up.'
"I'll be nicer if you stop being a bitch." He whispered leaning against his sister's shoulder so that no one else would hear him, his sister giggling appreciatively at his comment.
"See, Jessica's not sulking like you are, she can still laugh. She's still acting like a human being instead of an emotionless gray lifeless rock." Larxene said pointedly, her lips curving in a smirk of her own. Jessica's laughter stopped immediately at her stepmother's retort. "Brandon, try and smile why don't you? It'd do you some good."
"I will, thanks for the advice." Brandon said grimly, flipping her off with a large smile in place. Jessica let out a stifled laugh, her hands placed firmly over her own mouth to keep herself quiet.
Jessica hadn't been much better off at their old high school – she was the outspoken contemporary semi-gothic alternative punk-rock opinionated idealistic artist. Her far reaching ideas and controversial art not exactly helping her up the rungs of the ladder to popularity. Many people said she could have been popular if she wanted to, but she had chosen early on that what was popular just wasn't for her. Instead of going with the crowd and being popular, she went the whole other direction whenever she could.
Jessica stopped smiling suddenly, her eyes clouding over as she turned her head to look out at the cars whizzing passed them. After so many years spent with his twin, Brandon could sense her different moods quite easily by just looking at her face. Frowning slightly, Brandon touched her arm gently to get her attention giving her a questioning look when she glanced his way.
"It's nothing really, just old memories and such." Jessica said throwing her twin a large fake smile as she wiped away the tears that had been forming at the corners of her eyes. "It – it was about Mother and that last day at the hospital, you remember?"
"I remember that day." Brandon said grimly. Reaching out, he pulled his sister towards him so that her head rested on his shoulder as more tears overwhelmed her. "How could I forget the day that ruined both our lives forever?"
"Kids, I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this." The tall doctor said grimly, pushing his glasses back up his nose. Why was he so upset all of the sudden and acting like her cared how we felt? All he liked us for was the money all our Mom's hospital bills brought in – all we were to him was a paycheck. "Your Mother held out as long as she could. We did everything we could to save her, but in the end the cancer was too much for her in her weakened state. I'm sorry, if there's anything I can do for you…"
"You already failed at that once, what makes you think you could do any better this time? If there was anything you could have done, you would have saved her but you couldn't even do that!" I shouted at him, my arms folded across my chest as I leaned back in my chair, my head falling back so I was looking at the white ceiling in my anger. "Just leave already, there's nothing else you can do right?"
"Still, if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask." The doctor said slowly. "Is there anything I could do for you Miss?"
"There is, actually." My sister said suddenly, her head shooting up to look at him instead of the floor where they had been for the last hour of so. "I was wondering if the results for the tests you ran earlier had come in yet. MY test results."
"Last I checked they were still computing the data. I promise to tell you as soon as they're in, but if you don't mind I'm needed in the operating room. Excuse me." The doctor rushed of, his sneakers squeaking against the cold tiled floor.
"What tests were the two of you talking about?" I asked Jessica, trying to catch her eye unsuccessfully. "When did you have tests run?"
"Oh it's no big deal really Brandon, it was just a few tests they took yesterday. I hadn't been feeling too well lately so they figured it was better to be safe than sorry, you know how it is with doctors." Jessica said, her smile not quite meeting her eyes. Her smiled faded, a grimace setting in instead as she wrung her hands in her lap. "They think I'm fine and that nothing's wrong but this is just to be sure or so they said. They wanted to test me for the kind of cancer Mother…"
She cut off, her voice dying in her throat. She looked away from me to gaze across the room with large blank eyes devoid of all emotions in her terror.
"You're worried aren't you?" I asked her in a low soothing voice. I took her hand in my own, scanning her face.
"No, I'm not scared." Jessica said slowly, her hand trembling in mine. When she turned to look at me I saw something in her face I had never seen there before – hopelessness and despair written in her eyes. She, the ever hopeful one had given up all hope, instead choosing to bury herself in the despair of her situation. It reminded me of… well, me. "I'm not scared, I'm terrified."
"Hey, are you just gonna sit there all day? Get out of the car already, we're here!"
"Alright, we're coming Father, head on inside without us! We're coming!" Jessica called through the open car window, unbuckling her seatbelt and scampering to get out of the car as fast as possible. Brandon took longer, taking his time as his sister rushed around like a chicken with its head cut off.
"Oh calm down, he's just being his usual dick-headed self Sis." Brandon signed lazily going to the trunk of the car to collect their suitcases. Jessica let out a strange sound somewhere between a sob and a laughed as she smacked him playfully on the hand. "What was that for? It's true isn't it?"
"Look, just stop it. You'll just egg him on which is the last thing we need, okay?" She said with a sigh as Brandon lifted the bags one by one out of the back of the car. "Just keep your head down, okay? Remember, anything that happens to you happens to me too."
"What does that mean?" Brandon asked her, confused. "Why would you have to pay for my comments and rebellion?"
"Remember what Father said about us being a 'matching set'? He said anything that happens to one of us happens-"
"Happens to both of us, I remember now. Sorry Sis, I guess I did forget about that." Brandon confessed sheepishly. He picked up all the bags and began heading for the front door.
"Hey, I can carry my own bags thank you very much!" Jessica protested tugging on the handle of her bag. "Let it go already, I can do it myself."
"Are you sure it's a good idea for you to be carrying stuff around?" Brandon asked quietly. Leaning in he whispered in her ear. "You know, since-"
"Just because I'm SICK-" She snapped forcefully, surprising her brother. Jessica never snapped at her brother, had never raised her voice, had never truly had a real fight with him. Everything was always in fun – until now, she was serious this time. His grip loosened just enough that she was able to tug the suitcase out of his grip as she headed for the front doorstep. "- doesn't mean I can't do everything you can, I can still do things for myself. I understand you just want to help me, I really do. But I need to keep doing things for myself all the same because we both know this isn't going to go away any time soon so I better learn to live with it.. Besides, the doctors said they got it under control for the time being so it's not like I'm gonna fall over dead any moment or something crazy like that."
"KIDS, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" Their father screamed from somewhere inside the house. Brandon bolted for the door, Jessica right behind him. The pair walked into the kitchen, both gagging on the smell that lingered there. A sicken cross between rotten food, whiskey, and cigarette smoke. The refrigerator door opened, their father grabbing a large glass beer bottle and taking a swig before turning to talk to them, a lit cigarette in hand, his lanky grey hair falling in front of his eyes. "You sleep in the room at the end of the hallway to the left. No sneaking food out of the refrigerator, no bringing friends over to the house, no touching me or your stepmother's things. Got it?"
"Yes sir." The twins said together. Their father nodded solemnly.
"Good, now go." He said sternly. When neither of them moved right away he roared at them. "GET OUT!"
"You know those are gonna kill you one day Xemnas?" They heard Larxene telling her new husband as they ran from the room.
"Thank God for that!" Brandon and Jessica said together as they carried their suitcases down the hall to their new room. Brandon grabbed the doorknob, yanking on it.
"It won't budge!" He complained through gritted teeth. Clasping the knob between both hands he counted to three, ramming his shoulder into the wood of the door on the last count. The door flew open with a loud creaking noise sending Brandon sprawling to the floor. Jessica gasped, rushing to help him up off the floor. He shrugged off her hands, picking himself up on his own and turning to look at the room. "Oh hell no, we're gonna live here!?!"
"I can't believe it, this can't be right." Jessica said softly, sinking to her knees beside her bags, her face in her hands. "We're going to have to live here with a cruel vain stepmother, an alcoholic dad, in a dilapidated house. I – I just don't –I can't."
"I know what you mean, and I know what you're thinking right now too." Brandon whispered, sinking down beside her. "You're thinking why did Mom leave us here with these people. Didn't she have a real plan for us, wasn't there anywhere else she could send us? Why did she have to abandon us like this when we needed her most-"
"No, she didn't abandon us! Don't say things like that!" She cut across him, looking up at him bewildered. "Mother would never abandon us! She didn't die on purpose Brandon, she just couldn't get better. She tried to get well; don't act like she didn't try to get better for our sakes."
"I know she tried, but I can't help but think if she'd tried her hardest she'd still be here with us and we wouldn't be in this nasty position." He stated coldly, standing and crossing to the window to stare out at the uncut back lawn with hollow eyes. "Come on, let's unpack and get settled."
Standing up, Jessica looked around the room, her large deep chocolate eyes the only thing exposing her pain to her brother as she did so. The room was small, smaller in fact than a normal sized bedroom. Inside in the corner was a bunk bed, a broken chest of drawers at the foot of it. The only other furniture in the room was a three legged desk, a cracked mirror, and a rotted out bookshelf leaning against a wall.
"So do you want the top of bottom?" Brandon asked his sister. "Personally I'd prefer to top if you don't mind."
"Take it, I want the bottom anyways." She smiled, setting her bag down on her bed with a small creak of bedsprings. "Can you really see me wanting to sleep somewhere that high off the ground? Are you kidding? I'm afraid of heights, oh, and the sick person really should have the top bunk so she can fall out of bed to her death. You get the top."
"Thanks a lot Sis." Brandon laughed knowing Jessica was just trying to make their situation seem less miserable than it was for his sake as much as her own. "So I'll take the trunk at the end of the bed and you can have the closet, okay? You have more clothes than me anyways."
"Alright." Jessica smiled to herself, knowing full well why her brother was being so nice to her. If I said I was used to him being particularly nice to me because I'm sick then I'd be lying, Jessica thought to herself as she began hanging her clothes up in the closet in a neat little row.
"It smells like shit in here, do you think we could force the window open maybe?" Brandon said, a look of disgust playing across his face. Jessica nodded and went to the window, pulling on the handle as her brother began taping up his many overlapping posters of all his favorite bands on the ceiling above his bed. Finally forcing the window open, Jessica smiled at the crisp breeze that blew around the room, rustling her long brown hair gently as she stared at the view out her window. "Whatcha looking at Sis?"
"Just the view." She replied, sticking her head out of the window to get a view of the houses on either side of them. "Hmm, I wonder…"
"What are you talking about now?" Brandon asked loudly bringing her out of her thoughts and back to the present.
"I was just wondering what Father would say if he came to check on us and we weren't here. You know, hypothetically and all." Jessica said slowly, twiddling her thumbs. "Like if we were to climb out the window or something just as convenient."
"Well let's think about that." Brandon said sarcastically, much like he had in the car ride with his stepmother. "Seriously, he'd kill us if we snuck out. You know that."
"I know, I was just thinking." Jessica smiled at her brother, sticking her head back out of the window so that she was leaning over the sill as the light wind caressed her face and neck. "I can't wait until we're eighteen, then we can live on our own you know? Two and a half years left. I hate being fifteen and a half sometimes."
"You're telling me." He sighed, jumping off his bed to land beside her. "Hey, move out of the way a second. This bookshelf has to go, it sticks and the bottom's rotten out. I'm tossing it."
"Need any help?" Jessica asked, pouting when her brother shook his head. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't help you out you know?"
"I know, but still." He grunted, lifting the bookcase with some difficultly and tossing it out of the window. Brushing off the front of his shirt he turned back to his sister. "So, do you feel up to exploring out new town or not?"
"I guess so, but let me change first." She said, opening the doors to the closet. She riffled through her things, finally pulling out a pair of black jean capri pants artfully ripped at the knees, a pair of hot pink and black Converse sneakers, a hot pink tee shirt with a black and silver guitar stitched on the front and a long sleeved plain black hoodie. Brandon sniggered as she rushed to the bathroom to change. "What's so funny?"
"It's the day before summer break ends and you're wearing a hoodie." He said pointedly pulling on her sleeve. "I suppose I really can't talk. I'm wearing black too even if I did have the sense to wear short sleeves. Well come on then, let's go."
Brandon pulled the door to their room open slowly, both of them slipping out into the hallway. Walking carefully and quietly they headed for the living room where they could hear the television blaring. Stepping inside they found Xemnas and Larxene sitting on the couch together drinking from the same beer bottle and smoking a couple of cigarettes. Jessica let out a little cough because of the smoke and retreated back into the hallway gasping for air.
"Dad, me and Jess are going out to look around okay? We'll be back before dark." Brandon said heading back for the hallway as his father grunted in response. Reentering the hall he found his sister leaning against a wall breathing heavily. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"I can't stand smoke, especially cigarette smoke." She sighed, coughing. "So are we allowed to go?"
"I guess, I didn't ask really. I told him we were leaving and would be back before dark." He shrugged, pulling open the front door and stepping out into the sunlight. "Well are you coming or not?"
"Do you really think I wanna stay here?" Jessica asked back causing her brother to laugh as they began walking down the street, trudging up the highway towards where they knew the town was situated. After nearly an hour of walking Jessica finally stopped. "How far is this town anyways?"
"I have no clue, but close I hope." Brandon sighed, continuing to walk. Just then a convertible when whizzing passed them, nearly hitting them as it swerved sideways. Jessica tripped in her surprise as the car revved passed, catching her ankle on a rock and twisted her ankle, falling off the highway to land in the grass at the edge while Brandon had merely turned to scowl and cuss after the car that had offended them, not even bothering to help his sister off the ground. The car suddenly pulled a U-turn and came back, the two people inside of it climbing out and coming over to where the siblings were.
"Oh my God, are you alright? I didn't hit either of you did I?" A teenage boy with brown spiky hair asked Brandon as his friend moved to help Jessica off the ground.
"No, I'm fine." Brandon said stoically, looking the boy in front of him up and down slowly before letting his deep frown slip into a light smirk of amusement.
"You must be new in town huh, my name's Sora." Sora smiled holding out a hand for Brandon to shake. Brandon stared down at his hand for a long moment before talking it, his long fingers closing over Sora's hand as he smiled at him for the first time. Sora smiled back.
"Are you alright?" Jessica heard the other ask her as she watched her brother and Sora talking together. Turning her attention onto the person towering above her she felt her breath escape her as the boy knelt down beside her and pulled her up into a sitting position looking deeply into her eyes.
"I'm okay I guess, thank you." Jessica said in a small voice as she took in the appearance of her savior. He had a long pale face, his long silver hair falling in front of his aqua green eyes. "I'm Jessica, we just moved in down the road."
"I'm Riku, nice to meet you Jessica." He smiled, offering her a hand. She took it, but before she could shake it he brought it to his lips and placed a light kiss upon it before releasing it and standing up. "So what were you guys doing walking up the side of the road anyway?"
"We were headed into town, you know, to look around and – OUCH!" Jessica gasped as she tried to stand up and put pressure on her twisted ankle, falling forwards. Luckily – or unluckily – she managed to fall into Riku rather than onto the ground again. Riku caught her, holding her upper arm protectively to keep her from falling as she clutched his shoulder in pain. "My ankle, I must have twisted it when I fell."
"Oh, here let me help you." Brandon said sounding worried, going and pulling his sister's arm around his shoulders to support her as she pulled away from Riku. "Maybe we better just go home. We can go into town tomorrow, thanks guys but we better get going."
"Wait a second, why don't you let me give you a ride home." Sora said enthusiastically tugging on Brandon's wrist. "I feel bad, seeing as it's kinda my fault. I bet she wouldn't have tripped if I hadn't have swerved like that and almost hit you."
"I don't know Sora. You don't seem like that good of a driver to me." Brandon said slowly, his sister knowing he was searching for a way to put Sora down gently. But in the end he gave up that search, just telling it to the immature boy like it was. "Personally I'd feel safer walking if you catch my drift. Sorry Sora, but really. Riding in a car with you driving seems like a death sentence."
"What if I drove?" Riku asked, glancing at Jessica as he said it. She looked down at her shoes pretending not have to notice this. "Unlike Sora, I actually have my license. Sora here only has his temps. What do you say then?"
"I still don't-" Brandon began.
"That would be great, thanks Riku." Jessica said sharply, cutting Brandon off. He looked momentarily taken aback, but glancing between his sister's face and Riku's her nodded, helping his sister hop over to the passenger seat of the car and clamber in before jumping the side almost lazily and landing in the back beside Sora. Riku slipped into the driver's seat, put it back in drive and started down the road.
"So what school are you two going to be attending then?" Sora asked Brandon as they drove, breaking the slightly uncomfortable silence that had been brewing in the car.
"Oh, um… Jessica, what's the name of it again?" Brandon asked her sticking his head up between the gaps in the seats to look at his sister where she sat beside Riku looking at the scenery.
"It's called Destiny High, the local private school you know?" Jessica said nonchalantly.
"You're kidding!" Sora laughed causing Brandon and Jessica to look back at him. "That's where Riku and I go with all our friends! This is great!"
"Maybe we'll see each other again then, huh Jessica?" Riku asked casually, but he still cast an intriguing glace at the girl in the seat beside him before looking back at the road.
"I suppose we might." Jessica said, still not looking at him. Brandon smirked to himself and leaned back in his seat beside Sora, chatting with Sora the rest of the way home about different bands they liked and music they couldn't stand, both deciding that rap and hip hop were completely pointless.
"Seriously, it makes no sense you know?" Sora explained, his hands flying this way and that as he spoke. "Half the time you can't even understand what they're singing about to begin with, though it's usually sex and girls."
"I know, it's just crazy stuff." Brandon agreed, nodding his head up and down.
Riku was having more trouble getting Jessica to open up to him than Sora was having with Brandon. No matter how hard he tried, how many topics of conversation he brought up she refused to keep the conversation rolling or give in to his attempts to charm her into liking him.
"Do you like it here so far?" Riku asked Jessica as he stopped at the traffic light.
"Not really, but I've only been here a few hours. It seems a bit boring after my last home back in New York City where there's always something to do." Jessica said casually twirling a piece of hair around her finger without looking at him. "I mean, okay, so I walked up the street and almost got ran over. I really don't have a fair basis for comparison."
"Well do you like road racing?" Riku tried next, looking at her intently trying to catch her eye. She didn't give in. "Couple of the guys I go to school with have races every other weekend or so if you're interested."
"Racing is so dumb." Jessica said sternly, throwing him a contemptuous glare which he didn't notice until she had looked away and it was too late for him to catch her eye. "You usually go around in circles and it's only exciting when someone crashes or the police shows up to send everyone to jail. Either way it has a bad turn out and it's boring about eighty percent of the time."
"Pizza, you have to like pizza! Everyone likes pizza." Riku said matter-of-factly, thinking he had finally caught her on something. Boy was he wrong.
"I don't really care for pizza to tell the truth." Jessica said making Riku's mouth hang open. "Okay, the occasional slice of thin crust pepperoni with extra sauce and cheese is nice, but like twice a year unless it's really good and then I'll eat it maybe once every month or so. Not a big fast food addict really, unlike Brandon how could eat it everyday for every meal."
"So true, so true Jessica!" Brandon laughed from the back seat, breaking from his conversation with Sora about whether or not Benji or Joel from 'Good Charlotte' was cooler just long enough to say those five words, returning to the argument almost at once.
"Anymore questions then Riku or are you stumped?" Jessica asked him sounding a bit annoyed while secretly smiling to herself. Why's he trying to hard to get me to talk to him, Jessica asked herself. Seriously, doesn't he get that I'm not interested? And still he persists… I like that. He's determined, that's for sure but he still looks like a pretty boy and from everything he's said he is one. Someone give me a sign that shows he's at least reasonably intelligent and I'll give him a chance without shooting him down every chance I get!
"Oh, I have a question for you! Pick me, pick me!" Sora shouted from the back seat poking Jessica in the shoulder. She nodded, turning to look at him, missing the downcast look on Riku's face. "Which is hotter: Orlando Bloom or Josh Lucas?"
"Come on Sora, what kind of question is that?" Brandon laughed before Jessica could answer him. "It's completely pointless. Everyone knows Orlando Bloom is way hotter than Josh Lucas! He made a fictional character with pointy ears look hot for God's sake! If that's not hot I don't know what is."
"Nu uh Brandon, you're so wrong! Josh Lucas is like the next Mathew McConaughey!" Sora said spiritedly. "Seriously, did you see Josh Lucas in 'Stealth,' so flipping sexy in that role."
"Why don't you let the girl answer the question about which guy is hotter, shall we boys? Go on Jessica, care to answer the question?" Riku asked her kindly shutting the boys up so she could answer.
"I don't know Sora, really they're both hot, but seriously if you were asking me which one I would rather date I'd say neither. I don't like just judging people by their looks you know?" Jessica explained playing with a strand of hair that had fallen in her face. "Personalities are much better to base any friendship or long term relationship on in my opinion; looks fade over time while the intellect and the personality do not."
"Deep, very thoughtful answer, I like that." Riku smiled at her, secretly worried that he might be one of those 'pretty-guys' who have no real talents at all.
"Riku, did you leave your usual charm at home?" Sora popped up beside Riku's ear so that only he could hear him whispering. "It's not working with this one Riku, what's wrong with you today? Usually you'd have them fawning all over you by now. Is your usual aura of attraction broken? You really show have that fixed before you embarrass yourself, oh wait, you already are!"
"Shut the hell up Sora, unless you wanna lose your nose." Riku said to his friend. "I'm not hitting on her okay, I'm just trying to be nice and friendly... and I'm totally and shamelessly flirting with her I know. She's adorable and different and I just saw something in her eyes when she looked at me that made me want to get to know her better – stop laughing at me right now Sora. By the way, I do not wanna here a word about this Sora. Help me, I'm running out of topics…"
"And the happy game of Twenty Questions ends here then. Thank God!" Jessica said quietly to Brandon as she turned around in her seat to talk to him. "This is so uncomfortable! Wanna switch me seats?"
"How do we switch seats in a moving vehicle? That is kinda dangerous." Brandon smiled at his sister, his eyes glinting with amusement.
"I don't care, I'm about to jump over the edge of the window!" She whispered heatedly. "He's driving me crazy with questions!"
"Jessica?" Riku said loudly. With a small moan of despair Jessica turned around and looked into his face, her eyes meeting his for the first time sine they first met.
"Yes Riku, what do you want to ask me now?" Jessica asked with a sigh, her head lolling back against the headrest.
"So Jessica, how do you feel about sports?" Riku asked her hopefully.
"Most sports are boring or overly-rough in my opinion. Too many people get hurt in sports for my taste. It's like the teenage equivalence to a war, except you don't bring bombs onto a basketball court." Jessica said unanimated. As she reached the end of her opinion she paused, looking hesitant about what she next wanted to say to him. "Well, except…"
"Except what, what sports do you like?" Riku asked, praying he had finally found a topic he could latch onto.
"I like badminton, soccer, and tennis. Girly sports, I know but there you have it." Jessica confessed.
"No, those aren't girly sports at all." Riku said sweetly. "I've played soccer on the school team since I was in fifth grade or so, and I've played tennis before. I've never played badminton to tell the truth but it sounds okay. That's the one with the birdie right?"
"Yeah, the one with a birdie." Jessica giggled. Brandon pulled up beside her ear and whispered only five words in her ear – talk to him for real. "So what sports do you play Riku?"
"Oh, I um…" Riku said sounding a little surprised that she was allowing the conversation to float instead of sinking it at once. Jessica laughed at him quietly, encouragingly. "I play baseball, soccer, and football. Basketball was never my thing. Or golf really. The tennis and badminton teams have been all girls for years, but boys are allowed not that I'll join the team."
"Why not, if it's something you like you should go for it." Jessica said, looking straight at him this time.
"I'd never hear the end of it from the guys." Riku said sounding uncomfortable, fully aware that she was staring him down. This time he didn't want to catch her eye, he didn't want to see her looking in disappointment at his cowardice like he knew she undoubtedly was.
"Yeah, Riku has his image to worry about Jessica. He can't afford to make a wrong move!" Sora laughed from the back seat. "Riku's in the 'IN' crowd, he's too popular to make an uncool move like that."
"Oh, so you'd do anything to keep your status?" Jessica asked him sounding disgusted. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "This is it, pull over so we can get out."
"Oh, okay." Riku said softly, pulling over. Jessica and Brandon climbed out of the car, and after Brandon paused for a mere moment to whisper something in Riku's ear, the two headed towards the front door of heir house together. When neither turned around to say goodbye Riku called out to them. "Bye guys, see you tomorrow! Good bye Jessica!"
"Yeah, see you tomorrow Brandon!" Sora called. "Oh, you too Jessica, I'll see you too!"
Brandon waved over his shoulder in response to Sora's call, but Jessica didn't bide in the slightest, slipping inside the house ahead of Brandon so that she was out of sight. They walked quietly down the hall to their room, closing the door behind them.
"Jessica, before you say anything I totally agree." Brandon said with a smile. Jessica looked up at him perplexed, sure he couldn't' know her thoughts. "Riku's so sexy, you got yourself a hottie chasing after you girl! Damn!"
"Shut up, that's not what I'm thinking." Jessica said turning pink.
"Oh don't lie to me I'm your brother I know when you lie." Brandon countered her. He actually sung his next accusation. "You think he's sexy, you wanna date him, and he is so fine! La la la laaa la!"
"Okay, so he's attractive, big deal." Jessica smiled to herself. Giving in slightly she glanced up at her brother's amused expression. "God, he is so hot. I mean, I sat next to him all that time and it was so hard not to look over and just stare at him."
"Well why didn't you?" Brandon asked her climbing up to lie down on his bed looking down at her where she stood.
"I didn't want to give him the enjoyment that came with knowing that I was staring at him. He's got a big enough ego at it is, he doesn't need his head to swell up anymore." Jessica said slowly. "Did you listen to the thinks he was trying to get me to talk about? Totally shallow, I mean really. What Sora said about his popularity – could he get any more arrogant?"
"You're only saying that because you don't want to let yourself get attached to him. You've been distancing yourself from me and everyone else lately and I think I know why." Brandon said sadly. "I understand what you're going through, I really do."
"What do you know about me?" She snapped back, crossing to the window and sticking her head out of it to breath in the cool night air.
"I understand a lot more than you think I do Jess." He said, jumping down and moving to put his arm around her shoulders. She recoiled, rushing into her closet and closing the door behind her. Brandon pulled on the handles attempting to open the door but it wouldn't budge. "Come out Jessica!"
"No, you can't make me! I just want to be alone right now." She said softly. He could tell she was crying.
"You may not think I understand, but I do. You've been like this ever since Mom died. You were so close to her Jessica, and when she died you realized for the first time that not everything goes the way it should. You found out that the people we love most can unintentionally hurt us." Brandon said, his voice quavering slightly with his mixed emotions he had pent up inside for far too long. "Please, I do understand, because I feel the same way. Except I'm not trying to hide my feelings from the world like you are, it's okay to cry you know."
"I can't cry. I have to be strong and take care of you." Jessica said through the wood of the door.
"What makes you think you have to take care of me?" He asked.
"Mother told me the night before she died that if anything happened to her that it was my job to take care of you and make sure you didn't do anything totally stupid that made you wind up in a jail cell." Jessica called back, opening the door. One moment she was standing there in front of him looking up at him with a look of pure agony, the next she was in his arms, her head pressed into his shoulder as she cried.
"It's okay Jessica; everything is going to be alright." He cooed, stroking her hair. Once she had stopped crying, Jessica pulled away, going to sit instead on the edge of her bed. "Feel better?"
"Yeah, I guess so." She said in a small voice, her eyes red from where she had cried. "I feel terrible about what I did to Riku. Maybe I shouldn't have been so standoffish towards him."
"Yeah, maybe you could have eased up a little." He winked, giving her a playful poke in the arm. "Well you can always try again tomorrow. Tomorrow he might have thought of something a little more in your interests to talk about."
"And how is an idiot like him going to figure out anything to talk to me about?"
"Maybe a little bird will tell him." Brandon smirked to himself. And in truth, he was being quite literal about the little bird…
"What did I say to make her so… what's the word I'm looking for -standoffish?" Riku asked himself as Jessica climbed out of the car.
"Hey Riku, you want some advice fro the next time you talk to her?" I smiled wickedly, knowing full well that if my sister ever found out about this that she was going to be pissed at me.
"Of course I do, tell me!" Riku said anxiously. Bending down I told him the only way I could explain it to him.
"For a start, stop talking about stupid shit, okay?" I said, smirking at his confused expression. "Pizza, ht guys, sports – It's all stupid as far she's concerned. Try talking about something she likes. Like books and art and white roses."
"Well, I'm going to sleep, have to be ready for tomorrow. It's our first day at Destiny High."
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