Title: Why are you so Quiet?
Summary: Roxas has just moved to Destiny Islands after his mom got a new job. How will he make friends with his shy and quiet nature? A vivacious redhead may help him along. The rating may change later on in the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you even remotely recognize in this story.
Author's Note: Seeing as this is my second story, I'd appreciate some constructive criticism. No flaming, please. I realize I am far from the greatest writer on FanFiction but after reading some great stories, I was inspired. Um, yeah, so enjoy the story.
The sun streamed through the window, blinding Roxas from his position in the front seat of his family's SUV. He grumbled unintelligibly and pulled down the sun visor1. It did nothing. He gave up and simply resorted to squeezing his eyes as tightly as he could and focusing on the music blasting from his mp3 player.
The car pulled to a stop and Roxas opened his eyes, realizing he had fallen asleep somewhere on the way to his new home. "Welcome to Destiny Islands!" his mother screeched, obviously overjoyed at the long journey ending. The family (consisting of Roxas and his mother)2 had just moved from Twilight Town. His mother had gotten a new job on the islands and had no choice but to uproot them both to the new location, regardless of any friends or schools.
They had pulled up outside a quaint, two-story house with rows upon rows of houses that could be its clones alongside it. "Come on, honey. Let's look at the new house," his mother encouraged, smiling sunnily3. Roxas hopped out, slammed the door, and shuffled up to the front door. His mother followed slightly behind, a noticeable bounce in her step and the jingle of keys in her pocket. She slipped the key in and twisted, opening the door with a flourish and holding it open for Roxas. "Welcome hoooome, Roxxxxxxy!" she sang.
"Whatever." Padding in, he looked around the house glumly. The prospect of finding new friends and finding his way around a new school in the middle of the 10th grade school year was not heartening, especially since he seemed to blend into the crowd, what with being as short and as quiet as he was. The other teens were sure to have their set groups of friends already. He sniffled a little, remembering Hayner, Pence, and Olette, the three friends he had left behind.
"Cheer up, buttercup,"4 his mom exclaimed, clapping him on the back with enough force to send him stumbling.
"Whatever," he mumbled again. He walked around the rest of the house, not finding much interest in the drab and bleak white walls and carpet. "This place sucks."
"I'm sure you'll warm up to it," his mom having heard him from the hallway where she was piling up their individual boxes. "Come help me with these boxes, Roxy."
"Don't call me that," but he obliged and hopped back down the stairs, through the front door and out to the car where he began taking the boxes into the house one by one and piling them haphazardly.
"Get with the program! Bedroom boxes outside the corresponding door, kitchen boxes in the kitchen (duh), and living room boxes in the living room," his mother cried out upon witnessing the disaster in the front hallway.
Roxas sighed but began carrying the boxes up the stairs that were labeled "Roxas: bedroom" and setting them outside the second largest bedroom. The largest had been claimed by his mother ("that insufferable smiley-faced woman of doom" Roxas had called her once). Upon finishing, he clambered back down the stairs and slumped, seeing the huge piles of boxes waiting to be sorted.
"Let's go, let's go, let's go," his mother chanted, much like a drill sergeant. Roxas had the insufferable urge to say "yes, sir!" but refrained because it might ruin his image5. He began taking the boxes labeled "kitchen" into the, well, kitchen and wishing he hadn't left his mp3 player on top of one of the boxes outside of his bedroom. Humming to make up for the loss, he finished in no time and slumped on to the couch two of the movers had brought in moments before6.
The doorbell rang and Roxas looked around expectantly for his mother. "Mom?" he called.
"Get the door, Roxy!" He pulled himself off of the well-worn couch with difficulty and yanked the door open.
"What!" he snapped, his one moment of piece interrupted by whoever was on the other side.
"Sorry, is this a bad time?" a grinning, tall-as-hell redhead asked, holding a plate of brownies and balancing a pitcher of lemonade on the side.
Immediately homing in on the food, Roxas said hurridly, "No, no, not at all. Here let me take those off your hands." He grabbed the brownies almost ferociously and managed to walk sanely over to the coffee table, set them down, and tear into them.
"Little hungry, huh?"
"Mmpf!" he stated vaguely, managing to stop in his ravaging to pore himself a glass of lemonade and gulp it down. "Much better," he sighed happily, sitting back and looking lazily at the teen that had brought him the food. "What's up?"
"Just wondering how a little thing like you could eat almost that entire plate of brownies in one go," the redhead teased, himself being about 6'3" while Roxas was only about 5'5".
"Shut up," he grumbled, glaring at the giant.
"That's not very nice. My name's Axel. Anyways, aren't you going to Destiny Islands High on Monday?"
"Yeah and it's Roxas," he sighed unhappily, looking down at his hands.
"Awesomeness! I go there too. What grade?" he asked excitedly, moving to sit on the couch beside Roxas.
"Tenth."
"Me too! High five!" Axel exclaimed, holding out his hand to be slapped and frowning when it wasn't. "What's up with you, kid?"
He shrugged and glowered at the white rug.
"Aw, poor baby," Axel murmured in fake sympathy, wrapping an arm around the blonde's shoulder.
"Geroffme." Roxas rolled his shoulders to get the offending arm off.
"Nuh uhhh. Not until you tell me what's wroooong," the redhead sang, remind Roxas scarily of his mother.
"It's just," he sighed again. "… none of my friends are here and, well…"
"What?"
"I probably won't see them for another six months."
"I'll be your friend, Roxy! It's okay if I call you Roxy, right?" Axel continued before he could say no, "It'll be great. We'll rule the school! No worries, I'll introduce you to all my friends."
Roxas looked the boy up and down, taking in the all black clothing appearance and was worried about what his other friends were like.
"Don't worry, you'll like 'em. They're just like me so you can't hate him, eh?"
By now he was sure his eyes were as round as golf balls. "Just… like… you?" he said, horrified.
"Yup!"
"Oh god," he groaned, putting his head in his hands and trying to warn away the impending headache.
"I have to go to soccer practice now. See ya later, Roxy!" and just like that he was gone. Roxas could only lie back and cover his eyes with an arm and trying not to think what the next day would bring.
1 Yes, I actually had to research what this was called.
2 You will find out what happened to the rest of it later.
3 No, this is not actually a word but I made it up to describe what she's like.
4 My mom has said this to me/other people before.
5 Yes, Roxy is slightly vain but usually around his mother who he knows would tell tales of him to her older friends and their children.
6 I have never moved so if someone could tell me if the timing is inaccurate that would be great.