It was dark, and Roxas could see a figure, just barely in his periphery. A blob with blonde hair floating in the distance. He couldn't influence his position to get a better look, he was stuck. Suddenly, a deep voice rang out from the front of the classroom.
"Mr. Strife!"
Roxas awoke with a start from his lecture-induced sleep. All he could process was a shouting voice, and the buzz of fluorescent lights above his head. He could see nothing but the drooping locks of hair over his face. Without thinking, he responded to the demand for his attention.
"What the hell do you want now?!"
He looked up and saw the teacher, Mr. Bar, and his eye patch glaring down at him.
"Roxas, what the hell is it with these obscenities? I would appreciate if you would go tell the hall supervisor you need an office escort for the hour, I won't accept that shit in my class" The blonde blew a deep sigh that came out more like a gargle, he wiped the drool from his chin and cheek and stood to leave. The searing hypocrisy was ignored by everyone in the class. Just leaving his things in the classroom- he knew Sora would get them for him later- he waved at the brunette, his friend/self-proclaimed twin, and opened the door, scanning the halls for Aqua. He sighed when he saw her, and started towards her desk sitting in the hall.
His hair was a mess. The golden locks, usually spiked, drooped into his eyes and the back of his neck. Upon arriving, he greeted the supervisor with his the usual grumpy fervor, "Hi Aqua." He stated his greeting breathily. Another sigh, likely.
"Roxas, again? Please tell me you're not doing this on purpose." Aqua's hair was as bad a mess as Roxas'. She had also only just recently woken from a nap, snapped out of it by the nearby teacher's freak-out at her friend here. Thingswere slow lately, with the exception Roxas' repeated intrusions for sleeping in class, and talking back to peers and teachers alike.
"You know I'm not, but…" he sighed again, "I'm not sleeping well, you know, my whole schedule got messed up when Larxene… She really messed me up." Aqua patted his shoulder and thought of another heartbroken blonde boy she knew. After their awkward love confession moment, Ventus was in a funk just like Roxas.
Roxas was with Larxene for a while, from Aqua's perspective. They always seemed happy. When she left him for someone else, everyone was so shocked. Their happy facade was exposed, and Roxas crashed. She dug her heels into his wounds, turning tail and running off when Roxas asked her to stay and talk it out.
Aqua knew this was going to require some sensitivity.
"Come on Rox, I'm sure the principal will understand, you had just woken up, we all wake up grumpy." They walked down the hall to the principal's decadent office. Stopping short and crossing their fingers, hoping for some understanding. As expected, he didn't give any.
"You mean to tell me his heart is broken, so his mind can't perform schoolwork? Sounds too convenient so close to break, don't you think?" Xemnas shouted as he stalked by, pacing in his office, demanding a solution from Aqua about Roxas' repeated offenses. "OH, let me guess, he can't sleep, he can't eat, food just doesn't taste the same." he rolled his eyes, "You know, I've been alone for a long time, and still, I get my job done better than any school out there. Honestly Aqua, who has the best school on the island?" He spoke in a dignified tone, but the bragging made him sound like a teenager.
She stifled a comeback response, hiding it with a cough. "You, sir." She shook her head, it was true, the man ran a tight ship. Maybe too tight, from what students told her. She worked hard to keep some of the more affected students out of this office. Especially the ones that showed signs of depression, like Roxas.
"And is there anything I've done wrong so far; I mean it's been years since I've last lost a school award." As he continued to pose questions suggesting his greatness, Aqua stood, ready with a comeback.
"You won't have this perfect record if you let a problem like this go unrecognized, what will people say when you show that you don't care for a student's grades?" she had him, that was his weak spot, his reputation. his face flickered with a hint of anger, but his composure regained before he spoke.
"Fine, I'll be lenient, for now." He sent Aqua to give Roxas a lunch detention ticket, and she told him some exciting news.
"On Principal Xemnas' computer, there was an E-mail to local schools giving the early semester ending dates, saying colleges and high schools are getting out early for the 50th Destiny Festival, you should get a hold of Axel and Riku while you can." She gave him the number to call the dorms and sent him to his next class.
"The same thing every day." he whispered to himself "not even summer break can break my cycle of wake, eat, sleep… Larxene, why did you have to…oof-!" he nearly ran into a small blonde girl about a year younger than him… He recognized her from the 2nd year math classes he was retaking… her white blouse and light blue skinny jeans were covered in flour. She dropped the armful of supplies she was holding and just kind of stared up at him.
After a moment he spoke "Err, I'm sorry about that… uhhh"
"Namine," she nearly whispered.
"Yeah, sorry about that Namine, I'm sorry, I got preoccupied walking and…. So what is all this stuff?" he gestured at it all as he started to pick up the bags.
"Food for Culinary Arts III, I was the only volunteer to carry groceries this week Say, what's your name?" she tried to take the bags from his arms, but he turned away
" Roxas. and jeez, how much more is there to carry?" he asked her, causing her to look at him.
"U-uhm, there are three more bags in the car… but you don't have to…-oh!" Roxas lifted the bags into his arms more securely and started walking towards culinary arts. "Honestly, Roxas, there's no need I can carry them." He just kept walking. "then, uhh… thank you…" she walked back to the car and grabbed two more.
Roxas set the bags into the classroom and turned to see Namine struggling with the two other bags. He grabbed them before they fell and brought them to the counter. "You sure you can get all these?
Namine nodded, still quietly standing aside while Roxas unloaded the bags.
Lemme see if I can't ask the Culinary Arts teacher if I can't carry these for you, what, do you shop maybe once a week?" He went back to the van, and reached into the hatchback. Namine followed behind, and grabbed the last bag, bringing it to the classroom and went to talk to the teacher, ignoring Namine's 'but's' and 'stop I…'s after they emptied the bags. A few minutes later, Roxas walked up to Namine and told her the news, "She said I'll help you every week, I'll go shopping with you and carry the food and supplies, but she said since I'll be missing school, you gotta be my math Tutor, and I'll just be missing gym, so carrying these bags will take care of that." He took a deep breath.
"Why are you so willing to help me!?" she finally got out when he looked up at her from wiping his hands on his dark, slim jeans. She was just standing there, face pale except for a few spots of blush on her cheeks.
"I need to break the usual cycle you know. I mean, it used to be every morning I'd text, well her name was Larxene and… well it still is and... it's a long story, I couldn't bore you with it...
"I have time to tell you if you want to hear it, though, I should probably get it out..."
"I have time Roxas, I'd be more than happy to listen." She pulled out chairs for them, and sat, clasping her hands in her lap. He sat down as well, and took a deep breath.
And so he started telling Namine all the things he and Larxene would do, and how he found it hard to eat and sleep and walk and do school work without her, and their little daily rituals that were associated with those actions. He just kept talking, he went on about her leaving him for some freak in another town; some freak with pink hair. How she was planning it from the beginning, because she knew he was an easy target, the way she led him on and swore they were in love, getting married and being happy. By the end, tears started forming at the corner of his eyes, and before he realized it, Namine was nearly hugging him.
"Roxas, that's horrible... I know! Of course, I'll help you and you help me, and we'll be like... the best of friends, and that's how that's gonna work, alright?" Roxas nodded.
"So nice of you, but I already have a best friend and, anyways, why are you being like this…" he paused, then kinda pushed her away "I don't need your pity, Namine." he looked at her with a wary squint.
She stood there for a second, and giggled. "Roxas, even if I pitied you, that's not the only reason I'd be keeping you around, I mean honestly, who wouldn't accept help from a gu-" The bell rang and she giggled again, "See you next Wednesday Roxas!" She waved and walked down the hall, leaving Roxas there to stare at where she was, what was the actual reason she wanted him around, he couldn't have found a crush already could he? He wasn't ugly, but he didn't feel good enough for someone like Namine; he wasn't even good enough for Larxene…
He had just walked towards the hall where his next class was, where Sora was waiting for him huffing angrily, "What the hell man, the board said you were dismissed last hour! I had to carry your books through two classes!" Roxas just shook his head and laughed.
"I helped this blonde girl in her Culinary Class… I think she was hitting on me." Roxas shook his head again. "But why would she, I'm such a mess today." Sora just slapped his back twice, hard, earning a glare.
"Ah well, let's go, I can't be late to Chem. and your Bio teacher needs to see you soon." They parted in the science hallway, leaving Roxas to sit there in his Bio class, being nagged at about missing tests and lectures.
A/N I guess you can say that this is a testing phase, just to see what people think of the story. Feel free to review, I'd love to hear from ya ^.^ FSXWL
taking some things into consideration, and also noticing how awkward my wording can be, I've decided to re-re-re-edit my draft