Of Delicate Boys and Could Have Beens
Albert Diyosa
After a long rest from writing fanfiction, I decided to upload a new story here because I miss writing. I do not get to write that much anymore because I am tied up with school work. In addition to that, it seems as if my creative juices ran out so I had to recharge, I guess.
Long rest from writing the presence of grammatical errors. It has been so LOOOOOOOONG since I wrote my last story in English, so forgive me. Of course, constructive criticism is welcome, especially on the grammar part. :D I won't hate you for criticizing constructively because it helps. :D
I want to write more random things about what has happened lately, but this story is not about me. :p Now, I will let you proceed reading. :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Slam Dunk or any of its characters. I do not even own the house I am living in (though it would be fun if I did). :p
Chapter One
What if he was not kidding? What if he did have that emotional confusion? Shin could only shake her head in disbelief.
'I'll be fine, I swear.' She kept on repeating in her head. It seemed as if the information she had gathered today was a little too much that her brain stopped working. The scene from earlier was still fresh in her thoughts—every detail, every word, and his angelic face.
Kirisawa Shin's taste in men had always been weird. She went for those who were gender-benders, confused, dark, mysterious, and cold. Although her types did not care about her existence, their apathy and inviting aura melted her heart. Shin was a self-confessed fan girl, but she clearly stated that she was below hardcore. She liked keeping her little guilty pleasure a secret.
Because she loved going for the gender-benders, confused, dark, mysterious and cold ones, Shin always ended up in tears. Even if she were aware of her weird taste with men, she would still feel bad of what could have happened if only the ones she admired were straight and were after her. All those opportunities that she could have grabbed to get to know her crushes more in a higher level—wasted. In fact, since all she ever liked never had the possibility to like her back because of their sexual orientation, Shin got used to sitting on a quiet corner and crying.
Drop. Shin looked up and saw that the clouds were turning gray already. From cumulus clouds, nimbo-cumulus clouds emerged, disturbing the peaceful picture of a blue sky, plastered with fluffy white clouds. Drop. Drop. Drop. It started to rain.
Shin's initial reaction whenever it rained was to reach for her umbrella in her bag. This time, she preferred soaking herself to hide her tears somehow. Shin looked up and saw that the clouds were getting darker. In a few minutes, the rain poured hard enough to make her sick after, but she did not mind. Her tears streamed down her cheeks until it was hard to distinguish them from the rain that also touched her face. Solitude and the rain—those were all she needed.
"Kirisawa-san, are you all right?"
Somehow, a gentle voice broke the monotony of the sound of rainfall, getting Shin's attention. She looked to see who it was and saw that it was her Physics classmate, Kogure Kiminobu. Shin discreetly wiped her tears away.
"Oh, it's you, Kogure-san." She greeted. "What brings you here?"
Before he could even answer, Kogure did not hesitate to share his umbrella with his soaking classmate. "I just bought some food from the convenience store just around the corner, and well, this is where I usually walk going back to my unit." He replied.
"Oh." Shin shivered a bit. "So you live around here?"
Kogure rolled his eyes. "I just told you earlier, remember?" He searched for something to keep her dry temporarily and managed to retrieve a handkerchief from his pocket. "Just what are you doing under the heavy rain?" He asked, handing his handkerchief to Shin.
Shin remained silent, contemplating on whether she would tell Kogure the truth or just shut up. Her classmate was waiting for an answer—or probably not. Now, one thing bothered Shin—her cold state. The wetness of her clothes left her undergarments wet, too, and that made her feel uncomfortable. The strands of baby hair on her arms stood up and she shivered every now and then. There was one thing she could do before something bad would happen to her.
"Kogure-san, can you do me a favor?"
He looked at her, concern painted all over his face. "What is it?"
Although Kogure and Shin had known each other since high school, they were not close friends. They only know each other by name and they did not greet each other way back. Shin was busy dealing with school issues because she was Shohoku High's editor-in-chief while Kogure was busy balancing his grades with basketball. If you would ask the two of them to define who was who, they could only describe the other physically—Shin was the tall and slender brunette of Shohoku High's school paper, and Kogure was the bespectacled black-haired geek who always hung out in their school's court after classes. They were not even friends, just acquaintances. Moreover, even now that they were in the same university, the same college, and the same Physics class, they hardly talked with each other.
She could have decided to let those things get in the way of convenience, but she chose to shoo those thoughts away. Shin did not care of what Kogure might think about her after, as long as she could save herself from getting ill.
Shin bit her lip, shivering a bit. "Can you please let me in your unit until the rain stops just so I could let myself dry?"
Kogure studied Shin's wet state—clothes clinging on her body, messy hair, near to purple lips and shivering—how could he say no to her right now?
"The place where I live is just three blocks away from where we are right now. Can you still manage to walk or do you want me to carry you?"
"If I ask you to carry me, will you really do it?" Shin returned the question. "I mean, I'm… well, wet."
He sighed. "Here, hold my umbrella and the groceries for me."
Kogure gestured Shin to ride on his back. Shin carefully placed herself on top of his back. She could feel the warmth of his Physics classmate and it felt good because it was cold.
"Ready?" Kogure faced her to see if she was all right. Shin nodded, and off they went to Kogure's unit.
Aside from the rain being someone's sanctuary when they feel sad, it could do something magical to people that could cause something unexpected, leaving people in awe and amusement.
End of chapter one