Skateboards & Sketchpads
Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, I'd make Naminé & Roxas share a darn kiss! ›:3 And give them some fluff moments!
Author's Note
I know what you're thinking. "ANOTHER STORY?! WTF!" But yes, it's true. C: I warned you about this! Haha. Thanks to everyone who will give this story a chance & actually read and review it! First chapters are always the hardest, but I'm quite pleased with this one. I hope all of my YATMIM readers will enjoy this story just as much!
Genre: Pretty much the usual General/Romance.
Possibly a bit of humor here & there, hopefully.
Couples: Roxas x Naminé, Sora x Kairi, Olette x Hayner
I might add some more minor couples as the story goes on.
Warning: Long chapter!
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» August «
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Chapter One: It's Never Easy
For Naminé Etsuko, the first day of school was always the worst. Considering she was a new student made it all the more difficult. "Mom, have you seen my shoes?" she panicked, digging through her dumpster of a closet. "Mom!"
"Which ones, dear?" Mrs. Etsuko called from downstairs.
"The Converse!" Naminé yelled back, tossing shoe after shoe behind her.
"The black low tops or the red hi-tops?"
"Black!" Naminé slammed the closet shut and looked under her bed.
"I put them in the hall closet, sweetie."
"Urrgh." Naminé groaned. She grabbed her bag, making sure to take her trust-worthy sketchbook, flew down the stairs and opened the cabinets. The blond grabbed a packet of pop-tarts and stuck them in the toaster.
"Excited for school, honey?" Mrs. Etsuko asked. She was looking through a magazine and was sipping coffee from the mug Naminé had made in fifth grade. Her blond hair that Naminé had inherited was kept out of her way with two bobby pins.
"More like terrified," she mumbled, tapping her fingers impatiently as she waited for the toaster to come up with her pop-tarts.
"Oh, come on now." Mrs. Etsuko ruffled Naminé's hair. "You'll be fine, Nam." She scanned Naminé from head to toe. "And nice first day outfit you picked out!" she exclaimed. Naminé had carefully chosen a plain white v-neck, dark wash denim skinny jeans, and a white knitted beret she had gotten from Forever 21. Nothing that would win her best dressed, but it would help her blend.
"More like fourth day," Naminé pointed out with a sigh. Mrs. Etsuko had delayed the move by a few days, so Naminé had skipped the first few days of school. Oh crud! she thought as she noticed the clock. She only had ten minutes left until school started. The pop-tarts still weren't ready. These were crucial signs she'd be late. Wonderful, now she'd definitely be noticed.
"You know it couldn't be avoided, sweetie," Mrs. Etsuko chided gently. "It wasn't easy moving in a few days notice."
"It wasn't easy moving at all," Naminé snapped under her breath. Her mom sighed as the pop-tarts came out of the toaster. Naminé grabbed them and took a bite. "Hot! Hot!" Naminé cried dropping the pop-tart on the counter and fanning her mouth.
"Want a ride, Nam?" Mrs. Etsuko asked."You'll be late."
"No thanks, I'd rather walk," Naminé said with her mouth full. She grabbed her bag and carefully wrapped the pop-tarts in a napkin."It's a nice day. Besides, Twilight Town never had a school near the beach. I love the fresh scent of ocean water."
"So do I." Her mother smiled. "Do you have your Gym clothes we picked up yesterday?
"Yes, mom," Naminé sighed at the mention of Gym "I should get going. Bye."
"Bye honey," Mrs. Etsuko kissed Naminé on the head. "Don't worry at all! I love you. You'll love this school, I know it."
"Bye." Naminé mumbled, grabbing her shoes. Deciding to put them outside, Naminé rushed out the door and scampered down the sidewalk. She hopped on one foot as she tried to jam the other in her Converse.
Her phone fell out of her pocket. "Crap! Now I'm really late!" Naminé said as she caught a glance at her phone's clock. She shoved it inside her bag and tried to put on her other shoe. By the time she arrived at Destiny Islands High, the bell had already rung. "Nice," she mumbled. The biggest building was labeled 'Administration.' Naminé decided to head there.
Inside, Naminé was greeted by a cool blast from the air conditioner. The walls were a nice cream color with little paintings of waves and palm trees decorated on the wall. There was a lady in a yellow sundress behind a computer typing away. She looked up with bright eyes when Naminé entered.
"Hello there! Can I help you?" she asked in a friendly voice.
"I-I'm Naminé Etsuko," the blond artist mumbled. She was never good with adults of any kind. Ever since her father had left her and her mother, Naminé didn't trust adults, aside from her mom.
"Oh! Right, the new gal," the young woman smiled. "We've been waiting for you." She got up and began searching through a drawer. "I'm Ms. Reido," she explained. "It's very nice to meet you, Naminé."
"Thank you," Naminé mumbled.
"So, here is your schedule," Ms. Reido said, handing Naminé a slip of blue paper. "And here's a map to help you. It's very straightforward and you shouldn't have any problems finding your way around. D.I. High isn't very big," Ms. Reido laughed. "One more thing." she flipped through a folder and found a yellow sheet of paper. "I'll need your teachers to sign this. Please bring it back at the end of the day."
"I will," Naminé said as she took the various papers. "Thanks!" she attempted to say cheerfully.
"You're very welcome," Ms. Reido smiled kindly. "Have a great day."
—
R&N.
—
"All right. First, English with Mr. Takuta," Naminé mumbled. She stared at the map. "English building...ah!" she cried, spotting it on the map. "Hm, that doesn't look too far."
She was right. Two minutes later, Naminé was standing in front of room 23. Holding her breath, she pushed open the door and peeked in. A man with black hair and dark brown eyes looked away from the whiteboard. Joining him were thirty other pairs of eyes. "Oh! Hello, you must be Naminé," he smiled brightly. "Come in."
Naminé opened the door wider and shyly stepped into the classroom. Everyone was staring, making Naminé feel hilariously like a circus animal. She handed Mr. Takuta her yellow slip who set it on his desk. "Naminé, why don't you tell us a little something about yourself?" Mr. Takuta suggested.
Darn! Naminé thought. She was hoping she'd be able to just sit down. "U-um," Naminé stuttered. Her vocal chords refused to work and her brain wasn't helping her think straight. "Well...I'm Naminé Etsuko," she began. "I...I like to draw," she said quickly.
"How nice, Naminé," Mr. Takuta smiled. "Now let's find you a seat..."
He turned to face the students, his eyes scanning up and down each row. "Ah! Why don't you sit next to Kairi? Raise your hand, Kairi."
A pretty girl with red hair smiled and lifted her hand up. She was wearing a pink tank top and denim shorts. Naminé shyly navigated her way through the rows and into her seat. As Mr. Takuta was digging through a binder, the other students began to talk in low voices. Feeling left out, Naminé stared at her desk. "Hi, Naminé!" Kairi smiled.
"H-hello." Naminé smiled back shakily.
"I'm Kairi Kurusu," Kairi said.
"And I'm Sora Ishida," introduced the boy behind Kairi. He had unbelievably chocolate-colored spiky hair. "I'm Kairi's boyfriend." He grinned cheekily.
"Nice to meet you both," Naminé said politely.
"Where did you move from?" Kairi asked.
"I came from Twilight Town," Naminé grinned, happy to talk about her old home. Her smile faded as she remembered her friends from back home. Were they thinking about her, too?
"That's a really nice town," Kairi said. "I visited it for Christmas, once. It's so pretty with all the snow and lights!"
"I've been there, too," Sora chimed in. "They have good restaurants."
"Oh Sora," Kairi rolled her eyes. "All you think about is food." She laughed. "Speaking of food, would you like to sit with us at lunch today, Naminé?" she asked in a friendly manner. "You can meet our other friends, too. They're all nice, so you don't have to worry about anything."
"I'd love too!" the blond artist said eagerly, completely grateful. "Thanks."
"What's your schedule, Naminé?" Sora asked. Naminé dug out her schedule and handed it to them.
"English 10 Honors with us," Kairi read.
"Then Algebra II with Ms. Hajiro," Sora continued. "How cool! Me and our friend Olette have the same math." The two continued reading the small blue paper.
"History with Mrs. Sheiro," Kairi squealed. "Perfect! That's me, Hayner, Pence, and you!"
"Same lunch!" Sora and Kairi chimed in. Naminé couldn't help but giggle at their enthusiasm.
"Gym with Coach Reyu," Sora nodded. "Good one, I'm in that, too!"
Gym after lunch? Naminé gulped. The equation in her head wasn't giving off a good sign: Sports + Naminé = RUN!
"Aren't Olette and Wakka and Selphie in that class?" Kairi asked.
"And Tidus, Roxas, and Hayner!" Sora grinned.
Kairi pouted. "This is so unfair! Me and Pence are the only ones who didn't get fifth period Gym," she sighed. "Oh well. Hmm, interesting! You're in Chemistry 10 A," Kairi nodded. "I don't think I know anyone that has Kajuto for sixth."
"Only Roxas has that," Sora snapped his fingers. "I remember now."
"Roxas?" Naminé asked.
"Yeah, he's my cousin," Sora smiled. "Don't worry, you'll meet everyone at lunch."
—
R&N.
—
"Come on, Naminé. I'll walk with you to second period," Sora said, motioning to the blond. "Bye Kairi," Sora said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Bye Sora," Kairi waved. "Bye Naminé! See you at lunch."
"Bye," Naminé called after her.
"Let's go meet Olette!" Sora grinned. "She's like the mother of the group," Sora said. They reached the Math department in a matter of minutes. Sora led Naminé to the second door down the hall. "There she is! Hi, Olette!" Sora waved at the other end of the hallway. A pretty brunette with bright green eyes waved back.
"Olette," Sora said when the girl had reached them. "This is Naminé. She's new."
"Hello!" Olette smiled brightly. The notebook she was carrying read Olette Sukari. She reached for Naminé's hand who shook it lightly. "It's nice to meet you."
"Thanks," Naminé said. "Nice to meet you, too."
Olette held the door open for them as Sora bounded inside, taking his seat. "Can I see your schedule?" Olette asked.
Naminé handed it to her. "Oh! Same lunch and Gym period," Olette said excitedly. "That's great!" The tardy bell rang as Olette handed it back. "I'll talk to you later," Olette said brightly as she took her seat in the front row.
"Ah! New student!" Ms. Hajiro said. Naminé was surprised at how young she was. She could easily pass for a senior. "Hello, dear. Let's see...oh! Yes, yes, Naminé." She took the yellow paper Naminé handed her and quickly signed her name. "Where shall we put you? Mmm...do you mind sitting next to the window?" Ms. Hajiro asked. Too shy to speak, Naminé shook her head.
"Wonderful!" Ms. Hajiro grinned. "Then that's your new seat." She pointed to a desk in the third row. Head down, Naminé blushed as she felt multiple pairs of eyes on her. She set her stuff down and stared at her hands.
"Now then, let's review what we went over yesterday, shall we?" Ms. Hajiro asked. She wrote something on the board in a squeaky black marker. Naminé looked up and noticed the boy next to her staring. Red-faced, Naminé averted her gaze and stared at the wall.
"Hey," the boy whispered. Naminé looked back at him. He was wearing a black beanie that tucked over his blond hair. The boy was really toned, which Naminé couldn't help but stare and admire his arms. Stop staring, Nam! she hissed to herself. "I'm Seifer," the blond boy smiled. It was more of a smirk, but it was a nice smirk.
"I'm Naminé," she whispered back.
"Hi Naminé." Seifer grinned.
"H-hi," Naminé said, blushing quite furiously.
"You're new, right? How 'bout sitting with me at lunch?" Seifer asked, casually.
"Actually, I already promised some friends I'd have lunch with them," Naminé said, remembering Kairi's offer.
"Hm. Already? Well, can't say I don't believe you, with what a pretty girl you are someone was bound to snatch you up," Seifer chuckled to himself as Naminé's cheeks heated up flaringly. "Well, if you want, my offer's always open."
"Thanks," Naminé smiled shyly.
The day wasn't turning out to be half bad.
—
R&N.
—
"...and you already know Pence from third period, and that's Selphie and Wakka, who you'll see in Gym later." Kairi rattled off.
Naminé wasn't sure she'd be able to remember everyone. She studied each one as Kairi began talking about History class.
But wasn't there one more...?
The rest of the group was examining Naminé's schedule.
"That's so cool how most of us are in the same Gym period," Tidus said as he passed the schedule to Selphie.
"Yay!" Selphie grinned. "I can't wait! Now it's me, Naminé, Olette, Sora, Wakka, and Tidy!" she squealed.
Tidus' cheeks grew red. "Selphie! Don't call me that!" he huffed.
"And Roxas," Sora added.
Oh that's right! Naminé thought. Roxas. Where is he?
"This isn't fair," Kairi sighed. "Me and Pence are stuck in sixth period Gym!"
"Hey Kairi," Pence piped up. "Maybe we can get our schedules switched. That way, all of us could have a class together!"
"Awesome idea, P!" Kairi lept up. "Let's go right now."
"Fingers crossed!" Sora yelled after them as the two scampered out of the cafeteria. "We've never all had a class together," Sora explained to Naminé. "Usually we're separated out pretty evenly."
"Last year we were so close," Selphie pouted. "Everyone but Roxy had Bio!"
"Roxy?" Naminé giggled.
"She means Roxas," Tidus piped up. "Selphie likes to give everyone stupid nicknames."
"They're not stupid," Selphie smacked Tidus' arm.
"Ow!"
"Mine's is Sory," Sora said. "Tidus' is 'Tidy', Roxas' is 'Roxy', Wakka's is 'Wakky', Olette's is 'Olly', Hayner's is 'Hany', and Pence's is 'Pency'."
Naminé giggled. "What about Kairi's?"
"Oh, Kairi's name already ends the same as mine, so I didn't give her one," Selphie grinned. "But we call her 'Kai' at times."
That would explain all the 'eeee' sound endings, Naminé chuckled to herself.
"Hey! Would it be all right if I called you Nami, Naminé?" Selphie asked.
"Oh sure! Ask her for permission!" Tidus rolled his eyes. Selphie ignored him.
"Sure," Naminé smiled. "That's what my friends back home called me." Her heart throbbed at the mention of her Twilight Town friends. She wondered what they were doing now. Her best friend, Rain, was probably eating her usual chicken sandwich and playfully teasing Lite, her and Naminé's other friend. She missed them.
"Awesome!" Kairi bounded back to the table with Pence. Her eyes were shining. "They let us switch!"
"No way!" Selphie squealed, clapping her hands in delight. "But how? Last year they wouldn't let Roxas switch."
"Well, it was easy for Pence," Kairi stuck out her tongue at the chubby boy who laughed it off. "They looked at his files and saw that he was in Photography Club, Yearbook, and Debate club last year, so they let him right away."
"What about you, Kairi?" Sora asked. Kairi took her spot next to Sora and Naminé and laughed.
"They asked me why I wanted to switch and I said if I had Gym last I'd be too tired to walk home," Kairi grinned.
"This is sweet!" Selphie bounced in her seat. "I can't wait! Last year, me and Wakky were partners in Tennis ("I will never forget when you hit me on the side of my head," Wakka muttered) and the ball flew up so high and came out of nowhere and it hit Roxy in the face!" Selphie giggled hysterically.
"Where is Roxas?" Sora asked.
"I saw him go with Axel and Demyx outside," Hayner twisted his mouth in annoyance.
"Not again," Sora moaned.
"What's wrong?" Naminé asked, eyes wide. Sora's expression was rigid, which didn't do much good for his bright, childish features.
"My cousin's not exactly...well, he's kind of involved with some really bad people," Sora admitted, ashamed.
"Like a...gang?"
"Yeah," Sora sighed. "I worry about him. I mean, I know he can take care of himself, but I don't want him hanging out with the those people. But of course he never listens to me," Sora chuckled dryly.
The conversation had dulled away.
"Hayner," Selphie said sweetly. "Are you going to eat that pie?" she pointed to the delicious looking apple pie that sat on his plate.
"Of course I'm going to eat it," Hayner rolled his eyes. "Don't think you can just take it! My mom went all the way to Pie Parlor for it."
"Pie Parlor?" Naminé raised an eyebrow, giggling at the funny name.
"Yeah!" Sora chimed in, beginning to brighten. "They have the best pies ever."
"Hey! We should take Naminé there on the weekend," Kairi suggested. The group agreed, all of them telling Naminé about Pie Parlor and how amazing it was. "Then it's settled," Kairi clapped her hands. "Saturday, we're taking you to Pie Parlor!"
"Sounds fun," Naminé smiled. The day was getting better and better. Maybe moving here wasn't so bad...
—
R&N.
—
"Honestly, Kairi. I am no good at sports," Naminé informed, exchanging her white v-neck for the light gray Gym shirt. "Back home, no one except my best friend picked me for a team." Naminé shook her head. Rain always picked Naminé, no matter the consequence.
"Oh, stop exaggerating," Kairi laughed. "No one's as bad as Selphie, trust me on this."
"Hey!" Selphie put her hands on her hips. "I heard that!"
Laughing along with Kairi and Olette, Naminé slipped on the teal-colored Gym shorts. "Holy crap!" Naminé gasped. "These are sooo short!" she cried, tugging the shorts down. I've never worn anything as short as this, she thought uncomfortably.
"You get used to them," Selphie laughed. "You should've seen Olette her first year here. She refused to come out of the locker rooms. They had to give her X-Large shorts so they'd cover her knees."
"Selphie!" Olette blushed furiously.
"And then she had to switch back because they were so baggy," Kairi remembered, laughing.
"I just don't like showing my legs!" Olette moaned.
"Why not? You have a great body," Selphie smiled coyly. Olette reddened, then smacked Selphie on the arm and ran out of the locker room. "Oh, come on Olette! It's not a bad thing!" Selphie cried, running after her.
"Ready, Naminé?" Kairi asked, straightening up.
Naminé quickly looped her shoelaces and gave them a firm tug. "Yup!"
The two girls walked outside, the sun beating down on their faces. It was such a warm day. At least I'll get some sun.
"Everyone! On your numbers!" a man with long silver hair shouted, blowing his whistle. The students began to diverse to the the four sets of numbers, each numbering from one-to-fifty.
"That's coach Reyu," Kairi whispered. "His first name is Xemnas."
"Xemnas?" Naminé giggled at the name.
Kairi smiled. "I'll see you later, Naminé. I have Coach Lasux." she waved and hurried to the set of numbers that was the farthest. Naminé watched as hordes of students dispersed and sat on their numbers. Left standing, Naminé flushed, staring at the ground and clasping her yellow paper. She could feel stares on her.
"Excuse me, Miss. Why aren't you on your number?" Coach Reyu was looking down on her. Nervous, Naminé handed him the yellow paper. He glanced at it, then smiled. "Ah, yes. You're the new girl!" He quickly signed the yellow paper and attached it to the clipboard. "Remind me to give you this after class. In the meantime, follow me."
He led her to the set of numbers in the middle. "Class, this is Naminé." he introduced. Naminé recognized Sora on number fourteen and Tidus on number thirty-one. Everyone else was obviously on the other set of numbers. "Let's see. How about you sit on the very last number until I can figure out where you really belong?" Coach Reyu suggested.
"That's f-fine," Naminé stuttered. She quickly sat down on number forty-six.
"Ok, let's see...Rin Atatsu?"
"Here."
Naminé traced the white numbers with her finger and stared intently at the blacktop. She missed Rain and Lite. Kairi and the gang were nice, but something wasn't right. Something wasn't complete.
"We're going to be there for you when you need us." Rain and Lite had promised.
Then where are you? Naminé bit her lip.
"You ok?"
Naminé turned her head to her left, lifting her finger up. "What?"
"You look like you're going to cry."
Naminé recognized the boy from second period. "O-oh, hi Seifer," she smiled gently. "I'm fine."
"You sure?" He asked, raising a blond eyebrow.
"Definitely," Naminé assured. "Just caught up with something."
"Huh. Well, we're playing football today. That should help get your mind off things." Seifer said, adjusting his beanie. Naminé wondered why he still had it on.
"Actually, I'm not a sports fan," Naminé informed, wrapping her arms around her pale legs. "Sports aren't my thing."
"Sports are a big thing around here. So don't be surprised if some people get...competitive." He began smirking.
Naminé wondered what that was all about. She sat quietly, trying to cover her bare legs with her arms. Darn these shorts. Coach Reyu finished taking roll and clapped his hands.
"Listen up, shorties," he called out. "Coach Lasux's class is going to be on our team in football. We're playing against Coach Treyn's and Coach Mintro's class today. I expect you guys to kill them!" He shouted out, making Naminé jump. "Show 'em no mercy. Losing team has to run the mile on Friday, and I'm sure as hell you guy's don't want to do that."
"Damn straight!" Naminé realized it was Hayner who had shouted out. The class erupted into giggles.
The cursing didn't seem to faze Coach Reyu. "Who's going to win?" He yelled.
"We are!" the class cheered, then got up and headed for the field.
Sora caught up with Naminé. "Crazy, isn't it?" he laughed.
"Completely," Naminé agreed, a smile tugging out her lips. So this was what Seifer had meant by 'competitive.'
"Good thing we have Roxas on our team," Sora said. "He's one of the best athletes at our school."
"What about me?" asked a smooth, low voice. It rolled off the speaker's tongue so gently Naminé shivered. So this was Roxas? She turned around to get a glimpse at the mysterious boy and froze, her heartbeat speeding up.
The first thing she caught were his eyes. They were very, very blue. The faint roar of the ocean reminded her that the color was similar to that of the sea's. Naminé was entranced by them. Her gaze shifted to his spiky blond hair. It was fascinating how his hair was twisted all over, each spike curled at an angle. They looked so soft she wondered if they were natural. He had a very good build. Naminé reddened as she caught herself staring at his nicely toned arms.
But the best thing had to be his smile. It was crooked, one side higher then the other, forming the possibility that imperfection was perfection. She marveled at him, seeing the relations between him and Sora. But there was something more sculpted about him. Something more chiseled.
As he turned his head, though, Naminé caught sight of his cheek, which was badly scraped, and his neck, which was covered with a bandage. She stared, wondering what had happened. Naminé remembered Sora saying something about him in a gang and her spine shivered. Were all those injuries from fights?
"I was just telling Naminé how lame of an athlete you are," Sora smiled, just as Selphie came bounding toward them.
"Roxy!" she squealed, throwing her arms around him. He hugged her back. "We missed you at lunch," she bounced on her toes.
"No we didn't," Tidus came up behind them and laughed, slapping Roxas on the back. Roxas pulled Tidus into a headlock. "Argh!" Tidus groaned. Roxas laughed and let go.
"Roxy, have you met Nami?" Selphie asked, pulling the blond girl closer to the handsome boy. "Roxas, this is Naminé. She's a new student. Naminé, this is Roxas. He's an old student." Selphie began laughing hysterically at her joke.
"Grow up," Tidus rolled his eyes, dragging Selphie away.
"So you're new?" Roxas asked her.
She nodded and looked down at her feet.
"Naminé moved from Twilight Town," Sora interjected, sensing the blond girl's shyness.
"Cool," Roxas said. "Must be hard moving, huh?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.
Naminé nodded again.
Awkward.
"Let's get our flags," Sora suggested.
Naminé looked up. "Flags?"
"We're not allowed to play tackle football, so we play flag football," Sora informed. "So instead of tackling someone, you rip off their belt to get them out." He explained. When they reached a pile of flags, Sora plucked up two blue ones. "See? You pull one of the flags and the whole belt should unclip. We're the blue team." he said. He showed Naminé how to clip the band around her waist. Dangling from it were three blue flags.
"Hey, guys!" Olette waved and came up to them. The flag-belt was tightened around her hips. "Have you ever played this before, Naminé?" she asked the blond.
"No," Naminé shook her head. "Maybe once, but like I said, I'm no good at sports."
A wolf whistle pierced the air. "Woo! Nice legs, Olette!" Hayner shouted out, laughing as he came up behind them.
Olette turned bright red and socked him in the stomach. "Perv!" she cried, running off.
"Honestly, Hayner," Roxas shook his head, but Naminé could see he was trying hard not to laugh.
"Hey, chickenwuss."
Naminé peeked over her shoulder to see Seifer come sauntering over. Behind him was a scarily buff guy with brown hair and a slender girl with short silver hair. Naminé watched as Roxas froze, then spun around, facing the three.
"What the hell do you want?" he snarled.
"You better not fuck this game up, 'cause I'm not running the mile because of you." Seifer sneered.
Roxas balled up his fists. "Shut the hell up, Seifer."
"Hey, no need to get mad, chickenwuss." Seifer laughed, then turned around and waltzed off, the flags rustling.
"I hate that guy," Roxas spat.
"Roxas, calm down - "
Ignoring Sora, Roxas took off toward the opposite end of the field.
"What was that?" Naminé asked, watching the two boys.
"Those two are always at it," Sora shook his head. "It's always gotten worse time after time. I'm afraid one day Roxas will seriously get hurt. Seifer means business."
"Who's ready for some football?" Kairi asked, coming out of nowhere.
Naminé and Sora jumped. "Kai, you're like a ghost, I swear," Sora chuckled. The laugh sounded forced, and Naminé could sense talking about Roxas and Seifer had worried him.
"I'm the ghost around here," Naminé joked, trying to ease the brunette. "Look at how pale I am!"
The couple burst out laughing.
Soon, the game started. Naminé merely watched with Kairi and Olette, both of which were on her team. She couldn't help but stare as Roxas dove for the ball, then took off down the field. Sora was right, he really is good. Her gaze shifted and she watched Sora and Hayner as they covered him. Wakka and Tidus were good as well, both of them sprinting after the ball, managing to avoid getting their flags ripped off.
The game went on for a while. The three girls managed to rip off one person's flag - Pence.
"Hey!" he huffed. "Not fair! The three of you ganged up on me," he whined.
"Aw, don't be such a party pooper, Pence," Kairi giggled. Olette handed him back his flags as Naminé smiled and chuckled quietly.
Muttering to himself, Pence grabbed his flags and marched back to his side.
Olette screamed. "Hayner!"
Hayner had successfully managed to rip off Olette's belt of flags. He held it high and waved it around, laughing.
"You pervert!" Olette cried. "You touched my butt!"
"What?" he asked, smirking. "I was just taking your flags."
"We're on the same team, doofus!" she snatched it back.
"Whoops. My mistake," Hayner ran off, laughing the whole way. Olette took off after him, raising her fist in the air and shouting. It was amazing that Sora had called Olette the mother of the group.
"That's Olette and Hayner for you," Kairi laughed, shaking her head.
"Does Hayner like her?" Naminé wondered out loud.
"He does. He just doesn't want to admit it," Kairi said. "So he just acts like that around her." Kairi's eyes widened as she turned to the field. "Oh my gosh!"
"Watch where you're going!" Seifer shouted, pushing Roxas back.
"You watch it!" Roxas shoved Seifer back.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" some of the students chanted, forming a circle around the two boys.
"Ishida! Yuhara!" Coach Reyu roared angrily. He stormed over to the group, pushing his way into the circle. "What the hell is wrong with you two?!" He grabbed their arms and pulled them to the side, yelling angrily.
"Not again." Kairi mumbled. "I thought they got over each other." Kairi pursed her lips and watched as the Coach dragged the two blonds to the Gym building, yelling something about detention.
"What do you mean?" Naminé asked.
The red-head crossed her arms. "Last year, they both got suspended three times for fighting each other," Kairi said, tugging a lock of red hair. "That Seifer is always starting something. But Roxas can be so hard-headed, he never backs off in a fight. So the two of them just duke it out."
"Seems like they have a lot of history," Naminé pointed out.
Kairi chuckled dryly. "You could say that."
—
R&N.
—
The scent of marker filled the air, making Naminé's nose tingle. The first thing she had noticed about her last class was that their were dozens of markers littered around. It seemed that every marker under the sun had made its way to room 32. The white board was filled with writing, all in various colors. The walls were hidden under a mess of posters, projects, and notices.
It seemed more of an art room then a chemistry lab, despite the fact there was a huge poster that listed all the chemical names.
Naminé decided she liked this room.
"Hello, everyone!" the teacher, Mrs. Kajuto exclaimed. "Welcome to the third day of school." She spotted Naminé by the door and brightened. "Oh! You must be Naminé!" she said happily, taking the yellow slip Naminé handed her. She was wearing a bright purple shirt with very white pants and a yellow beaded necklace. She didn't look like a chem teacher at all.
"Is there anyone that doesn't have a lab partner?" Mrs. Kajuto asked. "I think it was this class that didn't..." she glanced down at her seating chart. "Ah yes, Roxas!" she exclaimed, pointing to the back of the room.
Life was so predictable.
Naminé hesitantly made her way to the back, setting her stuff down quietly.
"So we meet again," Roxas chuckled, his fingers running through his blond spiky hair.
Naminé blushed, then concentrated on the teacher.
"I thought we'd kick off our first chapter with a video," Mrs. Kajuto suggested. The class cheered and she laughed. "All right, settle down. This will help you understand the content we'll be learning," she explained, turning the TV on. "Risa, be a dear and turn off the lights for us."
The lights clicked off.
The TV screen brightened the room and started to show the video.
Within minutes, Naminé was bored. She glanced around to see everyone talking quietly. Feeling left out again, Naminé pulled out her sketchpad and started to draw. The day's feelings were suddenly put into pictures. She drew the school with the ocean in the background, adding details and erasing flaws. For a border, Naminé decided to add little heads of her new friends. Next to Hayner and Selphie's, she drew a little pie to remind her of what had happened at lunch. It had made her laugh and was one of the first memories she had here. Art was her way out.
"That's really good."
Naminé looked up to find Roxas studying her picture. "Oh. T-thanks," Naminé stuttered out. "It's not done, but - "
"But what?" Roxas raised an eyebrow. "This is awesome."
Naminé smiled gently. "Thank you."
"So you like to draw?" Roxas asked, adjusting the black and white checkered wristband on his wrist. Naminé noticed he had one black and one white ring on his left hand's index and middle fingers.
Naminé nodded. "I've been drawing since I was five," she offered shyly.
Roxas smiled, then squinted and leaned in toward the picture. "Is that...pie?" he asked.
Naminé reddened, glad the lights were off to mask her red face. "Yes," she said. "At lunch, Hayner and Selphie were arguing over a piece of pie, and it made me laugh," Naminé explained. Did he think it was stupid? Lame? Funny?
"That's actually a good idea," Roxas smiled. "Did they happen to mention where the pie was from?"
"Hayner said it was from Pie Parlor," Naminé recalled.
"I knew it," Roxas snapped his fingers. "We go there all the time. They have great pies. You should check it out sometime."
"Kairi invited me to go along with them this weekend," Naminé remembered.
"Really? Hm. Maybe I'll tag along," Roxas said, tapping his long fingers against the black table. "Last time we went, Sora ate all my pie, though, so I'll have to steer clear of him."
Naminé's heart throbbed. "Maybe I'll tag along." She hoped he would.
End Chapter One
Chapter Two Teaser: Naminé discovers the three worst things about D.I. High: The Three Beauties, Chained, & The Thirteen.
Author's Note
So there you have it! The first chapter is done. Long, huh? I felt I rushed through with the characters, but I spent quite a while trying to decide on this. C: Well, thanks for reading! I'm so inspired by this story, I'm actually about to work on chapter two the minute this gets out. I feel so motivated, plus it's summer so if I can get a little bit ahead by the time school starts, it won't be so bad if I don't update for a while.
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