Prologue
Morning light passed through the window, softly hitting my face. As I woke up, my phone began buzzing on his table. The bright backlight from the phone blinded me slightly. When my eyes adjusted to the light, I checked the caller ID. 'Riku' A small smile hit my face as I answered.
"Hey," I said groggily.
"Mornin' Sora. You ready yet?" Riku asked.
Oh fuck, fuck, fuck! "Um, about that…" I said awkwardly.
I heard a sigh through the phone from Riku. "Sora I swear to god, you'd forget your head if it wasn't screwed on."
"Yeah, ha ha." I said, sarcasm present in my voice.
"I'll be there in half an hour. Then we'll go meet up with Ichigo and Renji." He said, "Be ready by then, ok?"
I could imagine his kind smile on his face as he said that. "Yeah sure, see you in half an hour." I said before hanging up.
If you haven't already guessed, my name's Sora. This is the story of my High School years. They were some of the best, and some of the worst times of my life. Not all of you will like my story, but to be honest I couldn't give two shits. Damn, I lost where I was. Oh, that's right. I was getting ready for Riku to come round.
-
As the steam cleared from the bathroom, I wiped down the mirror to take a look at myself. I then went through the usual routine: spike up my hair into small pyramids, checking for any unwanted pimples and then getting dressed. One last look in the mirror, then I went into the kitchen for breakfast. I didn't have much in the way of food, so I just had buttered toast.
My parents died when I was seven. I was going to be taken away to a foster home, but Riku's family stepped in and volunteered to look after me. I still live in my old house. But I get given a few hundred dollars a month for food and things. It gets kind of lonely at times, but Riku comes and stays with me three times a week. Riku is kind of like an older brother to me. I don't know what I'd do without him sometimes… my phone vibrated on the table, snapping me out of my thoughts. *Almost there. You better be ready!* it read.
A light tapping came from the door before it burst open. "Riku, if you keep doing that then the door will break off its hinges again." I said grumpily.
He smirked. "Yeah, and if it does, I'll just fix it like I've done the last fifty times."
He said proudly. I couldn't help but laugh at him. "Come on Sora, Ichigo and Renji are waiting for us!" he yelled.
I got up from my seat, ate the last bite of my toast, put my phone in my pocket and left the house.
Renji and Ichigo were waiting at the park a few streets away from my house. "Sora! Riku! Over here!" he yelled out, while Ichigo sighed and softly smacked his forehead softly.
"Hey Ichigo" Riku said.
"Has he figured it out yet?" Ichigo asked Riku.
"Nope, but I hope he does soon." Riku said, a slight hint of sadness present in his voice.
I wish they'd tell me what this whole thing is about. Are they talking about me?
"Come on guys, it's the last day of the summer holidays." Renji said. "We need to get our new uniforms for school."
As we walked off, my mind turned to school. New year, new school. Our first day as high school students. The conversation continued between the other three without me even noticing. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even hear what they were saying. From what I heard from the start, they were going on about how the new uniforms would look or whatever Kairi came up with to keep the conversation going.
Riku asked Ichigo how he and Grimmjow were doing. A wild blush crept across his face. Whenever someone asked about Ichigo's boyfriend he always got nervous for some reason. He was a bit childish in that way. Grimmjow was an alright guy. He was funny, he was always someone you could talk to if you had a problem and, most of all, he made Ichigo happy. And to me, that's all that mattered.
I felt an arm wrap around my waist, knocking me out of my deep thought. "Someone's been quieter than usual."
Riku said jokingly. "What's on your mind?"
Without warning, my heart started beating a mile a minute. My body temperature rose a few degrees and my hands were getting clammier by the minute. It took me a few seconds for my body to register what Riku had said.
"I- I-… um, I don't- hehe" an awkward laugh escaped from my mouth while I could feel a blush creeping up my face.
Why the fuck do I always get like this when Riku's around me.
Riku brushed his hair out of the way of his face, then put on the smile that always made my heart feel like it would burst out of my chest.
"I know what will cheer you up!" Riku said, turning to face the other way then crouching down. "Jump on!"
Riku was insisting that he give me a piggy-back, and I knew straight away that he wouldn't take no for an answer. So I gave in and jumped on, wrapping my arms softly around his neck.
I spent most of the rest of the day riding on Riku's back. We went to pick up the uniforms first. We were basically in and out. (Of course I wasn't on Riku's back while we were in the store.) Then we went to pick up our notebooks and the school-issued laptops. Then we just relaxed for the day, walking around Twilight Town. I didn't talk much through the day, I just thought. I thought about school, studies, meeting new people and, well, the reason why Riku makes me feel the way I do.
Ichigo left first pretty early. He said something about his cat, but I wasn't really listening. Renji left about an hour later.
"Riku, promise me you won't do anything stupid about 'You Know What', alright?" Renji said, concern filling his voice.
"Yeah sure" he replied lazily. After she left, it was just me and Riku walking around. It wasn't bad; I got to hang out with my best friend. I was still riding comfortably on his back.
Suddenly, an idea came into my mind.
"Hey Riku, you wanna' stay round tonight?" I asked.
"Sure Sora, let me just tell mum then we'll head round to your place."
I smiled softly before resting my head in his hair. He had really soft hair, it was like a cushion. He never told me how he got his hair so smooth and soft. I fell asleep pretty quickly, and Riku didn't seem to mind.
I always felt something for Riku, whether it was love or something else. I could never tell what it was. But it took me a long time to realize that it was love, and I never knew how much I was hurting Riku by not figuring it out sooner. Ok, where was I. Oh yes, Riku was walking me home…
"Sora, Sora wake up." A voice said, waking me from my dream. My eyes slowly adjusted to the light when I saw a face with silver hair hovering above me.
"Hmm" I grumbled, stretching out my bones and shaking myself from my sleep. "Hey Riku, how did we get back to my place?"
He laughed and shook his head. "You fell asleep on my back Sora, so I carried you home." He said with a loving smile on his face. "Now, I'm going back to my house for a minute to get some clothes. What will we be doing for dinner?"
"Hmm, I think I have a couple of microwave pastas in my fridge. Will they be ok?" I asked.
"Sounds great Sora. I'll be back in half an hour. We'll have dinner and a movie, yeah?" He said as he left the house.
Silence was all that could be heard in the room. It wasn't bad. In fact, I prefer to be alone most of the time. After my parents died, I had to take care of myself. Apart from Riku and his parents, I was alone. Seven years old and all alone, that's no way for a child to live. But eight years later and here I am, a perfectly normal high school student.
I got up to get the spare mattress and put it into the lounge room, then went to get some covers for Riku's bed. The lounge room didn't take that long to sort out and get ready, only about five minutes. Afterwards, I just put the dinners in the microwave and got them set out on the table for when Riku got back to my place. Luckily, he was almost here when the dinners were ready.
*Knock knock* "Sora, It's me!" Riku yelled. "Open the door!"
"It's open!" I shouted back.
"Soooooooora! My hands are full! Open it for me!"
"Okay, hang on a minute." I said, a heavy sigh escaping my mouth when I got up.
I slowly walked to the door and turned the knob to see Riku standing in front of my doorway. I looked down at the floor to see his bags on the floor. I caught a quick glimpse of the smirk on his face before he pounced at me, knocking me over onto the carpet. Before I knew it he was sitting on my chest and tickling my ribs and my armpits.
"Ri- Riku, Fucking get o- HAHA, get the hell off of me! HAHA!" I squealed.
"No fucking wau Sora, this is too much fun!" he said going for my feet.
"No, no not my feet! HAHAHA! You win, you win! Now get off of me!"
Riku finally gave up and stood up, holding out a hand to help me up off of the ground. Once I got up, Riku grabbed the bags and walked inside. I shut the door and headed into the kitchen to see Riku sitting down, waiting for me to come in and start eating. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of food being chewed. I was the first to break the silence.
"Your parents say anything to you when you went home?" I asked him.
"Just that they wish us both a great first year at high school. Oh, and I'm sorry to be so serious but you need to keep your grades at a B average or they have to sell your house."
"Only a B? That seems easy enough. Oh, let me get that." I said grabbing Riku's dish and putting it in the bin, along with mine. "Come on, let's go watch that movie!"
That first year of high school was probably the hardest thing for Riku. If I could go back in time, I would go back and tell him that things would get better. But since I can't, then he had to suffer while sat by, not knowing how much I was hurting him.
The high pitched buzz from the alarm woke both Riku and I up with a jump. After a few months relaxation, early mornings were a hard habit to get back into. I felt myself start to drift off before Riku pulled the covers off of me and lifted me up.
"Come on lazy bones, we got school to go to." Riku said with a slight smile and misty eyes that were still half asleep.
"Mmm, just five more minutes." I moaned before rolling over and facing the back side of the couch. Riku however, didn't give up.
"SORA, UP NOW!" He shouted while shaking me rough, but gentle at the same time.
"Fuck! Why does school have to start so early?!"
"I don't know, but it starts in an hour. So get up and get ready, we can't miss our first day."
"Fine, you can have the first shower. I'll get breakfast." And while he showers, I can get a bit more sleep.
"Uh, uh. I know what you're thinking, and it won't work. Up, shower, now!"
I got up slowly and dragged myself to the bathroom while Riku went and made himself some toast. "Don't even think about trying to sleep in the shower!" he shouted. "I don't care if you're naked, I'm coming in to check on you!" I sighed softly before stepping into the bathroom.
I turned the hot tap a bit, then took off my clothes while the temperature rose. I turned the cold tap on to even out the temperature, then stepped inside. I felt myself relax a little as the warm water ran over my shoulders and wet my hair. I always loved water. I don't know why, I just did. I heard a loud crash followed by Riku yelling "OW, OW, OW". I struggled to hold in a laugh, but a small giggle escaped.
I finished with my shower and went to get dressed in my new school uniform. The uniform consisted of a white, short-sleeved t-shirt with a black and white striped tie and grey denim jeans. It wasn't a bad uniform, actually it looked pretty good. I heard the water turn on in the bathroom.
"Riku? Is that you in there?" I yelled.
"Who else would it be?" He yelled back.
"I don't bloody know!"
"Yeah, because some random person is going to break into your house, just to have a shower!"
"Just shut up and have your shower! Don't take too long in there!"
I put my clothes on, grabbed my phone from my bedside table and went into the kitchen to make breakfast, but when I got there I was met with a surprise. Riku had made breakfast for me. Two cheese toasties with a hash brown and a glass of orange juice. What did I do to deserve him as a best friend? I felt my phone vibrate against my leg. 'Ichigo' appeared on the screen.
'Hey Sora, sleep well? I'm walking to school with Rukia and Grimmjow so we'll meet you and Riku at the Introduction Assembly. See you later!'
I smiled softly as I read the text. Ichigo has always been a good friend to me.
"What's that goofy grin about?" Riku said behind me, scaring me enough to make me drop my phone. "Who are you messaging?"
"Just Ichigo." I said. "He said he'll meet us at school during the introduction assembl-" I stared at him. He was only wearing a towel around his waist. "Riku, I know it pays to advertise, but put some god damn clothes on or I'll rip that towel off of you and throw you outside."
"I'd like to see you try" he said, poking my shoulder.
"Just put some clothes on for god sake." I said laughing softly.
Riku turned around and walked down the hall. I got up from my seat and walked to my bedroom. I pulled my laptop from its charger and placed it in my bag, along with my books and pens. I put the strap over my shoulder and walked into the kitchen to wait for Riku.
As I walked to the kitchen, I took a slight detour into my room to collect my lunch money for school. I slipped the ten dollar bill into the back of my phone case like I always do. Riku met me in the kitchen before we left.
"Looking forward to our first day of high school Sora?" Riku asked
"Yeah, but I'm a little worried about the fact that I'm gay will cause people to bully me…" I said, a hint of sadness seeping through my voice. Memories of all the cuts and bruises I had to hide came flooding into my mind. I could feel tears threatening to burst from my eyes. Before I knew it, Riku had wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
"I know. But even if it does, I'll be there to protect you. So don't worry, if anyone tries to hurt you I'll put them in crutches for a month!"
"Thanks Riku. I mean it." I said, leaning slightly into his arm.
Riku took his arm from my shoulder and crouched down in front of me. "Jump on Sora!"
"W-What? Why?" I said, a blush filling my cheeks.
Riku stood up straight and looked me dead in the eye. "Because you're upset. And what do I always do when you're upset? Make you feel better. And I know that you always smile when I give you a piggy-back. So hop on!"
The blush on my face deepened as I jumped onto his back. I rested my chin on his head as he walked. "Just don't fall asleep like you did last time Sora" Riku said before chuckling.
"Asshole" I said with a smirk on my face.
"Bitch"
"Shithead"
"Asswipe"
We looked at each other before bursting into laughter. Things were looking good for the future. As long as I had Riku by my side, I felt like I could do anything.