Sora's POV
I hated school. It was just like some sort of prison I had to attend every day. There was so much pressure on me to do well, a pressure that I had placed on myself. My mom had to take care of me by herself, since my dad left when I was young. And I felt that I had to do well for her sake. That was only the first part of why school was such a pain. The other reason was that I was picked on, non-stop, for everything. Sometimes kids would trip me in the hall to make me drop all my books, and sometimes kids would throw paper balls at me during classes. When I would go to the library, there would always be people whispering about me, and I could do nothing but bury my nose deeper into whatever book I was reading. But most of all, I was teased because all my friends were girls. And I only had three friends in total, anyway. Some people looked at it one way and called me a player, others went at a different approach and called me gay. I learned quickly that people weren't as nice as my mom had always told me they were.
So, I started another typical day, walking to school alongside my friends; Kairi, Selphie, and Naminé. They were all nice girls, but Kairi and Selphie sometimes got a little too chipper for my liking. Naminé was more level-headed, although, she could be downright dull. But they were all I had, and I liked them just fine. After all, they were the first and only ones to ever be nice to me in school.
"So, what are you wearing to the dance, Kairi?" Selphie asked.
"My pink dress with the frills at the bottom, and I'm getting my hair curled too," Kairi answered.
"Wow, I love that dress. What about you, Naminé?" Selphie questioned, turning to the other girl.
"I'm not going," the blonde girl answered.
"Not going?!" Kairi demanded.
"No," Naminé answered.
"Why not?" I asked.
"I don't feel like it. Besides, there's only one guy we all like, and he can't go with all of us. Realistically, he's not going to go with any of us," said Naminé.
"Aww, come on, Naminé. Maybe someday one of us will get to go to the dance with-" but Selphie stopped talking as we made it to the school grounds.
"Riku!!" the three girls squealed, as they watched a silver-haired boy loosen the tie on his school uniform. He was sitting on the steps to the school, his silver bangs covering one eye. His sleeves were rolled up way past his elbows, and his shirt was unbuttoned a bit at the top. I was used to the girls obsessing over him. After all, he was known as 'the hottest guy in the school'. But in my opinion, he was nothing more than a show-off. I wondered how a jerk like him would earn such a title. He didn't even seem nice. Then again, school life just didn't make sense. Another example of that was Riku's friends. People made fun of me and called me gay, but Riku's friends, Axel and Roxas, were in love with each other, and no one made fun of them. The girls thought they were hot, and they would gather around whenever Axel and Roxas would kiss or anything of the sort. From what I could tell, Axel was much like Riku, wanting attention in any way he could get it. It kind of seemed like Axel would start making out with Roxas for attention more than anything else, but I knew they actually did love each other. Roxas was quite fond of Axel. But still, I didn't understand why they were allowed to be gay, and I wasn't. I'm not saying that I am gay, I'm just saying I would be criticized for it if I was.
Kairi and Selphie made a point of walking up the stairs right next to Riku as they headed into the school. Naminé and I, however, stayed over closer to the wall, away from Riku and his friends. In my opinion, most of Riku's friends seemed like jerks. There was Tidus, a blonde guy who loved sports, and had a girlfriend. There was Seifer who loved beating people up, and had a desire to rule the school and everyone in it. There was Axel, of course. And then there was Wakka and Roxas, but neither of them seemed that bad to me. Wakka was a pleasant guy, always smiling, and saying hi to everyone he met. And Roxas, although he was quiet, seemed like a nice guy too. I'd heard that he used to be friends with these three kids named Hayner, Pence, and Olette. But when he fell in love with Axel, they sort of fell apart. Hayner, Pence, and Olette seemed like nice kids too. So there were some good people around, they just didn't talk to me. And out of all the good guys around, I couldn't understand why Kairi, Selphie, and Naminé would all fall for someone like Riku. I pushed these thoughts aside, and then headed for my first class.
Unfortunately, having gym class first thing in the morning wasn't one of my favorite things. Not to mention, Riku and Tidus were both in my class too. They were both great at pretty much all sports, but Riku was wicked at soccer. It was his best sport by far. And of course, it was soccer day in gym class, and I got assigned as goalie. As if that wasn't bad enough, Riku was on the other team, meaning he would be shooting against me. Or rather, at me. I put my protective gear on, and prepared myself for a rough battle. I knew I was about to get smashed up pretty good. I watched as Riku pulled his long silver hair into a ponytail, and Tidus cracked his knuckles. Then the game started, and almost instantly, Riku had the ball in his posession. I could see him coming towards me, and I readied myself. Tidus, who was on my team, ran in front, and tried to kick the ball away from Riku. But Riku was better at the game, and avoided Tidus easily.
"Block it, Sora!" someone called out. But by the time I'd figured out that it had been Pence that had said it, the soccer ball was already hitting me hard in the face. I yelled in discomfort, and then Riku kicked the ball again, sending it right into my net.
"Good one, Riku!" the teacher congratulated. "Next time, try not to hit anyone."
Riku nodded and Tidus laughed. I rubbed my face ruefully, and wondered if I had been hit on purpose.
By the time gym class had finished, Tidus had broken out in a good sweat, strands of hair had fallen out of Riku's ponytail, and I was thoroughly bruised all over. I took off my soccer gear as quickly as I could, and watched as Riku and Tidus high-fived each other before proceeding into the locker room to get changed. I didn't like getting changed in the locker room because I felt uncomfortable. So, as usual, I grabbed my school uniform and headed for the washrooms. As I approached the washroom door, I noticed a sign that read : Closed for Cleaning. Sighing heavily, and having no other choice, I returned to the gym and entered the locker room, hoping that I would be coming out alive.
The locker room reeked of sweat and cologne, and I stared down at the floor as I snuck quietly in, not wanting to pay much attention to the many teen-age boys that were freely dressing and undressing before me. As inconspicuously as I could, I hurried to the other side of the locker room and crouched down in one of the changing stalls. Unfortunately, none of the stalls had doors. However, no one was paying any mind to me. Everyone's attention was on someone else that just happened to be Pence.
"So, kid, what do you think you were doing when you told Sora to block the ball? Riku's the king of soccer here, y'know, and I think you may have insulted him," a guy named Raijin was saying.
"I-I didn't mean to," Pence stuttered out.
"Well, you did, y'know? Are you saying that you didn't want Sora to win?" Raijin asked.
"I-I... I did want Sora to win," Pence answered, staring at his feet.
"Wrong answer," Seifer laughed.
"What should we do to him, Riku?" Tidus asked.
"I dunno. Flush 'im," Riku answered.
"The toilets again? Nah, I've got a better idea. Make him get changed right here, not in the stall," Seifer said, coldly.
"N-no!" Pence yelled.
"What's wrong, fatty? Embarrassed that you're not in shape like us?" Tidus teased.
"Stop it, you guys!" I yelled out, unable to help myself. Everyone turned their heads in my direction. I felt small under their gazes, but I tried not to let it show.
"Pence isn't fat, so don't you dare make fun of him! And besides, don't you have anything better to do than put people down? Is that the only way you can make yourselves feel good?!" I shouted at them.
"Well, well, look who dares to stand up to us," Seifer said, coming towards me. I backed up a few steps, but I was now cornered against the wall in the changing stall.
"Leave Pence alone!"
"Give us one good reason why we should, y'know?" Raijin put in.
"Because... you're making yourselves into bad people," was all I could think of to say, and I wished so badly that it hadn't sounded so horribly lame. Everyone burst out in laughter except for Pence who seemed to be trembling in either embarrassment or fear.
"Bad people, huh?" Riku asked as the other boys continued to laugh.
"Yeah, that's what I said. Now let Pence go. He hasn't done anything to you."
"And what do we get in return?"
"M-me. Pence wouldn't be in trouble with you guys if it weren't for me, so you can torture me instead," I told Riku, not being able to believe the words leaving my mouth. Riku eyed me carefully, probably trying to figure out why I would say such things.
"Fine," he agreed. Seifer pushed Pence roughly on the shoulder, and then all the boys crowded around me.
"It's your lucky day, fatty. You're free to go eat another ten burgers," Tidus cackled as Pence grabbed his uniform and ran from the locker room.
"So, what do we do to this one?" Seifer asked.
"Same," Riku answered, emotionlessly. I wondered how they could all be so mean and still be able to live with themselves.
"Haha! This should be good, y'know?" Rai laughed.
"W-what should?" I asked.
"Didn't you hear what Riku said? You get the same punishment as the fat kid," Tidus smirked.
"I-I have to...?" But I couldn't even finish the sentence. Seifer and Raijin had me by the arms and were dragging me to the middle of the room. They let go, and the imprint of their tight grip was left on my skin.
"Alright, go ahead," Riku instructed. I swallowed hard, and tried to pretend that I was confident in my body that had barely even begun to mature. I pulled my shirt off, revealing my skinny upper half. I had no strong muscles like the other guys, and I looked kind of sickly thin next to the rest of them. I avoided looking at them, for I was afraid at how amused they might have looked. I pulled the shirt of my uniform on, and put on my tie as slowly as I could, dreading having to go through with any more of the process. But the time came, and even though I was terrified, and most likely as red as a beet, I slipped my gym shorts down. I felt my face grow even redder when I remembered that I was wearing briefs and not boxers. All the guys laughed except for Riku. He just stood there and smirked with amusement. I pulled my pants on quickly not only because I was embarrassed, but also because I was afraid of Riku. How could he be so calm, so cool, and yet so terribly evil. His eyes were like icicles piercing me, and I felt like he froze me on the spot whenever he looked at me.
"There, I'm done," I announced, letting the boys know that their laugh was over. Riku nodded.
"That was quite the show! Next time we'll think of something even better!" Tidus laughed as he, Raijin, and Seifer left the locker room. I stuffed my gym clothes into my bag, and hurried towards the door too.
"Hey, Sora. You should start hanging out with me and my friends," Riku said. I turned to him, unbelievingly.
"Why do you think I would want to hang out with you?!" I asked, before running out of the locker room, and letting the door close hard behind me with a bang.
A/N: Hi. Uh, I know the guys seem really perverted or gay or something because they're making the other boys change in front of them. But they're actually straight. Except for Axel and Roxas, who are not even in the locker room. They're yaoi. This story gets better as it goes on though and the focus is going to be on Riku and Sora. So please read and review. I've already finished the story so updates won't be too slow if there are people reviewing it. I need feedback, but please, no flames.