To Kill an Emo Kid
By Andruindel
Summery: What starts as a normal school day for Zexion soon turns into the worst day of his life. Why? Because of one new student.
Disclaimer: No Emo kids were harmed in the making of this story.
I also do not own any of the characters in this story, except for Mei. She is mine.
Alright, this title may be slightly misleading… But, like my disclaimer said, no one was harmed. This story came about when I was searching for Zexion icons. I started thinking, Zexion's always the bad guy. But why? Just because he's a silent, calculating Emo boy, that's why. So I got to thinking, I could give him all kinds of trouble if I were to get him stuck with a hyper, annoying girl. And that's now this story was born.
--
"Class, we've got a new student today."
A silvery-black head lifted off a pair of arms as one of the students actually looked up to acknowledge that the teacher had spoken. Dark eyes glazed in what was unmistakably a combination of sleepiness and boredom, the high school senior watched with anything but interest as the new student waved. He was, when examined closely, undoubtedly an Emo-kid. His hair fell into his right eye, making it difficult to discern his expressions. His clothes were all black, and baggy on his slim form.
The girl standing at the front of the class seemed undeterred by the fact that no one seemed to be paying much attention to her. She stood calmly beside the teacher's desk, looking with bright eyes at her class mates. What clique she fell in, Zexion couldn't be sure. She was not dressed like a Prep, but neither was she Goth, Emo, or anything else Zexion could think of. Her hair fell in untidy brown curls to her shoulders, partially hiding her strikingly blue eyes. She wore a shy smile, but it appeared to Zexion that she was anything but shy.
Axel, Zexion's fellow senior, leaned across to whisper to Zexion. "She's kinda cute." The red-head stated bluntly. Axel was the player of the school. There was not one girl in the entire school who did not like, or had never liked, the green-eyed youth. He had once been caught dating two girls at once. Even after that girls liked him.
Deeming Axel's comment unworthy of a reply, Zexion turned his eyes back onto the girl.
Their teacher, Xemnas, indicated the new student with a careless wave of one hand. "Class, meet Kagara Totomei. Kagara-chan, do you have anything to say before you take your seat?" The silver-haired man could have cared less about what Totomei had to say. Now that his part was done, he leaned back in his chair, waiting for Totomei to finish speaking.
Totomei hesitated for a split second, and then broke into speech. "Actually, no one ever calls me Totomei. I prefer just Mei. I'm really pleased to be here, and I hope that we'll all come to be good friends." It seemed, as she spoke, that she looked at each person directly. But that could not really have been, for Zexion felt sure her eyes rested on Axel as she spoke. With that, Mei took her seat, directly behind Zexion.
Now that Mei had taken her seat, Xemnas stood. English was hardly Zexion's favorite subject, but what made it twice as bad was the teacher. He took great interest in the subject he taught, and tended to get off track, usually to talk about a book he'd read that had improper grammar, or a book he was working on to disprove the common belief that English is a dodgy subject. When he was lecturing, it was in such a monotone voice that his students tended to drop off.
Today was no different, as Zexion idly doodled on his paper with his pen. He started imperceptibly as someone tapped him on the shoulder. He knew who it was, and he did not want to turn around because of it. However, he did, and he found Mei looking brightly at him.
"Can I borrow a pencil?" She whispered. Xemnas looked up at the whisper, but Mei had shifted her gaze onto him so quickly, it appeared she was still paying attention. Once Xemnas had turned back to lecturing, Zexion carefully pulled a pencil from his bag, and held it out to Mei. She smiled brightly as she accepted it. The smile made Zexion's stomach flop. For some reason, he knew he would be seeing Mei a lot more than he would ever want to.
--
Zexion had assumed rightly that he would be seeing quite a lot of Mei. At the end of class, as the usual bustle of movement erupted, Xemnas put a stop to it with a shout.
"Are there any volunteers to show Mei around the school? Whoever does so will be responsible for making sure she knows where her classes are, and helping her get to know the school better. Who would like to do this?" No one raised their hands. When Zexion glanced furtively at Mei, he saw that her cheeks had turned a vivid shade of pink. Finally she was embarrassed to be the new girl.
Satisfied that he could easily escape the responsibility of showing Mei around, Zexion continued packing his things away. His bangs fell into his eye, restricting his vision, and therefore his ability to see his surroundings. He would never have admitted it, but he was very nervous in public places. He was the kind of guy who would always sit with his back to a wall, whenever he got the chance, whether he was in a restaurant, or a class room. In sitting that way, it ensured that he could see anyone who entered a room, and give himself a sense of security. Unfortunately for him, he had been placed in the exact middle of the classroom, and that made him nervous.
"Zexion," Zexion winced as Xemnas spoke his name. Looking up, he raised his eyebrows in an unspoken question. "Would you like to show Totomei-chan around the school?" The silver-haired man never directly gave an order. But all of his students knew better than to assume they had a say in the matter if he asked them to do something.
Although Zexion really wouldn't like to show Mei around, he nodded anyway. "Yes, Sensei." He mumbled sullenly. Knowing that Xemnas was pleased with his reply, he continued packing his bag.
"Here's the pencil I borrowed," His pencil was poked into his vision by Mei, and he distractedly took it, sliding it into its proper place. Then he straightened in his seat, and looked at Mei, surveying her coolly. She wore a smile, and seemed unperturbed by his observing her.
"So, you're Zexion," She said, and she had the air of someone who was teasing. "I guess we'll be spending a lot of time together, since you're doomed to show me around." Her sentence was followed by a laugh. She had a quick, easy laugh that instantly put Zexion's nerves on edge. The lightness in all of her actions and even her voice seemed artificial. But, Zexion mused, only he had noticed it so far.
"Yes," Zexion offered no more words. Instead, he stood up, and hefted his book bag over one shoulder. With a jerk of his chin, he indicated that Mei was to follow him, and started out of class.
"Good bye, Sensei." Mei said to Xemnas as they exited the classroom. Zexion heard Xemnas grunt in reply, and smirked to himself. No amount of sucking up would get Mei onto Xemnas' good side.
Mei caught up to Zexion shortly after, and they walked side-by-side down the halls. Zexion cast a surreptitious glance at Mei from the corner of his eye. She was looking curiously about, apparently taking in everything with interest.
"Where's your schedule?"
Mei made a great show of searching her pockets for the scrap of paper, and eventually found it in her English book. The two teenagers stopped, and consulted her schedule. To his dismay, Zexion found that Mei shared not only English with him, but Algebra, History, and Art. Always the classic emo-kid, Zexion flipped his bangs out of his face, only to have them fall right back into place. Mei found that funny, and giggled.
"History is down that hall, first door on the left." Zexion said, pointing out the way, to make it easier for Mei. "Do you need to stop at your locker first?"
Mei nodded, and followed Zexion toward his locker. Again to his distress, Zexion saw that Mei's locker was only three away from his. Even if he hadn't been chosen to show her around, he would have seen quite a lot of her. Silently, Zexion gathered the books he would need for history, as well as a fresh pencil. No one knew it, but he was obsessed with pencils. He had enough to last him the whole day, including if one broke.
Still completely silent, Zexion, followed dutifully by Mei, continued toward history class. He knew he was going to have trouble putting up with Mei, and his thought was proved when Mei tugged on his sleeve.
"Do you like to read?" She asked, innocently enough. But Zexion knew that behind her question was the lingering intent of getting to know him better, which would then lead to her wishing to be his friend. And she was one 'friend' he could do without.
"I enjoy reading as much as the next person." He replied in an offhand manner. He intended his short reply to discourage Mei from asking any more questions. Instead, she smiled.
"I love to read," She gushed, completely ignoring the empty stare Zexion had focused on her. "If I could, I would read non-stop!" She continued on, asking Zexion whether he had read a certain book. Unfortunately, he had, and it was not in his nature to lie and say he hadn't. The girl went on chattering until she was forced to be silent by the bell ringing, signaling that class was about to begin.
Xigbar, the history teacher, was quick to notice a new student in his class. With much urging, Mei was brought up to the front of the class, to introduce herself, and tell everyone an interesting fact about herself. To Zexion's complete surprise, Mei admitted that her interesting fact was that she could write equally well with both hands. For such a lively, spirited girl (for Zexion, even after knowing her such a short time, could tell that much about her), that seemed a dull 'interesting fact'.
After Mei had retaken her seat, thankfully several rows in front of Zexion, Xigbar began his lecture. History was scarcely any better than English in the sense that both lectures put many of the students to sleep. Only Mei, Zexion realized, seemed to be paying any attention at all. She sat straight in her seat, watching Xigbar intently, and occasionally taking notes. If she continued as she was going, sucking up to all her teachers right away, she would end up in trouble, Zexion realized. After all, no one liked a suck up. Especially if said suck up got good grades for it.
Just like Zexion had thought, Mei ran into trouble right after history. Before Zexion could reach her, he saw that she had run into a rather… unpleasant senior. One of the more unpleasant, if you got technical. He was a sturdily built boy, with short blonde hair, and a beard growing in already. Oh, how many of the male seniors envied that boy his beard. But, Luxord could be decidedly nasty, especially when it came to upholding his place as the favorite of every one of his teachers.
"So, you're Mei," Zexion heard Luxord say. He spoke in a cool, slightly British accent. Why shouldn't he? He had moved there from Europe several years previously, and he still retained a shred of his accent.
Mei regarded Luxord with the same bright interest practically everyone and everything attracted from her. "That's me," She replied. "And you are?" With her head tilted a bit to one side, she appeared that much more innocent. Zexion, surprised, saw that Mei knew what potential trouble she was in, and also how to avoid it. Resolving to watch and see how Mei would handle the situation, Zexion hovered a few feet away, watching furtively.
"My name is Luxord," The blonde said, bowing rather stiffly. Mei dipped him a bow in return, and smiled lightly at him. "I feel it is my duty to warn you that I am Xigbar's favorite student. It would be regrettable if someone were to try to usurp my position." With his warning administered, Luxord turned on his heel and stalked down the hall.
"It was nice meeting you!" Mei called after him.
Mei could take care of herself better than Zexion had thought. But, that last comment was going to cause trouble. She obviously had no idea how things worked in the school. Rather than warn her, he merely padded toward her in his converse, and motioned for her to follow him.
"If I remember correctly, you have Chemistry next." Zexion said shortly. He paused by his locker, only long enough to get his books for world literature, and to get a fresh pencil. Flicking his bangs away from his face, he glanced once at Mei. She was gazing rather intently up at the roof. "Mei," She looked down at him, her eyebrows raised in question. "You have chemistry next, correct?"
"Oh, yeah," Mei smiled, a bit bashfully, and stepped toward her locker.
Groaning, Zexion rested his head against his own locker with a bang. And then, because the jarring pain felt good, he hit his head on the locker again, letting his eyes drop closed. It was rather tiresome, dealing with Mei.
A hand on his shoulder sent chills down his spine, and he jerked away from Mei's touch. With his eyes narrowed to slits, he gave Mei his classic 'death glare', and then turned wordlessly to lead her to Chemistry. Mei followed behind him, still gazing curiously about. While he walked, he was debating with himself, whether or not he should tell Mei to watch her step. If he didn't, she would very likely get into trouble, either with Luxord, or some of the other notorious students in the school, Marluxia, Larxene, and Axel being among them.
"Hey, Mei," Zexion turned suddenly. Mei had obviously not been paying attention to where she was going, for she bumped into him, and let out a squeak as she lost her balance. Reacting on instinct, Zexion steadied her with a hand clasped firmly on her elbow.
She smiled up at him as she regained her balance. "Yes?" She asked, innocently enough.
"You need to be careful around here," Zexion said in a low voice, glancing around to assure himself no one was listening. "Being the new kid, you're liable to get pushed around. There are certain people here who will attempt to get you into trouble, either by physically harming you, or peer-pressuring you. I'll point them out to you later, so you know who to avoid. But until then, watch your step." He looked away from her, not letting her catch his eye, and then shoved her in the direction of the chemistry class. She went unquestioningly, sending a glance at him over her shoulder.
Grimacing, Zexion hunched his shoulders and slouched toward his own class. He was getting deeper and deeper into his own trouble.
--
Disaster came sooner than Zexion had expected in the form of Axel. As Zexion entered the cafeteria, he glanced around. His usual spot was empty, which he found normal. He hardly glanced around the cafeteria. He was focused entirely on making it to his spot where he could ponder, and watch the proceedings around him. His eyes fell on Mei as he took his seat. She seemed to be looking for something. Her eyes scanned the cafeteria, and a tiny crease rested between her eyebrows, indicating her frown.
Their eyes met, and Zexion looked away. But he knew the damage had been done. Mei was going to come and sit with him. His reputation was going to be ruined, and it would take months to build it back up. There was very little he could do, though.
Surprisingly, Mei did not reach Zexion. She was intercepted by Axel, the hottest guy in school. Rolling his eyes, Zexion turned away, and focused on the group of freshman several feet away, listening to their conversation. It did not interest him. Not in the slightest. Despite his attempts to ignore Mei, he heard Axel addressing her.
"Hey, you're Mei, right?" The red-head purred at her.
"That's right," Mei replied. Zexion could almost see the way she would tilt her head, giving Axel that infuriating smile of hers.
"I'm Axel. How do you like the school so far?"
"I like it, so far." It sounded like Mei was not really paying attention to the conversation. Zexion glanced once at Mei, through the screen of his hair, and saw that her eyes had come to rest on him. She was trying to be pleasant, but she wanted to get away from Axel. She wanted to sit with Zexion. Zexion didn't want her to.
"Why don't you join me and my friends over here?" Zexion watched as Axel attempted to lead Mei toward his table, where Larxene, the school slut, Demyx, the fairly new kid, and Cloud and Leon, the other 'emo-kids' sat. Clearly, Mei was resisting, but trying to do it politely.
"You know, actually, I was going to," Her protest died away as she let her eyes travel across Leon's face. The 'emo-kid' seemed to attract girls almost as much as Axel did. The difference between the two of them was that Leon didn't try. The most he did was sit in a corner with Cloud. That was why Zexion resented the two seniors for being considered Emo. True emo's did not have best friends.
"Oh, come on, you don't really want to hang out with grouchy old Zexy, do you?" Axel asked, fixing Mei with such a reproachful stare that she lowered her head.
"I'll sit with you for a little," She relented, following Axel toward the table.
"Hey guys, this is Mei." Axel stated, loudly enough for the whole school to hear. Mei stood uncomfortably beside him, a blush creeping into her cheeks and her hands clasped in front of her. "Mei, this is Larxene, Leon, Cloud, and Demyx." Axel pushed Mei toward a spot where she could sit, 'conveniently' beside Leon. Axel sat beside her.
Mei sat quietly, watching as the people around her began eating. She herself had no lunch to speak of. Axel was quick to notice this.
"Mei, do you want a cookie?" He asked, offering her one of the cookies he had.
Shaking her head, Mei declined. "No, thank you." She turned away from Axel, and glanced at Zexion. Zexion quickly looked away. If she had any hope of sitting with him, he would try his best to douse it.
"You know, you don't have to sit here if you don't want to," Cloud, always the perceptive one, had rightly deciphered Mei's body language. The blonde offered her the smallest of wry smiles when she blushed. "Seriously, you can go."
In reply to Cloud's words, Mei stood up. "I had something I wanted to do… Thanks for letting me sit with you, anyway…" She smiled, and Zexion saw Demyx return the smile shyly. The blonde was a year younger than Zexion, and two years younger than Axel. He thought it a great honor to be counted as Axel's friend.
Deciding the situation had become too potentially dangerous, Zexion stood up, making his way out of the cafeteria. Even before Mei could get anywhere close to him, he had disappeared. Mei stood still, confused and a bit uncomfortable. With Zexion gone, she had no one to hang out with. She reasoned that she probably looked pretty stupid just standing there on her own.
"Don't mind him," Mei spun on the spot as the voice addressed her from just behind her. She came face to face with a fellow senior, one whom she had yet to meet, or even think about much. His hair was pink, and layered, falling in delicate locks to frame his face. He had blue-gray eyes, and wore the gentlest of smiles. Mei felt immediately calm as she met his smiling eyes.
"He's notoriously anti-social." The boy smiled, and glanced after Zexion, his gray gaze darkening slightly. "So don't worry if he ignores you. He's just trying to keep up his image." He continued on in another sentence, speaking rather quickly, almost as quickly as Mei did when she was on a sugar-high. "If you'd like, I'll walk with you to class. What class do you have next?"
It took a moment for Mei to register the question. "Oh," She reached for her schedule, which she had shoved into her pocket, and carefully unwrinkled it. "I have art next." She replied, scanning the schedule once, and then looking back at the boy.
As her eyes met his, she remembered suddenly that she did not know his name. Unsure how to ask, she remained silent, watching as the boy smiled again at her.
"Come on, then. I'll walk with you." He started on his way, with Mei at his side, her eyes on the floor. "My name is Marluxia, by the way." He went on, answering Mei's unspoken question. He turned a quiet smile on her, and Mei returned it, a bit shyly.
The two seniors walked quickly through the halls, Marluxia taking the lead, twining his way through the crowds that were already beginning to form. His lithe form was perfect for darting through crowded halls. Apparently he didn't care who he brushed up against, as long as he got to his destination. It was a different matter entirely for Mei. She walked stiffly, her arms pulled close to her, to avoid brushing against anyone.
Just as the two reached a relatively empty stretch of hall, someone shouted Marluxia's name from in front of them. Mei lifted her eyes from the floor just in time to see a girl hurtle, seemingly out of nowhere, and tackle Marluxia. The pink-haired youth bent his knees, and caught the girl with practiced ease, though they toppled to the floor as a result of the girl's momentum.
"Hey, Marlu!" The girl crooned, snuggling close to Marluxia, and smiling. "I haven't seen you at all day, where have you been?"
"Avoiding you…" Marluxia replied under his breath. Mei could hardly hear his words, but the girl apparently did. She sat up, and hit Marluxia lightly on the chest.
"You brat," She said fondly.
Deciding she had best leave the two friends alone, Mei started off on her own. She had a good idea where she was going, because she had just seen Zexion. The dark-haired teen paced evenly toward a room. Knowing that they shared art class, Mei followed.
"Zexion,"
Zexion turned at the sound of someone calling his name. A low growl of frustration escaped him as he saw Mei trot up to him, and fall into step beside him. He continued walking, his head lowered, his hair falling into his eyes. He'd thought he'd lost her when Marluxia had stopped her to talk.
"You're going to art, right?" Mei asked timidly.
Nodding, Zexion turned a side-long glance on her. "Yes, I am." He replied softly.
"Good." Mei smiled. "I was kind of lost."
Zexion made no reply.
--
At long last the day was over. Zexion was free to go about his business, such as going home and eating something, and starting on his homework. Cursing school, homework, and anything that had to do with it, the teen stopped at his locker to gather the books he would need that afternoon to do his homework.
He started as he closed the locker door and met Mei face-to-face. He'd thought for sure Mei would have found someone else to bother by now. Demyx had approached her several times in the halls, but each time she had shaken him off quickly, and found Zexion again.
"Do you understand Algebra at all?" She inquired cheerfully. And then her face fell. "I don't understand anything about it. Do you think you could help me with my homework? You're not doing anything tonight, are you?"
"Yes, I am." Zexion said shortly. "Go see Marluxia. He's an Algebra genius."
He saw Mei's face fall, but then she quickly smiled. "Alright then..." She looked hopefully at him for a moment, but when he did nothing, she lifted her hand in a wave. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."
Zexion watched as she left, in search of Marluxia. He had finally gotten rid of her… How odd… He was free from the responsibility of dealing with her any more. A light smile crossed his face. Finally.
--
"Hey, Marluxia?" Mei stood hesitantly in front of the pink-haired youth, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "Uh, Zexion said you were really good at Algebra, and to come to you for help. Do you think you could help me with my homework?"
Marluxia smiled gently at the girl. "Of course I can." He said. "Would you like to come over to my house?" He actually seemed willing to help her. That was more than Mei had expected.
Mei smiled brightly. "Sure." She replied. She met Marluxia's blue-gray gaze trustingly, saw his smile, and felt that she didn't need Zexion. The stupid 'emo-kid' could go sit in a corner and mope for all she cared.
--
Zexion was indeed moping as Mei had said he could. He'd had plans with his older sister, he'd been looking forward to spending the afternoon with her, but at the last minute she'd blown them off. Angry and disappointed, he'd wandered out of the house, and toward the park. There were a few kids swinging when he got there, so he took a seat at an empty table, resting his chin in his palm.
When the kids left, Zexion meandered toward the swing set, and sat in one of the swings, pushing himself slowly back and forth. His mind was no where close, and he had no desire to call it back to reality. Until, that is, he saw Mei and Marluxia walking by. A quick glance at his watch told him that it was after five. Mei had probably been invited to Marluxia's house to do homework.
It was really no concern of his.
However, seeing as he had nothing better to do, he surreptitiously watched the two of them as they paced down the sidewalk, chatting like old friends. He consciously kept a blank, half-asleep look on his face as he watched them. Mei must live near by, he realized, or Marluxia would have driven her. Or maybe Marluxia just wanted the 'pleasure' of walking her home.
As that thought went through his mind, he saw Mei pause. Marluxia came to a stop as well, tilting his head to one side. They exchanged words, Mei suddenly very shy, and then Zexion watched with growing disgust as Marluxia kissed the girl. He saw Mei's blush as Marluxia drew away, saw Marluxia's smirk, and knew exactly what was going on. Before he could ponder much, Marluxia had started back home, leaving Mei to walk the rest of the way to her house alone.
Zexion waited until she was out of sight before starting home himself. He had a feeling the next day at school was going to be miserable.
--
Just as Zexion had suspected, the next day dawned cold, and miserable. Even the sky was crying; great, fat drops of water splashed down on the world below, only making the day more depressing. Swollen clouds roiled in the sky, threatening a heavier rain than that which was already falling. Zexion was not looking forward to the walk to school.
Still, at least walking wasn't as bad as being stuck in the car with his mom and her boyfriend. So, he started out early for school, his backpack slung over one shoulder, his shoulders hunched, and a scowl on his face.
School proved to be almost as wet inside as it was outside. Puddles gathered under the feet of students as they stood in groups chatting in the halls. Zexion slipped easily through the crowds, his eyes downcast. He met a cheerfully damp Demyx, blue eyes shining, but quickly slipped away from him. He was in no mood to deal with the overly-hyper blonde.
No sooner had he escaped Demyx, than Axel appeared at his side.
"Hey, Zex, what's goin' on?" The red-head inquired, peering closely at Zexion. Emerald clashed with black as Zexion met Axel's gaze.
He knew he must look like the living dead, or something similar. Having wandered out of the house without doing much homework, and getting home just in time for dinner, he'd had to stay up late to finish his homework. He was not used to staying up till three in the morning, and then waking up two hours later to get ready for school. Yet, he had no other choice than to go to school on less than two hours of sleep.
"Shut up, Axel." He snapped moodily. He swiped at the older boy, successfully clearing the way to his locker.
"Ooh, you're awful touchy today, Zex." Unperturbed by Zexion's sulky mood, Axel grinned, and leaned his shoulder against a locker, gazing evenly at the other boy. A look, somewhere between a smirk, and thoughtfulness, resided on his features.
But as someone approached on Zexion's other side, the red-head grinned again.
"Hey, Mei!" He said, and Zexion groaned quietly. He had been hoping to avoid Mei that day.
"Hi, Axel." Mei replied quietly. Her voice was colored with uncertainty, and a certain amount of bashfulness. Zexion listened to her rummaging in her locker for a moment, expecting a greeting, and surprised when it didn't come right away.
Only after Mei closed her locker did she turn to face the two boys. "Hello, Zexion." She hardly glanced at him as she spoke. Her eyes were resting on something to his left, and behind him. Hardly curious, Zexion paid no attention. Besides, he had a good idea what, or who, it might be.
His suspicion was proved correct when yet another body entered his personal bubble. He looked up, seeing, as he had suspected, Marluxia. For the millionth time since he'd joined high school, Zexion was struck by the fact that he was really quite short. Both Axel and Marluxia stood at least a foot taller than him. Even Demyx was several inches taller. Only Mei, sadly, was even the tiniest bit shorter than he was. Sighing, Zexion turned and started toward English, where he hoped for a respite.
"Hi, Marluxia." Mei's tone stopped him in his tracks. She sounded breathless, and uncomfortable. Turning back to look at her, Zexion noted her blush, and the way she looked at Marluxia, but without looking him in the eye. Silently amused, Zexion continued on his way toward class.
His surprise was not great when Marluxia gave Mei a passing 'hi', and continued on his way. He was more surprised that Mei did not come running to tag-along on his heels, just like the annoying puppy she reminded him of. He glanced behind him once, not so much seeing as sensing that Mei was no longer behind him.
He didn't see Mei again until English class started. She slipped into the classroom seconds before the bell rang, and took her seat silently. Zexion watched, his chin resting in his palm, as Axel twisted around in his seat to speak to Mei.
"Where'd you run off to earlier?" He asked, raising one slim eyebrow.
"No where."
He saw Axel's look of confusion, and watched as the red-head drew breath to ask another question. But the bell rang, and Xemnas called for quiet. With no time, or desire, to think about Mei's problems, Zexion faced forward, letting a blank look cross his face.
--
Zexion saw very little of Mei that day. She slipped quietly out of class as soon as the bell rang, and stolidly found her own way to most of her classes. Once Zexion saw her speaking with Demyx, and the blonde had given her a hug. It was the awkward, hesitant kind of hug you would expect to see between two people who had just met the day before.
Zexion was not unduly bothered by Mei's avoiding him. Only when the school day ended, and he exited the building with a sigh, did he even think about her again.
As Zexion started on his way toward home, he passed a couple kissing. He barely glanced at them, but realized that it was Marluxia, and… his best friend Amy. Rolling his eyes, and flicking his bangs out of his eyes, Zexion continued on his way.
Minutes later he was passing the park where he had moped the previous day. To his surprise, Mei was sitting at the table. Her head was in her hands, and her elbows were on the table. From that distance it was hard to tell, but Zexion thought she might be shaking. He sighed, and hitched his backpack higher onto his shoulder as he made his way toward the girl.
Unsure exactly what to say, the boy seated himself across from Mei. She glanced up, but quickly looked away again, her eyes narrowed, and a look of pure irritation on her face. She was so angry, Zexion could not think what could have caused it.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
The answer was so obviously a lie, that Zexion rolled his eyes, getting irritated himself. "Whatever, Mei. I can tell that you're angry. In case you thought you were hiding it, you're really not doing that good a job." He folded his arms over his chest, glaring hard at Mei.
Eventually Mei glanced up at him. "You want to know what's wrong?" She asked, her voice quivering with rage. "You want to know what's bothering me? Why should you care!?"
Taken aback, Zexion's eyes widened, and then he frowned. "What makes you think I wouldn't care?" He asked defensively.
Mei rolled her eyes. "Oh please, all you've done since I got here is avoid me!" She snapped. "You've been such a jerk to me!" She looked away again, crossing her arms and glaring.
Zexion blinked once, and then frowned. "What?" He asked, a bit uncertainly. It made no sense that Mei would be mad at him for such a trivial little thing. It had seemed like she was doing fine. After all, she'd made friends with Demyx, and Axel seemed to like her. And then Marluxia had kissed her. But that was a different matter entirely. "So you're mad at me?"
Mei dropped her head, taking a deep breath. "No. I just… I don't know."
"You're not making sense, Mei." Zexion sighed. He was not in the mood to deal with a girl who could hardly string two words together due to her emotional distress. He ran a hand through his hair, still gazing at Mei, and wondering what on earth could have upset her so much.
"Whatever." Mei mumbled. She had lowered her head, and her breathing had become shallow and ragged.
Exasperated, Zexion pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don't start crying, Mei. We'll never get to the bottom of this if you don't tell me what's wrong." He had half a mind to just leave her there and go home. But, it was too late to leave. He'd already showed too much interest in the ordeal.
Mei's eyes flashed as she looked up at him. "It's your fault…!" She started, but she stopped herself, and looked away. "No, never mind. It's not your fault. I guess it was my fault." She sighed, and turned to look at the park. She had a great view of some mountains, and the sky. Other than that, there was nothing really interesting to look at over there.
Now Zexion wanted to know what Mei had been about to say. "What?" He asked, resting one elbow on the table. When Mei didn't reply, he frowned. "Come on, Mei. You can't leave me hanging like that."
That was when he realized that Mei was trembling again. "Crap…" He whispered to himself, closing his eyes for just a minute before getting up and walking around the table to face Mei. Sure enough, she was struggling not to cry. She had begun biting her bottom lip, and her eyes were focused at a point high up on the mountains. Zexion could see the tears shining in her eyes, and he groaned silently.
"Stop crying, Mei." He said shortly, and he cuffed her lightly in the face.
Obviously shocked, Mei looked up at him, all traces of her tears gone. "See! I told you! You're a jerk!" Now that she was angry at him again, Zexion saw a tiny chance of getting answers out of her. Leaning down close to her, he looked her right in the eye.
"Tell me what's bothering you. Or I'll never talk to you again, and leave you to hang out with Axel and the others for the rest of the school year."
His threat seemed to have worked, for Mei suddenly giggled. "You're mean." She said, and she smiled. "But you're not that mean!"
She suddenly turned serious, and looked away again. "I'm not mad at you… I'm mad at Marluxia." She said softly.
Zexion raised one eyebrow, and sat next to her. "Why?" He asked. He already knew the most probable answer, but wanted Mei to be able to tell him. It would get her un-depressed, and then he could get home.
He could barely see Mei's face, because she had turned away from him again. But he could see that she was blushing. "He kissed me last night… And then he ignored me all day today. And when I was walking home, I saw him and this one chick making out." She spoke in little more than a whisper.
"Well, you should have expected that." Zexion scoffed.
Mei looked up at him, surprise shining in her eyes. "Why should I have expected it?" She asked, her anger rising again.
Zexion had actually opened his mouth to reply when he realized that he had no good answer. He closed his mouth again, suddenly seeing why Mei had not known better than to let Marluxia kiss her. He had never warned her.
"Look Mei, I guess it's my fault you didn't know what to expect from Marluxia." He sighed, and leaned back against the table, both elbows on the table behind him.
Mei looked up at him. "So it is your fault!" She cried, and Zexion thought she sounded happy about that.
Zexion sighed again. "Yeah, I guess it's my fault." He replied. "Why did you let Marluxia kiss you anyway?" He honestly didn't care. But he had known enough people to realize that if Mei got to talk about it, it would most likely stop bothering her.
"I thought he actually liked me." She sighed, and slouched on the bench, folding her arms. "And I may have liked him a tiny bit… But I would rather hang out with you than him." She said the last word with such utter disgust, and Zexion had to laugh.
But her words had raised a question in his mind. "If I was such a jerk to you, how come you still want to be my friend?" He asked quietly. This time he was truly curious. The fact that she still liked him went against all nature.
Mei shrugged, and looked up at Zexion. Her eyes held all the innocence in the world. "Because you seem genuine." She replied. It was as though it was the simplest answer in the world.
"Well, what about Demyx?" Zexion asked.
"He's cool. And oh my gosh, he's cute." Zexion smirked as Mei blushed a little. "But it seems like he's too caught up in popularity, and stereo-types. And he tries to hard to impress people…" She obviously didn't want to say anything bad about Demyx, Zexion saw clearly.
For a moment all was quiet. Mei seemed to have lapsed into thought. Zexion himself was doing some serious thinking. Even though he'd been a jerk, Mei still liked him. Maybe it wasn't so bad having friends, after all…
--
Oh my gosh, that ending didn't work at all. . I like the story up until Zex finds Mei in the park. That's when it goes down hill. Curse trying to write a cute scene without rabid fan girls going insane about Zex being out of character or something. I'm sorry for the terrible ending. Hopefully you liked it anyway. Thanks for reading, reviews are always loved!