A slender redheaded girl walked into the classroom. "Well, Miss Avery, you are late on your first day. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. It was as if she'd gone mute. Then she jumped slightly as she remembered something - she had forgotten to put clothes on this morning! Everyone began pointing and laughing and…
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
I shot up in my bed. It took me a moment to remember where I was and what was going on. Then it all came flooding back to me. I had just been forced to move away from the house I had lived in all my life, next door to my best friend, only five minutes away from the best school on the planet, to a new city, with the super-creative name Twilight Town, and today was my first day of sophomore year at my new school.
Lucky me.
I angrily slammed my hand down on the alarm clock. I grabbed my pillow and buried my head under it. My mom came in a few minutes later and said "Kairi, if you don't get up now, you're going to be late for school." I raised my head from under the warm cushiness of my pillow and blearily tried to focus on her. "I'm up, I'm up. You can go now. "
I dragged myself to the bathroom and got a look at myself. Red hair was sticking up all over the place, and my eyes still wouldn't open all the way. Wow, I thought. I look like crap. I took a quick shower and made it downstairs just in time for my mom's "pep talk."
"It doesn't matter that you're new and don't know anybody. I'm sure that by the end of the week, you'll have a few friends to show you how everything works!" My mom has this irritating tendency to think that I can't handle everything myself. "You just walk in like you own the place and show everyone that you are a star!" She also doesn't realize that normal human beings don't try to make a fool out of themselves on their first day of school.
I took a huge bite of my bagel as I slung my backpack over my shoulders. "Thanks, Mom," I said, my mouth full. "I'll just do that."
Twilight Town High was a few blocks south from my house. It was a massive building, constructed entirely of yellow, orange and tan stone. It had a clock face set into the front of the building, which had a courtyard full of green grass and a cheerfully colored patio with a fountain on it.
It was so bright and charming that it made me sick.
I was so busy contemplating whether I should make a run for it or face my first day of class that I ran into someone. I snapped out of it, and automatically apologized. "I'm so sorry," I said, feeling like a total idiot.
The guy I bumped into looked at me, and with a goofy grin on his face said "Hey, no worries. It was my bad." I couldn't help but notice that he had perfect white teeth and pretty blue eyes. His hair, which was spiky and light brown, swayed a little in the breeze. He seemed so laid back and easygoing.
I flashed a brief smile at him and hurried to my first class.
I had English first thing. The teacher was hilarious, and made one of my least favorite subjects seem exciting. I talked a little with the guy next to me. His name was Hayner, and he invited me to sit with him and his friends at lunch.
After that, I had math and science. Three words for those two classes: Time. Passes. Slowly.
I mean, come on. Who wants to do math in the morning?
By the time lunch came around, I was ready to start slamming my head against a wall. Then I remembered that I had people I was going to meet at the cafeteria, and the dull boringness of the day seemed to lift.
I made my way to the cafeteria, looking for Hayner. I saw him with a small group of people on the far side of the cafeteria. I picked my way over discarded backpacks and other various items and ended up at one end of their table.
Hayner saw me and waved. "Hey, everybody, this is Carrie." He said through a mouthful of food. I inwardly smacked myself. Is it really that hard to remember a name like Kairi? "Actually," I said as politely as possible, "it's Kairi."
He laughed good-naturedly and said "Oops, my mistake. Everybody, this is Kairi." I waved, hoping I didn't look like a geek. They all waved back, with a chorus of "Hey, Kairi."
Hayner got up from the bench and walked over to me. He playfully punched my arm and said "Glad you made it. Okay, so over here, we have Pence," He pointed to a stocky boy with black hair and a red shirt, "and the lovely lady beside him would be Olette." He pointed to a girl with reddish brown hair who seemed to have a thing for the color orange. "And down on the end over there, we have the happy couple, Namine and Roxas." A shy looking blond girl and a tall blond guy looked up at me and waved. I noticed that they both had shockingly blue eyes.
"Alright, now that you know everybody, have a seat. You've gotta be hungry," Hayner said with a laugh. I grinned and walked around the table to sit next to Namine, the shy-looking one. "Hey, is it okay if I sit here?" I asked. She nodded. I pulled my lunch out of my backpack. Hayner had been right – I was hungry.
As I was stuffing my face in a very ladylike fashion, I saw Roxas stand up and kiss the side of Namine's head. "I'll see you later," He told her softly. He nodded at me. "Nice meeting you." He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder as he walked away.
I managed to swallow the enormous bite of sandwich I had just taken. I glanced over at Namine. "He doesn't say much, does he?" She smiled. "No, not really. That's just the way he is." She had a very soft and clear speaking voice. She took a sip of her water and began packing up her things. "I have to get to my next class," she said in response to my questioning look. "I have a lot of work to make up." She waved to occupants of our table and left the cafeteria.
I slid my stuff down closer to the rest of the group. "So," Olette said, pointing her fork at me, "Are you gonna join any clubs? Or do you play sports?" I thought for a second. "Well, I haven't decided on any clubs yet, but I was thinking about joining the track team."
Olette nodded. "We have a great track team. I was in it last year, and it was so much fun! I would have done it this year, but I did debate and swim team this year. Hey, maybe you could do debate with me!" she said enthusiastically.
Hayner leaned over the table and said in a loud stage whisper "Don't do it, Kairi! She might seem all nice and friendly, but she would mercilessly crush you in debate!" Olette threw a tin foil ball at him. "Would not!" she said playfully.
"Would too!" "Would not!" "Would too!" The kid with black hair, Pence, rolled his eyes at me. He leaned over towards me and whispered "These two could argue like this for hours. I think that they have a thing for each other." I grinned at him and took a bite of my cookie. "So," I said, interrupting Hayner and Olette, "How long have you guys all known each other?"
Hayner laughed. "Too long." He said jokingly. Olette punched him in the arm. "I've known these guys since naptime in preschool." She said. "I think we were . . . what, four?" She looked at Pence. He nodded. She looked back at me and smiled. "So I've had to deal with this guy" – She pointed at Hayner - "for the past twelve years of my life."
"Oh, and that's a bad thing?" Hayner said teasingly. "That hurts, Olette." He pretended to pout. She stuck her tongue out at him. Pence glanced at me and raised his eyebrows. "See what I mean?" He said.
"Well, how long have you guys known Namine and Roxas?" I asked quickly, hoping to avoid another Hayner/Olette argument. The table suddenly got quieter. Olette was the one to break the short silence. "Well, Roxas has been at our school for a long time, I think since fourth grade. And Namine came here a little while after him. "
"So they've been friends with you guys since fifth grade?" I pressed. I hated it when people didn't get to the point. Hayner rubbed the back of his neck. "Well. . ." He began.
Just then, the bell signaling the end of lunch rang. The three of them looked a little relieved. I wondered what was going on. "Well, we'll see you tomorrow, Kairi." Pence said cheerfully. I waved a little as they left. What's with them? I thought.
The rest of the day went by pretty quickly. I had art and Spanish after lunch, and after my free period I had History class. When the last bell rang, I got my stuff from my locker and started for home.
As I was walking out of the parking lot, I saw the guy I had bumped into this morning walking parallel to me on the other side of the street. While I was trying to decide if I should try to be nice and say hello, a red Mustang convertible screeched to a halt beside him, rap music blasting through the windows.
The boy stopped and turned to the car. The driver, an older student with flaming red hair, called something out to him. The boy laughed and hopped into the backseat behind the angry looking blond girl in front. He high-fived the silver haired kid next to him as they sped away.
Well, there goes that idea, I thought.
The next couple of days at school passed without incident. I kept up with my schoolwork and sat with Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Roxas and Namine at lunch. Somehow, I forgot about the subject of how they had become friends.
I also saw the boy I'd bumped into a few more times. I decided that he was kinda cute.
When Friday came, I felt like I'd been following this schedule for my entire life. Wake up, shower, get dressed, go to school, hang out at lunch, come home, do homework, and go to bed. More or less.
But I have to admit, I was kinda surprised when my new friends invited me to hang out at the mall on Saturday. I mean, I'd only known them for a week. "Uh, um, sure," was my very intelligent reply.
On Friday night, I was so excited that even my mom couldn't bring me down with her "pep talk." After dinner, she cornered me and said "I am so happy that you have your own friends now!" She had forgotten that I had had lots of friends at my old school. "It is so nice to see that my little girl is growing up. Now, just be sure to stay cool and not mess it up." What a pep talk, Mom!
I went upstairs to my room and saw that I had a new message on my computer. It was from Olette.
orangegirl220: Hey Kairi!
redmadness5: Hey Olette. What's up?
orangegirl220: Not much. We still on for tomorrow?
redmadness5: Unless a meteor hits me, I'll be there. I'm so sick of being in my house.
orangegirl220: That's awesome. I've already called Pence and Hayner, and they're both coming. I got a hold of Namine at lunch, and she's bringing Roxas.
redmadness5: Cool. So we're all gonna meet under the clock tower at 10?
orangegirl220: Yep, that's right. And remember to bring money.
redmadness5: No problem. Hey, I just remembered something.
orangegirl220: What's that?
redmadness5: You guys never did tell me how you became friends with Roxas and Namine. At lunch on Monday, remember?
orangegirl220: Oh, really? I could have sworn we did.
redmadness5: Nope.
orangegirl220: Well, we've all been friends with Namine since the eighth grade, when she was put into our homeroom class.
redmadness5: And Roxas?
I have a small tendency to be impatient. It comes and goes, kinda like my attention span.
orangegirl220: Uh, hey, Kairi? I hear my mom calling me for dinner. Talk to you tomorrow?
redmadness5: Uh, sure. I'll talk to you later.
orangegirl220: Bye Kairi!
redmadness5: Bye.
I stared at the screen for a while. Then I shook my head and switched off the computer.
I blinked in the early morning sunlight. I shaded my eyes and looked up at the enormous clock. 9:50 am. I was still a few minutes ahead of everyone else. I started walking around the small plaza in front of the tower.
There was a small fountain in the center of the plaza, and there were a few small storefronts lining the edges. The mall was two blocks down the street, so I assumed that they were family owned businesses. I glanced up at the clock one more time before I decided to check out the inside of an art studio.
As I pushed open the door, a bell rang somewhere in the back. I looked around. The walls were covered in beautiful paintings and drawings of all shapes and sizes. There were easels set up around the room, some that held canvases and some that were empty. The floor was covered with paint splatters, and there was color everywhere.
As I walked through the studio, a particular corner of the left wall caught my attention. I walked over towards it, and what I saw took my breath away.
The drawings in the corner were exquisitely beautiful, yet they had a pure simplicity about them that made me think of a small child's innocent imagination. They were of everyday things, like a kitchen table and a light pink flower in full bloom. But the picture that immediately drew my attention was the one of a crowd of people walking on the sidewalk of a busy street. Every face, every line, every detail was perfect. Each expression was different, but all the people seemed to be happy in some way.
I was so busy trying to take in every inch of the drawing at once that I didn't hear footsteps coming up behind me. "Can I help you?" someone with a soft, clear voice asked politely. I jumped and whirled around to face whoever was speaking.
Namine looked surprised. She blinked a couple of times before smiling. "Hey, Kairi. I didn't expect you here." "Uh, yeah, sorry." Was my intelligent reply. "I knew that you liked art, but I didn't know you worked here."
She laughed, a light, gentle sound. "I started here a few weeks ago. Did you see anything you like?" I nodded vigorously "Yeah. Who drew these pictures?" I asked gesturing over my shoulder at the wall.
A light blush came to her cheeks. "Oh, those? Well, I, um, I drew those. You really think they're good?" I looked at her like she was an insane person. "Duh. Of course I do! I mean, look at these! They are so awesome, they put Michelangelo to shame."
She started laughing again. "Thank you. That's so nice of you to say." She walked over to the hooks holding people's belongings. She picked up a small shoulder bag and headed to the door, waving me over. "My shift ends at 10 am, so I can hang out with you guys."
When we left the studio, everyone was waiting under the clock. Olette gave us a big hug, and Pence and Hayner slapped high fives with us. Namine looked around. "Hey, where's Roxas?" Her eyebrows drew together under her bangs in worry.
Suddenly Roxas appeared on the edge of my vision, walking toward us from the direction of the mall. Namine's gaze landed on him, and her face lit up. She started walking towards him, and he gave her a big hug.
It was so dang cute that I wanted to take a picture.
When we finally got to the mall, we split up into two groups; Hayner, Pence, and Olette went to go buy some stuff for a school project that they were working on together, and Namine, Roxas, and me were free to wander aimlessly around the mall until we had to rejoin the others for lunch.
At first we strolled around the first floor of the mall, and then Roxas offered to show us the place he was going to get a job at. It was a little skate shop on the second floor called, you guessed it, The Skate Shack. I picked it out immediately as we came up the escalator, due to my sharp eyesight, and the fact that it had a giant skateboard as part of the sign.
As we headed to the entrance, I saw the cute brunette guy I kept bumping into. I tapped Roxas on the shoulder. "Hey, do you know that guy? I think he goes to our school." He turned and looked in the direction I was pointing. His eyes flashed momentarily, then he quickly glanced over his shoulder at Namine, who was still a little ways behind us.
He grabbed my arm and, still looking at Namine, whispered "Is there anyone else with him? Do you see a tall redheaded guy or a blond girl?" I stared at him, puzzled. I had no idea why he was acting this way. And my arm was starting to hurt.
"No, there's nobody else with him. He's just walking into the Skate Shack," I said. "Uh, Roxas? You're kinda hurting my arm." He stared blankly at me, then realized what I was talking about. He released his bone-crushing grip on me. I rubbed my wrist trying to get the circulation going again.
"Why? Are those two friends of yours?" I asked curiously. He snapped his head toward me. The expression on his face was frightening. I wanted to curl up and die under that gaze.
"They," he almost spat, "are not friends of mine."
Just then, Namine reached us. "Hey guys," she said, "is something wrong?" I looked back at Roxas. Amazingly, his face showed no trace of the rage and disgust it had moments before. It was back to his usual quiet, pensive look.
"Hey, Kairi, are you okay? You look a little freaked out." I turned towards her. She had a questioning, concerned expression. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it." She looked at me as if she wanted to ask a few more questions, but decided against it. "So, are you gonna show us this place or what, Roxas?" She asked with a huge grin.
I glanced at him. "Yeah. Go on ahead. I have to tell Kairi something." He said. She smiled at him and said "Fine. Just hurry up, okay?" She turned and walked to the entrance.
Roxas looked at me apologetically. "Sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to upset you." I blinked. I was itching to ask what his problem was with the two kids he'd mentioned, but I figured it was none of my business. "That's okay," I said.
What the heck was going on?
When we entered the shop, my first impression was of loud punk music and wheels. It was very crowded, not by people, but by stuff. There was stuff everywhere. It looked like junk at first glance, but then I realized that it was piles of parts for skateboards, rollerblades, and trick bikes.
There was a guy sitting behind the counter at the back of the store. He had shoulder length silver hair and was really buff. I mean, he looked like a freakin' bodybuilder. And he looked familiar for some reason.
As I was contemplating this, I managed to get my shoe caught in the spokes of a bicycle tire. I tripped and started falling. I braced myself for a landing on the pile of sharp-looking equipment, but a hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed my upper arm.
I was pulled to my feet, and I saw who caught me. It was, of course, the guy who had brown hair. The one who I had run into on Monday. He grinned at me. "Careful. That would have been a nasty fall." I could only stare stupidly at him. I had no idea why my brain had stopped functioning properly.
"Hey, wait a second. Aren't you that new girl at school? The one I almost ran over last Monday?" Just my luck. He probably thought I was a huge klutz or something. Well, I was, but still.
"Yeah, that's me. I'm Kairi Avery." He laughed and said. "Nice meetin' ya. I'm Sora Kingsley. Can I help you find anything?" "You work here? I asked. "Yep. Just started yesterday. Took forever to get the job, though." He pointed to the silver haired kid. "I only got in because of him. That's my friend Riku." Riku looked up and waved, his face expressionless.
Suddenly, Namine and Roxas were standing next to me. "Hey Kairi, you've got to see—" Namine stopped short when she saw Sora. "Uh, hey, Sora," She mumbled. He looked at her, several emotions playing out on his face at once, some too fast for me to pick out. The two that I caught surprised me-- sympathy and guilt.
"Hey, Namine. How're you doing?" he asked politely. "I'm fine," she said quietly, not looking at him. He nodded in Roxas's direction. "Roxas." "Sora." came the short reply. Was it me, or was there an edge to his voice?
An awkward silence followed. Sora attempted to bring down the tension level. He smiled easily and said "So, are you gonna take the job here, Roxas?" He waited expectantly. Roxas was silent for a moment, then said "I think so. No one will give me one anywhere else." He gently took a hold of Namine's shoulder. "I think we're gonna go now," he said softly. "See you later."
Sora nodded politely. He glanced at me and smiled. "Nice meeting you, Kairi." I tentatively smiled back. "Yeah, you too." As we were walking out, I glanced over my shoulder and waved. He waved back.
I wondered what was up between the three of them.
Sora mentally kicked himself. How could he ever get the point across to Roxas? He'd apologized to both of them several times. He didn't know what else to say. Sorry I wasn't there to stop it. Sorry I don't know what everyone in the gang is doing every second of the day. My bad.
Riku looked up from the papers on his desk. "Well, that could have gone better." Sora glared at his friend. "You know," Riku continued, oblivious to Sora's expression, "for a couple of guys who used to be best friends, you and Roxas sure don't communicate well."
Sora grunted in agreement. He walked through the door leading to the supply room. He dropped heavily into a chair and sighed. He couldn't help but wonder if the new girl, Kairi, knew about it yet,
I trailed after Roxas and Namine, who had their arms wrapped around each other. We went to the elevator instead of the escalator this time. Roxas pushed the button and pulled Namine in for a hug. He seemed to be whispering to her, but I couldn't hear what he was saying from this far away.
I joined them in the elevator as the doors opened. I rubbed my arm awkwardly. What was I supposed to do? Did I offend them by having a conversation with Sora? I was about to ask where we were going next when Namine said "Hey, aren't we supposed to meet the others for lunch in a few minutes?" I checked my watch. Almost 11:50. "Yeah, in about ten minutes," I said.
The elevator doors opened on the ground floor, and we made our way towards the food court. I glanced at Namine. She seemed normal again. Roxas had also slipped back into his usual quiet self. I knew I really shouldn't have said anything, but I couldn't help myself.
"Are you guys okay? You seemed a little upset back there." I paused, hoping I hadn't said anything stupid. Namine looked up at me, seeming to have just remembered that I was there. "Yeah, we're fine. Are you okay?" I blinked. That seemed like a silly question to ask. "Of course I am." Namine seemed to brighten a little. "Oh, good. You seemed a little distressed in the elevator." Yeah? That's what I thought about you guys, I thought.
After a short silence, we lapsed into normal conversation. We were just beginning to talk about the projects coming up at school when we reached the food court. "I have no idea what I'm going to do for the science –" Namine froze mid-sentence. Her eyes were locked on something directly in front of her. I turned to see what she was looking at, and followed her line of vision to a table at the edge of the food court.
At the table, a group of kids, a little older than we were, were all cursing and laughing loudly at each other. I recognized the one with his boot-clad feet up on the table – he was the guy who had been driving the red Mustang that I saw on my first day of school. There was no mistaking the vivid red hair, and I thought that the blond next to him had been in the car that day, too.
Wait a second – hadn't Roxas said something about a blond and a redhead earlier?
I turned to Namine, and I was a little scared by what I saw. Her face had gone completely white, and her eyes were like saucers. She looked terrified.
Roxas had one hand on her shoulder. I saw his eyes were also locked on the table, but he didn't look scared. He looked murderous. He was speaking softly and urgently to Namine, trying to get her to turn around and walk away.
But Namine wouldn't move. She stood rooted to the spot and stared, transfixed, at the table. I could almost feel the cold terror emanating from her. Roxas seemed unnerved by the lack of response he was getting, and he finally tore his gaze from the table and fixed his eyes on me He almost seemed to be pleading for help. I understood. I grabbed Namine's shoulder and turned her around by force. Roxas took up her other arm and steered her away from the food court.
We had only gone a few feet when I noticed that the group seated at the table had quieted down. Then a voice called out, "Hey, Roxas! That you, buddy?" Mocking laughter followed. Now I was really confused. I glanced over at Roxas. His eyes were wild, and he gritted his teeth.
"Hey, Roxas! Don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you!" More laughter. Roxas looked past Namine at me and whispered through clenched teeth "Keep going." I had taken about two more steps when I heard the scraping of chairs against the tiled floor. Panicked, I glanced over my shoulder to see the older teens advancing toward us.
For one thing, there were a lot more of them than there were of us. And they were pretty nasty looking. I had no doubt that any one of them could rip the three of us to shreds. I shook the thought from my head. Quit thinking things like that, I told myself. You're being paranoid. Why would they have any reason to do that?
I glanced over my shoulder again. They were about ten feet away from us now. The tall redhead called out "Hey Rox. What's the matter? Aren't you happy to see us?" Suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed Roxas's shoulder and spun him around to face them.
The tall redhead smirked at him. "I was talking to you. It's rude to ignore people." The men looking blond girl came forward. "Where have you been, Roxas?" She drawled. "It hasn't been as much fun without you around." She tried to ruffle his hair, but he angrily shoved her hand away.
Her bright green eyes flashed. "Watch it, Roxy," she growled. "Don't forget who you're talking to."
I had discreetly been inching away from them, Namine in tow, unnoticed. Until now, that is. A blond guy with silver earrings and a deck of cards noticed us first. He nudged the guy next to him, a huge senior who I had seen when I walked by the detention room. I thought his name was Lexaeus.
He did a double take, and a malicious grin slid over his face. "Hey, guys," he said in his booming voice "Look what we got over here." I felt a shiver run up my spine. I decided that I didn't like these people. At all.
I looked at Namine. She looked almost as if she was in shock. She withdrew deep within herself, to a place she didn't have to deal with . . . whatever had happened. It was like she had escaped her body and left behind an empty shell. I moved slightly so that I was blocking her from the others.
The redhead glanced our way, then back at Roxas. "Well well, Rox. Look who's here." Something in his voice made me look up. He had a small smile on his face, but it wasn't an expression that showed any sign of kindness. It made me want to hide away somewhere.
He strode toward me and Namine. I squeezed Namine's arm, praying she'd snap out of it. He stopped in front of me. He leaned over to get a better look at me. He narrowed his eyes. "You new around here?" he asked quietly. "I don't think I've seen you around before. If I had, I probably would've -- " "Axel." The angry looking blond warned.
"Relax Larxene. You should loosen up." He said over his shoulder. "I'm just having some fun." This earned a couple of snickers. I looked past Axel to Roxas. He was moving slowly away from Larxene towards us, probably to grab Namine and me and run. I looked back at Axel. He turned to me and smirked. I stared back for a moment, and then his gaze drifted past me and locked onto something just behind me.
His smirk widened into a predatory grin. He took a step forward and pushed me aside like I wasn't there. "Well, well, Namine. Long time no see." At that moment, Roxas lunged at Axel. Before he could do anything, Lexaeus, the big senior, wrapped him in a bear hug that lifted him off the ground and sent the air rushing from his lungs.
Axel looked back at him and laughed. He reached out and latched onto Namine's arm. Namine's head snapped up at the contact. Her eyes locked onto Axel's, and he leered at her. Her other hand shot up and desperately tried to pry his fingers open. He just laughed.
"Namine, you're hurting my feelings. Aren't you happy to see me?" He squeezed her arm tightly, causing her to gasp in pain. The rest of his group snickered behind him. Roxas was desperately trying to break free of Lexaeus's grasp, but was only succeeding in tiring himself out. I realized through my haze of confusion that I had to do something. So I did the first thing I could think of. I punched Axel as hard as I could.
It didn't really hurt him, but he was dazed enough to let go of Namine. I grabbed her hand and started to run away, but a hand tangled itself in my hair. I was almost taken off my feet, and Namine went crashing to the floor. I tried to twist away, but the grip on my hair just got stronger.
I realized that it was Larxene who had caught me. She held her face about three inches from mine. "You just punched my boyfriend, bitch." She hissed.
I honestly thought we were all toast at that point. Then, something strange happened. Larxene let go of my hair, Lexaeus dropped Roxas, and they all warily backed away.
I turned my head as I was helping Namine up to see what had happened. A tall boy with a beanie hat, a short silver-haired girl, and a tall Hispanic-looking guy had arrived on the scene. I wondered why the others had backed off. I mean, there were only three of them. Then I saw that they had weapons.
The tall guy with the beanie hat came forward. "Come on now, Axel. I thought you knew better than to treat others this way." He said mockingly. He walked forward. "I also thought I had told you to lay off on the beatings." He brandished a small, sharp knife. "I think we've had this talk before. Except, last time, Xigbar had that unfortunate accident with his eye." He nodded to a black haired guy with a ponytail and an eye patch.
He smiled disarmingly. "But I think we can avoid that kind of thing today, don't you?"
Axel bared his teeth at him. "Shove off, Seifer. We were just having a chat." Seifer tilted his head to one side. "Really? Didn't seem that way to me." He spread his arms wide. "I don't really feel like kicking your sorry asses into next week, so I'll just let you off with a warning." The charming smile disappeared. "Get out of my sight. Now. And don't let me catch you in our territory again."
Axel hesitated for a moment, then seemed to relax. He smirked. "You know, I was getting sick of this place anyway. You can keep this dump." He turned on his heel and strode away, closely followed by his pack.
Seifer thumbed his nose after them. He grinned and turned to Namine and me. "Now, how is it that a couple of girls like you got into trouble with the Organization?" I stared blankly at him. "In trouble with the what?"
"The Organization. You know, the guys who were about to make you into mincemeat." He hooked his knife back into his belt. He glanced over his shoulder and nodded at the other two. The girl shoved two knives back into her boots, and the boy put spiked gloves into his pockets.
He turned to us again. "I'm sure that you did something pretty bad to get those guys on your case like that. So, what did you do? Steal drugs? Attack one of the members?" I shook my head. "I don't know what we did." Not totally true. I knew something had happened before I moved here, but I didn't know what.
Roxas came forward. "Thanks for helping us out, Seifer. But I'm gonna get Namine home." He looked at me. "You gonna be okay?" I nodded. He walked over to Namine and gently laid an arm across her trembling shoulders.
"Don't start expecting me to help you out, loser. I had nothing better to do. And I just can't stand the sight of those Organization scum." Seifer said. He looked at me and Namine. "Although, I might just help you guys out, if you need it." Roxas looked grim. He nodded in acknowledgement and led Namine towards the exit.
I smiled weakly. "Thank you," I said. "We really appreciate the help."
He laughed. "No problem. Just doing our job."
"Job?"
"Yeah. We're the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee."
He pointed at the silver–haired girl. "That's Fuu," he pointed to the tall Hispanic kid, "and that's Rai. We're the town's protectors, basically. We just aren't always, you know, legal in our methods."
I was surprised. I hadn't thought that a cute and cheerful town like this would need protecting. "I better get going. I need to meet up with some people. Thanks again." I turned and headed back to the food court. I had a few questions I needed answered.
Hayner, Pence, and Olette arrived fifteen minutes after I did. I waved them over to the table. When Olette saw me, she gasped. She hurried over and began assaulting me with questions.
"Kairi, what happened? Where are Roxas and Namine? Are you all right?" I managed to get her to shut up by the time Pence and Hayner reached us. They took one look at my face and their expressions hardened. I could tell that they had some idea as to what had happened.
The three of them took a seat. I took a deep breath and recalled the events of the morning, starting from when we had split up and ending with the unexpected rescue. Hayner's eyebrows shot up when I mentioned that it had been Seifer and his gang who had saved us.
"Wait a second. Seifer saved you guys? And he knew Roxas was with you? That's a bit hard to believe." I was getting irritated. It seemed everyone knew something I didn't, and I was getting sick of it.
"Okay, that's it. I know you guys aren't telling me everything, and I can respect that. But I was almost beaten to a pulp just now, and I have no idea why. I think I deserve to know that much."
They glanced at each other uneasily. Pence spoke first. "Well, it really hasn't been necessary for you to know this, so we've kept it to ourselves." He stared down at the table, looking almost embarrassed. "It's not really our news to share. But, you're right. You do have a right to know what's going on."
Hayner picked it up from there. "You know that we became friends with Namine in the eighth grade, right?" I nodded. "Well, we didn't really know Roxas before he started dating Namine in freshman year. We actually avoided him most of the time. When he asked her out, we tried talking her out of it."
"Wait, why did you avoid him? What was wrong with him dating Namine?"
Olette looked at me sympathetically. "Kairi, Roxas used to be a member of the Organization gang."
I was thunderstruck. That didn't make any sense to me. Roxas despised the Organization, didn't he? I remembered the look on his face when we first saw them. It was clear he hated them now, anyway. But why?
Olette continued on. "At the end of last year, a few weeks after Namine agreed to go out with Roxas, she was walking home by herself at night. She wasn't really paying attention to where she was going, and she. . . " Olette paused, and then continued. "She walked past the Organization's place. Some of the members were outside, and they were stoned and bored, and Axel - " She stopped again, too distressed to go on.
I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the rest, but then Hayner spoke. "Those filthy bastards had nothing better to do, so they attacked her. Messed her up real bad." He brought his fist down on the table. "And they knew who she was. They knew she was Roxas's girlfriend, and they didn't even care. They thought it was funny."
I couldn't even comprehend the meaning of his words. I was in total shock. I heard a strange roaring in my ears, and my whole body went rigid. Namine? Sweet, gentle, kind Namine? Then it hit me. They had attacked Namine. They had attacked Namine because they were bored.
"Oh my God," I whispered. Pence nodded, his face set in stone. "Roxas had been out with a couple of the more decent members, and the guy you met at the skate shop, Sora, called him. He hadn't seen what was going on, but he got a text from one of the others who were there. It had pictures. Roxas ran the entire way from the other side of town to get there, but he wasn't fast enough."
Pence shook his head sadly. "As soon as he got Namine to the hospital and was sure she'd be cared for, he went back to the Organization's hangout. He wanted to know why they did it. I don't know exactly what they said to him, he never told us, but he did some serious damage from what I heard."
Olette clasped her hands on the table and said "It took her the rest of the school year to physically recover. She's never fully recovered mentally, though." That much made sense, the way she froze up when she saw them, the way she had seemed to withdraw into herself and hide.
So many things made sense now. The way Roxas had acted towards Sora, why no one wanted Roxas to work for them, the reason that Seifer didn't like Roxas, how Namine had told me she had lots of work to make up. And I had been too stupid to connect the dots.
"Wait a second. Why aren't these people in prison? Didn't anyone report them?"
Hayner chuckled darkly. "Yeah, they were reported by Namine's parents, but no one would dare testify against them in court. Who would've wanted to end up like some defenseless fifteen year old rape victim?"
I saw red. My brain felt like it was on fire. I was absolutely furious. "No one would testify? Because they were scared?" My voice shook with rage. "How could people just sit there and let this happen? What if it had been their kid or friend or whatever that this happened to?"
Olette put a hand on my shoulder. "Kairi, the only real protection anyone has against them is Seifer and his gang, and there are only three of them. The Organization threatens and bribes lots of the police. Wouldn't you be a little scared?"
I looked at the table. Truth is, I would be. But that didn't make it right.
Pence said "A few of the oldest members are in jail on separate charges, but that still leaves us with Axel, Larxene, Demyx, Lexaeus, Xaldin, Xigbar, Zexion, Luxord, Sora, Riku, and Marluxia. Riku, Sora, and Demyx aren't that bad, but you'd better watch out for the rest of them. That won't be the only time they'll try to get to you."
I took a deep breath. "I think I'm gonna head home, guys. I'm not feeling so good." The three of them nodded sympathetically. "I'll give you a ride home, Kairi." Olette said.
I tried to smile, but I couldn't seem to find the energy to.
"Thanks for the ride, Olette."
"Hope you feel better, Kairi. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Bye."
I trudged up the walk to the front door of my house. The sun was already setting behind the trees. I tried to make it upstairs without my mom noticing. It didn't work. "Hey, sweetie. How was your day?" She called from the kitchen. I was too tired to deal with her. "I don't want to talk about it right now," I called back. I ran up the last few steps before my mom could protest.
I rushed down the hall and slammed my bedroom door behind me. I dropped my stuff on the floor and threw myself onto the bed. I cried into my pillow until I fell asleep.
Sora was having a nightmare. He was trapped inside the Organization's hangout. He couldn't find a door anywhere. With each passing moment the decrepit house seemed to shrink. A window suddenly appeared. He threw himself at it, but it would not open.
He saw people outside. One of them was a small blond girl. She was screaming for help.
He pounded on the window with his fists. He shouted as loudly as possible. But the tall figures wouldn't stop hurting her.
Then the people disappeared, and his best friend appeared. Sora was relieved. He would help him get out of this tiny space.
Something was wrong. His best friend knew that he could help, but he wouldn't. The space kept closing in. He would be crushed. But his friend wouldn't save him.
Because he hadn't been able to save the blond girl.
The walls closed in around him.
Sora sat bolt upright. He was on the couch at the hangout. He wiped sweat off his forehead and relaxed a little. Just another nightmare. He lay back on the couch and closed his eyes, wondering what he could do to patch up old friendships.
I woke up feeling groggy and sick. I lifted my head off the pillow to see what time it was. 11:03 am. I groaned and buried my face in the pillow. I didn't feel like getting up.
As if on cue, my mom clomped her way up the stairs and threw open my door. "Good morning, Kairi!" She chirped. I opened one eye and glared at her. She didn't seem to notice. "Get out of bed, sweetie! It's a beautiful day outside. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and you have to go to school tomorrow!" The pep talk wasn't too bad, except for that last part.
I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and sat up. My mom saw that I still had my clothes on from the day before. "Honey, why are you still wearing those clothes? Are you feeling all right?" That surprised me. My mom was usually too distracted to ask me about how I was doing.
I rubbed a bit of sleep from my eyes. "Yeah, I'm feeling fine," I lied. "I just had a long day yesterday." She smiled at me. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. I'll be running some errands today, so give me a call if you're going anywhere." "Okay."
She sighed happily. "Well, I'll be back around four. I'll bring dinner." She added. She turned and left the room. I heard her rummaging around downstairs, and then I heard her say "Bye, Kairi." "Bye Mom." I called back. I heard the front door slam, and I listened as the car roared out of the driveway.
I sat in silence for a few moments, deciding what I should do. I decided to take a shower. I felt gross. I let the water run over my head, and I contemplated yesterday's events. My thoughts were so scattered that I had to list them in order.
1. Namine had been attacked by a gang called the Organization.
2. Roxas had been a part of that gang.
3. The guy I thought was cute was still a part of and had friends in said gang.
4. I had almost been in serious trouble yesterday.
I closed my eyes for a moment. I felt like a self absorbed pig. The only things I had to worry about in my life were getting good grades and being accepted by popular kids, while Namine had to worry about her personal safety. She had real problems, not the ridiculous day to day things I deal with. I wished I could understand what it must be like for her, but I realized that I've been very sheltered.
You don't really think that things like this are real, just something on T.V. and in the news. You don't think of it as something that could actually happen in real life, to you or your friends. I turned off the water and wrapped myself in a towel. I turned and walked to my room to get ready for the day.
I took my bike out of the garage and headed for Namine's house. I figured it was the least I could do to make sure she was alright.
My mom had been right; it was a beautiful day. It was bright and sunny, and there was a slight breeze that ruffled my hair. I couldn't help but smile a little. After a little while, I realized I didn't really know where I was. I hit the brakes and looked around. I was in a neighborhood that was a bit run-down, with the paint peeling off the small houses and the grass dying in the front yards.
I felt a little panicked. I had left my cell phone in my room, and I couldn't see any street signs. I thought it would be best if I just kept going until I recognized something. About ten minutes later, I still didn't know where I was. I stopped again, looking for a street sign or someone else who could tell me where I was.
I had ended up on a street badly in need of repair. The windows of most of the buildings had been smashed in, and doors were hanging off their hinges, creaking slightly in the wind. The sun was still shining, but it didn't feel warm and comforting like before. The gray surroundings seemed to soak up the light rather than reflect it.
I shivered a bit. The feeling of unease had grown, causing me to wrap my arms around myself. I wasn't sure that I should stick around too long, so I put my feet back on the pedals and began to ride away. I turned another corner and found myself at a dead end. I honestly thought I was going to have to send an SOS signal to get myself back home.
Just then, someone walked out of the house on the corner. I wouldn't have been able to tell you that anything alive was in there. It looked like a bomb had gone off on the inside. The windows were all blown out and the deep brown paint was black from mold in some places.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I got off my bike and walked it over to the edge of the grass. "Excuse me," I called out, "I think I took a wrong turn. Can you tell me where I am?" The person jumped at the sound of my voice. They turned, and I saw that it was Riku, that kid from the shop.
I brought my bike up beside him. "Hey Riku. I met you yesterday at your store, remember?" He stared at me like I had just dropped out of the sky. "Is this where you live?" I said, trying to be polite, waving a hand at the ramshackle house behind him. He started a little, like he had just woken up. He hurriedly glanced over his shoulder at the house, and turned back to me. "Follow me. Now." He whispered in a rush.
I blinked. "What?"
He looked over his shoulder again. He grabbed my arm and said "Come on." He pulled me- and my bike- down the street. I was totally bewildered. Was something wrong?
We turned the corner and he came to a stop. He dropped my arm and turned to me, aqua eyes flashing. "What are you doing here?" he grated. "Are you insane?" I felt my temper flare up. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? What is your problem?" I half shouted.
'My problem is that you were just on the Organization's front lawn, and you freakin' punched Axel in the face yesterday. Larxene was in a fit about it for hours. Do you have a death wish or something?"
I felt a tingle of fear crawl up my spine. Their front lawn? What? No. I would have known if I had passed by them. Wouldn't I? Wait. Their yard. This was the exact same way Namine had ended up in the hospital. She had gotten lost, and ended up here. But I had been lucky. She had not been. I shivered.
I hugged myself against a sudden gust of wind. I looked up at Riku with wide eyes. He seemed to relent a little. "What are you doing here?" He asked in a tired voice. "I got lost." I said quietly. "I was trying to get to Namine's house." He shook his head. "Well, you definitely aren't in the right neighborhood."
I shrugged. "Well, could you tell me how to get there? I just moved here last week." He raised an eyebrow and gave me the directions. I hopped back on my bike and paused. I looked back at him. "Hey, Riku?" He turned around. "Thanks." I said. He just shrugged at me. "No problem," he said. "Not all of us are totally evil." I smiled at him and rode away.
I made it to Namine's place shortly after that. Her brother Cloud answered the door. "Is Namine here?" I asked. He nodded. "But she's not feeling well. She's been shut in her room all day." I said. "I'm sorry to hear that. Could you tell her I was here?" He nodded again and closed the door.
My shoulders sagged. Poor Namine.
Sora glanced up from the T.V. as Riku walked in. "Where've you been?" "Out." Sora rolled his eyes. "That's real helpful. Very descriptive." Riku whacked him in the back of his head as he walked by. "I was helping that girl Kairi. She was actually in the front yard a few minutes ago." Sora's head snapped up. "Kairi was here? Seriously? Did anyone else see her?" Riku shot him a dirty look.
"I just said I was helping her, didn't I? If anyone else saw her, you would hear lots of screaming and fighting outside." Sora half smiled. "Yeah. Probably. I still can't believe we missed Axel being punched in the face."
Riku chuckled. "Yeah. The only thing I don't mind missing is Seifer."
Sora laughed. The new girl was turning out to be interesting.
I shielded my eyes against the sun. I was a little early for school, so I sat on the edge of the fountain in front of the main building. I hadn't slept well at all the previous night. I kept having nightmares about haunted houses chasing me.
I sighed and headed to my locker. Of course, I almost tripped over my own two feet on the way, but no one saw that. As I entered the hallway where my locker was located, I noticed that there was someone leaning against it.
I approached carefully. I couldn't tell who it was- their face was hidden by the hood of their sweatshirt. I walked up and said "'Scuse me." They looked up. It was Sora. I'm not gonna lie, I was a little happy to see him.
Don't judge me.
He grinned at me. "Hey Kairi. I heard about what went down at the mall on Sunday." I felt my face heat up. Was it embarrassment? Or was it anger? "Yeah? What about it?" He laughed. "I just had to say, you either have a lot of guts, or a lack of common sense. Standing up to the Organization like that."
I didn't know what to say to that. "Aren't you a member of the Organization?" His eyes slid away from mine. "Yeah." He said. I was irritated. He was either a hypocrite, or was trying to get on my good side by complimenting me. "I'm sorry if I offended you or anything. You know, insulting your friends or something."
His eyes hardened. "Some of them aren't my friends." I frowned at him. "So, what? Are only a few of the world's most horrible people your friends? Like the guy who sent you that text message?" He flinched. There was a great sorrow and bitterness in his eyes. I knew I'd struck deep with that comment.
I slammed my locker shut. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? Maybe I don't have the right to say that. I didn't mean it." He looked away. 'It's okay. I know exactly what you meant." He said quietly. "I'm used to it by now."
The bell for class rang. "Well, I'll see ya around. Watch yourself, okay?" I nodded. "And I am sorry about what I said. Bye Sora." He smiled halfheartedly and waved. I turned the corner and lost sight of him.
Sora waited for her to turn the corner. The hall slowly emptied out. He leaned back against the lockers and slid to the floor. He rubbed his hands over his face and took a deep breath. So she did know about it. He let his head rest against a locker.
He wondered how she had found out. Roxas had probably told her. Or maybe Namine had.
Oh god, Namine, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry Roxas. I wish I could have saved you both.
Most of my morning went by in a blur. I barely listened as we were lectured on Shakespeare, zoned out during a science experiment, and stared out the window during math. It was a relief when lunch came.
I made my way to our table, careful not to get tackled accidentally by some football players. Hayner was the only one there. He smiled at me when I sat down. "So, anything exciting happen yet today?" I rolled my eyes. "No, not really. Unless you count learning about what the inside of a frog looks like as exciting." I laughed. He grinned. "So, are you coming to our first basketball game tonight? I think we might actually beat the Traverse Town team this time." I shook my head and sighed. "I can't. I've got to study." Not true. I just didn't feel up to going today.
He pretended to pout. "Awww, and I thought you were my friend. Just kidding!" He protested as I threw a french fry at him. Olette appeared out of nowhere and took a seat. "Hey, guys." She said "Pence is out sick, so he can't go to the game tonight. But I can still go with you guys." Hayner pulled a face. "Kairi, you're gonna leave me with just Olette cheering us in the stands? Thanks a lot," he said sarcastically. I started cracking up. "Yup," I said between giggles. "I am leaving you with just Olette. Wait, what about Roxas and Namine? Aren't they coming?"
Olette shook her head. "Namine is still at home. She was feeling sick, she told me." Hayner scratched his head. "And I haven't heard from Roxas since Saturday. I don't know where he is today." I tilted my head to one side. "You haven't heard from him for two days? I thought he lived on your street." Hayner shrugged. "Doesn't mean I see him every day. We live on opposite ends of the street."
I rested my chin on my hands. "Well, in that case, I guess I could make an appearance at your game tonight. Just don't make me paint my face or anything." Hayner laughed. "Deal."
The rest of the day flew by. Before I knew it, the final bell was ringing, and I left my class and headed to my locker to get my books.
When I reached the corner, I saw a familiar figure leaning against my locker. Gray sweatshirt, jeans, skater shoes. The hood was still pulled up to cover the face, which I thought was a little ridiculous, since we were indoors and I knew who it was. Or so I thought. "Hey, Sora," I said tiredly. "I'm still sorry for yelling at you. I really didn't mean it, okay?"
"Sora?" said the chillingly familiar, mocking voice. They lifted their head, and I stared into vivid green eyes. I stiffened and felt my eyes go wide. "The name's Axel. Got it memorized?" he smirked and unfolded his arms. I swallowed and tried to keep down the panic I felt rising. "So, what's this I hear about you talking to Sora? You guys getting to know each other?" He smacked his forehead. "Oh, that's right. You're new around here, so you must not know about him - or the people he's involved with."
I tried to make my legs move, but I felt numb. I wanted so badly to just run away, but apparently my feet didn't get the message. So I tried to make Axel think I wasn't scared. "Oh, yeah? I know all about you and your pathetic gang. And I know that you're a bunch of horrible, brainless, arrogant bastards who make yourselves feel better by attacking defenseless girls."
He chuckled, but his eyes narrowed to slits. "Okay, so you know a little about us." He leaned in until his face was three inches from mine. Now I understood the term "shaking in your boots". He grinned maliciously. Then he said, just barely loud enough for me to hear, "But, did Sora tell you it was his idea? To beat the crap out of that little whore Namine?"
I went cold. No. It couldn't be. He would never do that. He wouldn't. "You're lying," I whispered. He laughed. "Am I? Or has he just kept that little detail from you? Maybe he'll tell you if you put out enough." I felt my face heat up in rage and embarrassment. My temper flared up. So of course I did the one thing that defied common sense – I swung my fist up and connected it with the side of Axel's head.
In an instant he had grabbed the front of my shirt and hoisted me off my feet. He swung me around and slammed me into the row of lockers. He glared at me with those bright green eyes. "You'll pay for that." He ground out through clenched teeth. He hauled his fist back, probably with the intent of smashing my face in. I squeezed my eyes shut. Oh, God, I thought. Please let someone see me. Please let someone help.
"Enough." A calm voice said smoothly. I opened my eyes. Riku was standing there, a hand placed firmly on Axel's shoulder. Axel stared in disbelief, and then regained his composure. He snarled at Riku and tightened his grip on my shirt. "This little bitch just punched me. You know the rules. No one goes after an Organization member and gets away with it." Riku raised an eyebrow. "Really? That applies here? I just thought that rule went into effect when someone else starts the fight. And as I recall, you provoked her."
Axel's eyes widened in anger, and then he smirked. "And as a senior member of the Organization, I can do whatever the hell I want. Besides, rules are made to be broken." His eyes switched back to me. "Now then, where were we?" He raised his fist again. It came whistling through the air, straight at my face. I braced myself for impact, but it never came.
Riku had caught Axel's fist two inches away from my nose. Riku's eyes were narrowed to slits. "Not the right time or place. She didn't hurt you, just your ego. Settle it some other time." Axel looked like he was going to explode. But he seemed to come to his senses. You have to be at least nine kinds of stupid to mess with a guy like Riku. Axel is only eight kinds.
He relaxed and let me drop to the floor. He scowled at Riku. "You're lucky that I'm such a forgiving guy. Otherwise, your sorry face would be smashed on a locker." Riku half smiled. "Well, I guess I'm very lucky, then." Axel grinned and said "Well, I've got a hot blonde waiting for me." He glanced at me. "And don't you worry, princess. We'll talk again soon." With that, he turned on his heel and strode away/
Riku waited until he turned the corner. Then he turned to me and said "Are you seriously trying to get yourself killed? That seemed like a pretty dumb stunt to pull." I rubbed my arm and looked away sheepishly. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to get you involved." I muttered. He threw me a sideways glance and said "You're lucky I did get involved. You were gonna be beat to crap if I didn't do something." He sighed and shook his head. "You need to be more careful. Your friends won't always be there to help you."
I looked up at him. "Thanks, Riku." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't mention it. Seriously." He grinned. "If Sora hears about this, I don't know what'll happen."
I froze. Sora. All his idea. Lied to me. His best friend's girlfriend. His idea.
I hugged myself tightly. I lowered my eyes and asked "Was it true? Was it really his idea?" Riku paused. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "No. That's not entirely accurate." "Not entirely accurate? What does that mean? That it was only partially his idea to rape Namine?" Riku's eyes flashed dangerously. "Sora," he said, "didn't rape Namine. He had nothing to do with the actual attack. We were all a little drunk this one time, a while after Roxas asked her out. We were all just kidding around and we said stuff we didn't really mean."
I waited for the rest. He seemed to stare off into space. "Uh, Riku?" He snapped out of it and continued. "And Sora said some crude, stupid comments about 'the new girlfriend' and joked about how she should have, like, an orientation or something." His face darkened. "But Axel didn't just leave it at that. He took it too far."
"Then why didn't you do something to stop him? I mean, he clearly would listen to you." I said heatedly. Riku blinked. "I wasn't there. I was across town with Demyx and Roxas. We were checking out some stuff for the gang." "And where was Sora?" He shrugged. "I don't know where he was that night. All I know is that he called Roxas after he got that text."
I quietly absorbed that information. I suddenly felt weary, like I'd been carrying a thousand pounds on my back. I took a deep breath. "Look, I've gotta go. I need to help my mom with some stuff before the big game tonight. Thanks again for all your help. I'll see ya later." And I turned without another word and left.
I didn't really feel like going home, so I walked down the road and turned into the little café that the juniors and seniors went to for lunch sometimes. I dropped heavily into a seat and sighed. It seemed like my life was turning into one of those annoying CSI mystery shows. And all I could see when I first moved here was the bright cheerfulness this town seemed to emanate, with all its colorful buildings and happy people. Now I knew that looks are deceiving. Many people had to live in fear all the time because of a bunch of psycho teenagers that have no morals.
And I was turning into one of those people.
I ordered a sandwich and a soda, and I carried my stuff to sit at one o the outside tables. Even though it was late September, it was still warm out. After a few minutes I let myself relax. After all, it's hard to stay upset when you're eating. I closed my eyes against the late afternoon sunlight. I felt safe and comfortable. For now.
Sora was throwing a tennis ball against the wall when Riku walked in. "Hey," he called. "Hey." "Where've you been, man? I thought we were gonna go to that game later."
Riku rolled his eyes. "I've been being a good Samaritan. Helping damsels in distress, slaying dragons, all that crap." Sora stood up. "Ha-ha, very funny. So what were you actually doing?" Riku ran a hand through his hair. "That girl you like, Kairi, almost got herself killed again today. Axel waited for her outside her locker." He shook his head. "Would have bee a real mess if I hadn't shown up." Sora stood there, open-mouthed. "What? Again? What happened?"
Riku looked apologetic, which threw Sora off a bit. "Well, Axel's been fuming about the mall incident, so he decided it was payback time." He flopped onto the couch and picked up the T.V. remote. "And Axel told her that it was all your idea to hurt Roxas's girlfriend." Sora's heart dropped into his feet. Without looking at him, Riku said "But I told her the real story. How Axel just took your joke too far." He glanced at a stunned Sora. "You're welcome." Sora sat on the end of the couch, dazed. "He told her about that?" he murmured. Riku sat up. "Look, don't worry about it. I told her what really happened. And besides, she has it bad for you."
Sora's head snapped up. "What?" Riku laughed. "You heard me. She defended you against Axel. Punched him in the head." Sora had a look of wonder on his face. "Really? She did that?" Riku grinned. "Yep. That's one unique chick you got your eye on, man."