Promises
by io sono mi-cchi
Chapter 1: Broken
"I hate you," with much emphasis on the word hate, Christine Hanakomachi pronounced the words crisply. She glared at the blond offender beside her, nonchalantly driving his stupid red sports car.
"I love you too," Nozoumo answered with sweetened sarcasm. The strawberry blonde-haired chick tried to relax herself with calming breaths despite her increasing blood lust. She mentally counted.
One… two… three…
On the other hand, he sighed a sigh that spoke of a thousand frustrations. "It was not intentional, believe me," he justified, "It was all because of the alcohol. I would never destroy my family's trust on my own will. Who in their right mind would?"
She remained silent, trying to concentrate on her relaxation technique.
"Anyway," he continued, "I'm not entirely the one at fault here. You responded eagerly, as I have remembered." Then, he smirked.
She was irked. He didn't have to vocalize those thoughts while equaled to their experience the night before. The sensation lingered on her lips. She remembered how his lips crashed hers roughly, deeply, passionately which triggered to arouse warm feelings deep within her. His tongue coaxed her lower lip for entrance. Breathless, their hands roamed around and…
"I did not," she denied as different shades of red invaded her face.
She mentally shook the thoughts away. She was not going to go into that. It was pretty much… embarrassing and indecent.
Whatever happened to the promise she made before her annoying cousin Kurita that became her motto in life?
"I will be Kanata-kun's one and only bride. If I can't be, then I'll be good as dead."
Now, she was unworthy of him, her Kanata-kun, the only man she wanted ever since he met her fifteen years ago in her class back in elementary. She wanted to sulk in one corner, lament on her shamefulness, and die a lonely death.
"Trust and integrity are values that you should never forget," her grandfather once said, "for they are most essential for a foundation in good relationships. Give me your word that you shall not associate yourself with the Hikarigaokas. They are rivals. They are enemies. They are traitors. Never be like them. Never be with them."
Now, what happened to her 'yes'? She became an instant enemy of her family. She had broken her promise. She was such a shame, especially to her grandfather. He witnessed how his sister suffered from depression because of Satou's stupidity. It would be a figurative slap on his face if he would learn about their unwanted 'relations'. Nozoumo is a Hikarigaoka, an enemy. He may be blessed with a handsome face, but his personality was rotten. Ever since their childhood, they were forced to be with each other. Those who are hardcore haters toward each other almost treated them like fighting cocks in a derby. They're always comparing each other, thus creating a crab mentality-based relationship.
Nozoumo had been always mean to her, pulling her pretty pigtails, spilling chocolate milk on her immaculately white dress, and setting out mischievous pranks pulled on her. In short, he was her personal bully.
There was one time when Christine had been harassed by Nozoumo and his gang. A passerby, though just a kid, defended her and even landed a punch on the blond boy's face. Ever since then, she named him her hero, her prince, her soon-to-be husband.
It was her unfortunate Kanata-kun.
Ever since that incident, she had been infatuated by him. She tried to keep her distance, as delicadeza dictates, but her rushing emotions could not help but take over her sane self and destroy who gets too close and intimate with Kanata.
She continued life like that with the monster Nozoumo and the hero Kanata, with her classmates turned friends namely Aya, Nanami, Santa, and eventually the newcomer Miyu. She was glad she got rid of Hikarigaoka during high school. He went to an exclusive school, while she followed Kanata in an advanced school.
"Hey," Nozoumo said, "Quit daydreaming and get off my car. You're home already."
Christine wordlessly got out of the car and left.
"Aren't you gonna say something?" he inquired teasingly.
She turned to his direction and glared. She seethed, "Fuck you, asshole."
"I would gladly do it again," he smugly replied. Oh, he should not have done that. Christine got hold of the nearest object she saw and threw it on the car's direction. Then, she sasshyaed towards the magnificent door of their home.
"HANAKOMACHI, PAY FOR THIS, YOU BITCH!" he bellowed angrily for the windshield of his sports car shattered. Christine's lips formed into a triumphant smile as she closed the door behind her, having a last look a very frustrated Nozoumo Hikarigaoka.
/
Her grandfather happened to be at the living room, so he witnessed their little brawl.
"Why are you with him?" he asked.
"He happened to pass by me when I was hailing a taxi," she lied. There was a long gap of silence before she decided to fill in again.
"Well, at least, I did pay for the ride." With that the grandfather and granddaughter shared evil smiles.
/
Christine had been anything but well. She had been throwing up at random times ever since the day before. It might have been fatigue because she had been rushing her designs for an upcoming project. She had not been sleeping and eating right.
'I guess my body is at my limit,' she thought to herself. She collapsed on her soft bed and snuggled in the security of her fluffy comforter. Then, she felt a wave of nausea. She flew to the bathroom and faced the toilet bowl to empty the contents of her stomach. When she washed up, she noticed how pale her skin was from its usual color.
The unknown sickness had been persistent for a week. She consulted this to Nanami, who happened to be an obstetrician, and told her that she should try conducting a pregnancy test. She hoped that her doctor friend was wrong and it was just something with her irregular diet.
It was possible since she and Nozoumo had done it around two months ago. She shook the thoughts away. 'No,' she conditioned herself, 'That is not going to happen.' She knew that even though Nozoumo was a prick, he was still sensible enough to control the situation.
She snuck into a convenience store and bought the pregnancy test pack. She followed the instructions and waited. When it was time to see the results, she looked at the strip.
Both the test line and control line were present. As indicated in the manual it was...
Positive.
'No, it is impossible. Impossible.' She could not believe her eyes. She must be in some sort of nightmare.
"Oh God, this must not be true," she pleaded.
At 24 years of age, Christine Hanakomachi's life was already ruined.
A/N: Hey guys, another chapter of Promises. I've made minor changes. I've also changed the rating, since I realized that I was only using profanities. I promise I'll keep it as minimal as possible.
Thanks for the reviews, by the way. /hugs
Review if you wish.
