Two
MLIA

Forty minutes. Forty. Fucking. Minutes.

There's a goddamn mosquito flying around my room. I'm sitting on my bed trying to draw in my tiny black sketch-notebook. I've been working on this weird four-pronged spike design. It's like a plus-sign pretty much, only much edgier. I keep picturing it on a chain like a necklace. I'm just trying to draw and this stupid bug keeps buzzing around my room annoyingly and I'm getting really mad. For the past forty minutes I've been standing in the center of my spatial, organized room listening, waiting for the bug to land so I can kill it and rip its wings off. Normally I don't scream threats at an insect, but when it's midnight and I'm trying to finish so I can go to sleep, I don't want to be kept up by some stupid bug that won't shut up. I've had the flyswatter at ready, just itching to kill something in aggravation.

Never give me a gun. I have the strangest feeling someone would end up dead.

Finally, after ten more minutes of stalking an infuriating waste of space around my room, it lands on the headboard of my bed. I creep over (having lost all regard for what happens to my furniture, just wanting this damn thing to die) and whack it full-force with the old yellow swatter.

Good-bye, Mr. Mosquito. It was a pleasure doing business with you.

I toss the dirtied swatter aside in the direction of my dresser-side trashcan. I turn off my lamp then I leap in bed, pulling my red fuzzy blanket over my body and curl up in a ball, listening as the air conditioner whirs to keep my room at a cozy sixty-eight degrees. I look at my nightlight-alarm clock. I'm afraid of the dark. So sue me. I don't fear anything else so it might as well be something reasonably sensible. According to the light blue illuminated clock, it's 12:30 am. Just my luck—a stupid mosquito would keep me up for an extra hour.

Life blows.

-(NC)-

I'm awake by six the next morning, realizing I didn't finally knock out until after two. And I'm like, wow this sucks. I hate when I don't get sleep. I get so easily angered and then flip a fit on people who don't deserve it. I force myself to sit up with much effort. It doesn't matter if I get two hours or ten hours of sleep; depression takes a lot out of me and I get fatigued really easily. My body is very weak. I have a history of respiratory problems, asthma, motion sickness, and low stamina. Even when I used to play basketball I could never join a team. Not just because I hate people, but because I could never run. My body is frail even though I love to fight.

I shuffle over to the drawers and throw on some clean clothes, not caring that I didn't shower yesterday. As long as I shower every other day I don't smell that bad and my stepdad complains about me wasting water anyway. He complains about pinching the grimiest pennies. It's so stupid. I have to wash my hair, body, and face in ten minutes.

I figure mom and step-ass have already left for work. I hear a knock on our front door though and quirk a lazy brow as I walk to the sunroom to open the door. Who the hell goes over peoples' houses at six in the fucking morning?

I look through the windows to see Riku and Sora standing there, the smaller boy- the brunet with an addicting smile –is giddy when he sees me.

"Come on, Namine! Open up!" he pleads, tugging on the screen door's handle impatiently.

I open the wooden door by the knob and give my friends a weird look. They all return it tenfold. "What are you doing here at the crack of dawn, Stooges?" I ask with a yawn, kicking open the storm door.

Sora bounds in and throws his arms around me. He's a little taller than me, but not by much. So when his arms go around my lower half I am taken aback and start blushing furiously at the contact. Sora's always reminded me a little of Roxas in appearances. They have the same face shape and the same honest, cheery blue eyes.

"We wanted to say goodbye to you before you left us for three whole weeks," Sora whines, resting his chin on my shoulder. Riku grabs him by the arm and yanks him away. I sigh with relief, only to be trapped in another hug. I shoot Sora the I hate you look over Riku's shoulder, which I can hardly see over since he's grown so damn much since I met him. He hit six feet a little while ago. Sora is still a decent two inches shorter, making me about three or four shorter than our sex-god of a mutual friend.

"Right," I drawl, rubbing my head awkwardly after a short-lived embrace with Riku. "I was just packing and I was thinking about you guys," I lie. It's just something tiny. It doesn't even matter. I just want to see Sora beam like a happy puppy.

"Were you thinking naughty, naughty thoughts?" Sora asks, waggling his eyebrows. I whack him on the arm with a playful grin. He smiles in response. "I'll take that as an ask again later."

"Good luck with that, kiddy," I snort, trailing out of the sunroom and down the hall to my room, Sora and Riku following closely behind. "Excuse the mess, please," I request, referring to the tousled clothes tossed on my bed. My friends give me a WTF look. "What?"

"Everything is fine except your bed," Riku points out.

"Yeah, so?"

"Your room isn't a mess," he notes.

"Yes it is."

"Not really."

"That's what you think."

"That is what I think. Thanks for noticing."

"Yeah, well you're just Riku. What do you know?" I pester, pressing a brown and pink plaid shirt into a pile of shirts I've accumulated. I place a yellow and white striped camisole under it, keeping the outfit together this way. I love the total mismatched way it looks cute with short-shorts. I hold up the set to show them to my pals. They both give me an expectant look. What, do I need to spell it out for them? "What do you think?"

"It's cute," they agree. Those two agree on almost everything, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. I roll my eyes and shove the outfit into my suitcase.

"Whatever, you guys are no help whatsoever."

Sora raises an eyebrow. "We just told you it's cute, what more do you want?"

Good question. What do I want? I don't want to keep having dreams about Roxas Colton like I have been for the past few days. I don't want to be thinking about him. And now, thinking about how I don't want to be thinking about him, I really don't want to go visit my family. What if I see him while I'm out there? Or worse: what if he sees me and I don't see him and he catches me being stupid? Ugh, what am I even thinking? This is crazy. I shouldn't be worrying like this. It's just a trip for my family. I'm not going to see Roxas there.

"Can you not stare off into blank space and think about that dude you used to like while ignoring us?" Riku deadpans, folding his arms, leaning against a wall coolly.

I blush and shake my head furiously in denial. "I was not thinking about Roxas. I was not thinking about Roxas Colton!" I squeal. Riku shares another look with Sora then snickers. I glower. "I used to like him. I hate him."

"Of course you do, Nams," Sora laughs, scratching his head. He folds his arms behind his head. "Just admit it. You looove him," he teases, winking.

"No I don't!" I yelp, putting a stack of socks between piles of shorts and shirts.

"Yes you do," Sora replies.

"Do not!"

"Do so."

"I do not!"

"Yes, you do."

"Shut up, I don't!"

"Shut up, you do!"

"Nyeah!"

"Ne!"

I whip around and tackle Sora, shoving him into the wall. "I don't!" Sora pushes me over. I fall over onto the floor of my room. Under my bed I see my sixth grade year book—the book from the year of middle school I lived in my old town. My heart sinks. I frown. I know he doesn't remember me. I know he doesn't care. Though I think that as if he did care about me at one point; who am I kidding?

I'm so unloved… so deprived.

Like I said, bitch, story of my life.

-(NC)-

Murphy's fucking law is at work. No lie. Let me tell you how it happens.

So I get in town, and I'm staying with Kairi at our crazy grandma Maleficent's house. (Grandma is a bitch, just saying. She has this ass-crazy boyfriend named Pete that looks like a dog and has tried to get me to take off my hat since I got here, but I've been hiding behind it. When I wear my hat I feel tough. I feel powerful. I feel… safe. It's my wall. It's like a barrier I use for all these deeply emotional psychological reasons. Put it together, baby. I wear it to hide the real me—the vulnerable, weak girl that just wants to be loved. Maybe it's because my grandmother hates me and she smacks me around for dressing less feminine than my sister. She tells me I'm inferior. She tells me I need to be more girly. I think that she only does it because she wants to live out her dreams through me just because she's ugly and Kairi's a bit of a ditz.

Ooh. Deep.

Like the black hole that is my soul.

Ooh. Rhyming.

Anyway, so I'm in town, right? And I'm chilling with Kairi. She has her pink and black bike parked at the end of the gravel driveway with my blue and white monster of a bike next to hers. She herself is sitting on the seat of hers, tiny black shorts riding up her thighs. You can catch a glimpse of her red thong if you look real close. Her pink tube top is tight on her body, tiny white cellphone in hand, typing away a text.

"Sora says hi," she informs me, pushing some of her perfectly silky auburn hair behind her small ears. She continues by telling me that, "Apparently Riku says hi, too, and that he misses you."

My cheeks redden. "Tell 'em ditto for me, will you?" I request, throwing one of my pale legs over the crotch-killing seat of my bike and putting my gray flip-flop down on the pedal. "Do you want to go now?"

Shoving her phone in her slim front pocket, Kairi puts a black Converse down on a pedal. "Let's bolt."

We bike down the street, take a left, cross the street, bike down the main road, hang another left creating a giant right-angle, and then we arrive at the local recreation center, formally referred to as The Rec by people in town. We park our bicycles on the rack and lock them up with combination locks. I set my combo at 25012.

"We haven't been here in over a year, you know," Kairi tells me. She scratches her head as we walk up the path to the entryway.

"I know, I fucking suck at basketball now," I snort.

"We could always play at the neighbor's house," she suggests.

I pull open the door for her. She mutters a "thanks" to me. We walk in to see the white-with-splattered-primary-colors tiled floors still dirty with footprints. Kairi follows me, our shoes clapping against the tiles; fluorescent lights pissing off my eyes. There are six sets of double doors into the gymnasium, which is what we're here for in the first place. There is a rack stocked with basketballs of different weights. I choose one good for bouncing; there aren't a lot of high numbered ones anyway.

Kairi grabs one too, curiously glancing at a boy a couple years older than us. He has fiery red hair, tarnished emerald eyes, and a cocky smirk. He's insanely tall and terribly lanky. His eyes switch their gaze from a weird deadlock with my sister to giving me a questioning look.

"You look familiar," I brainlessly say to him.

This is Axel Flynn. He was Roxas Colton's best friend.

My heart jumps in my chest. What if he's here? He could be here. He likes basketball. Axel likes sports, too. This should be him. So if he's here, then Roxas should be here! What if he is? I could finally kick his ass at basketball like I've always wanted to. Oh, how I wanted this day to come.

"Yeah, you do too," Axel says. He taps his chin. "In case you're not sure it's Axel. Got it memorized?"

I think I glow. "Yes! I know you," I say stupidly.

He smiles fondly at me. "I know you too. You're Namine, right?" I nod. I momentarily wonder where Kairi went, but I figure she found her way about. She likes the hoops, too, so it be all good, brah. "I haven't seen you in forever. How have you been?"

"I've been good, thanks." I look him up and down, taking in his height. "Man, you got big! Puberty done you good, bud. You look fierce."

Fierce? What the hell am I saying?

"Thanks. And you look," he pauses, drinking me in with his eyes. He scans me up and down, hungrily taking in every curve. I feel him eye-raping me. Is it creepy? "You're looking fucking great. You used to be all awkward, but now you're really pretty."

I dribble the ball over to a free hoop, Axel trailing close behind me. He's dribbling a heavier ball. He must have tough arms if he's doing this so effortlessly.

"Why thank you."

I bounce the ball, prop it up on my palm, and shoot. It hits the rim and rebounds right into Axel. He knocks it back to me. I shoot again and it swishes. He claps his hands. "Wasn't that girl that looks like you just here? Isn't she your sister?"

Now that he mentions it…

"Yeah, that's Kairi. I don't know where she is though." I flip my hand and shoot the ball again. It hits the backboard. "She's a big girl. She can handle herself."

Axel laughs openly, taking a shot and swishing it easily. "You're nice."

"Axel!" a raspy voice demands the redhead's attention.

I turn to see the owner of the voice. I think I used to know him. He has perfectly-sculpted dirty- blonde hair. He's wearing a pair of baggy khakis (in summer?) and black shoes. He has also a white and black short-sleeved vest. I'm not going to lie—he is a fucking babe. And those eyes? Oh my fucking god, don't get me on the eyes. Ha. It's funny. They look a lot like they belong to…

"Roxas," Axel says, chucking the heavy ball right at his pal.

Yeah, I meant him.

"Who's your friend?" Roxas asks Axel. The former skims over me with those shimmery deep-sea blue eyes, a small smile creeping onto his flawless face. "Namine Cruise," he surprisingly says. "Lookin' good," he drawls.

Please tell me why I feel more alive than I have in ages. And while you're at it, give me the reason that being in front of me is making me burn all over. I feel self-conscious in my jean shorts and baggy white Hurley shirt; my backwards hat most of all. I shudder when I see his eyes. I melt when they meet mine. Everything disappears.

"T-thanks…" I manage, shooting another hoop. It swishes. Roxas and Axel applaud me. I turn tomato fucking red.

"Hey Nams," Roxas starts. His eyes are boring through my head. It's freaking me out. "The Homedays are this weekend. Do you want to come with Axel and me?"

Axel gives me the best puppy eyes he can manage. "Come on, it'll be fun. You can bring your sister along."

This can't be happening. This is one of the weirdest moments of my life.

"Uh…" I avert my eyes, subtly looking for Kairi, wondering where she is. I see her on the other side of the gym. She's sitting on the bleachers texting. What a bitch. She peeks up from her phone and smiles at me, giving me a half-assed wave.

I could set her up with Axel if I tried…

"Sure, why not," I agree. A make sure a smile is on my face, even though I'm nervous. Even though my heart is about to burst; even though I am about to explode; even though I want to die in front of Roxas right now, I'm alive. Somehow, I'm alive. Do you know how my thoughts are? All they're doing is saying Roxas on repeat.

Roxas. Roxas. Roxas. Roxas.

Oh, hey, guess what?

What?

Roxas!

…He has a massive effect on me, even as a badass motherfucker, that is deadly. Have you noticed?

Good, because I haven't.

Axel cheers. He pats Roxas on the back. "Huzzah! We get to take two pretty girls to a fair! And we hardly even fucking remember them!"

Roxas purses his lips and elbows Axel in the side. "Right, you just keep on being a dumbass." He turns his attention to me. "We'll pay for everything there, rides and all."

I laugh nervously. "Ha. Yeah. Sounds good to me," I tell them both.

A nimble finger taps my shoulder. I turn around to see Kairi with her chin on my shoulder. She bats her lashes. In Roxas' direction, perhaps, but it better not be.

Bitch please. I'll whack you so hard you don't know what hit you, sister.

Oh wait, you are my sister…

"Hey Nams, who're your friends?" she asks flirtatiously.

I love how opposite we are—her confident, me shy; her flirty, me subtle. I can't even believe we came out of the same womb. I live in her shadow and it sucks.

"That's Roxas, this is Axel," I introduce, pointing to them respectively. I try not to make myself sound interested in Roxas. If I even hint to him about the huge crush I've harbored deep down for all these years, I'd probably die.

I feel Kairi's jaw drop. She whispers in my ear, asking if this is the Roxas I've always liked- the one we went to grade school with. I grimace and nod stiffly.

"You don't like him anymore, right?" she asks. I mutter something like an agreement to that statement. She squeals right in my fucking ear and bounces up and down, parting her hands from my shoulders. "Awesome! Free game!"

My eyes widen slightly then narrow into a noticeable glare in my twin's direction. "No way," I yell at her.

Axel, Roxas, and Kairi give me queer looks like, what?

My face flushes bright red. I hang my head. "Ah. Nothing, it's nothing. I sweaaar it's nothing," I lie. I grab Kairi's arm and yank on it. "What do you think you're saying?" I hiss.

She blinks. "What?"

After two minutes of frantic spasms at Kairi, Axel taps my shoulder. I only know because when I stumble backwards and collapse into his arms, I can tell he's twig thin. Roxas is built, not lanky.

"Uh..." Axel awkwardly props me up and lets me stand. "Can we give you our numbers? It's time to go," he says.

I pull my phone out of my pocket, fumbling with the buttons on the Samsung Intensity. "Right, right, I'm sorry about that. Here, type it in," I order, passing my phone to Axel. I turn to Kairi while he types away. I give her a death glare.

I mean fucking business, sister.

I receive a peaked eyebrow from Kairi. What are you talking about?

You know what I mean, I think incredulously.

Of course I do, sister dear. I'm going to beat you to Roxas before you leave the starting line.

My eye twitches. I clench my fist.

That's what you think.

I feel bad because usually I'm so focused on Or Never that nothing else ever gets written. So I'm trying to take a little break from that whilst writing an epic, long-ass chapter that adds new characters, has tons of twists, and all that fun stuff. But this story is something I'm liking so far. I mean, It has two chapters. So what? Doesn't mean it's not good. Ah well.

If you like this story, please review. It- for some reason -makes me work harder. :k

Scotty.