Author's note: Hey everyone, thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you all like it so far! I hope I disappoint...:)
Btw, I haven't given up on my other fics! For I'll Meet You There, I'm just having writers block. And for We're So Far Away, well that'll be updated soon! :D
Review please!
Chapter Two: Something New?
Naminé had a lot of free time. So much free time, that she actually monitored and memorized the faces of all the Chicken Shack's regular customers.
...
Roxas wasn't one of them.
In fact, she had never seen him there before. She gulped, then raced behind the counter before the blond could see her. He was alone, Naminé assumed that he had just discovered the place, and came in to check it out...
She prayed to god that her boss wouldn't put her on cash. Hopefully Demnyx would be there... Then again, he was usually slacking off in the back.
Roxas saw that there was no one in sight, and rang the little bell that was at the cash register. Still, no one came, so he rang it again.
"Naminé, get to cash!" the voice of her boss, Xemnes sounded, and Naminé sweat dropped. She knew she couldn't afford to get fired... So she sucked in her breath and headed over. Wait... What if he recognizes you? Think quick, Naminé, think quick...! She simply shoved her bangs in her face so her eyes weren't visible. She couldn't really see clearly... But she didn't care/
"M-may I help you?" she asked, keeping her eyes glued to the cash register. Roxas looked at this strange girl carefully... and noted how she wasn't looking him in the eye. Well, maybe she was, he couldn't actually see her eyes through her thick blond bangs.
"Um, yeah, can I just get a coke, please?"
Naminé nodded quickly, hen rushed over to the fridge and pulled out a can of coke. She placed it down on the counter.
Roxas laughed. "Uhm... A bottle, please. Sorry."
"Oh, s-sorry!" she blushed, then replaced the can with a bottle.
"Thanks." Roxas smiled. There was something really familiar about this girl... But he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"No problem. Have a nice evening..."
"Yeah... Thanks." he smiled one last time, but she didn't see him. She was too busy looking down... Roxas frowned as he exited the store.
What a weird girl.
--
RxN
--
Naminé wished that she was sick. She actually did. She wished that she had the flu, mono, anything would be better than going to school and facing Roxas. No one at ATW knew about Naminé's embarrassing job. Not even Kairi or Olette. The kids from her school all went to McDonalds and other places like that, never the Chicken Shack. She couldn't help but wonder what Roxas was doing up on that side of town anyways...
So it would be horrible if Roxas did recognize her. And what if he went around telling people? Naminé knew that Roxas was a nice guy... Well, sort of. She liked to think that he was actually this great person, who didn't judge people like Naminé.
... Yeah right.
She wished that he would just accept her... and not forget her name. Naminé often wondered why she actually liked Roxas. Well, it was simple. He was cute, funny, popular, nice (when other people weren't around), and even athletic. He was like the perfect guy... or so he seemed. Naminé was smart enough to know that not everyone was perfect. She, herself, had learned that from personal experience. But still, every time she looked at Roxas the only word she could think of was perfect. Because really, that's how he looked.
She walked through the hallways, alone as usual, heading towards her music class. Roxas wasn't in first... So Naminé didn't feel like so much of an idiot that day.
Music was her second class, and second favorite class, next to art. She played the flute, and absolutely loved it. What she wanted to do the most, though, was sing. She didn't know if she had a good voice, and she sure as hell didn't have the confidence to find out but... She just loved it. Voices were even more beautiful than instruments, in her opinion. Of course, the only time Naminé actually got to sing herself was in the shower.
She walked in the class and took an empty seat near the front. She always liked sitting at the front. Since Naminé didn't exactly have twenty-twenty vision, she enjoyed actually being able to see the chalkboard. It wasn't really used much in music class though.
class, and the music class. But as he passed the room, something inside caught his eye. He immediately stopped in his tracks, and took a few steps back. He stared into the room at a blonde girl, who was playing her flute. The soft melody came to his ears, along with the many other instruments playing. He had the same 'I know her from somewhere' feeling he had last night at the Chicken Shack.
The difference was, he did know this girl.
This was Naminé. She was in his homeroom... She was in many of his classes last year, and they had gone to elementary school together. He didn't know what it was... But that feeling... Could it have been her working? He had been quite curious about it since he left. He wouldn't know for certain unless he asked her himself... But she probably wouldn't talk to him anyways.
Not really because Naminé was painfully shy, but because Roxas was a complete asshole. He felt like such a jackass for what he had done yesterday... How him and Naminé had actually been talking in detention, until Hayner came up. He couldn't stop feeling guilty... and he couldn't get the look that was on her face when he said 'no' out of his head. She looked so hurt... It made him cringe.
Roxas wasn't really a bad person. No, he wasn't bad at all... But he was mature enough to admit that his friends pretty much took control of how he acted. When Sora was there, he felt compelled to act nice to people, since Sora was such a nice guy. When he was with Hayner, and felt like he needed to act like a dick in order to fit in. That was just how it worked...
But the real Roxas was how he acted with Naminé the other day. Easy going and laid back, with a sense of humor.
He caught himself standing at the doorway for the music room for quite some time, basically just observing Naminé. She was much unlike all of the girl's he hung out with. Her hair was long, and her bangs were choppy and messy. She wore very... interesting clothing, with not much color. Mainly browns and blacks... Today, she was wearing a brown vest with a white long sleeved shirt underneath and a pair of black capri pants. It was a pretty unstylish outfit compared to what girl's like Selphie and Kairi wore, but it wasn't 'ugly'. It was unique, and Roxas, for whatever reason, liked it. It looked good on her.
Roxas knew that Naminé was Kairi's friend. Kairi was just that type of girl... Even though she was rich and popular, she was also very nice and caring. She obviously accepted Naminé, despite her differences, and Roxas admired her for that. Most people knew that Naminé and Kairi were friends, but they pretended they didn't. Like them, Roxas often pretended that he didn't know who Naminé was. In reality, however, Roxas did remember her. He'd always remember her.
She was that weird shy girl who always had her head down.
At least that's what she was to everyone else.
To him, she was Naminé. Nothing more, nothing less.
--
RxN
--
As Naminé was playing her flute, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Something blond. Her eyes curiously darted away from her sheet music, and she caught a glimpse of Roxas, casually leaning against the entrance of the music room. She frowned, and was easily distracted. She messed up, and stopped playing the music. Unfortunately, Mrs. Burkman, the teacher, noticed.
"Why aren't you playing?" she demanded. The rest of the class stopped, and all eyes fell upon Naminé. She sunk down in her seat.
"I um, I messed up." she said timidly.
She shook her head in disapproval. "Keep your head in the game." she said, before signaling the class to begin playing again. Naminé peeked over to the door one last time, but Roxas had left.
The bell rang, and Naminé was relieved that it was finally lunchtime. The first two periods of the day always seemed to just drag on... She dumped her stuff off in her locker, then went to meet Kairi and Olette.
--
RxN
--
"We should hang out tonight." Kairi said, as her, Olette and Naminé sat together in the cafeteria.
"Yeah." Olette nodded. "Movies are only five bucks on tuesdays... How about it?"
"Sounds like a plan." Kairi smiled. "You in, Nam?"
The blonde shook her head. "I don't have any money..." she said, embarrassed. Both Olette and Kairi were so wealthy, while Naminé had next to nothing.
"I can pay." Olette offered.
"No!" Naminé gasped.
"Why not? Its only five dollars."
Naminé pouted. "But still. I don't want you guys to be wasting your money on me..."
"It wouldn't be a waste, Naminé." Kairi said matter-of-factly.
"... You guys just go without me."
"No way!" Olette and Kairi exclaimed simultaneously.
"You're coming." Olette demanded.
"Sorry, but no."
"Oh, come on!" Kairi pleaded. "It won't be the same without you!"
Naminé forced a smile. "Yeah, it will. Its not like I do anything anyways."
"Oh please, Nam, you do plenty!" Olette smiled.
"Yeah." Kairi nodded. "You bring the sunshine to our little group."
She raised an eyebrow. "Sunshine? Guys... seriously. I'm more of a downer, if you haven't realized."
"Well, now you're being a downer," Olette said, "But you're usually really fun, if you haven't realized."
"I haven't."
Kairi sighed. "Okay, look. We won't go to the movies, but we will hang out. You guys can come over to my house... Say, after school? Stay for dinner."
Olette nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
Before replying, Naminé pulled out her schedule. Olette and Kairi raised their eyebrows at her and she ran her finger along the page, until she found the day's date. She exhaled in relief. No work today. She closed her planner and shoved it into her backpack.
"Alright, I can go." she told them with a smile.
Kairi grinned in triumph. She knew that Naminé would give in eventually. She always did.
--
RxN
--
Naminé's other classes after lunch were Physical Education and Art. One which she loved... the other which she hated. You can guess which one was which. In most schools, it it was only required to take gym in grade nine, but at ATW they had to take it from grades nine to eleven. Naminé hated it. Not only was she out of shape and lazy, she also truly 'sucked' at sports. Also, she ran out of breath after running for about two minutes...
She groaned as she entered the gym. They hadn't been given that years uniforms yet, and still had to purchase them. Naminé had enough money for that, since she saved up for the things she actually needed.
The difference between grade nine and ten gym was that in grade ten it was coed, so sadly, Naminé would not only be doing gym with girls who judged her, but also guys. Charming, right? Not so much.
She entered the gym, and saw that the people who had already payed for their uniforms were already receiving them. Naminé had payed the day before, so she went up and took hers. It was a hideous orange color... Just like the outfits last year. Lovely.
She went and changed, for they would be working out in the weight room that day. Naminé gulped. She was weak... she knew she was. She could barely even life a weight of like, ten pounds. Oh, how she hated gym...
She took the time they had before going into the weight room to see who was in her class. She saw Kairi's crush (though she would never admit it) Sora, idly chatting it up with Tidus, who seemed every bit as cocky as Sora was. Then there was Selphie, some preppy girl who was talking (obviously gossiping, judging by the way they whispered and pointed at people. Naminé could only imagine what they were saying about her) with Yuffie, this energetic grade eleven girl that was, for reasons unknown, was taking grade ten gym and grade eleven. She was really athletic.
Most of the others Naminé didn't know. All she knew was that they were all athletic. All except Naminé. This was probably going to be her worst class of all... but at least Roxas wasn't in it.
--
RxN
--
Ah, Art class. Naminé's all time favorite. Not only was she amazing at art, but she also had friends in the class. That's right, friends, people other than Kairi or Olette. Okay... well she had one friend. Her name was Xion, and she was, to put it in simpler terms, weird. She had short, cropped black hair and blue eyes. She either wore very bring and colorful, or really dark and depressing clothing, all depending on her mood.
She hung out with these two grade eleven guys, Axel and Zexion. They were weird too... Axel was friends with Roxas, but they didn't hang out. At least Naminé didn't think so. Zexion was just.... creepy. But they didn't really matter.
All that mattered was that Xion actually accepted Naminé. She was one of the only people at ATW that actually did, and Naminé was thankful for that. They shared art tips with each other, since they were both majors in the subject. Naminé more so, but Xion was still really good.
Naminé and Xion chatted throughout the class, mainly about how much they disliked a huge majority of the students at ATW, until the period ended.
"So, what about Selphie?" Xion questioned with a laugh, as the two girls exited the art room.
"Don't like her." Naminé replied simply. "She's just another one of those girl's that call me a 'loser'."
"That's so dumb. You're not even a loser."
"Thanks." she smiled. "But I know its true."
"No way! You're cool, really. You're unlike them; unique, and that's what I like about you."
"Oh? Well thanks! You too." she grinned.
Xion laughed. "Thanks."
They parted ways, and Naminé headed towards her locker. As she sped through the halls (Naminé usually walked at a fast pace to avoid the crowd), she... once again, crashed into someone.
"Oof! Crap!" she exclaimed, taking a step away from the person she'd hit. She looked at the person, and only saw blond hair. Two heads of blond hair, actually. Roxas and Hayner. But the one she had hit this time actually wasn't Roxas, it was Hayner.
"Whoa, watch where you're goin', freak!" he spat, before shoving past her and walking ahead. Naminé just stood there, no words left to say. What could she say to that? Nothing. She never had anything to say. At least nothing she could say aloud.
As Roxas followed closely behind Hayner, he sent Naminé an apologetic look, but she didn't see. He felt had for her, staring back as she stood there, her eyes glued to her feet. She stood there for only a moment, before continuing on down the hall.
Roxas was honestly getting tired of this. People treating her like crap... especially his own friends. She didn't even do anything, so he didn't understand why people didn't like her. And it wasn't like she was ugly or anything, she was quite pretty, actually, behind those bangs of hers. She seemed like a nice enough girl...
But she was 'uncool'. That was just how high school worked... Naminé was shy, and wasn't with the 'in-crowd', so people made fun of her. She wasn't the only one but... There was something about her. She stood out more to him than the other unpopular people did. She didn't deserve that... No one did.
"Hey, man..." Roxas said, speeding up so he was walking beside Hayner. "What was that for?"
"What was what for?" he asked dumbly. Hayner probably didn't even realize what he'd done.
"Saying that to her..."
"Oh, that dork? Don't worry about it, Roxas." he laughed. "She probably doesn't even have feelings."
Roxas frowned, getting slightly angry, but he was more offended. "Everyone has feelings, Hayner." he said sternly.
"Yeah, yeah... Whatever." he dismissed. "All I know was that this sweater cost two hundred dollars, I just bought it yesterday, and she got her dirty prints all over it."
"She barely--"
"Whoa, whoa calm down, Roxas." he cut him off, and stopped to face him. "Why do you even care?" he inquired. Roxas swallowed; Now was the hard part. He could never speak his mind...
"Its nothing..." he lied. "I was just wondering."
"Oh, alright." Hayner chuckled. "Whatever." he patted Roxas on the back, before walking away. Roxas just stared after him, an incredibly irritated look on his face.
--
RxN
--
"You know what you need?" Kairi asked, as her, Naminé and Olette sat together on her bed. Naminé had just finished explaining what had happened with Hayner earlier.
"What?" Naminé queried.
"You need a major attitude adjustment."
Naminé raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"
"What I mean is, you need to put down the sketchbook and pick up the beauty magazine."
"Like a makeover?" she asked.
Kairi nodded. "Exactly. But not only for your appearance, but for your attitude as well."
Naminé cocked her head to the side, a curious and confused expression crossing her face.
"I can see the headlines now..." Olette began, "From Fashion Reject to Beauty Queen. Naminé Tsuki's Transformation from Total Geek to Teen Dream."
"You guys are so mean." Naminé pouted.
"Well, of course we don't think you're geeky, Nam." Olette said.
"Its everyone else that's the problem." Kairi smiled. "By the time I'm done with you, all the guys in school'll want to date you, and the girls in school'll want to be you."
Naminé looked at her two friends faces and gulped. "Guys... I don't know about this..."
"Nonsense!" Kairi exclaimed. "You're gonna be hot, and hotness boosts confidence."
"So you won't be so shy!" Olette clapped.
Naminé tried to imagine herself looking 'hot', but her mind drew a blank. Without any more objections, Kairi went over to her closet and opened it, revealing a vast variety of expensive designer clothing.
"Now..." she began. "Lets do this."
Author's note: Well... there you have it...:D. Hope you enjoyed it! Tell me in a review? :)
Next chapter: All eyes were on Naminé as she walked through the halls. She hated the attention, and she knew that they were talking about her. But this time, for once in her life, they weren't saying bad things.