The Truth
After the day was over I went outside, that's when short old man came out.
"So have you contacted your grandparents yet?" he asked. I flinched but regained control and smiled at him kindly.
"Yes I have, and I just need a forum for them to sign and were good to go!" I said false happiness and all.
"Of course here you are my dear" he handed me a forum and I took it. Before I could walk away he spoke again. "By the way I want to introduce you to one of your team mates, his name is Ray." After as if on cue Ray came out to. "Oh perfect timing Ray this is Koojiru, she will be one of your team members". I blushed, not problem blush but oh god he's hot blush.
"Hey nice to meet you" he said extending his hand. I took it and we shook. His hand was warm and I hoped my blush wasn't obvious. As short man walked off, I looked at Ray he seemed confused but smiled kindly anyways.
"So you almost beat Kai, I'm surprised I'm glad we're going to be on the same team". I smiled and blushed harder. Just as he was about to walk away I got courage somehow.
"Uh hey! Want to hang out for a bit?" I asked, hoping he didn't find me creepy, most people did. He turned and smiled "Yeah sure, you drink coffee?" he asked.
"Do I ever!" I said and we made our way to a coffee shop. I had like 1000 yen, which in Canadian money was around 10 dollars. Looks like I'd have to conserve money, not like I could get any more. As our orders came Ray looked at mine.
"Just a coffee? Aren't you hungry?" he asked looking genuinely concerned. My stomach growled but I held it back, got real good at that.
"Uuuh….no not really" I lied. He shrugged and bit into his sandwich. Envy! Silence took over and I got fidgety, playing with my sleeves. Ray looked at me, same confused look, geese did I seriously confuse him that much?
"Wow, is'nt it hot for how your dressed?" he asked. SO many questions! I looked at my outfit. Black cargo pants and a black long sleeved shirt with a red one on top. Classic Koojiru Attire.
"Mm nope!" I lied again. Truth was, I wore long sleeves to hide the fact that I had cuts on my wrist. Another shrug.
"Ok cause I'm pretty warm" he said with a small laugh. I blushed, I liked his laugh. I sipped my coffee and started out the window.
"So what are your hobbies?" Ray broke the silence once more. I looked over at him mid sip and put my coffee down with a swallow.
"Well, I like artsy things, you know I write, I draw….sometimes I take pictures when I have a camera" I said with a shrug. He was about to open his mouth when I remembered all my other hobbies "Oh and I play some video games! I walk a lot, uuh I read….." I paused, and he didn't speak, clearly waiting for something else. I smiled, Ray was smart, I liked him a lot it seemed. "I sing every now and again, mostly alone." I said with a shy smile. Ray brightened a little, god everything he was doing was making me like him more and more!
"Cool, wanna sing me something?" I looked at him seriously now. Confusion, typical it seemed. I shook my head and a shy anxious giggle slipped past my lips as I shook my head. I placed my hand over my mouth and blushed harder. Ray laughed and kept his kind smile
"I wasn't making a demand or anything" he said. I smiled eyes stinging because the blush was so bad.
"No no I didn't think you were, I just suck that's all" I said looking down into my coffee, as if it held the key to my future. Ray tilted his head looking concerned. "Well I can't tell you if you do if you don't" Ray said. I looked up at him and blinked a few times. He was smiling encouragingly. I smirked
"Fine I challenge you then, first you have to tell me your hobbies and then if you can make me laugh maaaaybe I'll just have enough courage to sing for you". Ray lifted an eyebrow and smirked acceptingly of the challenge
"Is that so?" he said. I nodded "do it up" I responded.
"Alright, well, I blade, obviously" he began. I wanted to giggle again as he wiggled his eyebrows, man that should have been one of mine, guess I thought it was a given. I wasn't going to cave though, like hell I wanted to sing for him.
"And I write, sometimes, I read, but mainly history, I like music to" he said. I waited but the pause wasn't long enough to ask what he liked in music. I was a huge Avril junkie.
"I mainly just blade though" he finished. Dull with all capitals. I leaned back
"Well Mr. Headband I didn't laugh" I said looking off to the side with a proud smile just to urke him. When I looked back I saw a wall of raven hair in his face. I almost giggled but not quite. He was going to have to try harder!
"Have a pair of sun glasses?" he asked through the wall. As hair shifted when he talked I placed my hand over my mouth. Not so easy was I. I shook my head.
"I couldn't see that well" Ray reminded me pointing to his wall of hair. I smiled.
"I shook my head no" I told him. Nodding, I had to try even harder to keep from laughing his hair was so bouncy! Yes I am easily amused but that's not the point here. Ray flagged the waiter and asked him for a pair of sunglasses. I stifled another laugh as the waiter walked off in confusion, soon returning with a pair. Ray put them over his hair and danced a little with his arms out. Like a damn vs. high water pressure my laughter spilt through loud and obnoxious, almost hysterical. I guess it was just because I had felt so crappy for so long. Ray pulled back his hair and fixed it laughing slightly to, returning the glasses to the waiter.
"I win, now sing, this time it's a demand" he said. I sighed and took out my cd player. "Before you start, tell me what your singing". I looked up and slid on my head phones
"With you by a wonderful artist named Avril Lavigne" I said. Ray smiled
"So your Canadian then" he replied. I blinked a few times
"How'd you know that?" I asked
"I also know some things about culter" he replied. I blushed as I started singing, I didn't want him to know he was the inspiration, or the first person I sang in front of! As I finished he was gazing at me in awe.
"You so don't suck" he said, slight blush creeping across his face to. My heart skipped a beat. SHIT! Did he know? If he did it wasn't fair! MIND READER! After we were done we paid our bills and walked off, the sun was setting. Ray hadn't said anything else about my singing, disappointing really, not a 'your spectacular?' whatever, didn't need the attention I told myself.
"Can I walk you home?" he asked. I looked at the ground
"Uuum about that…." That's when I heard the car door slam, and my gut told me something was wrong. I turned around, and what I saw made me go paler then a sheet of paper. As the police officer walked towards me Ray looked at me. I was just going to lie to Ray, but I guess seeing this go down I had to tell him after we….RAN! Grabbing his hand I raced down the block, surprisingly he came with me, thank god, I really didn't want to do this alone. The officer chased me, crap so my grandma did call the cops! Running around a corner I thought fast and pulled Ray into an ally way. IN front of us was a large wooden fence.
"I'm so sorry about this! But please I'll explain later give me a boost up, I'll pull you up after, please don't leave" I shocked myself and Ray by my begging and he listened to me. He bend down and I winced as I stepped on his back. Hauling myself up the fence as fast I could I went to reach down to give him a hand but he was already over and pulling me down just before the officer could find us. Landing with a thud the wind threw itself out of me. I was on my hands and knees, hair in face and all shaking and trying to catch my breath when Ray pulled me up fast and grabbed my shoulders so I couldn't run. His face was angry and serious.
"What the hell was that about?" he demanded. I fought the tears that were trying to come through, but in the end they won. God why was I so…..myself in front of this boy? Ray let his grip go and when I looked up into his eyes, I saw nothing but that kindness once more.
"Did, you, run away from home or something?" he asked softly. I scoffed again and whipped my face, but more tears rolled down my cheeks.
"If you could call it a home" I said. Ray walked over and hugged me, catching me off guard. My heart pounding so fast and hard he must have felt it because he gripped tighter.
"Don't worry, were team mates, you can stay with me in my hotel room" he said. I pulled back fast face pale again. He gave me a small confused look then worried, the soft.
"Don't worry I wouldn't do anything bad to you" I looked at my shoes. Then back up eyes watering again. What better choice did I have? Running all night from cops? No thanks!
"Thank you" I said half choked as I began to sob. Ray hugged me again and I cried in his shoulder. I was crying because I was scared, because my reality hurt so much, and because no one had ever been this kind to me. After a few minutes I stopped letting the warmth of his body sooth me.
"Ok we can't stay here or they'll find you, so let's go" he took my hand and I blushed again, With You playing through my head. It was too soon to say I was falling in love with him, but pretty damn close. I kept it to myself, because I knew THAT in itself would be creepy. As Ray and I ducked through alleys and ran down streets we reached his hotel.
"Ok here's what your going to do, wait out here and a few seconds after you see me leave the lobby you come in, ask for the bathroom and sneak up my room number is 502" he said. Funny, I was going to make the same plan. I waited heart racing until he made his way in. I walked in, praying they didn't have wanted posters already. Thankfully, the person just pointed me to the bathrooms and in the elevator I went. Anxiety swept through me again. Yeah sure people would say thing but did they really kept their promises? What if he was calling the cops? Or plotting my rape? How old was he anyways? Older than me that's for sure! A sudden thought struck me as I walked through the halls. I hadn't thought of that annoying ass hole all evening! I smiled, I guess I had been too happy, then too emotional, then too happy again. I knocked on Ray's door and he opened it with a smile
"Welcome!" he said joyously. I giggled and stood at the door.
"That also means come in" Ray said looking slightly amused. I walked in and looked around, one bed, somehow that excited and worried me. Ray looked at the bed to, as if reading my mind
"Oh don't worry I'll take the couch" he said. I looked up from taking off my shoes
"Uh no, your paying for your bed so I'll take the couch" I said. Ray shook his head
"Nope! I'm a gentleman, wouldn't be if I let you take the couch" he said. So I smirked
"Fine, can I use the shower then?" he nodded and pointed. I walked into the shower, MAN! They were so fancy in hotels! I was so excited all of the sudden to be in them a lot more! After my shower I walked back into the room, Ray was watching TV on the couch. DAMN! Plan sleep right after so he had to take the bed was ruined! Plan b time. I sat next to him and we stared at the TV in silence (minus TV noise) until he turned to me
"SO why did you leave home?" I looked up from foraging my grandma signature like I used to do whenever I got detention at school. He looked at the sheet and took it
"First tell me, then we can talk to Mr. Dickenson about it" I blinked
"Short fat man?" I asked. Ray chuckled and smiled
"Yes him, but please don't call him that" I nodded and took a deep breath.
"Ok first off, no telling him anything! Besides you, this is my problem and mine alone, I don't need a pity party or to be sent back!" Ray looked astonished but shook his head
"Fine" he looked at me again "no talk". My gut told me he would do something once I started anyways but once he knew he would have to respect me!
"Ok, well, my grandparents adopted me from my mom and dad, my dad did drugs and my mom was questioned for abuse. Apparently she broke my leg I dunno anyways, my grandma and I were never close and one day she got into an accident and we grew even further apart, then last year I found out she smokes pot, and realized she drinks a lot" I finished. Ray nodded thinking
"But you have all you need to live right?" he asked. Clearly he didn't get it. I sighed again
"Well yes, but when she does those things she changes, and I change, we always yell at each other and get into fights, and she calls me selfish and says things like 'your being bitchy' or 'you have a bitchy tone right now' " I did my best impression of her. I expected Ray to laugh as I let out a small cynical one but he just started at me, never wracking!
"So its emotionally…..abusive" he said finally. I flinched at the word abusive
"Well, I don't know all I know is I hate her, and I always wanted away from her" I ended. Ray nodded and looked at his feet. Then he leaned back and massaged his face a little. I looked at the ground
"I'm really sorry for causing you this trouble" I said finally. He looked at me in surprise
"Koojiru if it was trouble I wouldn't have come with you, I wouldn't have offered you a place to stay I would have just left you on your own" I looked at him and blushed then back at the ground
"Yeah well just because your kind doesn't mean I'm not a burden" I said softly. Ray shook his head, clearly picking his battle. I looked up at him, and got hugged again. I cried again, the feeling of someone finally asking, someone finally being so kind to me, was over whelming. Up until now I had felt so alone, so confused, but having him take me seriously made me realize I'm not just being stupid, or over dramatic or whatever, but that all this was real.
"I can see why you would want to anyways" he said after stroking my back "Being left by your father, and him doing drugs must have made it hard to see your grandmother high and or drunk" he said. I nodded as he hugged me tighter "It's ok, after tomorrows matches you'll meet the rest of the team, and we'll all travel the world together, you'll get to be away and have fun ok?" he asked pulling me back holding my shoulders. I nodded whipping another set of tears away. He smiled softly at me and got up. Going though his suit case be pulled out some pj's.
"Here change into these in the bathroom, and go to sleep, we have a big day ahead tomorrow" I blushed then looked at the pj's. Short sleeved, great yay two days of the same long sleeved shirt! Once I came out of the bathroom I saw that Ray had already made a bed out of the couch. I blinked at him and took my hair out of the semi pony tail it was in (those ones where hair is still down at the back I also kept hair out at the front like Sailor Jupiter) Ray looked at my sleeves. I flinched and drew back my right arm out of instinct. He didn't say another word and got under his covers. I wanted to cuddle next to him but refrained, instead grabbing an extra pillow and clinging to that as well.
Ray's p.o.v:
I looked at her when she came out of the bathroom. She still had long sleeves on. A cutter I guess. I didn't want to make her tell me more then she already had today, she needed to sleep not cry more, so I refrained from asking any more questions. As she lay in the bed and hugged the pillow a thorn of pity stabbed through me. She seemed so alone, so tiny and fragile. If I had known her better and didn't want to give her the wrong impression I would have held her while she slept.
Chapter end (sorry its so long lol)