Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update this. It took me a while to really figure out what to do with this fic. When I came up with the idea, I really didn't think it would actually end up being written. Anyway - The Face on the Soda Bottle Label has quickly become my baby. So, you can either expect frequent updates or not-so frequent ones. It depends. I might whip through chapters because I enjoy writing this so much, or I might take excruciating amounts of time to write each chapter because I want to make it perfect. Anyway, the point is, this is my baby. So be nice to it or Mother Bear will maul you.
Oh – also, the class I describe in this chapter may seem really unrealistic, but throw in some pachinko balls, two girls with mild OCD, and a feminine male who enjoys cross-dressing, and you have my Chemistry class from last year. No joke.
Disclaimer: I never have owned Kingdom Hearts, and I probably never will. But if I do miraculously end up owning it, you'd know. Oh yes, you'd know. Butt-sex, everywhere.
Chapter Two: "I didn't ask for this."
I winced as another prodding finger came into view, and a hand ran through my spiky hair.
Over the weekend Selphie had somehow managed to register me at Belleview High, and so, here I was, sitting amongst a gaggle of schoolgirls who were ooh-ing and ah-ing over my appearance. Apparently here in Belleview it was appealing for males to bare their midriffs and wear eyeliner. At least, that was the impression I got after three hours of playing dress-up with Selphie this morning, five periods of enduring twittering, poking girls, and countless whining cries of "I wish my boyfriend dressed like you!"
Granted, some girls acted indifferently towards me, and others regarded my – or rather, Selphie's – fashion sense with utter disgust. But their existence was difficult to acknowledge when surrounded by those who found it fascinating.
Thankfully, I had someone who just might help me in this class. Looking around, however, I found that Selphie was perfectly content to encourage her classmates rather than help me escape their torture. I heaved a sigh, wondering when the teacher would arrive and put an end to this madness. It wasn't just me and my fan club that was causing disorder either. The entire class was gathered in clumps here and there, chatting loudly and gesturing wildly.
"Where are you from, Soooora?" a girl with long, brown hair asked as she poked my arm repeatedly, jabbing me with her long fingernails.
"Honolulu." I muttered mechanically. The string of questions I'd been answering all day had once again begun. Next, someone would ask me what Honolulu was like.
One particularly enthusiastic girl pushed her way to the front of the crowd, nearly losing her glasses in the process. She bounced slightly as she stood in front of me before asking, "So, what brings you here?"
I bowed my head, stomach churning nervously. I wasn't prepared to answer that question.
"He's in love with Riku!"
But apparently, Selphie was, as she was the one who ha shouted the answer. Before I had time to even blush, a screeching 'What!' sounded from behind me, followed by a loud thud. The entire class directed their attention to the source of these sounds. In the doorway of the classroom stood a slim girl with a blonde ponytail and bright green eyes. At her feet was a pile of books and papers, which she must have dropped when she had cried out in. . .whatever emotion it was that had caused her to cry out.
"No." Selphie stated calmly, shaking her head. "No not you, Rikku," she explained to the blonde, who I assumed was also named Rikku, which made things much clearer. "Sora here's in love with the other Riku. The boy Riku."
If the girl Rikku had any response to this, it was not heard, for at the exact moment the word 'boy' had left Selphie's lips, the two girls who had questioned me let out two, high-pitched squeals of delight. Most of the other girls had wandered off after Selphie's comment, but the interest of these two seemed to have piqued. They fired question after question at me - questions I didn't understand, due to the use of the words "seme" and "uke". That, and both were speaking at the same time, and neither bothered to wait for an answer.
Just as I was beginning to consider mass homicide as a rather appealing option, Rikku's voice cut through the chatter once more, this time demanding that the class take their seats. I was confused by this demand, until the students obeyed it that is, at which point it became clear that Rikku was not, as I'd assumed, a student, but my chemistry teacher.
"Ooooookay!" she crooned, pacing at the front of the classroom, bouncing a little with each turn. "As you know, we had a totally neat-o experiment planned for today!" There were several whoops and hollers of approval, and the blonde turned to face the class, pouting. "Unfortunately, the school board wouldn't give us the go-ahead. Something about safety issues," she continued, shrugging.
The girl next to me – one of my interrogators - growled. "This always happens! I wanna blow stuff up!"
I was definitely nervous about this class. Rikku seemed way too young to be a teacher, and she had a record of planning experiments so dangerous that the school board wouldn't allow them to be performed.
"Yeah, I know!" Rikku whined, and I idly wondered what to call her. She'd seemed to have no problem with Selphie referring to her as Rikku, but surely at some point we'd be expected to call her by something more formal. "So today, we have busy work instead!" She grabbed a stack of papers from the pile that was still on the floor, and began passing them out. However, the students didn't even wait to get theirs, the simply stood up and walked back to their little clusters and resumed their conversations.
I winced. This probably meant the squeaky girls would come back. The one next to me turned, smiling in what I'm sure she thought was a friendly manner, but it seemed more maniacal to me.
Her unanswered questions were again asked, and Selphie again took the liberty of answering them herself. I debated whether to be offended by her self-appointment to act as my voice, or eternally grateful. By the time I'd decided on the latter, the bell had rung, signaling the beginning of lunch, and Selphie dragged me to the cafeteria, babbling about those of her friends I was about to meet.
We sat at a table near the far edge of the room, and were soon joined by the three teens I'd seen in town on Friday – the one's I'd asked about Selphie. The shy girl with short, auburn hair and violet eyes was named Kairi, and the tall redheaded male who'd answered me was Wakka. The blonde that had accompanied them was eyeing me suspiciously yet again, and he gave his name – Tidus – reluctantly.
"So, Sora," he asked coolly, "What brings you here to Connecticut from good ol' Honolulu?"
"He loves Riku." Selphie chirped, and I was again thankful for her interruption. Tidus relaxed at this, and I couldn't help but notice the glance he shot in Selphie's direction. "And I'm gonna help get them together!"
"What!" I cried. I hadn't planned on that. Not at all. When I came here, I just wanted to see Riku, to meet him. The last thing I'd thought of was getting together with him. Well, it was one of the last things I thought of anyway. " I don't know if that's a good idea," I muttered, "I mean, is Riku even gay?"
Selphie nodded enthusiastically, and Tidus choked on his sandwich.
"Since when!" He cried.
Wakka, who had remained silent until now, reached over and smacked Tidus upside the head. "You really are dense, man. He's been out for over a year now."
Tidus narrowed his eyes at the redhead before turning back to Selphie, "Dude, like how gay?"
Kairi snorted, and as she spoke I was surprised to hear that her voice was clear and confident. "What do you mean 'how gay'? He's gay and that's that. There aren't differing degrees of homosexuality."
"No, seriously!" Tidus whined. "C'mon Selph, you know what I mean, don't you?"
Selphie sighed. "Personality wise, he's straight as an arrow."
"Well, duh. But what about. . .you know."
"Sex?" Selphie asked.
"Freddy Mercury." Said Kairi, causing Tidus to twitch slightly.
"Nuh-uh! Try Liberace!" Selphie cried.
Shrugging, Kairi turned to me and asked, "So how long have you been in love with Riku?"
"About two years." I replied. In the background I could hear Tidus asking Selphie who the hell Liberace was.
"What the fuck?" someone asked from behind me. I turned to see Riku standing there, a lunch tray in his hands. His silver hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, stray strands falling into his face, and his aqua eyes, dark with anger, were rimmed with black eyeliner. The black sweater he wore clung enticingly to his well-defined abdomen, and I couldn't tell if it was his obvious anger or just him that had taken my breath away.
"How the hell have you been in love with me for two years?" he demanded, eyes narrowing. "You haven't even known me for two days!"
I glanced at Selphie, praying that she'd take her usual course of action and jump in with the answer. After a moment of silence, it became clear that I was on my own. I chewed on my lower lip, splitting some of the filmy skin there, and cast my eyes downward, searching for a way to word my answer. Under the table, Selphie pressed something smooth and cold into my hand, which had memorized the shape and feel long ago. It was the bottle. Heart pounding, I pulled it into view and handed it to Riku.
The silver-haired teen studied the bottle, then shot a burning glare at Selphie, who shrank into herself, giggling weakly and flashing him a guilty smile.
And then those gorgeous, angry eyes were back on me, searing my flesh. "You found this two years ago? Where?"
Selphie opened her mouth to speak, but Riku stopped her with a quick, sharp wave of his hand.
"Where?" he demanded.
"H-honolulu." I whispered.
"Honolulu? You came to find me from all the way across the country because you fell in love with a picture?"
I nodded.
Riku narrowed his eyes once more, raising a delicate eyebrow. "On Friday I thought you were just a jackass playing some dumb joke, but now. . .this is sick."
I winced.
"Falling in love with someone because of their picture? And then trekking across the country to find them? You've got problems." The anger had left his eyes, and his voice wasn't accusing. It was disturbed and, maybe, a little concerned. But even still, a lump had formed in my throat, and my eyes stung with the effort to hold back tears. This was the one thing that had haunted me for two years – the possibility of rejection, and pity.
"And how the hell did you get your parents to go along with it?"
The lump in my throat dissolved as tears burst forth and I sobbed softly. The boy I loved so dearly was calling me a psycho, and now he had to bring up my parents. Damn it, that was the last thing I needed. And the fact that I was weeping in public at seventeen years of age just made it that much worse.
Riku regarded me as if he didn't know how to react.
"I didn't ask for this, okay?" I said, voice wavering. "I didn't want to fall in love with some face on a soda bottle label. I didn't want to spend two years wasting my time at some crap job so I could earn enough money to - " I sniffled loudly and whipped away my tears, vaguely aware that the entire student body was focusing on me, "to get here, and freeze to death, and be dressed up like some doll, and poked and prodded, and yelled at, and then," I hiccupped, "then break down like a child in front of the entire school. But. . .but that's what happened. I did fall in love with you, and I am here, and. . .I. . I'm sorry."
Beyond the hot, salty moisture of my tears, the heavy sound of my sobs, and the quick bursts of hiccups, there was nothing. Nothing but silence, and a pair of stunning turquoise eyes, which were fixed on me and my pitiful, shuddering frame.
