Each pulse of pain brought back the nightmarish memories of past abuses. The girl that lie still in her bed had no light in those pink, reddened eyes. Her cheeks and sheets she lay on showed the clear stains of her tears amongst other things. Her sore and tender body had small marks streaking her abdomen and her flesh was rubbed raw as red spots dotted spaces long her skin. She shifted a bit before closing her eyes and passing out after a night of fatherly torture. Hours felt like seconds as the rest of the night passed without incident. The repetitive alarm of the bedside clock hit her ears, alerting her that the day will begin with or without her approval. Having no other choice but to react and keep schedule, Natsuki lifted her limp body from the mattress, grabbed a uniform from the closet and went to the shower. The warmth of the water did well to soothe some of the physical pains that would ail her for the day to come but the mental trauma never really went away, just ignored long enough to pretend it wasn't there.
Finishing up and stepping out, she dried off and wiped the fog off the mirror to check herself. 'Nothing my uniform won't cover...' she thought, hoping she'd never have to suffer the embarrassment of being found out and perhaps and even worse chain of treatments from dear old Dad for being found out. But then her eyes caught on to one lone black and blue spot that stood out straight on her neck and almost sent her into another fit right then and there as the thought of it being noticed froze her heart over. Natsuki slipped on her uniform hastily, wanting to get it out of sight as soon as possible. She brushed her teeth and pinned up her hair in that cutesy manner before lightly slapping her cheeks to pump herself up to operating standard. After leaving the bathroom, a crack of thunder shook the house and knocked out power momentarily before the lights flickered back to life.
'Great... Already a shit morning.' Huffing through grit teeth, Natsuki went back and put on an old raincoat she kept in the closet and tried hunting for her umbrella to no avail. Her frustration boiled to almost slamming the closet door but the fear of waking the monster again doused her rage quite quickly.
The hallway was still littered with those cans she'd kicked upon getting home after school yesterday and the tears welled up with the anger of thinking it was her own mistake that brought this on. She had half a mind to punt them across the room and storm out but she was never one to make the same mistake twice. Calmly breathing and wiping her emotion away, Natsuki stepped outside into another downpour like yesterday morning with bag above head, trying to keep dry.
Normally, a breakfast would have preceded a students departure from home but she knew there wasn't any food to be had from that fridge. May as well have called it a glorified beer locker as that's pretty much the only thing in there aside from a few frozen dinners. Natsuki had gotten brave once as the hunger had set in while her father was asleep and attempted to thaw one out by taking the microwave in her room to silently defrost it, but her emaciated body trembled as the nerves and malnutrition shook her sweaty hands, causing her to drop the appliance. Natsuki's punishment left her unable to walk for an hour.
The walk to school was harsh as the rain pooled enough in the streets to splash pedestrians as cars passed. Some were fortunate and evaded most of it but Natsuki was not so lucky. She cursed every step through her sniffling and tears on the way as God had no mercy to spare her this morning and perhaps even the rest of the day...or did he? Rumbling down the street was a car louder than all others, who's waves reverberated in her small body and could help but draw her attention.
Natsuki rolled her eyes as she turned to look at whoever this was, causing a scene. 'Oh great, who's this schmuck?'
The car had an old, angular body style with an intimidating feel to it, as if it would reduce you into a stain straight on the hood without a care. The black paint job mirrored the world around it in a much darker and warped tone as the water running over its glossy surface further distorted the reflection. But what caught her attention the most wasn't anything on the car itself, but it's very driver. She could clearly see the white ponytail even through the waterfall over the glass, his eyes looking right back.
Pulling right up to the curb where she stood must have triggered a reflex as she took a hesitant step back. He waited for only a moment before honking the horn twice in rapid succession, signaling for the girl to approach. The door was heavy and it creaked as Natsuki opened it. Drawing up her usual 'tsun' attitude, she huffily asked, "What do you want?"
"Just get in..."
The alarm had shaken JC awake as usual, straight from whatever cacophony of anguish his subconscious chose to torture him with that night. A few shaky breaths and a rub of the eyes cleared away enough sleep to perform the morning rituals.
Get up
Work out
Eat
Shower
The final touch of the morning was slipping on the uniform straight from the freshness of the factory plastic bag. The cloth still had traces of industrial scents to it as one might expect. A crack of thunder in the distance told him that today, his jacket would probably be needed again. Throwing it on for good measure, JC approached his moderate gathering of bottles on the kitchen counter and looked among his options. Carefully selecting his poison, he poured a couple sips worth and took a shot. A shudder took him as the bitterness of the alcohol wasn't the most pleasant thing to experience in early in the morning.
'Just get through today and you've got all weekend...' he assured himself as he slipped his shoes on by the door. One last pat down of his pockets told him a vital part was once again missing...this time it was the house keys. Bounding back to his bedroom, he hooked a finger through the carabiner and spun them around as if he were a cowboy twirling his gun. As they jingled into place with the pull of gravity, the one new one stood out the most. It was an ordinary but longer shafted key as the memory clicked into place. A wide smile grew as JC approached the garage door instead to finally experience the new pleasure of the first drive, even if it was just going to school.
Without a moment to spare, he grabbed ahold of the tarp covering his prized chariot and threw it straight off with force, filling with bubbling excitement. Slipping the key into the ignition and giving a loving twist, the engine roared to life just in sync with his heart. The fruits of his labor were now fully felt as appreciated as the satisfaction of the car's seductive rumble captivated him. But JC had no time to sit and appreciate the wonderful hum of the car as he clicked the garage door opener and pulled out into the driveway. He couldn't help but rev it just a little higher as he pulled out into the streets, the engine's excited screams of pure power dominated the air of the neighborhood.
On a typical drive, JC would have plugged in his phone and blasted what music he had at the time but today was quite a special occasion as the initial drive was all that was on his mind. Even if it was a rainy, dreary day, that wouldn't be enough to detract from the experience of living his dream. Making a couple turns and weaving through traffic, he found himself across town and resting in a line of cars awaiting the green to get going once more. Though just up ahead, he thought he could see something sticking out of the crowd of students making their way down to the final destination.
'Wait a minute, is that...?'
With the striking pink and short stature, there was no one else it could have been. He watched her shake and shiver as the cracks of thunder and the chill of the rain took their toll on the poor little girl.
'You know what you should do, jackass...'
'But why should I? I don't want her soggy ass in my new fucking car.'
'Your seats are leather, you'll be fine. Just towel it down and stop whining. God, be fucking nice for once!' His conscience got the best of him again as his frustration greased the wheels of his surrender.
"Ugh, fine! Fuck!" He yelled audibly as the line finally began moving at a decent pace. Pulling right up on the curb, he sat and waited for her to approach but she seemed quite nervous to do so. Making eye contact and honking twice got the message through that it was safe to come closer. The girl opened to door and addressed him in her expected attitude.
"What do you want?"
'This bitch.'
"Just get in..."
The strong desire to escape the storm overshadowed any doubt she may have about riding with someone she'd only met yesterday. Plopping down in the seat and using whatever strength she still had to close the heavy steel door, Natsuki buckled up and crossed her arms in a pout. The engine revved up loud as JC tore away from the curb and sped off down the street.
"So...forgot your umbrella?" He asked, just trying to break the awkward silence.
"Couldn't find it this morning, otherwise I'd have it." Natsuki was more holding herself and trying to warm up than being huffy and crossing her arms, but it still came off as the usual little shit attitude JC had seen before. Though the interior of her ride seemed to drag her eyes all around its features as she had never been in a car this different than the few times she's be driven places. "How old is this car? It looks so..." unable to find the right words, her thought trailed off.
"Around fifty years old. Well, most of the parts are anyway except the radio."
"Well I could guess that your radio was new seeing as the clock on your...uh...front piece has hands."
JC couldn't help but chuckle audibly at her grasping at straws to figure out what this mysterious 'front piece' was called.
"Dashboard."
"Are you laughing at me?! Well I'm sorry I don't know much about cars!" She balled up her fists, grabbing large tufts of her coat and squeezing as hard as she could. JC only half-smiled at her little puffy reaction
"Calm down, Nat. It's just funny listening to you guess what it is." Calling her 'Nat' cooled her off pretty quick as she wasn't used to being addressed so casually. Looking over at her driver, Natsuki's eyes widened as she spoke up.
"D-Did you just call me Nat?" That cute but shrill voice of hers had an adorable shake to it.
"Yeah, easier to say. Why, don't like it?"
"No no, it's fine! It's just that...I'm not used to-" Her sentence was cut off by a loud grumbling of her stomach, followed by a large blush as she quickly turned away and hung her head.
'Ah fuck, here we go...' His conscience once again commanding his actions, had him pull into the drive through of some place he found along the way. Truth be told, he was still a bit peckish even after breakfast. Pulling up to the window he made his order and looked to Natsuki.
"Alright, what do you want?"
"Its fine, I don't want anything." Her poutyness made it's stubborn return as she refused food. It broke her heart a little as she did but she couldn't afford to be in someone else's debt. Pulling forward, JC paid and was handed a bag before getting back on the road. Reaching in, he produced two wrapped up sandwiches and set one in his lap before tossing one to the pink little girl. Her adamant yet faltering stare out the window quickly jumped to the food that plopped onto her lap as the surprise made her heart skip a beat.
"W-What is this...?" The cracks in her mask only deepened as its smell only goaded her stomach into grumbling more.
"Breakfast sandwich."
"Well, I get that but why?"
"Do you want me to pretend I didn't hear your stomach?" His sarcasm earned him a scowl from Natsuki.
"I don't want your pity or charity! I would have been f-!"
"Just eat the fuckin' food, goddammit." Having enough of her bickering, it was time to finally put Natsuki in her place as he raised his voice a tad. It was more than enough to get the message across as she recoiled but did slowly unwrap her overdue breakfast. The fluffy eggs partially covered by the melted cheese and grease of the bacon that sit between two English muffins was a beautiful sight as her fingers shook a little bit as they felt its warmth flow into them. Parting her lips to take the first bite, but JC piped up once more.
"Hold it. If any of that sees the floor of this car, I'll be seeing you clean it out for the next two hours. Understand?" Stern but fair, he was. Who wouldn't be if they'd just gotten their dream car and graciously allowed someone to eat in it? Natsuki nodded hurriedly as she couldn't stomach waiting any longer. JC gave her the green light as he partially unwrapped his and began to dig in. After his third chomp, he looked over to check how she was enjoying it only to see her balling up the wrapper and putting it in the bag with a satisfied smile.
"Christ, did you even taste it?"
Being a different type of girl, Yuri always did enjoy the rain. Listening to it, watching it or even walking out during a light drizzle to enjoy the cool air never failed to lighten her mood. Though even for her tastes, the storm was too much to bear without her umbrella. The rain battered it on the morning walk but living rather close to school always had some advantages. Her shoes splashed the shallow puddles that dotted the sidewalk as she appeared to be deep in thought.
'I truly hope I didn't scare him away with my outbursts. Well, he did say that he'd be seeing me tomorrow so-' Yuri's train was suddenly derailed by the obnoxious revving of someone's engine. The anxiety gave way to sheer annoyance as she turned with an incredulous look to see just what could be so stupidly loud. A black blur passed right by as the draft nearly picked up her skirt before she'd shoved her hand straight between her legs to keep it down. Looking back to the car with an angry and blushing glare, several other girls were doing the same as the boys either had their eyes on them or the car blowing by.
'Ugh, such immature flaunting! Yes, we're all very impressed by your car!' The last line was so heavily laden with sarcasm that it would sink like a rock in a river.
Attempting to maintain her ladylike stature on her walk, she cleared her throat, brushed her skirt once more and continued until she saw the very same car turn right into the school lot just down the way. If she'd had the nerve and could stifle her stuttering for a few seconds, she'd be more than happy to give that show-off a piece of her mind. Rounding the corner, her eyes fixated on the car and watched its inhabitants as she slowed her pace. To any outsiders watching, she would have seemed much like an assassin, stalking her prey. When the doors opened and the occupants emerged, Yuri stopped in her tracks and stared silently.
'I-Is that JC? Wait...Natsuki too?! Did she already get this close to him in the span of a day? There's no way she could have, what that horribly abrasive personality!'
Watching the pair enter the building, the pains in her chest returned as her heart started it's downward spiral again. Her hot, shaky breath was visible in the chilled air as the storm continued pouring itself over the school. Finally shaking off the feeling of leadened legs, Yuri entered the vestibule and shook off her umbrella before her eyes darted around the hall, attempting to get a visual. Just above the heads of the mob stood one in particular with his white ponytail and typical stone faced stare. He seemed to be talking to someone as his lips were moving but he never faced away from his locker. Steeling her nerves and wading through the forest of bodies, she kept her head down and shoulders in as she carved her way. Her path was suddenly cut off as she thumped straight into someone, head on.
"A-Ah, I'm sorry! Please excuse me!" She offered weakly as she attempted to go around.
"Don't worry about it." That voice could call her from the deepest of comas and she would always respond in an instant. Her head snapped up to attention in recognition of said tone.
"Oh, g-good morning JC... H-How are you today?" Just looking at him for this long made her awkwardly shift in place as her knees started to rub together.
"Still alive but I'm feeling much better."
"Oh? I-Is there an occasion?"
Natsuki piped up as she waved her up straight up in Yuri's face. "I'm here too you know!"
"Ah, right... Sorry, I didn't see you, Natsuki."
"Yeah whatever." She responded flatly, crossing her arms and looking away. "The occasion here is that JC built a car or something..."
"Wait, you built a car? A-An entire car?" She seemed to be under the impression that cars can only be put together by machinists or their machines in factories, pumping them out on the assembly line. Truth is, anyone with know-how, parts and tools can put them together in their back yard.
"Had it in pieces for a while now, just finished it last night. I even drove it here today." Shutting his locker and moving people aside to escape the claustrophobia building around him, the girls followed his path.
"That's incredible! I didn't know you could do something like that."
"I've been around cars for a while now. Kinda second nature to me."
The morning bell rang out to begin the busy day, the last day everyone had to power through before the always awaited weekend would begin. Making their way down the halls, the group talked on various things such as JC's mechanical ability to what books they were currently reading and of course, the poems they wrote.
"Wait...what poem?" JC asked, genuinely clueless as to what they're talking about.
"The ones we wrote for the club, duh." Natsuki responded so nonchalantly.
"Didn't Monika tell you that we were all to write poems to present in the club before the week ended?" Yuri's eyes spelt concern as they met his.
"No, she didn't mention anything like that to me."
"I see... What will you do?"
"Well I can either hack one together and look like a lazy idiot or I can just not show up with anything and look like an even bigger lazy idiot." His flat tone seemed to suggest that he didn't quite care about the potential consequences of negligence. Yuri showed a bit of shock as she realized this and inched closer, her will bolstered by her hope to change his stance.
"But why would you do that? Poetry is very important to the club, as are you! Free writing is the truest expression of oneself to their peers."
"Yuri, I've only been here for a day and some change so far. Don't bullshit me, I'm not that important."
Now she was straight up offended by his words. Gripping her belongings tighter and gritting her teeth, Yuri couldn't help but puff up at his cold response.
"How could you say that about yourself? You are very important to the club and me-" Unfortunately, she was unable to catch herself before that slipped out. The blush that followed would have made her glow like hot iron had the lights been off. Quickly shifting attention to the floor as the utter embarrassment was way too much for her to bear, her shoulders scrunched before she took off down the hall.
Another outburst from the strange girl made JC stop to try and understand just what she was doing. He must not have heard everything before she ran off as he simply brushed it aside as one of her odd quirks.
"What's her deal?" Natsuki asked after bearing witness.
"No idea. She usually like this?"
"Well she's skittish, yeah but not this bad. Only as of pretty recent." Her sentence punctuated by the ring of the morning bell gave the students their last chance to be on time. "I gotta get to class, I'll see ya and... thanks for the sandwich."
JC looked down at his newfound friend and smiled lightly. "Yeah, no problem Nat." That's when he saw it, the evidence of last night's horrific trauma plain on the nape of her neck. Due to their height differences, having a near straight downward angle was enough to see under her shirt collar and catch a glimpse of the markings she tried so desperately to keep away from prying eyes. Watching her walk off to his class, he proceeded to his own with his thoughts solely focusing on whatever could have made that mark.
Entering the room, taking attendance and beginning the lesson, JC looked over to Sayori's desk and was surprised to not see her today. Normally she'd be rather late but not so far as to miss the morning headcount. Looking around the room and then to the door, he waited and waited by Sayori never came.
'Hm... must be sick.'
Classes proceeded regularly as time went on at what felt like a snail's pace. The subjects had no interest to him but he knew they were necessary so he attempted to feign interest in hopes of tricking himself into somewhat enjoying the area of study but could never quite "convince" himself. Finally the bell rang and allowed the students their release as eagerly awaited for but JC still had a club to attend and that's where he'll be for the next hour. 'At least the girls are cute...' was his own reasoning for tolerating it when the times where he wanted nothing more that to go home came around. Nevertheless, he found himself at the clubroom door once again and slid it open.
"Welcome back, JC." If maturity has a voice it would be Monika. Her elegant speech matched only by Yuri if she could hold herself together confidently in a conversation. Speaking of Yuri, she was nowhere to be seen along with Natsuki. JC wondered where could they have gone to before returning the greeting.
"Hey, Monika. I know Sayori isn't here today but where are the others?"
"It seems they're most likely running a tad late. I guess it'll just be you and me for a little while~." That smile resurfaced as she leant forward, hands clasped around her lower back.
"Yeah, guess it will be." His reception must not be that good as he clearly wasn't picking up the signals she was putting out. A quiet sigh and a small shake of her head was all Monika could do as she was brushed off. 'What am I going to do with him..?'
Setting himself down at his usual desk, JC took a small book from his bag and began to read before feeling something a little off. He tried his best to ignore it but it had started to wear on his psyche as he was forced to look up from his book. His immediate sight was Monika straight across from him yet sitting in a spun around desk chair with her legs crossed, reading a book of her own. His eyes trailed back down to the printed word in his hands and began reading once more until the subtle movement on the edge of his vision pulled his eyes right back up at attention. The mere flipping of a page would normally not call his focus but solely because it was the one person here that had given him this feeling of an unknown danger, he felt as though he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He never did mind keeping an eye on her though as she was quite easy on the eyes. However, before he could attempt to force himself back down to the pages, the movement of Monika's leg removing itself from over the other grabbed him and ordered his attention to stay. The raising of her opposite leg was slow and almost seemed deliberate as the careful movements gave a flash of a pure white before her the leg crossed over.
"It's not polite to stare."
Without moving his head, JC's eyes flicked down to his book. "Don't know what you're talking about..."
He could see her shuffling but kept his eyes glued to the pages, not wanting to face her for his accidental transgression. Monika would not accept this as her finger landed between the pages of his book, lightly pushing it onto the desk. Slate blue met emerald green as they made contact. Her confident smile visible as always as her head rested on her hand. JC felt a twinge of panic as the memory of yesterday afternoon's dream came back, punching through the walls of his subconscious. His pulse shot up as his face even lightly flushed while those damned eyes were fighting his own.
"Is there something wrong, JC?" Monika leaned forward, further over his desk as he himself began moving back just as slow as she did.
"N-No it's nothing..."
"Are you sure? You seem a little flustered." The smile only grew deeper as she now had him off balance. Monika realized that there wasn't must that could throw JC off like this, but now that a chink in the armor was discovered, she couldn't help but exploit it. Putting both elbows together whilst leaning on the his desk, Monika pushed her arms together a bit more to accentuate her already bountiful bosom. The raging hormones clashed against his logic and reason for control of the body. JC tried his best not to shift his stare any lower, for fear of walking straight into her clutches. Monika knew she had him pinned and her look became much more lascivious.
"You know... I actually don't have much to do this weekend so if you'd like, you co-"
The sounds of a heated argument came into earshot, even through the walls as voices approached the clubroom door. Monika's apparent irritation wouldn't be noticed as JC turned his attention to the door. His prayers of the other remaining members appearing had been answered as the bickering duo came crashing through the door with debate still flowing.
"-even once tell me that Parfait Girls isn't a good example of literature!"
"I say so because it isn't! It completely lacks any sort of depth or provocation of thought! These characters may as well be cardboard cutouts with how two-dimensional they are."
"Don't You dare insult those girls! Just because they're not super edgy, fake deep wannabe's doesn't make them two-dimensional!"
Without even missing a beat, purple and pink found their way to their desks, took their seats and continued at each other. Back and forth the nonsense went as Monika rose from her seat, a disgruntled and disappointed look in prime view.
"Excuse me, JC. It appears need to step in..."
Monika walked over, getting between the two and working her magic to quell the loud spat between the girls. JC only sighed and leaned back in his chair, thankful that something got her away from him. After the room quieted and the dust had settled, Monika stood proudly over her members and cleared her throat.
"Alright everyone, today we will be sharing our poems!"
JC froze at the mention of the poems as immediately after the conversation with Yuri this morning had ended, he immediately pushed it out of his mind to focus on something else. Now it looked like he had unknowingly selected his second option and will now just have to deal with the consequences.
"Is there something wrong, JC? You look a little stressed."
Yuri couldn't see his face as she sat a couple rows behind him but she knew he hadn't written anything before class. She was actually quite disappointed in what she saw as a lack of interest or even worse, taking the club at all seriously.
"Uh, Monika, I was never told that I had to write one."
"What are you talking about? I made the announcement on Tuesday th-" her eyes widened at the realization that he'd still just transferred yesterday. JC had completely missed her announcement. "...oh silly me, ehehe..." Monika quickly shies away at her blatant mistake and looked nervously around at the stares from the remaining two members.
"W-Well, seeing as our newest was not informed properly and we are currently missing another, I will postpone this sharing session until Monday. Hopefully Sayori will be back by then." Spinning on a heel and twirling her skirt a bit, she want back and sheepishly sat at her desk, trying to keep a low profile.
As everyone went to do their own thing, the burning feeling of something wrong with Natsuki kept forcing its way back to center stage in JC's mind. His experience tells him the mark he saw was clearly a hickey, but he didn't think she was the type to be interested in sexual activity. Hell, did she even have a boyfriend? Looking to Monika, he saw she was neck deep in work for different classes and could put together that she was too busy to be answering questions as of now. The only other options were direct confrontation or asking Yuri. Seeing as one was a bit of a last resort, JC sighed as he stood and casually approached the girl buried in her book. Taking a seat in the desk to her right, he leaned back in the chair and tried to catch her attention.
"Hey, Yuri..." his voice was low to keep prying ears out of his business, though it seemed to have been a bit too low. Reaching out and gently tapping her shoulder, she lightly jumped as those wide purple eyes met his own.
"J-JC! I-Is there something I can help you with...?"
Putting a finger to his lips, he looked to the others to make sure they were still held captive by their own activities before continuing.
"I need to ask you something. How well do you know Natsuki?"
"How well do I- W-What for?"
"Its just a feeling. Does she have a boyfriend?"
Those words sent her heart on a race to Hell as she almost got a little dizzy. "B-B-Boyfriend?! I-I...W-Why do you want to know?"
"Like I said... Just a feeling."
She tore her gaze away and focused her will to keeping this rush of anxiety and emotion from surfacing. Her hands were trembling ever so sightly as it felt like her throat was closing up. "N-No, she doesn't have a... b-boyfriend."
"Alright. Thanks for your help Y- Wait, are you okay?" Rather observant he was, for being your average boy.
"I-I'm fine... Please, don't worry about me."
"I Uh... Alright then." Awkwardly walking back to his desk, he checked his phone.
'No shit, time to head out.'
Picking up his belongings and packing up for the day, the others took notice and started to do the same. Exiting the room, JC leaned against the wall opposite the door and waited for his opportunity.
The girls piled out one by one with books and bags. The group all said their goodbyes as they went their separate ways. But before Natsuki could get away, JC put a hand on her head seeing as he'd have to lean down to touch her shoulder.
"Hey, Nat... You want a ride home?"
She looked up grumpily from being reminded yet again how short she was. "I can walk by...screw it. Sure, you can take me home."
Getting their things from their lockers and proceeding out to the parking lot, they entered the vehicle as the engine start-up drew some attention from the crowd. Shifting into gear, the car sprang out from it's little resting spot and out into the street. After getting comfortable and relaxing to the beat of the motor running, Natsuki felt this long forgotten feeling of warmth in her chest. She felt relaxed, at home...safe even. Her fingertips traced the lining of the leather seats along with the armrest on the inside of the door as her eyes looked through the glass into the gloomy sky. Rain or shine, she felt as though she could ride here for eternity as long as she was here and protected. But that feeling was fleeting as Natsuki remembered exactly where she was heading. Trying to get her mind off of the thought of walking straight back into the Lion's Den, Natsuki cleared her throat.
"S-So...what kind of car is this? I've never seen one before."
"Old seventies muscle car. Used to be popular until speed and a flat body style became the biggest thing in the eighties."
"Do you know what this car is called?"
"Like the model? Nineteen seventy, Chevelle SS, four-fifty-four."
Natsuki perked up with a twisted look of confusion. Obviously she knew absolutely none of what he just said, especially the numbers. She was reluctant to ask but Natsuki would grit her teeth and swallow her pride. "I...don't know what that means."
A small smile spread across JC's lips as he heard her little confession. "Not a lot of people do. Nineteen seventy means it was made that year and its known as a Chevelle SS, the SS means 'Super Sport'. The number just means it's a big and powerful engine."
"Oh..." Thus, she learned something she would never forget. She may not have a total grasp of the car and it's terminology and inner workings like it's driver, but she knew enough to be satisfied.
"Let me ask you a question. Do you have a boyfriend?" The utterance of the sentence caught Natsuki by surprise with it's unusual confidence, like it was nothing to ask such a thing.
"What?! Of course not!" Her little rosy cheeks flared up with color as she regained her huffy composure. Her heart skipped a beat in anticipation of his next question. Her mind raced with all possibilities but the roads only came back to one. 'Would you like me to be?' Truth be told, it would have been better to say that.
"Really, then who gave you that mark on your neck? You don't seem like the kinda girl to be fuck buddies with someone."
The cute red tone in her face instantly left as the embarrassment turned to fear. She had been found out. Her lips parted to say something as her eyes remained laser-focused on the passenger panel of the dash. No words could be formed as her light trembling started to set in.
"...i-it's...noth..." the tiny voice was barely audible over the engine.
"Huh?"
She shook her head and hung it low as Natsuki couldn't bear to face him. The shame and embarrassment was way too much and she didn't even know if she would be able to show up on Monday or ever again.
"Nat, if you got a pro-"
"IT'S NOTHING!" The shrill shriek of her reply after the sudden clamming up told him all he needed to know.
"...alright. How much further?"
"...not much."
Pulling up a couple houses down at her request, JC said his goodbyes and watched her walk down the street to her front door. As she approached, said door flung open and a man appeared with an angry air about him. He couldn't quite make out what the yelling was, but watching Natsuki cower like that put the pieces together for him.
Heart racing as her hand lurched forward toward the door handle, Natsuki didn't hear the TV this time but still inhibited by her fears, found herself struggling to enter her home. Her heart almost stopped completely when the knob turned itself and the door swung right open.
"Back so soon? Good, I was just startin' ta feel it..."
"D-Dad please, N-Not tod-"
"Shut up!" Her father grabbed her by the collar and yoked her right up to his face. "When I wanna hear you I'll fuckin' say so!" He smelt of beer as per usual. His eyes were unfocused and glossy as he stared her down. Most frightening was the look of hunger they held. "Now get in here..." Tight grip remaining on her uniform, Natsuki was pulled into the house as the door slammed behind them.
"Now be a good girl. You know what I like..."
Her quaking limbs found their way to her backpack straps and brushed them from her shoulders. Next were the buttons on her coat. One by one they were undone as the garment piled itself on the floor beside her bag. Her father approached with that sadistic, toothy grin, causing her to take a couple steps back.
"Aww, running away already? Come on now...finish it..."
Unbuttoning her blazer and tossing it aside left her with the white undershirt and lacy tie. Shaking fingers took ahold of an end and started to pull before what sounded like a loud creak hung in the air. The two looked around a bit before he 'focused' his gaze back on her.
"Quit teasin' and just pull it already... Not gettin' any fuckin' younger."
Doing as ordered to prevent further anger, Natsuki pulled the lace and dropped her tie and was suddenly pounced on by the drunken man. She cried out as she was taken into the kitchen and held up against a wall. His clumsy and inebriated fingers went to work undoing the blouse buttons as the tears started flowing. Now it was only seconds before she would have to bear with another session of pain and abuse. Her watered vision turned up to look at the cause of her anguish. The hatred of this man was burned ever deeper into her soul as he slipped open her blouse and grinned wider.
Before any more damage could be done, large hand smacked right onto the man's throat, clenching around it. He tried to yelp in surprise but the sound was warbled and choked out. Natsuki sank to the floor in fear as her eyes widened, arms shooting across her chest as she tried to cover up. She bore witness to a large hooded figure drag her drunken father across the kitchen by his neck and choke slam him into the kitchen table with enough force to break it. A warbled scream of pain was heard as the supports broke, sending him straight into the floor. The figure stood and looked over this mess for a minute before the hood of his black leather jacket fell, revealing long, loose white hair.