This is chapter 4 for High. Enjoy.
High
Chapter 4: Tears and Rain
Monday morning held no evidence that such a beautiful day as Friday had actually existed. It was a stormy day whose sky had been covered by a barrier of clouds no sliver of sunlight could hope to cross.
It was the sound of water hitting the window that had woken Mikel that day, followed, of course, by the alarm clock and the loud yell of "Get up!" from his grandmother.
"I'm up…" He answered groggily from beneath his covers. He sat up, scratching his head lazily. Suddenly, Mia burst into his room, and locked herself in his bathroom. Too lazy to actually react, he simply grunted a 'Hmm' and left the room, on his way to breakfast.
He arrived at the kitchen only to find that Margaret was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper. She was sniffling and her nose was bright red.
"Grams, are you sick again?" He asked.
"No, no. It's just my allegies acting up." Suddenly she went into a fit of coughing. "Why don't you pour yourself some cereal today. Let me rest a bit…" she said once she recovered.
"Go lay down, I'll take care of Mia."
"No, no. Just… just sitting here quietly will do." She went into another coughing fit.
"Hey everyone!" Mia crashed into the room.
"What… what the hell is wrong with you?" Mikel asked disconcerted. And he had a right to, for Mia had come out looking different. She was wearing a short skirt and a plain tank top, and she had applied some serious makeup to her face. What was weird is that she had never worn a skirt above the knee before, and mostly didn't like to show off any extra skin. The makeup was unusual too. Margaret had always told her she was beautiful just the way she was.
"What? W-why are you staring?" She said nervously.
Mikel turned back to his cereal, and Margaret to her newspaper.
"What?" she asked again.
"Nothing!" They both answered together.
"Whatever…" She grabbed a bowl and poured some cereal on it. She took about two bites and was interrupted.
"Ok, let's go."
"What? You haven't even combed your hair." Mia pointed out. Oh… yeah, he thought. He went back to his room to get ready.
Meanwhile, Mia and Margaret heard a soft tapping in the window. Mia rushed to it and saw that it was Tidus waving to her. She quickly ran to the door, stepped outside and slammed the door behind her.
"What are you doing here?" She said happily.
"C'mon, I'm here to walk you to school."
She turned the tinniest tinge of red at this. "Ok!" She went inside the house, grabbed her backpack and and ran out again, taking off with Tidus.
"Where the hell is Mia?" Mikel ased once he came down.
"Oh, she left with some kid. Gino, Timo, or something like that." Margaret coughed once, "You better get going too."
X X X
Mikel arrived at locker 666, only to find a familiar blond girl opening the locker next to it.
"Hi!" Naminè smiled brightly when she saw him approaching.
"Hey." He replied curtly.
"It's Monday. We have History together."
"Yep." He was rummaging in his locker.
Naminè sighed. "Ok, so see you there."
Mikel simply grunted as he tried to pull out a book from under some heavy ones. Naminè slammed her locker shut, and walked away with a look of annoyance.
History class was boring, to say the least. Mikel sat in his familiar seat behind Kairi and beside Roxas.
"Ok so today we start with the kingdom of Costas." Mr. Leonhart wrote the word 'Costas' in the blackboard. "This kingdom started out as a small island just of the coast of Vault, but the islanders dumped the dirt they dug for the foundations of their capital city into the sea, makng the island grow bigger, and bigger. It was during the War of Pasadena that it became clear that they possesed the best and most advanced navy force."
It was at this time that everybody stopped paying attention and submerge in their thoughts. Kairi kept twisting her head to look at him with a preoccupied face, but every time he asked, she would just shrug and say she'd tell him later. Roxas kept shooting furtive looks at his watch, willing it to go faster, but at the same time knowing that if he kept watching, it would only go slower.
Naminè was resting her head on her arms, apparently fast asleep, along with about half the class. The class ended abruptly with the bell ringing. The sleeping half of the class lept up and immediately started gathering their things, while the stupefied half actually took a moment to realize the class had ended.
"I need to talk to you." Kairi whispered in Mikel's ear. Mikel left the classroom and glanced around the hallway to see if anyone was trying to eavesdrop. Naminè gave him a look and strode down the hall.
"What?"
Now Kairi glanced around the hallway nervously. "I need a favor."
Mikel raised his eyebrows and Kairi told him.
"This is either really dangerous, or incredibly stupid."
"Actually, its incredibly dangerous and stupid." Kairi said with a curt laugh.
"Okay, let's do this."
They both walked down the hallway in the wrong direction. Towards the Principal's office…
X X X
Sora had never been the most occupied person in the world, and today was no different.
"I've been having these wired thoughts lately…" He said.
Tidus shot him a weird look. "Like what?"
"Like…" Sora hung his head in thought for a while. "Like, is any of this for real? Or not?"
"Are you on crack again, man?" Wakka asked suspiciously.
"No, I am not high. And that other time was an accident." Sora replied angrily.
"Whatever man, we have to finish this by tomorrow." Tidus busily typed some information in his computer and proceeded to print it.
But today, Sora had no space in his mind for that. Only one thing occupied his head. She had been his friend ever since she aarived on the island for the first time; the day the sky fell, some say. A meteor shower fell the day Kairi arrived at Destiny Islands.
He had never thought about her the way he did today. Everywhere he looked, he saw her. He imagined himself with her, daydreamed about what the perfect date with her would be; how it would feel like to kiss those soft, pink lips of hers.
"What the hell is wrong with me?"
"You watch to much T.V., man." Wakka interrupted his thoughts.
"What?" Sora said, disconcerted.
"Well you do…"
"People! Concentrate!" Tidus nearl yelled, causing the anger of the old librarian. "We just skipped first period to be in the school library! Who skips a period to go to the library? If we do this kind of shmit, it has gotta be darn worthwhile!"
"Dude, if your gonna cuss, do it right." Sora pointed out.
Suddenly, they heard a low hiss from a corner, and a second later, the weird, frog-like librarian skulked out from under her desk and settled in her seat.
"Oooook, that really freaked me out." Tidus stated.
"Let's get out of here, ya? First period is over anyway, ya?" Wakka said, a bit pale in the face.
They all agreed and walked out of the library, only to find Kairi and Mikel rushing down the corridor, just as they passed, Sora could swear Kairi gave him a small smile, but maybe it was only in his head.
"Dude, they're heading towards The Room." Tidus said.
"What room?"
"The make-out room, ya?" The make-out room was in fact a room where the janitor kept unused cleaning products. The janitor had opened the door to find people making out one too many times.
Sora went a bit red. "I-I… don't be stupid, man. They're going to the… uh… somewhere."
"Whatever."
X X X
"Okay we're here- what the hell are you smiling about?" Mikel and Kairi crouched beneath the office's door.
"Nothing." She giggled.
"Right. So, what are we looking for?"
"A file. It's um… the name is… Ferguson… Ferguson Leda." She looked down to her knees.
Mikel stared at her. "Right."
"I… I'll explain later…" She kept her gaze to the floor.
Mikel sighed. "Let's go."
They stepped into the small, square office and looked around. At the center lay a desk, with two chairs in fron of it. On the desk was a computer and a plaque that read: 'Principal Dixon'. In the left corner they found a door that led to the private file room. Only the principal had access to these files, for some weird security reason. They picked the lock to the file room, just as they did to the office door and entered quietly.
Inside they found a gigantic file cabinet that housed hundreds of separate files. The quickly looked up the letter 'L' and pulled out file after file until at last…
"I got it!" Kairi announced triumphantly, holding a file in her hand.
"Okay, bag it and let's go." Mikel replied hurriedly.
They stepped out of the room, and throught the translucent glass in the door they could see a shadow walking toward s the room. The Principal was back.
"Bolt!" Mikel yelled, and tore outside the office and down the corridor that ran to the left of the office. They could hear running footsteps behind them, so they hid inside the first door they reached.
"Oh my God." Kairi gasped.
"What?"
"We're in the make-out room."
Mikel stared at her with a puzzled look on his face, and then it dawned on him… "There's no way he saw us go in here." He said.
"Well if he did… I mean he didn't see our faces… If he DID come this way, he'll search here…"
"And theres only one thing we can do to not look out of place."
"And it would explain why we're out of breath." Kairi was indeed panting a bit.
Suddenly, the doorknob turned, and th edoor opened a crack. Kairi wasted no time in suddenly putting her arms around Mikel and ramming her lips onto his, pulling him into a deep kiss.
Now, maybe it was just God's idea of a joke, maybe it was bad luck, but the person who opened the door had not been the principal. It was Naminè.
She stood in the doorway, transfixed. Her blue eyes wide and filled with disbelief. She immediately closed the door behind her and quickly strode away, wishing, pleading that she had been mistaken about who the people in there where. It's not my best friend and my… something making out in there, she said to herself again and again. She heard the door open and turned. It was Kairi who emerged from the door.
"Naminè it's not what you think…" Was the first thing Kairi managed to blurt out.
"I… I just…" Naminè couldn't form the words.
Kairi reached for her hand, but she snatched it away.
"Don't touch me!" She said in a high-pitched voice. She turned and ran full speed towards the exit.
Outside it was raining. More than raining, pouring. But that was the last thing in her overwhelmned mind. She ran up to a large tree and leaned on it. All it took was this small pause. The small pause to take it all in. That's all that it took to make the tears appear. She sobbed uncontrollaby, but didn't know why. Why would she feel this way about him? He had barely grunted to her earlier, why would she expect more from him? Maybe it was because of what happened at the beach. To her it had meant the start of something beautiful, but apparently, to him it was nothing. No meaning.
She hated him. She hated him, but the only thing she wanted right now was to feel his warm, conforting touch. She never wanted to speak to him again, and yet she wanted an explanation.
Inside the room, Mikel sat in the floor, his back against the wall, banging his head lightly. How could I've been so stupid? He thought. It wasn't the principal earlier. The shadow they saw throught the glass, he failed to recognized Naminè's small, slim shape as she walked towaards the office. She probably saw them rushing into the corridor and went looking for them in that room.
Mikel looked down and saw Kairi's file lying on the floor. He picked it up, but refrained from opening it, it wasn't his place. He opened the door and saw Kairi standing in the deserted corridor. No sign of Naminè except for some books she had dropped. He walked up to Kairi, holding the file out for her.
"Did you… look at it?" She asked as she took it, looking at the floor.
"No." Kairi nodded and walked past him, off to the cafeteria, for they had skipped three classes in their little mission. Mikel picked up Naminè's books and stored them in his own backpack.
Once he reached the cafeteria he quickly walked up to his usual table and found Sora, Tidus, and Wakka sitting there.
"Hey guys," He said, they all grunted 'Hey' back. "Seen Naminè?"
"Yeah," Sora spoke up. "She was headed for the exit. It's pouring outside man, maybe you should go get her…"
"Yeah that's kind of the point."
X X X
He stood at the doorway, watching. Naminè was standing beneath a tree, soaking wet, with tears flowing from her beautiful, blue eyes, and all he could do was stand there and watch.
"What do you want?" She said. She had finally noticed him, but wouldn't turn to face him.
He walked out into the pouring rain, standing just outside the shadow of the tree.
"What do you want?" She asked again, this time she whirled around to face him.
"You… dropped some books." He said lamely.
She turned away again. "Keep them."
He chukled. "What?"
"Just… leave me alone!" She yelled, shakeng her head angrily.
"Won't you give me a chance to explain?" He placed his hands on her shoulders, and felt them relax, if only a little bit, at his touch.
Her shoulder sagged under his warm hands, but she shook herself free after some moments. "Why should I? There's nothing to explain. I saw it myself."
"What happened is not what you saw. I…We thought you were the principal."
"I don't care!" She stared into his deep, brown eyes, demanding the truth. "Why should I? You never… felt anything for me… did you?"
No answer. But not because he wouldn't tell her, but because he didn't have an answer.
She let out a bitter laugh. "Stupid me… Why would cold, heartless Mikel Chormag feel anything for me? Not with pretty, innocent, sweet Kairi standing ready to backstab me, anyway…"
"Naminè, stop. She didn't betray you… She loves you."
Suddenly, a flash was seen in the sky for just an instant, followed by loud thunder. She started to walk away, bu he grabbed her hand and whirled her around. They stared at each other for a few seconds and then he pulled her into a tight embrace. Nothing else to be said, he whispered in her ear, "Let me take you home…"
He led her to the sidewalk, but not alone; school had been dissmised due to the heavy rains and the students were pouring into the streets, making their way to their homes.
Together, they walked down the street, holding hands and no longer paying attention to the rain or thunder. All that mattered was that they had each other, and an unspoken understanding had been enough to renew their strange relationship. Fragile as crystal, and ever-changing as the weather in Destiny Islands, only Fate knew what would come next…
Well here's chapter 4, a bit of a strange chapter in my opinion. Maybe it was a bit rushed… well only way I'll know is if you guys review so… review!
Next chapter will include more Sora, Kairi, and Roxas.
