I think this is about due. Its been like three weeks since my last update. I felt like I left you hanging in the last chapter. This is especially for my lone ranger of a reviewer. Enjoy!
Chapter 3: New Endeavors
~0~0~0~
Rinoa drove me home and I used some of this time to reflect. Since she was the one who came up with the funding idea, she would be one of the pillars for this project. And since I'm on the paper I'll have to pull information from her to see what's going on. More time with her, I'll get to know her better. Now how the heck am I gonna get Riku to step up his game? I felt like I was doing all of the work. I need to get them together somehow. But this wasn't proving to be an easy task.
Once I reached my house I raced up the stairs to the second floor. I saw a wooden pink 'K' on the door I was standing in front of. I was hoping that the resident of the room was in. I opened the door and was nearly knocked over by the scent of lavender. I like the smell of fresh flowers just as much as the next person dang talk about laying it on thick.
"Hey Kai," I greeted my sister. Either her room was too bright or Yuffie and I were living in a dungeon. My eyes took a minute to adjust to the soft pink, lavender, and other pastels in her room. Her walls were a soft shade of baby blue and cotton candy pink; it was done in a cute chevron pattern. She had decided on a nice beach theme.
She had a soft yellow couch towards a window in the left corner. I sat down and moved some of the pillows over to make room. Kairi's room hadn't changed much since she remodeled it three years ago. Save for the couch, her bedspread and some pictures on the walls, it remained the same. Sweet, lovely, and inviting; just like her.
She picked herself off of the sunset blanket on her bed and said, "What's up?"
"I was just getting some info on the cheer squad." I was warming her up for the bomb I was going to drop. "We're doing a story on them for the paper."
"Oh…and d-did you find anything interesting?" she asked as she took a seat by me.
"Yeah we're doing a segment on one of the cheer members. Rinoa was giving me the low down on the new members."
"Really, now?" she said.
"It turns out I know quite a few of them so the article should be easy to write."
"Oh." She chuckled nervously and sweat began to form on her forehead.
It was fun messing around with her but I couldn't stand to see her sweat it out. Literally. "I know you're on the team. Why didn't you say anything Kai?" I saw her release a breath.
"I-I just…"
"I could've taken you to practice and helped you with your routine or whatever it is you do when you tryout. We could've picked out a cute outfit together."
"So you're not mad or disappointed?"
"Of course not. I'm a little sad that you didn't include me in your plans though." She sighed. "I'll support you no matter what Kairi."
"But you and Yuffie-"
"I don't care what we're doing. We like volleyball. Don't feel like you're letting anyone down. We want you to do what makes you happy. And I'll be there at every-" I stopped myself for a moment. "I'll be there at a decent amount of games cheering you on." She smiled.
"Thanks Nami." I hugged her.
"Anything for you kid."
After a minute or two of comfortable silence I spoke again. "Can we turn down the lights in here or something? I'm starting to see spots."
~0~0~0~
BGM: Stuck on You - Paramore
Wednesday went as per usual. Class, class, class, FOOD, class, and then practice. Aunt Tifa cut practice short for some odd reason or another. I wasn't exactly complaining. She usually ran us hard during practice.
Even though Kairi made the volleyball team, and varsity at that, she decided not to join. She did try out for the swim team which I was hoping she would make. A redheaded girl in her class tried out as well and I was hoping they would bond. It can get lonely when you're on a sports' team by yourself.
Yuffie had practice for martial arts today also. What would I choose? Watch students break their hands on wood or get the butt of my pants wet? I'm not one to pass up someone making a fool of themselves but I think I'd skip this one.
I don't really care for the chlorine smell but it has a soft comforting feeling to it. I think I'll stick by the bleachers. The dry bleachers. There were only fifteen kids trying out for the swim team this year. One of them I recognized as Harlan Mahoe. I gave him two thumbs up and shouted, "Good luck!" He didn't need luck though; his family was from Hawaii. Swimming was in his blood.
Just like volleyball, the results would be posted the next day.
~0~0~0~
On Thursday we found out that Kairi made the swim team. Yuffie let me know that she also made the martial arts team. I didn't even know she tried out. I could see that Yuffie was beaming with pride.
I felt my phone vibrate during Mr. Lavindra's class.
Pence: are we gonna take those pics?
Glad I wasn't the only one procrastinating. Quistis would have our heads if we weren't on schedule.
Me: at the library, right?
Pence: where else :p
Me: k. well do you want to meet me by my locker after class?
Pence: yeah. you get out early right?
Me: yes. I'll see you in a bit. we can catch the 3:15 bus
Pence: ok
Me and Riku walked out of class together. "I have newspaper business to take care of, hun," I told him.
"Alright Goldie. I have practice."
"I'll call you later."
"Maybe I'll surprise you with a visit," he said.
I chuckled, "Ok, later."
0.0
BGM: Miss Halfway – Anya Marina
"Pence what are you doing?"
"Taking pictures."
"It's suppose to be on the program. Not hot girls. Now stay focused," I scolded him.
"So you agree they're hot. All the more reason to snag these photos while I can." I rubbed my face with my hand. Pence is sweet, but underneath it all he was just like any other guy. A perv.
Thankfully I brought my camera as well. I walked over to a table where a girl about ten years old was doing something with lanyard. I took some pictures of her weaving the brightly colored strings together. The yellow, red, and black colors caught my attention.
"What are you making there?" I asked the girl.
"It's called a cobra." She looked up at me with a smile. "I made some more." She nudged a girl next to her. "She made some stuff too."
It had been a while since I'd done anything with lanyard. I picked up one that had blue, purple, and white strings. "Is this the Chinese staircase?" I asked.
"Yes it is." She paused for a moment. "Do you know how to do a cobra?" she asked.
"No I don't. Can you teach me how?"
So for the next ten minutes, Mandy, taught me how to properly hold the strings once they were woven. The cobra was similar to the staircase. It just required more control and steady hands. My cobra was a bit sloppy though. It looked like it was drunk.
I showed her how to do the box. It was a little tricky because it couldn't be loose or it would look sloppy. It required you to pull on the strings just right. But pull too tight and-
"Fish paste!" I snapped a purple string right out of the design.
"Aww that's ok," the girl comforted me. "You can always make another one."
"It was supposed to be for my sister," I told her. And I didn't really feel like making another.
"Here you can have mine!" Mandy handed me a pink and blue cobra.
"Thank you sweetie. I'll be sure to tell her that a cute little girl gave me this one."
I walked off to another station with my lanyard in my pocket.
A man about thirty years old was walking around a room with students painting on easels. It seemed like they were working on water colors. In the next room there was a small group of kids looking between the ages of five and ten. They were coloring with markers, crayons, and colored pencils.
I guess the library had a small daycare too. I found a guy nearby who looked about my age.
"Is this like a daycare?" I asked.
"Yeah. These kids wait for their parents to get off work, or their older siblings to come pick them up."
"So what's going to happen if all funding for the program is lost?"
"I honestly don't know," he gave a sad smile. "This is more than a daycare. Some of these kids don't have a good environment to go home to. This is an outlet for them to interact with others and take a break from other negative influences." As he continued to tell me about the after school program I felt something strike a chord in me.
I felt like saving this program would be worth more than my selfish desire to get a story or continue my dance lessons. I'd be helping these disadvantaged kids and my community.
0.0
When I made it back home that afternoon Riku did surprise me with a visit.
"Mom set another spot for dinner!" Yuffie yelled from the front door.
We were having chomein.
"I think that's enough ketchup," Yuffie made a disgusted face.
"I figured that you'd be used to my eating habits since you live with me but I guess not." I rolled my eyes and squirted the bottled once more.
Riku took the bottle from my hands and squirted some on his plate too. He looked up to see everyone staring at him. "What, it tastes great."
I picked up this 'disgusting habit' from my Aunt Tifa. The ketchup really did make the chomein taste better. I shoved a forkful in my mouth and chewed.
After the dishes were cleaned and the food was put away Kairi, Yuffie, Riku and myself made our way downstairs. Kairi and Yuffie were playing on our Xbox.
Riku followed me passed the living room to a desk right outside my room. We sat on the two chairs by the desk.
"Well did you find out anything useful?" he asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know? Why be rewarded when you didn't put in any work?" I asked.
"Did she say anything about me?" He was referring to Rinoa.
"Maybe she did, and maybe she didn't," I said in a Brooklyn accent.
"Did you talk about me at all?"
"WE talked about the important things. My story. The school. The arts programs. You know, the usual." I kept a poker face.
He sighed. "Ok what is it going to take to get you to talk?"
"You come to me after I acquire vital information. You ain't put in no work. You didn't even talk to her when the opportunity arose. You gonna catch cold feet every time you see her?" Keeping up the Godfather façade I pulled out a paper from one of the drawers in the cherry wood desk.
"But because I like you kid, I'll lend a helping hand. Here is a little Intel I gathered on her. Some of her favorite stores, hobbies, and her friends of course. The basics. You need to figure out the rest."
"Figure out the rest? You mean talk to her."
"He says 'You mean talk to her.' You think everything can be handed on a silver platter to you? I tell you, you young guys got no respect. I should whack you now and have you swimming with the fishes by dinner time."
"Lucky for me dinner was over an hour ago."
"I can make an appointment for dessert."
We laughed. "Really, thanks Namine."
"You're welcome." I returned to my normal voice. "And no she didn't ask about you cause we didn't talk about you. I actually needed to get my story for the paper."
We spent the next two hours playing Dance Central 3 on the Xbox. Me and Riku teamed up to beat my sisters. I guess Ms. Fa's classes were helping after all.
~0~0~0~
BGM: I will never let you down – Rita Ora
Kairi had cheerleading practice on Friday but I didn't feel like waiting around for that long. Riku and I headed straight for my home after Mr. Lavindra's class. I needed to relax.
"Why is it dead in here?" Riku asked as he plopped onto my bed.
"Mom is working a double. She won't be home until tomorrow night." I took a water bottle from the fridge and returned to my room.
"We should do something fun," Riku gave me a knowing look.
"Yeah we should," I smiled in return. I picked up my walkie talkie that was sitting on my vanity. After all these years I still had it.
"Spikes you home?" Static. "Hey Spikes." I tried again.
"Yeah, Yellow Ranger?"
"You doing anything later?" I asked.
"No. What do you have in mind?" Sora asked.
"Let's go clubbing," I smiled.
0.0
I left Riku at my house to pick up Kairi at school. He offered to drive but I figured he could use the rest. He had more practice days than I did this week. I opted to take the bus.
After swiping my metro card I looked for a seat. They were filled with people getting off work and students leaving school. Aww man. I'd have to stand. Just when I got to an empty hand rail someone got up from their seat.
"Here you can have mine," he offered.
The cute blonde.
"Thanks. Hey your name is Cloud, right?" I asked as I took the seat.
He looked down at me with a smile. "Yeah. We had French together last year, Namine." So that's how I know him.
"Yes. I remember now. You nearly burned down the classroom."
"In my defense there were way too many candles in there. Aaaaand Axel pushed me."
"You sure you just didn't want to get rid of the god awful picture?" Mr. Lumiere had several paintings by French artists adorning his room. But there was this particular one that was horrid. (Guernica by Pablo Picasso)
"Well that could've been my ulterior motive."
We laughed. "You headed home too?" he asked.
"No, actually I'm picking my sister up from school."
"That's thoughtful. Your youngest sibling right? How old is she now, ten?"
I laughed. "No, Kairi's fourteen."
"Oh. I hate to tell you this but I think she's old enough to travel by herself."
"I know. I just wanted to catch the end of her practice." I wasn't really into cheerleading but I'd support Kairi. And no matter how old she got, she'd still be my baby sister.
I met Cloud in Lumiere's French class last semester. I'm definite what attracted me to him. We look so much alike. His soft blonde spikes emit an angelic glow. He usually has a neutral, unreadable expression. But when he laughs his entire face lights up and brings out the youth in him. It's like he glows with happiness. The only difference between him and I are his piercing blue eyes. They're like the shallow parts of the ocean. Like the calm before a storm. A shining diamond hidden away. And he would be my latest conquest.
We were approaching the school. I pulled on the yellow wire above the window. "Well this is my stop." Should I invite him to the club with us? Nah, this was Riku and Kairi's night. Besides I could only keep up with so many things at once. "See ya around."
"See ya Namine," he nodded to me as the bus stopped and I left through the back doors.
I had about a block to walk to before I arrived at the school. When I finally got there I practically burst through the front doors. "Ahh cool air," I breathed. New York summer's weren't terrible, but you try walking in it. I took my time strolling towards the gym. I hoped that they were practicing in there and not outside.
From outside the gym doors I could hear music playing. It had almost a disco beat to it.
I've got nothing to confess. It's too easy to be scared sometimes.
I walked through the door.
"Alright now you're gonna bring it in and do a body roll. Ok, now another. Slow it down girls. Now we're gonna transition from the second body roll to this. Remember it's a slower choreo." I could hear Rinoa directing her squad.
I'm not gonna lie like I don't understand. But it's like the whole world is jumping off the bridge.
I checked my phone; it was four o'clock on the dot. Practice should be over soon. I started to feel a little weird standing off to the side watching them dance. I decided to join their practice.
As soon as the second verse started I was in the front. I copied their 'body rolls' as Rinoa called it. We did some weird thing where we crossed our arms in front of our bodies creating an 'X' and brought our hands up. I continued to follow their routine.
When the song hit the chorus I broke from their routine and did the cabbage patch.
And this is my confession. Yes, yes. This is me confessing: God bless the sad and selfish. Stay helpless.
Coz I've always been stronger than that. Hold the weight of the world on my back. It's just love, selfish love. Love selfish love.
I started to do a disco point before some of the girls started laughing.
"All right girls! That's all for this week. Remember to practice and that we have another routine to rehearse on Monday." Rinoa tried to hold back her laughs.
I waved to Rinoa and walked over to Kairi. "I was just about to do the running man. And I would hug you but you're sweaty my dear."
"Sometimes you're too much Namine." She shook her head.
"I know. That's why I have you to balance me out." She picked up her things from the bleachers. "I have a surprise for you." I wiggled my eyebrows at her.
We walked towards Rinoa. "Nice moves Namine. I just may have to recruit you."
"Hah, I could never do that in front of a crowd of people I know. Do you have any plans tonight?" I asked her.
"Other than homework, no."
"Well put on your best dress and dancing shoes. We're going to a club."
~0~0~0~
BGM: Summerboy – Lady Gaga
I told Rinoa that I'd meet her outside the entrance of Cielo, a club in the city. I was always on their VIP list.
"But I don't have anything to wear," Riku whined from my bed. He never moved from his spot since I left for Kairi.
"You have clothes here from the last time we went out." I walked into my closet. Hmm… "What about these jeans?" I held out a pair of faded grey skinny jeans.
"I can't see them."
"Get off your butt and come get this then." When he got close enough I thrust the pants onto his face and continued my search. "V-neck or scoop. Mmm we're all gonna be sweaty in there. V-neck it is." I handed Riku a dark blue v-neck.
"Here's a pair of shoes," I gave him a pair of black and blue pair of Nike's.
"We're not leaving for a few hours anyway," Riku mumbled and left my closet.
"Now what am I gonna wear?" I said more to myself.
"So who's going?" Yuffie asked. She was on her bed tapping away at her laptop.
"Axel, Sora, Roxas, Selphie, Larxene, Rikku." I purposely didn't mention Rinoa. I didn't need Riku backing out of my plan early in the game.
"Where's Kairi?" Riku asked from my bed.
"Kairi's coming?" Yuffie asked. We had never taken her to a club before.
"Yeah. I think she's upstairs." Just then the person of interest came bounding down the stairs and into my room.
"Which one?" Kairi had picked out about five outfits and laid them on my bed. They were all cute, fun, and playful. But that was the problem; they were cute.
"Um Kai, those are adorable but you can't wear any of them," I said.
"Why not?" she asked with an incredulous look on her face.
"Not fitting attire, love." I looked through her choices. Floral, light pastels, flowy skirts, jean shorts. She did have a nice top. "We can keep this one," I pointed to a flower peplum shirt.
"How do you feel about heels?" I asked her.
"I don't think I'll be able to dance in those."
"Alright take the rest of the clothes back and we'll find something." I turned to look through my closet. The club we're going to has a dress code. It wasn't anything too fancy but you couldn't very well dress like you were going to a house party.
"Yuffie do you have clothes?" I called from the closet.
"I was thinking of your blue ombre top. That's dressy enough," she said. The doorbell rang and Riku went to answer it.
Yuffie was lucky. She could throw together random clothes and have an outfit that worked effortlessly.
"Well since you're not busy you can help Kairi with her makeup." It was only 5:49 but it helped to be ready earlier. I promised Rikku, Rinoa, and Axel that I'd meet them around 9:40 in front of the club. Larxene said she should have no problem getting into Ceilo. She happened to have a way with bouncers. Or cute guys by the door.
"The fun has arrived," Selphie waltzed into my room.
0.0
Yuffie, Kairi, Selphie, and I were dressed and started on our makeup. Sora came over with Roxas at about eight o'clock. "Where's Van?" I asked.
"Skipping out. He says he has a ton of homework," Sora responded.
Yuffie rolled her eyes. "That's always his excuse." Although Sora was part of our crowd that went partying, Vanitas usually declined the offer. He was a more 'stay at home while I read and catch up on my TV shows' kind of teenager. It was no surprise that he often opted to babysit their ten year old sister Xion.
I finished my smokey eye and quickly applied some mascara. Before leaving and locking the front door, I grabbed my black blazer and put on my shoes. We all left my house and headed down the hill to catch the bus.
"You look great Kairi."
"Thanks Sora. You don't look too bad yourself," I replied. He was wearing dark jeans, a white tank that said 'Bad Boy', and black Nike's. His hair was styled in its normal unruliness.
"Well I try," he said modestly while scratching the back of his head.
I always knew that Sora had a crush on me, but I couldn't bring myself to cross that unspoken line. It was like something straight out of an episode of Growing Pains. You don't date your neighbors. And with my current ideals of relationships, I knew things wouldn't end well.
Growing up he was just the really annoying kid next door. I couldn't stand him. I remember one time we were having a water fight outside and I had slipped on the concrete and scraped my knee. That little booger kept spraying me with the hose until my grandpa came outside to get me.
Another time he practically forced me to have dinner with him. His parents, Zack and Aerith, weren't home. We were about six or seven. Sora had three younger siblings at the time. We all gathered around his dining room table while I shoveled the macaroni into my mouth in hopes that he would release me from his hold but with no such luck. He wanted to play video games. Thankfully his mom walked in with groceries. "Sora, I need help," she panted. They had two flights of stairs to climb just to get to the door of the house. And his mom was four months pregnant with Xion then. Quickly seizing this opportunity I escaped through the back door.
Later that night Sora called me on my walkie talkie. "Come in Yellow Ranger."
"What is it, Spikes?" I exhaled.
"Why did you leave in such a hurry? We didn't even get to play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."
I could just see him pouting.
"I didn't feel like playing that again! We play that all the time."
"Aww but it's my favorite game." I heard nothing but static on his end. I didn't like that game at all. Sonic the Hedgehog was the absolute best on the Sega Genesis. I couldn't understand why he didn't get that. "Will you come over to play tomorrow?"
"We have school."
"Ok I'll see you in the morning."
"What no-" I didn't want to walk to school with him.
I couldn't understand why he was he so desperate for my company. I later on realized that he liked me. But I just couldn't bring myself to return his feelings.
He was undeniably gorgeous. Years of cutting our neighbors lawns and playing on the basketball team did his body good. He was fit, not in the body builder way, but he had a thin, strong build.
It was late at night so there were only four or five other people on the bus. We took it all the way to the train station. Once we reached the city, we would have to walk a couple of blocks to the club. Fine with me. I was wearing comfortable black pumps. Sliding my metro card through the carder, I passed through the metal contraption and onto the platform.
I think I did a good job with Kairi's outfit. She was wearing that peplum top with a pair of dark pink pleated shorts, gold ballerina flats, some jewelry and a clutch that matched my own. Hers said 'GOOD GIRL' in light pink letters and was pale white leather.
I straightened my red peplum shirt as a sat down on a seat next to Yuffie. Sure enough, she was wearing my blue ombre off the shoulder shirt paired with a white skirt.
I pulled my phone out of my black 'BAD GIRL' clutch and sent a group text.
Me: we just got on the subway. I'll see you in about half an hour
Axel: got it
Rikku: okie dokie
Rinoa: ok : )
Once the train stopped, it let out at West 14th street. We had a long way to go. I had miscalculated where we would end up. We had about two miles to walk. A little out of breath, my party and I made our way to the club's entrance where we met Axel, Rikku, and Rinoa.
I could feel Riku tense beside me. Good, there was no way for him to back out of this.
I approached the bouncer who was holding the red tape.
"Hey Pete."
A heavy set man in his early forties looked at me.
"One of my favorite customers. How are you? School treating you well?" he asked.
"Yes," I smiled.
"This is all of youse?" I nodded. He held a finger to his ear and spoke into a mouth piece I couldn't see. "The Golden One and her party of nine is makin' their way in." He removed the red rope and allowed us through. "Keep up them grades missy. I don't wanna hear you flunkin' out."
"Yes sir," I said. "Tell Peg, Pistol, and P.J. I say hi."
"Will do, Namine. Take care and have fun," he said.
"You know me," I said before walking through the club doors behind my friends.
Passing the threshold I could hear the gasps of astonishment from Kairi, Rinoa, and Rikku. I forgot they hadn't been here before. It was truly a sight to behold. It was an upscale joint but still had regular features that any club would have.
Flashy strobe lights, an amazing DJ who's booth was stationed in the center of the dance floor, and a bar that was located towards the left.
"Welcome to the nightlife Kairi." I turned to look at her awestruck face. This was just what we all needed after our first week back to school. But first things first.
"I need a drink."
Hope you enjoyed it. Shout out to frankannestein. Thank you for reviewing! And thank you to SoraxKairi7 for reviewing the first chapter. The outfits used in this chapter can be found on my Polyvore page under Collections-At Our Core. The link can be found on my homepage.
Songs used Love, Selfish Love – Patrick Stump
Sook