Gals!

Hey, people! I'm here with chapter 4!

I would have updated this story sooner, but school gets in the way.

I'm glad to know people are reading it, though! It makes me happy!

Well, hope this meets your expectations!

Enjoy!


Opposite Attractions

Chapter 4 – When the Mist Disappears

Aya sipped on her drink with a straw as she looked around. The place was pretty much empty. Ran had taken her, Miyu, and Yuuya to a fast food restaurant, but, of course, she didn't pay for anything and forced Yuuya to so. Aya had no choice but to tag along. They had spent all day shopping together and Aya couldn't help but feel tired. Ran and Miyu had bought a lot of clothes and cute accessories. Aya didn't buy anything since she lacked the money.

The four of them were relaxing themselves a bit now. It had been a while since they had last hanged out like that. They ate their lunch while they talked and laughed together. Aya was in another world, though. She placed her head on her hand as she looked outside the window and into the street. Her mind and her heart thinking about Rei Otohata.

For some strange reason, Rei had not gone to school that day. Aya was surprise to not see Rei enter the classroom. She wondered where he was and if he was okay. If she had his number, she would give him a call. What if he was sick? What if he got himself into problems? Aya sighed and hoped that Rei was okay.

"Um, Aya?" Aya turned to see Miyu sitting right next to her. She hadn't even noticed her there. Aya faintly smiled at her, but Miyu's face expression didn't change. "Aya you seem a bit distracted. Is everything okay?"

Aya nodded and took another sip from her drink. She looked up and saw that Ran and Yuuya, who were sitting right across from her, were staring at her. Aya's mouth let go of the straw and she smiled at them. "I'm fine, guys. I'm sorry for making you guys worry. I don't mean to. I'm just a little worried about exams, I guess. My studying isn't going to well." She wasn't entirely lying. Ever since Rei appeared, concentrating in school or studying had become a lot harder.

"You shouldn't push yourself too hard, Aya. If you stress yourself over it, things will turn out worse." Miyu told, taking a bit from her sandwich. After she chewed and swallowed her food, Miyu turned to look back at Aya. "If you need anything, remember you can count on us."

Aya knew she could count on them. They had repeated that phrase to her so many times. "Yeah, I know." Aya told them, placing her hands on top of the table and leaning forward. "I'm so glad I have friends like you guys. I don't know what I would do without you guys." A warm smile formed across Aya's face to Miyu's happiness.

Laughing a bit, Ran placed her bowl of noodles on the table and grabbed Aya's hand. "That's good to know, Aya! We love you too!" Ran gave her a goofy looking smile that made Aya snicker.

"Oh, thanks guys. You make me feel so much better." Aya told them happily and with a totally different attitude. "I'm so glad I came with you guys today even though I didn't buy anything."

"It's cool. We're also glad you came along. Things aren't the same without you around. Lately, you've been spending a lot of time on your own." Yuuya told her with a smile on his face that made Aya blush. It was weird to hear Yuuya say something like that to her. Aya sighed and placed her head on both of her hands. Usually, he would only pay attention to Ran.

"You need start having fun and going out more often. If you don't, then you'll become a Rei Otohata." Ran stated as she took a bite out of her sandwich that was sitting next to her empty bowl of noodles.

Aya accidenlty choked on her drink and coughed a little before sitting up straight. She looked at Ran with a concerned face. "What is that suppose to mean?" Aya asked her calmly, but deep down inside, she could sense a tint of anger developing. She didn't understand why Ran would say something like that.

"Well, you know, that guy that sits next to you? He's a block of ice. He doesn't let anyone near him. He keeps everything to himself." Ran grabbed her drink and took a big gulp out of it. "Talking to him feels like you're talking to wall. He has no friends. He's always alone and he likes it that way. In my opinion, he's just a stuck up."

Without really noticing, Aya's small hands turned into fists after hearing Ran's words. It was true that Rei didn't have any friends, but that didn't mean he was a stuck up. In Aya's opinion, Rei just has problems expressing himself.

"Ran, you shouldn't talk about him like that when you don't know him." Aya struggled to get her words out. This was the first time she would talk against Ran. "I'm sure he has his reasons. You shouldn't judge a person until you get to know them."

Everyone sat in silence as they watched Aya's face turn bright red. Aya looked away, feeling the stares of the others on her. Suddenly, Ran busted out laughing uncontrollably. All their eyes turned to her. "Ha, Aya! It almost seems you like this block of ice! It's hilarious!" Ran rubbed her eyes as she tried to calm herself down. "That would be something! Aya liking a guy like Rei Otohata? There is no way that could happen, though. You guys are the total opposite!"

"Total opposites? Why do say that?" Aya asked her curiously, shifting her eyes to the red streaked girl. Aya always knew that she and Rei thought very differently, but she would have never imagined that they were the total opposites. She always just figured that they were different.

"You've never heard of the stories that are being said about him?" Miyu asked Aya with a concerned face. Lifting an eyebrow, Aya shook her head and looked from Ran to Miyu. "That's pretty strange." Miyu stated as she placed her finger on top of her chin. "They've been going around since he arrived."

All those stories were probably nothing but rumors. When people have nothing to do, they start doing things they're not suppose to. Aya wondered if Rei knew all things that were being said about him. "Okay, so what are they saying about him?"

Miyu thought about it for a second and then looked at Aya. "He was kicked out of his old school because of rude behavior. Also, he was a pretty violent person. He would pick a fight with almost anyone. If you crossed his path, you'd be goner."

A chill ran down Aya's spine. "How do you know all that about him? I mean for all we know they could just be rumors. People always talk without knowing the real facts." Aya wanted to convince herself more than her friends. The fact that Rei had been kicked out of his old school seemed very believable. His behavior was a bit mean, but not to the point were you can call it violent.

"It's not a rumor, Aya." Ran said after swallowing the cookie in her mouth. "I heard the principle talking about that to. They didn't want accept Rei into the school because of his violent record not only inside the school, but outside too."

"But," Yuuya interrupted her, to Ran's annoyance. "Nakanishi convinced him. He said if the school could handle Ran, then it could handle anyone." Ran growled as she lifted her fists in the air. Aya would have laughed at the sight of Ran, but she felt to sad to say or do anything.

"Also," Miyu blurted out, hoping to snap Ran and Aya from their thoughts. "Miyu has heard that Rei doesn't have a home. That he lives in the streets." Aya silently gasped as she slowly placed her hand on top of her mouth. "Miyu doesn't know if it's true or not." She turned to look at the surprised Aya. "Maybe, you're right. They're probably all rumors."

Ran shrugged her shoulders and grabbed another cookie. "Whatever. We know for sure that he's crazy violent. My bro has encountered him several times. He's always trying to pick a fight with someone. It's like he had nothing better to do." Ran placed the cookie in her mouth. "That's why he has no friends. They're probably all scared of him. It's no surprise either."

"But who can blame him?" Yuuya stated, giving Aya a quick glance. "He's probably been through some pretty tough situations. People say that he has no parents. That they just left him."

"I've heard that both his parents died in a car accident." Ran said after swallowing her food. "The only reason that he didn't die was because he was staying at his aunt's house." Ran wrapped herself with her hands. "That's pretty scary."

A tear silently escaped from Aya's eyes. She would have never imagined Rei to be going through such things. She knew that there was still a chance that all those stories could just be rumors, but here was still a chance that they could all be true. That could be the reason for his cold and mean exterior. If it was true, then she wouldn't know what to do. How could she help him if he didn't want her too? Aya wiped her tears so that the others wouldn't notice. Instead of all these stories scaring her, they encouraged her to be near Rei. He's alone in the world with no one to tell him what's right and what's wrong. He has no one to get advice from. He has no one to encourage him to go to school. He has no one to tell him how special he is.

"Poor Rei." Aya said, a bit too loud that caught everyone's attention. Aya blushed and turned to look at the window. "I wonder if he's heard of all these things that are being said about him. I wonder what he thinks about it." Aya sighed while her heart ache. "I wonder if he's okay since he didn't come to school today."

Ran stared at Aya with suspicious eyes. "Who knows? He's probably somewhere all beat up or drunk. I mean he lives with no rules, right? He could do as he pleases, including skipping school." Ran smirked to herself. "I guess he's lucky in way. He's probably with his girl right now."

With her eyes widen, Aya turned to look at Ran. How could she say things like that? Then again, Aya had never thought of possibility of Rei having a girlfriend. For some reason, it made her a bit sad because that would mean that he wouldn't really need her.

When she Aya's worried face, Miyu's senses quickly told her that Aya liked or felt something for Rei. It was written all over her face. "Miyu doubts he has a girlfriend. In fact, it'd be strange if any girl would try to get near him. It's true he's very good looking, but he has such mean way to treat others." Aya sighed with a bit of relief, placing her arms on top of the table.

"Yeah, whatever. All know is that he's bad news." Ran stated drinking the last bit of soda that was in her cup. "He does whatever he wants whenever he wants. He doesn't give damn about anything."

Aya shook her head slowly to everyone's surprise. "It might be true. All that stuff you said about him might be true." Aya looked down at her lap. "But, he's still human. He has feelings and emotions. I'm sure he doesn't mean to be the way he is. Maybe he wants to change, but he can't. The pain he must be going through is probably unbearable."

Ran gave Aya a serious look. "Listen, pain or no pain, he has no right to treat people the way he does. I know that you're trying to understand and feel sorry for him, but I say that you shouldn't. He treats people like shit. He doesn't deserve anyone's sympathy." Ran crossed her hands while closing her eyes.

"You can't say that about him!" Aya exclaimed with a tint of anger in her voice. "He has no one, Ran. No one understands him. Maybe all he needs is someone to talk to. All he needs is a friend." Ran looked at Aya's eyes. They were getting ready to burst in tears.

Ran stood up and slammed her hand in the table, making Aya and the others jump a little. Ran wasn't playing around anymore. She looked serious. "Aya, you better stay away from him! He's not a person you want to mingle with! I'm telling you this now so you won't get hurt. That guy is straight up violent. He doesn't share the same feelings you do! He doesn't give a damn about anyone." Ran paused as she furrowed her eyebrows. "Stay away from him, Aya. He'll just mess around you."

"No, Ran." Aya stood up as well, grabbing her purse. "I don't know why you have that opinion from him when you haven't even talked to him. He's not a bad person. He might have been violent in the past, but that doesn't mean that he's like that today."

Everyone stood in silent as they watched Aya timidly blush. It was strange to see her speak out like that. It didn't seem like her at all. Sighing, Aya pushed some of her hair of her face. "I got to go. I need to go check on Dylan and I have to study. I'll see you guys tomorrow." With that, Aya grabbed her empty cup, threw it in the trash and walked away, silently.

After Aya left, Ran sat down a bit surprise. Miyu and Yuuya stared at her. "I would have never expected that. She looked so determined. So confident in what she was saying." Ran said as she looked Miyu. "It scared me. I should have kept my mouth shut."

Miyu nodded, rolling her eyes. "That's always you're problem. Aya seemed very distracted today, anyways. She's probably having problems of her own and that's why she feels like she can understand Rei. Her parents are never around. They're always working or traveling abroad, leaving Aya all alone."

Miyu sighed as she shifted her self uncomfortably in her seat. "They don't pay attention to Aya ever since that incident with her older brother."

"But, it still doesn't make any sense." Ran shook her head as she pulled out her cellphone to check the time. "I mean, why would she go out of her way to defend that jerk, Rei? He's so not worth her breath. She's over here saying that I don't know him, but she doesn't know him either."

"That's were you're mistaken Ran." Yuuya suddenly blurted after being quiet for quite some time. He had his hand on his chin that made him seem like he was thinking. The girls stared at him as they waited for him to finish his statement, but to their disappointed, he didn't. Yuuya was starting to regret his words because he knew that Ran would be angry if she knew that Rei and Aya were already starting to be friends.

"What do you mean by that?" Ran asked him, lifting an eyebrow. Miyu nodded as sign to indicate that she was wondering the same thing.

"Well," Yuuya started off nervously. "Yesterday, I was talking to Aya after you guys had left. Then, when we were about to kiss, Rei suddenly came in and stopped us. At first I didn't get it, but then I was surprise to see Aya run out and go after him. She seemed really worried, more than scared. Anyways, my point is that I think they're already friends."

As soon as he was finished, Yuuya felt Ran's boot slam him straight in the face. "What the hell do you mean 'we were about to kiss'! Don't tell you were trying to hit on Aya because if you are, I'll kill you! Don't mess with her, idiot! If you want to kiss her, you have to be her boyfriend! And clearly, you're not!" Ran took her foot off Yuuya, allowing him to breath again.

Taking big gulps of air, Yuuya scooted away from Ran all the way to the wall. "Ran! Don't get the wrong idea! It was out of impulse! I don't know what came over me in that moment! I don't really like her!"

"Dumb ass! Don't play around with her feelings! She takes things seriously, you know!" Ran hollered at him, but then she had to calm down when the manger of the place told her to keep her voice down. "You better not be screwing around with her because if you are, then you're dead!"

"I'm not screwing around with her, Ran. I promise it won't happen again!" Yuuya exclaimed, waving his hands back and forth with a crooked smile on his face. Secretly, Yuuya hoped he could keep his promise since Aya was starting to become the center of his attention. "Anyways, that's far from the point! What I was trying to say is that I think Aya and Rei are already friends."

Ran sighed and crossed her hands. "I doubt it. That guy is weird and he doesn't want have friends. He pushes everyone away. Also, Rei wouldn't just talk to any girl like that."

Silently, Miyu disagreed with Ran. Aya wasn't just any girl. Aya is a special girl that could do anything if she proposed herself to it. Maybe she was even capable of changing a person. Miyu sighed and looked out the window. While Yuuya and Ran kept arguing about Rei and Aya being friends, Miyu was lost in thought. She could tell that Aya truly cared about Rei. That's all Rei really needed; a pretty sweet girl named Aya Hoshino to change his life completely.

Aya sighed to herself as she walked down the sidewalk. It was getting extremely late and the sun was already starting to set. She needed to get home so she walk Dylan. She had already fed him before she had gone shopping with Ran and the others.

As she walked, Aya's mind began to wonder about Rei. She hoped that all those stories that were said about him weren't true. It would be sad if they were since she wouldn't be able to understand him, much less help him. It was no surprise he acted the way he did. He showed hatred towards others because that's all he carried in his heart. How could he treat others nicely when people didn't treat him nicely? He learned how to live alone so that's why he wanted and liked to be alone.

It wasn't all true anymore though. Rei was actually starting to talk to her and he was starting to treat her with more kindness. It filled Aya's heart with joy when she had heard Rei say that she was a good person. She would have never thought that Rei had the capability to say such a thing to others. Maybe, without even knowing it himself, he was changing. If the fact that he didn't like talking to people was true, then he wouldn't even be talking to her. Aya hoped that he already considered her as a friend.

A chilly breeze hit Aya in the face that made her pull her sweater. The sky was turning orange with yellow as the sun hid behind puffy clouds. To Aya, it was such a beautiful sight. She always loved to walk Dylan at this time.

As Aya was about to continue walking down the sidewalk, she noticed that she was right next to the park. She stopped walking and looked at the path that led to the park. Without a second to spare, Aya walked down the path. Last time, she had seen Rei sitting in a park bench aroud this time. If she went through park, she might have a chance to see him again. She wanted to ask him why he hadn't been to school. She wanted to see if he was okay. Those doubts had been bothering her all day.

Aya wondered why she was so attracted and interested in Rei Otohata. The moment she saw him in school, Aya had this weird feeling. She had found him handsome and very good looking, but as soon as she discovered his mean cold attitude, Aya was largely disappointed. Then what made her more sad was the fact that people were talking about him. Rei didn't need anymore problems.

Looking around, Aya realized that park was completely deserted. They're was no one around. Aya gripped on her purse that was hanging across her chest. The emptiness of the park was starting to make her feel a bit scared. She was afraid to encounter the guys that had attacked her the other days. Aya increased her speed as she looked straight forward. It would be dark soon and least thing Aya wanted was to encounter those idiots. After a couple of seconds of walking, Aya stopped as she spotted something on the floor.

There was something stretched out beside the path she was walking. Aya squinted her eyes to see if she could make out what it was, but she couldn't. Aya took a few steps forward and stopped when she saw it was a person. Aya's heart started pounding loudly, her mind quickly jumping to wild conclusion. The thing on the ground was a person or better say a man. Aya gulped as she took another step. He was collapsed in the ground without any movement. Aya wondered if he was okay. He laid quietly on the ground, not moving. Was he asleep? Was he drunk? Aya quivered as she asked herself if he was dead.

With a great sense of nervousness, Aya walked over to the man until she stood right in front of him. She walked on the other side of him so she could see his face. Her eyes widen and her heart started pounding fast when she realized who it was.

"Rei!" She exclaimed as she quickly sat down next to him so she could look at him better. "What happened to you? Are you okay? Oh, Rei." Aya burst into tears as she shook him. There was fresh blood around his mouth and under his right eye. He had bruises in his arms and possibly all over his body. Aya gently touched his arm and tried to wake him up again. "Rei? Do you hear me? Please wake up. You're hurt." Aya pleaded, but received no response. "Rei! Please! Let me help you!"

"Shut your mouth." Rei suddenly said, but without opening his eyes. "You're making a fuss." Aya was taken aback, but she still felt happy that Rei was conscious. Rei tried to sit up, but every part of his body seemed to be in pain. He groaned as he forcefully tried to sit up, his hands pushing himself forward while his knees rose up. When Aya was about to help him, Rei pushed her hand away.

"Leave me alone. I don't need your help." Rei told her coldly.

"There is no way I'm going to leave you. Look at you! You're hurt! You can barely sit up. Like it or not, I'm going to help you." Aya exclaimed to her surprise. She was being very expressive that day. "What happened to you, anyways? Who did this to you?"

"Hmm." Rei smirked, looking down at his bloody hands. "Like I would ever tell you. It's none of your damn business. Now, go and leave me alone."

Aya shook her head as she wiped her tears. When she saw that Rei was trying to stand, Aya quickly helped him up. She placed Rei's hand over her neck and tried to hold him up. He was pretty heavy, but somehow Aya managed to stand up straight with Rei's weight on her. Even though he had told her to leave, he didn't seem to protest against her help. In fact, to Aya, he still seemed pretty unconscious. "Rei. Please hang in there, okay? I'm going to heel your wounds in a minute." Of course, there was no response from him.

Holding him up, Aya took a few steps forward as Rei painfully dragged himself along with her. Aya walked slowly so that Rei wouldn't have to push himself too hard.

With his eyes fairly open, Rei shifted them to look at Aya. He didn't understand why she was helping him. Normally, when girls see blood or something, they freak out and run away. This girl didn't do that, though. She wasn't afraid of him. Rei groaned as he felt pain travel through out his body.

"Otohata-kun, don't be surprised, but," Aya stammered as she saw Rei's eyes starting to close. He was starting to have trouble breathing. "I'm going to take you to my house to clean the blood off. Do you mind?"

"It's fine. I don't mind," Rei weakly said.

Aya smiled at him while her face blushed. She couldn't believe that Rei had actually accepted going to her house. Aya thought that he would tell her no and then push her off, but he didn't. Aya's heart started pounding faster as she spotted her house at a distance.

On the other hand, Rei was trying to figure out why that girl makes his life worth living.


TBC...