V e g a s skies
chapter three.
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My morning was like all the others I have had here. I puked, ate some breakfast, got in the shower, and puked a little more. I have been in the usual routine by now. The only difference now is that I am wearing a Wesmere Prep uniform, and I am attending classes. I looked at myself in the mirror. I had bags under my eyes and my hair was less shiny. I had lost a lot of sleep over what happened Saturday. Seifer scared me. I had only been here a few days and I was already being tormented. I sighed and grabbed my bag off my bed before walking downstairs.
"Namine! You make that outfit look amazing!" My aunt exclaimed, putting her hands on my shoulders. I wiggled out of her grip and took an apple from the table.
"I should get going. Don't want to be late on my first day." I mumbled, taking my keys off the table.
"Have a good day, dear!" She said. I rolled my eyes. I could just tell it was all an act. I kicked my shoes on the ground a bit, dusting them off. Looking up into the sky, the sun was shining down. This was the most sunlight I had seen in days. I walked down the driveway and I was on my way past Sora's house. There was a large pickup truck in the driveway. Those kids I saw down at the drugstore were in there. My eyes glanced at the front door, where I saw Roxas leaving. He had a scowl on his face, and his uniform was a mess. He looked like he hadn't slept in two days. He looked at me before jumping into the back of the pickup and driving off. I trudged down the sidewalk and eventually I had made it to Wesmere Prep. It stood in total glory. The fence around the school was covered in ivy and the building stood at least four stories high. The students were lounging all around, chatting mindlessly. I flipped out my schedule.
"Okay, I have Chemistry first." I muttered to myself. "Room 2413."
This was going to be a fun first day.
Sarcasm intended.
I was one of the last to enter the class. I gave my name to the teacher and he told me to just sit into an empty seat. I looked around the classroom and I saw Sora and Kairi sitting in the corner with another boy that I saw the other day. A faint smile came across my lips as I ventured back there and sat in the empty seat next to Kairi.
"Hey Namine!" Sora said, smiling at me. "This is Riku. Riku, this is Namine." Sora said, gesturing towards me. I smiled and said hello before pulling out my things for the class. Glancing up at the clock, we still had about a minute before the bell would ring and class would start. The door opened and showed Roxas and another boy, who I think was Axel. Axel was grinning and attempting to chat with Roxas. Roxas just looked like he wanted to pass out on the spot. Axel whispered something to Roxas before slapping him on the back and walking away. Roxas walked a few desks back before sitting down. He was around three seats in front of me. I could feet my breath getting caught in my throat. Why was his presence so scary? I felt that he could lash out at any moment. Roxas placed his head down on the desk and closed his eyes.
"Poor Roxas." I heard Kairi say. "How has he been?" Sora replied to her.
"He's been doing better, but you know how he gets sometimes. And running around with those guys isn't helping him." Sora had a worried tone in his voice. I wondered what they were talking about. As class begun, I took notes normally, but every so often, I'd glance back at Roxas's sleeping form. It was so obvious he was asleep, and I wondered why the teacher said nothing. He walked past him several times, and even stopped to look at him.
After a while, we had ten extra minutes to talk amongst ourselves, so Kairi had turned to me and asked me a question.
"What is your next class?" I took out my papers and glanced at period two.
"Psychology." I replied, my eyes following Sora. He was attempting to wake up Roxas.
"Oh. You have it with Roxas." She beamed. I faintly smiled back at her. I sighed and pulled my legs onto the chair, my depression sinking back in again. Tomorrow was the doctor's appointment that my aunt had scheduled for me. I already knew what he would say.
"Namine? You okay?" I heard Riku say behind me. I turned around and tried to look happy.
"Yeah, I'm alright." The first bell and I picked up my stuff. I glanced at Roxas who now looked happy as a clam. What happened to the tired, angry Roxas I saw this morning and a few minutes ago? He was smiling and laughing with Axel as they walked out of the room. I kept my head to the floor and walked down the hall to my next class: Psychology.
The class wasn't that full. At all. I sat down in the back of the room; where no one was. I pulled out a notebook and a pen, and went to tell the teacher that I was the new student. She marked my name down and I slumped down in my chair again. Looking around, I saw that blond girl that was with Axel again. She seemed calmer, though her smile was still sadistic. Roxas saw sitting behind her, kicking her chair, which caused her to whip around and yell at him every so often. Axel was also in the class. He was in the far back, playing with a lighter.
"Good Morning, Class!" Ms. Striker said, walking around, placing sheets on our desk. "I am placing sheets of paper on your desk. It will have your name as well as your partners. You are to be working on a project with this person after notes today." She placed the sheet on my desk and there I saw my name alright. But next to my name was the person I wished never to be paired up with.
Roxas.
I sighed and opened my pen cap, taking down the notes that were already on the board.
"Today we shall be talking about some of the most common mental illnesses. This discussion shall also continue into tomorrow." She said as she wrote things down on the board. "Today shall be Bipolar and tomorrow shall be depression." She began writing a lot of side notes down, so it took a while to copy them all down.
"Aren't Bipolar and depression the same?" A student asked.
"No. Depression can be a part of Bipolar, but they are not the same thing. Bipolar is a manic issue. You can suffer from manic episodes all the way to depression, lack of sleep, suicide, and other things. The mood swings in Bipolar depend on what kind you have and how severe it is. You can have very crazy mood swings and short or long depressive episodes." I took notes on what she was writing on the board. "It is most common to start in late adolescence. In order to keep people with Bipolar under control, they are supposed to take special medicine that was prescribed to them. Unfortunately, persons with Bipolar often turn to drugs, alcohol, and illegal activities to make them feel better." She concluded. "Now, your project today shall be over any mental illness that you choose. Don't worry, you do not have to choose today. We shall be covering more illnesses tomorrow, but get with your partner and get to know them a little."
I sunk down in my seat. I didn't really want to talk to Roxas. I saw him sigh and get up from his desk with his bag before walking over to me. He sat down in the desk that was in front of me. I tried rubbing the bags out from underneath my eyes. I think I made it worse.
"Hi, Namine." Roxas said. He seemed happy still.
"Um, hi." I replied, closing my notebook.
"So, I guess we are going to be on this project together, huh?" I nodded. He yawned. "That's cool. I'm tired. I barely slept last night." I looked at him. His hair was messy and his clothes mirrored that. His eyes that I once said were so mesmerizing, now were faded to a dull blue.
"Why?" I said. The word just flowed out of my mouth before my brain reacted. He, out of nowhere, glared at me.
"None of your business." He turned around and rested his head on the table, closing his eyes. I was in shock. He was just fine. Did I saw something I shouldn't have? The tone in his voice was probably enough to kill someone.
What did I do?
Even after the bell had rung, my eyes were still wide and confused. Axel stood from his spot in the corner, flipping his lighter in his pocket, he walked over to Roxas.
"Roku, let's go." He said, a tone of caring in his voice. Roxas stood up, and the demeanor from before returned. He wasn't happy anymore.
It was now lunch. Kairi and Sora had introduced me to a few of their other friends. I said my hellos and walked into the lunch line. I wasn't one for eating, since I hadn't puked at all so far. I got an apple and some salad with a bottle water. Walking back over to the table, I didn't sit just yet. Roxas and his friends caught my attention. They were just now entering the cafeteria.
"Namine, are you okay?" Kairi asked me. My gazed shot back towards her, and then I got that feeling in my stomach again. It was so sudden that I didn't even expect it. I dropped my tray of food, which caused everything to splatter all over the place. My hand shot to my mouth, and I dashed towards the doors. I ran past Roxas, who looked at me with concern written all over his face. I slammed the doors open, not caring if people were staring. I farthest I made was to the garbage can in the hallway. No one was out there, so it made it less embarrassing. I groaned and slumped to the floor, my breath irregular. My eyes were closed and I heard footsteps behind me. At first I thought it was a teacher, which meant they would probably send me home. But I was wrong. It was Roxas.
"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, coming down to my level. My eyes shifted around a bit before focusing on him.
"I'm fine."
"You just caused a scene in the lunchroom just to barf. I don't think you are." He said, a light smile playing on his face. I just looked at him skeptically.
"Why are you bothering to help me?" I said, my usual depression sweeping over me again. And just like that. Just like that, his mood towards me had changed. He turned back into the Roxas that scared me.
"What? I can't help you?" He asked me, irritability written all over his face.
"No! That's not what I meant." I said. His mood didn't change again. I stood and dusted off my uniform. Sora and Kairi ran out after me, though their timing was a little late.
"Namine!" Sora yelled, running to my side. "Are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine." I said, never breaking eye contact with Roxas.
"You should go to the nurse." Kairi offered. "I'll take you." I shook my head. I didn't want to go. I didn't want anyone to know what was going on with me.
"No, I'm okay. Honest."
"Roxas? Roxas, are you okay?" His question seemed like something he would ask him everyday. Like it was normal for Roxas to be acting like this. Roxas broke eye contact with me and looked at his brother.
"I'm fine." He said, pushing past the three of us, walking back into the lunch room. What was with him? Why was he acting like such an ass hole? First he is nice and then rude and then tired. What was going on?
"Are you sure you don't want to go to the nurse?" Kairi asked me once more. I nodded.
I didn't want to leave.
Like I predicted, it started to rain. Even though I had predicted it, I didn't bring an umbrella, nor did I have a car.
"Namine, I can take you home, you know. We live right next door to each other." Sora said. I shook my head.
"No, It's okay." I tried to smile. He stood there a moment longer before he and Kairi got into his car and drove away. I pulled my hood over my head and shoved my hands into the pockets before making my way down the street. To be honest, walking in the rain always helped me clear my thoughts. I enjoyed it. It had been a peaceful walk until thunder boomed and I jumped. My bangs, now soaked, covered my eyes. I looked up into the sky just at the right time to see lighting flashing through the sky. Picking up my pace a little, I got worried. Sure, I loved rain, but storms weren't something I was very fond of. My hand trailed to my stomach as I walked, my shoes making that annoying noise on the pavement. I heard a slight beep and I stopped in my tracks. A sleek BMV was slowly coming to a stop at the curb and the window rolled down to reveal Axel and Roxas sitting in the car. Roxas seemed fine now, and Axel was once again playing with the lighter. I just stared.
"Get in." I heard Roxas yell. I took a tiny step back.
"We aren't going to kidnap you. Just take you home." Axel laughed. I eyes sunk back into their half open form; something I always did when the depression sunk in. I sighed and got into the back seat. I closed the door, and Roxas started to drive again. "So, why were you walking in the rain, Namine?" Axel somehow knew my name. And I knew his, so I guess it was normal.
"I felt like it." I mumbled, staring at the car floor. I could feel Roxas glancing at me in the rear-view mirror. I tuned out everything for a while. I came back into reality when Axel was getting out of the car, and said goodbye to Roxas and I. I mumbled a goodbye and Roxas started driving again.
"Sorry for lashing out at you today." Roxas said. I looked up at him.
"What?"
"I'm sorry, do I have to say it again?" He said, getting irritated. Although I'm sure, this time, he didn't mean to sound rude. I nodded.
"Um, apology accepted?" He chuckled.
"Why were you puking anyway? Do you have the stomach flu or something?" Roxas asked me, turning down our street.
"No reason." I muttered again. He looked unconvinced. The raining had stopped finally as we pulled into his driveway. I got out of the car and glanced at my house. My aunt wasn't home.
"She's not home?" He asked me, just as thunder roared again. I shook my head. "Come over to my house. I'm sure Sora will be happy that you visited." I thought on it for a moment. I had keys to the house, so there was no reason for me to go over there. My clothes weren't that wet anymore, but I sighed.
"Sure." I mumbled, adjusting the strap on my shoulder. We entered the house and I heard the TV booming in the living room. I also heard an older woman talking.
"Sora! Keep that down!" She yelled coming into my view. She stood almost as tall as me, and she had dark brown hair. Her laugh lines were also present on her face.
"BUT MOM--"
"NO BUT'S!" She shouted, and then her attention turned in my direction. A small smile came upon her face as she walked to us. I took off my shoes and bowed slightly.
"Um, hello." I said. She smiled.
"Hello! Roxas who is your friend!? No need for the formalities! Call me Aerith." I nodded.
"Mom, this is Namine." Roxas said. I heard footsteps running into the room.
"NAMINE!" Sora shouted, a smile on his face. "What are you doing here?"
"Roxas invited me in." I said quietly.
"Great. So everyone knows each other. Come in, come in. I'm making brownies and I know how much you loved to lick the bowl, Sora." I giggled. It was a real laugh. The kitchen in the Aoki's house was amazing. They had granite kitchen tops and everything. The cabinets were a warm brown color. Sora and I sat down at the island where his mother was mixing the batter. Sora eyed it hungrily. "Calm down, Sora honey. You will get some soon." She said. Roxas was standing on the side of the island, drinking some water and scanning through his phone.
"I know, but still!" Sora complained. I held in another giggle. Aerith looked like she just remembered something, so she walked over to the cabinet and pulled out an orange bottle with a white cap. A prescription bottle. She put it on the table in front of Roxas.
"Roku, I know you haven't been taking your medicine. Take one right now." She said. Roxas rolled his eyes and popped out a pill and gave the bottle back to his mother. "Don't roll your eyes at me, Roxas. You know you can't be skipping dosages." She said as she began mixing the bowl.
Dosages?
After a while, Sora finally got his bowl of brownie batter. Roxas and I got to lick the things that go on the machine that mixes it. We never even got to touch the bowl. Sora, Roxas, and I all sat down on the couch a bit later. His mom put on one of those romantic comedies that everyone loves and we all laughed and watched it while eating brownies. I hadn't laughed or had that much fun in about two weeks. After a while, Roxas flipped open his phone and then stood from the couch. He hadn't changed his mood at all. He was happy the whole time.
"I have to go." He said, looking at Sora.
"You know I don't like you leaving like that." Sora said, sounding like his father.
"Sora, relax." Roxas said, a smile tugging at his lips. "Bye, Namine." He told me before grabbing his keys and walking out of the house. Sora sighed.
"Where is he going?" I asked. Sora and I walked to the door. It was about time for me to leave and go home.
"Probably to run off with his friends and do something illegal. I don't know what they do, but it can't be good." Sora said, walking me to the door. I didn't want to leave this house. I felt safe and loved here. I hoped that my child and I grew up in an environment like this.
'My child? Gosh, why am I thinking like this?' I thought to myself.
"Oh. Well, thanks for hanging with me today. Oh, I have a question." I asked. I felt like this was a good time to ask about Roxas.
"Sure, what is it?" He replied, leaning against the wall.
"What is with Roxas? One minute he is okay, and the next he isn't." Sora sighed.
"Roxas—has some problems." I raised my eyebrow.
"Problems?"
"He—he has Bipolar II." Sora finally said after a few minutes. My eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Yeah. It started a few years ago. He was probably acting like that because these past few days he hasn't been taking his meds. Roxas never—really had anyone to look out for him once he was diagnosed. He isn't good with people. Hence the reason he isn't in any relationship or anything. His last girlfriend, Olette, dumped him because she couldn't take his mood swings or manic episodes." Sora said to me. I gasped. Roxas was Bipolar.
"Oh wow. That—that explains so much. Poor Roxas."
"Yeah, that's why I worry about him all the time. His break up with Olette really crushed him and he can't ever form a reasonable relationship with someone, not that we want him to. He gets into a relationship and leans on them to help him. My mom and I both agree that it would be easier for him to learn to help himself and not have others do it for him, which is why we try and make sure he stays out of romantic relationships. He isn't ready, mentally." I looked at the floor. Poor Roxas.
"Wow, I'm sorry. I'll—um, see you in the morning?" Sora smiled.
"Sure."
"Goodnight." I walked off the the front porch and across the lawn.
How bad did Roxas have it?
There was a little more about Roxas's past and what he is going through! I felt you have to know more about what is going on with both of them before the actual plot sets in.
For OTR readers, updates will be slow, because those chapters are long and I can really only update anything once a week, besides one shots. Sorry! I go as fast as I can. Also go read RTTTB, it was just updated!
Review!
