A.N.: Happy 2008 everyone!! Enjoying life in the New Year? I'm not, for I'm back in college, back to work. I hope I'll enjoy this semester though, despite all the work involved.
We only have two more chapters to go after this one people. Two more, and then sadly, this fic will be over. But no worries, I have other projects that may keep you interested…I hope.
And now we're at 54 reviews…man, never would I have imagined…I love all the responses you readers give me, they're hilarious, so thank you all!!
So, without further delay, let's get to chapter four!
Bold: Emphasized words.
Italics: Slightly emphasized words, quotes, flashbacks…and anything else I can think of.
"What Happens After Next"
By
Malcolm Yuy
Chapter 4: You and Me, Me and You…I Hate You Too
I hate Sora SO much right now.
For when I get home, I'm going to mangle him, tie him to a chair, duck tape his mouth shut, and then…
Well, I don't know, but you get the idea.
"Three minutes you guys, Three minutes 'till teatime," the blond cameraman said as he looked around the room. I just sat there, feeling out of it as my eyes concentrated on a plush seat situated across from me that neither of the two cameramen were seated. My irises bulged a little…
…In the realization that in a couple of minutes, I would be taped for television. But not just any TV show; a show that sat on a block among others on a channel that used to cater to music fanatics. Which made me think…
Why in the hell is this show on MusicVision? If MusicVision is really about the "music," then one wouldn't think that it would have that many reality shows.
But somehow, someway, reality TV has crept its way into dominating the channel all across the nation.
And I'm really disgusted by it.
But that doesn't really matter right now anyway. All that matters is that in a few minutes…I'll be on live television. I shook my head, feeling my blond spikes waver as I tried to recompose myself. I really needed to keep it together. I saw Demyx lean over to catch my attention.
"Hey Roxas, would you be interested if we inducted your cousin into ORG?" the green-eyed, mullet-styled frat brother of mine asked. Even though I love Sora like a cousin loves…a cousin, I felt a little hatred at the guy right now, so I said the first thing that came to my mind.
"And why would you want that? To kill a couple of brain cells? I don't think Sora would be able to pull his weight around, do you?" I asked in return. This caught Riku's attention as he leaned forward, swaying his head towards us. Marluxia crossed his shoulders as he turned to observe us.
"But he would make a good asset to Omicron Rho Gamma." Riku raised an eyebrow in curiosity as he viewed us, before leaning back to block my line of sight.
"And why would that be?" I heard him ask. The pink-shaggy haired cohort of mine followed the silver-haired guy's example, leaving me with only being able to see Demyx, and unfortunately, Hayner.
"Because of the people he attracts, that's why. That cousin of his over there may not see it, or even want to accept it, but Sora is fairly popular here," I heard Marluxia answer. I trained my ears as I continued to hear the two long-haired young men speak.
"Hmm, I see. Then why don't you enlist me to join your cult..?" Riku inquired. After hearing that question, it was a little hilarious as me, Demyx, and Marluxia all shared a collective sigh. Demyx closed his orbs as his hands fiddled in his pants pockets.
"For the last time man, ORG isn't a cult. It's a fraternity, just like every other order on this campus," I heard Demyx sharply state for once. And I usually never hear Demyx being so serious. If I could see Riku, I could imagine a smirk forming on his face before he said his next words.
"Yeah, I bet. Fine, then don't let me in; I bet the hazing would cut me out anyways."
Oh, how the guy had no idea. For those of you who are ill-informed, hazing is a term used to describe things that new, potential members of a fraternity do to help score their chances of getting in. For ORG, the standard hazing lasted a week.
But boy, what a hell of a week that was. First, I had to wear only white and grey clothing during that week, along with dark colored shoes. Secondly, I had to have one of the older members of that week constantly follow me around if and when they weren't busy, checking to make sure I was following their rules. Luckily, I had Axel be mine, but still, he would crack a perverted sex joke every once in a while…either that, or try to light something afire when there weren't people around in the near vicinity. It was annoying.
And then the third condition I had to follow was that for that week, if anyone, and I mean anyone, addressed me by my name, I had to ignore them; I had to act like that wasn't I was called that. And if they got ticked off, and question why I wasn't responding to them, well…
The fourth condition was that I had to address myself as "Nobody." No, really, I did. Oh, and I had one more condition…
I couldn't talk unless talked to. I had to act like I didn't exist for that entire week, unless someone opened up to me. And let me tell you, that was hard. Really hard.
And I don't think Sora's the type of person who could survive that. One of the reasons why he may be "popular" as Marluxia puts it is that he can't ever shut up.
So there you go.
I turned to face Riku with a boring expression. I then went to comment on his statement. "Probably," I said as I looked to him, our eyes catching each other's gaze. I then looked away as I tried to focus on the windows. That little conversation we had probably only lasted about another minute, so now we have two to go…Peachy. So, when I decided to move my orbs back onto my companions…which I didn't want to refer as Hayner as that, the brown-haired cameraman caught my attention with his deep voice.
"We have one minute guys, so places." We sat up in our seats as we got ready to be filmed on camera. So apparently I was wrong. So screw me…
No, wait, don't do that. It's just a figure of speech, alright..? People need to stop taking things literally nowadays. It would make things SO much easier.
I found my feet shuffling impatiently as I began waiting for that one minute to expire. Man, did time have to go so slow…?
"Well people, here we go. Remember guys; keep your words as clean as possible. And please, no horseplay. We'll throw you off the RV if we have to," the red-capped, brunet cameraman instructed.
"So I guess that means humanplay's allowed, right..?" The brunet's dark blue orbs steely glared at someone we all knew and loved…or in this case found slightly annoying. "Eep!" That caused Demyx to quiet down. His mic then sounded.
"We have ten seconds to go. Begin the countdown."
"Roger." The brown-haired cameraman looked up to us as we all looked back at him and his blond companion in silence. One of his hands made the sign for the number five, beginning to count backwards, retracting a finger for every number noted. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four…" After the cameraman said four, his voice stilled into nothingness as he mouthed the last three numbers…
..And then, the red light of the two crewman's cameras flashed on.
…And I sat there, staring blankly at the cameras as the recording light blinked red.
I just continued sitting there, my eyes blinking for a few moments, as unnerving silence filled the bus. I tell ya, I hated sitting there on the cushion. As much as I had wanted Demyx to shut up earlier, I wish he'd say something now.
Yet it was Riku who broke the quiet. He leaned forward, giving me a view of him as his long bangs covered his eyes, a smirk on his face. "So guys, what do you think this girl will look like?" Marluxia smiled as his green eyes looked ahead for a moment, before turning to look to my tall friend. I swear, that guy has some of the scariest expressions I've ever seen.
"Who knows..? It'll be intriguing though, to say the least…who do you think she'll choose?" my frat brother asked. Hayner decided to be smart and join in the conversation.
"Not Emoblond, that's for sure," he said, jerking his head in my general direction. See what I mean…? This guy's an ass.
I turned my head to glare at the guy, who returned me stare-for-stare. "Oh, shut up Slickyblond," I remarked. Hayner just narrowed his brown orbs at me.
"It's Slickblond. And why should I 'shut up'? I have a right to speak you know," he responded.
"Yeah..? Well, maybe if you weren't wearing your ass for a hat, then maybe you'd see that everything you sputter is nothing but an offense to me. And I won't take it likely, especially since…" I trailed off as I crossed my arms, and rotated my head away from him. "…Never mind. Our story isn't even worth telling to these guys." I saw the third blond in our quintet lean in to finally pipe up, but before he could say anything, I vaguely heard Riku's mic sounded. He then smiled at us.
"Well guys, I think it's time for me to leave your bickering. Have fun here while I go on my date!" He then got up as he made his way out of the bus, the RV doors sliding open as he made his way to the outside world, soon closing behind him, leaving us locked in. Hayner gave me one last cool stare before turning away.
"Whatever man." We then sat there for a few minutes, nervous quietness filling the mobile room again. I focused my attention on the nearby wall, seeing the dark reds, among other colors. Before I could focus on it for too long though, the vehicle's doors swiveled open, and light flooded the room as my eyes darted over towards the door. I couldn't help but grin as I noticed…Riku.
And you could imagine what happened next. Even with all the uncomfortable tension within the room, and all the different thoughts that could be going through our heads, we all did one thing in common…
We shared a huge laugh at the guy. I mean, what did you expect from us…? To pat the guy on the back and say "Maybe next time, maybe next time…?"
Maybe if weren't all vying for the girl's attention, whoever she was. Or, at least the other guys were. I wasn't too sure about myself.
Riku shook his head as he made his way back to his spot. Once he sat down, Demyx turned his head to talk to the silver-headed youth. "Wow, that was fast. Player much..?" the mullet-styled companion of mine questioned. Riku replied with a playful grin.
"So, I guess my reputation couldn't go unnoticed…oh well, it was worth a shot." He then looked to Demyx. "You're next, Mulletblond. Have fun," he stated. Demyx smiled to us before getting up from his seat.
"Oh, don't worry Shaggyplatinum, I think I will…I think I will…don't be surprised if I don't come back." He then made his way toward the driver's seat. "Later guys!" he exclaimed, before turning to descend off of the bus. Marluxia chuckled once Demyx was gone.
"As if that idiot's actually going to fare a chance with a young woman…It's going to be amusing when he returns," the pink-haired junior said. I just shook my head in disdain.
"Whatever Marluxia, whatever…I think you underestimate Demyx. He can be quite the charmer when he tries," I mentioned plainly, looking to him. That made my fellow man curious.
"Oh, really…? How so?" I simply gave him a small smile.
"He has a sense of humor Marluxia. Something you obviously lack," I stated. The guy just shrugged his shoulders as he closed his irises.
"So..? I don't need a sense of humor to contend with you boys. I have something more valuable than that," remarked Marluxia. And without missing a beat, Riku smirked as he joined in to our debate on our other frat brother.
"Like what, your hair having flower power..? I don't think a straight guy would color his hair pink," the aqua-eyed compadre of mine rebutted. My grin widened at Riku's statement. Score.
Marluxia just grunted as I saw his and Riku's orbs crossed paths for a moment, before detracting away. And then we settled into unusual tranquility again. And the minutes kept on ticking by.
I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket as I observed the time. On the little display window, under the date, "11:55 A.M." was revealed in small white on the screen. I drooped my head as I slid the device back into my pants compartment.
Apparently…
..We've only been here twenty-five minutes. Well, at least Marluxia was proven wrong. Contrary to Shaggypink's argument, Demyx must've been doing something right, or else he wouldn't have been gone for this long.
So props to him.
I sighed tiredly as I tried to refocus on the reds of the bus walls.
"What..?"
I turned to regard the owner of the voice with a cold stare, but he just examined me stilly. "What-what?" I asked, boredom lacing my vocals. Hayner just continued gazing at me with his muddy-colored orbs.
"What were you sighing about..?" he questioned. I just rolled my eyes at him.
"Why in the hell would you want to know?" I replied in return, irritated. The blond sitting beside me huffed.
"Because I'm bored maybe..?" I just looked away at him in agitation.
"Then why don't you talk to someone else then? Why me..? It's not like we're the best of friends," I mentioned. The last thing I wanted to see was the guy's face right now. And I certainly didn't want to hear him respond to me either. But, I couldn't help but glance as I saw him close his irises.
"…But we used to be," he muttered. I felt my eyes widen as I caught wind of Hayner's statement.
As much as I didn't want to admit it, he was right about one thing…we used to be best friends back in the day. But that was in times past. Seriously, what was this guy trying to pull?
"…" Nothing emitted from my mouth as I tried to speak. I guess I was at a loss of words; it didn't really matter though, as our abrupt silence was ended when the doors opened, revealing our other blond-haired companion, quietly marching in as his feet clunked across the metal floor. As he approached us, I noticed a red mark across his left cheek, before he came to sit down. I was about to ask what happened to him, when Riku decided to interject.
"What happened to you?" asked my silver-headed friend. Demyx shook his head, a slight smile adorning his features before it faded away. He then chose to open his lips to speak.
"Oh, well, let's just say...I was naughty," he replied. I saw Marluxia shake his head in disdain, as Riku and I couldn't help chuckling at the guy. Hayner also shook his head.
"Well Demyx, you've had your chance…now it's mine," my feminine-haired peer said. He gave the cameras an evil smile as he rose from his seat, before he began making his way towards the entrance of the bus. "Needless to say my peers, but you won't need me here. Later," he stated. He was about to exit when our resident mullet-blond got his attention.
"Hey Shaggypink!" I swear I saw Marluxia cringe at the nickname. He turned to look over his right shoulder from where he was standing, a lone eye observing Demyx.
"Yes Demyx..?" the junior trailed off as a playful grin emerged on my frat brother's face.
"Don't fall on your ass!"
Marluxia just snuffed as arrogantly as he turned his head back to the front. "Whatever." He then left the RV, leaving us with Riku, Demyx, Hayner, and me. Once the doors closed, we all shared a laugh.
"Man, is that guy creepy," Hayner managed to say in-between chuckles. Demyx couldn't help but nod as we began to stop our jest.
"And how. You don't want to be alone with that guy, trust me…I feel sorry for that girl. Anyways…" he trailed off as he flipped his eyes for a moment. "..What did I miss? Anything entertaining..?"
Let's just say, Mulletblond's statement made both me and the other male blond on the bus stop laughing in our tracks. We then got back to giving each other steely glares—at least I felt that I was giving the guy an evil gaze—and Hayner likewise. I could feel Demyx look back-and-forth, until I felt his irises settled onto mine. "Hey guys, what's the problem? We we're cheery before, right?"
Hayner opened his big mouth to answer. "We were, but before…Rocks-for-socks decided to pick an argument with me," he stated. I raised an eyebrow at him in anger.
"Oh right! Like I wanted to pick a fight with Swirly…you know for a fact Hayner I don't like you," I yelled at him. And he just looked back at me.
"And why is that?" I glowered at him.
"Are you stupid? You know exactly why the reason I hate you! It's because my girlfriend cheated on me with you!" I huffed.
An uneasy silence enveloped the bus…and that seemed to catch a good bit of interest. Demyx looked back amongst us again, and from the corner of my blue orbs I could feel Riku raise an eyebrow at me in curiosity.
"..Is that true?" I pulled my eyes away from Hayner, and I sensed he did the same as I directed a glance toward the ninth member of Omicron Rho Gamma. I then glimpsed Hayner to read his physical response to the question, before turning my ovals down towards the floor.
"It is." I looked up to see him stare me squarely in the eye. "But Roxas, you never let me explain anything…you just assumed the worst!" he exclaimed.
"Then what else did Pence's photo of you and Olette kissing not explain to me?! It seemed pretty clear to me…especially when I showed it to Olette, and told her our relationship was over…her reaction basically told me all I needed to know," I said, pausing before looking away. "What would you have to say to convince me otherwise..?"
I really didn't want to address this issue. I really didn't want to have this talk, especially on TV. But, God, or whatever may be out there, seems to have a twisted sense of humor, and decided to telecast all my hate for this guy to the world.
The only redeeming thing about this whole ordeal was at least it wouldn't hit the channels for some time.
And hopefully by then, I'll be able to get away from this jerk. As far away as possible.
I looked back at the guy, my arms crossed as I examined him. His chocolate irises held sadness within. I would've frowned, had I shared sentiments…but well, you know me better than that. So I just had to be smart. "Well, what do you got to say to that, huh?" Hayner pulled his orbs towards his legs.
"…I'm sorry," he uttered out. He then looked back up to me. "I'm sorry okay? I didn't know you and Olette were still together!"
Another bit of quietness roused the RV, as I took his statement. And that pissed me off. How the hell could he say that he didn't know that Olette and I were still together at the time..?
"What do you mean by still together? We were always together…before you intervened," I venomously sentenced. Hayner bared his whites at me in ferocity.
"I thought you two were going to break up! She told me she had broken up with you!" he shouted.
"And you trusted her Hayner?!" I yelled in return.
"I liked her!" The blond's melancholy reflected in his exclamation, before he settled down a little. "I liked her," he said quietly, almost loud enough for only him to hear. "I know that was wrong Roxas, but I loved Olette, I couldn't help it…and she told me she had 'broken up' with you, I took her word for it, not thinking to consult you about the matter first. I'm sorry," Hayner admitted. He then looked to me for a moment, before concentrating his eyes towards the other side of the bus, where the cameras were positioned. "Tell me Roxas…did you love Olette..?" he asked desperately. "Did you?" he inquired sadly.
And all I could do was let the information flood my head. Really, could I believe anything this guy said..? Against my bitter judgment, I wanted to. Believe me, I did. But…
As I looked into my heart, I knew what he was saying was true.
And his question about me…? Did I ever love Olette while I was in a relationship with her…?
"I did," I managed to mutter. Hayner just shook his head.
"Then I feel sorry for the both of us. She really…duped us. I wanted to tell you everything, I really did, but after you showed me the photo, you wouldn't listen to me. Again, I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Hayner said. I sighed as I looked down upon myself for a moment, weighing in everything he previously stated, of all our past memories together, through all the hurt and the pain…
And I decided…if Olette did double-cross us, then it would only be fair that I gave the guy a second chance. "You're forgiven," I uttered, looking to see how the blond sitting beside me would react. He looked up at me in complete shock.
"Really..?" he asked, a hint of a smile emerging on his face. I nodded as I managed to smile at him, extending a hand for him to shake. He took it.
"Really." I could hear someone sigh in relief in the background as Hayner and I shook hands, which, by my guess, was probably Demyx. And knowing that he was concerned about us…
Made me feel happy that I decided to put the past behind me, and start over again with Hayner, as well as having friends who supported me. The bus lurched to a stop.
Apparently, while Hayner and I were fighting, the bus had begun moving, and we were so involved that we weren't even aware that the vehicle was moving at the time of our verbal quarrel. Anywho, I was glad that that was over.
And a few minutes after the bus stopped, the doors jerked open as a familiar face made his way back inside. We became silent as we watched Marluxia board the RV, before going back towards his place between Demyx and Hayner. Once seated, he looked around, before addressing us.
"Why so quiet..?" Demyx couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself, before responding to the creepy frat brother.
"Because when you walk by your frilly hair kills voices, Marly. Why else would it be so..?" the mullet-blond quipped. Marluxia turned to give my friend a cold gaze.
"For the last time, and I mean the last time…shut up Demyx," he said. The other guy just smirked.
"You can't make me you know," Demyx stated, shrugging his shoulders, "-and besides, the camera loves me! Who wouldn't love this face?" he said, smiling as he looked into the filming device.
"Your mother," Hayner said. The rest of us cracked a laugh as Demyx narrowed his eyes at the slick-blond.
"Hey, don't say that! She said she'd love my hairstyle…someday," he said as his orbs looked away. I just shook my head.
At least you can always count on Demyx to be the comic relief around here.
Hayner's mic beeped, and the guy jerked up from his seat. "Well guys, it looks like it's my turn." He then turned to face me. "Well, I'm glad we got our problems resolved man. Friends?" he questioned. I simply nodded at him.
"Friends."
His mic then beeped again. "Well, I guess I'll be going then. Later haters," he said. He was about to depart, but I got his attention one last time.
"Hey Slickblond! Good luck." I sentenced. He gave a backwave towards me as his back faced us.
And then…Hayner left the RV.
And now it was Riku, Demyx, Marluxia, and…me. And strangely enough, with Hayner's presence here, the atmosphere became…more unsettling than I thought it would be.
The seconds ticked by slow again, and I didn't want to know what time it was. And as the minutes went by, no one talked. Not me, nor the Graceful Assassin, Melodious Nocturne, or my silver-haired companion for that matter. I was just about to fall asleep, when the vehicle's doors decided to slide open. Light flooded the mobile room, before we all looked to see Hayner get back to his seat beside. We all looked to him as he closed his eyes, sighing. He then turned to me.
"That was only five minutes," I heard Riku announce. I heard Hayner lightly chuckle.
"I know. I couldn't do it. I just couldn't." He looked to me, and I gazed at him intently. "I couldn't do it Roxas; we just made up, and when I went to go see her, it got to me. She looks so innocent, so sweet…I couldn't approach her, so I turned away. I really think you'll like her," he mentioned. I raised an eyebrow in slight interest.
"Really?" Hayner dimly nodded his head in affirmation.
"Yeah, I think so. Have a good time man. It's about time for Emoblond to stop being emo for once anyways," the guy remarked. I smirked.
"Yeah, you're right. Fine then, I guess I have no other choice; I'll go." I then lurched up and jumped to my feet, before turning to smile at my reacquainted comrade. "Thanks Hayner," I said. The male blond smiled.
"You're welcome. Have fun." I faintly nodded my head in understanding.
"I'll try." I then turned to face the rest of my filmed companions. "Well guys, unless I don't see you later, this was fun. Don't kill each other." I then smiled to myself, hastily leaving the bus before I could hear any of them verbally react to my statement. I then saw two other cameramen face me once I was off the bus, and I heard my mic sounded.
"Say something whimsical," I heard Quistis say on the other line. I just shook my head, hands placed in my khaki pockets as I looked into the camera.
"Right…" I trailed off as I just stood there, taking in some much needed air. I then heard the mic sound again.
"She's in the building ahead of you. Just enter, walk down the hallway, and make your first right. She should be standing nearby," Quistis's voice faintly sounded. I inclined my head.
The camera crew followed me inside the building, which happened to be the town's Cultural Arts Center. As I navigated through the light-colored hallways, I took notice of paintings and other artistry, such as sculptures, protected vases, and moldings that were carefully situated in a peaceful, Feng Shui-type arrangement that made me feel…quite peaceful actually.
If this girl picked this as one of the places for this date, then I'll give her credit, because at least she's cultured…
Or that's what I hope for, at least. I like smart girls.
So I continued to march my way through the museum, and finally, I noticed the first turn coming up. It branched left and right. I began slowing down my pace as I followed our coordinator's directions, edging myself towards the right. And as I moved, I could feel my heart starting to constrict within my chest, and my breath silently beginning to hitch.
I was getting closer to her. To see a girl I've been waiting to see for about an hour, and despite myself wanting to play this down, I couldn't help but remember Hayner's quote within my mind.
"I really think you'll like her."
I could feel my cheeks turn pink as well. Would I? Would I really? Well, as I began approaching the corner, I guess there was only one way to find out…
I poked my head around the corner, to catch a glimpse of my prospective "date."
And my blue orbs came across her.
And as I saw her, my eyes widened, and as for my jaw…
I felt like it dropped to the floor.
So all the guys were weeded out…Demyx and Marluxia had decent runnings, and who ever thought that Hayner and Roxas would patch up, as well as the slick-blond falling out of the competition altogether..? Now that our blond protagonist has caught an image of our mystery girl, how will this affect him? Will this mean that the boy might actually take the date seriously now? All these questions and more will be answered in the next humor, and finally, romance-filled episode of What Happens After Next?!
Well people, I hope that amused you for quite a bit. I bet you are all looking especially forward to the next chapter, because I know I sure am. I was quite interested to see how Hayner and Roxas' argument would play out—and hopefully for those of you crying for some "deeper" character development (you know who you are), that gave you enough to satisfy your cravings for this fic, at least for the moment. There might be more in the next and final installment, but it probably won't be as deep as this one. That's what my Sokai's for.
And remember, check Story Progress every Thursday to see how this story is progressing you fanatics! And read any of my stuff that might interest you as well…
So I hope you enjoyed, and I can't wait to read your reviews and thoughts. As for me, I'm off to update Portrait of a Young Woman, so it might be a while before I begin working on Chapter Five. Until then my fellow writers and readers, have a good week, and until next time, ja ne!- Malcolm Yuy