A Love That Will Last.
Careful
SorasKey
"Thanks." I said as Xion handed me a Tylenol with my ice cream. We were currently at her house after band practice.
"No problem. Is your head any better?" It turned out I didn't have a concussion. I just had to put up with a headache all day.
"A little, but--" The sound of the door opening and slamming interrupted me. Not helping the headache, Axel.
"Why are you two always early?" Axel said as he walked over to join me on the couch.
"We're not. You're just late." I responded. I watched as Xion offered Axel ice cream in silence, taking in every second.
"So you two ready for Friday's game? I hear it's gonna be a good one." Axel said, taking another bite.
"Sure am! We're gonna rock our show this year." Xion said enthusiastically.
"And I bet you're excited to see Naminé in the new uniform, eh? I know I am." Axel nudged me.
"You sound like Hayner." I thought out loud.
"That little attitude problem? What's he got to do with anything?" Axel asked, putting his feet on the coffee table. I thought how to explain this best as I watched Xion scold him.
"He's been flirting with Naminé." Simple as that. Xion groaned in annoyance as Axel chuckled. I ignored them and continued to explain the situation. "—And she's been responding to said flirting." I finished.
"Not necessarily. She could be acting nice."
"Yeah, totally," Xion rolled her eyes shifting to glare at Axel and I nodded to agree with that part, "And maybe she's being a total hoe-bag."
"Hey!" I nudged her and she just shrugged and leaned back.
"You just have to show her how awesome you are." He stood up, gesturing to himself. "Be a man, like yours truly."
"So that's what you are..." Xion said, feigning a thoughtful expression. "And stop telling him to show off!"
"Oh, but he should." He looked back to me, "Got it memorized?"
"Not quite." I smirked.
"Impress her!"
"You two are idiots." Xion sighed.
"I didn't ask for your opinion, little missy." Axel snapped causing Xion to snort.
"Pop, anyone?" She walked towards the kitchen. We just nodded. I noticed Axel's expression turn to something I couldn't decipher in her direction before turning back to me.
"Like I said, impress her. Make her look at you and thing 'Wow, I want to do that kid'."
"Because that's what I want her to think." I said sarcastically, pushing up my glasses. "Even if I wanted to show off, or even look normal around her, I can't! Murphy's Law states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. He was talking about my love life, Aku."
"Stop talking all smart." I looked to Xion, who returned to the living room, and we shared one of those looks of agreement. Axel wasn't the smartest. "Just be cool." He smirked. "Well… since that's impossible for a geek like you- just be Roku."
"Whatever, Aku." I noticed a chess board lying out on the coffee table. "Care for a re-match?" I couldn't take anymore of his 'advice'.
-O_O-
Today is Thursday. Tomorrow's the big game. Today I am wearing a red and white striped polo and khaki shorts. Tomorrow I will be wearing my marching band t-shirt and basketball shorts. Today I am going to talk to Naminé…
"Hey, Naminé, what's up? No... too casual. Hello, Naminé, how are you today? No, too formal. Yo, Nam, what up? No, too… not me. Gah, I'm an idiot!" I ran my hand through my golden spikes.
"You got that right, chickenwuss."
"Hello, Seifer." Right, I could talk to the school bully, but not a little blonde girl.
"How's my favorite loser to beat?" he chuckled and pulled at his vest.
"Just fabulous Seifer." I attempted to step past him. "Well, big guy, I have a thing called class and I would like to go to it."
"That's nice, geek, but I need you to do something for me before I let you go."
"And what might this be Seifer?" I glanced at the clock impatiently hoping to get to class on time. I was hoping my sarcasm wasn't going to make this any worse. I tended to go overboard with it while talking to this guy.
"I have a paper that's due Tuesday in English. Pride and Prejudice. Make it three pages and pretty." He clicked his fingers at me. "Now, get out of here. I won't beat your geeky face in for the next three weeks if my paper's done early too." Then he turned to wash his hands after waving me off.
I didn't have any second thoughts as I bolted out of the restroom. Maybe I'd have this much luck in conversing with Naminé. And I mean not getting my face punched in.
-O_O-
Before I knew it I was sitting in physics reading before class started, as usual. I turned my head up at the sounds of a chair being pulled out and back in.
It was Naminé. We were the only ones here. This was my chance.
I slowly stood up and began walking in her direction. Today her ribbon was purple. I like purple.
"Ahh!" My foot caught on the chair next to mine and I was falling through the air towards the ground. The cold linoleum met with my face in a crash. My hands were probably all scratched now after that failed attempt at catching myself. I suppose fate wanted my face to be smashed at some point today.
I just laid there wondering if she even heard me since I didn't hear her getting up. After the gym incident I would expect at least that. But maybe I was just hoping for too much.
"Are you okay?" Her voice chimed. Maybe she didn't forget me. I looked up to see her turned in her chair. Her red-haired friend was here now. No wonder she didn't get up.
Then the bell rang and students began flooding in. I scraped myself off the floor before I could be trampled and went to my seat.
Way to go and embarrass yourself in front of her. Again. Why did I have to listen to Axel? I probably wouldn't have impressed her anyways.
And so I sat and watched as Hayner flirted with her all period. She just smiled.
I needed to step it up.
-O_O-
I was thankful I didn't have gym today as I walked out onto the fresh lawn, taking in the sunshine. On days like this, my study hall would be moved outside.
I walked over to the usual tree Xion, Axel, and I hang out at and took a seat under its shade. I pulled out a notebook and began going over notes for the government test next week. One could never wait too long to study.
"Ready!" I heard the voices of the cheerleaders practicing. I forgot they practiced out here whenever they could. Apparently they were ranked pretty high at their competitions.
And being a teenage boy I had to glance up to see what kind of dangerous stunt they were doing next.
I immediately recognized the red-haired girl and a brunette out front doing some kind of flips and a couple groups of girls behind them. Then they tossed up a few of the girls and they did some neat looking balancing act. I knew I couldn't stay up that high for that long. My gaze continued upward to the blonde girl in front that was still airborne.
It was Naminé. I watched as her hair flipped around her face as she turned rapidly on the way down. That was impressive. Too bad I had no clue what it was they were even doing.
And so study hall continued and my government notes lay forgotten beside me as I watched the cheerleaders practice. I felt like such a creep, but my eyes were on Naminé the whole time, so it's not like I was completely strange. I was just observing my crush do what she loved. What was so bad about that?
Maybe I could even say she was amazing on the way inside. No, I'd end up tripping or something. I can't seem to be around her without looking like a complete freak.
She was just so intoxicating.
Axel, noticing my gawking, shoved me pretty hard. I didn't even notice him and Xion join me under the tree. I must've really been out of it.
"Go talk to her, they have a break now." It was then that I noticed some of them dispersing to go mingle amongst the other students, all popular jocks, of the common area.
"Axel…"
"Go."
"Axel, I can't possibly talk to her when she's surrounded by that blood-sucking mob of friends of hers." Her group of cheerleading friends had congregated around her and I could see even Hayner had some sense to keep his distance from the gaggle of teenage girls.
"Well, whose fault is it that you've asked half of them out?" he inquired as the group, still talking, walked towards our tree and he leaped up.
"Axel!" Selphie sang his name before stopping in front of him to slither (and, yes, I mean slither) her arms around his waist. "How's my big man doing?"
"Just great."
"Aww, you hanging with the socially impaired? How nice of you." she glared specifically at me, but Xion took it to offense as well.
"Excuse me?" She asked.
"Xion, I wasn't talking about you, dear, I was talking about the blonde mess over there."
"Okay- excuse me?" Xion wasn't going to let anyone hurt me. She was like my defender, my female knight in shining armor.
"I see you've joined Axel in helping those less fortunate than me." It was obvious she wasn't going to take a stab at Xion for she knew there would be consequences.
Xion wasn't necessarily the most popular girl but she was pretty well known. She had an older brother who was captain of the football, basketball, and soccer teams. And a sister [that graduated] who was the student council president and fastest track runner to attend this school. Obviously, this brought Xion pretty high on the totem pole and Selphie was smart enough to keep away from the sister of two the most legendary people to pass through our high school doors.
Me… well, not so much.
"Selphie, back off."
"Whatever." She wrapped her arms around Axel's neck and pulled him to her lips full force.
Rape?
Na…
Maybe…
"Bye Selphie." He smiled down at her as she and her friends danced away. "Oh, and Naminé too." The blonde beauty paused and turned to Axel, catching my eye in the motion.
"Bye Axel." She giggled and turned to me. "See you at the game tomorrow." Then she practically glided to Selphie's side as Axel nudged me.
"I don't think that last part was to me, eh, Roku?"
I just turned away with a smirk, hoping I wasn't blushing. That happened on occasion.
I'll see you too, gorgeous.
Now if only I could say that out loud.
So this chapter comes back to Roxas being head over heels for Namine and ending up as a total dork. Isn't he smooth though? I mean internally...Anyways, this chapter is pretty straightforward so I don't have much to say about it other than I (SorasKey) wrote it.
I hope you guys liked it. Be sure to drop off a review before leaving :)
Chapter title: Careful by Paramore