It begins...
~~~~~~
Farfarfello was allowed out of bed now. Well, not really, but he decided he was. It was a sunny Friday, and he was sitting at the window in his room, scowling and glaring down at all the people milling around on the grassy lot out front. Cars were flying by; kids were walking home on the sidewalk, recently released from school, the birds were singing...
He hoped one of those kids wandered into the road and was run over.
When was Bonnie coming? He felt like whining the question to anyone who would listen, but knew that wasn't even an option. She was already ten minutes late, so what could be keeping her? It always put him in a bad mood, having to wait for her. Not that he liked her or anything...
The door opened behind him and he smiled to himself, proclaiming in his mind that it was about time. But when he turned around, there was no dark- skinned, brown-eyed girl with long, spiral curls, just a tall, slim young man with misty gray eyes and a bright, clean face. His hair allowed to go wild that day, shaggily falling wherever it may, Nagi was obviously going for the casual look, wearing a pair of jeans, the left knee torn, and a navy blue T-shirt. He gave a sarcastic little smirk at Farfarfello's disappointed look.
"What? Expecting Bonnie?"
"What do ye think?" he growled in reply, hobbling over on his crutches. "Where is she?"
"She's not coming today."
"Finally scared the lass off, eh?"
"You wish." Nagi was cradling a vase of freshly cut lilacs in his arms, the sweet, clean smell penetrating the sickeningly stale air of the hospital room. "She sent these flowers since she can't come today. She was invited to some sort of party."
Farfarfello's golden eye gleamed with suspicion, but the rest of his expression remained blank. "Really?" he said dryly.
"Yeah. She was pretty excited since she doesn't seem to click with the people at her school too often. She said something about a boy she liked being there, too. As you can imagine, Ken and Schuldig overheard and teased her mercilessly."
"Hmph." Farfarfello wandered back over to his bed and flopped down, totally miffed. Great. Now he had nothing to do all day! And for some reason, the mention of Bonnie's crush got him all defensive, angry even. Impatiently, he waited for Nagi to set the flowers by the window, say goodbye, and leave. Then, he checked the clock on his bed stand. Six o'clock P.M. He'd give her about an hour.
~~~~~
"Girl, this party is boring." Megan covered her mouth and gave an exaggerated yawn for emphasis. "Do you think I have some sort of disease I don't know about? 'Cuz no one is talking to us."
Bonnie shrugged. She was having a pretty good time, despite Megan's comments. At the moment, both were standing in the living room of a rather wealthy girl from their class. Off to the side, people were getting snacks in the kitchen, and in the foreground, people were dancing. Neither girl was really confronting anyone save each other. "Well, maybe if you spoke in Japanese, more people would talk to you."
"That is true." Megan nodded in acknowledgment. "Man, I just hate it though, ya' know? I'm having a ton of trouble learning how to translate it. They talk so fast!"
Bonnie smiled in sympathy. It would be awful to struggle with the language of the country you'd been living in for nearly two years, the county you went to school in. She had to admit, she still had a little trouble herself, what with all the languages jumbled up in her brain.
"Ello, Bonnie, Megan," said a new voice in English, a deeper voice with a strong Japanese accent. "May I speak with you...two?"
Bonnie nodded, very pleased with this new development. Standing beside her was Hiromi, a very popular boy from her class. He was cute, being of medium height and size, not too skinny and not overweight, and composed of lean muscle. He played all the sports, got all the good grades, but was still into his own things. Like his obsession with photography. Sometimes, people considered a hobby like that cool just because he did and was not ashamed, no matter what anyone thought. His jet black hair was of a bit longer length than customary and always gelled into stiff, gleaming spikes. She'd never seen him wear it otherwise. Large, soft, brown, slanted eyes and fine features smiled back at her, his skin tanned to a muted gold. He was at least seven girls' crushes - including Bonnie.
"Bonnie, you speak both English and Spanish, yes?" he asked, his speech slow and halting, obviously labored. As a junior, he'd taken three years of English class, and was one of the best in the class, considering how complex the language was. Bonnie was also in his class, of course the best student since she'd been fluent since first grade, having taken the course only because it was an easy A+.
"I speak English, and only a little Spanish," she answered hesitantly. "Listen, Hiromi, if you'd be more comfortable speaking Japanese, then we can - "
"No, no - I will speak with you in English." He cleared his throat and grinned charmingly, revealing rows of perfect white teeth. "I have a favor to ask. I am singing in a contest. I think it would be...impressive...if you sing with me."
She frowned. "Why? I can't sing."
Megan was inspecting her nail polish, which was peeling off in little flakes. Pretending to be uninterested, she kept one eye on the two and both ears open. Hiromi was a good catch, and very nice to boot. If he was pursuing Bonnie, she'd go from just the average nobody to the most popular girl in school. Even seniors wanted Hiromi.
"I want you to sing in English and Spanish for the chorus. Whatever songs you like. It will be an ethnic mix. No one else will try it, I'm sure. And the prize is a motorcycle. If you help me win, I will drive you to school everyday next year on it."
Megan looked like she was squealing on the inside, more excited than her friend was at the idea. She was nearly bouncing up and down in her happiness, her hand clutching Bonnie's arm. "Say yes," she hissed.
Bonnie hung back though. "I don't know... I really can't sing."
"Bonnie, it will be fun!" He punched her lightly in the shoulder for emphasis. "You don't have to sing. Just basically say the words. Rap them even. I don't care. Please?"
"Well...ok. And I can pick any English song? Even an English rap song? Or a Spanish pop song?"
"Both. The more variety the better."
The idea was beginning to appeal to Bonnie more and more. Already she had some ideas. Her CD case was full of different imported CDs. Let's see, she had Grits, Toby Mac, Jaci Valesquez, and then there was even that Greek CD, Antique. Wow, she could really get into this.
"Do you wanna dance?" Hiromi invited, this time in Japanese. He extended his hand towards her, raising an eyebrow in questioning. A faint smile twitched at his lips.
The wheels could be seen turning in Megan's head as she tried to translate what he had said.
Bonnie was rather shy though, and unconfident in her skills as a dancer. Hanging back, she ducked her head and stared at her feet, aware of her heart thumping violently against her chest. If she said no, Hiromi might never ask her again, and if she said yes, all eyes were on her and she just knew she'd embarrass herself.
The shrill ringing of her cell phone rescued her and she took a step back, fumbling through her purse to find it. Finally, after locating it, she pushed the button to receive the message and answered, "Hello?"
"Bonnie. Would ye mind coming down to the hospital?"
"F-Farfarfello?" she asked in shock. "What? Is something wrong?"
"I..." There was a long pause. "I feel like..."
"Never mind, I'll be there as soon as I can." She hung up and tucked the phone back into her purse. "I'm sorry, Hiromi," she apologized, "but a friend called and I have to go. We'll get together after school on Monday to talk about the contest, ok?"
He nodded, looking a bit disappointed. "Alright."
Bonnie then ran outside to the front porch and stood alone, dialing Nagi's number in hopes he'd be home and would give her a ride.
~~~~~
Farfarfello hung up the phone back at the hospital and sighed. Why had he done that? Not even he knew. But there wasn't time to dwell on that. Right now he had sit down and think about what he was going to tell Bonnie when she arrived.
~~~~~
Review! Action and angst coming up...somtime.
~~~~~~
Farfarfello was allowed out of bed now. Well, not really, but he decided he was. It was a sunny Friday, and he was sitting at the window in his room, scowling and glaring down at all the people milling around on the grassy lot out front. Cars were flying by; kids were walking home on the sidewalk, recently released from school, the birds were singing...
He hoped one of those kids wandered into the road and was run over.
When was Bonnie coming? He felt like whining the question to anyone who would listen, but knew that wasn't even an option. She was already ten minutes late, so what could be keeping her? It always put him in a bad mood, having to wait for her. Not that he liked her or anything...
The door opened behind him and he smiled to himself, proclaiming in his mind that it was about time. But when he turned around, there was no dark- skinned, brown-eyed girl with long, spiral curls, just a tall, slim young man with misty gray eyes and a bright, clean face. His hair allowed to go wild that day, shaggily falling wherever it may, Nagi was obviously going for the casual look, wearing a pair of jeans, the left knee torn, and a navy blue T-shirt. He gave a sarcastic little smirk at Farfarfello's disappointed look.
"What? Expecting Bonnie?"
"What do ye think?" he growled in reply, hobbling over on his crutches. "Where is she?"
"She's not coming today."
"Finally scared the lass off, eh?"
"You wish." Nagi was cradling a vase of freshly cut lilacs in his arms, the sweet, clean smell penetrating the sickeningly stale air of the hospital room. "She sent these flowers since she can't come today. She was invited to some sort of party."
Farfarfello's golden eye gleamed with suspicion, but the rest of his expression remained blank. "Really?" he said dryly.
"Yeah. She was pretty excited since she doesn't seem to click with the people at her school too often. She said something about a boy she liked being there, too. As you can imagine, Ken and Schuldig overheard and teased her mercilessly."
"Hmph." Farfarfello wandered back over to his bed and flopped down, totally miffed. Great. Now he had nothing to do all day! And for some reason, the mention of Bonnie's crush got him all defensive, angry even. Impatiently, he waited for Nagi to set the flowers by the window, say goodbye, and leave. Then, he checked the clock on his bed stand. Six o'clock P.M. He'd give her about an hour.
~~~~~
"Girl, this party is boring." Megan covered her mouth and gave an exaggerated yawn for emphasis. "Do you think I have some sort of disease I don't know about? 'Cuz no one is talking to us."
Bonnie shrugged. She was having a pretty good time, despite Megan's comments. At the moment, both were standing in the living room of a rather wealthy girl from their class. Off to the side, people were getting snacks in the kitchen, and in the foreground, people were dancing. Neither girl was really confronting anyone save each other. "Well, maybe if you spoke in Japanese, more people would talk to you."
"That is true." Megan nodded in acknowledgment. "Man, I just hate it though, ya' know? I'm having a ton of trouble learning how to translate it. They talk so fast!"
Bonnie smiled in sympathy. It would be awful to struggle with the language of the country you'd been living in for nearly two years, the county you went to school in. She had to admit, she still had a little trouble herself, what with all the languages jumbled up in her brain.
"Ello, Bonnie, Megan," said a new voice in English, a deeper voice with a strong Japanese accent. "May I speak with you...two?"
Bonnie nodded, very pleased with this new development. Standing beside her was Hiromi, a very popular boy from her class. He was cute, being of medium height and size, not too skinny and not overweight, and composed of lean muscle. He played all the sports, got all the good grades, but was still into his own things. Like his obsession with photography. Sometimes, people considered a hobby like that cool just because he did and was not ashamed, no matter what anyone thought. His jet black hair was of a bit longer length than customary and always gelled into stiff, gleaming spikes. She'd never seen him wear it otherwise. Large, soft, brown, slanted eyes and fine features smiled back at her, his skin tanned to a muted gold. He was at least seven girls' crushes - including Bonnie.
"Bonnie, you speak both English and Spanish, yes?" he asked, his speech slow and halting, obviously labored. As a junior, he'd taken three years of English class, and was one of the best in the class, considering how complex the language was. Bonnie was also in his class, of course the best student since she'd been fluent since first grade, having taken the course only because it was an easy A+.
"I speak English, and only a little Spanish," she answered hesitantly. "Listen, Hiromi, if you'd be more comfortable speaking Japanese, then we can - "
"No, no - I will speak with you in English." He cleared his throat and grinned charmingly, revealing rows of perfect white teeth. "I have a favor to ask. I am singing in a contest. I think it would be...impressive...if you sing with me."
She frowned. "Why? I can't sing."
Megan was inspecting her nail polish, which was peeling off in little flakes. Pretending to be uninterested, she kept one eye on the two and both ears open. Hiromi was a good catch, and very nice to boot. If he was pursuing Bonnie, she'd go from just the average nobody to the most popular girl in school. Even seniors wanted Hiromi.
"I want you to sing in English and Spanish for the chorus. Whatever songs you like. It will be an ethnic mix. No one else will try it, I'm sure. And the prize is a motorcycle. If you help me win, I will drive you to school everyday next year on it."
Megan looked like she was squealing on the inside, more excited than her friend was at the idea. She was nearly bouncing up and down in her happiness, her hand clutching Bonnie's arm. "Say yes," she hissed.
Bonnie hung back though. "I don't know... I really can't sing."
"Bonnie, it will be fun!" He punched her lightly in the shoulder for emphasis. "You don't have to sing. Just basically say the words. Rap them even. I don't care. Please?"
"Well...ok. And I can pick any English song? Even an English rap song? Or a Spanish pop song?"
"Both. The more variety the better."
The idea was beginning to appeal to Bonnie more and more. Already she had some ideas. Her CD case was full of different imported CDs. Let's see, she had Grits, Toby Mac, Jaci Valesquez, and then there was even that Greek CD, Antique. Wow, she could really get into this.
"Do you wanna dance?" Hiromi invited, this time in Japanese. He extended his hand towards her, raising an eyebrow in questioning. A faint smile twitched at his lips.
The wheels could be seen turning in Megan's head as she tried to translate what he had said.
Bonnie was rather shy though, and unconfident in her skills as a dancer. Hanging back, she ducked her head and stared at her feet, aware of her heart thumping violently against her chest. If she said no, Hiromi might never ask her again, and if she said yes, all eyes were on her and she just knew she'd embarrass herself.
The shrill ringing of her cell phone rescued her and she took a step back, fumbling through her purse to find it. Finally, after locating it, she pushed the button to receive the message and answered, "Hello?"
"Bonnie. Would ye mind coming down to the hospital?"
"F-Farfarfello?" she asked in shock. "What? Is something wrong?"
"I..." There was a long pause. "I feel like..."
"Never mind, I'll be there as soon as I can." She hung up and tucked the phone back into her purse. "I'm sorry, Hiromi," she apologized, "but a friend called and I have to go. We'll get together after school on Monday to talk about the contest, ok?"
He nodded, looking a bit disappointed. "Alright."
Bonnie then ran outside to the front porch and stood alone, dialing Nagi's number in hopes he'd be home and would give her a ride.
~~~~~
Farfarfello hung up the phone back at the hospital and sighed. Why had he done that? Not even he knew. But there wasn't time to dwell on that. Right now he had sit down and think about what he was going to tell Bonnie when she arrived.
~~~~~
Review! Action and angst coming up...somtime.