LAST
Shuichi's face had
reddened by this point.
"Neither!"

LAST
SIX

"Oh, high fashion or gay man?"

Kennedy sighed as her friend Robyn abruptly changed the conversation. Robyn had the habit of doing that, especially around guys. She also was the friend of Kennedy's who loved the idea of dating an African American…only so that she could say 'Blackman and Robyn' as part of introductions to others.

"Where?"

"Mmm." Robyn swallowed her Mountain Dew down and then nodded her head. Her bright azure eyes were clearly looking directly across the Student Activity Center, or called the Sac much to one of the college professor's dislike. Robyn's pale skin accentuated her bright eyes to her personality of ever laughing excitement. Especially at times like this with her azure eyes trained on the recent captured interest. "Over there."

Squinting, Kennedy looked across the crowd of people eating at the college's café. Perhaps she should get her contacts checked out soon. Where was Robyn looking? There was Chris, who waved at her; Kennedy smiled back at the brown curly haired tech and anime geek. She nodded her head to the red-tinged, bushy bearded Jesse, a future English teacher, who stood beside Chris in his suit and tie. But where was Robyn looking?

"Hey Ken," Chris yelled out. "He wanted you."

Frowning, Kennedy then blinked as she realized who Robyn was talking about. She started laughing. Shuichi was the guy under Robyn's question on being gay. "Hey Shuichi," Kennedy laughed out. Getting her breath back, she looked curiously at him. "Is something wrong?"

"Lynne's car broke down, so I drove her up here," he explained. "Is there any way you can leave early and pick up Michael and Carly from school?"

Kennedy pondered this over. "I should be able to get there 15 minutes after school lets out. I'll call and inform their teachers."

A frown marred Shuichi's face, unusual emerald eyes dimming at the small problem. "Still, I did want to help out with things and go over those moves with them. That and you're permitting me to do it."

"They do like kicking at that pad you attach to your arm. It's not like you can help Lynne's car breaking down. You can have fun with them when her car's fixed again. Any ideas of what to do with Lynne yet?"

Shuichi shook his head. "No."

He didn't want to tell Kennedy that Lynne had spotted the early morning training sessions. Lynne was very adamantly demanding him to let her join the early morning sessions. Shuichi denied it, pointing out Kennedy was…different. Knowing what he was referring to, the blonde haired Malone sister had burst out of her previous shy shell around him and vocally butchered him. It seemed Lynne highly respected Kennedy and enjoyed doing the same activities with her elder sister.

Softball, volleyball, and track had been all the activities the pair had done together in the past. High school was over though and Lynne admitted to Shuichi she regretted competing with Kennedy in those sports instead of collaborating forces. Track seemed to be Lynne's one sport she excelled over Kennedy. He had been thinking about going out for jogs with Lynne, but then he wanted Kennedy to be there for that. The two elder sisters had been far closer than he perceived they were now.

"Well, Robyn, you did have a question to be answered," Kennedy reminded her female friend.

Robyn grinned, her azure eyes snapped over to Shuichi, lighting up her pale skin in excitement once more. "Oh yes! So, Shuichi, is it high fashion or gay man?"

Shuichi blinked. "Pardon? What and who is that question directed at?"

"You."

Staring at Robyn's grinning face, awaiting her answer, Shuichi opened his mouth. And then closed it. Opened it again and sputtered. Chris laughed at the Japanese boy, Jesse shaking his head but still grinning at Robyn, and Kennedy nodded her head at Shuichi.

"Go ahead Shuichi, they won't judge you. For if you are gay, I can vouch you are no Aaron," Kennedy said with a smirk.

"Gods, Aaron. Fucking crazy," Chris spoke right away at the mention of Aaron.

Jesse nodded with Chris. "Damn straight. Well, damn gay. Brining all those random guys back to the apartment…he's a one night stand who enjoys telling the tales."

"And not even hiding the fact that is what they are doing in his room. The noise," Chris complained loudly in agreement with Jesse.

Shuichi's face had reddened by this point. "Neither!"

"Better not let Aaron see you man," Jesse suggested. "You really don't seem the type to be high fashion, so everyone here is going to think gay. He's already hit on my brother," Jesse muttered. Chris snickered from beside Jesse at the comment. Jesse was very high in the Catholic faith and claimed tolerance because of his younger brother Josh. It was among several friends' beliefs that Jesse really was not tolerable of gays, but only tolerable of his brother.

"I'm not either," Shuichi protested. "My hair is naturally this color, same with my eyes. I cannot change my genetics. As for my clothes, these are ones my mother picked out and I do like the style. But contrary to what my friends think, I just throw the style on without thinking about it. Kennedy," he complained to the girl. "Back me up. You've seen what I throw on in the morning."

"Mmm, too true. Lynne's amazed you come out without your shirt on backwards some mornings."

Shuichi frowned. "I said back me up, not humiliate me. I get enough of this back home. What is for food here?"

Kennedy rambled off some of the better fast food choices, tied in with the subs and salad choices. He nodded and weaved his way through the crowd.

"He's living with you D?"

Blinking at the nickname, Kennedy turned to face Robyn. "Well, actually, we're living with him. He offered us the living space this summer."

Robyn frowned along with Chris and Jesse. "Wait, I know you and your mom don't see eye to eye, but all four of you moved out?"

"Well," Kennedy began. "We were all on the verge of being kicked out. But not by my parents."

The three glanced at each other as Shuichi walked back up to the group, holding his order in his hand. "Kennedy, quit skirting around it. You're awful at allowing anyone to help, aren't you?" He shook his head. "It's easier to bear if you tell someone. It won't degrade how people look at you. It's not a weakness to let out emotions. Trust me. I know."

"You know," Kennedy snapped out. "Yet you hardly mention your problems. Don't think I haven't picked up on the mentions to your mother becoming more frequent. You miss her, don't you?"

Shuichi bit his lip and frowned in deliberation. "You are too observant Kennedy. What makes you think I'd bring up that subject to you on missing my mother? You certainly haven't brought that topic up to me or anyone else…with missing your mother. And I am not in a position to complain. It was my choice to do what I have and I knew the benefits and consequences for it. With your parents, it was hardly your choice. You are in the position to complain. Yet you have not yet. I have to admit, I'm frustrated by it."

Why did Shuichi push all those tediously hidden buttons? It was infuriating. The Japanese boy did not do it often, but when it did, Kennedy lost her typical manners around people. She hated him in these moments, she really did. First with the dinner, then with him bringing up she needed to accept help, and now this. She didn't want people to worry or give her pitiful looks. Kennedy could handle it. She always had.

"Your order just got called. Go on, get it." Kennedy glared at Shuichi and mentally dared him to object.

Shuichi shook his head at her. "Yes, I miss her. She is reason why I have patience. You will think it over, won't you Kennedy?"

"Weirdest guy ever," Robyn said as he left to pick up his food in the café.

"Yes, but I hate it when he points out something I know to be true but can't do," Kennedy sighed. "He means to be helpful but I don't always like taking the help. I can't do anything about it. It's maddening, really."

An awkward silence fell over the group. Jesse went to munching at his fries and Robyn to her Mountain Dew. Chris looked over to Shuichi, who was currently thanking the counter girl for his meal before starting the walk back over. A guy who admitted to being frustrated by a girl's actions, yet still returned back to the girl? This guy was definitely not gay. Chris looked back to Kennedy, knowing she never admitted to anything bothering her.

"Did anyone look up the new google Chrome I mentioned a few—"

"My parents died this summer," Kennedy's statement cut through Chris's words.

Startled by the admission, Jesse and Robyn's faces fell and they immediately began offering Kennedy the usual things in these situations. Chris was the only one to notice Shuichi giving Kennedy a lenient and softhearted smile. Kennedy was too busy being squeezed by Jesse and Robyn to notice it. Chris turned his head away from Shuichi's direction and joined the hug fest.

Chris wasn't going to complain about this. It was about time his favorite underclassman opened up more emotionally to others. Kennedy would smile and talk for hours but never a word of what she felt. This was beneficial if anything would come of her relationship with Shuichi.

Especially was encouraging with Kennedy suppressing her feelings about her parents' deaths…for at least four months.

To be continued…