Chapter 7: The Party
I woke up to the sound of Kairi's angelic laughter.
I slowly opened my eyes, smiling to myself. She was probably still really happy. It was nice seeing Kairi in that kind of mood. Not only did it make me feel really comfortable around her, but it also made me feel… well, it was a new feeling. Let's just say that I wanted her to be like that all the time, and a part of me strived and hoped that I would be the smile never left my face as I got up from the recliner.
My spine went stiff and my smile disappeared when I heard a masculine voice from the kitchen, eliciting a giggle from Kairi. Was Kairi expecting someone? I quickly and quietly made my way to the kitchen entrance and made sure to stay hidden. Kairi was leaning on the counter with a huge smile on her face, conversing with the boy behind the open refrigerator door. The door soon closed to reveal a boy with long silver hair.
Riku!
As much as I wanted to jump out and say hi, I restrained myself from doing so. Instead of paying attention to their conversation ( heard something about meatballs and blitzballs), I focused all of my attention on their mannerisms. Kairi had said that she knew Riku at lunch, but I never thought they'd be so… friendly. I watched them carefully, noticing how Riku was more upbeat than usual. Was that only around her? Or was it because he was having a good day like Kairi? Thoughts and paranoia began to overtake my mind: what exactly was the relationship between Riku and Kairi?
They seemed awfully comfortable with each other. Sure, Kairi jumped at the mention of Riku, but I mostly credited that to the first and only name she recognized. And when I asked about how well she knew him, she implied that they were barely friends. The scene I was witnessing said otherwise. In fact, they spoke to each other as if they were old friends, acted as if they've spent a lot of time in each other's presence.
The way she spoke to him… the way she flipped her hair and laughed… all of it was similar to the time that I had spent with her. Was I wrong to think that I was starting to grow on her? I've long since accepted that I was attracted to her. But did she see me in that light at all? Everything that happened between us today was the most fun I've had in ages. Would it have happened if she never made that bet with Roxas? Would she have invited me to lunch had she not won those matches?
My mood fell slightly at the thought. I never thought of it like that before, but… it's entirely possible.
But we almost kissed! That sole event was a beacon of hope, of chance, if anything. Then again…
She went on acting as if nothing happened. She continued to be that upbeat, bubbly Kairi I liked so much.
Did it mean anything to her? Were we just caught up in the moment, was it meaningless infatuation? Was it possible to have feelings for someone you've known for two days? The sight before me had me unconvinced. Maybe Kairi was just like that with everyone. Maybe I was foolish to think I had anything special with her. Kairi, the girl who I have known for less than two days…
I strange sensation stirred within me, this one much different than what I felt earlier today. It was almost… painful. Disappointment? Sadness? Was it even jealousy?
"I'll go check on Sora. He's been snoozing long enough."
Uh oh. "No need!" I casually walked from my hiding spot. "Riku! You're here already?" I managed to convincingly sound surprised. At the current moment, seeing my best friend again was the dominant feeling, and I could truthfully say I had a genuine smile on my face.
"Sora." He returned the smile, albeit much more controlled. "How've you been? I see you're just the same as ever."
"Old habits die hard." I took a seat at the table. Kairi did the same, and Riku remained at the counter. I inwardly cheered. "How long have you been here?"
"He got here when I came downstairs. So maybe, I don't know, half an hour ago?" Kairi explained.
"Yeah. I got here early hoping to talk with you. Little did I know Kairi over here was going to answer the door. Though, I was pleasantly surprised." Kairi giggled when he finished. How was that funny?
"I didn't know you were coming. If I did, I would've cleaned myself up a bit." What's wrong with the way you are now?
"Kairi, you look fine. And today, you seem better than ever." He complimented casually. Before any anger could bubble forth, he added, "Don't you think, Sora?"
"Y-Yeah…" I answered after a short pause. "You look great the way you are now." Okay, so Riku kind of helped me out there.
"Aww, thanks Sora!" she giggled. "Anyway, time to get to work. You got here early to prepare for the party, right?"
"Not exactly. Mostly just wanted to catch up with Sora." I shot him a smile.
"Well, now you can do both. Come on Sora. Let's get the coolers and ice from his truck."
"Right!" I stood up and followed Kairi to the door, Riku right behind me. He had a small smile on his face the whole time.
"Well, now that we're here… you two go outside. It's kind of hot, and I'll keep an eye on the kids."
"Hey! That's not fair!" While it wasn't, I had no problem with it. I had no problem doing Kairi's heavy-lifting.
"Wiggled your way out of this one, have you?"
"Yup!" She teasingly stuck her tongue out at us. "Go on now! You guys can do your whole catch-up thing and everything." She sauntered over to the recliner I had napped in and plopped down. "Don't mind me!"
"We won't." Riku nudged me with his elbow. "C'mon. Let's get the stuff." I gave my silver-haired friend a quick nod and followed him outside. As expected, he still quite a bit taller than me. I quietly sighed. I was never going to reach his height. "Sora."
"Huh? Yeah?" The short address was nothing unusual of Riku, but it still caught me by surprise.
"You didn't tell me you were living with Kairi!" he teased. "How long has this been going on?"
"It's nothing like that!" I could already tell my ears, if not my whole face, had turned scarlet.
"Of course not." He grabbed the other cooler and made his way to the door. "We have a lot to talk about, Sora."
"We do?" What, it's not we had much catching-up to do anyway…
"Let's get this done first. Then you have a lot of explaining to do."
Now I was thoroughly confused.
Setting up for the party had progressed smoothly, with the digital clock reading 6:00 PM. The kids eventually woke up, so Kairi took them upstairs to entertain them. Riku and I went to the basement to finish preparations.
"You still haven't answered why Kairi's here."
"She's babysitting… should I have the pool table set up, or switch it to ping pong?"
"Pool should be fine." He took a can of soda from my private stash. Damn. "You know a lot of guys would kill to be in the spot you're in."
"I know, right?!" I looked around the basement excitedly. "I have everything here! You wouldn't believe how amazing it is."
"Well, I wasn't talking about that, but I guess you're right. I'll find out for myself, I'm crashing here for tonight."
There he goes. Inviting himself over and taking advantage of my (and Tifa's) hospitality. "Figures."
We worked more in silence, watching the clock as we did so. Pizza would be arriving in an hour, people in an hour and fifteen. We were set.
"How long has Kairi been sharing this house with you?"
"It's not just Kairi, you know. The kids are around too." I corrected. The look he gave me, however, showed that he wanted answers. "Okay, fine. I've known Kairi for less than two days. Two nights ago. We met two nights ago."
"Over dinner or something?"
That would have saved us a lot of trouble. "Not exactly."
"Something about that tone tells me there's a story behind this meeting."
"No,there—"
"Tell me."
"Okay." So I told him all about that night. In fact, he made me go on without saying anything. I told him about how we had lunch with Roxas and Namine, about the shopping, about my unnecessary and embarrassing comment. He was never going to let me live that one down.
Riku was still trying to recover from the latest story when he finally gasped, "I can't believe you said that!"
"It was out before I could even think about it!" I defended. My face felt hot when I thought about the memory. I really wish that never happened. But then you all would miss out on a good laugh.
"Sounds like you've been having a lot of fun with Kairi." He said thoughtfully. "What'd you do today? You know, before I got here. Don't tell me you played video games all day."
"No… Kairi actually invited me to lunch with her."
"How ni— wait, she did what?" he asked in a hushed tone. Are we trading secrets or something?
"She invited me to go out and grab some fast food. Something wrong with that?"
"Yeah. She took you out for a date, Sora."
As happy as I was to hear that, and despite the fluttering feeling inside me, I lamely replied, "Nuh uh."
He was convinced that he was right. "Kairi has never asked someone out to lunch. Well, as far as I know."
I took advantage of the opportunity laid out before me. "And how well do you know Kairi, exactly?"
"What's it to you?" he countered with a smile. I opened my mouth to reply, but he shook his head. "Kairi and I have been friends for a while. You can leave us in an empty room and we'd be comfortable with each other for an hour or two. Let's leave it at that for now." Okay, thanks, that really doesn't tell me anything. "Seems to me that you've piqued her interest. You must be packing heat under all those clothes of yours." He laughed at me.
"Riku!"
"I'm just kidding, relax." He walked over to the basket full of remote controls and turned on the ceiling fan. The basement rarely had a problem with heat; in fact, it was actually always cool. But with all the people coming tonight, it didn't hurt to bring the temperature down a bit. "So tell me how this lunch went."
"Why are you so interested to hear about Kairi and me?" I asked suspiciously. Feelings of jealousy and suspicion began to boil inside me.
"Just wondering. What do you have to hide, anyway?"
He had me there. "Well… nothing, I guess. Except that it's my business, of course." I began to walk around in circles. "We went to the park afterward. We went on the swings, and I jumped farther than her." I smiled to myself at the memory. "I actually won a tickle attack. Not the best prize in the world, if you ask me."
"Sounds to me like you two were flirting an awful lot." He added with a smirk on his face. I wondered if that was true at all.
"Well… in my effort to turn the tables, I lost balance. She kind of fell on top of me, so that effectively ended the tickle fight." My face grew hot and took on a crimson hue as I told him what happened afterwards. "When she tried to help me up, she kinda fell on top of me again. And… and somehow, I don't know what exactly made me do it, but I… I tried to kiss her, Riku!"
Riku was merely nodding to my whole story before that final detail, which resulted in a choking and coughing companion. My mind took a second to entertain a few thoughts on the dramatic turn my life could've taken had he died right then and there. Wow, that was awfully childish.
"You did what?" he asked with a bewildered look.
"I tried to kiss her." I said miserably. How many times would I have to say it?
"Your implication is that you didn't succeed." I didn't react at all. Of course I didn't succeed. Had I actually succeeded, I'd be screaming from the top of this mountain.
"Because I didn't." I told him shortly. He still had a small smile on his face.
"The fact that you're standing is saying something. Like I said, a lot of guys would kill to be where you are."
Wait a second. "You mean with Kairi?" And not in this basement?
"Yeah. I've seen a lot of people in school who were interested in Kairi. Of course, they were either too afraid to take that leap or they saw that their cause was futile. Those brave enough were kindly turned down. Kairi's made it apparent that she has no interest in dating anyone that she herself isn't attracted to."
Kairi's one of those girls that everybody wants? The thought made me feel all the less special. If I needed another thing to tell me that she wasn't interested (and I didn't need or want more things), well, this was just another blow. "So…"
"Of course, Kairi is nice about it. She gets along well with guys." He continued. He let out a short laugh before saying, "Kairi's the adventurous type. Sporty, too. You might see that tonight."
"Uh-huh…" I absently replied. Was I foolish to think that I had anything? I hadn't gained any ground, had I? It was all just me and my stupid presumptions…
"Do you like Kairi, Sora?" The spontaneity of the question took me by surprise. He laughed when I gave him a surprised look. "Don't answer that. You tried to kiss her. Of course you do."
"I— Well, that kiss, it…" I tried to formulate an excuse, an explanation. But for what? Why did I feel the need to defend myself? To try and convince him, or myself, that I had the tiniest chance?
"Forget it. You seem confused."
"I'm not confused! I just… Riku, what the hell." I might as well ask him. "I do like Kairi. I'm not confused about that. I don't know how, but it just happened. I know, you're probably thinking that it's on the most superficial level ever, but… I've never felt this way before." Then again, I've never found a girl that I actually liked. But he didn't need to know about that. "I don't know. I have no chance with Kairi, do I?"
"Sora, let me tell you something." He turned the T.V. on and grabbed a game remote. "I'm only going to say this once, and then I'm going to leave it all up to you to decide if it means anything."
Okay. I could live with that. "And?"
"Well, to the extent of my knowledge, no guy has ever gotten as far as you have. Could you tell me why you failed?"
"Well… her phone kind of rang at a very convenient time… ugh, you know what? Forget it. It was a spur of the moment thing, plus she's been giddy all day, so it didn't mean anything, did it?"
"Sora—"
"Riku, after her phone rang, she continued as if nothing happened. No awkward moments or anything. Nothing of the usual that follows something like that."
"Hmm."
"This is pointless! Forget I said anything. Yeah, forget it."
"Okay then."
Needless to say, I was itching for some answers. Why was this so hard? How do people even… how are you supposed to know if someone likes you or not? Why was it so damn hard?!
"Sora, are you even taking this seriously?!" Riku threw an angry look my way. That was my thirteenth loss in a row.
"Sorry, I'm just… how are you supposed to know if someone likes you or not?"
"Sometimes you never find out 'til you ask." Riku selected his character and waited. "Though I recommend stepping back and making sure that you actually like her. And maybe think about it for a few days or so."
"I'm not going to do anything soon.. it's just frustrating, you know? Should've never done any of that…" A light tune began playing, resonating around the basement. "Looks like someone's at the door."
"Party guests, I'm guessing?"
"Yeah! Let's check it out!" Would it be someone new? Anything that would get my mind off this stupid subject would be great right about now.
Riku followed me to the door, digging in his pockets. "Hey, it might be the pizza guy. You never know."
"Yeah, but why are you paying for it?"
"Didn't I order it?"
"It's my party. Shouldn't I pay for it?"
"I planned it."
"But it's for me."
"Do you pay for your party when it's your birthday?" The doorbell tune rang again, this time followed by loud knocks. "Just get the door."
"Took you guys long enough." Roxas grumbled as soon as I opened the door. Standing at his side was his blonde companion, and two others were approaching from behind.
"Ven?" I stared at Roxas's twin. If he wasn't wearing something different, it'd be impossible to tell the difference. Well, maybe not.
"Sora! Nice to see you again." Roxas and Naminé silently made their way into the house. "Did I ever introduce you to Aqua?"
A beautiful girl with light blue hair stood next to him, a small smile on her face. "Hey there. Aqua's the name!" She politely stuck out a hand, which I shook. She seemed pretty nice.
"Er, why don't you guys come in? Food hasn't arrived yet, but you can help yourself to drinks and stuff."
"Yeah. That'd be nice." They followed me inside and I led them down to the basement. Ven looked around in awe, while his girlfriend nodded in approval. "Nice place you got here."
"This wasn't here before…" Ven said excitedly. "Dude, you are so lucky."
"I know."
"Where's Naminé?" Ven's girlfriend quickly asked. Probably to keep a video game conversation from manifesting. "Did she go upstairs?"
"Er, yeah, but nobody's allowed…" Well, unless you know about it, of course.
"It's okay, Sora. She knows who this house really belongs to. I'm part of the family." He smiled.
"Oh, well then in that case, she's upstairs with the kids. Kairi's there too."
"Kairi's here?"
"Yup. She babysits the kids." That simple explanation made the two look at each other in shock.
"Does that mean you're living with Kairi?" Aqua questioned.
I thought they knew about this already. "Yeah. Didn't you guys know about this?"
"Well we were left in the dark about this detail!" Ven laughed. "Dude, you are so lucky."
"So I've been told." Many times.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She eyed Ven playfully. "More girls better get here soon…"
"She can't handle the manliness." Ven whispered to me. I couldn't help but laugh. "Aqua, stay here. I'll get Namine and Kairi."
Kairi just took the kids upstairs after eating some pizza. I didn't even get a chance to talk with her, but strangely enough, she found time to talk with Riku. After rolling out a hot tub with Ven and Roxas (I myself had not known of its existence until today), I walked into the house to find Riku alone, carrying the boxes of pizza downstairs.
"Yup. She said they needed to shower and everything. She'll join us when the kids are asleep."
"That's fine." Roxas voiced from behind me. "Ven and I are gonna clean this thing up. It looks disgusting."
"I guess I'll help you bring all this stuff downstairs then." I volunteered. Riku nodded and made his way down the stairs. Needless to say, it didn't take long at all to get everything downstairs.
"So much pizza." I looked at the stacks and piles of the cardboard boxes. Truly, it was a remarkable sight.
"You have no idea. By the end of the night, we'll probably have only one leftover box. That's if we get lucky. It's gonna be a long party, and half of it will be guys."
"Guys that can eat a whole box or two?" Much like ourselves.
He smirked. "Pretty much." Smiling, I began to make my way up the stairs at the sound of the doorbell tune. Looks like a few party guests were arriving. "I'll introduce you to whoever that is."
"Right!" I swung open the door and flashed a smile. Standing before me were six teenagers: two brunette girls and four guys.
"Sorry we're late! You must be Sora. The name's Hayner." The guy had blonde hair and wore camo pants with a grey vest. He seemed like a cool person. "This is Pence here," he pointed to a boy in a red jersey, who gave me a small wave, "and she's Olette."
"Hey there!" The brunette girl wearing an orange shirt and capris greeted me enthusiastically. "Nice to meet you. Thanks for having us over!"
"Oh, it's no problem, really! And you're not late, you're one of the first few to arrive." I liked meeting new people anyway.
"Well that's a relief… oh, and these guys over here are the reason why we took so long!" Hayner pointed an accusing finger to the other three, who were in some sort of a whisper argument. "We were stuck behind this bunch who decided to drive a lot slower than the limit!" The blonde boy among them jumped.
"Hey, Wakka and I weren't driving! Blame Selphie for driving so slow!"
"The roads were so curvy and winding though! What was I supposed to do, floor it and send us over the cliff?!" she vigorously defended.
"Drive more than five miles an hour!" the boy who I presumed to be Wakka pronounced with a distinct accent.
"Well you know what? You guys can drive yourselves next time. Forgive me for being a safe driver."
"Just because you drive like my grandma does not make you a safe driver. Hell, she isn't exactly the safest person on the road…"
"Hi, I'm Selphie." The girl, completely ignoring her blonde companion (whose name I had yet to learn), stuck her small hand toward me with a huge smile on her face.
"I'm Sora. Nice to meet you Selphie." I returned her enthusiasm with a smile.
She giggled and slowly took her hand back. "No, the pleasure's all mine!" she ran a hand through her hair and cleared her throat. "Say, do y—"
"I'm Tidus. Sora, right? I've heard your name mentioned once or twice by Riku before."
"Yeah. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Wakka! You heard of me, ya?"
"Er, not really, no."
He laughed and gave my shoulder a pat, which felt like two tons of bricks weighing down on me. "I'm just messin' with ya!"
"You guys should come in. We have pizza and drinks downstairs."
They all voiced a chorus of agreement, following Riku downstairs. I closed the door after everyone and matched all the names I had just learned with all the faces I just saw. Hayner, Pence and Olette were the first three; Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka were the other three.
"Did more people arrive?" Naminé called from the top of the staircase. She seemed to have changed from her earlier attire, already wearing a swimsuit under her clothes.
"Yeah. Hayner—"
"Pence and Olette."
"Yeah. And Selphie—"
"Tidus and Wakka. They tend to travel in those kinds of groups."
Trios? "You mean all of them, or in threes?"
"In threes. Though I'm surprised Tidus didn't show up with Yuna." She peered out the window and stood by me. "They started going out around Christmas. You have more party guests here."
"Really?" The answer came in the form of a myriad of voices outside the door. "Hmm. That didn't take long." I opened the door to reveal six more people. This time, the girls outnumbered the boys in similar fashion.
"Sora!" A girl with long, blond hair enthusiastically greeted me with a hug as soon as I opened the door. "Nice to finally meet you!" I stared at the girl in shock. "You're Sora, right?"
"Oh. Y-yeah. And you are…?"
"Rikku! Like your friend Riku! Only with one more 'k' and a couple more points on the coolness scale!" She flashed a bright smile. She was probably the polar opposite of Riku. How ironic.
"Nice to meet you!" I returned a smile and looked at the others in the group.
A brunette wearing denim shorts and a white tank top caught my attention with a small wave. "Hi there! Yuna's the name!" she took a step to the side to reveal a tough-looking girl behind her. She actually looked like she didn't want to be here. "This here is Paine. Thanks for inviting us over!"
"Don't mention it! I was in the mood for a party anyway!" I joked. "Uh, why don't you all come in? There's food and drinks downstairs and everything. A couple guys got here minutes before you did too." All six of the new arrivals, three of which who remained unintroduced, stepped inside the house. The three girls began walking down the hallway, searching for the door I had described. I looked back to see a smiling Namine talking with the red-haired guy. She looked quite tiny standing next to his tall stature.
"Sora! It's me! Roxas's best friend!" A boy, probably two or three years older than myself, held out a hand. "Of course you don't remember me. It's Axel."
I never recalled meeting him before… "I don't remember you at all, sorry."
"Yeah, I was just kidding anyway. See you downstairs!" I guess he chose to do what he wanted, when he wanted. He walked in the general direction of the three girls.
"Why hello there! The name's Demyx. I'm pretty sure I wasn't invited to this party, but it's nice to meet you."
"Sora. And why wouldn't you be invited?"
"Oh, I'm actually a fill-in. I'm never invited anywhere." Wow, bummer. "Of course, they always invite Zexion, but the guy never goes to parties. They just don't get the hint."
"Er, sorry to hear that." I turned to the girl with black hair, who was happily conversing with a seemingly uneasy Naminé. "Uh, sorry to interrupt…"
"Oh, h-hi! Sorry, I was… yeah. My name's Xion. It's nice to finally meet you, Sora."
"Has someone told you about me?"
"Riku has. The boy Riku. In a few conversations here and there."
"Oh." An awkward silence followed before Demyx sneezed. "Excuse me! Sorry about that. Probably allergies. I'm allergic to dust." Another silence followed. "Er, not saying your house is dusty! IT's just… I… can we head downstairs and grab a bite? I'm starving!" he nervously chuckled.
"Yeah. Just follow me." They obeyed, and I held the door for them as they entered the basement. I could already hear loud laughing and screaming.
"So what do you think so far?" Namine casually made conversation with me as we descended.
"Everyone seems to be pretty cool. Well, these last three were pretty weird. Does Demyx really never get invited to parties?"
"Pretty much. Then again, he's the fill-in half the time. It's not that nobody likes him, it's just… I don't know. There's always that person in the group where people are totally indifferent towards."
"I guess it's better to be that than hated. I feel kind of bad."
"Don't, he's fine. I'm sure he's happy to be here too." She looked around the room, her eyes scanning the area. Looking for Roxas, I bet.
"Say, is there anything between you and Xion? Well, mostly you, because you looked kind of uncomfortable when she was talking to you."
"What? I don't think I understand your question…"
"You know… like any conflict? It could be my imagination, but rarely do you look uncomfortable. Shy, but not uncomfortable." Though, that might be because Roxas was always around.
She let out a sigh and her lips curved into a tiny smile. "She… gets along with Roxas pretty well."
Oh. Oh no. One of those things. "Oh. Well then…"
"Yeah. Say, do you know where—"
"He's probably out back, cleaning the hot tub. I didn't even know we had one."
She giggled. "Heh. Thanks. I'll come down with him when it's ready."
"Yeah. I'll… keep people busy, I guess." I decided to join the group with Riku. Sitting around him were Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. At least, I think that's who they were. They had three boxes of pizza stacked on the floor next to them. They seemed to be in a funny conversation, so I made my way there as fast as possible.
"—totally bang him."
Whoa. Bad timing. "Huh. Should I perhaps… walk away now?" The guys started sniggering as Selphie turned around in horror.
"Sora! How long have you been here?"
"Since just now. Was I interrupting a conversation or…?"
"Selphie was telling us how much she wants to—"
"Beat your ass into a pulp if you don't stop talking." She finished cheerily. Tidus smiled in defeat and shrugged it off. "So, is this everyone? There's quite a bit of people here."
"Yeah, this is it. Not including Roxas and Ven and Aqua." Riku stuffed another slice of pizza into his mouth. I started having second doubts as to whether or not we got enough pizza.
"What about Namine?" Selphie looked at me before asking, "she was just down here, so where'd she go?"
"She went upstairs to find Roxas. He's prepping the hot tub."
"Did someone say hot tub?" Wakka asked excitedly.
"Yeah. But I don't think it's… well, it isn't. It can probably fit around eight people, ten if we squeeze in. Then again, there's always the heated pool…"
"Dude, you seriously have it all here!" The other blonde (I think his name was Hayner) entered the conversation with a cup of soda in his hand. "What do your parents do?!"
"Um…" Riku shot me a look, assuring that he'd lie for me if I needed. "My mom's a doctor. Yup. It's only us, so…"
"And your dad?"
"Oh, he's uh…" I scratched the back of my head, searching for a quick lie. "You know, I don't really know what he does. Probably works for the government or something. But he gets paid, right?"
"Dude, you are so lucky. For all you know, your dad could be a secret fucking agent. Badass dude. Badass." He walked away with no questions. That was a relief.
I went around the room, occasionally stopping to talk a lot of people. Everyone seemed to know each other, but it was easy to notice who didn't get along with whom. On a lighter note, I thought I noticed a few flirting bouts here and there. To me, it looked like Hayner and Olette were acting pretty lovey-dovey with each other; when I told Riku this, he agreed immediately. I guess that comes with every group of friends though.
Roxas, Ven, and Namine soon joined the party, and it wasn't long before everyone crowded around the T.V. to play video games. Whenever I got a free chance, I made my way around the room and cleaned up a bit. Better to get knock it out little by little than a mass cleaning session later.
"Need help?" I turned around, finding a brunette wearing a yellow dress. Selphie.
"Sure. I guess I could use an extra hand." She held a garbage bag open as I filled it with cups, plates, and napkins.
"So… you enjoying the party?" She started with a smile.
"Yeah. It's pretty fun. Everyone here is. Lots of different people and everything."
She giggled. "Yeah. You seem to get along with everyone. Which is surprising, because… well, not everyone here gets along with each other. But that's normal."
"Heh. Yeah, of course. Though I haven't spoken with Paine much. It's weird that she and Rikku are such good friends because…"
"They're like complete opposites, right?"
"Yeah!" I laughed. "And Yuna seems to be their ringleader."
"Yup! Got that right…" The small conversation ended abruptly, and we cleaned to the sound of the group's screaming and cheering. "So Sora, where you from?"
We tied up the trashbag before I answered, "Er… here? Well, I really was born here," oh boy, I hope she doesn't catch on. Saying 'really' was completely unnecessary, "and I moved around quite a bit after that. But um, yeah… I'm back. I guess."
"What? Forget your past already?" She joked. I laughed it off without answering. "I was wondering if you were from somewhere else. You know, if you were just visiting for a short time because you had… I don't know, a girlfriend to return to?"
Ha. "Nah. I've never even had a girlfriend anyway."
"What?!" she exclaimed, catching a few people's attention. Way to draw attention to this fact. "You've never had a girlfriend?!"
"Sora's single?"
"Dibs!"
"No way!"
"I'd tap that!" Yeah, that last voice sounded like a guy.
"Selphie, don't embarrass him!"
"It isn't embarrassing…" I mumbled.
"Okay! Enough!" Selphie shooed the other girls away. I still don't know who said that. "So, never had a girlfriend huh… are you… y'know, into… guys?"
"What?!" Seriously? Just because I've never had a girlfriend before? It's really annoying when people do that. "Selphie, I like girls. I know that."
"Do you perhaps like someone already?" she pressed with a smile on her face.
If I did, I wouldn't exactly tell you. We're not best friends yet. Give it a couple years. "I-I don't."
"Sora! Come over here and play!" Hayner called from the couch.
"Eh, sorry Selphie. Looks like I'm needed over… there."
"Yeah. It was nice getting to know you." She winked. Whew. Video games save the day once again.
I eventually lost track of time after playing a few games, but that was only natural. To my disappointment, Kairi never came down. After every game, and every chance I got, I looked to the staircase, hoping to see her joining the party. It was understandable though. She had a job to do and everything, but… it would be nice if she came down to party. As much fun as I was having with everyone, I still wanted to be talking and laughing with Kairi.
"So I heard you never ever ever had a girlfriend before." Axel plopped down on the sofa right next to me and gave my shoulder a hard pat. "It's okay. Don't be discouraged. Ugly people sometimes grow up to be the most good-looking."
What? "Um, what are—"
"All I'm saying is, don't get a girlfriend dude. It's not worth the nagging. Trust me, if you think a girl it's cute, it's all looks. That girl is actually a she-devil. She will be gallivanting around town with your munny within a month, she will make you do things you normally wouldn't do. And wow. It's worse if you guys share friends."
"Um, Axel…"
"Whenever girls get into fights, they will tell every single friend that knows the other person and try to get each of them on their side. They are cruel creatures indeed. Sora, look at me. They will make you choose sides. No, wait, you won't be choosing. They will choose for you. If you try to contest or defend the enemy, you are deemed 'enemy teammate' and they will hate you too. Trust me, I know."
"Okay, that's really nice and all…"
"Whoa, don't get me started on her friends!"
"Er, I didn't…" What in the world is going on…?
"Her friends are eighty percent of the time vicious. If you think the girl you like is evil, multiply that by the amount of best friends she has. I tell you, girls are sick. They will go to such great lengths to make your life a living hell if you cross them. I mean, if you think she paid you back a hundredfold, then she hasn't even started. No, she will complain, spend your money, she will tell all her friends that you're a douchebag, she'll tell her parents how you don't appreciate her, she'll never stop sending you text messages… oh. Wow, and this is the big one. She won't tell you what you did wrong, and instead she'll just be a total biatch. I'm serious, man. This is stuff you've got to commit to memory."
"Thanks, but I didn't really need a speech on that." I said as quickly as I could. He looked at me with indifference.
"Okay. You'll see. Don't say I didn't warn you." He turned away from me and stared at the wall. I felt bad because I kind of shot him down, so I decided to try and make conversation.
"Axel, how do you know so much about girls?"
He turned to me with surprise. "Why, Sora, I thought you'd never ask! You see, I am a total magnet. Damn, I just couldn't get away from them. And I saw some scary stuff. Like girls offering to bear my child or something. But it's seriously—"
"Axel, why didn't you bring Larxene?!" Roxas hopped over the couch and sat next to Axel, sipping from a random cup on the table in front of us. I hope that was his.
"Oh, she said she didn't wanna come."
"Are you guys in another fight again?"
"You know… I never know anymore. I honestly can't tell the difference." He replied thoughtfully. "Enough about me, where is that hottie named Namine?"
Seeing where this was going, I immediately asked, "Who's Larxene?"
Axel turned to look at me with a deadpanned look. "Oh. She's my girlfriend. Our four-year anniversary is coming up in a few weeks."
I was at a loss for words.
"So Roxas... Roxas?" he looked around the room for the blonde that had disappeared. "Damn. Got away… oh, where was I? So yeah, the girls were all over me…"
I absentmindedly stared at the mirror for a few seconds before opening the door. It was getting late, and moving to the pool and hot tub was the unanimous decision of every partier. A few people had to change into swimming trunks (myself being one of them) so by the time I reached the pool, a couple of people were already swimming. Ven and Aqua were sharing the hot tub with Hayner and Olette, while Selphie and Tidus were trying to pull a 'guys vs. girls' volleyball game in the pool.
"Sora! Took you long enough! Get in here, we need like three more guys!" I quickly jumped into the pool. Ah, perfect temperature.
"Get all the guys you want, you still won't win!" Yuna teased as she splashed him. And so begins the flirting.
"This isn't fair, why do we get the deep end…" Demyx complained as he climbed into the pool.
"Oh, suck it up, dude! This is nothing!" Axel, of course, was not affected by the deep water at all. "I think six on six is good enough. Hey! Can we start already?!"
"They sure are taking their time… Tidus, Wakka, Sora: you guys take the front." Riku ordered. "Roxas, you gonna play at all?"
"Eh, I might jump in when one of you starts failing."
"That's the spirit!" Tidus remarked sarcastically. "Pfft. We can take these girls." Rikku, Paine, and Yuna were standing at the net, while Selphie played with the beach ball in the back. Xion and Naminé stood to the left and right of her, laughing at the comments Selphie was making.
"This is gonna be so easy!" Rikku laughed in excitement.
"That's game! You guys suck!"
"Eat that!"
And easy it was. Man, were we put to shame. Then again, I was the only one there that didn't know that Paine, Rikku, and Yuna played on a travel volleyball team. Yeah, it was mostly them; any time the ball went to the back, it was merely set up for a spike for one of the girls down front. The fact that we were in a pool didn't really affect their game. A couple points ago, Demyx was carried out of the pool when he… collided with the wall (jokes of "did you see how fast that wall was coming at him?!" were traded around the pool amidst loud laughter). Our egos crushed, I left with the rest of the guys in shame. It wouldn't have been as bad if we hadn't lost by fourteen.
Playful banter, cheesy comebacks, and extremely funny insults were shooting left and right. Our egos may have been crushed, but hey, we can still trade a few words.
"How come nobody told me they were good?"
"Because we thought we had a chance of winning." Riku mumbled.
"And we played on the possibility that they'd forget to keep score." Yeah, I kinda wish they forgot to do that too. I left the guys to find our injured teammate.
"Demyx, you all right?" I checked up on the blonde, who was sitting in a chair.
"Yeah. Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I just wish I knew the wall was there."
"Don't sweat it. You went for it. It wasn't going out, so…" Yeah. How exactly do you try to comfort someone after he embarrasses himself like that?
"Sora! Come here!" Ven beckoned from the hot tub. I grabbed a can of soda from a nearby cooler and tossed it to Demyx. He didn't have his hands set, so it kind of fell into a sensitive area.
"Oh shoot, sorry!"
"Y-yeah, whatever. I'm fine…" I quickly scurried off and joined the hot tub group.
Riku, Selphie, and Axel were standing outside the hot tub, leaning on the walls. Ven motioned for me to join them instead. "Get in. Hayner's about to tell us what happened last week…"
Oh. I love stories.
It wasn't long before everyone wanted to go back inside again. After Hayner's story regarding his experience with Olette's father, someone (perhaps it was Tidus) challenged someone else to a game of Taboo or something. I found a new appreciation for the attention span of the teenage mind.
Naminé, Roxas and I stayed behind to clean up a bit. We went around the pool and patio, cleaning up after spilled drinks, abandoned cups, and the occasional object where you just didn't ask any questions. I charged Riku with the duty to make sure that no one leaves his sight or the basement. This kind of party was the perfect one for a couple to sneak off and just let loose.
I looked at both Naminé and Roxas and couldn't suppress a smirk.
"Is there a reason why you're smiling like that?"
"What are you talking about? I'm always smiling!" It was true.
"Hmm. But something tells me there was a reason behind that one."
"Roxas, Sora smiles all the time. You're just a really happy person, aren't you Sora?"
"Yup! Very happy!" Needless to say, Roxas didn't ask again. We continued to clean up in silence.
"Is this a bad time?" My heart jumped at the sound of the voice. "The party's already ending just as I come out to join it."
"Kairi!" I turned excitedly to find Kairi standing at the doorway with a towel draped over her shoulders. "I didn't think you were gonna join us!"
She giggled and walked toward the table, setting her towel down. "Had a job to do. They're sleeping now though, so it's all good. Why are you guys cleaning?"
"Everyone went back downstairs to play some game. I think it was called Taboo or something? They just decided to help me clean up a bit."
"And now our job is done!" Roxas cut into the conversation as he dragged a trash bag over. "Naminé and I are going to join everyone in the basement." he stood there for a while, as if waiting for some answer.
"Um… okay. Great." Kairi replied.
"What will you two do?" Namine quipped. Oh. So that's why he did that.
"Well, I came down here to go into the pool, so… I guess I'll do that. What about you, Sora? Gonna join your party guests?" Everyone turned their eyes to me, waiting for an answer.
"I guess… I'll uh…"
"You know, I think we can handle things downstairs." Roxas spoke up. "Kairi, you don't mind having some company, right?"
She looked at me and smiled. "Sora's company? Nah. I'm sure I can handle him!" she giggled when I gave her a mock pout.
"You make it sound as if I'm a load of trouble or a burden or something!"
"You're not exactly the cute little angels I have sleeping upstairs." Ouch.
"Ahem!" Roxas coughed quite obnoxiously. Jeez, what was his deal? "If you'll excuse us, we'll be joining the party. Join us at any time, okay?"
"You bet!" I replied. Kairi and I watched the two go inside and enter the basement. She let out a sigh.
"You know what, a very small part of me wished they just went off to a secluded room somewhere. But only a very small part." We laughed at the thought.
"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean." I mean, don't you guys?
"Well, let's see… could you turn the hot tub? I came to swim, but that's looking far more enticing at the moment."
"Oh, yeah. Hold on." I walked over to the hot tub and set the jet timer. I made sure everything was in order before calling out, "Okay, it should be ready now!" I turned around to see Kairi walking toward me in a simple red bikini. Wow. My face was getting red. i could feel it.
"Thanks! Is it warm?" she stuck her hand in the water and laughed. "Ugh, well duh. Stupid Kairi… you gonna come in?"
Huh? "You mean go in the hot tub with you?"
"No, I'm asking me if you'll accompany me to the cave over there. Of course I'm asking you if you're going into the hot tub."
"Oh! Well, then yeah… I guess…"
"Try to contain your excitement, Sora. Well, take off your shirt and hop in then!"
I'm not gonna lie, something about Kairi telling me to take my clothes off made me shiver and cheer inside.
Needless to say, I complied. She stood aside, making me choose where to sit. Oh well, saves me the effort of deciding whether or not it was okay to sit next to her. "Aaaah…" I let out a contented sigh.
"Great!" She slowly climbed into the tub and immersed herself further. "So hot! It feels so good! Now, scoot over."
"What?"
"You heard me. Move!" Still confused, I still obeyed the order. I moved over a little bit from my original spot. She chose to settle there. "What? You did pick the best spot, right? Well, it's mine now!"
"O-okay!" I actually just picked a random spot to sit in, but I had no complaints. She could've sat anywhere in the hot tub, but she settled right next to me. Did I have a problem with it? Not at all.
"This is so comfortable." She let out a low hum, something that sounded a lot like a purr, and stretched. I averted my eyes. Was she doing this on purpose?
"Y-Yeah… it is…" Kairi, why do you enjoy torturing me? "Hey, so what… took you so long?"
"You mean why didn't I join the party til now?" Yeah. That's what I meant. "I actually built a pillow fort with the kids. They were looking for you, y'know? We needed a bear to destroy our camping tent. But it was a safe night, and thus pretty boring."
"Ha. Why would I be the big bad bear or the bad guy?"
"We get that vibe. The evil, bear vibe. Know what I mean?" she joked. I gave her a playful shove. Which was a mistake, because her skin was very smooth. And oftentimes, once you have a sample of something good, it just becomes harder to resist.
"Arent you so funny…" I leaned back and rested my head on the edge of the tub. "So what happened to the pillow fort?"
"The kids are sleeping in it. I envy them, you know. I never had enough pillows and blankets to make a giant pillow fort I could sleep in. It looks so awesome."
"I bet." I shot her a smile, which she returned. We sat in a comfortable silence.
"So, what do you think of everyone?"
"They're all really cool. I talked with Selphie and Hayner the most."
"Ah. Selphie's one of my good friends. She's the go-to girl for gossip too. And Hayner… hmm. Can't say I know him that well, but we talk."
"Out of everyone , excluding Namine and Roxas, who do you talk with the most?" I looked at her with curiosity as she thought of her answer.
"Among the boys, I talk with Riku the most. And the girls… hmm. I'd say Selphie. Honestly, I talk with the guys a lot more than the girls." She quickly clarified when I raised my eyebrows. "It's not that I don't like them. We have Girls Day and stuff like that. But I generally talk with the guys more. It's almost as if I'm one of the guys. Which may sound a little wrong, but it's true." She let out a small laugh.
"I know what you mean." I thought about her answers. She spoke with the guys more than the girls… and out of all of them, Riku was the one she spoke to the most. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking…"
"Yes?"
"Do you like Riku?" I blurted out. She blinked in shock before trying to answer.
"Uh, sorry, what was that?"
"Do you like Riku? You know, like how Namine likes… Roxas and all…" I broke eye contact with her. She looked rather surprised.
"Um… wow. What provoked this question? Can I ask that?"
"Oh… w-well, you two seem to get along really well, and… I just thought that maybe you liked him…"
"Oh." She responded quietly. She looked bothered, making me wonder if I had done something wrong.
"I'm sorry, you don't have to talk about it if you don't have to, just…"
"No, no, it's nothing. Really." She seemed to snap back to her former state and smiled softly. "A few years back, Riku admitted he liked me. I had to tell him that I saw him just as a friend and nothing more…"
"Sorry, I didn't think it'd bring up bad memories…"
"They're not necessarily bad. It's not like it ruined our friendship or anything. He's moved on, but I know he cares for me deeply. When I turned him down, a lot of the girls thought I was crazy. Because, well, let's be frank. Riku's hot." That wasn't the first time I heard that from a girl. "but… I just didn't feel anything. I couldn't bring myself to like him the way he liked me, and I didn't want to hurt him. Heh. A lot of girls really didn't like me for that. But whatever. I thought I made the right decision."
"I think you did too. Don't dwell on it…"
"I don't know. I got a lot of flak for turning him down. It got to me, you know. And this is the best part. I even started questioning whether or not I liked guys." She turned around in embarrassment, but her smile never dropped. "Riku was there though. He laughed at the other girls and was the one to tell me not to let it get to my head. Sometimes I get angry at myself for being so weak. It was a ridiculous thing."
"But it's normal. I'm glad Riku was there for you. That sounds just like him!"
She laughed, and nodded. "Me too. And yet, I still couldn't bring myself to like him like that." She looked at me before turning away with a sneaky smile. "But I'm one hundred percent sure I like guys. Maybe not Riku, but yeah."
I made sure not to drop my smile. Did she like someone else already? Oh, are you telling me you like someone?" I teased. I smiled, despite the feeling that any hope of getting Kairi to like me just went down the drain. It hurt inside, but I made sure not to stop smiling.
"Do I like someone? What's it to you?" she smiled. Whoever she liked was a lucky guy. Then again, I'm glad she likes the guy she does.
"I wish I could read minds, because you're obviously thinking about him right now."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because you can't stop smiling." I poked her cheek, causing her to giggle. "I'm glad this person makes you that happy. Really, I am."
"Haha! You can be so…. How is it that you've never had a girlfriend?"
"Huh?" That was a little unexpected. Scratch that. I didn't see that coming at all.
"What kind of girl wouldn't want you by her side at all times? You have such an infectious smile. You're funny, and you…"
"I what?"
"I'm not gonna say it. You'll find out though. One day she'll come along and she'll tell you."
"Tell me what?" I was getting curious now. What was she going to say?!
"I'm not telling!"
"Kairi, that isn't fair! Finish your sentence!"
"Make me!"
"Fine!" she asked for it. I reached underwater and found my target. No, you perverts. Her sides. Party because I wanted to get an answer out of her, and partly because I wanted to touch her. Contact, not inappropriately. Ugh. there is no way I can properly justify myself, is there?
"No! St-Stop it right now!"
"Tell me!"
"Sora! It tickles! I… haha… st-stop!"
"I laughed as she tried to stop me. "Not until you tell me!" I relentless tickled her until she was screaming and splashing everywhere.
"I'm not telling you!" she said in between laughs. She managed to grab both of my wrists and wrenched them from her body. "Ha… I… got you…!"
"That's… what you think!" I leaned towards her, pushing my weight on her arms.
"Gotcha!" she quickly spun from her spot and pinned me against the wall. "Now… who's… got…"
"You haven't won yet!" I pushed her to the other side of the tub and pinned her against the wall. Yeah, I was winning.
"You won't get it out of me!" she struggled to keep my hands away from her sides. "Not like this!"
"Then what… will?" I asked with a smile. I pushed my weight on to her, my hands getting even closer to her sides. She jumped every time my fingers made contact.
"I'll never lose… a tickle fight! Riku!"
"Huh?" the momentary distraction was enough for her. She threw my arms behind me and held them fast. I would've tried fighting her with more fervor, but at the moment our bodies were against each other. Why would I try to break out of this?
"Give… up?" her arms shook as I put some resistance up. "You're not getting out of this one."
"Who said I wanted to get out of this one?" Oh, did I say that out loud?
"So you admit defeat?" That was a relief.
"Nope!" I used my full strength to break out of the tangle she put me in. I turned the tables and grabbed her wrists, pinning them against the wall. "But you will! And then you'll tell me what you were going to say!"
"In your dreams…!" she tried to break the hold I had on her, but I quickly put more force. "Hmm. Using your full strength already?
"What makes you think that?" I smirked.
"Hmm. Guess you're just that built." She looked at my body and smirked. "I'm impressed."
Really? "Oh…"
"Gotcha!" I felt a tickling sensation at my sides. No!
"I knew I left my cell phone…out…here…" the voice of Selphie slowly came to a halt. I looked up, and Kairi turned her head. We found Selphie staring at us with her mouth agape. Hmm. This isn't the first time this has happened. But you know something? It feels just as awkward every time.
"Uh…" Kairi retracted her hands and I retreated to the other end of the tub. We both stared at Selphie with equal surprise. "Hey Selphie."
"Hi, Kairi…" she dropped her phone as her eyes shot back and forth between us. "when did you get here?"
"Oh… I've… been here, I guess."
Awkward silence. Selphie suddenly burst out into hysterics. "I'm so sorry Kairi! Had I known, I wouldn't have even flirted with him! Sora, you told me you weren't dating anyone! Why does this always happen to me?! I swear, I try to go after single guys! They just always turn out taken! Oh, I knew it! Why me?! Why?!"
We stared at her before realizing what she said. "Oh! Selphie, Sora and I aren't dating. We're… just friends. Right, Sora?"
"Huh? Oh yeah! Just… friends. I'm not dating anyone."
"Huh? You're not? So then…" she looked at the ground before smiling at us. "I didn't do something scandalous! Thank— wait a second! Then did I just witness… oh."
"What?" I asked. I don't get Selphie.
"Are you two… what were you two doing then?" she said with a sly smile on her face. "Did I just witness something… oh my. I'm sorry for interrupting you two!" she nearly sang the last bit as she ran back into the house. "Oh!" she stuck her head out the doorway. "Whatever you two were doing… feel free to continue!" she made a mad dash for the basement before we could reply.
"Do you think she's gonna…"
"Yeah. She is."
"Do you want to do anything?
"You know what…" Kairi sat back down in front of a jet. "I'm quite comfortable here."
"Oh." I sat right next to her and leaned into the jets. "Same for me then."
"Aaaah. We're gonna get a lot of comments when we go downstairs."
"Do you even care?" I flashed her a smile. I already knew her answer.
"Nope. Too happy and comfortable to care." She rested her head on my shoulder. Uh, this is new… "Do you mind?"
"Um, nope. I don't."
"Great." She adjusted herself into a more comfortable position. "You have a really comfortable shoulder."
"Um, thanks?" That's a compliment I've never received before. "You know, it's not good to fall asleep in a hot tub."
"Psh, whatever. You'll wake me if I do, right?" I nodded. "Good. And I know that if I do fall asleep, you'll be here when I wake up."
"Yeah." I relaxed as much as I could. My heart was pounding crazily in my chest. I never found myself in such a situation… and since it was Kairi on my shoulder… well, that just made me crazy.
"Hey Kairi…"
"Yes?"
"Were you really impressed with my body?" I jokingly asked.
She laughed and splashed my face. "Shut up."
It didn't last long. Or at least, I thought it went by fast. When we finally reached the basement, Selphie informed us that we were there for forty minutes after she left. The group was at a table, hollering with laughter and having a lot of fun. By the looks of things, Tidus was trying to describe something to Wakka, Yuna, Paine, and Rikku.
"Okay, okay! It's small… it's, uh, shriveled up… "
"Speak for yourself, man!"
"No, it's not that! Wipe that smile off your face, Wakka!"
"Tidus, we need more clues!" Yuna ordered him. I could see she was trying to suppress a smile.
"Okay, then it's… well, sometimes, I guess, it's hard, but I think they're usually soft…" Everyone listening to him just fell to the floor laughing. Tidus, who was going red from the embarrassment (and I'm pretty sure he was aware of what it sounded like.
"Time! That's time! We win!" Demyx exclaimed happily. The whole table cheered and laughed as Tidus groaned.
"It was a raisin, guys! A freaking raisin! Get your head out of the gutter!" Nobody really paid any attention to the poor guy. Instead, all their attention landed on the new arrivals.
"Kairi! With… Sora!" everyone came running towards us, and before I knew it, I was being herded off in the opposite direction of Kairi. Great.
"Damn, Sora. I never thought you had it in you." Roxas teased.
"Forty minutes isn't half-bad. Respect." Hayner slapped me hard on the back.
"Guys, we didn't do anything…" I tried to explain.
"Sure. Sora, after all that warning I gave you, you go and do the dirty…"
"What?!" That's ridiculous! Seriously?! "I didn't… I didn't do that!"
"Sora, it's okay. Today you officially became a man."
"Riku, I didn't—"
"Everyone! A drink to Sora!"
"Kairi, do you mind?" I looked to Kairi for help, who merely shrugged and laughed.
"Let them have their fun. They're just messing around anyway."
"How did this happen…"
The rest of the party continued in that stupid teasing fashion. No one was going to let me live anything down (How am I supposed to respond when people congratulate me for sitting in a hot tub with Kairi?), so I just played along per Kairi's suggestion. It wasn't long before we were all playing weird games and laughing at everything.
Sadly, I didn't get to talk with Kairi much. Okay, so I did, but we never got to have an actual conversation. With everyone else there, it was hard to give all your attention to one person. Especially if that person was surrounded by a group of whispering girls.
"How much do you wanna bet that they're discussing how adorable you are?" Ven asked with a smirk.
"It's not gonna last long. You're the new guy, and all the girl's are just freaking out about the next best thing. They'll eventually forget all about you."
"Aww, don't mind him!" Pence came by with a drink in hand. "He's just jealous 'cause Olette's part of the bunch. I looked over and laughed to see that Pence was right. My eyes locked with Kairi's and we traded an expression that admitted our playful defeat.
"Pence, don't go making up stories!" Hayner defended quickly.
"Chill, man. I was just joking."
"Yeah… well…"
"Sora, if you had the choice, which one of those girls would you go out with?" Ven suddenly asked. Oh, how I hated questions like these.
"Ven, I don't think…"
"Nonsense! I wanna hear this too!" Roxas joined the circle that I soon found myself to be in the center of. The only girls around were Namine and Aqua, who held the kind of smiles that would make you uncomfortable because they knew one of your secrets.
"Um, well…"
"Out of all of them, Namine and Aqua included!" Axel added. Ven and Roxas looked at him with disgust.
"Well, no offense to you two, but I wouldn't pick you."
"None taken." Aqua breathed a sigh of relief.
"We know…" Namine commented with a large smile.
"Uh, anyway…" Come on, do I have to answer this? "I… wouldn't pick Yuna or Paine or Olette…"
"Good choice of words, Sora." Tidus jokingly said with a smile. Hayner, trying to be casual, merely shrugged.
"I think I know who you'd pick!"
"If it wasn't obvious already…"
"You know what, I don't have to answer this…"
"Oh, he'd totally pick Kairi!"
"Kairi!"
"Aww, his face is going red!"
"Guys, okay already! Stop!" they all broke out into laughter at my expense. Well haha. Have your laugh.
"Well, good luck to you!"
"Way to aim high, Sora!"
Help me.
The night was coming to an end when Selphie decided that it was time to go. It was understandable, since we had been partying for seven hours straight. Hayner, Pence, and Olette were the first ones to actually leave though.
"It was nice meeting you Sora!" Olette, as bubbly as ever, gave me a quick hug.
"Yeah, you too, Olette! Hayner, Pence, nice to meet you guys."
"Yup."
"Well, til next time, I guess!"
"Sora!" I turned around to find Selphie running towards me. "Hey, Tidus and Wakka and I are gonna head out now. The party was great!"
"Thanks! Glad you had fun!" I smiled.
"So listen… we're all planning to go to the beach two days from now. I wanted to invite you personally because…" she whispered the last part as if it were some secret. "Kairi might want to keep you to herself! And we can't have that!"
"Just what are you whispering about now?" Speak of the devil.
"Kairi! It's nothing, really. Tidus! Wakka!"
"Sora! Thanks for the party. It was awesome."
"We'll party again sometime, yeah?"
"Definitely. See you guys later!"
"Bye!" I watched the trio walk to their cars.
"Hey! We need those guys to move their car!" Hayner yelled from the driveway.
"Easy, I'm coming, I'm coming." Axel, followed by Xion and Demyx, made his way to Kairi and I. "You two be good. I'll see you again. Oh, Sora…" he leaned in and whispered, "I left something under your pillow…" Okay, well if that wasn't creepy enough.
"The party was great! Thanks for the invite!" Xion and Demyx spoke together. They ran out the door before I could reply.
"Aah, now that was one hell of a party!" Rikku threw her arm over my shoulder and sighed. "You really know how to have fun. I like you, Sora!"
"In a totally platonic way." Paine added.
"Yeah! What she said!" she gave me a squeeze and parted from me.
"Thanks for everything Sora. We'll see you again, right?"
"You bet! Call me the next time you guys throw a party!" I said with a… yeah. What else?
"The rest of us are crashing here, I guess. I'm sure you don't mind." Ven was carrying a bunch of trash bags outside. Roxas stood beside me.
"Did you have fun?"
"Tons. You guys have some pretty cool friends."
"I know, we're amazing. No need to tell us twice!" the redhead chirped beside me. "Well, I'm going to bed. I still have to wake up early tomorrow and take those kids to…" she yawned before continuing, "their camp tomorrow. I'll see you guys in the morning, okay?"
"Yeah. Good night, Kairi!"
"G'night Sora. G'night guys!"
"Night!" they returned.
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm pretty much wasted." Riku said tiredly. "Ven, Aqua, where you sleeping?"
"We'll sleep in the master bedroom. Roxas and Nam can sleep in the basement."
"Tell Namine I said sorry!" Aqua said before running up the stairs. Finally. The night was coming to an end.
Or not.
Roxas and Namine were in the shower. No, not together. They were in two different showers. That left me alone with Riku, who wouldn't stop pestering me about Kairi.
"Do you seriously expect me to believe that all you guys did was sit in the hot tub and stare at the sky?"
Um… yeah. "I told you already, we didn't do anything of that sort!"
"What a waste of a toast then!" Riku joked. "And Selphie told us she walked in on you guys doing something naughty."
"W-what?! We weren't doing anything!"
"She told us all that you had her pinned against the wall of the hot tub and whispered sweet nothings into her ear."
"And you seriously believe that?"
"I believe you would do something that corny, so yes. I do."
"Ugh, go away." Roxas conveniently finished in the bathroom and walked out.
"Man, I'm beat." He yawned loudly before crawling onto the pull-out bed.
"Oh, well, sorry to cut this conversation short, but I should shower. "
My thoughts were drifting to Kairi the whole time I showered. No, I didn't do anything weird. Just… thought about her. And how hopeless I was. The shower lets you think, you know? So I thought about Kairi. As much fun as we had today, I was still bothered by the fact that she liked someone else. She never really told me who it was, so I spent the whole time trying to come up with answers. Every time I thought, however, I never could agree with the answer; the only answer I was arriving at was Riku. But she told me that she didn't see him in that light.
Why did she have to tell me that?! I think she just enjoyed torturing me. I bet there's a part of Kairi that is just sadistic.
I hopped out of the shower and quickly dried myself off. As I was changing, a caught a glimpse of my reflection and stared. Was Kairi serious or not when she said she was impressed? She never really answered that question either.
And it wouldn't hurt to know…
I threw my shirt on and walked out of the bathroom to find Roxas and Namine snuggling on the pull-out bed. Wow. They really are… wow. How can you not assume they're dating? They're as tangled as a pretzel!
I quietly made my way to my bed and buried myself under the covers. Riku came down minutes later and went straight for the other couch. Now's a good time if any…
"Hey Riku."
"Yeah?"
"Do you still like Kairi?" I asked quietly. He didn't answer immediately. In fact, the question seemed to hang in the air for an eternity.
The answer came after a deep sigh. "It doesn't go away, Sora." There was obviously no need for words, so we remained silent for a long time.
"Sorry for asking, Riku."
"Don't sweat it. If anything, I'm glad it's you that likes her."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I know I can kick your ass if you hurt her." He laughed. I smiled to myself.
"Good night."
"Yeah. 'Night." He turned himself over on the couch and fell asleep within seconds. I buried myself into my pillow and breathed deeply. My hands, which had wrapped around and under the pillow, brushed against something.
"What the…?"
I grabbed the object, which was obviously something in some type of wrapper, and shined the light from my phone on it.
A condom.
"Gah!" I sent it flying to the other side of the room. Good riddance, Axel.
I had a reason to thank my exhaustion now. It saved me from a lot of thoughts before I fell asleep.
RE: Huge thanks to msdramaqueeny, ShadowSpooky, Fanfiction Fanatiction, Blood Seraph (new name!), kikofreako, iluvkingdomheartz, SecretAgent99, KHgatomon3444, Electron Beam, Dynasty021, SilverClock, Eloquent Disaster, and mattjesse for reviewing time and time again!
Also, I would like to extend my gratitude to dearlybelovedangel, Vnision, jonesy25, izzyta, rawrimadinosaur8, colormecrayon, young gun kid, tayt63, and Naivette for your reviews as well!
Take care, and I'll see you around!
