"DUDE! That was gold!" Nao said laughing hysterically.
"Fuck, I missed it. Totally not… yeah." Chiba said grinning as he took another gulp of beer.
Nao swayed and almost fell.
"Whoa, watch it." Ryusuke said reaching an arm out.
"I've never been so plastered." She said with a bit of a slur.
"I can't think of what to say right now." Ryusuke said lying back on Chiba's bed.
"I've never been to your house Chiba." Nao said with a grin. "It's so cosy."
"Fuck yeah!" He said giggling.
"I totally see why people are always singing while they're drunk. I feel like breaking into song!" She laughed and spun around almost falling again.
"You should probably stop drinking now." Taira said with a chuckle and a raised eyebrow.
She stopped spinning and frowned. "I fuckin' love you man." She said and broke into a fit of laughter. "I'm so tired."
Ryusuke held up his beer. "I second that."
"I'm going to…. wait… what was I gonna do?" Nao asked closing her eyes and chuckling. "Whoa, spinning room." She said when she opened them.
"Shit… my mom's gonna be home in like 20 minutes." Chiba said looking at the clock.
"Wha-oh." Nao said with a frown and a yawn.
"I don't care." He said as he started laughing again.
"What time does it say?… My vision's like WHOOOOAAA!"
Chiba laughed again. "Midnight…ish."
"Yuh-oh, my dad… is going to be soooo pissed." Nao swayed slightly but managed to steady herself.
"What time were you supposed to be home?" Taira asked taking a sip of beer.
"Taira?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you drunk?" Nao asked putting an emphasis on the 'K'.
"Not really, maybe a little tipsy." He replied.
"Sorry, what did you ask?"
He smiled. "What time were you supposed to be home?"
"My curfew's at like… I don't remember… earlier then I'm going to get my ass home." Nao said cheerfully.
"Yeah… I should probably get going too." Taira said putting down his beer. "I need to go to work in the morning."
"Oh no way, that totally suuuucks! I totally don't have a job right now. I really need one so I can save up money and stuff… it's good to do that." Nao said smiling at the wall.
"Yep, do you need someone to walk you home?" He asked as Nao braced herself on the wall.
"Okay… is it in your walking… like, is it on the way to your house?" She asked.
"It's only like a block out of my way but it's no problem."
"You're a sweet, you're sweet." She said beaming at him.
He chuckled. "Thanks." He put down his beer and put on his shoes. "Catch you guys later." He said to Chiba and Ryusuke.
"Uh-huh." Ryusuke said still lying down.
"G'night and sleep tigh." Chiba said waving with a grin.
"Hee, yeah." She said and started to the door.
"Nao, you forgot your shoes." Taira said shaking his head with a quiet laugh.
"Right." She said and started putting them on. "Opps… wrong foot."
"Night Taiiira." Nao said as Taira started back down the block after he dropped her off.
"Goodnight!" He called back and waved. She waved back and turned to the front door. She struggled to get the key in the door and finally managed to get the door open. She stepped in and locked the door behind her. She then turned to see her dad standing right next to her.
"WOW you move fast!" She said trying not to laugh.
"Where have you been?!" Atsushi asked angrily.
"I was just hanging out with people… lost track of time I guess." She said with a shrug.
"Naoko Yamakawa… are you drunk?" He asked looking livid.
"Noooo, are you?" She asked a smile curling on to her lips.
An expression of fury fell onto his face. "What the hell is wrong with you?! I didn't raise you to be a drunk!"
"I'm not A drunk, I'm just tipsy." She said with a snort of laughter.
"This behavior is inexcusable! You do not drink, EVER! That's how girls your age get raped, even killed! You ne- DON'T WALK AWAY FROM ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!" He yelled as Nao started for the stairs.
"I'm a tired drunk." She said chuckling as her head nodded a bit.
"Atsushi, what's going on?" Kameko asked appearing at the top of the stairs rubbing her eyes.
"Our daughter is drunk, that's what's going on! Not to mention she's late for her curfew! This is all because of those rotten musicians you've been spending time with! Whatever happened to you spending time with Utamura?! He's a good kid, keeps his nose clean." He said glaring at Nao.
"Utamura is a dickwad! The people I've been spending, hanging out with are nice to me. Uta's mean to me." She replied looking at her dad's shirt.
"That's a load of bullshit!"
"And how the fuck would you know?" Nao asked.
"Watch your tongue!" He screamed at her.
"You watch your… tongue." She said her eyelids drooping. Atsushi glared at his daughter as she swayed but managed to balance by putting her hand on the wall. "You're never home, you don't know nothing, anything, so yeah… But you, you don't know anything about me. How could you possibly know who's nice and not? You're never here for any us of us."
Atsushi paused, livid with anger. "You are grounded until I decide that you've proven yourself worthy of my trust!"
"I'm not worthy of anything apparently, everyone says so… thanks for your support, 'DAD'." Nao said while turning to face the stairs. She clumsily made her way up and brushed passed her mom.
"Oh my gosh!" Kameko said running over to Nao as she face planted onto the floor.
"I'm alkay." Nao said.
"What?" Kameko asked as she helped Nao back to her feet.
"I'm alright… okay… somethin' like that." She said as her mom walked her to her bed.
"Just try to sleep it off, we'll talk in the morning." Kameko said not looking to happy as she took off Nao's shoes. Nao grunted as a response and rolled over on her bed.
It was now morning and Nao was lying in bed. She felt yet another silent tear fall down the bridge of her nose on to her pillow. Her dad had unleashed on her before going to work that morning. She felt horrible, not only from the hangover but also because her dad held a grudge. She was so anxious about the coming weeks and the constant reminder of what she did that was to come. She was also feeling like shit because she wasn't going to be able to see her friends until her dad thought she was 'worthy'. She hated him saying 'worthy', no one ever seemed to think she was worthy of anything.
"Nao, Haru's here for you!" Kameko called from downstairs.
"Oh shit!" Nao said to herself, completely forgetting that her and Haru were supposed to hang out that afternoon. Haru had moved in with Eiji the previous week and Haru didn't want to be there while Belle Ame was there so her and Nao had planned to get together. Nao wiped the tears off her face and ran downstairs.
"Your not ready to go?" Haru asked looking at her still in her pajamas.
"I can't go." Nao said glumly. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot to call you."
"What are you talking about, of course you can go." Kameko said with a small smile. Nao looked at her with surprise. "You aren't a bad kid, you made a mistake, there's no reason why you can't spend time with your sister… she'll take good care of you."
A smile curled on to Nao's face. "Thanks mom." She gave her a hug and ran back upstairs to get ready.
"What happened?" Haru asked her mom with a puzzled expression.
"Nao came home drunk and as you can imagine, your father was infuriated. They started arguing and Nao walked away from him and this morning he was livid. He actually made Nao cry." She said with a saddened expression.
"Wow!" Haru said with wide eyes knowing that Nao almost never cried in front of other people.
"Yes… I just hope that he doesn't end up taking it too far."
"Alright, I'm ready to go! Thank you mom, so so so much!" Nao said happily kissing her mom on the cheek.
"Okay, behave." She said pointing a finger at her youngest daughter.
"I will… I'm so sorry." Nao said with a sigh.
"I know sweetie."
Haru and Nao wandered around a bit before deciding on going to Ryusuke's.
"I can't believe you actually talked me into meeting the guys in Beck." Haru said shaking her head. "Especially after what happened last night."
"Haru, you can't understand how awesome they are until you experience them first hand." Nao said skipping along side her sister. Haru groaned with a nervous expression as they reached Ryusuke's house.
"Hey guys!" Nao said walking in beaming.
"What's got you in such a great mood?" Ryusuke asked chuckling at the sight of her.
"I introduce to you, madam Haruko Yamakawa." Nao said slightly bowing revealing a bewildered Haru standing in the doorway.
"… Hi." She said with an awkward wave.
"Oh hey Haru." Ryusuke said.
"Hi." She said again with a sheepish smile.
"You're Nao's sister, right?" Chiba asked eying her. She nodded. "AWESOME! I'm Chiba and that's Taira!" He gave her a huge grin, she forced a smile looking absolutely terrified.
"Hey." Taira said with a nod in her direction.
After a few moments of extremely awkward silence Nao spoke up. "Okay, so, what were you guys doing before we barged in?"
"Nothing in particular." Ryusuke said with a shrug.
"Awesome." Nao said sitting down, gesturing for Haru to sit down next to her.
"Oh… right." She said sitting next to Nao and began staring at the floor. Haru didn't speak for the next half hour or so while everyone was talking.
"You alright there?" Taira asked seeing Haru starting to go pale.
"Where's the bathroom, I think I'm going to be sick." She whispered to Nao.
"Awww, it's right over there." Nao whispered back pointing at it. "Do you need a hair holder?"
She shook her head 'no' and stood. "Um… excuse me." She said quietly and then started towards the bathroom.
Everyone watched her go with a bit of concern.
"She's pregnant, right?" Chiba asked slightly above a whisper, leaning over to you.
"Yeah, you can tell?" Nao asked.
"Yeeep, either she's preggo or she has a beer belly." He replied with a grin.
"Hmmm… I guess your right." Nao said not really noticing the change. She saw Haru practically daily so it never seemed like a huge difference. "She's also really nervous around new people, so don't take it personally. She's like the sweetest girl you'll meet when you get past her nerves."
"Ah, it's cool, no rush." Chiba said with a grin. After a few more minutes Haru came out of the bathroom. Everyone looked up and she froze in her tracks.
"You feeling better?" Taira asked.
"Yeah." She squeaked.
"We don't bite you know." Chiba said smiling.
"Oh, I know." She replied just loud enough for people to hear her.
"It was a joke." Chiba said with a chuckle.
"Oh… sorry."
"You don't have to apologize, no sweat." Chiba said stretching, she nodded and started to look like she was gong to cry.
"C'mon, let's get some air." Nao said getting up. "We shall be back." She ushered Haru outside and they both walked over to the side of the house. "You okay?"
"Can we just go? Please?" Haru begged.
Nao frowned. "Okay… if you really want to."
"Aww, no, I don't wanna make you upset." She said pouting.
"Haru, it's fine, really… I mean, you can understand how it's a little disappointing that you never get to see how cool my friends are, but if you're not comfortable, then I'd rather go." Nao replied with a comforting smile.
"No, it's okay, we can stay." She said meekly.
"It's fine, it's not a big deal." Nao said persistently.
"I'll stay, it's fine." Haru said starting back towards the house.
"Haru, you're doing that thing again." Nao said crossing her arms.
"I know, I'm sorry, It's just like, I don't know, I mean I don't want to let you down or whatever and we're supposed to be hanging out and It's just, I mean, they seem nice enough, but when I see people I don't know I just freeze and I don't know what to do and-"
"Haru, I know, I know, It's really okay… breathe." Nao said as Haru held her breath out of nerves. "We can go get something to eat we don't have to stay here."
"Thanks." Haru said with a slight smile.
"It's absolutely no problem." Nao said smiling back at her.
"You can stay out here if you want, I'll grab our stuff." Haru nodded vigorously as a response. Nao smiled again and walked back inside the house.
"What's up?" Ryusuke asked.
"We're gonna take off." Nao replied gathering her and her sister's things.
"Okay." Chiba said pouting. "Sorry I scared her." He said making a face.
Nao laughed. "You didn't really scare her, socializing just isn't a strong point of hers."
"I have to go too actually." Taira said glancing at the clock.
"Oh c'mon, you're gonna leave me with this prick?!" Chiba asked loudly and Taira chuckled.
"Uh-oh, someone's getting grumpy." Ryusuke said back to Chiba. "You need a nap?"
"Oh fuck you." Chiba said shoving Ryusuke.
"Aye!" Nao said pointing at them both. "Bad!"
Chiba whimpered and sniffled.
"Awwww, you're just too cute, I can't stay mad at you for too long." Nao said chuckling. "Alright, well, that's everything, I'm gonna take off. I don't know when I'll get to see you guys again 'cause I got my ass grounded."
"Booze?" Chiba asked.
"Booze." She said with a nod.
"AWW!" Chiba said opening his arms for a hug. She laughed and hugged him.
"Catch you later." Nao said going out the door.
"Later." Everyone said in unison making them all laugh.
"Okay, so when's band practice today?" Taira asked standing up.
Nao located her sister staring at the pond.
"Haru, do you mind if Taira walks with us?" She asked as she gave Haru her shoes and bag.
"Which one's Taira?" Haru asked.
"The guy with the very blond hair." Nao said putting on her shoes.
"Oh, okay… where are we going exactly?" She asked.
"I dunno, we can find a restaurant in which ever direction Taira's going." Nao said with a shrug.
"Are you sure it's okay to leave?" Haru asked frowning as she finished putting on her shoes. Nao raised her eyebrows at her. "Sorry! I know, I can't help it."
"It's okay that you can't help it and it's okay to leave." She said with a smile.
Then Taira came out of the house. "Bye guys."
"Later." They heard Ryusuke say from inside.
"Which way are you going?" Nao asked walking up to him.
"That'a way." He answered pointing to the right.
"Awesome! C'mon Haru." Nao said looking back at her.
"Okay." She said quietly and followed them to the sidewalk.
They walked in silence for about a block until Taira broke the silence.
"So, do you like music?"
"Oh, yeah." Haru replied.
"Cool, I do too." He said with a smile. Haru nodded slowly and looked back at the ground. "What do you like?"
"Um… Nightwish… Evanescence, things like that." Haru answered.
"Awesome, I like Happy Mondays, New Order, Joy Division, that kind of stuff." Taira replied with a smile.
"Oh that techno-ie music?" Haru asked with a raised eyebrow.
Taira chuckled. "Yeah, no one ever really likes the same music I do." Nao put on a hurt expression. "Okay, except Nao."
"Yay!" Nao said smiling. "You both like Robert Louis Stevenson though."
"You like his books?" Haru said perking up a bit.
"No, I love them." Taira said with a nod.
"Oh how I adore the classics." Haru said finally smiling.
"Well then he's your man. He's THE classic author." He said with a chuckle.
"Also a genius… his descriptions are so vivid! I can't put any of his books down once I start reading." Haru said starting to sound cheery. "It's amazing, it just…"
"Seems like a new book every time." Taira said finishing her sentence.
"I know, right?"
Nao laughed. "The book nerds finally unite!"
It was now two days later and Nao was bored. She hadn't been allowed to go out or do pretty much anything so she was lying on her bed staring at the celling.
"Sirkunne! You have a visitor!" Nao's mom called up the stairs.
"Oh… Okay!" She hopped off her bed and went down the stairs. She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw her old friend. "Yuka-Chan... it's been so long."
"Yeah." Yuka replied with a small smile.
"What's up?" Nao asked still in a bit of shock to see her. Uta had originally been dating Yuka when they had both been 14. Then Yuka and Uta broke up and Uta started to date Nao who was Yuka's best friend. Yuka seemed to think that Nao stole Uta from her and punched her in the face… not exactly a great way to end a friendship.
"Nothing much... can we go up to your room? I kinda need to talk to you." She said with her eyes nervously glancing at the floor.
"Um... okay... are you alright?"
"I'm fine." She gave another small smile. Nao turned and started upstairs, Yuka following close behind. Nao sat on her bed and patted the empty space next to her.
"So… how's Uta?" Yuka asked breaking the awkward silence that started after she had sat down.
"Is that what this is about? You want him back or something?" Nao asked crossing her arms. Yuka didn't reply and hung her head, looking at the floor. "What is it?" Nao asked hesitantly.
"Uh... about 2 months ago... Uta called me and said that you two broke up and that he wanted me back... then yesterday he let out that you were acting bitchy and I said 'I thought you two were broken up' and he shrugged and said that he lied." Nao stared at her with a blank expression. "I'm so sorry."
"You came here to tell me that you're fucking my boyfriend and to rub it in my face?!" Nao asked fighting back tears.
"No, no, not at all... I just didn't think this would be something to tell you over the phone... I'm sorry."
"I-I can't believe it... what... how... it didn't occur to you to call and fucking ask me if we were still together?!"
"I just believed him." She replied quietly, her eyes downcast. Yuka looked up when Nao didn't reply. "A-Are you okay?"
"Okay? OKAY?! You tell me my boyfriend's been fucking you for two months and you ask if I'm okay?! First you punch me over nothing and then you steal MY boyfriend?!" Nao stood up and opened the door for her to leave.
"Nao-Chan... I'm so-"
"I DON'T CARE!"
