Oh ho ho! Quicker update! Isn't life swell? I loved advancing my vocabulary in this chapter. I hope you enjoy!
~*~*~
That damn phone is going to be the death of me. It is truly pushing my self control. Who does it think it is, waking me up like that?
I sat up from my bed and put my fingers on my temples. That horrible ringing felt like it was piercing my very skull.
"I'll get it!" Cloud called out from below.
I groaned and stretched. I looked at my clock. 7:00. No use trying to get back to sleep anymore, my alarm would be going off in mere minutes.
"Honestly," I whispered, "Who calls someone's at seven? That's so inconsiderate…"
I wiped the sleep that had cornered in my eyes and lazily threw on my clothes. I also chose to adorn my heavy blue sweater today. It looked simply frigid outside.
I gathered my school things and dumped them into my checkered backpack.
Oh… I forgot to do my Geometry homework…oh well.
After the morning haze lifted from my head, I remembered last night.
What a strange dream. God, that's so embarrassing. I've just met them, and I'm having incriminating dreams about Cid and Vincent.
Wait…that was a dream, right?!
After I had finished my morning routine, I noticed it was 7:15. I still had thirty minutes until I had to walk to school. I could even get some breakfast.
To reinforce the idea, my stomach gave a mangled groan. I rushed down the stairs as the smell of fresh pancakes wafted into my nose. My mouth began to salivate as the smell became stronger and stronger.
In the kitchen, I saw Cid slaving over the hot stove, steam rising from a freshly cooked batch of the heaven cakes. Cloud was still on the phone, twirling the cord like a love struck teenage girl. Vincent was sitting completely straight at the table, reading the newspaper.
We get the newspaper?
I tried to creep over to the table without catching too much attention. That might have just been a talent of mine, blending in. I was getting quite good at it lately. However, Vincent sensed my presence. He lowered the paper, nodded to me once, and returned to his reading.
I kept glancing at Cid, a little apprehensive to ask for some breakfast. Suddenly, he yelped, waving his finger in the air.
"Shitbags! Oh fucking damn it! This bitch has it fucking out for me!" Cid screamed, sucking on his index finger.
Cloud rolled his eyes, whispered something into the phone receiver, and put it down, going to tend to Cid's injury.
"What did you do?" he questioned.
"I was trying to do somthin' fuckin' nice for ya'll, seein' how you let us stay 'ere and all. God damn it! All I wanted to do was make some fuckin' pancakes, but this asshole thought it would be so fucking hilarious to burn the shit outta my finger!"
Cloud shook his head at the slur of curses, "I don't think the stove has it out for you, Cid. You're just an idiot."
Cid flicked Cloud off with his good hand and retreated from the kitchen, still sucking on his finger. He flopped down on the couch with a grunt, still cursing under his breath.
I rolled my eyes and glanced at Vincent. He was staring at Cid. He actually looked a little worried.
Wait… no way. No way. Is? Is Vincent…blushing? No. There's no way. You're seeing things, Roxas.
I shook my head and moved from Cid to Vincent. It seemed as though Vincent was staring right at Cid's finger.
Oh, he's probably just worried that Cid is hurt. They are friends. But Cid really should stop sucking on it and run it through some cold water… wait. Sucking…?
My eyes shot open wider than a dinner plate. That's why he was staring.
So does that mean…last night…it wasn't a dream, was it? Oh my god…
I looked down at my table, shaking my head. How could that be? They're guys! And so…opposite!
Oh no. There it was, that hollow feeling. It returned with a burning passion, as if to throw salt in the wounds. Every time I witnessed a relationship of any kind, it came to haunt me. The hole seemed to grow and grow. I feared it would overtake me. Consume me. I really didn't want medication for an emotion, my pride wouldn't allow it. I was just scared I would start burning bridges with every one of my happy and content friends, alienation me from everything that truly mattered. Cid and Vincent were just two more people who were pushing me on that path of self-destruction.
I kept my head down as I stood, reaching for my backpack. I shuffled to the door, keeping my eyes from wavering from the floor.
"Oi, boi! Aren't you gunna have any breakfast?" Cid called.
I shook my head.
'Roxas, at least have a pancake. Not eating isn't good for you," Cloud scolded.
'You're not my mother…" I said under my breath. I shook my head again. "I'm not so hungry," I replied a little louder.
"Lie. You didn't eat dinner either."
"I just want to get to school," I stated.
I heard Cloud sigh in frustration, "Eat lunch though, okay?"
"Alright."
"Mrs-, I mean, your mother is going to be working a little late tonight. Cid, Vincent, and I are going over to Tifa's today. Do you have your key to get home?" Cloud questioned.
"Yes, I always have it…"
"Then, we'll see you later tonight."
I didn't bother to say goodbye as I disappeared, on my way from one hell to another.
~*~*~
When I reached school, there were barely any people there yet. I still had an ample amount of time before the crowds of students began to pour into the building in the mornings. I knew for a fact that none of my friends were here at this time, so I decided to pay Miss Gainsborough a visit, just to get a head start on the newest cooking assignment. Maybe get a couple of tips on how to do the assignment.
I actually liked the hallways in the morning. The school didn't look much like a school. More like an indoor mall. Desolate and forgotten.
I turned into the Home Ec. hallway and made for Miss Gainsborough's door. I was about to reach for it when I heard voices inside. Now, eavesdropping is completely rude and such a violation of another person's privacy, but if Miss Gainsborough was going to talk loud enough for someone else to hear, she's really to blame.
She was on the phone. I saw her pacing around the room, looking rather distressed.
"Darling," She said in a sickly sweet voice, "Why don't you answer your phone? Are you ignoring me? Do you not love me anymore? Darling, I thought what we had meant something to you. I left him to be with you. I realized that you are the only one for me, do you know that? Now I find out that you're with her again?! How could you do this to me, Darling? She doesn't love you as much as I do. I know everything about you…does she? Could you just pick up, Darling? Please…Cloud. Just pick up. I love you."
My heart skipped a beat. Did she just say 'Cloud'!? My half-brother Cloud?!
She flipped the phone closed and held it to her chest, leaning her head back and sighing.
"Don't you worry," She said to herself, "He'll return. He always returns."
This was getting to be too much for me. Cloud said he was with Tifa, yet my Home Ec. teacher is calling him up, saying 'Darling' and 'I love you'?! Is Tifa the other woman? Is Miss Gainsborough!? Who did she leave for Cloud?
"No," I whispered, "This doesn't make any sense."
I decided to take one more look inside. Miss Gainsborough was playing with one of her braids while she opened a drawer. I had seen that drawer a dozen times, but she had never once opened it. It was always locked. She took out a few papers from it, and then held up a photo. She brought it to her lips and kissed it. I saw it was a picture of my half-brother. He was dressed in work out clothes, drinking a bottle of water.
"That picture does not look posed…"
Suddenly, Miss Gainsborough looked directly at me. I let out a tiny yelp and dashed away down the hallway, adrenaline pumping through my veins. As I was running, I quickly looked back. She was not following me.
When I reached the end of the hallway, I stopped running.
"I guess she didn't see me," I huffed, clutching my pounding chest.
"And what were you doing, Little Buddy?"
I froze and slowly turned around, looking into that redhead's cocky face. Mine slowly fell into a frown.
"What do you want?" I seethed.
He shrugged, "I want to know what spooked you enough to send you dashing down the hall with your tail between your legs," He lowered his eyes and smirked.
My eyebrow twitched, "None of your business."
He shrugged, "Alright then."
"Now, what are you doing here so early?"
He chuckled, "Wouldn't you like to know? Well, I actually have to go make up some extra credit in Home Ec. It seems my little stunt yesterday didn't rub the teach the right way."
"That makes two of us."
He rolled his eyes, "Oh, come on, man. You have to let that go already. Yeah, I screwed up, but something as small and dumb as that is what makes me your enemy?"
"I just don't like your type," I growled.
This seemed to amuse him, "Oh? My type? Pray, what is 'my type', hm?"
"Oh, let's see… cocky, arrogant, self-centered, rude, self-absorbed, conceited-!"
Axel got right in my face, grinning, "Go on! More!"
"Egotistical! Haughty! Pompous! Pretentious! Brash!"
"Oh yeah?" He was really getting a kick out of this, grinning like a maniac, "And what else am I?!"
"Vainglorious! Narcissistic! Megalomaniac! Prideful! Self-aggrandizing! Insolent! Most unbearable person I have ever had the displeasure of knowing!" I was shaking now, and out of breath.
Axel was looming above me, beaming. I huffed, trying to regain my composure.
"That…that felt good," I replied.
Axel chuckled, "That's quite a vocabulary you've got there."
"Thanks."
"Jesus, you must have really had everything bottled up if you exploded like that!"
"You have no idea," I replied, "But… t-that really was fun."
He laughed again and ruffled my hair, "Anytime, Little Buddy."
I scowled, "Don't call me that."
He just grinned.
~*~*~
My next class was my least favorite. English. I was horrible at English, and for some odd reason, I was good, considering I skipped a grade in it. However, I loved subjects that have a definite answer like math and science, considering that they're the only thing in my life that is definite. English has so many different approaches to it that I over-think and over-analyze then loose sight of the bigger picture. I knew how to speak my own language, better than a good percent of the employed people in my country, mind you. Why did I have to learn how to annotate or the author's purpose for adding an element to a story? Do you think the author purposely sat down and said,
"I'm going to put a simile here…and a personification there….and oh! This would be the perfect place for a hyperbole!"
…No. They don't. It is pointless to point those things out.
The only upside to the class was that I had Hayner in it. I was surprised that he tested out of English 1, just like I had. Hayner is my only friend that I have never had a fight with. He knows my boundaries, and I know his. And we had to be on good terms. We were the only freshmen in that class.
Hayner caught up with me just as I was entering the classroom.
"Ugh!" He groaned, leaning on my side, "Mr. Ansem's going to murder me!"
I lifted an eyebrow in an attempt so seem interested, "Why?"
"I didn't finish annotating the chapters of Merlin!" He moaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
I looked around the classroom and noticed that a slough of other students were having similar reactions as Hayner.
"I don't think you're the only one," I replied.
"Did you get it finished?"
I shrugged slightly, "I finished enough to get an alright grade."
Pence looked behind my shoulder and sneered, "Well, I bet you Zexion got his annotation done."
I glanced over at the slate-haired teen, with his nose in his book. It wasn't much of a surprise. Zexion was always reading something. He was also one of the best students in his grade, possibly the whole school.
Hayner frowned, "If he loves books so much, why the heck isn't he in English 3 or something?!"
All I could do was shrug, "That's a good question."
The bell then shrieked and Hayner and I took our seats. I sat right behind Zexion and Hayner sat behind me.
Our teacher, Mr. Ansem, walked into the class and unraveled his red scarf from his neck and set it on his desk.
"It's a cold one out there," He said no to one in particular. "Well, good marrow, students. I hope you all had a nice weekend. I also hope that your annotations are finished."
The class let out a large groan.
Mr. Ansem chuckled, "Well, I guess not. Before we take a look at your annotations, how about you give me a little response. How did you all feel about the book?"
A few hands shot up, including Zexion's.
"Yes… Fran?"
The tan girl flipped her light, wavy hair, "Well, I believe the book is quite fanciful, but it felt like the whole thing… hid something bigger."
Mr. Ansem smiled, smoothing out his goatee, "I believe you're right, Fran. The entire book was fiction, yes, but had allegories to show the political unrest of the Dark Ages in Europe. Of course the character Arthur was-?"
"King Arthur," The class replied.
"Quite. And Merlin was-?"
"Merlin the wizard," The class sounded like brain-dead drones.
"But, who was Merlin?"
The class glanced at each other, not willing to give out an answer. Zexion's hand slowly raised.
Mr. Ansem beamed, "Yes, Zexion?"
"Merlin was a character from Arthurian Legend depicting a wizard, helping the future King Arthur find himself."
"Very good!"
I rolled my eyes at Zexion's response.
Merlin wasn't always the good guy, I hope he realizes. Has he never read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court? That was a Mark Twain classic!
Feeling rather spiteful, I, too, raised my hand.
"Oh? Do you have something to add, Roxas?"
I nodded as all eyes focused on me, seeming to wait for a chance to pounce if I made a mistake. It made me feel a little uneasy, but I knew what I was talking about. "Well, it seems as though Zexion is implying that Merlin was always the good guy, aiding Arthur. But in Mark Twain's A Conneticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Merlin was the antagonist. He was a complete charlitan, with a lack of any magical powers at all. In fact, Merlin represented the church and superstition, depicting them as the corruption and downfall of man. To add to that, Merlin's magical powers were a complete anacronism in most literature. European's belief in magic died out long before Arthuranian Legand was popular. Magic was replaced with faith."
Mr. Ansem's eyes widened at my analysis. Most of the class looked dumbfounded. Zexion looked espically aggrivated. I heard a few "Smart ass" and "Little faggot" comments whispered underneath my peer's breath.
"That is very good point, Roxas. And both of you are completely correct. As in ever piece of literature, there are different points of view, be they positive or negitive. We must always remember this when reading, and also remember this in life."
Pence oked me on the shoulder and gave me a thumbs up as I turned around.
"Good going!" He whispered, "Did you see Zexion's face?!" He grinned like an idiot, "Oh, man! He was fuming!"
I had to force myself not to smile.
Oh, if only Axel could have seen that.
~*~*~
I looked down at my Merlin book and frowned. Pence rolled his eyes at me.
"Stop pouting, Roxas! You got a better grade then I did!"
"Pence, I got an 85."
"And I got a 71."
"But…I thought I did okay."
"Apparently not," He said as he packed up his things. The second bell was about to ring.
"This is why I hate English. I get too confused with it."
He laughed, "Dude, we're in, like, advanced advanced English, for our grade anyways. Any other freshman in this class would fail. You did good."
I lifted the corner of my mouth a tiny bit, "Thanks."
He smiled and patted me on the back.
Then the bell rang.
I was walking out with Pence when someone bumped into my shoulder harshly.
"Oh…sorry," I mumbled.
"As you should be," said a dark and condescending voice.
I looked over into the dark, scowling face of Zexion.
"What did you say?" Pence spoke up for me.
Zexion's gaze didn't detour from me, "You think you're pretty smart, don't you?"
I didn't know how to respond. I just looked down at the angry boy. I also made a mental note that when someone shorter than you is telling you off, you can't take them seriously.
Zexion's eyebrow twitched as he let out a snort, "Just watch your back…and take a shower. You smell grotesque." He stormed away, shoulders rigid.
I turned to Pence.
"What the hell was that all about?" He questioned.
"I have no idea…" I turned my head and sniffed my shoulder, "Do I really smell that bad?"
Pence leaned in and sniffed me, "Uh…no? That guy has some problems."
I nodded.
"But…Roxas…" Pence warned as we walked, "You might want to take what he said to heart. Remember, he's suspected to be one of…" He looked around suspiciously, "That gang. You know."
I had actually totally forgotten, "Oh…that's right."
"Lord knows what e could do to you."
I raised my eyebrows, "Pence, I doubt he could even hurt a fly. I mean…just look at him. He's intimidating, yes, but not violent."
"Then he could get someone else who is violent to mop the floor with you."
Ouch.
~*~*~
Just a few things:
It's rather ironic that I despise English class. I mean, I love writing, but that class is the bane of my existence.
Oh yeah, I couldn't have Roxas stay mad at Axel forever. That would be uncouth.
And, no. I'm sorry. There will be NO Zemyx or DemZex (or whatever you kids are calling it these days) in this story. I absolutely HATE that pairing. It makes no sense to me. They're not even in the same game (Not counting 358/2 Days)
What's with this whole Aerith subplot? What about the ValenWind subplot? The Riku and Sora subplot? The upcoming Naminè subplot? Do I even have a REAL main plot?! I don't know myself…
Could you please review? I really love reading those. I love getting reviews just like a blond angsty blue eyed boy loves getting Ax- I mean…sea salt ice cream. Yeah…. 3
