Chapter 9
PSYMON'S RETURN
Everyone had eventually found out about Kaori and Mac. Everyone had seen them holding hands in the hallway and everyone's eyes had welled up with tears when Mac had given Kaori a gentle kiss at breakfast each morning.
With the exception of Psymon.
Psymon had secluded himself from everyone else, locking himself in his room and only coming out for meals. He didn't pay any attention to what Eddie and Elise were always talking about, to what Zoe said when she banged on his door, to what kind of obscene letter had been slipped in his room through the crack on the door, to what the television said every morning, or to who that was boarding down on the courses at 5 every morning.
Psymon Stark had lost the will to live.
His alarm went off, causing him to fall off his bed. He had set him alarm to wake him up at seven in the morning, giving him enough time to be awake and ready to go downstairs for breakfast.
He looked at his alarm clock. This was going to be the day that he would eat breakfast with them for the first time since he had been banned from the flag event from Rahzel.
Kaori.
What was he going to do? She rescued him from an icy death weeks ago, and he hadn't thanked her. Worse yet, he couldn't make fun of her without feeling guilty.
"Well, well, well. Psymon Stark has a conscience." He muttered darkly. He swung open the shower curtains.
Kaori gasped. Psymon was at the table that morning. He was sitting next to JP and Brodi at either side and was staring at his food.
She stepped back, causing Mac to grab her shoulders. "What's wrong?" he asked. She motioned over to Psymon.
"I am nervous."
"Don't worry about him. He looks harmless today,"
"That is what makes me nervous, Ma-chan,"
"C'mon. Sit with me today,"
Mac sat next to Eddie and Kaori sat next to him. Kaori glanced at Psymon occasionally and was shocked to find his eyes meeting hers.
It was the most uncomfortable breakfast Kaori had ever eaten.
Rahzel appeared out of no where. "Well, looks like the big bad wolf has come to join us today, right Psymon?"
Psymon gave Rahzel the finger, daring him to make a move.
Rahzel ignored this and placed his papers down.
"Okay, people. About the Flag event. I have the sign up sheets here. At the end of the day, your name better be on here along with your racing partner's. Understood?"
Everyone nodded.
"Right. Also, is anyone missing from here?"
"Zo." Psymon said quickly.
"Yep, she is. Anyone else?"
"Seeiah is sick," Marisol answered.
"Okay." Rahzel sighed, "Alright. Well, anyone want to enter right now?"
"LUTHER AND JP!" Luther jumped up and slammed his fist on the table.
"JP AND LUTHER!"
"NO! Make it LUTHER and JP!"
"JP and LUTHER sound better to me!" JP countered, clenching his fist. Rahzel stared at them both, fearing that they had gone mad.
"Right. So that would be-"
"LUTHER AND JP!" Luther bellowed, his voice echoing off to all of the hotel's floors.
"Oy! Luther!!" Marisol snapped, causing Luther to go bright red.
"Yep. So.the two of you will go on this list," Rahzel said, choosing his words carefully.
Luther attempted to grab the paper from Rahzel, but Rahzel managed to dodge him. "Quit that before I disqualify you! This is a very important race, you know. One of the biggest events in SSX history. All of the players will be playing with the exception of two. This will be welcome to everyone and anyone and will be aired on international television!" Rahzel said quickly.
Kaori's eyes widened. International televison? Big event?
She didn't like the sound of it.
"Eddie and Elsie!" Eddie said immediately.
"Elise? You mean Elise?" Rahzel asked.
"Yep. Elsie,"
Elise glared at him, causing him to recoil.
"Yes. Elise, Rahzel. Eddie doesn't know how to think today." Elise said darkly. Rahzel nodded as he scrawled their names onto the clipboard.
"This is a copy of the rules that you will all be required to read and sign, notifying that you've read and understand these rules." Rahzel noted, passing out a white sheet of paper. "This is the sign up sheet," Rahzel said, holding up a yellow sheet of paper. "Once you sign up with your partner, you cannot change. If you don't sign up, you won't attend. Come to me when you've chosen your partner. Is that clear?"
Everyone nodded.
"Good, good." Rahzel muttered to himself. "Right. So anyone else that will sign up now?"
Kaori exchanged glances with Mac and he nodded.
"Kaori would like to sign up with Ma-chan,"
Elise sniffed loudly, grinning like a fool.
"Mac?" Rahzel inquired, not quite catching the last word.
"Yes. Ma-chan,"
Elise couldn't hold it in any longer. She collapsed into Eddie and sobbed loudly. Eddie sighed and patted her back. "There, there. It'll be alright."
Kaori's eyes widened at Elise's behavior. Mac sighed.
"They're so cute together!!"
Psymon looked at Kaori. "What?"
Kaori blushed and looked down at her lap. Mac stared at Psymon.
Psymon, not meeting Mac's stare, looked up at Kaori. "Hey, look at me when I'm talkin' to you, you little-"
"Shut up!" Mac shouted.
"You little punk!" Psymon growled as she stood up from his seat. He was prepared to lunge at Mac, but looked back at Kaori. She was still ignoring everyone, trying to act like nothing happened.
Psymon sighed.
"Nevermind."
Kaori suddenly looked up at Psymon, amazed that the insane boarder had chosen to keep clear of arguing that morning. "Good move, Stark," Rahzel said loudly.
Psymon met her gaze but ignored it, staring back at his food and shoveling the scrambled eggs onto the sausage. "I hate sausage."
Psymon was still angry.
His board was busted from before, but he had managed to get another one through competition points that Rahzel had awarded him. The board was nicer, he had to admit, but his other board had been with him since he started the league.
He kicked off from the ramp and laid flat on his board and spun himself.
"Superman Bartender, right?" someone yelled from behind.
Psymon stopped abruptly and plummeted to the ground. He got a face full of snow and his board nearly split in half again.
"DAMMIT!" Psymon yelled as he looked at it. A few scratches, who cares? But the fact that he just got the damned thing. "Who the hell do you think you are!?" He spun around and watched as Zoe landed on the snow.
"Zoe?" Psymon stared at her, "Last time I saw you.you were in a stretcher."
"Yeah, pleased to meet you too,"
"You weren't at breakfast,"
"You weren't at breakfast for the past week, Psy," Zoe muttered coldly. "What happened? Why don't you talk to me anymore?"
"I don't talk to anyone anymore, so don't feel special," Psymon had snapped back into himself and pushed off, coasting down the narrow passageway of snow.
Zoe cursed and followed him.
"Psy! Stop ignoring me!"
"Why do you want to talk to me so badly!?" He yelled at her, not stopping or bothering to slow down or stop.
"BECAUSE I MISSED YOU!" Zoe screamed. Psymon stopped and flew off his board, getting yet another face full of snow.
Psymon got up and stomped towards her, raising his fist.
"You gonna hit me cause I missed you?" Zoe challenged. Psymon stopped and they exchanged looks of complete hatred.
"Psy, I felt bad about what happened. I didn't mean for you to get lost but I couldn't help but think it was my fault."
"It wasn't," Psymon muttered, "I was the one who asked you to practice with me. Look where it got us. I got a broken leg and we're both disqualified from the Flag Race."
"Yeah." Zoe sighed, not looking him in the eye
"And if I hadn't sped ahead of you, trying to show off, then I never woulda crashed."
"Yeah." Zoe repeated. "I missed you so much Psy. When you came back, I wanted to apologize, but you never answered the door. I thought you were mad at me."
"I wasn't, I promise." Psymon mumbled.
(What's wrong with me!??! I've never treated someone with so much respect, dammit!)
"Then why?"
"I don't really know. I just wanted to be alone. I am an outsider, after all," Psymon said slowly.
"You're not to me," Zoe whispered. She hugged him.
Psymon looked down at her. She had taken him by surprise and he didn't know what to do.
He put his arms around her.
He felt more like a father hugging a child more then anything.
Kaori sighed and looked down at her gear. "I do not know where it is,"
"C'mon, can't you go without it?" Mac asked as he frantically searched for his beanie.
"No, Mackie. My bear bag is like your beanie!" Kaori whispered.
Mac stopped and looked back at her. "It's that important?"
Kaori nodded.
"Well, if it helps, if you don't find it, I won't wear my beanie, deal?"
"Oh, no Mackie! You do not have to do that! Please!" Kaori pleaded, "I do not want you to be without your beanie just for me!"
Mac got up and wrapped his arms around her. "Kaori, you're more important to me then an old stinkin' beanie."
Kaori smiled and hugged him back.
"Even though I love that beanie more then life itself."
Kaori laughed as she slapped him playfully. Mac pinned her down and said triumphantly, "Ha-ha!"
Try as she might, Kaori couldn't get him off of her. "Oh! Ma-chan, you are fat and heavy!" she screamed as he tickled her.
"I'll get you for that one!"
After they were done playing around, Mac fell back on his bed and sighed. Kaori jumped onto him, straddling him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Is that all you got?" He grinned as he kissed her full on the lips. He rolled her over, pinning her down once again and kissing her neck.
Kaori giggled. "It tickles me,"
Mac smiled, "Good."
Everyone had eventually found out about Kaori and Mac. Everyone had seen them holding hands in the hallway and everyone's eyes had welled up with tears when Mac had given Kaori a gentle kiss at breakfast each morning.
With the exception of Psymon.
Psymon had secluded himself from everyone else, locking himself in his room and only coming out for meals. He didn't pay any attention to what Eddie and Elise were always talking about, to what Zoe said when she banged on his door, to what kind of obscene letter had been slipped in his room through the crack on the door, to what the television said every morning, or to who that was boarding down on the courses at 5 every morning.
Psymon Stark had lost the will to live.
His alarm went off, causing him to fall off his bed. He had set him alarm to wake him up at seven in the morning, giving him enough time to be awake and ready to go downstairs for breakfast.
He looked at his alarm clock. This was going to be the day that he would eat breakfast with them for the first time since he had been banned from the flag event from Rahzel.
Kaori.
What was he going to do? She rescued him from an icy death weeks ago, and he hadn't thanked her. Worse yet, he couldn't make fun of her without feeling guilty.
"Well, well, well. Psymon Stark has a conscience." He muttered darkly. He swung open the shower curtains.
Kaori gasped. Psymon was at the table that morning. He was sitting next to JP and Brodi at either side and was staring at his food.
She stepped back, causing Mac to grab her shoulders. "What's wrong?" he asked. She motioned over to Psymon.
"I am nervous."
"Don't worry about him. He looks harmless today,"
"That is what makes me nervous, Ma-chan,"
"C'mon. Sit with me today,"
Mac sat next to Eddie and Kaori sat next to him. Kaori glanced at Psymon occasionally and was shocked to find his eyes meeting hers.
It was the most uncomfortable breakfast Kaori had ever eaten.
Rahzel appeared out of no where. "Well, looks like the big bad wolf has come to join us today, right Psymon?"
Psymon gave Rahzel the finger, daring him to make a move.
Rahzel ignored this and placed his papers down.
"Okay, people. About the Flag event. I have the sign up sheets here. At the end of the day, your name better be on here along with your racing partner's. Understood?"
Everyone nodded.
"Right. Also, is anyone missing from here?"
"Zo." Psymon said quickly.
"Yep, she is. Anyone else?"
"Seeiah is sick," Marisol answered.
"Okay." Rahzel sighed, "Alright. Well, anyone want to enter right now?"
"LUTHER AND JP!" Luther jumped up and slammed his fist on the table.
"JP AND LUTHER!"
"NO! Make it LUTHER and JP!"
"JP and LUTHER sound better to me!" JP countered, clenching his fist. Rahzel stared at them both, fearing that they had gone mad.
"Right. So that would be-"
"LUTHER AND JP!" Luther bellowed, his voice echoing off to all of the hotel's floors.
"Oy! Luther!!" Marisol snapped, causing Luther to go bright red.
"Yep. So.the two of you will go on this list," Rahzel said, choosing his words carefully.
Luther attempted to grab the paper from Rahzel, but Rahzel managed to dodge him. "Quit that before I disqualify you! This is a very important race, you know. One of the biggest events in SSX history. All of the players will be playing with the exception of two. This will be welcome to everyone and anyone and will be aired on international television!" Rahzel said quickly.
Kaori's eyes widened. International televison? Big event?
She didn't like the sound of it.
"Eddie and Elsie!" Eddie said immediately.
"Elise? You mean Elise?" Rahzel asked.
"Yep. Elsie,"
Elise glared at him, causing him to recoil.
"Yes. Elise, Rahzel. Eddie doesn't know how to think today." Elise said darkly. Rahzel nodded as he scrawled their names onto the clipboard.
"This is a copy of the rules that you will all be required to read and sign, notifying that you've read and understand these rules." Rahzel noted, passing out a white sheet of paper. "This is the sign up sheet," Rahzel said, holding up a yellow sheet of paper. "Once you sign up with your partner, you cannot change. If you don't sign up, you won't attend. Come to me when you've chosen your partner. Is that clear?"
Everyone nodded.
"Good, good." Rahzel muttered to himself. "Right. So anyone else that will sign up now?"
Kaori exchanged glances with Mac and he nodded.
"Kaori would like to sign up with Ma-chan,"
Elise sniffed loudly, grinning like a fool.
"Mac?" Rahzel inquired, not quite catching the last word.
"Yes. Ma-chan,"
Elise couldn't hold it in any longer. She collapsed into Eddie and sobbed loudly. Eddie sighed and patted her back. "There, there. It'll be alright."
Kaori's eyes widened at Elise's behavior. Mac sighed.
"They're so cute together!!"
Psymon looked at Kaori. "What?"
Kaori blushed and looked down at her lap. Mac stared at Psymon.
Psymon, not meeting Mac's stare, looked up at Kaori. "Hey, look at me when I'm talkin' to you, you little-"
"Shut up!" Mac shouted.
"You little punk!" Psymon growled as she stood up from his seat. He was prepared to lunge at Mac, but looked back at Kaori. She was still ignoring everyone, trying to act like nothing happened.
Psymon sighed.
"Nevermind."
Kaori suddenly looked up at Psymon, amazed that the insane boarder had chosen to keep clear of arguing that morning. "Good move, Stark," Rahzel said loudly.
Psymon met her gaze but ignored it, staring back at his food and shoveling the scrambled eggs onto the sausage. "I hate sausage."
Psymon was still angry.
His board was busted from before, but he had managed to get another one through competition points that Rahzel had awarded him. The board was nicer, he had to admit, but his other board had been with him since he started the league.
He kicked off from the ramp and laid flat on his board and spun himself.
"Superman Bartender, right?" someone yelled from behind.
Psymon stopped abruptly and plummeted to the ground. He got a face full of snow and his board nearly split in half again.
"DAMMIT!" Psymon yelled as he looked at it. A few scratches, who cares? But the fact that he just got the damned thing. "Who the hell do you think you are!?" He spun around and watched as Zoe landed on the snow.
"Zoe?" Psymon stared at her, "Last time I saw you.you were in a stretcher."
"Yeah, pleased to meet you too,"
"You weren't at breakfast,"
"You weren't at breakfast for the past week, Psy," Zoe muttered coldly. "What happened? Why don't you talk to me anymore?"
"I don't talk to anyone anymore, so don't feel special," Psymon had snapped back into himself and pushed off, coasting down the narrow passageway of snow.
Zoe cursed and followed him.
"Psy! Stop ignoring me!"
"Why do you want to talk to me so badly!?" He yelled at her, not stopping or bothering to slow down or stop.
"BECAUSE I MISSED YOU!" Zoe screamed. Psymon stopped and flew off his board, getting yet another face full of snow.
Psymon got up and stomped towards her, raising his fist.
"You gonna hit me cause I missed you?" Zoe challenged. Psymon stopped and they exchanged looks of complete hatred.
"Psy, I felt bad about what happened. I didn't mean for you to get lost but I couldn't help but think it was my fault."
"It wasn't," Psymon muttered, "I was the one who asked you to practice with me. Look where it got us. I got a broken leg and we're both disqualified from the Flag Race."
"Yeah." Zoe sighed, not looking him in the eye
"And if I hadn't sped ahead of you, trying to show off, then I never woulda crashed."
"Yeah." Zoe repeated. "I missed you so much Psy. When you came back, I wanted to apologize, but you never answered the door. I thought you were mad at me."
"I wasn't, I promise." Psymon mumbled.
(What's wrong with me!??! I've never treated someone with so much respect, dammit!)
"Then why?"
"I don't really know. I just wanted to be alone. I am an outsider, after all," Psymon said slowly.
"You're not to me," Zoe whispered. She hugged him.
Psymon looked down at her. She had taken him by surprise and he didn't know what to do.
He put his arms around her.
He felt more like a father hugging a child more then anything.
Kaori sighed and looked down at her gear. "I do not know where it is,"
"C'mon, can't you go without it?" Mac asked as he frantically searched for his beanie.
"No, Mackie. My bear bag is like your beanie!" Kaori whispered.
Mac stopped and looked back at her. "It's that important?"
Kaori nodded.
"Well, if it helps, if you don't find it, I won't wear my beanie, deal?"
"Oh, no Mackie! You do not have to do that! Please!" Kaori pleaded, "I do not want you to be without your beanie just for me!"
Mac got up and wrapped his arms around her. "Kaori, you're more important to me then an old stinkin' beanie."
Kaori smiled and hugged him back.
"Even though I love that beanie more then life itself."
Kaori laughed as she slapped him playfully. Mac pinned her down and said triumphantly, "Ha-ha!"
Try as she might, Kaori couldn't get him off of her. "Oh! Ma-chan, you are fat and heavy!" she screamed as he tickled her.
"I'll get you for that one!"
After they were done playing around, Mac fell back on his bed and sighed. Kaori jumped onto him, straddling him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Is that all you got?" He grinned as he kissed her full on the lips. He rolled her over, pinning her down once again and kissing her neck.
Kaori giggled. "It tickles me,"
Mac smiled, "Good."
