Chapter 10: The Shocking Catalyst
I fell asleep last night with such a smooth transition; my awakening came just as easily.
And the smell: how wonderful it was! The first breath of air this morning was filled with his scent. I wanted to bury my face in the pillow and just stay there. The smell of him was taking over my mind! I had to tear myself away, so in one quick action, I reclaimed control and turned over, breaking off from the addicting sensory overload.
A soft, warming light was dripping through closed blinds when I opened my eyes this morning. I could already tell it was going to be a wonderful day. I mean, everything about it seemed as if it was ripped from the pages of a light, happy children's book: the birds were chirping outside; the house was quiet and peaceful; the bed I was lying in was soft and cool.
Wait. What about the…?
An anxious whisper escaped from my mouth. "Sora!" Shooting up from the bed, I tossed the covers aside and looked to the floor.
A sigh of relief released itself from my system at the sight. There was Sora, tangled in a huge mess of pillows and sheets with a funny-looking smile on his sleeping face. A smile of my own came into existence as I kept staring at his sleeping form. Not because his shirt was riding up and I could see part of his lightly toned abs (though that was a bonus), but because he was still there.
It was proof that our conversation that lasted late into the night was real. Also, at some point in the night, he carried me and put me in bed.
The thought of it sent chills up and down my spine, but I couldn't help but giggle at the feeling. He was pretty much the guy made of everything I found ideal.
Ugh, just listen to me. Going off about some boy. I may be a hopeless romantic, but I don't fawn over guys.
"C'mon Kairi. You've got a job to do!" I slid to the end of my bed as quietly as possible, breaking into a brisk pace as soon as my feet hit the ground. I entered the twins' room and found them sleeping peacefully, a small amount of drool dribbling from Vaan's mouth. It was picture perfect. Just like everything this morning, I guess.
"Vaan! Penny! Wake up!" I called out in a restrained voice. Penny slowly began to stir, but Vaan wasn't even fazed. So I worked on Penny. "Good morning, Penny! Ready for camp?"
"Uh-huh…" she mumbled as she rubbed her eyes. Without another word, she slowly crawled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Good girl.
"And now for this one…" I grabbed a tissue and approached Vaan's sleeping form. "Vaan! It's time to get up! You're burning daylight!" I hastily wiped his mouth, pulling his arms above his head. I saw a smirk form on his face. So he was awake. "If you don't get up, I'll be forced to tickle you!" He pretended not to hear me, his head tilting off to the side. "Okay then… one… two… three!" I followed through on my warning, my fingers darting all over his sides. The room was suddenly filled with a shrieking, childish laughter.
"O-okay! I-I'm up!" he laughed cutely. So I have one word to describe these kids. I'm pretty sure you are familiar with it too: adorable.
"Good morning to you too, Vaan!" I got up from the bed, pulling him up with me. "Now go and get ready. Your sister is already in the bathroom."
"Okay!" he ran as fast as his legs could take him, giggling like a maniac. He took mornings so much better than his sister. To think that he was the one that gave me so much trouble on the first morning.
After passing the bathroom to make sure they were actually getting ready, I went to prepare myself. I sent a quick text message to Roxas too: nothing to stop us from playing tennis this morning.
Plus, something might've happened. I wasn't counting on it, but hey. I can dream.
What can I say? I was feeling confident. No need to remind you, but I'll do so anyway: my dreams have been coming true for the past four days.
Despite the massive amounts of rain last night, the weather was actually… not disgusting. I was expecting to walk outside and find a humid mess, but a light and constant breeze seemed to negate such a weather damper.
"Are you both ready?" I asked the kids as I loaded all of our gear into the car.
"Yup!" Vaan's voice rang immediately after the question. Penny yawned and slowly nodded.
"Great! Let's get going then!"
Vaan and I sang along to a huge lineup of Disney songs, eventually getting a laugh out of Penny. By the time we got down the mountain, she was almost as awake as Vaan. The drive was yet another testament to the giddiness of the morning. And, amazingly enough, the side of the island we were on wasn't wet at all. Weather on the islands was such an interesting phenomenon.
After arriving at the recreational center, I bought the kids a light breakfast: sugary cereal with some sliced fruit on the side. They wouldn't be swimming for at least half an hour anyway. Plus, they seemed to enjoy the idea of eating inside the cafeteria. Life was just more exciting when you were younger.
With the meals finished, I bade the kids farewell and walked back to the car, calling Roxas on the way. He picked up on the last possible ring.
"Hello?" the groggy voice croaked on the other end.
"Roxas? It's Kairi." I started the car, eying my hair in the rearview mirror. Ah, perfect. "Did you get my text?"
"What text?" Of course not. I should've assumed as much with the way he answered his phone. "Why are you calling me so early? Don't you have a life?"
"Roxas, I thought we were gonna play tennis this morning. Do you not want to?"
There was the sound of shuffling before he answered, "Oh. Tennis. Yeah, I'll play."
I decided to remain in the parking lot until I finished the phone conversation. I wasn't going to endanger my life to find a sleeping Roxas. "Great. Well, the courts in Miss Lockhart's area are wet. So we'll be playing at your neighborhood courts. Does that work?"
"Yeah, yeah, that's fine. Just give me ten minutes to get ready…" I could hear him yawn on the other end.
"Perfect. I'll pick you up at your house and save you a walk."
"No, I'm at Naminé's house. Pick me up there." Oh. So you slept over again. No wonder why you aren't ready. I'll give you all the time you need, buddy.
"All righty then. I guess I'll just follow the speed limit then. See ya soon!"
"Yeah, bye." The click on the other end was my first green light. Guess I was going to pay the Naminé house a visit.
My drive to their neighborhood was quite relaxing. Since the weather was so perfect, I decided that it was much better to roll the windows down, blast the music, and sing my heart out. The only time my voice would die was the occasional stoplight. Nobody had to hear me sing wrong notes.
Ironically, the tennis game wasn't the subject of my thoughts. Instead, I saw this smiling face, striking blue eyes, and light brown hair spiking in every direction with a gravity-defying manner. Then I would hear the laughing: a masculine, yet somewhat boyish and filled with youth, chuckle ringing through my head.
Everything I liked about Sora seemed to make a permanent home in my mind. My imagination so easily became a reality: I could hear that laughter, that comforting voice as if he was in the seat beside mine; I could see him across from me and watch the way his hair danced in the wind, his captivating eyes kept behind the cutest squint of happiness; I could pick up the scent of that unique aroma, the Sora-smell that paralyzed me with bliss. And I could feel the warmth of that first and only hug: the ephemeral experience that I would remember for a lifetime.
Somehow or another I arrived at the destination. A wistful sigh escaped my mouth as I turned the engine off and my mind drifted yet again. A glaring question seemed to pop up in my mind: what would Sora taste like?
"Don't go there don't go there don't go there!" I tried to slam some sense into my head, and I avoided the thought for the most part. Though my mind did find it fit to play out a scene where Sora and… kissed.
And far, far away into the corner of my mind shall it go.
I hastily got out of the car and ran to the front door, allowing no idle time for my mind to get working on its perverted endeavors it so persistently tried to follow.
No, I had no control over it. I'm not the pervert. My mind has just been tainted, is all.
"C'mon already!" I rang the doorbell again, even knocking to get the message that someone was at the door across the house. No one answered. So what do you do when you want in?
No silly. You don't call and check if anyone's home. You break in!
So guess where I found the spare key? Under the doormat. Seriously, do people really think that's still a good place?
I decided to do my friend a favor and teach her a lesson. Using the spare key, I entered the house with the turn of my wrist. The room I was looking for (where I would undoubtedly find Roxas, Naminé, or both) was in the back of the house.
Maybe any normal person would be reluctant to open the door. But this was Roxas and Naminé, two people you could depend on to not be doing anything naughty when you walked in on them.
Well, save for that one time with the cookie dough…
I slowly opened the door to find the austere yet beautiful room of Naminé. The white room was a statement of the girl's innocence, purity, and angelic personality. Adorning the walls were both drawings and paintings, the artwork of the owner. A common theme ran through every piece: the subject of friendship. I could pick out the old paintings, the new drawings, and the most important ones.
You know, the kind she would hastily grab in the event of a fire. A montage of all her friends (That would be the whole group, all hand drawn, mind you) would be among that group.
The two sleeping forms in bed didn't even stir when I entered the room. I guess you could say it was a good thing. The breathtaking image seemed to be a perfect moment captured by a professional studio photographer, or the most serene and innocent scene pulled out of a romantic movie.
There they were, lying sweetly in a state of dream-like tranquility. The owner of the room was wrapped in the arms of her visitor, her back comfortably resting against his broader chest. His hands lay over her waist, innocently resting upon her the silk, white sundress that covered her flat stomach. Their legs were tangled under the sheets, which seemed more like a cloud that filtered the blistering heat of sunlight and left nothing but a warming kiss.
I didn't want to be the one to end their moment, but I also wanted to play tennis. Plus… practice was good for both Roxas and I if we planned on holding our positions as the best high school tennis players on Destiny Islands.
I slowly approached the bed, calling out each of their names. Naminé moved, causing Roxas to tighten his hold on her. Ugh, at this rate…
"Roxas!" I called in a harsh whisper. "Naminé! Wake up!" The latter cracked open her eyes before yawning. Well at least one of them heard me.
"Kairi? How'd you get in here?"
"Front door. Spare key under the mat. Not a good idea, in my humble opinion." She smiled, placing her hand over Roxas's much larger one that was resting on her stomach.
"Roxas? Kairi's here. Get up now…"
"No, five more minutes Nam…" his voice trailed off with the dying energy.
"What time is it?" She asked before burying her face in her pillow. Her muffled voice was loud enough for me to hear, "I'm so comfortable right now."
"It is… 8:30 in the morning!" I reported loudly. Roxas groaned.
"Can't I sleep in? I was looking forward to this all school year," What, sleeping with Naminé? "And just when summer comes around, you have to ruin it…"
"Oh please. While you're sleeping in, the other guys are out there getting better!"
"But we practice every day for four weeks before next school year, and we practice every day for at least two hours during the school year!" Roxas whined. He wasn't quite awake yet; else he would've sounded more annoying and come up with more excuses.
"Yeah, so why don't we get a head start on those four weeks of summer practice?" He groaned and buried his face in Namine's blond locks, who was lying sweetly with a faint smile on her face. "We're not going to get any better by sleeping in! What happened to the Roxas of the school year? He was such an overachiever!"
"That was school-Roxas…" he mumbled. "Summer-Roxas likes sleeping." No, I'm pretty sure you're not lying there because you like sleep.
Ugh. I'm trying to help him, and he's not cooperating! "Naminé, will you..." What do I say, get your boy-toy out of bed? No, too mean. "Help me out? He's not listening to me."
She inhaled deeply, her fingers intertwining with his (it was so disgustingly couple-y that I actually forgot they weren't dating, making me a bit angrier at Roxas). "Roxas? Kairi wants to play." Oh gee, thanks for making me sound like an annoying kid on Christmas morning who wanted to open the presents twenty minutes ago. "You have to get up."
"No, I like it here…" he tightened his embrace, pulling her body closer. She giggled sweetly at the gesture.
"Roxas, that tickles!"
"Where?" his mouth curved into a smile behind her ear. The fingers that were once at her stomach moved to her sides and twitched, causing her to whole body to jerk. "Here?"
"Roxas!"
Okay, does anyone find this a little awkward? No? Well, what about the fact that I was standing right there and I had to report it? Yeah, there we go.
"Guys," I coughed. They didn't stop flirting. Or touching each other. Or laughing and smiling. "Should I leave?"
"No, R-Roxas is just being— stop!" another laugh escaped her mouth. "He's being a jerk!"
"How is this—" Naminé fruitlessly tried to wriggle herself out of his bear hug, "—being a jerk? Should I not hug you anymore?"
"No, but tick—" she turned her body so she could face him, her small hands squeezing his wrists, "tickling when I said stop is!"
"Fine, fine, I'll stop…"
"No, it's too late now." I seized one of Naminé's arms and dragged her out of bed. She apparently found it funny, giggling all the while. "I see you're wearing your new night dress." And wow did it look great on her. Leave it to her to turn a sexy outfit into something that's closer to adorable.
"Yes, and it's quite comfortable too." She brushed herself off and stretched. I looked at Roxas, who seemed to be looking at her with fascination and awe. And then he noticed I was watching him, so he turned away; not without a redder face, of course.
"Great. You doing anything today? If not, you can come and watch us."
"Sorry, I promised Olette I'd be over at 9:30 to help her prepare some food. Hayner and Pence are kind of useless in that department, so…"
"Yeah. Can't count on a guy to—"
"Do a woman's job?" Roxas interrupted, a cocky smile on his face. It disappeared quickly with the combined disgust of me and Naminé. "Sorry."
Yeah. Not something you should say to two girls.
"I'm gonna get ready. Help yourself to the food in the fridge." And with that, she walked out of the room. Roxas dropped his head on a pillow and let out a long sigh.
"Aww, did I ruin your perfect morning?" I teased.
"As a matter of fact, you did."
"Well you can still sleep. I heard from your very mouth that summer-Roxas likes sleep." I earned myself an agitated look. "Oh, don't give me that. You gonna get up now?"
"Like there's anything better to do…" he threw the covers aside and stood up, mimicking the same routine as Naminé. He dragged his feet across the floor, an act more lazy than sleepy.
Today, Roxas. Please. Or you could just take your time. "Hey, maybe if you get to the bathroom fast enough, you might catch Naminé before she gets in the shower!"
"Shut up."
Roxas and I arrived at the court thirty minutes later. Naminé left her house the same time as we did, deciding that the earlier she arrived at Olette's, the better. Roxas was, I admit, cute with his concerns of Naminé driving alone, but she convinced him that she would be fine. It was only a ten minute drive anyway.
We sat on the courtside bench, quite happy that we had the whole court to ourselves. It wasn't unusual to see a young group of kids having a tennis lesson, so we were thankful for the privacy.
"I feel like it's been forever since we played tennis." Roxas said as he rotated his shoulders. "Even though it's only been one day and all, it still feels weird."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." I spun my racket in my hand, getting a feel for the familiar extension of my arm. "Which side do you want?"
"The side I'm on right now. Best two out of three?"
"If you mean sets, then yeah." I grabbed a few tennis balls and walked to my side of the court, Roxas doing the same. I dropped a ball, hitting it across as it bounced back up. Warm-up officially began. "So you excited for the beach today?"
"I guess. Last time I was there was Spring Break, and that was only because—"
"Miss Lockhart's conditioning." I finished. He smirked as he returned a ball. "Let's never do that again."
"Definitely. That was complete hell." He hit a stray backhand, cursing under his breath. "So, anything going on with Sora?"
I returned with a backhand of my own, only mine went perfectly over the net. "Don't know. Why don't you ask him?"
"Oh, don't play that card with me!" he lobbed the ball high into the air, "You know very well what I'm talking about."
"Well then I guess that depends. And from the looks of it, I'm not obligated to tell you anything."
"Ugh, fine. Don't remind me. I remember."
"Do you plan on winning this bet? I kind of want to lose, you know."
"Kind of? Do you have something to hide about Sora and yourself, perhaps?"
"No, I just don't like losing." That was a partial truth. I really didn't like losing, but I also had something to hide (from Roxas, at least) about Sora. You can never trust a boy to keep your feelings a secret.
"Sure…" we played in silence for a few minutes until one of us made a mistake. That just so happened to be me. "Let it go; we'll warm up with serving now."
"Roxas…" I threw up a ball and made a perfect hit. He still managed to return it to the net without a problem. "Why haven't you asked Naminé out yet?"
"I thought we went over this already." He didn't say anything after that.
"What if I told you that she's getting tired of waiting? Or that she was considering someone else?"
"She wouldn't. And if she does like someone, she would tell me."
"Well she likes you, but she didn't tell you because she thinks guys should do the confessing."
"I know."
"Plan on doing something anytime soon?"
"Well, I'm gonna have to do it right away if I want to win this bet, right?"
I almost missed the return when he said that. "Are you implying that you're going to…?"
He smiled, forcefully bouncing the tennis ball and setting himself up. "I might."
The matches ended in my overall victory: two matches out of three played. Maybe it was because I was more committed today. Though, to feed my ego, I credited my victory to my higher skill level.
"Roxas, I think you're losing your touch." I teased, wiping the sweat from my forehead.
You know, now that I think about it, Roxas has seen me in the most unattractive states ever. All hot and disgusting and sweaty. How embarrassing…
"Or maybe you're just getting better." He retorted with a smile. Was that a compliment? None of the 'you just got lucky this time around' talk? What's going on?
"Are you trying to get on my good side or something?" I was onto him. He wanted a favor. I knew it. He definitely wanted a favor.
"No, can't I just compliment you every now and then? That's not too unusual."
"Look at me in the eye right now." He followed my order. Yup. He was lying. "Okay, you better not have thrown the match for this. What do you want?"
"Kairi, I told—"
"I'm gonna hit you with this racket if you don't tell me what you want right now." He didn't need to ask if I was serious.
He sighed in defeat, looking at the ground. "I was wondering if you could give me a ride to Olette's. I'd rather that Naminé and I drive together, so…"
"You could've asked without throwing the match." I told him. That was so irritating, when he let me win. Like he was mocking me or something.
"I really didn't lie to you about throwing the match!" He made eye contact. Okay. So he wasn't lying about that bit. "Really. You beat me fair and square today."
"Okay." I packed up my racket and stored the tennis balls in their rightful canisters. "I take I'll have to take you home and chill at your house for a little bit so you can shower?" The driving to his house bit wasn't much trouble. It was waiting. What was I supposed to do while I waited?
He half-grinned, half-winced. "Please? If it's not too much trouble?"
"Yeah yeah… after all, the more time you and Naminé spend together, the better."
"Thanks Kairi. I owe you one." He flashed a smile, slinging his bag over his shoulder. I handed him mine after pulling out my keys.
"Right. Let's hurry up. I'll have to make some plan adjustments." We got in the car and made the minute-long drive to his house. Roxas's house was very similar to Naminé's; in fact, it was the same exact house in terms of format.
"I won't take long, I promise!" he hastily told me before dashing inside. On the other hand, I took my sweet time, and when I finally went inside, I could already hear the shower running.
"I could use one of those myself…" I mumbled before dropping myself on the couch.
Oh! The plans for today. Better call Sora.
I listened to the dial tone for a while before Sora's voice chirped on the other end. "Kairi!"
Good morning to you too. "Hehe, hey Sora." I nervously laughed. Why was this so… embarrassing?
"What's up? You gonna come back soon? Riku said he'd come over and take us to the beach party."
Oh. That would have been very convenient. "Yeah, that's what I want to talk about. There's a change of plans." You know, the ones that we were going to run on a whim, thirty minutes before the party.
"Oh. Are you… not going anymore or something?" His voice seemed to lose a trace of his usual happiness.
"No, no, I'm still going. But I won't be going with you and Riku."
"Oh, that's a relief. I really thought you were going to say that you weren't coming."
"Oh, don't act like it'd be that bad."
"Fine, fine. So how come you aren't coming with us?" I heard the beeping of the microwave in the background. Hot chocolate.
"Well, I'm at Roxas's house right now. I'm doing him a favor relating to Naminé. I figured I'd take one for the team."
His laughter was music to my ears. "Aww, you're too kind. So are you going with them?"
"Probably not. I think after dropping Roxas off at Olette's, I'll go home, shower, and then head to the beach."
"Which one's Olette again? Was that the super-hyper girl?"
"You're probably thinking Selphie. Olette is usually with Hayner and Pence."
"Oooh. The other brunette."
"Yup. So I'll meet you guys at the beach. Just let Riku know. You guys can spend quality time together!"
"Sure. Quality time. Gotcha. Anything else?"
"Don't forget to wear a white t-shirt and jeans. And bring your bathing suit. I highly doubt we'll be taking pictures the whole time."
"Right… you know, I don't really know why I'm going to be in the pictures. I met everyone like… two days ago. If you or Riku or Roxas and Naminé weren't going to be there, I'd feel pretty awkward."
"Sora, you'll know four of the fourteen or so people there. How will that be awkward?"
"Well, you better make yourselves available. You guys being you and Riku. I don't wanna play the third wheel game."
"Oh, quit joking already. You should be hoping for something to happen today."
"I know, I know. Just messing around."
"Well Sora, I better go. Don't forget to pack a towel and sunscreen. And make sure the pillow fort is all cleaned up, and set the alarm."
"Yes mom." He chuckled sarcastically. "I'll see you there, right?"
"Yeah. I'll probably get there before you guys anyway. See you then."
"Bye Kairi." I hung up the phone feeling all giddy inside. Funny how a simple phone conversation could do that to me. Only with Sora.
I sat in silence for a few minutes, looking around the room. It wasn't long before Roxas's call rang throughout the house. "Kairi! I'm almost done!"
"Okay." How else was I supposed to reply to that? "Just tell me when you're ready to go!"
Another minute and a half later and Roxas was out of the bathroom, dressed in his jeans and white tee. "Ah, I feel a lot better now."
"Yeah, you look a lot better too. Naminé will appreciate that!"
He scratched the back of his head and smiled. "Way to make me feel a little insecure."
"I try. Now get in the car. I have to drop you off, go to my house and shower, and a whole list of other things to set you guys up for a love confession!"
"Is this the apocalypse?" Roxas snickered as he grabbed all his belongings. "Never before have I seen Kairi so intent on losing a bet."
"You should probably shut up now. Just in case I decide to change my mind."
That got him for sure. "Yes ma'am." He mumbled. Much better.
I stared at myself in the mirror. The shower I had taken earlier today really fixed my hair up, and for that I was grateful. I got to use my mom's super-expensive shampoo. She always kept the most expensive and most amazing things to herself.
My face had a light amount of make up on, but I swear it was for SPF purposes. It's not like I was trying to impress anyone. Or get a boy's attention, or anything of that sort. Strictly protection.
Okay, fine. Don't believe me.
I directed my attention to my clothing. The shirt was most certainly comfortable, so Naminé did a good job on that. But it did me no justice in the curve department. I looked a little odd with loose jeans (probably should've gone with skinny jeans, but too late now), and probably as flat as a board. Why can't I flaunt what little I have?
Skinniness was a curse sometimes.
I quickly looked over my whole outfit yet again. My white bathing suit remained unseen and unnoticeable underneath my clothing. Perfect. Now I'd be safe just in case any "accidental mishaps" occurred while taking pictures.
You gotta take those into account when you're dealing with boys. "Accidents" just occur at a higher frequency with them around.
"Kairi, you ready to go? Roxas and Naminé just left." Olette's voice rang on the other side of the bathroom door.
"Yeah, just making sure that my bathing suit can't be seen!" I opened the door, finding Olette on the other side of the threshold. "You can't see it, right? I'm good to go?"
"Yup…" she turned around and took a step forward, only to turn around again. She gave me a thoughtful stare and narrowed her eyes.
"Something wrong?"
"I don't think so… just that your shirt really brings you out nicely."
"Really? I thought it kinda took away from me."
"No… that definitely looks great on you. It really does bring out your curves. Unless, of course, your boobs just decided to grow a significant amount since the last time I saw you." She started laughing, and I jokingly covered my chest.
"Okay, okay, I get it! You can stop scrutinizing now!"
"Hehe, sure thing! C'mon, let's head out now. Your car or mine?"
"Mine. I gotta pick up the kids halfway through anyway." I grabbed my bag, hopefully filled with everything I needed, and exited the house. Olette climbed into the passenger's seat shortly after.
Our conversation was filled with random topics, ranging from school, community service, jobs, and shopping. The best thing about Olette was that she didn't make you feel awkward when you talked with her: I didn't know Olette too well, despite us being in the same friend circle, but I certainly didn't feel uncomfortable with her either. Eventually, our conversation drifted to the universal topic that had to grace every single one of our conversations.
Boys.
"So is Sora going to the beach today?" she asked with a sudden curiosity.
"Yup. He and Riku are coming together. I would've driven with them, but Roxas would probably die if he was away from Naminé's side for over two hours." We couldn't help but giggle at the couple. "What makes you bring up Sora?"
"Oh, nothing. Just that the girls have taken an interest in him, you know?"
Now I was the curious one. "Girls? Is it more than one person?"
"Well, of course it's mainly Selphie. But I spoke with some of the girls, and we've come to the general consensus that he's a ten on the cuteness scale."
I wanted to agree, but that'd be giving myself away. "A ten? Who came up with this anyway?"
"Oh, all the girls. Excluding Paine, because she doesn't think his happy-go-lucky self denotes cuteness."
I beg to differ. "Ah, I guess she would…"
"Yeah. But the rest of us thought otherwise."
I raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You were included in the bunch?"
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that!" Olette laughed, playing with her hair. "I gave him a ten for being cute. So did Selphie and Yuna and Rikku. I think Xion gave him a nine."
"Xion?" I thought back to Naminé and inwardly cringed. Don't wanna turn out like that now…
"Yup. Anyway, that's the story behind that one. We had more trouble deciding his hotness score."
I felt what can be described as if a bunch of dogs just peed on my territory. That's not a pleasant feeling, by the way. "Oh? What'd he get?"
"I think it was a six." Olette giggled to herself. "Selphie and Rikku gave him an eight. The rest of us gave him either fives or sixes."
I made a mental note in my head. Selphie and Rikku. "I see. And when did this all go down?"
"The day after the party. All the girls went out, minus Naminé and you. Oh, and Selphie had work, but we just kidnapped her after she finished. I think Naminé had one of her Roxas dates, and you… hmm… what exactly did you do yesterday?"
"Oh, I just went… downtown… with Sora…" I turned to look out the window to admire the lovely weather we were having. My, the sky suddenly looked so interesting!
"You were out with Sora?" Olette nearly gasped in surprise.
"Yeah, but it's not what you think. It was a spying mission."
"It's okay, I won't press." Olette turned to look out her window with a smile on her face. "Kairi, what scores would you have given Sora? I'm curious."
"Oh… probably a nine… okay, ten," I corrected myself when Olette laughed, "and a seven on the second scale." That was actually the truth, believe it or not.
"Kairi, you are so modest." The brunette laughed loudly as I pulled into a tight parking spot. "Ah, it's going to be crowded. Hopefully everyone thought to carpool."
"I'm sure they did. Or they'll find parking elsewhere." We got out of the car, carrying everything that we brought. "Think Roxas and Naminé found a table?"
"Most likely… oh, that's them over there, right?" Sure enough, my eyes landed on two teenagers setting up an area with three or so picnic tables in a shaded area. Both were in the designated outfit of a white tee and jeans.
"Yup. Let's go!"
After setting up, Naminé and I went down to the beach to find a spot. Amazingly enough, it wasn't too crowded— well, it was filled with people, but finding a spot fit for a dozen or so teenagers wasn't too hard.
So we claimed our spot with two blankets, two umbrellas, and a cooler. Being the perfectionists we were, Naminé and I were sure to create the picture perfect set-up. An umbrella at the head of the two blankets, another one on the side, and the cooler sitting nicely under the shade. Everything was perfect. After reassuring Naminé that I wouldn't get kidnapped, she went back up the beach to call everyone over.
The skies were clear of all clouds—if you didn't count the wisps of cirrus clouds that brushed the blue canvas above. The breeze lightly kissed everyone, carrying with it the smell of the sea. There was nothing more refreshing than that sea splashed mist released into the air with each crashing wave.
"Sure is nice out, isn't it?" a familiar, masculine voice sounded behind me. I smiled.
"Definitely." I turned around to face the boy, "Did you just get here?"
Strands of silver rose and fell with the passing of light gusts. "Yup. I was ordered to bring these chairs," he shrugged his left shoulder where three chairs hung, "and these blankets. I don't think we'll need all of 'em." The blankets fell noiselessly onto the sand as he shrugged off the foldable chairs. "How long have you been here? Hopefully we haven't kept you waiting."
"I haven't been waiting long." I answered with a smile, finding his eyes under the mess of hair. "Nice outfit, by the way."
The joking compliment was returned with a smirk. "Why thank you. You'd look just as good if your shirt was a little whiter and your jeans a bit more blue."
I giggled again, giving him a hard shove on the shoulder. "You always know how to compliment a lady." He crossed his arms, a small smile on his face. "Where's Sora?"
"Ah, I saw that coming. He should be—" he stopped midsentence when Sora appeared at the end of the beach, carrying a lot of bags. "Oh, there he is. Hey dipshi—"
"Riku!" I interrupted before he could finish the insult. Sora heard enough and made his way over anyway. "Don't yell it across the beach!"
"Oh, so I can still insult him, so long as it's not in front of a crowd?"
"Riku!" I gave him a hard stare, to which he playfully shrugged. Sora dropped the bags on the blanket, shaking them off like bird ruffling its feathers.
"Thanks for the help, sunshine." I couldn't help but giggle at their small exchange. The two were incredibly funny when they were together. I kind of envied their relationship. "Kairi? Earth to Kairi!"
"Huh?" I found a pair of concerned, cobalt eyes staring back at me.
"Whew. I thought I did something wrong and you were ignoring me."
"A relief indeed! Allow me to shout it from a mountaintop that Sora won't have a mental breakdown because Kairi was ignoring him."
"Oh shut up, Riku. We all know you're the lonely child vying for attention." I mocked Riku with a horrible rendition of his brooding face. I cracked Sora and Riku couldn't keep from laughing. "You two are so…"
"Amazing?"
"Sexy?"
"Yeah, I'll have to go with Sora on that one. You're the only one that thinks you're sexy, Riku." I joked. Sora chuckled, while Riku only allowed a reserved smile to surface. "Whose bags are those?"
"Everyone's!" Sora replied, setting his hands on his hips. His jeans were already slightly rolled up. "Well, I think it's everyone. A couple people were climbing out of the cars when I came here." He dropped himself right next to Riku under one of the umbrellas. "It's pretty hot out today. Will we have to wear jeans for a while?"
"That's dependent on how well we get this done. And how many pictures we want to take." Riku told him, leaning back on his hands. "You don't really have to be in the pictures, you know. How many people do you know here anyway?"
"Really well? Not many." He said with a smile. I shook my head.
"You're going to be in all the group pictures, no matter what. When we do separate pictures, then you can decide for yourself. You're part of the group now, Sora. Conform to the rules!"
"Well, you heard the boss lady," Riku laughed. "You gotta take pictures whether you like it or not!"
"Yes ma'am!" Sora added with a chuckle. We sat there under the shade of the umbrella for what seemed to be a long moment. No one spoke; it was such a nice atmosphere, and voices would only steal the beauty of the silence we shared.
"Heeeey!" a shrilly voice screeched through to us. I turned around, a tiny bit miffed that our tranquil peace was destroyed. "How are you guys?!" Selphie was running towards us, a large pair of sunglasses covering half of her face. Gosh that girl was too much. "You're all looking super fine in those matching outfits!"
"Wish I could say the same about you." Riku joked, earning himself a kick in the foot.
"You look just as great as any of us, Selphie." I complimented. The simple look really suited her. Too bad she loved to dress herself in mass amounts of glamour and accessories.
"Thank you Kairi!" she gave me a quick smile before turning around. "Hmm. They should all be coming down now. I think everyone's here."
"Did anyone break the dress code?" I asked.
"Surprisingly, no. Everyone remembered. I guess making a big deal out of it helped." Selphie suddenly started screaming and waving her arms around. "Hey! We're over here!"
I turned in the direction that she was screaming at and saw a mass of teens in blue jeans and white shirts. They were moving like a huge pack, a mass of white and blue trekking across the sands. "Selphie, I think they can see us. You can stop now."
"I just wanted to make sure they saw us."
I turned to Sora this time, who had been relatively quiet. "Hey, pretend you're talking to me. Make it look like we're doing something."
"What?" He looked a bit puzzled.
"Because it's incredibly awkward to watch people as they walk toward you."
"Oh, I know that." A smirk playing at his lips, "But why do we have to pretend?"
Where did that come from?
"Ugh, get a room already." I rolled my eyes at Riku's comment just as Sora gave him a playful shove.
By the time I looked up again, everyone was close enough for me to see the whites of their eyes. Something jumped out at me when I saw Naminé uncomfortably walking next to Roxas. Though, it was the kind of uncomfortable that said 'why is that person here?'.
"Why the hell are we walking so slowly? Who's leading this sheep herd anyway?!" Oh no. That voice…
"Easy, babe." Axel brought a blonde under his arm. "But if you have to know and kill the person, it's Roxas." The group dispersed around the blanket, and thankfully I was approached only by Naminé.
Roxas either ignored their exchange or didn't hear them. "Well you guys look like you've made yourselves comfortable. Naminé," he turned to the blonde, who was no longer at his side. "Huh?"
"Why did you have to invite her?" Naminé asked. She was kinda maybe sorta pissed.
"What?! I didn't! I didn't plan anything!" Roxas was suddenly on the defensive. Guess he knew what she was talking about.
"So why did you let Axel invite her? If you knew she was coming—" Naminé dropped right next to me with a huff.
"But I didn't!"
"—you wouldn't have invited him in the first place." She ignored him, making him sigh and drop right in front of her. Poor guy.
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but who is that girl? I don't remember seeing her at the party." I turned to Sora, who was inconspicuously pointing at the girl who was ordering Demyx and Axel to set up a few umbrellas and blankets.
"That's Larxene." Naminé answered for me. "You won't like her. Trust me." Yup, she was pissed. The short, clipped sentences proved everything.
"Naminé, will you please—"
"What, Roxas? Will I what?" Okaaay, not my problem anymore!
"Naminé isn't very fond of Larxene. And vice versa. They just don't get along." I explained to Sora.
"Why not?" he leaned to the side a little to observe the two blondes arguing, and then to Larxene. "Must be Axel's girlfriend… is it because she complains a lot?"
"Not exactly. She's… hmm, how to put this nicely…" How do I put Larxene nicely? "never mind. She's kinda mean, is all; she's just very mean to Naminé."
"Any reason why?"
"Not that I know of. I think she just decided one day that Naminé would make a great victim." I directed my attention to the blond bully, who finally seemed satisfied with the setup produced by Axel and Demyx. Why in the world did they listen to her?
"Sora! You're here!" I turned to see Rikku glomping Sora, who fell backwards laughing. "Nice to see you again!"
Why did she have to be so over-affectionate? A quick hello would've sufficed.
"Yup! I'll be here for a little longer." Paine and Yuna lifted Rikku off Sora's helpless form, obviously amused. "Thanks guys."
Paine nodded, walking away without a word. Yuna on the other hand flashed a smile. "No problem. Nice to see you again, Sora."
"You too, Yuna!"
"I know you think he's one hot piece of ass, but you have other friends too, Kairi!" I turned my attention to the owner of the voice: Selphie. "Besides, Rikku isn't a threat to you. She's that cuddly with everyone. You know that."
Oh, care to say anything a little louder? Maybe the whole beach will hear you next time. "Selphie, what are you talking about?" There she goes, making assumptions as usual.
"Don't play dumb with me. You totally just ignored Wakka's greeting. Imagine my surprise when I found the subject you were staring at! Your boyfriend's safe. Really."
Selphie, are you dumb? "I already told you…"
"Fine, fine! So he's still up for grabs?" Selphie asked slyly. Ugh, this girl…
"Selphie, you can leave now."
"Yikes, don't get mad at me. I promise to play fair!" She winked before running off to greet other people. Was it wrong for me to feel a strong desire to throw sand in her eyes and watch her writhe and cry in pain?
"It is so freakin' hot! Who's the wise guy that thought that jeans was appropriate wear for a beach when it's this hot?!" Oh no, why is she coming toward us?
"Hey, I thought the same thing!" Sora piped up. Larxene's fierce (and angry) eyes landed on Sora's smiling face. She stared at him for a while as if trying to figure out what to make of him.
She scratched her head with a finger before flippantly asking, "Who the fuck are you?"
Oh, how eloquent.
"I'm Sora. Nice to meet you!" He was still trying to make a good impression. Maybe I forgot to mention that she doesn't like it when—
"Ew. Wipe that ugly smile off your face, you tool bag. You look like a fucking munchkin. Do you actually think you'll get laid smiling like a fat kid who just found half-eaten cake out of a garbage can?"
"Oh, I wasn't trying—"
"Shut your trap. Every word that comes out of your mouth is a disgrace to everyone here! In fact, I don't even know why you're here. Nobody knows you."
"Actually, everyone he—"
"I'm sorry, but did you miss that part before? Perhaps you'd like a nice, big cup of shut the fuck up!"
"Okay, Larxene. That's enough." Axel came just in time; Sora was sitting there stunned with his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "Let's go find a place to set up the volleyball net a little more up the beach."
"Yeah, just a couple thousand miles away…" I heard Naminé mumble under her breath.
Larxene turned to Naminé right after, but she probably didn't hear the offending statement. "Sounds good to me, babe. Anything to get me away from that trash over there. Oh, and hello to you, little Roxas!"
"Hey, Larxene." Roxas replied in monotone. That didn't stop Naminé from sending him a death glare. The next second, he suddenly became interested in counting the grains of sand on the beach.
The two walked away without any more conflict, but left chaos between Roxas and Naminé. Well, it was more about Naminé being angry at Roxas.
"Wow, I didn't expect that at all." Sora seemed to recover from his stunned stupor and smiled at me. "What a psychopath."
"Yeah, sorry about that…" I inwardly cringed at the fact that all I could do was sit and watch everything unfold. Way to go, Kairi.
"Don't be. I was just as speechless as you were by the end of it all."
"Hey! Are you guys gonna sit around all day or are you gonna take some pictures with us?!" Riku yelled from the water. When did he get up and go?
"Yeah! We'll be right down!" Sora answered as he picked himself up. He offered me a hand. "Ready to get this over with?"
"You say that as if you don't want to take pictures." I took his hand, putting in half the effort to bring myself up. "Didn't I already tell you that you're going to be in every picture where I deem your presence is required?"
"Well then," walking ahead, he turned around and gave me a cheesy smile, "I guess every action of mine depends on your whims, Miss Kairi."
Oh, the many ways you could twist that statement… "Sounds pretty fun." With a laugh, I followed him to the water to meet up with the rest of our friends.
"Why is everyone so dumb?" Pence sighed as soon as we finished the last group picture. It took a good forty minutes, thanks to the large amount of people and the inability to follow simple directions. And the boys. Why do boys exist? To waste time? Really. That would've been twenty minutes shorter if it was without boys.
"I saw you Roxas! You were going for her chest!" Hayner teased the poor blond who earlier held Naminé in an inescapable hug.
"Dude, shut up. Naminé…" Roxas turned just in time to see Naminé's back. "Damn it, Hayner…"
"Face it! You were going for it, man!" Hayner yelled over Roxas's shoulder, "And you totally liked it!"
"So does this mean we can take off our jeans?" Sora asked, a bit irritated in the heat. I directed my full attention to him. The other boys were stupid anyway.
"Why so eager to strip?" I joked.
"He obviously thinks he's packing heat." Axel chimed from nowhere. "Sora, Sora… there's this thing. It's called patience. It keeps things calm, maintains the order, and keeps the beasts inside the pants. Commit it to memory. A crowded place is not the best place to rip your pants off and do the dir—" thankfully (I think) he was interrupted with a shove from an angry Roxas. I didn't want to hear where that was going.
"Why did you have to invite Larxene?!" Roxas was obviously looking for someone to blame now.
"Roxas, it's not Axel's fault." I tried to ease the tension, but it wasn't working. At all.
"Whoa now, don't get mad at me because Naminé is mad at you."
"Naminé wouldn't even be mad if it weren't for your freaking girlfriend!"
"Aww, that stings. She's your friend too you know."
"Well I'd appreciate it if she would back the hell off and leave Naminé alone!"
"Roxas." Xion entered the conversation with such a calm demeanor. I love how everyone randomly decides to have their little soap operas in front of me. "Larxene isn't even doing anything to Naminé." She laid a hand on his shoulder, "Calm down. They just don't get along. You'll have to accept it. And you shouldn't worry about Naminé."
"Xion, how can I not worry? She's mad at me!"
"And not for long. Relax, Roxas. You know how to make her happy."
"Heheh, I have some condoms in the car if you nee—"
"Axel, shut up." Xion and Roxas commanded simultaneously. He cooperated, a smirk playing at his lips.
"Don't come whining to me when she gets pregnant then…"
"That's it!" Roxas made a lunge for Axel, who ran away cackling like a maniac.
"Roxas!" Xion once again held him back.
Meanwhile, Sora and I shared a bowl of popcorn and made ourselves comfortable on the couch, criticizing the terrible acting on the screen in front of us.
No, just kidding. We were, in fact, standing off to the side, staring dumbly and silently at the whole thing.
"He is just so infuriating!"
"Well that's Axel for you. Forget him, Roxas. You know he's just trying to piss you off."
"Well it's working."
"Just cool it. Don't let it bother you. Right guys?" She suddenly turned to us, breaking the fourth wall.
"Er, yeah. Listen to Xion." Way to spring that on us.
"Yeah. What she said." Sora quickly agreed.
"You should try to talk to her again. If that doesn't work, give her some time to cool off. Naminé can't stay mad at you for long." I encouraged. Xion gave me a thankful smile.
"F-Fine…" Roxas let out a long sigh and dragged his feet in the hot sand. "I'll go try now. If that doesn't work…"
"Then you wait and try again later." Xion patted him on the back. "You'll be fine." He marched off without another word, leaving the three of us alone and standing awkwardly.
"Um, you handled that very well." Sora complimented with a grin.
"Thanks. I'd like to think so. And thanks for your support. Hearing it from you two probably helped out in the long run."
"Glad we could help!" he answered for us.
"I'll catch you two later. I have to help Larxene and Demyx," she looked over to see Larxene yelling and pointing at Demyx in the distance, "er, Demyx then. Looks like I've got a little more mediating work to do…"
"Have fun!" With that, she jogged off, kicking up sand with each step. Sora turned to me with a pout. "Can I take my pants off now?"
Well you don't need my permission.
"Sora, do whatever you want. Looks like they're all done with you anyway."
"Yes!" He ran off, eager to finally take off a thick layer of clothing. I followed, just not as enthusiastically and not nearly as fast.
It's not like I was trying to hide the fact that I was trying to cover up for anything… you know, I wasn't eager or anything, so I had nothing to hide, so the lack of enthusiasm and such—
Ugh. Forget it.
Sora was applying sunscreen all over his body as fast as he could. Selphie and I kinda just watched as he rubbed the lotion all over his body.
"I think I can watch this all day." Selphie said with a laugh. "Really. I can watch this all day and not get tired of it."
"Selphie, don't be a pervert." I stuffed a handful of chips, as nonchalantly as I could, into my mouth.
"Don't act like you aren't enjoying this… oop, looks like he's having trouble reaching all over his back…" I pretended not to see Sora struggling to reach the center of his back. "I think I'm gonna…"
"Selphie, show some—"
"Sora! Come here!" Selphie beckoned.
He was in front of us in all his shirtless glory within seconds.
"Need something?"
"No, but it looks like you do!" Selphie reached for his hand and scooped up the remaining sunscreen. "Turn around." He obeyed, tensing when Selphie applied the sunscreen to his back.
"Er, thanks. I was having a bit of trouble with that…"
"I saw. You'll have to return the favor. I'm in desperate need for a tan anyway. Hope you don't mind."
Wait, what?
"Uh, I guess…"
"Great! Well, you're all done. My turn now!" I watched as Selphie lied face down on the blanket with a mischievous smile. When she noticed me looking at her, she winked. "I think Kairi could use some sunscreen too. Perhaps you'd like to do her too?" An excellent play on words, Selphie. If I wasn't so disgusted with you right now, you'd get a compliment.
"I'm fine. Really. I can do it myself." Sora gave me a confused look, probably because he picked up on my tone. "Not that I have a problem with you or anything! I just want to make sure it'll be done right, you know?"
"You don't trust me? I think you think I'll make a bunch of funny pictures so you tan with weird shapes on your back!" He was smiling again, back to the casual Sora with whom I had grown so comfortable.
"Maybe I don't want your sandy hands anywhere near my back."
"They're not sandy!"
"Sora, are you finished already?" Selphie interrupted. Sora and I realized that he had stopped applying sunscreen to her back. I couldn't help but smirk.
"Oops, guess I am!" he hastily rubbed his hands over her back, messily spreading the lotion everywhere. He then got up, took a step towards me, and dropped his hands on my shoulder. "Sorry, I can't play volleyball with messy hands." He wiped all the excess sunscreen on my shoulders and arms before running away laughing.
"I'm not your personal towel!" I yelled to him. He turned around with a chuckle.
"You sure? You make a great one!"
I couldn't help but giggle. "What a punk…" I tried to bury my smile before turning to Selphie. She was looking at me with a smirk on her face.
"Flirting, huh? I didn't know you were so good. You completely stole his attention!"
"Selphie, I didn't do anything. You directed his attention to me. If you never brought me up, none of that would have ever happened." Not that I was complaining or anything. "You brought that upon yourself."
"Whatever… all I know is that I'm fighting a losing battle."
"Well that makes two of us!" Roxas angrily stated as he dropped down right next to me. He was still wearing his jeans and t-shirt.
"Whoa… you swing in that direction too?" Selphie asked seriously.
Really, Selphie? Are you seriously asking that question? "Wow, you need to be quiet." I looked at Roxas, "I take that didn't go over well."
"Well no kidding! She started going off about Xion! When did it go from being about Larxene to Xion?!" Oh yeah, about that…
"She's probably just a little insecure…" I hinted as subtly as possible.
"Psh, or she's just flat-out jealous. Roxas, the poor girl likes… well, more like loves you. She has for a long time."
"Selphie, you're not helping at a—" I flicked Roxas's forehead, making him stop.
"Hear her out, I think Selphie's about to give you that wisdom she rarely shows."
"Thank you for the backhanded compliment, Kairi." She threw in sarcastically. "Now, this is how it goes. She's liked you for a really long time. What do you think years and years of absolutely nothing happening will do to the poor girl?"
"What?! I haven't been doing… nothing…" he weakly defended.
"Exactly. Right now you're realizing that you've been wasting her time. Now, tell me, what happens when you're interested in someone, and years later, your relationship is still platonic? That sends the signal that maybe, just maybe, he's not interested."
"B-but…"
"I know, I know, you are, but you're too much of a wimp to do anything about it. Back to years of a platonic friendship. Throw in another girl that is also a good friend of yours, and you have insecurity. I know you and Xion are actually the platonic couple, but Naminé doesn't see that. You have to understand her. Years and years of waiting for you to do something has completely destroyed… well, not completely… anyway, it has greatly affected her confidence in you. Seeing you get all friendly with Xion to her looks like you've taken interest in another girl."
"But Xion and I aren't like that!"
"Well in the eyes of your best friend, it is like that. And that's just it. She feels like your best friend. A best friend who somewhere along the line fell in love, but feels that she'll always be in second place, stuck in that platonic relationship. Imagine you in her place. And let's say she's very friendly with another guy… let's say Axel. Or Riku! Let's say she's friendly with Riku. What are you going to assume if she's never, ever, ever directly told you that she likes you?"
Roxas shifted uncomfortably, crossing his arms over his knees. "I don't know. Scared that she's gonna leave me?"
"Okay. Now, imagine watching her friendship with Riku grow over the years, while yours remains at a standstill. Four years. You watch their relationship develop for four years. How do you feel now?"
He sighed, burying his face in his arms. I looked at Selphie, who surprisingly had a solemn look on her face. She was no longer the girl I was joking with earlier. "Okay, I get it. But that still doesn't explain why she went from Larxene to Xion."
Selphie looked flabbergasted. She pointed to him and asked me, "Can you believe this guy? Is he dumb?"
"You're going to have to spell it out for him." I said, hoping to avoid the conflict.
"Fine. I will. First, Roxas, you're dumb. Second, she's angry at you. She's blaming you for Larxene's presence here. I'm not agreeing with her, because I have no idea why that anger is directed at you, but it is. She's going to find every reason to hate you. You talking with her rival doesn't help anything."
"So she… she's jealous?" Roxas tilted his head. Selphie's mouth fell open.
"Fuck my life. And Naminé's too. She fell for a fucktar—"
"Roxas, there are two solutions to this." I interrupted. Hopefully my voice would be enough to drown out Selphie's ranting. "You can either wait for this day to be over, and tomorrow Naminé is going to be your happy best friend again."
"Well, I figured…" Good. Way to use that brainpower!
"And the second choice… the second choice is to let her know. She's gotten so angry at you by now that it's not about Larxene anymore. When you leave someone to their anger, they think about it. Then it evolves and spreads to anything and everything and affects what you do. Like making a mistake in a tennis match. If you don't shake it off, you're guaranteed to make more mistakes."
Both he and Selphie were silent, only for different reasons: Selphie was fuming about how dumb Roxas was, while he was thinking about (I assume) what he was going to do.
"I wanted to have fun today…" Roxas almost whispered. "How can I do that when she's mad at me?"
"You know, if you went with the second option, all your problems would be solved! Hell, we'd have world peace, the end of world hunger, an unlimited supply of uniquely designed shoes…"
"Selphie, I think he gets the point." I interrupted, though I was glad that she had gotten over her negative mode. It just didn't fit the cheery girl.
"What? I was just sayin'..." She stretched before making herself comfortable on the blanket. "Do whatever you want, lover boy. You know what I want you to do, and if you ask anyone else, they're sure to give you the same answer." She hid her eyes behind her glasses and sighed, forfeiting the conversation.
"I don't think I've ever been this scared or nervous in my life."
"Roxas, you don't have to do it now." I told him. Selphie's leg twitched as the words escaped my mouth. "No, I'm not trying to make it so that I win the bet. If you don't want to tell her how you feel today, then don't feel like you have to. But, if you want to be happy, and you want her to be happy, and," I thought to add more so Selphie wouldn't tear any of my limbs off, "if you tell her how you feel today, you eliminate a lot of future problems and current ones."
"Future problems?"
"Don't play dumb, Roxas. Look at her. She's bound to catch the attention of other guys… well, technically she has already. You give the impression that you'll castrate any other boy who makes a move."
"I would." He snorted. Selphie giggled, but remained silent.
"Well…" I couldn't believe what I was doing. I was throwing the match. "What if… what if, say, Naminé couldn't wait anymore? What if she really gave up on you and moved on? Roxas, you don't have to do anything, but… I really think you should tell her today. The timing would have been perfect had it not been for… you know… and you did say this morning that today you felt good!"
"Yeah, I did…"
Roxas, as much as I want a personal slave, that still doesn't prevail over the desire of seeing two of my best friends happy. Especially after seeing this for so long. It's torture." I finally managed to get a smile out of him. "C'mon, Roxas. Feelings can only remain bottled up for so long!"
He chuckled this time, running his fingers through the sand. "I guess… I guess I'll think about it. I just need a bit more time to think and uh, think of what to say…"
Selphie shot up, tearing her sunglasses off. "Wait, you're gonna do it?!" she looked completely taken aback.
"I didn't say that… I just need some time to think on whether or not I will… I can't even stop shaking." He withdrew his unsteady hands from the sand and released a shaky breath. "I'm so nervous… I need time to uh…"
"Compose yourself. Figure out what to say. Figure out how to do it all properly." I suggested.
"You should try to remember the corniest lines from the latest chick flick you saw. How you'll propose? What you'll name your babies!" Selphie added.
"Selphie, hon, that's enough." I raised my hand to stop the suggestions. "Those are all bad ideas. I hope you know that."
"I'm not dumb, Kairi." Selphie, I could tell, wanted to stab him in the jugular for saying that. "I'm gonna think about it alone for a while. I really need to just… stop shaking, for one thing!" he let out a nervous laugh as he stood up. "Yeah, I have to think about it. Thanks Kairi…" he walked off without another word, slightly wobbly on his legs. Selphie looked to me with a frown.
"How come he didn't thank me?!"
Selphie and I spent the next hour sunbathing: only she was trying to get a tan, and I was trying to fix mine. To pass the time, she told me all about her shopping trips that she had already completed (including window shopping); her shopping plans for the future, and occasionally she commented on the volleyball game going on yards away. She dominated most of the conversation, but it wasn't like I minded: it gave me some time to think to myself and watch Sora play volleyball.
Speaking of Sora, he seemed to be extremely competitive. Somehow or another, he and Riku ended up on a real beach volleyball match against Paine and Yuna. The two were doing surprisingly well, and for the most part, they were able to hold their own. Selphie would occasionally question why I started giggling every time he and Riku got into an argument, and then the next second they're high fiving and fist bumping. Boys are so weird. What in the world goes through their heads?
Especially Roxas. I have an idea as to what he might be thinking about (yup, I know, nothing gets past me!), but seriously. Just tell Naminé that you like her already! It's so simple! What is the point to hiding your feelings when you already know the other person likes you?!
As far as I thought, Roxas needed to step up his game. If Riku had the guts to put our friendship on the line to tell me how he felt… as awkward as that was… I think Roxas can man up enough to tell a girl who already likes him about his feelings.
"Kairi, I need you to come with me. Right now." The clipped words and the curt tone was enough to control my attention. I looked up to see Naminé, finally out her t-shirt and jeans, standing over me.
"Naminé, where were you? After I talked with Roxas, you kinda disappeared." I didn't want for an answer to get up and follow her. She still seemed to be rather… bitter.
"I went on a walk." She turned on her heel and began walking away, leaving me little choice but to follow.
"Alone? Naminé, I know it's broad daylight, but there are serious creepers out there. You shouldn't be going off alone… in a bikini, no less…"
"Well if I got kidnapped, then you'd know who to blame." I could tell she wasn't going to budge on her opinion of Roxas.
Speaking of the guy, Naminé led me right to him.
"Naminé, I wanted to talk to you alone." Roxas sighed. Naminé gave him a look that told him she didn't care. You know, the one where you look off in another direction and pretend the person isn't even there. "Please, Naminé. I know you want to listen to what I have to say. You wouldn't have come otherwise."
"Well then tell me. Don't waste my time." Her eyes finally met his in a fiery anger. His gaze softened.
"Naminé, I'm sorry…"
"For what?" she interrupted. "What exactly are you sorry for? You're already sorry for Larxene being here. Do you think that fixed anything?"
"I'm not apologizing for Larxene this time! It's… it's about Xion. Please." She tensed at the sound of that lingering word. A long breath escaped her mouth, her hands curling into fists.
"Okay. What is it that you need to say?"
"Xion and I… there's nothing between us. We're just friends, Naminé. Please believe me."
"You've told me this before."
"Naminé, I want you to stop being mad at me!" The words escaped his mouth in a yell before she even finished. I averted my gaze downward. Why did Naminé bring me here? "Please. Please, I can't do anything if you're mad at me. I really can't have fun or smile or think when you're mad at me. Naminé…" she wrapped herself up in her arms, backing up slightly when Roxas moved forward. "Naminé, I want you to be happy again. I want my best friend back."
And in that moment, time seemed to freeze. It was at that moment I realized why Naminé brought me there.
I saw it. The way her fingers dug into her arms at the last few words. The way her body seemed to snap and become as tense as steel. The way her lips quivered into a frown.
But on the surface, none of that happened. She remained perfectly composed. On the outside, her eyes betrayed nothing. Her lips curved into the smallest smile. Her shoulders relaxed, as if everything up to that point had been resolved.
"Roxas…" her voice, calm and collected, was broken by a disappointed laugh. "After all this time, I thought you would…" she took a deep breath, releasing it at a steady pace. "You don't understand me at all."
She turned on her heel, trying to leave. A hand shot out to grab her wrist, seizing it right out of the air.
"Wait, please don't go. Wait. Please wait."
"Roxas, let me go. Now." She said sternly.
"Naminé, please think about this…" I feebly added, trying to convince her to stay.
"Roxas. Let me go." She repeated. His grip didn't loosen. "Please. Let me go, Roxas."
Her arm was released without another word. Roxas cast his gaze downwards, his arms shaking. I gulped. Was this my fault? Was I trying too hard to force something that wasn't ready? If it was my fault, I could still fix it, right?
"So my boyfriend told me there's this pussy-whipped, pubescent teenager that has yet to grow a pair and a Barbie doll attention whore who are fighting because of me!" A hand came crashing down on my shoulder, and a pair of fierce green eyes staring right at me. "Oh!" her head snapped in the direction of my two friends. "I think I found them!"
"Larxene, please not now…" Roxas begged quietly.
"Oh, why not?! Do tell, little Roxas!" she turned to Naminé, "Something the matter there, witch? Did daddy not give you enough attention or something?"
I decided I had to step in. I wasn't going to let her grind the shattered glass into powder. "Larxene, this isn't really the time for—"
"Your timing is impeccable as always." Naminé suddenly said. She turned around; her eyes clear of all emotion except anger.
"She speaks! You, tennis princess, contact the local news right now, we've got a story on our hands!" Larxene laughed maniacally. "Oh, this is quite the sight. Did I do this? I'm better than I thought. Really, I don't give myself enough credit."
"Do you want something?" Naminé asked calmly. "Or perhaps you're a little miffed that all you got was a destroyed friendship?" Roxas cringed at her last words.
"Huh? How'd you know? There's a brain cell in that tiny head of yours after all! And here I thought it was filled with hot air." She turned to me again, an annoyed look on her face. "Are you kidding me, princess? I told you to get the local news! This stuff is more exciting than the last panda on earth having a baby!"
"Leave her out of this." Naminé said indignantly. She took a step toward Larxene.
"Brave. Mommy and Daddy would be so proud." The older blonde wiped away a fake tear.
"If you think insults are actually going to affect me, you're sorely mistaken. I'm at that point where everything you say right now is meaningless."
Larxene blinked, placing her weight on one of her legs. "Oh. Okay." She scratched her head. "Well in that case, you're a witch, bitch, whore…" she began to rattle off insults, tapping each of her fingers as she came up with new ones.
"That's enough!" Roxas yelled, loud enough for the whole vicinity to hear. "Leave her alone, Larxene! She's never done anything to you!" Naminé froze, her eyes widening.
"So? Why can't I just mess with her then? You gonna stop me?"
"Yeah. And if I have to hurt you, I will!"
Larxene's shrill laughter filled the air. "Aww, well aren't you so cute? But I have to wonder why you're still defending her. Did you not hear? You guys aren't friends anymore. Whatever you guys had was already destroyed!" she patted his shoulder, which he angrily brushed off.
"I don't care! If you ever make a move to harm her again, I'll always get in your way. I'll always be standing between you and her!" he said fiercely. Larxene wasn't taken aback one bit.
"Ugh. Now why would you do tha—?"
"Because I like her!" he practically yelled it in her face. I saw a figure go rigid, and I focused my eyes on Naminé, who looked so beyond surprised. "I like Naminé, and I'm not going to stand by and watch you bully her, Larxene." His breathing became heavy, a sign of his anger and conviction.
"R-Roxas… is that…" Naminé was shaking now, her eyes pleading for the truth.
"Yes, of course it is, Naminé." Roxas smiled. "It's all true. I really like y—" his words were cut off when Larxene's knee crashed into a very sensitive body part.
"Oh. So you really did grow a pair." She said nonchalantly. Roxas, who was hunched over in pain, was pushed to the floor with one hand. "How ridiculous. I'm not that hard to miss. Letting the corniest scene ever unfold before my eyes? You two make me sick." She was about to turn around, but she was forced to take a few steps back when Naminé shoved her hard.
IT was the first act of physical violence I had ever seen from Naminé. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Are you really that much a bitch to do something like that?!" Naminé was practically screaming, catching the attention of a few of our friends who dared to take a few steps closer. "You really are a heartless—"
"Don't talk to me like you know me!" Larxene yelled angrily.
"What I know is that you seem to be out to get me! What the heck did I ever do to you?!"
"Shut up. I have no desire to talk with you anymore, you witch." Larxene glared at Roxas, who was still writhing on the sand. "Hey! Roxas! Get up already!"
"Leave him alone!" Naminé stepped between the two, her eyes shining with a scary ferocity.
"You gonna man up yet? Right now your girlfriend's defending you! What was all that talk about you getting in between me and her? I thought you said you were gonna stop me!"
"Roxas…" Naminé helped the boy up to his feet, who seemed to be recovering.
"Roxas, I'll seriously hurt her unless you stand up straight and tell her what's really on your mind." Larxene's tone changed dramatically; it was quieter, almost deadlier, and much more serious.
"Leave him alone, Larxene…" Naminé cast a pleading look to Axel, who was approaching fast.
"Tell her, Roxas! Don't doubt me when I say I'll hurt her."
"What is she— Roxas?"
He was standing at his full height now, his face red from the pain. He held Naminé firmly in his arms. "She's r-right. I do have something more to say."
"What?"
"I really do like you, but… what's even truer is that I'm in love with you, Naminé."
Oh my gosh. Did he just confess...?
"Wha?" Her question was answered before it could completely escape her mouth.
He kissed her.
RE: I would like to address sashu, dearlybelovedangel, ShadowSpooky, True-Light-San, Fanfiction Fanatiction, namine zemyx, SilverClock, Electron Beam, sillysally, young gun kid, IConcurVehemently, TinaalovesMints, Dynasty021, mookie muffin, Arrocha Semotis Vir, hidden x charade, KHGamegirl, KHgatomon3444, Princess of blah blah blah, ItzStorytime, Black-Dax, 0rg1n1z4t10nXII, Lebrezie, Blood Seraph, Faith Angel, Handwritten, SecretAgent99, Aldergrace, rebel-chan, kikofreako, Ocean Starfly, mattjesse, Taygon55, HideYourFeathers, and jenyflo 5483: Thank you all very much for your support. All of you really do push me forward to become a better and more entertaining writer. I will never get tired of thanking you guys. Seriously, I owe it all to you.
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All in all, thank you everyone for reading! Take care of yourselves, okay? I'll see you around.