Chapter Eleven: Invitation
Kairi sat at a small table in the corner of Topher's, stirring her strawberry milkshake. She sighed resting her cheek against her hand. She'd made a right mess out of things earlier today at school and she couldn't believe how she had acted. She had not only humiliated herself, but Sora too. Kairi felt awful about it, but had no clue how to make things right.
She sighed again, shaking her head slightly to clear it. She didn't want to think about school now. She had come to Topher's to relax and that's exactly what she planned to do.
"Uh, are you ok?"
Kairi lifted her eyes to see Topher standing rather awkwardly in front of her, a concerned looked plastered to his face.
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure? Cause, I mean, you're not drinking coffee... That's got to be a sign of illness."
Kairi gave him a brief smile accompanied with a small shrug.
"I made quiet a fool out of myself at school today."
"Was that Daniels kid involved?"
"Yeah."
Topher frowned, "What did he do?"
Kairi shook her head, "Nothing actually."
"Surprisingly, you mean?"
Kairi chuckled, "Yeah, surprisingly it was me who upset him and I feel awful about it."
"Oh," Topher said, shifting from one foot to the other, seeming embarrassed by giving her advice, "Well, you'll make it right somehow."
Kairi smiled and nodded, sipping the pink liquid from her straw, making some noises in the process. Some people turned to look at her, obviously annoyed.
"I know, how about I whip you up an order of chili cheese fries?"
"That'd be great Topher, thanks."
Topher smiled and nodded, seemingly satisfied he could do something for her in her slightly depressing state, before making his way towards the kitchen.
Kairi gave yet another sigh, sinking back further into her seat. She slowly stirred her drink, mixing the whip cream with the strawberries.
"Kairi!"
Kairi's head shot up and groaned as she saw who was entering the shop. Just what she needed, another round with Selphie and Roxas.
"Kairi!" Selphie said yet again, rushing over to her friend and plopping into a seat, while Roxas made his way over to the two in a much calmer manner.
"Kairi, I…"
"I don't want to hear it Selphie."
"Hear what? How do you know what I'm going to say?"
Kairi rolled her eyes, "Because it's you Selphie. Look, I don't want to talk about what happened at school today alright? So either sit here quietly or go away."
Selphie opened and closed her mouth a few times as Kairi turned back to staring at the table top. The brunette looked over to Roxas who gave a small shrug before sitting down between the two.
The three sat in a heavy silence for some time. Kairi merely sat sipping at her drink while Roxas sat staring out the window. The tension seemed to only be affecting Selphie, as she sat bobbing her knee up and down, trying to distract herself from bothering her red haired friend.
"Kairi," Selphie blurted out, not being able to contain herself any longer. "I'm sorry about upsetting you today. I mean, I just kind of exploded all over you in the hall with my questions. I was just so shocked. I mean, you and Sora…"
"There is no me and Daniels, Selph." Kairi sighed, pushing away her drink to stare at Selphie and Roxas. "And it's ok about the freak out earlier. If the roles were reversed, I would have wanted to find out what happened too."
"So… What did happen?" Roxas finally chimed in, just as eager to hear what this was all about.
"Roxas!" Selphie admonished, sending him a glare, "Kairi's had a hard day, she doesn't want to talk about it. Respect her privacy."
Roxas stared at Selphie, mouth wide open with an indignant look written all over his face.
"Me respect her privacy? This is the first time I asked or even brought it up. You're the one pushing her about it."
"I am not!"
"You are two!"
Kairi put her head in her hands as the two battled back and forth. All she wanted was some peace and quiet, was that too much to ask for? She listened to her friends fight for a few more minutes, trying hard to drown out the noise. Apparently it was.
"Guys…" Kairi said, looking up at the two of them. They obviously hadn't heard her.
"Guys…?"
"You're the one who's always pestering Kairi for information about everything and keeps insisting she and Daniels are 'meant to be' all the time… You never give the girl a break."
"That is so not true Roxas. I--"
"Guys!"
Their bickering finally ceased as they looked toward their mutual friend.
Kairi rubbed her temples, "I came here for some quiet and to think. If you can't stop fighting just leave and do it elsewhere."
Her friends at least had the decency to look a little sheepish.
"Sorry." They both mumbled. They had heard about Kairi's episode in the hall earlier today and didn't want her angry with them. It was much too dangerous.
The trio sat in silence for a few minutes while Topher brought over some fries.
Kairi slowly munched on her food. Topher's fries always seemed to make her feel better, they were the perfect comfort food. He always added just the right amount of chili and cheese to the dish without overpowering, and therefore ruining, the taste of the fries.
As much as Kairi didn't want to talk about what happened at school today or about the whole Sora situation in general, she knew her friends would never fully let it go or be satisfied until they knew. And if Kairi were honest with herself, she could use their help sorting the whole mess out.
Kairi threw down a fry she was holding and sighed.
"Daniels and I went on a date about a week ago."
Both Roxas and Selphie's heads shot up.
"But… why? I mean, you hate him don't you?" Roxas asked.
"I don't hate him…"
"You just strongly dislike him?"
Kairi gave Roxas a crooked smile.
"Yeah, pretty much. His personality is just, well not that flattering."
"So…? Fill us in." Selphie said, for once waiting somewhat patiently.
"Well… you know how Daniels never leaves me alone?"
"He does now. Has for the past week."
"Yeah, well that's because of what happened. I was just so sick of him bugging me, I kind of told him I'd go on a date with him to get Sora to stop."
Selphie and Roxas continued to stare at her with hungry eyes.
"I made a deal with him that if he promised to just leave me alone, I'd go on one date with him. So we did, then afterwards…"
"How was it?" Selphie interrupted.
"How was what?"
Selphie rolled her eyes, trying to contain her happiness at the whole situation. She knew they were perfect together.
"The date!"
"Oh…" Kairi trailed off, trying to fight off the blush she knew was coming to her cheeks.
Selphie beamed, "You liked it?"
"No. I mean, it wasn't awful or anything and he was actually somewhat nice. It just… wasn't my style… completely over the top. He was clearly trying to impress me. If Daniels had actually took the time to get to know me and really liked me, he would have known that wasn't really my thing."
"Where'd he take you?"
Kairi sighed at Selphie's eagerness. She knew Selphie would read way too much into this.
"To some boat on the mainland that docks once a year."
"Oh my gosh!" Selphie exclaimed, squealing in happiness. Roxas rolled his eyes muttering something under his breath.
"Selphie calm down." Kairi said irritated.
"How can I calm down? He took you to the Victory! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a reservation there? My parents tried but it was booked months in advanced. If it wasn't obvious before it totally is now, he's so in love with you!"
"Selphie!" Kairi warned, annoyed with her friend.
Selphie sobered immediately, "Sorry, go on."
"Anyway… He agreed he'd leave me alone if I went on a date with him and he has, until today that is. Or so I thought.
"What do you mean?" Selphie asked.
"Well when you two told me you knew about it… I didn't tell anyone, so the only other way people would have know is if Sora told them. So I kind of--"
"Snapped?" Roxas offered, a hint of mischief in his emerald eyes.
"Yeah." Kairi said guiltily, "And it wasn't even Sora who did it. I feel terrible."
"Is that all that's bothering you?" Selphie asked.
"No, his behavior has been really bugging me too. I mean, he avoids me like the plague and I don't get why."
"He's trying to hold up his end of the bargain." Roxas explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Yeah but why all of a sudden would he listen to me and be, well… decent? Why now?"
"Because he's trying to show you he can leave you alone just like he promised. Maybe he thinks by keeping up his end of the bargain and keeping a promise, you'll see that he's not all that bad. If he can do one good thing in your eyes maybe you'll see more in him than just the jackass. I'm sure he's tired of you thinking he's a 'self centered, egotistical, ass.'"
Kairi looked away guiltily.
"What else?"
"Well, I overheard him yelling at Hayner before I left. He seemed really upset that I hated him. He looked all… crushed and self conscious. He didn't seem like himself."
"It's because he likes you." Roxas replied, munching on a fry.
Kairi looked puzzled, "But why? Why would it matter what I think of him?"
"Because he likes you." Roxas repeated.
Kairi shook her head.
"No he doesn't."
"Yes he does Kai." Selphie added, nodding towards Roxas. "Roxas is right, Sora is totally in love with you. And you love him too, you're just too blinded by it to see clearly."
Kairi snorted, "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. If I liked him Selphie, I'd know it and I most certaintly don't like Daniels. Up until this past week I knew Sora was scum but now… Well I just can't figure him out. It bothers me. He seemed so vulnerable and was actually like, well, a human being instead of this stuck up jerk he's always been."
"Sounds to me like you miss having him around and paying attention to you."
"What?" Kairi exclaimed, taken aback. "Selphie no, I'm relieved, it's just weird."
"Ok answer me this then," Selphie said, a twinkle in her eye, "Why would it matter to you how he feels if you don't like him?"
"Selphie, just because I don't like him doesn't mean I wanted to hurt his feelings. Even if it is Daniels, I'm just not that type of a person. I didn't want to hurt him, I just wanted to get it through his thick skull that I don't like him. He seemed genuinely hurt after my rant and I don't know what to do about it."
"I bet he'd feel better if you told him you loved him." Selphie offered.
Kairi growled, sending a glare to her friend. "Not funny."
"I didn't mean for it to be a humorous comment Kairi, I'm just telling the truth. The boy loves you."
"Selphie--"
"Just listen for a second Kairi. If he didn't like you, why would it matter to Sora how you felt about him? So a girl doesn't like him then, big deal. This goes further than hurting his ego or his rep. Someone wouldn't get as upset as you've described if it was just that. Sora Daniels actually likes you, whether you want to admit it or not. He likes you. Why else would he be upset? Answer me that and I'll leave you alone."
But Kairi didn't answer… couldn't answer. Maybe Selphie was right, maybe she had been right all along. Maybe Sora really did like her. Why else would it matter how Kairi felt towards him? Those emotions on his face had been real, it wasn't some act; they hadn't know she was there. Maybe he really did like her, he just had a childish way of showing it. But was Selphie right?
--
A collective scratching of pens on paper filled the otherwise quiet classroom. Kairi was currently in her Geography class, taking a test on the world map.
'Largest body of water (no oceans): what is it named and where is it located (lat. long.)?'
'This is too easy.' Kairi thought to herself as she wrote down the answer. Really, how people failed this class was a mystery to her. As long as you studied a bit and listened to class discussions, there was no reason why anyone should get below a B. But still, it occurred more often than not.
Putting down her pencil, Kairi leaned back in her seat, stretching her limbs as she did so. She slowly surveyed the classroom finding she was the first one done. She saw Roxas a few chairs from her, still working hard on his test and therefore, could not pass notes.
The redhead sighed, flipping her test over to doodle on the back. Their teacher always encouraged doodling, saying it was better than talking when you were done with a test. She even went as far to say that if she liked what you drew, she'd give you extra credit.
As she drew, Kairi's mind wandered to what it had lately always wandered to.
Daniels.
She couldn't figure that boy out for the life of her usually but today she could. He was avoiding her at all costs. And she knew why, but just still couldn't fully grasp it. She had hurt Sora Daniels feelings. And more surpisingly, Sor Daniels had feelings. One wouldn't think hurting him was really possible, with as much as he dealt out to people in his sarcastic manner. But he was hurt none the less. If the look on his face yesterday hadn't told her, his behavior today surely did. He didn't talk when she was around, didn't look at her… nothing. He slouched in his desk, seemingly trying to take up as little room as possible, most likely wishing he wasn't there. And Kairi knew she was the reason for this behavior. Hell, he barely moved in class so as to not offend her and possibly make her angry in any way or he'd risk the chance of her trying to get him expelled.
She felt awful.
She couldn't exactly just walk up to him and apologize, it was impossible. The second their science class had ended, he shot out of his desk and was the first out the door. She couldn't really blame him for not wanting to be around her, she had been a down right brat in the hall yesterday. And when she was in the hall, he was nowhere to be found. Kairi just didn't know how to approach him. But even if she did manage to catch him, what would she say? 'Hey Sora, sorry for yelling at you and hurting your feelings yesterday but I still really don't like you and would appreciate it if you'd just leave me alone?' She figured that wouldn't go over too well and actually might make things worse.
It felt incredibly weird not having Daniels paying any sort of attention to her, acting as if she didn't exist at all. And it wasn't what Selphie had suggested, she didn't miss the attention, not one bit. It was just strange. Sora's incessant bugging had been a constant in her life throughout the past year and a half... She was used to it. Now that she didn't have it, well, it threw things off. Made the school days longer. She no longer had the annoyance that was Daniels to distract her. She had to suffer the long eight hours till the end of the day.
The bell rang, signaling class had ended. Kairi grabbed her things, before making her way out of the classroom. She looked at her watch: 9:51. It was going to be a long day.
--
With shaking hands, Kairi pulled on her jacket. She was freezing. It had started about twelve this afternoon, with a very crisp wind, which soon turned into a very light dusting of snow. But now it came down freely, already covering everything it touched with an inch or two of snow. Now, Kairi would have normally loved this type of weather. Her mother and her would be outside, playing in the snow like little kids or she'd be curled up on the couch, with a cup of hazelnut coffee and a copy of Watership Down. But right now, she could definitely say she hated this weather with every fiber of her being.
Kairi was out on her bench, praying for the bus to come, which was twenty minutes late. She didn't exactly have the proper attire for this sort of weather at the moment. All she had was a khaki jacket that was getting wetter by the second, no hat or hood, no mittens and shoes that were already sopping wet. She would have waited inside to avoid this nasty weather, but she would never be able to see the bus from where she stood. And unfortunately, there was no building she could seek shelter under. So she was stuck.
Trembling from the strong wind that seemed to tear right through her, Kairi pulled out an old, unused sweater she kept in her locker for emergencies. She had decided to take it home today to clean it and was eternally grateful for her timing. She quickly put the sweater over her head, tying the sleeves under her neck to form a sort of hood. She sat on the bench trying, in vain, to protect herself from the deceivingly beautiful snow.
Cursing the current weather to the deepest depths of Hell, Kairi didn't hear someone walking up the pavement towards her.
"Uh, Kairi?"
Kairi whipped her head up in the direction of the voice and saw who she had been trying to look for but dreading to find all day. Sora stood tentatively a few feet from her, hands stuffed in his pockets.
'He looks so warm.' Kairi noted, or at least, warmer than her. He was wrapped in a nice, deep blue winter jacket, accompanied with a pair of dry footwear that looked to be a cross between a boot and a shoe. Kairi felt a small blush coming to her cheeks. She was sure she looked quiet a sight... She probably resembled a drowned rat.
"Sorry for bothering you," Sora said rather shyly, "I just thought, well, you're just sitting out here in the snow and the bus obviously has been delayed, probably because of the weather. Do you, uh, want a ride? I could bring you home. If you want of course, you don't have to if you don't want to. You just look rather cold." Sora finished, giving her a brief, uncertain smile.
Kairi stared at Sora a little shocked. After what she had said to him in the hall, she was surprised that he offered to help her. Maybe he wasn't as bad a person as she originally thought.
"Sure." Kairi heard herself say before hopping up off the bench, wrapping her arms around herself in a desperate attempt to keep warm. Sora's smile became a bit wider as he turned and lead Kairi to his car.
Yanking open the car door, Kairi stood hesitantly outside the Porsche as Sora jumped in.
"What's wrong?" Sora asked, confusion clouding his features.
"Umm, my clothes are soaked." Kairi said, gesturing with her hand to her dripping shirt. "I'll ruin your car."
She heard Sora chuckle lightly, something she hadn't heard in a while. Kairi found that it sounded oddly nice to hear, but bashed the thought immediately.
"It doesn't matter, hop in."
Kairi shrugged but did as she was told. In the back of her mind, she figured it probably didn't matter what she did to his car, he could pay for anything to get fixed.
The redhead continued to shake as Sora turned the ignition and slowly pulled out of the parking lot. She huddled as close as she could to the heater, anxious to get warm. The heat was barely on, but she could feel it. And it felt wonderful.
"Here." Sora said, seeing her distressed state. The poor girl was freezing cold. He looked down at the puddle of water forming on the seat. And she was soaking wet. He leaned forward, turning the heater on full blast.
He heard a relived sigh from beside him and smiled, glad he could do something that pleased her for once. Where his sudden courage had come from to offer her a ride home, he had no idea. One second he was walking to his car and turned to see Kairi looking completely pathetic on the bench. And the next, he was standing right in front of her and before he knew it, offered to give her a ride home. He surprised himself by asking her because he had vowed to leave her alone at all costs. But what surprised him even more was that she actually said yes.
Maybe… just maybe, she didn't hate him after all. He adjusted in his seat slightly, thinking hard, as his heartbeat sped up a bit at the thought. Maybe she didn't hate him. Maybe she had just spoken out of anger the other day. A sudden image of her sitting on the bench appeared in the forefront of his mind and his heart rate decreased dramatically as realization sunk in. She had just been desperate to get out of the snow, she hadn't had a change of heart at all. Sora sighed as he turned on the windshield wipers.
'I should just be happy she grace me with giving her a ride.' Sora thought bitterly to himself.
But as he looked over to Kairi, who sat contently on the seat beside him, pressed against the heaters in the car; he couldn't help but smile. Her hair clung to her face, water dripping from long strands. Her skin was more pale than usual from the cold, and her clothes hugged her tightly, highlighting her curves. Even in this state she was still beautiful.
'This is how it should be.' Sora thought, turning back to the road. Not her being soaked to the bone, but Kairi sitting on the seat beside him, willingly. He only wished they were in the process of driving to a movie, dinner or doing more… interesting activities in the car.
He shook his head, not wanting his thought to go there. If she only knew what he was thinking about, she'd be immediately repulsed by the idea and jump out of the car as fast as she could, rain or shine. Even if his thoughts were more on the innocent side.
Sora supposed he should just be happy that she was comfortable enough to ride in the car with him. She could have simply refused, and preferred to sit in the cold than ride with him. That would have hurt.
They arrived to the ferry station and Sora pulled onto the boat. He could have just dropped her of, but he liked having her sitting beside him, even if it was in silence. It was better than the raised voices he usually heard coming from her.
"What are you doing?" Kairi asked as she saw him slowly move past the gate and onto the boat.
"Taking you home?"
"I can just get off here, you don't have to." Kairi stated, grabbing her wet jacket she had shrugged off a while back.
"No." Sora said, grabbing the jacket to stop her from leaving. "I mean, I can give you a ride, it's no trouble. I, uh, have to go to your island anyways."
"Oh… ok." Kairi said rather awkwardly, putting her jacket back over the heater.
They waited in silence as the ferry crossed the icy cold water.
Kairi looked out the window and watched as the wind lapped at the dark waves below. Kairi had always been fascinated by water, ever since she could remember. She had learned to swim first and walk second. Her mother had always told her she was a natural swimmer. Completely in her element in the water… she was a bit of a klutz on land. While others worried about sharks or other dangerous creatures when going to the beach, Kairi's only worry was that they'd have to leave soon. And living on the island that they did, she was very fortunate they had some of the best beaches around.
She continued to watch out of the window for the remained of the trip to distract herself from having to talk to Sora. She still hadn't apologized to him yet, but wanted to… She just didn't know what to say or how to begin. Would he accept her apology? If the roles were reversed, she sure wouldn't have. In fact, in the past Sora had apologized for some things but Kairi paid him no heed. Her stomach twisted as she thought how bad it would feel to have her apology thrown back in her face. But she supposed she deserved it if it happened. She had maybe done the same to Sora on numerous occasions and maybe it really had affected him, she just never knew it. Like yelling at him in the hall. Kairi always thought her words would never effect him, because she was just an object, a prize to be won. But if what Selphie said was true, and he actually had feeling for her, it would have stung.
Kairi snapped out of her daydreaming as she passed Topher's.
"Stop here." Kairi said suddenly, making Sora jump slightly.
"Ok."
Sora pulled over to the side of the road and parked the car before grabbing Kairi's bag from the backseat.
"Here you go."
"Thanks." Kairi said, grabbing the bag from him and slinging it over her shoulder. Opening the car door, she stepped outside, throwing her damp jacket over her arm. The weather here was much more tolerable.
"Err, thanks for the ride."
"No problem." Sora said, flashing her a quick smile.
Kairi gave a short wave and turned to shut the door, but stopped herself just short.
"Do you want to grab something to eat?"
"What?" Sora asked, shocked to the bone, staring at Kairi with wide eyes.
'What?' Kairi repeated silently to herself, taken aback also. 'Where had that come from?'
Although Kairi was stunned she had said it, she realized she did mean it. It would be the perfect time to apologize to him.
"They have great burgers here, among other things. The food is fantastic."
"Yeah I remember you telling me…" 'On our date.' He added silently to himself.
"So do you want to?"
She had to of been joking. Why would she willingly want to spend time with him? Didn't she hate him just yesterday?
"You sure?" Sora asked rather dumbly, slapping himself mentally as he heard the words tumble out.
Kairi rolled her eyes. He could see she was trying to be patient.
"Yes I'm sure. Do you want to or not?"
Sora stared at her for a long moment, seeing nothing but sincerity in her eyes. And for the first time in a long and agonizing week, he grinned.
"Sure."
--
A/N: Wow was I in the mood to write or what. Sat down a few hours ago and it all just kind of came out. Hope you all liked the chapter! And thanks for the reviews everyone! You have no idea how appreciated they are. Glad everyone likes the story so far, I hope you enjoy what's to come! :) And thanks to a few people who pointed out the spacebar issue. For some reason when I submit a document it just kind of pushes together words that shouldn't be together. I'll take a closer look at it. Review!