Started 2O.1O.O7
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Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. If you recognize anything, I probably don't own it.
I must be dreaming or
we're onto something
I must be dreaming for
I don't fall in love lawlessly
I must be dreaming or
pinch me to waking
so undeniably yours
as long as I'm losing it so completely
(Music by Frou Frou)
It was love that brought them together.
But it was love that separated them.
Chapter XII - Euphoria
Three weeks later.
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee drew Madison to the kitchen. Her stepdaughter sat hunched over a steaming mug at the kitchen table, poring over a textbook. Sora looked exhausted – her dark ruby eyes were bloodshot; her red hair pulled up in a messy ponytail.
"Tell me you haven't been up all night," Madison groaned.
Sora didn't even look up, "I haven't been up all night."
Madison poured herself a cup of coffee before sliding into a chair across the other female, "Honestly?"
"You asked me to tell you something," Sora said while leafing through the thick textbook, "You didn't ask for the truth."
Madison frowned, "You should get some rest."
"Can't," Turning the page, "My mid-terms are in 5 weeks time and my mock test for Physics is first period today."
The frown deepened, "That's a long way to go, get some rest."
Sora looked up, "You're going to be late."
Madison was a primary teacher, who's school was a half an hour drive away. She glanced at the clock: 7:50.
Madison sighed, "I better get going, promise me you'll get some rest."
The redhead met her gaze, "I promise."
"Then I'm heading out," The elder redhead leaned forward to kiss Sora on the forehead before taking her mug and heading out.
Sometimes Sora thought she was stuck in a room with no doors and no windows, but only with idiots. She thought she was sometimes surrounded by idiots, it amazed her at how stupid people could be sometimes. Take last week for instance, some girl in her Art class had her periods and a guy screamed it to the whole class. Now, everyone will remember Joan Smith as the girl who leaked all over her chair in Art.
Amazingly stupid.
Sora lifted her face to the spray of the shower and closed her eyes – her body was so sore, she didn't get any sleep last night. All she did was study, study, study and study. She counted to ten before turning off the water and rushed out of the shower stall to stand naked and dripping in front of the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed red from the shower, her hair sticking to her face and shoulders like a second skin. She turned sideways, scrutinized her flat stomach, and sucked it in the middle.
The idiots that surrounded her were so judgemental, they all expected her to be perfect, they would all probably go crazy if they find anything unattractive about her. The little boys at school all worshipped her, and the army of skanks at school persecuted her.
She understood how she was supposed to look and supposed to act. She wore her fiery red hair long and straight; she listened to Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco and Yellowcard. She liked feeling her eyes of girls and boys alike when she walked down the corridors of Davidson Academy with Matt's arm around her waist – like king and queen as they paraded aroundtheir territory.
But she was glad that she wasn't the type that had to find it hard waking up every morning and put on her mask of deceit anymore. She was glad that she wasn't the type that had to laugh at the right jokes and whisper the right gossip and attract the right guy, a fake who had nearly forgotten what it felt like to be real... and who, when you got right down to it, didn't want to remember, because it hurt even more than this. She was glad that Matt had liked her, not because she was one of Davidson Academy's princess, but because of who she really was.
Before leaving the bathroom, she wrapped a towel around herself and headed into her bedroom. She got into her uniform and proceeded to tend to her hair – a daily routine – before heading downstairs. As she headed to the kitchen to get something to eat, she caught the whiff of something cooking, she found her textbook still wide open – and a long-stemmed red rose marking her place.
Matt was by the stove, cooking her breakfast. She found him breathtakingly sweet – she leaned against the doorframe and watched her boyfriend fuss over her breakfast. He was in an apron, and he was yet to notice her presence. Turning off the stove, he turned around. Startled, before grabbing a plate, "You're not still pissed off, right?"
Sora frowned, "I wasn't the one who was mad."
Placing the plate of omelette on the table, he made his way to Sora and linked his hands around her waist, pulling her close, "You know I can't help it."
Sora looked up and into his soulful sapphire eyes and felt herself softening, "It wasn't that I didn't want to see you but I really needed to study, unlike you, I don't have a fucking photographic memory."
A slow smile made its way to his face. He brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her. This was exactly the reason why she didn't want him to come over last night – when she was with him, she felt that nothing else mattered.
As always, he tasted like chocolate, "It's your fault, you know," He laid a feather kiss on her lips again, "I wouldn't be crazy about you if you weren't so amazing."
Sora smiled softly back at him before wrapping her arms around his torso, pulling him even closer, feeling his warmth seep through their uniform. His arms took all her problems away and swept her off her feet.
"You're so weird."
Sora yawned and warily shuffled her way to her first class. The Teenage Wolves were busy rehearsing for their first concert and Matt had immediately rushed to the music rooms as soon as they made it through the school gates. The next few weeks are going to be really busy, not to mention, their first wave of exams were coming up.
"Sora!" Two voices called in unison.
Sora turned around to see Mimi and Janice heading her direction, smiling at her.
"Morning, guys," Sora waited for them to catch up.
"You look tired," Janice pointed out while hugging the redhead.
"Is it that obvious?" Sora grunted while returning the gesture.
"Umm," Janice suggested, "The bloodshot eyes and the eye bags are a dead giveaway."
Sora shrugged, "I've been studying."
"Take a break," Janice suggested.
Sora ignored her, preferring to take a rather thick binder out.
"Where's Matt?" Mimi asked, frowning when she realised that it was full of study notes.
"Music rooms," Sora sighed, snapping the folder back closed, "They're busy rehearsing for their upcoming concert. God, he has exams coming up and all he's thinking about is his band... even though he has that stupid memory of his..."
An arm suddenly draped around Sora's shoulder. She looked up at the young man who was eating a jelly-doughnut.
"Morning Tai," Janice said to the brunette cheerily.
"Morning Charlies' Angels," Tai returned sleepily.
"Charlies' Angels?" Sora echoed teasingly, "How lame can you get?"
"Shut up, I'm low on sugar," Tai rested his weight on the smaller frame.
"Get off, bushy," Sora complained, "You're not exactly what they call as-light-as-feather and you call that breakfast?"
Tai finished his breakfast and raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you in bad mood this morning... didn't get enough action last night?"
Sora flushed red, "Yama and I haven't done anything of that sort yet. It's only been three weeks and I'm really tired, don't test me. The exams are driving me nuts!"
Janice, Mimi and Tai watched as Sora rambled on.
"Sora, you're rambling again," A voice laughed from behind.
Sora shoved Tai off her before turning around to face Eve.
"I was not rambling," The redhead scoffed while flipping her hair over her shoulder haughtily, "I'm just dead tired."
Tai, Mimi and Eve snickered. Tai remarked, "That was so Janice-like."
"Are you implying something, Kamiya?" Janice raised one blonde eyebrow threateningly.
"Of course not, Princess Haughty," Tai bowed mockingly.
Janice grabbed a lock of his hair and tugged hard.
"Ow!"
Sora sighed again, this was getting old, Tai saying something and Janice would give him hell. Was the relationship between Tai and Janice what they called: sexual frustration?
"Anyways," Sora interrupted the bullying session, "Let's study during our free time."
"As if," Tai answered abruptly, looking down at the redhead, "I'm going to waste my time on mindless stuff."
"Our exams are coming up," Sora frowned up at the male brunette.
"In 5 weeks," Tai said flatly while finishing his doughnut, "And why are you getting all frantic? The exams are 5 weeks away."
"Because they're getting close!" Sora mustered all her will to prevent stomping her foot.
"Haha," Eve laughed, "Mrs. Matt Ishida has a grade-complex."
Sora flushed red, "I do not!"
Her friends simply laughed at her. Ever since Sora started dating Matt, she had became such a fun person to tease.
Matt slipped into the seat beside Sora just before Parsons entered the classroom. He turned to whisper into the ear of the girl sitting beside him, "Sorry for leaving you like that."
Sora turned to the blond and stuck her tongue out at him, "It's fine. I didn't notice you were gone, I had company."
Matt pouted sulkily, "How can you be so cruel?"
"But you absolutely adore me for it," Sora battered her eyelashes mockingly.
"You're such an annoying woman..." Matt muttered playfully.
"Matt, Sora, will you even try to pretend that you're listening?" Parsons grunted from the front, "I'm going to hand out the test now, so everyone shut up."
Sora turned to Matt and offered him an overly-sugary smile, "Good luck, Bleach Boy."
"I don't need luck, Carrot Top," Matt responded by posing and letting the sun shine on his blond hair.
Takashi turned back and raised an eyebrow, "Quit flirting..."
"I thought I said silence," Parsons muttered while dropping two papers onto the table, "I'll deduct marks, last warning, Yamato, Sora, Takashi."
"Fine..."
"Good children," Parsons patted the three of them before returning to the front.
"You have an hour, you may begin now."
Sora and Takashi dragged their bodies out of Physics while Izzy and Matt followed shortly behind.
"Why... why did I choose fucking Physics?" Takashi moaned while mussing up his already messy hair, "I could've chosen Sociology or something!"
"Will you shut up?" Sora snapped irritably while Matt pushed her forward to keep her moving.
Takashi continued to whine, "What the hell was this test, AND what was that stupid question on thermodynamics? I didn't even finish the paper..."
"If you actually bothered to stop singing and pay attention in class," Izzy kicked the black-haired teen forward, "You might have understood it. It was a perfectly easy question, right Sora, Matt?"
Sora nodded vigorously, "It was easiest out of all the short responses, all you had to do was outline and describe it."
Takashi headed off to his class while Sora and Matt walked into their Calculus classroom and headed to their seats; completely ignoring Mahew.
Yutaka looked up, "How was it?"
"Easy," Matt beamed.
"Of course," Yutaka grinned, "Matt has a photographic memory."
Matt grinned back at the other blond.
"I wish I had more time to check..." Sora groaned while sitting down.
Matt looked amused, "You were checking for practically 20 minutes."
Akira let out a low chuckle, "Sora always needs at least half an hour for checking."
"Shut up, zombie," Sora sprawled herself over the whole table while Matt stretched.
Yutaka was smiling, "If you're complaining now, I'm starting to wonder how you guys will react when the actual exams start."
"Don't even remind me..." Sora groaned while staring out the window to see TK playing Basketball with a redhead with goggles.
Matt followed her gaze, "Is it TK playing there?"
"Will you two pay attention to your work?" Mahew suddenly thundered, "Your exams are in a few weeks, so stop looking outside and start revising."
"Dick," Yutaka muttered inaudibly.
"Let's cam-whore!"
Sora looked up from her study notes and fixed the idiot who would dare to interrupt her, a peeved glare.
Kari laughed, unfazed and held up her camera and snapped a shot of the peeved redhead's face.
Sora went back to her notes, ignoring the brunette who was hovering over her completely.
Kari laughed and proceeded to block the sunlight from Sora, she continued to randomly shoot pictures of the redhead who had her straight hair tied back.
"I always thought that people always stick to their own age groups," Sora commented, not looking up, "So why don't you go back to your friends instead of pestering me?"
Kari paused, "You're rather grumpy today."
Sora inwardly groaned. She should've moved herself out of the cold and into the library instead of staying with her friends.
Kari grinned, "Fine, I'll leave you alone, I just wanted to add new pictures of you onto DeviantART."
Sora looked bemused as she shoved her notes back into the folder and headed off to the library, leaving Kari dumbfounded with Janice and Mimi.
"I still wonder how she manages to have so many friends with a personality like hers," Mimi mumbled while watching Sora's retreating back. She turned to the others who were with her. They shrugged, not really caring and went back to whatever they were doing.
Janice snickered, "I sometimes feel bad for my dear cousin."
Sora restlessly leafed through her notes while seating alone at the back of the library. Study notes and textbooks from different subjects were sprawled over the entire area of the table's surface. A memory passed through her mind whilst she read.
It was a bit before she left Gold Coast. Her best friend Seth Summers, was lying next to her, lying next together on a makeshift bed of tables in the school grounds under an old oak tree, his chestnut brown hair fanned around his face.
"Sydney, eh?" Seth surveyed the redhead with his deep grey eyes, "You as well... first it was Akira... now it's you... I'm going to be all alone..."
"Yeah..." Sora murmured, her breath tickling Seth's face, "I wish you could come with me."
Seth continued looking at her eyes, "It's not that easy, it's not like you're going to Helensvale, you're going to Sydney..."
Sora smiled humourlessly at the brunette, "Don't be dry..."
Seth smiled bitterly, "Promise me, you won't lose contact, not like Akira."
Sora sat up and took his face in her hands and kissed him on the forehead. He closed his eyes at the soft feeling and a soft sigh escaped his lips, his silver orbs opened and locked with dark ruby ones.
The redhead rested her head on his chest, directly over his heart, and listened to the gentle strum of his heartbeat.
"I swear..."
Now, she thought back, he had been acting strange then. She took out her phone and started typing a message before sending it to him.
'I miss you.'
"You know... phones are banned from the premises of the school," A slightly husky voice remarked dryly.
The redhead looked up in surprise, only to see Matt standing on the other side of the table, gazing at her with adoration clearly shown in his deep blue eyes. It hurt to look into them because they were so... beautiful.
So soulful.
"Yama, what are you doing here?" She asked while he made his way around the table and sitting down next to her.
Matt smiled, "I was looking for you, I almost didn't see you because you were so hidden."
She smiled back at him, "Shouldn't you be rehearsing?"
"No..." He breathed while glancing at her phone, "Who were you texting?"
"Seth."
"Oh..." Matt looked bored before his attention turned to the essay in her English book, he looked back at the redhead and raised an eyebrow, "Lion King?"
"Yeah," Sora shifted her position so she was completely facing him and clasped his hand in hers. She smirked at him, "Did you know that the movie had a sex scene in it?"
All boredom was gone, "No..."
"Well," Sora went on, grinning cheekily, "Simba and Nala were busy romping in the 'Can you feel the love' scene."
"Really..." Matt gave her a sceptical glance.
"I swear, they were seriously rolling in the proverbial hay! Disney decided to grow up and bypass the PG rated restriction and slipped in a copulating scene in this moving love story," Sora said in a single breath while her dark ruby eyes glittered excitedly.
"Wow... you sure know a lot of synonyms for the word: sex..." Matt commented dryly.
"Well..." Sora flushed red, "Anyways, I love this movie!"
"Calm down, sweetie," Matt laughed, "Do you love this movie because it teaches children about the conceivability of babies?"
"No!" Sora squealed in denial, "I don't love Lion King because it teaches us how babies are made and that babies weren't taken out of a magical cupboard! AND, wasn't Kiara born a bit early?"
Matt stared at her weirdly, "I guess... I can see why you claim that it was a romping as you put it... the song does work as an excellent aphrodisiac... but... how did you decide on it? Were you thinking about it and what makes you think the time skip was short?"
Sora narrowed her eyes at him, "My 10th grade English teacher told me, and why the hell did you make quotation marks when you said romping?"
Matt grinned cheekily, "I was emphasising."
Sora mirrored his grin, "Besides, I always did like Matthew Broderick."
"Is it because his name is similar to mine?" Matt quipped cheekily.
She smacked his arm gently, "No. I liked him ever since I was a child – and I liked him because my first crush was named Matt... did I mention that my first crush was a boy named Matt?"
"Hey..." Matt grumbled, "I thought Akira was your first crush..."
Sora shook her head, "It was a boy I met at Dreamworld when I was lost, he had blue eyes and blond hair and he wore thick glasses."
"When?"
"When I was around 5?"
Matt frowned, "Did you and the boy share a chocolate ice-cream together?"
Sora frowned back at him, "Yeah... it was a hot day, nice and shiny... he treated me the ice-cream but I started crying when-"
"When an old lady accidentally knocked into you and sent the ice-cream flying into a glass window?"
Sora nodded vigorously, "How did you know?"
"Because I was the boy who bought you the ice-cream."
"What?"
"Yeah... I remember," A slow smile made its way to his face, "We walked around looking for our parents the entire day. I found you when you were sitting on the floor laughing."
Sora blinked before laughing, "I can't believe that was you! You had like the thickest glasses!"
Matt frowned, "They were not thick... I can't believe that was you... you look so different!"
"Why don't you wear glasses anymore?"
"I was sick of pushing them up every ten seconds," Matt smirked smugly, "Besides, I look better without glasses."
Sora smiled before taking his face in her hands, "I can't believe how cliché our relationship is. I didn't think it was you because a lot of Aussie boys are called Matt..."
"I guess I can't blame you, Matt is an overly-popular name..." Matt smirked flippantly.
Sora smiled at him in response.
"So... you basically like Matthew Broderick because of me."
OK. This chapter lacked plot, the last bit was just purely random, I wondered if I should've included it, because it might make their relationship a tad bit too cliché... But I decided to use it because I liked it. xD Review and I'll update sooner.
SpiffyCookie
P.S. God, it's taking longer to write nowadays...
