LIFE FROM ALL SIDES
CHAPTER 12

Vincent sat on the curb in front of the arcade. Rikku slowly approached and wiped tears from her face, trying not to run away. It could ruin her life if she ran. It was either face Vincent and be raped, or be killed. She walked up to him and sat down beside him.

Gippal, who also wanted to waste his allowance, was playing pinball inside, unaware of what was going on. He sighed as he pulled another quarter out of his pocket. He then took out some gum and popped it into his mouth.

"Such a good thing you came," said Vincent, licking a pocketknife. He cut his tounge a little, but he didn't mind, he just wanted to look threatening. Although he didn't actually plan on really hurting her- he certainly wasn't going to kill her. But if she thought so, all the better. She would just cooperate easier.

"Come. This way," he told her leading her behind the arcade. She followed slowly, obviously frightened.

"What do you want from me?" she whispered quietly when they were out of sight of all other people around.

"Oh, not much," he said. "Something."

"What?"

"I want you, miss Rikku... And note, if you don't give me what I want, I will kill you." A lie, but she believed it. "I want you... To be my girlfriend."

"But, I already am involved wi-"

"Gippal, I know. But how fun is it when you love someone and no one knows it? When you go out with me, I'll tell the world!" he laughed, raising his hands.

"No, you can't!" she cried, pushing herself away from him. He ran over and grabbed her by the shirt, trying to rip it off. As she struggled, he pulled her into a kiss.

'This must be the part of rape!' she cried in her thoughts, kicking him in the man jewels. She started to scream and was then pushed to the ground.

Gippal, who was just about to leave, heard the desperate cries and ran straight towards where they were coming from. Vincent heard the pounding footsteps of Gippal and covered Rikku's mouth, pulling her down into the shadows behind a dumpster. When Gippal entered the alley, he could see nothing nor could he hear anything. After searching the place a bit, he finally gave up and left, not knowing that Rikku was there the whole time.

"Now, Rikku," Vincent said menacingly. "Go out with me, or I really will kill you. If you try to get help from Gippal there, I swear it to God, I will kill him, too. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Tears running their tracks along her face, Rikku shook her head. "No."

Ryo's girlfriend, Jerika, was thought by an awful lot of people to be amazingly gorgeous, especially Ryo. The girl's blonde hair fell just below her shoulders in light waves. Like Jewel's. Her eyes were a deep green that could almost be mistaken for brown. Like Jewel's. Her name, in fact, started with a 'J' as well! Ryo absolutely adored her.

Sora hated her.

It wasn't a matter of Sora being a jealous twin who didn't want Ryo around other people or anything like that. But it wasn't actually a matter where he had a basis for not liking her. He just didn't.

At the same time that Rikku was behind an arcade with Vincent, Sora was sitting across from Ryo at the food court of the shopping mall. Sitting, pretending to be in a good mood- and secretly hating Jerika, who currently had her arms wrapped around Ryo's neck as the two sweet-talked. Sora turned away from the sight and found himself looking at Namine, his 'stalker.' It was true, Sora thought, almost. She really did follow him quite a bit. But this only made him think of the red-headed girl whose name he was yet to find out.

"Sora!"

Sora turned to Ryo, his voice ringing in his ears. Jerika, Ryo and Namine all began to laugh. "Are you with us?" Jerika joked.

"Hm. Sure, why not?" he mumbled, trying not to vomit. Jerika shrugged and started to play kissy face with Ryo.

"So, Sora, why the long face?" asked Namine, trying to hold his hand. Sora kept glaring at his twin, not even knowing that Namine was there. She kept holding his hand, and was quite surprised to see him not react. So, she tried to kiss him. Her lips was just about to touch his when he finally snapped to.

"Namine!" he yelled in disgust, trying to pry her hand off of his.

"Oh, Jerika, you are so hot!" drooled Ryo, kissing her. Jerika giggled and rolled her eyes to look at Sora. She had a certain taste for him. Recently he'd given off a more bad boy appeal, unlike his twin, Ryo. She also thought he had a thing for her, too. The way he looked at her and never stopped.

"Ryo, stop. I have something to tell you," she started. Her plan was to make Sora jealous and ask her out. "I love you."

They began kissing again. Sora wrinkled his face in disgust. He noticed the way Jerika was looking at him from the corner of her eye and tore his gaze away. Oh, no, he thought. She is supposed to like Ryo.

Sora bit his lip and smiled at Namine who was giving him an odd look. "What's going on with you?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "I don't know, but, umm... I have to go. Tell Ryo, if he ever gets off her, that I won't- note that, won't- be home. Kay? Thanks, Namine."

Sora jumped up from his seat and walked off. Ryo, unsurprisingly, didn't notice. Sora sighed and left the mall, heading in the direction of the beach, even though it was autumn. He could remember when Jerika and Ryo had first started dating-

Jerika's boyfriend at the time, whose name was Mick, had heard a rumour that she was cheating on him and so had cut off the relationship. He'd basically told her that she was a whore, except using nice words. He'd said something along the lines of, "Jerika, you're a nice girl and all... But I am a nice boy. Too nice of a boy, in fact, to force you to do something you don't want to. Even if it is staying with one boy- that one boy being me."

Ryo had, of course, immediately taken advantage of her 'broken heart' and probably seduced her, Sora figured. She was such a bitch. He was only dating her because she looked like Jewel! He couldn't honestly like her. It just wasn't possible. Sora sighed and kicked a rock into the ocean, watching the water ripple afterwards.

Rikku sat alone in her room with black PJs on. Tears ran down her face like a river, her silent crys being smothered by a pillow. Brother knocked on the door and went on in.

"You know, Rikku, wait- are you crying?" he asked, lifting one eyebrow.

"Uh, no, I'm fine." she told him, pushing him out the door. She then walked over and picked up her phone. As she dialed in the numbers for Gippal's home, she remembered the words of her new boyfriend.

'Go out with me, or I really will kill you. If you try to get help from Gippal there, I swear it to God, I will kill him, too. You wouldn't want that, would you?'

"I can't tell him. I just love him too much." she sighed, trying not to vomit. But then, she remembered her father giving her alot of supper. A whole salad! She then ran to her bathroom, well, you know the rest.