Twenty-One
"I fail to see the humor in this situation," I commented as Julia whooped and hollered, slapping her knee. Mariah, Mathilda, Emily, and Hilary sat back and watched Julia continue to shriek with laughter.
We were the first ones at the BEGA building; the guys would be arriving later. I wanted to get there as early as possible to avoid any situations where I'd end up running into Max. I knew I needed to talk to him but I knew he wouldn't stick around long enough to listen to me, which was where the girls came in. I needed their opinions on the situation before I did anything.
"Really? 'Cause it's so easy to see," she said with a large grin. She dropped back on the couch in between Emily and Hilary, her arms stretching over the back.
"Enlighten me, please." I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. They started to knock after a few seconds, and I squeezed them tighter. I wish this damn tournament was over with all ready.
It took her a Julia more seconds to calm down her hysterical laughter. "None of this would've happened if you were never so afraid of letting him down," she said, wagging her finger in my direction.
"Hey!" I shouted, holding a finger in front of her face. "I'm not afraid of anything, got that?" I hissed.
"Except talking to a boy."
"I am not scared! It's just…it's complicated," I groaned, holding my head in my hands.
"Well, let's go over the facts," Mathilda offered. She held out her palm and lowered a finger. "He likes you."
"Right." I nodded.
"And you like him." She lowered another finger.
"As a friend."
"But you kissed him," Mariah pointed out.
"Yeah, but—"
"More than once," Hilary added.
"Well, yeah, but—"
"And you kinda danced around the subject whenever you wanted to talk to him about it," Julia agreed.
"B—"
"And you avoided the subject at all costs," Mathilda added.
"What's with the third degree?" I snarled, interrupting them. I let out a groan and subbed my suddenly aching temples. Maybe I should've stayed in the village, it would've made my life a hell of a lot easier. Then I shook my head, emptying it of that thought alone. I love blading too much to have stayed behind and threw away this opportunity. "You guys are talking like I'm the bad guy here."
"Well, you did go about it the wrong way," Emily sighed, adjusting her glasses. "Max is a sensitive boy, of which you probably figured out all ready, and he probably took it as a slap to the face."
"How is that supposed to help the situation?" I asked.
She smirked. "It's not. I'm just stating the facts. Your own your own with trying to figure out what to do. I suggest not making things worse, though."
"Right, like I could possibly make this even worse than it is now," I said with an eyeroll."I don't see why he's making such a big deal about it. It's not like we're dating or anything. It was just for fun, I draw a fine line at the dating prospect."
"Does he know that?" Mathilda asked.
"Apparently not since he's so upset," Julia replied. "Look, just go find him and apologize. If he doesn't accept your apology then at least you tried."
"It's not going to clear up the inevitable awkwardness between the team, though," I pointed out, tugging at my ponytail. I groaned and rubbed a gloved hand over my eye. "I just want all of this to be over all ready."
Mariah put a hand on my shoulder. "We're just under a lot of stress. Emotions are running high and this tournament isn't getting easier. I think we should all just focus on our goal and put everything else aside."
"Easy for you to say, 'Riah, you're not the one blading against a sack of steroids," I grumbled. The girls giggled and I cracked a smile. Someone please give me the strength to get through these next couple of days. "I mean, they could at least have one good looking guy on that team."
"I don't know, Mystel's pretty cute," Mariah commented with a dreamy smile on her face.
"Barf," I mumbled.
"Psh, Brooklyn's hot," Julia said with a wave of her hand and a smirk on her lips.
"No way, Mystel's so much better looking," Mariah retorted.
"He is not! He's just a kid."
"At least he's not cocky. Brooklyn's head is filled with so much air it could float right off his shoulders."
"Take that back!"
"Brooklyn plays with butterflies for cryin' out loud!" I interjected.
"Girls, girls, why are you fighting about our opponents?" Mathilda asked, waving her hands and trying to keep the peace. "Really, does it matter if they're good looking or not? They're fighting for BEGA, remember? We shouldn't go against each other because of petty differences."
"I'm bettin' it's easy for you to say considering Miguel's on our side, huh?" Hilary asked with a sly grin, elbowing Mathilda in the side. Mathilda laughed nervously and Emily let out a loud sigh.
"Honestly, girls, why let something as trivial as the male gender get in your way of seeing the big picture?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She then lifted her head and pointed right at me, the glare of the light blocked out her eyes. "You stared this mess so you can go finish it. Apologize to Max, sort everything out, and then things will finally go back to normal."
"You want to add a 'please' to the end of that demand?" I asked dryly, stretching my arms over my head. I placed my hands on my knees and stood, letting out a little grunt at the pain in my joints. "Fine, whatever, as long as it gets you girls off my back."
"Oh you love us," Mariah chirped.
"I'd love you all six feet under," I called over my shoulder and left the room. I didn't know which way to go so I just started walking and let my mind wander. I didn't see the big deal about everything; they were blowing it out of proportion. It wasn't as if I committed a crime or anything. Sure, dinner was kind of awkward; no one really knew what to say to anyone until Tyson said something random about noodles and whipped cream that got everyone as lively as ever.
I leaned my back against the cool concrete wall and let out a long breath. Too many people were making too big a deal about this, it was starting to suffocate me. I just wanted to go back home and hide under my covers.
If I have a home to go back to.
I startled myself at my own thought. I really didn't have a home much anymore, I travelled too much. I brought my eyebrows together. Why have I moved so much? I've been asking myself that question for years and I still didn't have an answer. That was the one thing I wanted the most in this life, a place to call home, but where was that? I knew I always had a place waiting for me in Tokyo with Tyson but it wasn't the same and I could only stay there for so long without Grandpa Granger freaking me out. And where else could I go? China? I wasn't even banished anymore but I still didn't feel right being there, and that was my closest home than anything, but I had nothing there for me anymore. I just wanted continuity in my life but I couldn't stay in one place but it was like I couldn't have one or the other. My mind wanted one thing but my heart wanted the other.
I pushed myself off the wall and started walking again. As soon as I turned the corner I ran smack dab into something hard, falling back onto my butt. "Hey, watch where I'm going!" I cried out, getting back to my feet. I looked at who had run into me and flinched. "Oh…sorry Max," I mumbled.
"I should've been watching where I was going," he said curtly.
I nodded. Geeze, this was so awkward. I didn't do awkward. "Where are the others?" I asked, looking over his shoulder.
"Back in the room probably thinking up new strategies for me to use against Mystel," he replied. I lifted my eyebrow at the trace of bitterness that was in his tone.
"What'd they say?"
"What does it matter?"
"It's made you upset."
His eyes hardened. "A few things have me upset right now so if you don't mind…" he moved to walk past me. I swung out my arm and stopped him from moving.
"Don't take your anger out on me," I warned him. "I won't have it. I know I screwed up but you shouldn't take your anger from them out on the next person you see. Put it towards your blading, all right?" He didn't say anything but he continued to stay at the ground. "I'm sorry for handling things the way I did. I should've talked to you about it instead of going to anyone else. It wasn't fair to you, but we have bigger things to worry about right now." I pushed him back until he was looking right at me. "Considering your position…you have a lot of pressure put on you. They're only trying to help. They believe in you and they know you can do it but you can't freak out. Not now. They're not just your teammates Max, they're your brothers," I paused, "Well, maybe not Daichi, he's more like a missing link." Max cracked a smile. "Anyway, my point is they're thinking up different plans to try and make it easier for you because they care. Ok? They care, we all do, we know what you can do and we know, in the end, it's your decision how you blade. They believe in you and so do I."
"Thanks," he muttered.
"Hey, if you don't win this or at least tie, I don't get to blade and that'll make me unhappy and you don't want to deal with me when I'm unhappy," I joked.
His smile got a bit wider. "Yeah, that's for sure."
"So…are we cool?"
The smile immediately dropped from his face. "I don't know…"
"Look, I'm sorry but I don't feel the same way about you. I mean, you're sweet and all, it's just…I'm not looking for a boyfriend or anything right now."
He nodded. "I get it."
"Max…why do you like me anyway?" I asked, tilting my head slightly.
He smiled. "I'm not going to tell you."
"Oh come on! I think I deserve to know why."
"My lips are sealed." He made a zipping lips motion.
"You wouldn't inflate my ego or anything. I'm quite aware of how awesome I am already."
"Yeah, whatever."
I chuckled. "You'll do fine today. Just do what you feel is right."
"Back in the saddle again," I sighed and took my spot on the bench, wincing at the sound of the screaming fans. "I feel like these past couple of days has been a broken record."
"I'd like to smash a broken record over Ming Ming's head," Hilary grumbled, picking at her nails, glaring across the arena at the Pop Star who was waving at the cheering crowd.
"I'm with you on that idea."
Just then a spotlight burst on and illuminated DJ Jazzman as he took the stage. "All right folks this is where we stand," he addressed the crowd. His voice was booming through the speakers installed in the arena and seemed to get the crowd more hyped than it was before. "In this best of five series G Revolutions has zero wins and two losses."
"Thanks for throwing that in our faces, buddy," I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.
"He's just doing his job, relax," Ray scolded me.
"One more defeat and they're gone! Outta here! See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya!" DJ Jazzman continued.
"We get it!" I snarled.
"Can BEGA's team make it a clean three-for-three sweep today? Max is known for his defensive style play. Could be easy pickings for an offensive powerhouse like Mystel. Will Max throw out his usual playbook in order to win?" DJ Jazzman finished to the roar of the crowd.
"Whoa, look at that dish," Ray muttered as they revealed the Sunken Sparta Stadium.
"It's a water dish so it should be to Max's advantage," Hilary noted.
"Not with Mystel going against him. He has a water powered spirit as well. It should be evenly matched," I replied. I reached my arms up to stretch but stopped when I felt eyes resting on me. I looked around and then locked eyes with Garland who was glaring at me from across the arena. "Urgh, I do not like the way that guy is looking at me," I mumbled.
Hilary looked up. I pointed and she followed the direction my finger was pointing in with her eyes. Then she flinched. "Ooh. Yeah, that is very creepy. Wonder what his problem is."
"He could be intimidated by my beauty."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure that's it."
"Thanks for boosting my confidence, Hil."
"Would you two please focus on this match?' Ray asked, rolling his eyes.
"Sor-ry," Hilary huffed.
Max suddenly stood and moved to walk towards the dish but Tyson stopped him, apologizing for getting carried away. He stepped up to the dish and the battle was underway. He started off by attacking Mystel, which practically gave the rest of the team a heart attack. I mean, it was understandable Max was strictly defensive so seeing him use an offensive move was weird, but he had to know what he was doing.
"There's no sign of Max's steel wall defense," DJ Jazzman noted. "He'll do anything for a win, even change his style."
"Wait, so first he's on the attack and now he's getting attacked? I don't get it," I mused, rubbing my chin.
"I don't think Max can get a read on Mystel, he's completely unpredictable," Tyson noted.
"Up, down, side-ways, reverse…. Ooh, can't he make up his mind?" Daichi griped.
"I know this is Max's defensive style but isn't he taking too many hits?" Hilary asked.
"My sentiments exactly," I commented.
"Not really," Kenny replied, typing away at his laptop as usual. "It only looks like Max is taking the brunt of the impacts but that's not the case."
"Huh?" Hilary, Ray, and I uttered in unison. I jumped off the bench and leaned over Kenny's shoulder to look at the screen.
Kenny explained, "In order to keep the damage down to a minimum Max adjusts his timing at the point of impact just slightly. Pretty sophisticated technique, even for Max."
"Hmm, I'm impressed," I said.
The longer the battle went on the more tired the two got but they still weren't letting up. They had more strength than I imagined. I could feel everyone around me tense up as Mystel called out Poseidon and used his Ocean Javelin attack.
"C'mon Maxie," Ray muttered, clenching his hands into fists. "C'mon."
The whole stadium held their breaths as Draciel used his Aqua shield attack. The water in the dish rose up and created a wall that Poseidon smashed through and came out on the other side, smashing into Draciel. The wave smashed into Max and he almost lost his footing but he regained in. I could practically hear the collective sigh of releaf from the G Revolutions supporters.
"BEGA is not going to get the best of me! The future…depends…on us to bring them…all the way down!" Max declared.
Draciel and Poseidon fought head to head, neither one backing down. Suddenly wind picked up out of nowhere and beads of water was sent flying through the stadium. I braced myself as well as possible but I could feel myself sliding backwards a bit from the force of the wind. These Chinese shoes really didn't have great traction on this ground, especially with the water. I almost fell over from the force of the wind but Ray grabbed my arm and helped me stay balanced. Another surge of water escaped from the dish. Mystel managed to jump out of the way but it knocked Max off of his feet and onto the ground, as well as their two blades ending their battle in a draw. The stadium went nuts as DJ Jazzman announced the match in a draw.
"Max! Max!" I pulled out of Ray's grasp and rushed to his side as he sat up. "Max, you tied! You tied!" I said, shaking his shoulder. I helped him to his feet and looked up at the box that Boris was in. Hmph, he must know now that we're a force to be taken seriously. I clenched my hands into fists. I won't lose, Boris, I'll avenge my parents' death and make sure you pay!
"Hey." I turned and looked up at Tyson. "It looks like it's up to you now."
I nodded. "Looks like it," I agreed, noticing the hard look in his eyes. "Don't worry, I can do this."
"Are you sure?" Tyson asked. "Garland's up next."
I nodded again. "Garland…with enough practice I can stand on my own against him. Just worry about Brooklyn, alright Ty? I'll get us to the next round for sure."
He grinned. "I know you won't let us down."
The car ride to the park was filled with praise towards Max's beybattle. Everyone was so jazzed up by us still having a chance in the tournament and taking BEGA down that everyone wanted a chance at battling in practice, even though they weren't the ones who were going to battle in the tournament. It's amazing how a little battle could change people's hopes and lift their spirits.
I battled Daichi in practice today partially because the little monkey boy wouldn't leave me alone and partially because he was the closest to Tyson when it came to his maneuvers. If I could beat Daichi then I could take on Tyson and get better prepared for what Garland had up his sleeve. The battle with Daichi wasn't a walk in the park but he made too many mistakes and he was so overzealous Dricen picked him apart easily. A bit too easily for my taste but a win's a win and it shut him up for a while.
Now we were all back at the dojo to take a break and get some lunch before going back out to practice again later. I decided to unwind a bit by watching TV but of course the only thing on was anything BEGA related. I moved to change the channel but Hilary stopped me, wanting to know what DJ Jazzman was saying.
"Hey kids! Is everybody ready for some BEGA vs G Revolutions excitement or are you just in it for the free hotdogs and popcorn?" DJ Jazzman's voice floated out of the television set. Immediately everyone stopped talking and turned to the TV. "Don't need to answer that one. There have been three rounds so far. BEGA's won two plus a draw. The next matchup: its BEGA's star Garland against Crystal from G Revolutions which means Tyson will face Brooklyn in the last match. Let's go live to the BEGA Training Arena where BEGA blader, and all around cutie, Ming Ming is signing autographs." I rolled my eyes once the picture on screen turned to Ming Ming surrounded by guys. "Hey Ming Ming, what's happening?"
"Hi to all my fans out there I love you all!" Ming Ming chirped, flashing a peace sign.
"Oh give me a break," Hilary groaned, placing her hands over her face and shaking her head.
"Tell us, Ming Ming. You've spun such an awesome beybattle, will the BEGA be able to win the last two matches that easily?" DJ Jazzman asked, sticking his microphone in her face.
"Well, the love of my fans help me to win, plus G Revolutions stink—"
"Oh no that brat did not!" I sat up straighter and glared at the blue haired kid.
"—so, don't you worry about BEGA's chances, we can't be beaten. Not by that icky G Revolutions. If everybody keeps rooting for the BEGA and getting my limited edition bobble head dolls, there's no way we can ever lose!" She giggled. "Love ya!"
I jabbed my thumb in the remote and frowned as soon as the screen turned to black."That kid seriously has issues. Does she really think a bobble head would help their team win? Beyblading is about skill, not endorsements. She's buying their support and it's only going to last for so long."
"Makes me wonder if she's a siren in disguise," Hilary commented. She jumped when a loud crash was heard from the kitchen followed closely by Tyson's and Daichi's arguing. She grumbled and rubbed her temples. "I can't wait for this to tournament to be over so everything can go back to normal."
I scoffed. "Tyson and Daichi can't be used in the same sentence as the word 'normal'," I quipped and she giggled.
"What're you going to do once this is over?" Hilary asked, picking at a loose thread on her jean shorts.
I shrugged. "Probably stick around for a bit. I haven't seen that much of Japan."
"You're not going to go back home?"
"I would if I had one."
She blinked and turned her ruby red eyes to me. "Wait, what do you mean? You're from the White Tiger Village. Wouldn't you go back with Ray and the others?"
"I may be from there but it's not my home," I replied, tugging at a few strands of hair that fell out of my ponytail. "I don't associate it as my home, I haven't been there since I was…seven? Eight maybe?" I shook my head. "I have no reason to go back, honestly."
"The WhiteTigers—"
"Are my friends and great teammates but I'm not going to go back just because of them," I replied. "I'll be honest, they're great and the village is amazing but…it's like a bubble. You can't do anything there. There's no TV, no phones, and no electricity. Not that I need a TV to be amused but it's so isolated, I feel suffocated while I'm there. It doesn't help that more than half the people there still think I'm the reason that the village was burned down and won't even give me a fair chance." I shook my head. "There's no reason to be around such negative people, they're not going to get over it. And, like I said, there's nothing for me there to go back to."
"Your parents are there," she pointed out quietly.
I sighed. Well, that was true. It was where my grandparents and my parents were buried but, at the same time, it's not enough for me to go back. "While you have a valid point," I said, "I don't want to go somewhere I'm hated even though my banishment was lifted. No matter how much I pleaded my case no one would believe me. They'd deal with me of course, whatever the Elder says goes, but they didn't have to be happy about it and something tells me they still wouldn't be happy even if I won the whole tournament myself. I'd never be good enough for them and I don't want to waste my time or my breath."
"But they're your family."
"I have no family."
"What about us?" She demanded.
"What about you?" I didn't mean for it to come out rude but this was the last thing I wanted to talk about. The room started to feel small. My fingers twitched and my eyes darted around, trying to find a way to escape. I had to get out…
"The G Revolutions? We're going through this together. We're trying to save the sport of Beyblading and we can only rely on each other, like a family." She gave a little laugh. "I mean, Tyson practically welcomed you to the team with open arms, and that's saying something. We didn't think he'd let a new blader join the team, let alone a girl." She sighed and added, "He had troubles with me when I came around."
"That doesn't surprise me, Miss I-always-have-to-say-what's-on-my-mind," I replied.
She grabbed a couch pillow and lightly hit me with it. "What I'm trying to say is that we need each other. We need you. I don't understand this Beyblade thing but I know that you're good. Really good, especially if you came from the same village as Ray."
"That has nothing to do with it; it has to do with skill, desire, and heart. I know plenty of things that Ray knows nothing about," I corrected her.
"Like why you continually run away?"
Her question hung in the air as she looked at me, studying me. My lips parted slightly as I tried to find something to say. How'd she…? I couldn't even finish the thought. I was so careful; at least I thought I was.
"What're you talking about?" I mumbled.
She gave a sad smile. "You moved around a lot, right?"
"Not by choice."
"But by instinct," she corrected. "You can't stay in the same place for too long because you're scared of getting too close to people."
"That's not true!" I denied.
She lifted her eyebrows. "Is it? Tell me, if you were never banished, would you have left the village?"
"Yes!" I replied. "Did you not hear what I said before? It's a bubble. I feel trapped there."
"Because you haven't given it a chance."
"I shouldn't have to!" I shouted, jumping to my feet. "They didn't give me a chance, why should I give them one?"
"To be fair." I growled and clenched my hands into fists. Of course he would've been listening, or 'just so happened' to hear what we were saying. Well, I guess it didn't help that I was just yelling at her.
"What do you know about being fair?" I asked, turning to Ray whose face was stoic. "Correct me if I'm wrong but you jumped the gun and assumed that I did it too. You hated me for no reason."
"I was wrong, I'll admit that," Ray replied. "But everyone deserves a second chance." He scratched at his temple. "Hilary, do you mind?"
"Not at all," she replied, standing and walking off, leaving me alone in a room with him. Great, just great.
"You know, I figured you of all people wouldn't have believed the hype after that night, especially since I helped you and the others fight them off," I said before he could start speaking. "But no, you didn't believe me. None of you did and you let me get banished."
"And I regret it to this very day," he replied, interrupting me before I could continue. "I do. If you don't believe me…I don't care, but I do regret it. You were my friend, my best friend, and I let you leave. I knew you didn't do it but…I was confused. I know it's not a good excuse but I was confused. I couldn't understand anything that was going on but I understood that you were gone. Since then…it tore me up. I wondered why you didn't put up a fight."
I scoffed. "You and I both know once the Elder sets a rule it should be followed."
"You could've fought back, like you always did," he shot back. "You should have."
"I didn't want to," I replied. "I'm surprised none of you saw that I hated it there."
"You hated it there?" He repeated.
"Yes, Raymond, I hated it there!" I cried out, throwing my arms into the air. "I hated how small it was. I hated how isolated we were. I hated how we were forced to learn things on our own when we were young. And I hated, more than anything, not having time with my parents!" My body shook. I could feel tears collecting in the corners of my eyes and I did my best to keep them away but I knew it was a losing battle. I clenched my hands into fists as my chest heaved. "I hated not being able to see them until right before I was going to sleep. I hated not being able to spend time with them. And then Boris killed them. I couldn't stay there. My house may be there but it wasn't my home anymore. Not without my parents. After Mei's wedding I'm not going back there ever again." I shook my head. "I just can't."
"Stop running away," Ray said firmly.
"I'm not running away!"
"Yes you are! You're running away from your past."
"Ray, just stay out if it. You're ruining everything," I declared and turned to leave.
Ray grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. "I can't stay out of it, Crys. I made a promise to your parents' years ago if anything happened to them I'd do everything in my power to make sure you stayed out of trouble."
"Oh, you're doing a fantastic job now. I applaud you."
"Um…" I leaned over a little to see Tyson past Ray's shoulder. "You guys ready to go?"
"Yup," I replied. "You and me, Ty. Dricen and I will show you what we're made of."
Tyson automatically got the fire in his eyes. "You won't stand a chance against me and Dragoon."
"We'll see."
"Come on…you guys aren't giving up already are you?" Tyson panted as the sun slowly set in the distance. "We're not finished yet guys. It's only been five hours."
"Only?" I grumbled from my collapsed state on my side.
"We can't even get up," Ray pointed out.
"My blisters have blisters," Daichi groaned.
"Maybe we should all call it a day, Tyson," Kenny suggested. "Everyone's completely exhausted."
"You're driving the team like a pack of sled dogs, Tyson," Hilary agreed.
"I'm not that bad," Tyson defended himself. He took a look around at the rest of us who were on the ground, panting from exhaustion. "Then again maybe I am. Hey guys, I'm sorry. But we just can't stop now." He let out a growl of frustration and launched Dragoon in the sky. Dragoon clashed against another blade and fell into Tyson's hand. I managed to push myself onto my knees and looked towards the dirt path where the other blade came from.
"Kai," Mariah muttered next to me.
Kai's eyes rested on Tyson and Tyson held his gaze. The two seemed to be in a staring contest until Tyson uttered, "You're late."
Whew, that was a long one. And yay, Kai is finally back. What did you all think about Crystal's blow up about returning home? Thanks for being so patient with me.
If you have any questions about this story about my character in general don't hesitate to send me a PM or ask it at my new fanfiction formspring account. The link is on my profile.
Thanks so much for sticking around!
~Crystal