Chapter 20: It's Complicated
by: Kiku Nakamura

"Shade, you bastard. I never thought that you were such a jerk." Shade turned around and looked at something that would be comical if he didn't feel so cold inside.

"What are you talking about, Lione?"

She walked up and slapped him. Her bright red hair, lighter than Fine's seemed like a face holding in it's breath. "Don't tell lies. I see you and Fine," said Lione jabbing her thumb in Fine's direction.

"I never took you for a bitch. I've noticed how you look at him, but really? He has a girlfriend: ME. Didn't your parents ever tell you that stealing things from other people is nasty?" Each insult seemed worst than the one before. Fine went from distressed and embarassed to downright fudging mad.

"Don't YOU dare say a thing about my parents." Fine said; she didn't yell nor make any other movement that showed agitation. She looked Lione right in the eyes. Even though she had to crane her neck a bit to do it, she did. "What proof do you have that Shade's cheating on you?"

"Wait what? Cheating? Is this what you're thinking, Lione?" Shade asked. As dense as ever, both girls thought as Fine face-palmed and Lione rolled her eyes.

"Really?" said Fine under her breath. "He was just taking me to go shopping because we were going to buy YOU a birthday present!"

"Oh," said Lione. Reality started to sink in. You could see her thought process as she looked from Fine back to her boyfriend. "Oh, Shade. I'm so sorry!" Lione ran up to Shade and threw her arms around his waist.

"Nothing to see here! Move on with your life!" Fine yelled into the people with their eyes fixed. Shade pressed Lione to her as she sobbed into his sweater. Before he lifted her face up with a gentle caress and kissed the top of her head. To Shade, Fine mouthed, "Just take her home, she's had a rough day." Although she did too, Fine didn't say a thing about it.

|~xxx~|

Fine walked several blocks before realizing that there wasn't going to be a bus that was going to take her home, she started to jog. And then there was the issue of holding so many bags containing food. It felt like a regular day on the outside, if someone were to look at her on the street. She was just a girl holding bags after she went shopping.

Fine was in a wretched mood. She would have to spend extra on calling a cab home. She didn't want to go home. Maybe it was time for something new, a complete change. If one girl can act so accusing -without even raising her voice- and get away with it, it just might be possible that I can, too, Fine thought. Surprisingly enough, when she looked up from the ground, she saw a barber shop.

Wind-Swept. That was the name of the place. A cheerful smile went up to Fine's face. A haircut it was.

Fine sat down in one of the many chairs. She couldn't decide if the bright lights inside the shop made her feel better or worse. She stared straight into the mirror parked in front of her. It wasn't like it was going to leave to somewhere new, but her hair would. Apparently the place was namely high in the city. Fine waited for ever.

She remember sitting in the lounge, just checking her phone for a while, but finding it boring. She remembered looking up at the wallpapered-covered plaster peeling on the wall. It wasn't that it was intriguing, it was just surveying her surroundings.

She sat at the hair washer and answered back to the small talk. It was comfortable, she made sure that her temples were rubbed more. It brought all of the stress away from her brain, at least temporarily. Fine hoped that it could perhaps be like when she would think heavily about something but then she wouldn't remember it a few moments later.

The red-head sat in front of the mirror, although terror wasn't what she felt, it made her knees shake uncomfortably. Some girls were determined when they chose to chop of a lot of their hair. Maybe it was only temporary feeling of contempt. But maybe it wasn't. It was true that Fine had wanted to go cut her hair back in high school but she never did because Rein had forbidden her from doing so. Fine wasn't girly enough before so cutting her hair would make it worse Rein had insisted.

meet me local coffee shop, 6pm, pls b there from Shade

sure

And when Fine was late to the coffee, she didn't really care. She didn't really feel like seeing him and running there would ruin her hair. It wasn't like she ever cared about her hair this much before, there wasn't any reason to mess it up.

She stepped into the doorway and there Shade was, sitting up and looking at her as she walked in. Fine loved stepping into cafes. They had the best wallpaper and aromas that made you want to believe that it was your house. Then there were some run down coffee shops in the neighborhood who never installed a heating system for the winter and air conditioning for the summer.

Fine sat across from Shade. She took off her jacket (the heat was turned up high- the employees were in t-shirts). Apologize, she thought, but then something stopped her. It was his fault even if it was indirectly for the conflict in the afternoon. She looked up to see Shade still looking at her.

"Is there something wrong?" Fine asked; she had decided to skip the apology after all.

"No, I don't think so. Did you change your hair?" Shade asked.

Fine brushed her fingers over the red curls."Of course I did. It wasn't curly this morning was it?" The spite in her voice came out more than she meant to causing Shade's cheeks to flush. Nope, I'm not going to say anything, she thought. Shyness looked okay for him, losing his cool exterior.

"Um," he said. "Thanks for helping me there earlier."

"No prob." The response was so curt and informal, Fine was concerned with herself. What was wrong with her today?

"Do you want anything? My treat."

"Don't mind if I do then. Soda's okay."

"Sprite or Cola?"

"Neither. Ice tea- the sweetened kind, thanks!" Fine answered with a smirk on her face. When Shade's back was turned to her Fine just kept on tugging at her hair. She always liked curling it with Rein's iron when she had to set up for parties. Why not just have it "permanent" like this for a while? It would wear off in a year or so. She really liked the effect it had. She didn't have those boring waves anymore.

She smiled at Shade when he set down the ice tea in front of her. She would battle short, orange-colored bob with her long, curled, red hair. Fine was jealous and she knew it. She'd set a time limit for herself. If they didn't break up on their own within five months, Fine would leave them alone and never confess to Kuroki Shade.

|~xxx~|

Dear Rein,

I'm sorry that I haven't talked to you in so long. I didn't know what to tell you. Are you feeling better?

You should call me. Don't message me about the international calling either because the phone company can go screw itself.

The thing with Bright, I think you should talk to him- this might be the most terrible idea ever, but :\. Shade says it wasn't his job to tell me. Something happened with Bright when he was younger. I don't think it was anything tragic because the only thing that ever happened to him was that his parents got a divorce. That shouldn't be anything right?

I got a new hair style today at the salon. I got my hair curled. There are a still a few more treatments I can get since I have a little VIP card with me. I'll attach a picture of how I look like now.

From,
Fine (your cutest sister ever. )

P.S. I think you might have been right about Shade. But he has I girlfriend. I won't do anything. If I do, I'll blame myself. I just can't.

|~xxx~|

When Fine finished sending her email, she laid down on the floor with her head on the wood tiles. Her hair flowed all around her her and so did her tears. She was so frustrated. Maybe he would like her back was all that she could think about. It was unimaginable. But maybe he would see that Lione wasn't the best. Maybe he would think that Fine was too clingy. Maybe he would find it endearing. Maybe Shade and Lione were going to be engaged to get married one day in the near future. So many contradictions yet so much hope ready to be fulfilled or to be broken.

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading. I hope you leave a review.

I'm working on the blog. Right now it's still pretty blank -under renovation-, but it's just gonna be MY blog. Not really for anything much. I'll have the updates there. iz-nakamura. blogspot (without the spaces)

Signed,
Ivy

Date Completed: January 17, 2014