DISCLAIMER: "It Hurts Me" was written byJoy Byers and Charles E. Daniels. For those readers who want to know exactly what inspired this chapter, listen to this song sung by Elvis Presley over on YouTube.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Many thanks to Elder Master for letting me play in her sandbox once again. Let's see how many of you can name the players.
It Hurts Me
By yurianimeotaku
I made sure to keep a close eye on her during the wedding, but it nearly broke my heart to see the heartache in her eyes each time she looked over at that stupid redhead. Unfortunately, that stupid redhead kept giving my lovesick friend looks that would melt steel. When the person sitting next to the redhead moved to sit with a late arrival, I tried to take that seat, but my attempt was thwarted.
"Leave it alone," my older friend whispered in my ear as she pulled me back down into my seat.
I gave her my best glare, which she met with laughter.
"You're going to have to do MUCH better than that to scare me. I live with her now," my redheaded friend hooked her thumb at the woman seated next to her.
I snickered when I saw the look our former school nurse was shooting in response to that comment.
"How's life in the United States?" the wild redhead asked.
"Fine," I grumbled.
"Just…fine?" my friend smirked, "From what I've heard, you've been leaving a trail of broken hearts in your wake."
I tried to stand in protest, but she had a firm hold on my belt and kept me in my seat. "I just haven't found the right one yet," I grumbled and stared at the floor.
"By the looks of it, I beg to differ," she smiled wickedly.
"You can beg all you want," I looked around her at her lover, "And I'm sure you do," and then I locked my eyes with hers, "But you are WAY off this time.
"Oh yeah!" the irritating redhead snapped her fingers, "You were all hung up on the other one…until she…," she cleared her throat, "…graduated."
"Yeah…graduated to that annoying tea-addicted former kaichou," I mumbled.
I glanced up next to me and was met with a smug smile.
"FINE! I…," I tried to clear the lump in my throat, "…care."
The redhead surprisingly just patted my arm and smiled, "I know."
"Why aren't they having a Buddhist wedding?" I asked.
"The bride, although of Japanese descent, is an American of Christian faith."
I chuckled and said, "Looks like his sister isn't the only one who's whipped."
"Whipped?"
I paused as I tried to figure out the best way to explain this very Western slang to my Japanese friend.
After I explained it to her, she laughed so loud, we were shushed by the rest of the guests. Embarrassed, we sat through the remainder of the wedding in silence. When the surprisingly short ceremony was over, as the happy couple passed me, on their way down the aisle, I quickly found my friend and ushered her away from the other redhead who was making a direct beeline for her.
While we watched the bride and groom drive off to the reception, I kept my lovesick friend a safe distance away from that predatory redhead.
"Come on," I said, dragging my friend towards my rental car.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"The reception," I smiled.
I had no intention of taking her to the wedding reception, where she would be an easy target for that clueless redhead. Instead, I drove us to our favorite spot at the beach. When we were in high school, we would come here so she could feed all the stray cats and stare out across the water. There were times I would watch her and wonder if she was entertaining thoughts of walking into the water and not coming back. She stared at the floorboard of the car the entire drive, making my plan easier.
When I pulled up and parked next to the area with all the stray cats, she looked up and around, "HEY! This isn't the reception!" she yelled.
"I know," I said.
"TAKE ME BACK TO THE RECEPTION!" she demanded.
"No," I answered calmly.
Her shoulders slumped and she stared at me with tears in her eyes. I waited for her to speak. After what felt like an eternity, she finally sniffled and tried to speak.
"I…I…," she started.
"I know," I said softly and opened my door, "Let's go for a walk."
I led her over to the stray cats and watched her face light up. She knelt down and petted all the ones bold enough to come to her.
"I'm sorry…," she said to them.
I pulled out the small box of kitty kibble I had in my jacket pocket and held it down in front of her face. When she looked up at me, I thought my heart would explode.
"Thank you," she smiled brightly.
I smiled as I watched her feed and play with the strays. Afterwards, we walked over to our usual bench and stared out over the water.
After awhile, she spoke, never taking her eyes off the water, "What is the United States like?"
"It's okay," I answered.
"Do you like it better there?" she asked, continuing to stare at the water.
"In some ways," I said cryptically.
She turned to face me and asked, "Oh?"
"Yeah, she's not there," I smiled.
She nodded knowingly and turned back to the water. We continued to stare at the water in silence. As the sky began to darken, I heard her stomach growl. She wrapped her arms around her stomach in embarrassment as I laughed.
"Stop laughing," she said and pouted.
"I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing because you haven't changed since we were young," I smiled and involuntarily cupped her cheek.
When I saw the deep affection shimmering in her golden eyes, I immediately pulled my hand back.
"Sorry," I mumbled.
She smiled at me.
"What don't you like about the United States?" she asked.
I paused as I internally debated what to tell her. She looked at me in anticipation.
"You're not there," I said softly to the ground.
When I didn't hear anything beside me, I looked up at her. She was staring at me with tears in her eyes. Before I could say anything further, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms tightly around my neck.
E.M. Notes: I am always grateful when another author steps up to play here. There's a trend of a story within the body of AMIT. There are possibly three...some connect outside AMIT to other stories...like Final Apocalypse, yuri's The Crimson Countess. I play the game and love to share it with y'all. Read, enjoy, and if you dare...review.
