Fire
Disclaimer: What chapter is this? Like 55? You've seen like 54 disclaimers already. I think you've got it by now… I don't own.
So, I'm giving all of you SoRiku lovers out there a heads up… This story from here on out will have a lot more focus on Axel and Roxas. Sorry to disappoint but Sora's arc of the story is pretty much finished. Don't worry though. I'm thinking about finishing NO RUNNING, NO DIVING and thinking up new SoRiku plots. YAY for summer and free time!
Chapter 55
I woke up this morning and realized… my first semester of real high school was coming to an end and winter vacation was on its way.
But first there were exams… gross.
I stretched and made my way over to the bathrooms. I took my shower and got ready for school. When that was done I headed downstairs.
Sora was sitting on the couch probably texting Riku. I smiled. Ever since his birthday, Sora's been a little different. Nothing bad or concerning… but he's kind of mellowed out a little. It could be because he's started college applications and other really important things. But I sense that there's a peace in his heart that he's never had before. I look at him and I know he's really happy with the way things are.
Don't get me wrong… give him a bowl of candy and he'll start bouncing off the walls. But he's a lot calmer and way more content with his lifestyle.
It's a nice change. "Hey, bro. Are you ready for exams?" I asked.
"Nah… more ready for Christmas." Sora said with a chuckle.
"I can't wait for Christmas! My favorite holiday with my favorite kids for the first time!" Cloud said as he entered the room. "There's breakfast if you want it."
I smiled and moved to the kitchen. "Morning, Leon." I said and pulled a plate from the cabinet.
"Good morning. Who is driving you to school today?" Leon asked.
"Axel is… at least that's what he texted me yesterday." I said.
"That's fine I just wasn't sure if I had to do it today." he said.
I placed some food on my plate and took another plate for Sora. I handed him the plate when he entered the kitchen.
"Thanks, Rox." Sora said.
"No problem. We kind of have to hurry though because Axel should be here in a few minutes." I said as I put a forkful of egg and sausage into my mouth.
Sora nodded and continued to eat.
"Oh! Did I tell you guys that over Christmas break the music club is going caroling! Well… not really caroling but we have all these cute little Christmas gigs all over the west side. I'm singing at the mall, a lot of churches, the park, I'm really excited about this." I said with a smile.
"Can Cloud and I come?" Leon asked.
"Yes you can. And I hope you do Leon because you've never heard me sing yet." I said.
"I can't believe it. Ever since interlude you've been much more comfortable performing in front of people. It's really great. You're actually excited about singing for an audience." Sora said with a smile.
"Well… I think it's because I realized how much fun it is. I can really make people happy when I sing. So I think it's important that I share my talents." I said.
"That's a good way of thinking about it." Cloud said.
I nodded and jumped when my phone vibrated in my pocket. "That's probably Axel. Are you ready to go Sora?" I asked.
"Yeah… It's so awesome to have English class this early in the morning." Sora said sarcastically.
I laughed. "It's not that bad. Love you, Cloud and Leon." I said.
"Be safe you two." They said together.
"We will, bye!" Sora said before we left the house.
I ran over to the cherry-red corvette and hopped into the front seat. Axel chuckled.
"You are becoming really good at getting into my car." He said.
I kissed his cheek. "I think it's because I love this car so much." I said.
"Wow… for a second… I was jealous of my own car." Axel said.
I laughed. "I need to get to school Axel, drive!" I said.
I heard Axel grumble something along the lines of 'so bossy,' before pulling away from the house.
I turned to Sora and asked him if he knew how the exam schedule worked.
"Well… I think you have two exams everyday except Friday. One before lunch and one after lunch." Sora said.
"Ah, that makes sense. I hope these exams are easy… I really hate taking long tests, they're annoying." I said.
"I know how you feel, babe. But in my case, after high school I went straight into the academy for fire fighting so I didn't take many writing test…" Axel said.
I smiled. "Awe… I would have loved to see you in your academy uniform… you must have been so cute!" I said.
"The hell I was! I was sexy since birth." Axel said.
Sora and I looked at each other before laughing. Axel was so ridiculous. I kissed him on the cheek again. "Whatever you say, love." I said.
"You two are kind of mean… this is my car you know. I have every right to kick you out of it." Axel said.
I snorted. "I love you, Axel." I said.
"Nope… it's too late to suck up to me. I'm officially holding a grudge." Axel said as he pulled up to the school area.
"Awe, come on Axel. You know I was only kidding. You're really, really sexy! Looking at you just like this is making me horny." I said.
"Oh, really?" Axel asked as he put his arm around me.
"Pffffft! No, goodbye." I said and quickly hopped out of his car. Sora started laughing from his spot near the school steps.
I turned back and smiled at Axel who looked at me in shock. "I love you, Axel!" I yelled to him.
"I'm am so not picking up the phone if you call me tonight!" Axel said and drove away.
I giggled a little before walking over to Sora.
"That was pretty evil… funny, but evil." Sora said.
"Was it too much? I just really wanted to tease him… I hope he didn't take it seriously." I said.
"I don't think it was too much. It was hilarious and if Axel can't appreciate that… then he's a buzzkill." Sora said.
I smiled before heading to homeroom.
"Wassup?" Tom asked.
"Not much I just hope that today isn't boring." I said.
"Me too dude… as much as I can appreciate review sessions… I actually have A's in all of my classes so I don't really need them." Thomas said with a sigh.
"Well, I have A's too so I guess I'm in your position." I said.
"Are you kidding me? Why is it that I work ten times harder than both of you and I have B's." Rinoa complained as she entered the room.
"Maybe it's because you're a girl and just not cut out for school. You should just stay home and make babies." Tom said but choked when Rinoa landed a karate chop to his neck.
I cringed at the sight. "That was a dumb thing to say and you know it." I said.
"Jesus! I was only joking!" Tom said as he rubbed at his neck.
I shook my head at them… they were so silly.
-Fire-
The day basically was just as uneventful as I thought it would be. Music History was cool though because we got to listen to Mozart symphonies.
By the time I got to English, I was kind of worn out. I actually think that Mr. Highland was worn out as well. We had a silent study in that class.
I looked through a couple of subjects before the bell rang. I packed up my stuff and was about to leave when I heard Mr. Highland call my name.
I turned to him and smiled. "Do you need me for something?" I asked.
"Yeah, do you mind staying after class for a few minutes? I'll give you a note." Mr. Highland asked.
"No problem." I said and moved to sit back in my desk.
Mr. Highland closed the door and walked over to me. "I wanted to talk to you about your brother." He said.
I frowned. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"Well, he's struggling… no, that's not the right word. He doesn't put any effort into his English class. I'm very concerned for his grade." He said.
"To be completely honest with you Mr. Highland, my brother really just hates your guts." I said.
"But that has nothing to do with his grades! He should work for himself, not for me." Mr. Highland replied.
"Well… how bad is it?" I asked.
"He's bordering failure." Mr. Highland said in complete seriousness.
I frowned as my eyes widened. "Sora… come on…" I muttered. "I had no idea it was this bad." I finished.
"In any other English class, he would be out of the line of fire… but in my classes, class participation is twenty-five percent of the grade. He doesn't contribute to the class at all. Nor does he have good testing grades. He just doesn't care. I've had countless discussions with him. I don't want to get his parents involved but I might have to." Mr. Highland said.
"Well… is there anything I can do?" I asked.
"I was hoping you would ask that question." He said before standing.
"What can I do? I don't want my brother to fail English. It's such a beautiful subject." I said.
"There's a way I can make sure he get's good grades." Mr. Highland said and turned to me.
"How?" I asked.
Mr. Highland walked over to me and placed his hand on mine. "I just need a little cooperation from you." He said.
I nodded. "Do I need to tutor him after school or something?" I asked.
"… no…" Mr. Highland said and took my hand and pulled me into a standing position.
"Do I need to convince him that you're an awesome teacher? I bet if I tried hard enough I could." I said.
"No… all you have to do is follow some simple directions." He said before putting his hands on my shoulders and pushing down on them.
"W-what are you doing sir?" I asked when my knees hit the floor.
"Here's what you need to do." Mr. Highland said as his hands went to his pants.
"What? No! Why would you ask me something like that? No, I refuse!" I said before getting up and moving towards the door.
"You know… it's going to be really hard for Sora to get into college with a failing grade on his report card… and he can forget about the soccer team." I heard his dark voice say from behind me.
I turned to him with tears in my eyes. "Why are you doing this?" I asked.
"I'm only trying to help your brother you see… because if this doesn't happen, he will fail." Mr. Highland's eyes were a smoky amethyst, burning me in my place.
What was I supposed to do? Sora wouldn't be able to go to college or play soccer… it would really hurt him.
"This is all your choice… it'll be your fault if he fails. Imagine your parent's disappointment at the news of his failure. It would be so tragic." He said.
His words cut me like a knife. "You s-swear he won't fail?" I asked, tears starting to stream down my face.
"I guarantee he will pass." He said. "Now come over here."
I walked very slowly over to him. I was shaking with shame. I loved English class so much… I respected this man for the passion he had shown everyday for the subject. I looked up to a man like him… but… now I see his true colors.
"On your knees." He commanded.
I covered my face as I sank to the floor. I heard the clanking of Mr. Highland's belt unbuckling and the zipper being pulled downwards.
"If you bite me, I will fail your brother and make sure he gets expelled." Mr. Highland said before grabbing a fistful of my hair.
I yelped only to get Mr. Highland shoved in my mouth. I choked and pushed him way.
"I-I don't want to d-do this! Sora wouldn't w-want me t-to do this!" I started to pull from his hold on me but he grabbed my head with both hands and shoved himself into my mouth.
"It's too late to back out. Ah! You're so hot and wet…" he said and he started to thrust.
I was choking on him… but all of the sounds I made only added to his pleasure. I hated myself for even considering this. Every time I felt him hit the back of my throat, I felt more and more wretched.
This wasn't really helping Sora… if he didn't make the grades, a teacher had every right to fail a student. I was being used for no reason and it was all my fault.
When I felt Mr. Highland climax in my throat, Axel flashed through my mind.
The darkest and most painful self-hatred I had ever felt stuck me down. I was betraying him! I was betraying him over something that could have been solved differently.
"Swallow it." Mr. Highland commanded as he pulled my hair.
I felt so sick as the thick liquid traveled down my throat. It tasted like bile.
Mr. Highland pushed me to the floor and I sobbed as I curled into a ball. I was disgusting… I cheated on my boyfriend with someone I didn't even love.
Mr. Highland walked over to me and pulled me up from the floor. "Here's your note. I would clean myself up if I were you." He said and put the paper in my hand.
I wiped my eyes violently before giving the deadliest glare I could make. "I hate you." I said, my voice harsh from the abuse.
"I don't care… leave." He waved me away.
I ran from the room to the bathroom. I threw the stall door open and vomited in the toilet. I watched in disgust as my teacher's seed, along with my lunch fell into the toilet with a plop. I sobbed as I continued to heave the contents of my stomach into the porcelain bowl.
It was maybe ten minutes after that I finally was able to stand up straight. I moved to the sink and washed my face and mouth.
I looked at myself; I was despicable.
I walked into the music clubroom slowly.
"There you are, I was beginning to think you ski- Roxas are you okay?" Dawn asked with a concerned look on her face.
"I got sick… I think it's something I ate." I rasped.
"Oh, you sound terrible… you should go home Roxas." Dawn replied.
"C-can I just sit in the back of the room till the periods over? I don't want to inconvenience anyone." I croaked.
"Okay… we were practicing the Christmas pieces instrumentally anyway so it's fine." Dawn finished before continuing her teaching.
I sat on the floor and hugged my knees to my chest. I watched quietly as my friends practiced the Christmas tune 'sleigh ride.' When I felt a pair of eyes on me, I looked to see Jack staring. I blinked at him.
'You sure you're okay?' he mouthed to me.
I nodded and gave Jack a miniscule smile.
I was in a daze when the bell finally rang. I stood and smiled when everyone told me they wanted me to get better soon.
I walked outside and walked over to Sora when I saw him.
"What's wrong?" Sora asked when I approached.
"I got sick and threw up…" I said softly in an attempt to hide my hoarse voice.
"That sucks, do you want to sit down?" Sora asked.
I nodded and we sat on the steps to wait for our ride.
A/N: I know a lot of people knew something like this was coming. So that was it, sad isn't it? Review and I'll write more. If I get 20 reviews by tomorrow I'll update then.
