Chapter 2: What a pain
"That's crazy! You can't just...go around beating people up!" Axel vehemently argued with Roxas after seeing the chaos that had ensued with the other boy in question. All other onlookers had ran off once they saw what Roxas was really capable of, and it was a sight to behold. These poor guys didn't even stand a chance.
"Why not?" Roxas asked, shrugging his shoulders and frowning a bit at the downed boy on the ground. What was the harm in taking down some self-righteous ass who decided to try and look down on him for some reason? I wasn't as if he'd somehow directly provoked the individual in question. But challenging someone with the experience he had in fighting was nothing short of madness. To be sporting, he'd even given the challenger first swing. Not that it really mattered when Roxas effortlessly caught it and flipped him over in one graceful movement. The fight still hadn't stopped at that point. Considering the fact that his opponent had decided to go for a low sweep kick to knock him down. Roxas easily side stepped the attack and grappled his would be opponent, pinning him down and punching him a few times square in the face. A few of his friends had tried to join in, not that it really helped their cause. A leaping roundhouse knocked one into a locker, he spinning back kicked one clear across the room and the last one standing ran off.
Glancing over at his friend, he wanted an honest answer. Why couldn't he just take out idiots who decided he was some victim to be preyed upon?
"Because you get expelled for this kind of thing!" Axel could clear as day see blood on Roxas' hands. Some of it had even gotten on his clothes. How could he be so calm about this? Maybe it was the adrenaline. Roxas even had some minor bruising/cuts on his hand. Had he used so much force that it actually broke the skin on his knuckles?
"It doesn't matter. No one around here would miss me." Roxas readily dismissed his statement, shrugging his shoulders as he bypassed the redhead. He was sure some faculty member would come by any moment to take him in to the office. It likely wouldn't matter and would be a weak argument at best that he'd been assaulted first. A shove had been sent his way before all of this, and initially he ignored it. But the challenger stood in his way and did his damned hardest to ensure Roxas couldn't get past. He didn't have a choice and he wasn't pathetic enough to go running to the teacher for help.
"That's not true...I would." Axel admitted, unsure of if Roxas could hear that.
Had Roxas not put up with all of the drama and tedious antics of people he'd called 'friends' in the last little while, he may have considered that fact. But as he was, it didn't even get through to him at all. He kept on walking, resolving to face the music and deal with any punishment sent his way.
It was at this point that Roxas opened his eyes, gazing at the ceiling of his room in a mild state of bewilderment. Temporarily confused, as the dream he'd just had felt so vividly real, it took him a moment to realize he wasn't dealing with those people anymore. Good. It saved him the trouble of being in the principals office, being sent to the nurse office to receive medical attention and then explaining away the ordeal that had happened. Many speculated that he'd somehow started it, even though eyewitnesses contradicted that. Thankfully a few people had come forward, else he'd been charged with assault. Instead he got 'self-defense', forced to transfer schools and move to a new town.
Glancing at the time, he sighed and got up. There was still a decent amount before school started, but he'd still get ready and go early. It wasn't as if he had anything better to do, anyway. Making his way to the shower Roxas stared at his appearance in the mirror. Save for the messy hair he looked about the same as he always did- devoid of a smile and looking like he could kill at a moments notice. Taking off his clothes and hopping in the shower, he couldn't help but to think of his dream. Why now of all times had he thought about what essentially felt like ancient history? I didn't seem at all relevant now. He'd left that place and those people behind.
Suddenly the answer came to him. Sora. Letting out a light scoff it all became so clear. His subconscious clearly showed him why he didn't care for and didn't want 'friends'. If the brunette actually knew what happened in his previous school, then he more than likely would have left him alone like Roxas had longed for. Speeches about why he 'needed friends' and somehow deep down may have wanted that sort of contact weren't going to win him over and he'd rather Sora stop wasting both of their time.
You try to make it sound logical to cut away parts of yourself.
He recalled someone had said that phrase to him. Roxas just couldn't recall at the moment who had been brave enough to say it. But at that point, their words positively meant nothing to him. Looking back on the 'old' him, he honestly felt embarrassed to say he'd ever been a 'Sora' type. Weak, naive, trusting of others, never seeing wrong and being unable to doubt those closest to him. Kindness was rewarded with betrayal and manipulation. And if Sora was correct on his notion that each person you met in this life time was an experience to make you learn some sort of lesson, then he wholeheartedly accepted the fact that he'd learned his lesson well.
People weren't to be trusted.
They took advantage of you, took every last shred of innocence you had left and showed you no mercy until you became a hollowed out shell. Some even had the gaul to turn around and ask what happened. Thankfully, he wasn't anywhere near that kind of person anymore. Shutting off the water and climbing out of the shower he let out a small sigh. Quickly drying himself off Roxas made his way back to his room and picked out an outfit for the day. Another black hoodie with a large hood to cover his head while in class, jeans and a grey shirt. It wasn't hard to see why some people said he dressed 'gloomy'. But he wasn't so superficial that he wanted to stand out and be acknowledged by others.
Roxas finished getting dressed and made his way downstairs. Getting himself some cereal, he ate it while preparing his lunch. Placing his dishes in the sink when he finished, he'd get to them when he came back home. Roxas grabbed his lunch and placed it inside his backpack, making his way out the door of his apartment. Locking it behind him, he already dreaded this day. Something about it seemed a little 'off'. For starters he never really dreamed, and the fact that old issues had resurfaced was an annoyance. Then there was dealing with Sora and his friends. Well, he'd only met the blonde girl, Namine. He had no clue who the silver haired boy was nor the redhead. But he was sure that at some point or other he'd have the 'pleasure' of meeting them.
Walking inside the school Roxas immediately made his way to his first class. It appeared Zexion had left the door open just in case any students had decided to come early. Convenient. Although he wanted to change his seat, Roxas didn't know the seating protocol around here and he didn't want to deal with some bratty teenager barking at him for taking their spot. He made his way over to his seat from the previous day and sat down. Taking out his notebook and anything else he may need for class, Roxas sat in pleasant solitude.
It would only be a matter of time before someone came and ruined it.
And sure enough Sora's tall silver haired friend walked in. Roxas didn't give him more than a one to two second glance over before returning his attention to his own thing. There was no need for interactions with this person, so he'd just pretend that he was still alone. However, it didn't seem that the feeling was mutual. Riku was definitely staring at him. "Got a problem? The say it outright." Roxas didn't beat around the bush.
"Yeah, I've got a problem." Riku didn't shy away from that fact. "You treat my friend like garbage and then I have to hear all about it later on."
"That doesn't sound like your problem to deal with. It sounds like you being a busybody and trying to resolve an issue you're not a part of. And if Sora doesn't like my treatment of him then he honestly can leave me alone. I've already told him I have no intention of making or being friends. It's all just bothersome and I'd rather spend my time doing things that aren't a complete waste. If you care so much for him, then tell him it's a lost cause." Roxas didn't care much for Riku's tone of voice when addressing him, not that his had at all been welcoming or 'warm' when he'd spoken first. But he honestly wasn't in the mood to deal with this kind of nonsense today.
"Yeah? Well I'm making it my business. Sora's too nice to tell you to back off, and for some reason he's made it his mission for you to be his friend, even if you aren't deserving of it." Riku didn't like the arrogance that came off from the blonde. It was actually starting to piss him off quite a bit. Part of him legitimately wanted to grab the shorter boy by the collar of his hoodie. But for the sake of not getting detention he abstained from doing so. "I already tried that. Like I said, I don't know why he's wasting effort on someone who couldn't care less."
"Don't you think Sora can make that decision for himself? If anything, I think he'd hate to hear someone thinks he's so weak that he has to be 'protected' when he doesn't even have the chance to defend himself." Roxas didn't know why he added Sora into the equation. Maybe it was just to piss off Riku a little more than he already was. "Is it really that you don't like him spending time with me, or are you just jealous that he is spending time with me?" flipping it on the other male seemed to be entertaining as well. It also seemed very plausible that Riku could be jealous.
"Yeah, and what could you possibly know about what he wants? You only met him for a day." Riku scoffed at Roxas' accusations. "What's there to be jealous of? He doesn't like your treatment of him but he's enduring through it."
"Maybe he got bored of the boring people surrounding him and thought he needed someone like me. Someone who actually knows the way the world works, and doesn't paint pretty little pictures to try and make himself feel better. You can lie to yourself as much as you want, but I'll say things for what they really are." it was at this point that Roxas and Riku were locked into a glaring contest.
"Hey guys!" momentarily breaking from their intense staring contest, both looked over at Sora, who didn't seem to notice the tension in the air.
"Sora." Riku smiled and greeted his friend, "You're here early."
Roxas nearly gagged at the facade he put on. It was sickening to see how people quickly flipped from 'I'll rip your throat out' to 'sweet like candy'. For these very reasons, he became weary of others. Maybe he'd let Sora in on the 'fun' of knowing his friend wasn't exactly all that he was cracked up to be. "Sora." he nodded his head. Feeling the glare Riku sent his way, he nearly snorted.
"Hey Roxas!" Sora was pleasantly surprised that the blonde had said hello to him. He honestly thought he would been ignored or at the very least got some form of grunt to confirm that Roxas had heard and declined to reply. "Yeah, I woke up really early today. I don't know why but I was really excited to come to school!"
"Well, that's good, I guess." Riku definitely approved of Sora's attitude toward school. "Did you manage to get all your assignments finished?" he'd be pleasantly surprised if Sora finished all of them. He usually had to help him power through the majority of homework at lunch time.
Roxas couldn't help but to overhear their conversation. Mainly due to the fact that they were having it right in front of him, and he had no other distractions in the mean time. Sora liked to procrastinate, apparently.
"Yeah. I struggled with the math though. I'm not sure if I got it all done right even with your notes." the brunette frowned a bit, he didn't think he'd ever get the math thing down right.
"Are you sure? Maybe let me look it over." Riku offered, waiting for Sora to pull out his notebook.
"Don't laugh! I'm having a lot of trouble with it, okay?" Sora asked, sheepishly hoping he wouldn't get scolded.
"We'll see." Riku didn't give any promises. If Sora royally screwed up, even with what was essentially a cheat sheet from Riku's notes, then he didn't know what to do with the brunette.
Sora placed his notebook in front of Riku, who almost snorted and refrained from making the noise due to his prior 'promise'. "Sora. This is...completely...wrong." Riku frowned, "How did you even get this?" he blinked in confusion, waiting for Sora to properly explain the large string of failed questions in his book.
"Well...I didn't really know where and how to start solving this...your notes are too complicated!" Sora whined, feeling hopeless.
"But they aren't." Riku started by trying to show Sora the error of his ways. "See, right here you have to start off by using this formula and removing the letter."
Sora looked more lost than ever, and Riku couldn't help the annoyed twitch of his eye. Maybe this was hopeless.
Roxas let out a sigh and decided to take over, considering Riku was absolutely so useless that he couldn't even explain how to solve math questions. What was so hard about simplifying things for others? Sora was 'simple'. He wouldn't respond to saying things like 'algebra', 'square root', 'surface area'. Standing up, Roxas leaned over Sora's shoulder and began to explain. "You're using the wrong formulas here." the work was technically right, and that was due to the fact that Sora had used a formula for another question solving for that ones answer.
"Okay..." Sora was a bit surprised at the way Roxas was acting. But he was thankful that he'd shown some interest in helping him out. Staring down at his book, he honestly hadn't the foggiest clue on how to fix it.
Roxas saw the indecisiveness on Sora's face and took a different approach. Taking his pencil, he placed it in Sora's hand. "See, you're using this formula right here-" Roxas opened his notebook for reference and pointed to it, "-but you should be using this one." he instead pointed to the variant used in his solution to the problem.
"Oh." Sora was grateful that Roxas step by step was showing him what to do. It took a bit of time and effort on Roxas' part, but Sora was actually starting to get the hang of it. Even when Roxas wrote down practice problems for Sora to do on his own he solved them with minimal trouble and even got them done correctly. "Wow! This is so easy! You're really good at this!"
"With the right person anything is possible." Roxas stole a glance at Riku while saying that, in turn earning a glare from the silver haired male.
"I see what you mean!" Sora smiled, scratching the back of his head. "I'm just not good at this kind of thing."
"You seem like you've got it now." Roxas pointed out, using the page of completed and correct homework done by Sora as an example.
"All thanks to you." Sora smiled gratefully, "I owe you one."
"I'll bear that in mind." Roxas factually didn't need nor really want a favor from Sora. But anything to piss off Riku at this point was just gravy. He could only imagine how long it would be before the silver haired boy lost it and tried to come at him. That'd be an entertaining spectacle all on its own. Maybe he'd get expelled from another school.
"Okay!" Sora held his smile and nodded.
Roxas walked back to his seat and sat down. Feeling accomplished that he taught what one deemed to be a lost cause tenth grade math. Even if it was just the more basic 'see where you're at' questions given at the beginning of the year for teachers to see your weak points. Maybe Sora wasn't as dull as he'd originally thought.
"You should be careful with that one, Sora. He seems a little off." Riku whispered it to his friend, not really caring if the blonde had heard the comment or not.
"What do you mean?" Sora honestly didn't know what Riku meant. "He seems a little different today...more friendly. Maybe he's just in a better mood? Or maybe he actually wants to be friends! He could have changed his mind you know!"
"Yeah, maybe." Riku didn't want to worry Sora, he just wanted him to be more cautious around the blonde. Not that Sora really was the type to have his guard up around people. Even so he didn't want him to end up being taken advantage of. Least of all by Roxas.
"Hello boys!" Kairi smiled as she walked in. "You look really happy." she concluded after staring at Sora.
"He's made a new 'friend'." Riku spoke before Sora could.
"Really? That's good to hear!" Kairi failed to pick up the sarcasm that was laced into Riku's voice.
"What's good to hear?" Namine asked, finally coming into the room and setting her things down at her desk. She wanted in on the conversation that the group was having, and having only caught the odds and ends of what they were saying didn't have all of the context she needed to chime in.
"I think I made a new friend!" Sora declared with a smile. While he was decidedly happy about the situation and the girls included, it seemed like Riku was the only one to object to the idea. Not that he said his indifference aloud to Sora.
Roxas refused to comment, even when all eyes in the room settled on him. It was obvious they were talking about him, but he didn't want to deal with the brought up issue. So he'd given Sora help with his math homework, big deal. The main idea behind that was to piss off his behemoth of a friend who was sitting beside him. And as far as he knew, it had out most of their rambling, (mainly some odds and ends about how Sora had 'come in so early' and some giggling by the girls) he waited for class to start.
Eventually, Zexion wandered in and made every go to their assigned seating. "Those at the back of their row I want you to hand your homework forward. Those at the front, I want you to collect and form neat piles then bring them to me. I'll review it all shortly and see who needs improving and in what area." though he was speaking to everyone in general, the majority of the class got the idea he'd said it specifically for Sora. Who, for once was confident in his work. It had been looked over by Roxas, and he was really smart. Maybe the teacher would even think a little better of him.
Doing as he asked, Roxas handed his to the person sitting in front of him and everyone followed suit until Zexion had a multitude of stacks sitting upon his desk.
"Now each of you take a row that wasn't yours and distribute the books." Zexion ordered.
Each one complied and brought every student a book not belonging to them. Oddly enough, Sora ended up with Roxas' book, Riku had Kairi's and Roxas had Riku's. The brunette seemed happy with his luck of the draw, Riku didn't have a problem with his, but Roxas glared down at the book before him. He didn't even want it to be on his desk, let alone touch the object in question. But nonetheless, he had to.
Zexion wrote numbers one from twenty on the board. Placing the equation beside each number, he left an equals sign but the answers remained blank. "Those who I call come up and answer each question-" his eyes lingered on Sora for a moment, "-write down the answer from the owner of the book, regardless of if correct or not. We'll review each answer individually, and those who think they need help may come to me after we're finished." Everyone seemed happy with his explanation, and waited to be called upon.
"1. Roxas, 2. Sora, 3. Riku, 4. Kairi, 5. Namine," Zexion listed off names until all of the questions had a respective owner.
Roxas stood up and brought Riku's book along with him. He did it just for show, considering the answer had been correct. Quickly filling out the answer, he handed the black white board marker to Sora. Watching every student finish, everyone listened through his lecture, some raised their hands and pointed out flaws in some answers. Toward the end, Zexion got a few more jabs at Sora (not explicitly said toward him, but everyone knew).
"Now if anyone would like help, you may come to me individually. And do give the respective owners book back." Zexion sat down at his desk, "And work on the assigned questions. Sora, come here." the teacher beckoned his student.
Sora handed Roxas his book, and walked toward Zexion, quickly getting his book back from another student. "Yes sir?"
"How well did you do on this assignment?" Zexion asked, wondering how much work they'd have to do.
"I got all of them right!" Sora beamed happily.
"Is that so?" Zexion believed that Sora was pulling his leg. There was no way he'd gotten it all done right without cheating. "Let me see." Sora handed his book to Zexion, and patiently waited. To Zexion's surprise, it was written in Sora's handwriting. "Who gave you the answers?"
"Nobody. Well, not at first. I actually got some help from a friend." Sora sheepishly explained.
"Is that so?" Zexion asked, knowing fully well who his comrade in arms was. "So Riku took pity upon you once again, didn't he?"
"No sir." Sora shook his head, "Roxas actually helped me out. He made math really easy to understand. Usually everything's all so complicated and I have no idea what's going on, but he actually made it really simple."
"Roxas." Zexion raised his voice loud enough for the blonde to hear.
Making his way to the front, Roxas didn't waste any of Zexion's time. "Yes sir?"
"Did you help this one with his homework?" Zexion asked.
"Yes sir, I did." Roxas nodded.
"You can feel free to say 'no' on this matter, but would you be willing to tutor him in the future? I know he'll need the help, and I would greatly appreciate him not having to repeat the tenth grade." Zexion didn't want to put any pressure on his student, but facts were facts. Riku could only boost him along for finite amount of time. It was high time this boy learned he couldn't just place his burdens on others to slide by.
Roxas seemed to ponder it for a moment. "Yes sir. I'll tutor him."
"Thank you. Sora will very much be in your debt." Zexion let out a small sigh of relief. "I leave him in your ever capable care."
"Hey!" Sora whined, even though he knew it was true.
"If you don't mind, would you be able to start today? He may need your assistance once more for today, I'm sure."
"Of course." Roxas nodded, walking back to their desks when Zexion dismissed both of them.
"Roxas. Do you want to work together?" Sora asked, hopeful that he wasn't putting any burden on Roxas.
"I said 'yes' to the teacher, didn't I? Why do you need anything more than that?" Roxas got the sense that Sora was somehow very insecure when it came to him. Why, he didn't know. It wasn't as if Roxas did anything half-assed.
"Just wondering." Sora admitted.
"If you need my help be sure to ask." Roxas left it at that. Working on his questions, it took a few moments before Sora asked for help. Stopping his progress, he slowly explained the process behind answering the question breaking the equation down to its very basic core. Sora had seemed hesitant to ask, and Roxas was doing his best to be patient.
"Okay. I think I've got it!" Sora felt confident that the rest of the questions would be a breeze.
Roxas saw what he learned to be Sora's 'determined' face. It was one he had in gym, when he vowed to beat him in their race. Letting out a small scoff, he almost smiled. Not that he'd ever been very good at making such a facial expression. To think someone could feel so strongly about math. The idea behind it seemed completely ludicrous, and at the same time it very much was Sora.
Time ticked away for math, and soon they were in the gym.
"Alright. You all know the drills." Larxene came out and didn't bother wasting time.
Roxas and Sora stood side by side. Once more seeing Sora's determination, he decided to make it more interesting. "I'll say this right now-" Catching Sora's attention, he continued. "-there's no way you can beat me."
"You watch, I will!" Sora didn't want to lose. He really wanted to beat Roxas.
Starting their five minute run, both boys gave it their all. Sora and Roxas had a remarkable amount of stamina that not even the seniors could keep up with. Pushing it to either ones limit, it was clear that Roxas was the winner.
"You're too fast." Sora said, disappointed as he lost.
"I learned to build up a lot of stamina." Roxas saw Sora's pout and found it comical. Sora probably didn't do near the amount of physical activity Roxas did, and it wasn't really a fair contest from the get go.
"And why's that?" Sora asked, while they completed their stretches for the class.
Roxas just shook his head and decided not to tell him. It wasn't embarrassing or anything, he just didn't want to get into the fact that he had a few different martial arts under his belt.
Deciding to keep it at that, Sora dropped the issue entirely.
"Today we're going to play basketball." Larxene said as she stepped into the center of the room. "You're lucky today. You get to pick your partners."
Evidently, she was feeling mercurial today. "Roxas?"
"Do you even need to ask?" Roxas asked, glancing over at Sora.
"I guess not." Sora laughed a little, "I wonder if we'll be playing games of two on two or something." considering they had to pair up it wasn't too far fetched.
Roxas shrugged his shoulders, "Just play to win."
"Got it." Sora nodded, eagerly wanting to impress his partner. Larxene soon made the pairs of two split off to see their current skill level.
Sora and Roxas were passing the ball back and forth, each working on trick shots. Sora got a few that were enough to impress Roxas a little. And Roxas completely blew away Sora by the many feats he could pull off with the ball. He wondered just how Roxas got to be so good at everything he did, even though the blonde would likely explain it away by saying 'practice'. Even with all the practice in the world, he wasn't sure if any of Roxas' feats could be replicated by any means.
Catching the brunette stare, Roxas was almost tempted to ask what it was he was stuck on. But now wasn't the time. "Show me what you've got." turning it into a competition, he wanted to see just where Sora was.
"Huh?" Sora asked, unsure of what Roxas meant.
"Come on, Sora. You can't be that dense." Roxas mocked him a little bit, tossing the ball to the brunette.
Sora saw that Roxas was absolutely serious in his challenge, so he nodded and started to dribble the ball. Making his way to the left, he saw Roxas go to guard him, but he still went for the shot. Jumping and tossing the ball, he was surprised when the blonde knocked it out of the air and simultaneously knocked him down. Grunting when he landed on his backside, Sora winced a bit at the pain. It definitely wasn't just a 'tap'.
"Again." Roxas grabbed the ball, not even giving Sora time to recuperate and tossed it when he stood up.
Bracing himself, this time Sora went for a little fake out when he ran toward the hoop. Roxas was still on his tail, and he wasn't so sure that there'd be any reprieve. He most definitely was being pressured, and Sora's speed often won out when someone pulled a stunt like this, but he wasn't so lucky this time. Once again knocked down, he felt a slight sting in his back side and gut. "Can you...try to be a little more gentle?" he asked.
"Score a basket on me and maybe I'll grant you mercy." Roxas shrugged.
Standing up and brushing himself off, Sora once again held the ball. Taking a deep breath, he dribbled it and ran forward, back, and side to side. What would be the strategy this time? If he went forward, Roxas would guard him and he'd be shoved. He couldn't space the entire time. He also didn't want to end up with another blow to the gut. Taking a chance on a distance shot, he threw the ball and saw it catch on the rim of the basket, teasingly tracing around the edge as it either fell in or out. Hopeful that it would do as he wanted, Sora waited. His heart sank when it fell and the ball bounced on the ground.
"This isn't working." Roxas frowned, how was he supposed to be partners with such a mild tactician?
"You're telling me..." Sora sighed, bowing his head in defeat. But he wasn't going to give up, he'd keep at it no matter how long it took to score.
"Are you finished?" Roxas asked, staring down at the brunette. If Sora gave up this easily, then he didn't want to be his partner anymore. Dealing with people who gave up at the first sign of struggle was nothing more than a waste of time. True, Roxas wasn't going easy on him, but he honestly didn't have any other way to teach.
"No." Sora shook his head, "I'm not." he had a renewed purpose; to beat his partner. "I don't care how many times you knock me down or I miss that shot- I'll keep at it until I get it." Grabbing the ball, he let in a deep breath and the moment he exhaled, charged forward. Roxas went to nudge him, but Sora pulled his body back and continued his valiant effort to score a basket. He wanted to show Roxas just what he was capable of, no matter how many times it took for him do so. This time it sunk into the basket. "Yes!" Sora couldn't help to smile and laugh, this time voluntarily fall to the ground.
Roxas let out a small scoff. To be this excited about scoring a basket. "No matter the odds, you don't have to give up. Overcoming your mistakes, that's the key. It doesn't matter how many times you fail, if you succeed in the end." Walking over to Sora, he offered him his hand. After that little display, Sora had earned it. Sora gratefully took Roxas' hand and his smile grew even brighter after earning that praise/advice.
"You were trying to teach me a lesson, weren't you?" Sora asked, wondering if that was the case.
"I was testing you." Roxas admitted, "I don't like people who aren't serious, Sora. They hold you back and people who aren't on the same page tend to get in the way."
"So...does that mean you like me?" Sora asked, pointing to himself.
"It means you're not a hindrance." Roxas corrected Sora's assumption.
"Oh. Well that's good too!" Sora liked the fact that he at least sounded useful.
"If you say so." Roxas found it a bit comical that Sora found the 'light' in everything. Averting his eyes when the brunette caught him staring, he quickly followed up with a change of topic. "At the very least I know we won't lose when it's the real deal." Not that Sora really seemed to notice. He and Roxas made eye contact a lot, so it didn't really seem out of place.
"Especially with you on the team!" Sora quickly gave his praise "I'm good, but I'm not that good."
"Maybe you've never actually had a challenge." Roxas couldn't see anyone in this class giving Sora trouble. They weren't exactly the brightest in the bunch and relatively arrogant.
"Oh I don't know about that." Sora didn't like to belittle others, and he honestly couldn't say they weren't difficult to deal with at times.
"I do." Roxas wasn't impressed with the things he'd seen from their classmates. Not one bit.
Not saying anything more, Sora and Roxas practiced for the remainder of their time until the bell rang. Going their separate ways, both got changed and made their ways back to their lockers. "The offer's still open if you want it."
Roxas glanced over at Sora, not entirely cluing in on what he meant.
"If you want to sit with my friends and I at lunch." Sora explained.
"No, thanks." Roxas didn't like the idea of sitting with others. Grabbing his lunch, he shut his locker door and walked away.
After hearing Roxas' advice on not giving up, and mistakes would eventually lead him to his goal, he'd keep at it until Roxas eventually said 'yes'. They were going to be friends, no matter what he had to say or do to convince Roxas that they'd make good friends. Even if he got scolded along the way for 'bugging' Roxas he was still willing to try.
Seeing his friends and making his way over to their regular lunch table, he overheard a few things that Sora found strange.
"He got kicked out of his school." Riku clearly had been the one to instigate things.
"Really? Why?" Kairi found it strange. Though to be fair they barely even knew Roxas, so it could feasibly be true.
"It sounds serious. If it's true, that is." Namine added in. Was Sora's new friend actually trouble? She didn't want Sora to fall in with someone 'bad' and end up being kicked out of their school. Though without speaking to the person in question it wasn't exactly a good thing to make blind assumptions. Even if Riku had somehow found it out, they had yet to confirm such knowledge.
"That's not true!" Sora was quick to defend Roxas. It sounded absolutely absurd.
"Do you know that for a fact?" Riku asked. "Because last I checked he doesn't exactly give off an innocent demeanor."
"Well, no, I don't...but that doesn't seem right!" Sora may have wavered on the fact that he didn't know for certain, but he was determined to defend someone who couldn't do it for themselves. Not even bothering to hear the rest, he stormed away from the group and walked over to where Roxas was sitting. Not even bothering to ask if he could sit, he sat opposite the blonde.
"Someone's gotten bold." Roxas commented dryly. Seeing the scowl on Sora's face, he had to wonder if he was mad at something. "Alright. What's got into you?"
"Some people were saying things about you. That you were kicked out of school...nasty rumors. And I didn't like it." Sora gave him the short version.
"By 'people' you don't happen to mean your friends over there, do you?" Sora had come from that direction, and putting two and two together wasn't very hard. "And so what if it's true? It's not like it really matters. It doesn't have anything to do with you. You don't have to defend me, Sora. I can do it for myself." Roxas didn't really care enough to defend himself from that kind of thing anyway.
"Well...Riku was saying it, but I didn't think it was true." Sora admitted, "Is it true?"
"Does it matter if it is?" Roxas cryptically asked.
"What'd you get kicked out of school for?" Sora really wanted to know. How was it that someone did something so terrible they were removed from school?
"You know that neat little trick I did off the wall? Well, I can do a lot more than just nifty little tricks like that. Let's just say...I ran into some people...I guess you'd call them 'friends'. They decided that because they found out something about me, I wasn't likeable anymore. A bunch of them got together, decided to put on some big and macho display that ended in a few bruised egos. Trips to the hospital. Naturally it's safe to say we aren't 'friends' anymore, and I don't have any contact with those people." Roxas waited to see if this would be the moment Sora finally lost interest in him. Rendering a few kids unconscious tended to do that to a person.
Sora was speechless. Taking in the information, he wasn't quite sure on how to respond. What could you find out about a person that made you want to attack them? Roxas must have gotten them pretty badly, if they all ended up with trips to the hospital. "How awful for you."
"For me?" Roxas raised a brow. That wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting. "You did hear what happened to the others, right? All I had was a bleeding hand and even then it wasn't directly given from any of them. I managed to hit them in the 'wrong' way and it split the skin." Why would Sora see him as the 'victim' in this scenario?
"I did." Sora nodded, "But you lost your friends that day...even had to end up fighting them and that sounds really terrible. I could never imagine going through what you did. I also don't think I could ever do what you did. Well, losing your friends...not attacking mine."
"It's not as terrible as you think it is." Roxas shrugged, "It turns out...I like being alone. Everything I said still stands, Sora. People get in the way. They only think of themselves, and sooner or later they'll try to screw you over. It all just depends on if you're weak enough to let them break you or strong enough to fight back. It doesn't have to be literally. But in my case it was."
"Maybe you just didn't have the right people with you." Sora honestly believed in that fact. Roxas' 'friends' didn't exactly sound like true friends. Clearly their quarrel with Roxas had also left a lasting impression, as he 'liked to be alone' now.
"Speaking of 'people' shouldn't you go over there and apologize to your friends? You know, for jumping in on things you knew nothing about and getting so mad that you stormed over here?" Roxas couldn't resist the irony in the matter at hand. To try and defend someone you barely knew over something so trivial and boring. Why should he care at all? So Roxas had a past, and dealt with things before he came to this school and had someone desperately trying to befriend him. Everyone had different experiences. And even if he had a few bad ones at his previous school all of that became irrelevant when he came here. That is, until now he supposed.
"Right..." Sora couldn't deny the fact that they were owed an apology. Well, Riku at the very least. He hadn't said anything harshly to Kairi and Namine, for which he was very thankful.
"Don't stick around on my account." Roxas saw indecision on Sora's face. Clearly he was having a hard time going over there. Was Sora actually a prideful person?
"If you'll excuse me..." Sora stood up and walked away from Roxas, he'd have to apologize and explain the situation to his friends. How to say this? Feeling their eyes on him, he let out a small sigh. "I'm sorry!" Letting out his apology, he hoped they'd accept.
"And why are you sorry, Sora?" Riku was the first to speak up.
"As it turns out...you were right." Sora fiddled with his fingers while he spoke.
"See? I told you. He's nothing but trouble. You honestly shouldn't be hanging around with that brat anyway Sora." Riku frowned at hearing the news. Sora barely even knew the blonde and yet he was willing to start a fight with his friends over him. Even going so far as to stomp over to him in a huff without knowing all of the facts.
"But I don't think that's true! He...he had his reasons! And even though he did get kicked out of school for it...I'm not saying it was the right thing to do, but he told me why." Sora honestly just wanted the passing moment to be over and done with. But Riku wanted to see to it that he not talk to Roxas anymore. Even if he was just trying to protect his friend, Sora could make his own decisions.
"I don't know all of the details, Sora. And maybe you know more than I do about the matter. But from what I've heard, he's not exactly innocent. Assaulting other students is a very serious matter." Riku couldn't understand why Sora was being so stubborn on the issue of Roxas. Ever since that kid transferred in, it seemed Roxas was his complete focus.
"I know that! I really do! But they didn't give him a choice!" Sora once again found himself defending Roxas.
"And how do you know that, Sora? Is it because he told you?" Riku's eye twitched from annoyance.
"Yes!"
"So, you struck out again, I'm guessing?" Roxas once again found himself sitting opposite of a gloomy looking Sora. It was an interesting little situation he was in, and why he felt the need to defend Roxas he honestly didn't know.
"Yes." Sora frowned, not looking up from where his head lay on their table.
"And what happened this time?" Roxas asked.
"He kept saying things...and I don't think he likes you very much." Sora sighed.
"The feeling's mutual. I don't like him at all." Roxas admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "Why does that matter? People are allowed to not like each other. It's unrealistic to try and get everyone to like each other."
"You don't like him either!?" Sora didn't know that either. Maybe he'd missed something this morning.
"Nope. Not one bit. He's actually pretty extremely annoying. I honestly don't know how you thought him to be 'friend' worthy in the first place." Roxas shrugged his shoulders, "Are you going to yell at me now? Or lock us in a room until we either kill each other or end up friends? Because in that scenario I'd bet on me."
"When did this start? I didn't even see you two talk to each other at all! And now I find out that you two hate each other...it's all so strange..." Sora trailed off, letting out yet another heavy sigh.
"Doesn't matter." Roxas wasn't about to rat someone else out.
The bell rang, and both went to their next class. Walking side by side with Roxas in silence, Sora brooded on what he was going to do. Riku didn't like Roxas, Roxas definitely didn't like Riku. If he ended up becoming friends with Roxas, then what did that mean for Riku? The two of them probably wouldn't stand being in each others company, and the whole time would be filled with arguing.
Taking his seat, Sora still couldn't help but to think about the many 'what if' scenarios between Roxas/Riku in the future. He didn't want to cause them trouble, or to have them constantly fight. And it was just as Roxas had said; he couldn't make them be friends.
Barely listening through the first portion of his class, a 'gentle' nudge from Roxas had him come out of his thoughts.
"Whatever you're dwelling on, stop. It's a waste of time and getting in the way of your studies." Roxas didn't sugar coat the fact that Sora was zoning out. After the long rambling session they'd gotten on their assignment/English studies, the least that Sora could have done was pay attention. Staring off into space did nothing but hinder him. Maybe this was why he didn't get very far in his classes- he zoned out to the point that he retained nothing.
"How'd you know I was thinking about something?" Sora asked, had he been that obvious?
"Because you didn't even bother to acknowledge my presence for the entirety of his lecture. You also didn't ask me about the assignment after the teacher had given it to us. I know you're probably trying to think up some fictional and improbable way for Riku and I to end up being friends somehow- but don't. As I said before, you don't need to butt in to situations that are none of your business. Stop being a busy body and focus on the situation at hand." Roxas didn't know why Sora couldn't just drop it. It was honestly nothing to worry about, and he had no reason to continue on from what had happened earlier.
"But-" Sora was about to argue, but Roxas' glare stopped him right then and there.
"No." Roxas said flatly, "Focus on the important things. I get that you're a person who believes they can balance friends and school. But if you're getting this hung up on things to the point that it's interrupting your studies, then you obviously can't handle the stress of both. What are friends going to get you, if you flunk your classes? Obviously they'll feel obligated to help you study for the next course, or make up for the fact that it is their fault. Weed out the people that are toxic for you and let them go. You'll cause yourself a lot less suffering in the long run if you do that."
Sora couldn't help but to cringe at every critique about him. Roxas obviously didn't want a vocal response, so he nervously looked down to his notebook, and board for hints on what they were to do. A few minutes of time ticked away, and he felt that the situation was utterly hopeless. Maybe Roxas was right, and he needed to stop daydreaming. Sora had to disagree about his ramblings on friends. They weren't the ones currently causing him such troubles. It was Roxas. Not that his blonde companion probably knew that.
Roxas glanced over and saw that Sora was looking 'down'. Something about his facial expression made Roxas want to grant him mercy. Was it pity? Or was he actually starting to feel a sense of comradery toward Sora? No, that couldn't be it. Maybe it was just as he had said- somewhere along the line he was the root of Sora's 'not listening' problem, so he felt inclined to help. Whatever the case, he quickly scribbled down instructions on a small piece of his page and tore it off, handing it over to Sora. Frowning when Sora didn't immediately see his gesture, he flicked the side of his head.
"Ouch." Sora whined, earning looks from everyone in the room.
Roxas almost let out a snort and pretended to follow suit with the others.
"Is there something that you need, Sora?"
"No sir!" Sora shook his head, feeling his cheeks get hot at the commotion he'd caused. Relieved when everyone looked away from him, he let out a small sigh of relief. What's this? Seeing the small paper, he sent a grateful look in Roxas' direction. He wasn't sure that Roxas saw, but he immediately set out to complete their assigned work.
Roxas saw Sora's embarrassed expression, the way his cheeks twinged to a light pink. Somehow, he couldn't help but to stare. Sora always made interesting expressions that he couldn't help but to observe. Writing out the quick paragraph assignment they were given, class quickly came to and end. Three quarters of the way finished. The day couldn't come to an end fast enough. Collecting his things, Roxas made his way out of the classroom. Feel a slight tug on the back of his hoodie, he turned his head back.
"Thank you." Sora at first didn't make eye contact with Roxas.
"It was my fault, wasn't it? I was just correcting my mistake." Roxas brushed it off with logic. "There's no need to thank me."
"But without you I wouldn't have been able to get our homework finished. You've really been helping me out a lot, today. And I don't know how to repay you." Sora couldn't help but to display his gratitude. Smiling at Roxas was the very least he could do.
"You can start by letting go of my hoodie." Roxas pointed out as the pair walked into their art class.
"Oh. Right." Sora laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry!" A careless grin spread across his face while he took his seat beside Roxas.
"And what are we so happy about?" Namine asked, making her way over to the boys.
"I've been getting a lot of help from Roxas for today, so I'm saying 'thank you'." Sora said, smiling at his friend.
"Oh? What's he been helping with today?" Namine was glad that Sora hadn't been dwelling on his little fight with Riku earlier. Kairi and she had decided not to comment, as it seemed the boys had something that each wanted to say. Although she hadn't really met Roxas or developed that much of an opinion of his character quite yet, Sora seemed to really like him. And that was all she needed to know. Regardless of his background or whatever it was Riku had a problem with. They had to be supportive of their friend and his new endeavors.
"He really helped me to figure out math, to better play basketball...what our assignment was in English because I was daydreaming..." Sora sheepishly admitted the last bit.
"That's very nice of him." Namine said while looking at Roxas. Although he liked to act as if he wasn't listening nor interested in the conversation, more often than not Namine caught him staring and or listening in. Despite what he may have played it off as, he seemed to have an interest in Sora. Not that Sora seemed to notice as much as she did.
"Yeah!" Sora nodded in agreement. "I don't know what I would have done without him."
"Oh? Then you're very lucky to have him, aren't you?" Namine was surprised by that statement. No wonder Riku had a firm dislike of Roxas- he was a 'threat'. Maybe it was because Roxas shared all of the same classes with Sora, and seemed to be doing a better job as his makeshift 'tutor'. She could foresee some sort of rivalry if Sora actually succeeded in befriending Roxas.
"Yep!"
Roxas listened to their banter, and found it downright embarrassing. They spoke of him as if he wasn't right there, beside them. He may as well not be, considering he didn't ever add into their conversations. But even so. It wasn't as if they couldn't show him some common decency and try to speak to him once in a while. Even if this was their 'catch up' time for being missing for two classes out of the day. What could be left to catch up from when you shared lunch together? Well, Sora actually hadn't even been with them for the past two days. He ditched his friends just to be with Roxas. And yet there was no animosity from the blonde girl. In fact, she seemed totally supportive of the situation.
"Alright class. Today we're going to be doing something a little bit different." Marluxia announced when he walked in. "I want you all to pair up in groups of two or three. And then you're going to take pictures of one another, they'll be printed out in black and white and you'll draw self-portraits. Or, if you prefer, you can trade pictures an draw a portrait of each other. Your choice."
"Namine?" Sora instantly asked.
"Of course." Namine smiled and nodded.
"Roxas?" both expectantly looked toward him.
"Guess I've got no choice." Which was really his roundabout way of saying he was grateful to not have to ask someone else.
"Then it's settled." Namine concluded. Going up to the front, she grabbed a camera for them and quickly snapped a picture of Sora. "Your turn." She handed it over to him.
Sora snapped one of Roxas quickly and handed him the camera. Roxas waited a moment or two, then took Sora's picture. Sliding the camera in the middle of the trio, he waited for one of them to print off the pictures. Namine grabbed the camera and quickly took out the the SD card, sticking it into the computer and printing off their images. Returning with three separate images, "So. Are we going to do them of ourselves or someone else?"
"I don't mind what we do." Sora just hoped if he got someone else that they wouldn't mind the poor quality of his work.
Roxas shrugged his shoulders, signifying he didn't care at all.
"Alright." Namine flipped over the pictures of all three and mixed them up. "Pick one."
Sora's pick was Namine, Roxas got Sora and Namine picked Roxas.
Each of them fine with their respective choices, set about drawing their subjects. Roxas keenly observed the photograph before him and got a basic outline of Sora finished. It was a rough sketch but he had plenty of time to clean it up and redraw whatever he found needed to be redone. Feeling the stare of someone on him, he instinctively looked over at Sora. But Sora was lost in his own little world, dealing with his rendition of Namine. Looking over at Namine, he saw her piercing stare. Puzzled for a moment, he glanced down at her work of him. It was getting fiercely detailed. Maybe this was her 'process'.
Namine looked down at her picture and altered details as she came across them. The picture was great for reference, but having the real deal in front of her greatly helped her work. She wasn't sure what the picture would turn out to be; a simplistic for of blending/shading, or if she'd let it be a piece you had to see from a distance.
Sora was getting a little frustrated by how basic his looked compared to Roxas/Namine's works. He could see that already theirs were getting far better. "I think I need help."
"I'll say." Roxas saw what he was drawing and found it completely off. "You do know that you can erase and redraw?"
"I do! But it never turns out right...so I kinda...got a little carried away." Sora admitted.
Roxas took Sora's botched drawing of Namine and quickly cast it aside. Getting him a new page to start on, he grabbed Sora's source picture of Namine. Folding the paper, he quickly unfolded it and began to draw squares along the page. "Don't look at it as the whole picture. Draw each individual square. And if you get really stuck, turn the paper upside down and draw that way. Some people do better when they do it like that." Roxas sat back down and went back to his work.
Sora found Roxas' advice was really working. His drawing of Namine was actually turning out to be a breeze, compared to how it was before. Just when Sora was finally getting into it and his drawing was really coming together, the bell rang.
"Looks like that's all the time we have for today. You're doing really well Sora!" Namine praised his drawing skills, "Take care of him, won't you?" she asked Roxas.
"Thank you!" Sora actually thought he earned her praise. He was proud of his work.
Roxas didn't know how to respond to Namine, so he didn't.
"I'll see you two tomorrow!" Namine waved goodbye, leaving the classroom.
Roxas packed up his things and walked outside without so much as a 'goodbye'. Sora quickly followed suit and caught up to him. "You should pick a time."
"For what?" Sora asked.
"I'm your math tutor, remember?" Roxas stated the obvious, "I can come over to your place or you can visit mine. I have no after school activities but if you don't have the time then we can figure something else out. Maybe lunch considering you spend it with me anyway."
"Oh, right!" Sora thought about it, "I don't have any after school activities either." Curious about where Roxas lived and what his family would be like, Sora opted for the second choice. "When would be good for you?"
"Any time is fine." Roxas didn't really have any plans. And he'd already committed to this.
"Then...how about today?"
"Today won't work, actually." Roxas shook his head, "How about tomorrow?"
"Okay!" Although he was disappointed for it to be delayed for a day, he was excited nonetheless. Going their separate ways, he was actually excited for tomorrow.