Chapter 2: Homework and Cards
May 17, 2006
"Ruki, can you tell me what the cosine formula is?"
"Wha."
Mr. Hiromoto sighed. "Ruki, how many times must I tell you to pay attention? You fell asleep again. Do it one more time and I'll have to make you stay after school."
Ruki scoffed. "Sure thing, Mr. Hiromoto," she said, rolling her eyes. She opened her Trigonometry book back up. 'Guess I have to study,' she thought to herself. Finals would come in a month, and she didn't want to be caught unprepared.
*****************
"Um, f(x)= ΒΌ y," Jenrya said, confidently.
"Good job Lee," His Calculus teacher congratulated him. "You get extra credit."
Jenrya smiled, as he always got the extra credit question.
Jenrya loved math and was good at it. He had been in a farther math class than his good friend Ruki for the past four years at high school. He wanted to teach her all of the calculus things he knew so Ruki would know it as she went on.
Ruki-
'I gotta meet her at lunch today,' Jenrya thought to himself. He checked the clock on the wall. 11:40.
"Ahh man, another 30 minutes," he said aloud.
*****************
Ruki walked out of her Trig class and went to the quad to meet Jenrya. Over the years he and she had become good friends, hanging out together before school, during school, and after school. They always picked the other up to go to school, and sometimes they went to go see a movie on the weekends or go out to dinner.
You might think that it is a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. However, as weird as it may seem, it wasn't one. There was an incident that convinced Ruki to take boys seriously and be careful about them. And Jenrya respected that. So instead of going out like lovebirds do, they just hung out together to the extreme.
"Hey Jenrya," She said to the blue-haired boy, who was smiling.
"Hey Ruki," He responded. They walked over to the cafeteria to get some lunch. After debating on what to get, the two Senior soon-to-be graduates sat down on an empty table.
"Look, there's Takato and Juri," Jenrya said, pointing to the couple sitting a few tables down from them.
******************
Unlike Jenrya and Ruki, Takato and Juri were boyfriend-girlfriend, and the whole school knew about it. In fact, in the upcoming yearbook, it would show a picture of them labeled "Cutest Couple." Takato and Juri didn't seem to mind about it, but it did get annoying after a while when everyone would look at them.
Juri saw them first. "Come on, Takato, let's go sit by them," she directed to her boyfriend. The two got their food and moved over to the table Jenrya and Ruki were occupying.
"Hey guys," Takato said to the two.
"Hey," was all the two responded.
There was a silence among the four, with nothing but the sound of sandwiches, French fries, and conversations among others littering the cafeteria, until one spoke up.
"Hey Jenrya, do you think we can hang at your house?" Takato questioned, coming up with an idea. He knew it was a long shot, but.
"Ok," Jenrya answered. Takato and Juri smiled.
Ruki sighed. "I have too much homework."
"Oh come on Ruki," Jenrya grinned. "It will only be for just a while."
After careful concentration, Ruki finally gave in. "Sure, I guess."
*****************
Jenrya had his Physics class next. He liked it, because it involved a lot of math. He also had Takato in his class. He went over to the classroom and sat down in his customary desk. Looking at his watch, Jenrya noticed that he still had seven minutes left.
Takato walked in next. It was only the two of them around, with the exception of the teacher, Mr. Awaki.
"Hey Jenrya."
Jenrya gave a nod. "Mmm," he mumbled in that guy communication kind of way.
Takato decided to lighten up the conversation a little. "So, how are you and Ruki?"
Jenrya knew where he was getting at, but he loved talking about Ruki like that. "Oh, you know, the usual. Good friends, just like the past four years."
Takato smiled. "Yeah. Good friends," he said, stressing the "good."
"Oh come on, you know I can't get too close to her."
"Yeah, but I detect something.more. toward you two," he pointed out.
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Jenrya laughed.
"No, no, dude, I do. Look at this," Takato reached into his backpack and pulled out a piece of paper. Jenrya wondered as to what that piece of paper were for.
Takato cleared his throat. "Ahem. Top 10 Ways to Know if a Girl Likes You."
Jenrya sighed. "Oh, God.Where the hell did you get that?"
Takato ignored him and held his chin up high, looking autocratic. "Number one: She hangs out with you a lot and talks about you all the time. She does that doesn't she?"
Jenrya shrugged. "I guess."
"Number two. When a friend of her asks her about you, she says 'we're friends, nothing more.' You know, now that I think about it, you say that all the time too."
"Because it's the truth. We're just good friends, nothing more."
"My point exactly. Number three."
"No!"
Takato paused. "What is it?"
"Don't you remember telling me about her vow? Not to get too close to a guy until she's perfectly sure about him? She has never had a boyfriend in her life!"
Takato grinned. "Well, I think she's perfectly sure about you, hanging around you all the time. Haven't you ever stopped to consider that you might be the perfect one for her?"
Jenrya calmed down and thought about it. 'Hmm, she has been acting differently toward me than she did to Takato or anyone else. Still.I can't risk our friendship to ask her out. She might say 'no,' and then it will destroy our closeness forever.'
"I don't know, Takato. I don't want to risk anything that I've worked so hard to achieve," he started.
"Oh well, suit yourself," Takato said. "Just trying to help a friend. You know, that was what I did with Juri."
Jenrya scoffed and got out his physics book, as the class would start soon. But he couldn't get his mind off of one thing. "What if Takato's right about me being the right one for her? Guess there really is only one way to find out. But I don't want to take that chance."
***************
Jenrya got in his car after school and drove off. Usually, he would ride with Ruki, or vice versa, but this time, she brought her own car to school. As Jenrya was driving, he still couldn't get those words that Takato said.
"The right one for her"
"The right one for her"
"The right one for her"
"Hey buddy, where'd you learn to drive?" A voice from outside shouted to Jenrya. He quickly gathered his senses and proceeded on his short journey to his house.
He had a card tournament the next day, for it would be Saturday, so he decided to brush up on his skills when he got home.
Yes, even at the age of seventeen, he still played with his digimon cards. He used to be not so good at it, but he and Ruki made a deal. He would help her in math, and she would help him in the card game. It was a one- two punch that helped both teenagers well.
"Hi Mom. Hi Dad. I'm home," He called out to his parents. "Hi Shiuchon," He said to his nine-year-old sister.
"Hi Jenrya!" Shiuchon beamed with a smile. She worked on her speech throughout the past couple of years, and she sounded more like a regular girl-normal.
The blue-haired boy threw his backpack chock full of books on the floor and got out his different decks of digimon cards. Looking them over, he decided which deck to use. After minutes of going over different strategies, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" He shouted, running down the hall and opening the door. It was Ruki.
Shiuchon always wondered why Ruki came over to her house all the time. She knew it was different, when, say, Takato came over and they would just do stuff, but Ruki-she's a girl. She thought Jenrya would never have a girl in his humble abode, but she has seen weirder things in her young life. Beelzemon, for example.
"Jenrya, why is Ruki at your house again?" She asked, trying to get somewhere in the conversation.
Jenrya knew where she was getting at. Why did all of his close friends and family always want to poke fun at he and Ruki? "That's none of your business, squirt," he retorted.
Shiuchon smiled and walked away. Jenrya shrugged. "Here, let's go upstairs and you can help me with my card game," he motioned to his friend.
"Sure, I guess." Ruki followed him down the hall to his bedroom. She had been in his bedroom many times before, and every time she kept thinking how unusual it is to go to a boy's bedroom and not get all. antsy.
"What do you think of my deck?" He asked, showing her his starting deck. Ruki looked at it, gave a "humph" a couple of times, then looked back at Jenrya.
"The problem is, you don't have enough modify cards to plan a strategic plan of attack," she started. "It may be good to vary your attack in different games, but sometimes you need to have a headstrong way of making a move, an offensive move that can give you an advantage."
"But I need defense first in my cards."
"Yeah, but there's no use making defense cards if you can't attack worth a crap."
Jenrya smiled. The digimon queen, once again proving her worth in the card game. After all, she wasn't champion for nothing. "Ok," he said. "Let me change my deck around a bit."
After modifying his deck and changing it around a bit, Ruki looked at it with an approving facial expression. "Much better," she answered.
Minutes passed, as Jenrya and Ruki worked on his deck to make it a championship-caliber deck. They played a game or two to see the deck's pros and cons. Jenrya noticed a couple of people were missing. "Say, weren't Takato and Juri supposed to show up?"
"I guess they decided to bail out. But I guess that gives us more time to bond together, right?"
The blue-haired boy smiled nervously. "I guess."
***************
It was about 5:30 when they decided to stop. The two friends didn't talk just about the cards. They talked about all different kinds of things, from Takato and Juri to math topics.
Jenrya couldn't help but smile every time he saw her smile. 'She has such a beautiful smile, but it's a shame that she can't share it with another boy,' he thought to himself. Of course, she smiled, but deep in the inside, she still had yet to love someone, at least to his knowledge. It was a gradual depression from being isolated by command for her mother, and he wished it would stop soon.
Ruki looked at Jenrya in a friendly way. 'He looks so infatuated within me. He's such a nice guy; I wish that I could love him back.but I can't.' She had to stay within her mother's promise; she didn't want to get into any trouble her mother went through.
You might think it's ridiculous that Ruki is assuming the worst; but Miss Ruki Makino is very wise and careful; she's not going to do anything foolish and throw her life away. She wasn't taking any chances.
Jenrya wanted Ruki. It was plain and simple. But to risk his friendship with her. He was equally careful. Or not.
"Ruki?"
She looked up. "What, Jenrya?"
He bit his lip. "Um.I." he hesitated for a minute.
"Don't choke on your words, Lee. What's wrong?"
"Um.nothing. Never mind," he shrugged. He didn't want to say it just yet; it had to be the right moment. In his bedroom, at 6:00 on a Friday, with his family around. How.non-romantic. It was a lame excuse, but he had to think of one for his own self-worth's sake.
"Maybe I should go home now," she motioned.
"Oh sure, go ahead."
"Good luck on your card tournament tomorrow. I'll see if I can make it," she smiled.
"Alright."
*****************
Jenrya stayed in his room for a few minutes after Ruki left. His mind was drowning with thoughts; Ruki, his card tournament, his Calculus homework that he has yet to do. He decided to take care of those things later and went downstairs.
"Jenrya, what did you and Ruki do upstairs in your room?" His little sister asked, bug-eyed.
Of course.
"She helped me with my cards, nothing much else," He replied. Whether he told the truth or not, which he did, little Shiuchon would still think he's lying. "I'm going for a walk."
*****************
I walk outside my house, the sun still up, and the heat still beating against me. It's hurting, just like my relationship with Ruki. What should I tell her, if anything at all? I don't want to jeopardize anything that I worked so hard to accomplish.
It's weird how you can talk to a girl about anything that concerns you, but when she herself concerns you, you just, for some reason, can't talk about it. It's like she mentally holding your tongue and preventing you from talking about her.
Maybe Takato is right. Maybe I should tell her. After all, that is what he did to Juri, and look what happened. They're together and happy. Will I be happy with Ruki as my girlfriend? Maybe I'm just assuming too much.
It was still pretty hot outside. The park still contained kids swinging on their swings, sliding on their slides, despite it being nearly sunset. I decided to go walk over there and take a look around.
Sure enough, Takato was there also, sitting on a nearby bench. I tell you, there's always one tamer hanging around here.
"Yo, Jenrya!" He called over from the bench. I waved over at him and sat down.
"So how's it going, Takato?" I asked him. "Hey, where were you earlier today? Only Ruki showed up."
He put his hands up. "Relax, Jenrya. I had some things to take care of. Sorry about that."
I sighed. "That's alright."
There was a long silence between us. I think we just wanted the other to talk, while admiring the 'different' sunset. I dunno, the sunset just doesn't look as good as it usually does.
"I think I like Ruki," I blurted out without thinking. What a mistake that was.
Takato laughed. "See, what did I tell you? I knew you could only be friends for so long."
"So what should I do?" It felt silly succumbing to Takato that easily, but I needed help. I was desperate. And I needed answers.
He thought about it for a while, then came up. "What special event is happening in two weeks, on the 1st of June?"
"Um." I thought about it. "I dunno."
Takato slapped his forehead. "Duh! The prom, ignoramus!"
I shrugged. "Oh yeah. What makes you think that she would want to go with me? I'm just her friend."
"You know, friends go too."
I thought about it. If the crazy guy was right and she would be willing to go with me, that's another step in our relationship. On the other hand, if she said no.
"I dunno, Takato. It could really hurt our friendship if she says no."
"Suit yourself," he said, dejectedly. "I'll just go with Juri, with no guy to hang around with, during the whole prom and post-prom party, while you sit around at home, eating potato chips on the sofa and watch reruns of World's Funniest Home Videos."
I laughed. The guy was great. "Ok," I said carefully. "I'll ask her. But if she says 'no,' you'll be really sorry," I remarked, pointing a finger at him. "Gotta go."
I sat up and walked back to my house. I guess things will be alright with Ruki after all. Takato waved at me, and as I turned back to go home, I saw him talking into his cell phone.
Perhaps the sunset looked a little better than when I first got here.
*****************
Chapter 2 is finished! Guess I'll update it. Hey review and tell me what you think.
May 17, 2006
"Ruki, can you tell me what the cosine formula is?"
"Wha."
Mr. Hiromoto sighed. "Ruki, how many times must I tell you to pay attention? You fell asleep again. Do it one more time and I'll have to make you stay after school."
Ruki scoffed. "Sure thing, Mr. Hiromoto," she said, rolling her eyes. She opened her Trigonometry book back up. 'Guess I have to study,' she thought to herself. Finals would come in a month, and she didn't want to be caught unprepared.
*****************
"Um, f(x)= ΒΌ y," Jenrya said, confidently.
"Good job Lee," His Calculus teacher congratulated him. "You get extra credit."
Jenrya smiled, as he always got the extra credit question.
Jenrya loved math and was good at it. He had been in a farther math class than his good friend Ruki for the past four years at high school. He wanted to teach her all of the calculus things he knew so Ruki would know it as she went on.
Ruki-
'I gotta meet her at lunch today,' Jenrya thought to himself. He checked the clock on the wall. 11:40.
"Ahh man, another 30 minutes," he said aloud.
*****************
Ruki walked out of her Trig class and went to the quad to meet Jenrya. Over the years he and she had become good friends, hanging out together before school, during school, and after school. They always picked the other up to go to school, and sometimes they went to go see a movie on the weekends or go out to dinner.
You might think that it is a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. However, as weird as it may seem, it wasn't one. There was an incident that convinced Ruki to take boys seriously and be careful about them. And Jenrya respected that. So instead of going out like lovebirds do, they just hung out together to the extreme.
"Hey Jenrya," She said to the blue-haired boy, who was smiling.
"Hey Ruki," He responded. They walked over to the cafeteria to get some lunch. After debating on what to get, the two Senior soon-to-be graduates sat down on an empty table.
"Look, there's Takato and Juri," Jenrya said, pointing to the couple sitting a few tables down from them.
******************
Unlike Jenrya and Ruki, Takato and Juri were boyfriend-girlfriend, and the whole school knew about it. In fact, in the upcoming yearbook, it would show a picture of them labeled "Cutest Couple." Takato and Juri didn't seem to mind about it, but it did get annoying after a while when everyone would look at them.
Juri saw them first. "Come on, Takato, let's go sit by them," she directed to her boyfriend. The two got their food and moved over to the table Jenrya and Ruki were occupying.
"Hey guys," Takato said to the two.
"Hey," was all the two responded.
There was a silence among the four, with nothing but the sound of sandwiches, French fries, and conversations among others littering the cafeteria, until one spoke up.
"Hey Jenrya, do you think we can hang at your house?" Takato questioned, coming up with an idea. He knew it was a long shot, but.
"Ok," Jenrya answered. Takato and Juri smiled.
Ruki sighed. "I have too much homework."
"Oh come on Ruki," Jenrya grinned. "It will only be for just a while."
After careful concentration, Ruki finally gave in. "Sure, I guess."
*****************
Jenrya had his Physics class next. He liked it, because it involved a lot of math. He also had Takato in his class. He went over to the classroom and sat down in his customary desk. Looking at his watch, Jenrya noticed that he still had seven minutes left.
Takato walked in next. It was only the two of them around, with the exception of the teacher, Mr. Awaki.
"Hey Jenrya."
Jenrya gave a nod. "Mmm," he mumbled in that guy communication kind of way.
Takato decided to lighten up the conversation a little. "So, how are you and Ruki?"
Jenrya knew where he was getting at, but he loved talking about Ruki like that. "Oh, you know, the usual. Good friends, just like the past four years."
Takato smiled. "Yeah. Good friends," he said, stressing the "good."
"Oh come on, you know I can't get too close to her."
"Yeah, but I detect something.more. toward you two," he pointed out.
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Jenrya laughed.
"No, no, dude, I do. Look at this," Takato reached into his backpack and pulled out a piece of paper. Jenrya wondered as to what that piece of paper were for.
Takato cleared his throat. "Ahem. Top 10 Ways to Know if a Girl Likes You."
Jenrya sighed. "Oh, God.Where the hell did you get that?"
Takato ignored him and held his chin up high, looking autocratic. "Number one: She hangs out with you a lot and talks about you all the time. She does that doesn't she?"
Jenrya shrugged. "I guess."
"Number two. When a friend of her asks her about you, she says 'we're friends, nothing more.' You know, now that I think about it, you say that all the time too."
"Because it's the truth. We're just good friends, nothing more."
"My point exactly. Number three."
"No!"
Takato paused. "What is it?"
"Don't you remember telling me about her vow? Not to get too close to a guy until she's perfectly sure about him? She has never had a boyfriend in her life!"
Takato grinned. "Well, I think she's perfectly sure about you, hanging around you all the time. Haven't you ever stopped to consider that you might be the perfect one for her?"
Jenrya calmed down and thought about it. 'Hmm, she has been acting differently toward me than she did to Takato or anyone else. Still.I can't risk our friendship to ask her out. She might say 'no,' and then it will destroy our closeness forever.'
"I don't know, Takato. I don't want to risk anything that I've worked so hard to achieve," he started.
"Oh well, suit yourself," Takato said. "Just trying to help a friend. You know, that was what I did with Juri."
Jenrya scoffed and got out his physics book, as the class would start soon. But he couldn't get his mind off of one thing. "What if Takato's right about me being the right one for her? Guess there really is only one way to find out. But I don't want to take that chance."
***************
Jenrya got in his car after school and drove off. Usually, he would ride with Ruki, or vice versa, but this time, she brought her own car to school. As Jenrya was driving, he still couldn't get those words that Takato said.
"The right one for her"
"The right one for her"
"The right one for her"
"Hey buddy, where'd you learn to drive?" A voice from outside shouted to Jenrya. He quickly gathered his senses and proceeded on his short journey to his house.
He had a card tournament the next day, for it would be Saturday, so he decided to brush up on his skills when he got home.
Yes, even at the age of seventeen, he still played with his digimon cards. He used to be not so good at it, but he and Ruki made a deal. He would help her in math, and she would help him in the card game. It was a one- two punch that helped both teenagers well.
"Hi Mom. Hi Dad. I'm home," He called out to his parents. "Hi Shiuchon," He said to his nine-year-old sister.
"Hi Jenrya!" Shiuchon beamed with a smile. She worked on her speech throughout the past couple of years, and she sounded more like a regular girl-normal.
The blue-haired boy threw his backpack chock full of books on the floor and got out his different decks of digimon cards. Looking them over, he decided which deck to use. After minutes of going over different strategies, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" He shouted, running down the hall and opening the door. It was Ruki.
Shiuchon always wondered why Ruki came over to her house all the time. She knew it was different, when, say, Takato came over and they would just do stuff, but Ruki-she's a girl. She thought Jenrya would never have a girl in his humble abode, but she has seen weirder things in her young life. Beelzemon, for example.
"Jenrya, why is Ruki at your house again?" She asked, trying to get somewhere in the conversation.
Jenrya knew where she was getting at. Why did all of his close friends and family always want to poke fun at he and Ruki? "That's none of your business, squirt," he retorted.
Shiuchon smiled and walked away. Jenrya shrugged. "Here, let's go upstairs and you can help me with my card game," he motioned to his friend.
"Sure, I guess." Ruki followed him down the hall to his bedroom. She had been in his bedroom many times before, and every time she kept thinking how unusual it is to go to a boy's bedroom and not get all. antsy.
"What do you think of my deck?" He asked, showing her his starting deck. Ruki looked at it, gave a "humph" a couple of times, then looked back at Jenrya.
"The problem is, you don't have enough modify cards to plan a strategic plan of attack," she started. "It may be good to vary your attack in different games, but sometimes you need to have a headstrong way of making a move, an offensive move that can give you an advantage."
"But I need defense first in my cards."
"Yeah, but there's no use making defense cards if you can't attack worth a crap."
Jenrya smiled. The digimon queen, once again proving her worth in the card game. After all, she wasn't champion for nothing. "Ok," he said. "Let me change my deck around a bit."
After modifying his deck and changing it around a bit, Ruki looked at it with an approving facial expression. "Much better," she answered.
Minutes passed, as Jenrya and Ruki worked on his deck to make it a championship-caliber deck. They played a game or two to see the deck's pros and cons. Jenrya noticed a couple of people were missing. "Say, weren't Takato and Juri supposed to show up?"
"I guess they decided to bail out. But I guess that gives us more time to bond together, right?"
The blue-haired boy smiled nervously. "I guess."
***************
It was about 5:30 when they decided to stop. The two friends didn't talk just about the cards. They talked about all different kinds of things, from Takato and Juri to math topics.
Jenrya couldn't help but smile every time he saw her smile. 'She has such a beautiful smile, but it's a shame that she can't share it with another boy,' he thought to himself. Of course, she smiled, but deep in the inside, she still had yet to love someone, at least to his knowledge. It was a gradual depression from being isolated by command for her mother, and he wished it would stop soon.
Ruki looked at Jenrya in a friendly way. 'He looks so infatuated within me. He's such a nice guy; I wish that I could love him back.but I can't.' She had to stay within her mother's promise; she didn't want to get into any trouble her mother went through.
You might think it's ridiculous that Ruki is assuming the worst; but Miss Ruki Makino is very wise and careful; she's not going to do anything foolish and throw her life away. She wasn't taking any chances.
Jenrya wanted Ruki. It was plain and simple. But to risk his friendship with her. He was equally careful. Or not.
"Ruki?"
She looked up. "What, Jenrya?"
He bit his lip. "Um.I." he hesitated for a minute.
"Don't choke on your words, Lee. What's wrong?"
"Um.nothing. Never mind," he shrugged. He didn't want to say it just yet; it had to be the right moment. In his bedroom, at 6:00 on a Friday, with his family around. How.non-romantic. It was a lame excuse, but he had to think of one for his own self-worth's sake.
"Maybe I should go home now," she motioned.
"Oh sure, go ahead."
"Good luck on your card tournament tomorrow. I'll see if I can make it," she smiled.
"Alright."
*****************
Jenrya stayed in his room for a few minutes after Ruki left. His mind was drowning with thoughts; Ruki, his card tournament, his Calculus homework that he has yet to do. He decided to take care of those things later and went downstairs.
"Jenrya, what did you and Ruki do upstairs in your room?" His little sister asked, bug-eyed.
Of course.
"She helped me with my cards, nothing much else," He replied. Whether he told the truth or not, which he did, little Shiuchon would still think he's lying. "I'm going for a walk."
*****************
I walk outside my house, the sun still up, and the heat still beating against me. It's hurting, just like my relationship with Ruki. What should I tell her, if anything at all? I don't want to jeopardize anything that I worked so hard to accomplish.
It's weird how you can talk to a girl about anything that concerns you, but when she herself concerns you, you just, for some reason, can't talk about it. It's like she mentally holding your tongue and preventing you from talking about her.
Maybe Takato is right. Maybe I should tell her. After all, that is what he did to Juri, and look what happened. They're together and happy. Will I be happy with Ruki as my girlfriend? Maybe I'm just assuming too much.
It was still pretty hot outside. The park still contained kids swinging on their swings, sliding on their slides, despite it being nearly sunset. I decided to go walk over there and take a look around.
Sure enough, Takato was there also, sitting on a nearby bench. I tell you, there's always one tamer hanging around here.
"Yo, Jenrya!" He called over from the bench. I waved over at him and sat down.
"So how's it going, Takato?" I asked him. "Hey, where were you earlier today? Only Ruki showed up."
He put his hands up. "Relax, Jenrya. I had some things to take care of. Sorry about that."
I sighed. "That's alright."
There was a long silence between us. I think we just wanted the other to talk, while admiring the 'different' sunset. I dunno, the sunset just doesn't look as good as it usually does.
"I think I like Ruki," I blurted out without thinking. What a mistake that was.
Takato laughed. "See, what did I tell you? I knew you could only be friends for so long."
"So what should I do?" It felt silly succumbing to Takato that easily, but I needed help. I was desperate. And I needed answers.
He thought about it for a while, then came up. "What special event is happening in two weeks, on the 1st of June?"
"Um." I thought about it. "I dunno."
Takato slapped his forehead. "Duh! The prom, ignoramus!"
I shrugged. "Oh yeah. What makes you think that she would want to go with me? I'm just her friend."
"You know, friends go too."
I thought about it. If the crazy guy was right and she would be willing to go with me, that's another step in our relationship. On the other hand, if she said no.
"I dunno, Takato. It could really hurt our friendship if she says no."
"Suit yourself," he said, dejectedly. "I'll just go with Juri, with no guy to hang around with, during the whole prom and post-prom party, while you sit around at home, eating potato chips on the sofa and watch reruns of World's Funniest Home Videos."
I laughed. The guy was great. "Ok," I said carefully. "I'll ask her. But if she says 'no,' you'll be really sorry," I remarked, pointing a finger at him. "Gotta go."
I sat up and walked back to my house. I guess things will be alright with Ruki after all. Takato waved at me, and as I turned back to go home, I saw him talking into his cell phone.
Perhaps the sunset looked a little better than when I first got here.
*****************
Chapter 2 is finished! Guess I'll update it. Hey review and tell me what you think.