By Kagayaki Ame
Chapter Three: Resolve
Nanami lie on her bed reading over her European History
notes. She knew the material but she had nothing else to do and it was nearly
curfew, so she couldn't visit Aiden. She smiled when she thought of him,
glancing at her roses on her desk. It would be really fun to hang out with him
but even on Friday evenings curfew was 9:00 and would be that way forever. She
looked at her clock and sighed, belabored and bored.
"Damn that
curfew," she said. "It's Friday for goodness sake. I'm seventeen, I should be
able to leave campus for a while if I want to."
Just then she
heard a tap at her window and then another. She got up to investigate and found
Aiden below her window surrounded by a few of his soccer buddies and their
girlfriends. She smiled and leaned on the windowsill. "What are you guys doing?
It's almost curfew."
Aiden smiled
his little smile and opened his arms. "We've decided to live on the edge today.
We're old enough to hang out on a Friday, aren't we? Come on with us, we're
going into Tokyo," he whispered loud enough for her to hear.
Excitement ran
though her. She'd never done anything totally fun and spontaneous before. But…
"Won't we get caught?"
Aiden
maintained his charming smile and said, "maybe. That's the fun of it. We're not
staying very long. We'll come back by, what guys, maybe eleven?" His friends
nodded and they all started to coax her into joining them. Nanami mused and
then smiled, eyes twinkling.
"Oh, okay. Give
me a minute to get dressed."
Aiden clapped
his hands in triumph and turned to his friends as Nanami re-entered her room.
"You'll love her guys. She's nothing like what people say."
"Maybe if she's
cool with it we can talk her into joining varsity cheer this year," Kaika, Touma's
girlfriend, said. The other girls agreed.
"You can ask. I
don't see why she wouldn't," Aiden said liking the idea of Nanami bouncing
around in a little skirt and top.
"Psst!" Nanami
got their attention. "I can't go through the front, our dorm mother is standing
guard," she whispered.
Aiden held out
his arms and smiled. "Jump."
Nanami looked
at him like he was crazy. "I know it's only two stories up, Aiden, but are you
serious?"
"Come on, I
won't let you fall."
Nanami sighed
and got up on the windowsill. She swung her legs around. "I can't believe I'm
doing this…" she mused. She took a deep breath and let herself go. Before she
knew it she was in Aiden's arms.
"You can open
your eyes, Nan." She opened one cautiously and saw his smiling face. Then she
opened the other and let out a heavy sigh.
"I'm alive."
His friends
laughed and he put her down. "Real quick. This is Kaika and Touma, Ken and
Jin'a, and Trevor and Yume." They all greeted her. "And this, everyone, is my
girl Nanami." Her heart leapt. It was nice to hear him refer to her in that
way.
"Come on, guys.
The car is around the corner," Trevor said and led the way. Aiden grabbed her
hand and gave her a meaningful look before taking off after his friends.
Nanami had
never had so much fun in her life. They took her to a great teen club called
Tenth Apex where they danced, played pool and even did a little roller-skating.
The girls watched the guys show off their board skills on the ramps. Trevor was
the best skateboarder and then Aiden was next. They cheered the guys on and had
a great time. The girls made her feel welcome and seemed to really like her.
She liked them and wished she'd gotten to know them sooner. She never had this
much fun with the witch-trio before…
Around ten, they turned in their skates and went back to the dance floor for a few more songs before they had to go. At the skate return desk, Kaika stopped her. "Hey, Nanami, I don't know if you're interested, but we were wondering if you'd like to try out for varsity cheer. I think you'd make a great addition to the team and we get into all the games free when basketball season starts."
Nanami smiled. She'd always wanted to
join but her old friends thought it was un-cool to be involved in sports in any
way. So she'd let it go. Now she had her chance. "I've actually wanted to join
for awhile but I didn't… have the confidence," she half lied.
Kaika looked at her in disbelief.
"Really? I never pegged you for shy. Anyway, please think about it. We wont
embarrass you. You don't even have to have anything ready just come on Monday
after school and we'll show you some moves and see what you've got."
"Sure! I'll definitely be there." Kaika
nodded and followed Touma onto the floor.
"Having a good time?" She turned and
hugged Aiden. He hugged her back warmly.
"I'm having a blast! I'm not even
worried about breaking curfew."
Aiden laughed. "Oh, no. I've turned you
into a rebel."
"What makes you think I wasn't
already?" she asked smiling slyly.
"Oh, Nan, you're a good girl. A very
good girl. That's what drives me crazy about you." He kissed her.
"I'm not that innocent," she said
despite her blush. She kissed him this time, deeply.
Aiden was breathless. "Wow. I guess I
had you all wrong then."
She smiled and rested her head on his
shoulder as they danced to a slow song. "As long as you have me, I'll be fine."
Aiden's grip on her tightened in response.
They got her back at a quarter to
eleven. They all split after they parked and Aiden walked Nanami to her dorm.
"I had so much fun, Aiden. Thank you so
much."
"No problem. I'm glad you had fun."
"I have no idea how I'm going to get
back inside, though." She looked up at her window. It was still as she left it;
open. But how would she get up there?
"I have an idea." Aiden crouched down
and told her to get on his shoulders. When she was secure, he stood up and she
was just high enough to reach the windowsill and pull herself inside. "Thank
you," she whispered from her window.
"Welcome. Goodnight, Nan. I'll pick you
up at 8:30 tomorrow night before the dance."
"Okay. Goodnight." She smiled.
Aiden turned and then turned back
getting down on one knee. He held his right hand over his heart and his left
hand up to her. "Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I should say goodnight till
it be morrow," he said in a British accent.
Nanami giggled. "That's Juliet's line,
you know, dear Romeo."
Aiden grinned and stood up, turning
again to leave. Then suddenly he turned back around again, sprinted to the wall
and leapt so high, he grabbed the windowsill. He pulled himself up and kissed
the startled Nanami swiftly before falling back to the ground and turning away
for the last time.
* * * * *
The following night, Nanami was getting
ready for the dance. She'd chosen a daring dress she'd never had the courage to
wear before. Now it felt appropriate. It was spun gold and fastened behind her
neck in a halter style then fell all the way to the floor. There were two
splits up the side that came very high and all of the back was out. She knew
she looked fabulous. She also knew she would create a stir. She smiled at her
reflection. She hadn't seen a genuine smile on her own face before Aiden
entered her life. Now it was a regular thing. She checked her makeup and hair,
which she'd put in Shirley Temple curls, and piled on the top of her head. Then
she pulled on some long, matching gold gloves and a diamond bracelet and
necklace. Satisfied, she checked her clock. 8:25. She looked at herself one
more time and left her room.
Aiden, Trevor, Touma, Kaika and Yume
were all waiting downstairs for Nanami. She was the last in the group to pick
up since Ken and Jin'a weren't going. Trevor was in the middle of saying
something to Aiden when he noticed his best friend's expression. He followed
his gaze and froze when he saw Nanami. She looked amazing. Everyone in the
foyer had eyes on her. "Man, I love Yume and all, but damn, Nanami is fine,"
Trevor whispered to Aiden.
Aiden was speechless. He met her at the
bottom of the stairs and gave her the corsage he'd bought for her. "You look
incredible," he said, awestruck.
Nanami blushed at the attention. She
felt everyone watching her, even Keiko, Yuuko and Aiko. She held out her hand
and Aiden slipped on the corsage. She smiled and leaned forward kissing his
cheek. "Thank you," she said softly. Aiden smiled dreamily and offered his arm
to her; even more proud she was his date. She accepted it and he led her out
followed by Trevor and Yume and Kaika and Touma.
Keiko watched the group leave and was
livid. She was so angry that Nanami wasn't miserable without her. She narrowed
her eyes. "You think your life is so perfect now, you little bitch. Wait until
later and see if you feel the same."
* * * * *
Nanami was having fun at the dance with
Aiden and the group. So much that she didn't notice Keiko eyeing her
poisonously all night. She was at the refreshment table with Kaika and Yume
when Keiko confronted her.
"You make me sick!" Keiko said, hands
on her hips. Yuuko and Aiko stood behind her looking as if they wished they
were somewhere else.
Nanami was changed now but she could
still turn on the ice-princess within her if she had to. She looked at Keiko
like she was a bothersome pest and coolly replied, "Do you want something?"
"I want you to know how sorry you'll be
for ignoring and abandoning us for these… these… peasants."
Nanami looked her up and down and
snootily countered, "To whom are you referring? These girls are not peasants,
they're my friends and I'd appreciate it if you left us alone.
"Friends?! The only friends you had
were Yuuko, Aiko and myself. What? Do you think you're better than us now?"
"Honestly, Keiko, who cares about who's
'better' or worse? People are people and I'll tell you what, they've accepted
me as a true friend and they treat me like a true friend, which is more than I
can say for you. All you do is worry about whom you can bring down next. You're
so concerned with being the best that you constantly bring out the worst in
yourself."
Keiko gasped and turned beet red.
"Don't fool yourself, Nanami. You were just like me and you still are and you
always will be. You can't change overnight. You'll still be as much of a
vindictive bitch as you always were. Don't forget that."
Now they had everyone's attention.
Nanami had to force herself not to really show Keiko how much of a bitch she
could really be. Instead she calmly put down her drink and turned to face her
completely. "Take it back, Keiko."
Keiko knew she'd his a nerve. She
smirked and crossed her arms defiantly. "No. The truth hurts doesn't it?"
"I'm finished speaking to you, Keiko.
Leave me alone before you regret it." She turned her back to her.
Keiko looked appalled. She thought it
would have been easy to unnerve Nanami. It always had been. She looked at
Nanami's punch and decided she'd have to resort to more basal tactics. She took
the drink and slowly poured it on Nanami's head making it drip down her back
and onto her dress. She smiled satisfied.
Nanami gasped and everyone stopped in
shock. Nanami let out her gasp and turned slowly to Keiko. "That was a
mistake."
"Really?" Keiko looked smug. "What are
you going to do about it?"
Nanami looked vapid. "Well, one good
punch deserves another." Before Keiko could even process what she said, Nanami
had knocked her to the ground in one cold blow. The people around went into a
frenzy of calls and cheers. Aiden, who'd been watching a few steps away grinned
and cheered. He made his way over to Nanami. She stood there over Keiko, fists
clenched just waiting for her to try and get up again. She'd knock her down
again and again. For every lie, every person she'd hurt, she'd punch her.
Keiko looked up at Yuuko and Aiko.
"Aren't you going to help me up?!" Her eye was steadily becoming swollen.
Aiko finally spoke up. "No. No we're
not." She smirked when Keiko looked shocked. Then Yuuko looked at Nanami and
said, "Great job."
Nanami smiled at Yuuko and Aiko who
looked like they'd finally been freed from their prison. She winked at them and
they left Keiko on the floor.
"Come back, you bitches! Don't just
leave me here!!!" Keiko screamed.
Nanami leaned forward and said, "I
don't think they'll be back. And neither will I, bitch." She spat the last word
at her vilely and straightened up. She'd finally gotten one on Keiko and it
felt really good.
Aiden came and hugged her as the crowd
dissolved and Keiko crawled away, no one to help her. "I'm so proud of you,
Nan." He looked her in the eyes and smiled broadly. "Man! You decked her, but
good!"
Nanami grinned. "Yeah I did." Then she
whispered sheepishly, "Now my hand is killing me!"
Aiden laughed. "Come on, let me get you
home. I'll put something on those knuckles so they don't bruise."
* * * * *
"Hey, c'mon Nanami, we're gonna be
late!" Kaika called.
"Coming!" Nanami called. She smoothed
her cheerleading skirt and took a final glance at herself in the mirror. The
light blue and white uniform looked good. She grabbed her pom-poms and ran out
of the locker room just in time to join Kaika in the line.
"Nervous?" Kaika asked holding the
megaphone that belonged to the her, the head cheerleader.
Nanami thought for a moment and then
smiled. "Nope. Just ready to get out there and cheer the guys on."
Kaika nodded enthusiastically. "That's
the spirit, Nan!"
The game was about to start. The
cheerleaders took to the floor and the crowd went wild. Nanami took her place
in the lines they formed to welcome the guys in and saw Aiko and Yuuko cheering
for her in the front row. She smiled and gave them a little wave. Then the
announcer started calling out the names of the boys' basketball team.
"… and here's this year's rising star,
Tenryou Aiden!!"
Aiden made his way between the lines
and stopped when he got to Nanami at the head of the second line. She smiled at
him and he raised her head with a finger under her chin and kissed her softly.
The crowd went wild. "It seems he's not
only a rising star, but quite the Romeo as well!" the announcer laughed.
"Yeah, my Romeo," Nanami said to him
sweetly.
He winked at her. "Yours forever, Nan."
She watched him join his teammates on
the court and smiled. Forever didn't seem so long now that he was part of it.
He'd helped her find her true self and she was happy, truly happy. And she
thanked him for it.
* * * * *
Waii! I like the way that ended. I hope
you did too! Please review and tell me what you think. *^-^*