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Chapter 2
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"He spent the night in my office. It was against rules, but when he came to my door looking so upset, I bent them a little."
"Ugh. That sounds pretty bad," Jill managed, biting her lip. "Those don't waste any time, going for the pressure points right away like that."
Keri sighed sadly. "I don't know any specific dialogue except for that end part, and the outbursts. At least I know that Tai's side was how corrupt the fraternity was and that their gang wasn't enough protection, and Matt's side was that he could take care of himself better than Tai could, so he had no right to stop him."
"...What was that all about, anyway? I mean, with Tai."
"I'm... really not sure. I know that at Halloween last year, someone managed to throw a party that security didn't know about. The drinks got spiked and most everyone there got drunk out of their minds, and the ones who weren't wasted got uncomfortable enough to call security. My guess is that Tai was one of the drunk ones, that's all."
Jill could sense that her friend knew more than she was letting on. "Keri, is this one of those student-shrink things that you're sworn not to tell anyone about?"
She blinked, and looked at Jill. "Am I that easy to read?"
"Only to me."
She sighed. "Yep, I can't tell you... it wouldn't hurt, but I'd just feel bad after they confided in me. But... I guess there's no harm in telling you that Yamato saved Taichi's hide that time."
Jill tilted an eyebrow again; it appeared to be a habit. "Oh?"
She nodded. "He managed to get Tai away from the party before security came. Had he been caught, he would've been hit hard by not only the School's rules, but the law as well. And..."
"And?"
"...never mind. That's all I can say."
"All right, I won't press you. Can you tell me who Lila is?"
"Ch... sure. She was a Junior when they were Freshmen... A senior now, and a real whore if you ask me. She's rich and she knows it, and she takes advantage of people. Dates younger guys, and guys far older with tattoos and motorcycles... goes through both types like they're batteries. I doubt she'd care if her best friend's brother got shot; it'd just distract attention away from herself."
"W... whoa. That's a little harsh, wouldn't you say?" Jill said, startled. "You never judge people like that. You hate it."
She sighed. "Well, she had a hard time as a kid... you're right. But what I say is true. It's the person she's become... I pity her. I really pity her."
Jill watched her for a moment, then shook her head. "Well, I'll just change the subject right about now."
"Do that."
"Okay: What happened after they fought?"
"Well, they managed to shun each other the whole next day, all the way to the party. There was only one problem, namely my class... but even then, they sat on completely opposite sides of the classroom. The other students were worried about them, but considering how rude the two were when asked what happened, everyone just let them be.
"Anyway, nothing really happened again until that night. The party had been going on for two hours or so, so it was pretty late... and I decided to visit Tai, thinking he could use some reassurance and cheering up, but he didn't answer. After I knocked for a while (he sometimes is there, but too stubborn to answer), a friend of his told me he had gone off for a walk... I liked the way she said it, to 'skulk around the campus'...and so I decided to walk around the campus. So while he was blowing off steam, Yamato was at his party."
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The party was wearing down, but it was still in full-blast. The TV was playing a blow-stuff-up movie, with guys cheering at the eye-candy karate moves and explosions and others laughing and chatting over the noise coming from the speakers. Not only the TV speakers, but the ones connected to the boom box as well; there was music playing (since there was really no plot that needed to be heard) at a fairly loud volume... that is, loud enough to hurt your ears if you're right next to the source, but not loud enough to take over everything in the room. There was a pool table with a game going on, a couple of people were playing cards, and a few others lingered in the kitchen, lingering to talk away from most the noise or raiding the fridge.
Yamato and his friends were the ones at the pool table, and things were heating up. He positioned his shot and fired, shooting a ball against a boundary to ricochet into a corner pocket.
"Yeah!" his friend, Gojio, cheered. "Win this, baby! I've got concert tickets riding on this!"
Yamato rolled his eyes and half-smiled. "That was your decision, you know."
"And it was a damned good decision, too, considering how good you are at this game... that is, when you're focused! What the hell is wrong with you, eh?" he said, lower, waiting for Matt's opponent, Leon, to take his turn. "You all right? You've been all detached and shit today. I heard you got in a fight with Tai..." Matt's grip tightened around his stick, and Gojio softened his tone even more. "Is that what's bugging you?"
"I'm... trying not to think about it," he said simply. Actually, he was thinking about it a great deal... and that's what was keeping him distant.
Gojio sighed. "All right, all right... it was probably his fault anyway. That guy has a temper when you manage to get him going. Then again, I've heard the legends about when the great Ishida Yamato actually gets full-blown pissed off," he grinned, speaking at a normal volume again. "And I gotta say, I wish I could see it."
"Oh, no you don't," Leon put in.
"Oh? I didn't know you've seen him angry," Gojio said, in an astonished tone. "Enlighten me!"
"I haven't," Leon merely stated. "Apparently, the one time I thought I'd seen it, Taichi said I'd only seen the 'tip of the iceberg.' If that was just the tip, I sure as hell don't want to see the rest!"
Everyone laughed, and Yamato half-smiled; he knew that the pool group would help take his mind off of things. But his smile quickly faded, and once again he was deep in thought about the other day.
It was his own fault, he had determined. Taichi was too harsh and provoked him, but was just concerned about him... concerned about the gang, even. He had gone way too far in his comebacks; he had taken more cheap shots than were necessary. And that one thing he had said... "We'll see if I break down like you did, you asshole"... He wished more than anything he could take that back. There was no excuse whatsoever for saying that. Especially considering how much trouble they went through to get him through to a full recovery...
"...ato!"
"..."
"Yama! Hey, Yamato!"
He blinked. "Eh?"
"It's your turn, man."
"Oh." He shook his head quickly, as if to clear it. He eyed the locations of the balls, and moved around the table. He positioned himself, aimed, and...
*Ding-dong!*
With a shoot of his arm, he grazed the side of the white globe and it shot off the pool table, causing yells of surprise as it nearly missed some people in its trajectory to the floor.
"Whoa! Watch where you're aiming, dude!" Gojio laughed as he dodged. "You're awful jumpy, aren't you?"
"The girls are here!" someone exclaimed, and nearly all activity halted to cheer as the long-awaited members of the opposite sex began to file into the room. The first wave smiled happily and waved to some friends, and after about ten came in one managed to make it through the crowd to the pool table.
"Hey, guys!" she chirped, and she was met with various "hey"s and a brief, welcoming hug. "Ooh, is Yamato playing? Damn! I bet I missed some good stuff!"
"Yeah... sorry Kia, but you missed him hitting the cue ball almost right into Gojio's forehead," another guy, Betonu, grinned, and laughter rang out again as a few more girls joined the table.
"Oh? Too bad he missed."
"Hey!" Gojio said.
Yamato smiled. "Hey, Kia. Where's Hikaru? Have you seen her?"
"Oh, yeah, she's over there saying hi to the rest of the band."
Yamato craned his neck to see around the crowd, and he managed to lock eyes with their other vocalist. She grinned and waved to him, and he rose a hand in return.
Leon suddenly made a face. "So... where's Queen Bitch and her bitchlings?"
The jovial mood evaporated, and Kia frowned. "Well, they should be..."
"HELLO, ALL!! WE HAVE ARRIVED!!"
The entire group winced.
"... staggering in at any moment," she concluded through gritted teeth.
"What? They're drunk already?" Gojio growled. "That's a record."
"They went to a party before this one," Kia yelled over the commotion that had arisen; there was a lot of hooting and whistling as a group of about six or seven girls finished slinking in after their leader. Kia turned her attention to them, and Yamato and the others looked as well; the boys that had made Taichi's entire argument against the Frat (and he was right; they were all quite drunk/high by now) were the ones yelling, and six or seven of them now stepped up to receive their shamelessly enthusiastic greetings.
"God, get a room," Gojio muttered, rolling his eyes and looking away.
"They will," Kia shrugged, and a couple of wry chuckles resulted.
They were about to proceed with the usual ignore strategy and return to their game, when a girl who was still watching them muttered, "Oh, shit."
"Huh? What is it?"
"It's that senior, Lila. She's looking for.. oh, she's spotted you, Yama. Hide."
Yamato growled, a sound full of annoyance and anger. He and Taichi weren't the only ones who knew Lila liked him... in fact, all their friends knew, and Lila's group knew as well. In fact, most everyone who knew current gossip (and plenty gossip was about Lila) knew that she was going to try something with Yamato tonight... and people virtually made a path for her as she started towards him.
"Jesus fucking Christ, she's headed straight for you already," Gojio muttered. "The netherworld creature has no shame. Yama! Did you remember to spray on whore repellent?"
"Slipped my mind," Yamato muttered, looking in the direction exactly opposite of Lila. Go away, he thought. Go away, go away, go away...
"If he did remember, you wouldn't be able to get near him, Gojio," Kia whispered.
"Hey!"
"...Um..." Leon managed, and everyone hushed.
"Hello, Ishida."
Shivers ran up and down said Ishida's spine, and he turned around to face her with a solemn expression on his face.
"Lila."
"Oh, it's so good to see you!!" She said, flinging her arms around his neck in a staggering hug. He froze, looking straight ahead of him, his expression unchanging... though things were racing through his mind at a pace too fast to be traced. He felt like throwing up; the alcohol on her breath had brushed by him as she leapt foreword, and the fact that she had the gall to even touch him made him sick in itself. Then again, she was very, very drunk. He let his eyes glance at the others, and they both looked as shocked as he felt.
She finally pulled away, her hands still on his shoulders. "It's been so long. How have you been?"
"Fine," he said simply, acknowledging the crowd that was gathering. He figured at least one of them should notice, since she was either oblivious or she didn't care.
"Oh, I'm so glad," she sighed, moving her hands down from his shoulders to glide down his chest. He remained still, though a new realization struck him; with all the other girls form her group using this time to greet their guys, it looked like Lila expected him to fall right into her hands.
"And I expect you've been well, too. You haven't been beating yourself up, have you?" He said, almost absentmindedly.
"Why, whatever for?" She grinned.
He blinked. Once. "You're right. What for?"
Meanwhile, Kia and Gojio grumbled inaudibly to each other from the sidelines. "Ooh," Kia whispered. "I want something sharp. Gojio, do you have your knife?"
"Wish I did, toots."
"Goddamn it all to hell. How dare she?" She hissed.
Lila was continuing. "Well, anyway, Yamato, I loved your concert last month. That one song about love... it really got me all riled up," she breathed.
"Really? Glad you liked it. Hikaru wrote that one," he replied, monotone. "She's over there, if you want to tell her."
Kia motioned a gun going off and mouthed "bang" at Gojio, but Lila barely skipped a beat.
"You really looked great up there... I miss your long hair, though," she cooed, now reaching up to tug at one of his spikes. "It was so nice like that. When it's cut like this it looks so wild and rugged, like that video game character."
"It does that. My roommate convinced me to cut it again."
"Your roommate? Have I met him?"
He paused. "Once or twice."
She kept on. "Oh, the way you play that guitar and your voice... you've got incredible talent."
"I practice."
"Oh? I'd love to listen," she said, fiddling with her necklace while simultaneously using her arms to press her chest together. "You should invite me to a private jam session."
"Sorry," he almost growled. "The only person I practice around, other than my band, is my roommate."
Kia growled while the people around her got increasingly uncomfortable. "She's either totally oblivious to the fact that everyone over here hates her steaming entrails for what she did to Tai and everyone last time, and that we're not intimidated just because she's a senior... or she just thinks she can do whatever she damn well pleases, no matter what we may think or feel."
"Or she's a drunken slut, and she only hears the giggles and whistles of the other drunken idiots," Gojio added.
"But... But even drunk... she COULDN'T have forgotten that... that glare he made at her..."
Lila giggled, and wobbled a bit foreword towards him as if she couldn't keep her balance, giving off a high, playful yelp as she fell. He made no move to support her, so she caught herself and stood up straight; apparently, she was a bit miffed that he didn't catch her, and it sobered her up a bit. "Well, anyway, Yama... do you like to dance?"
"No."
"You should take me to dance..."
"I don't think so," He suddenly said. No bitterness, no anger; just very plainly and clearly. It made her blink, at least, as well as everyone else... especially the drunk ones who were hooting at the whole farce, enjoying every minute of it.
"Huh?" she replied, quite stupidly.
Matt's suddenly hit eye contact with her, hard. His previously nonchalant face became stern, angry, and annoyed, as if bothered by someone who was lower than dirt to him. It was true. Every word out of this woman's mouth... her touching him, flirting with him, breathing the same air as him... they all disgusted and infuriated him. Just wondering about where she got the gall to face him and his friends after everything she'd done to them... everything she'd done to Tai... made him angrier. He wondered if he'd hate her as much if she had ever apologized... ever took responsibility, ever felt guilt, ever showed shame. Considering the fact that he hated her now more than ever... especially after she quite plainly expressed she couldn't even think of anything to be ashamed of... he guaranteed he wouldn't.
Time to end this idiocy.
"Lila, I'm not in the mood to bullshit right now. You'd better find some other guy who's more willing to play bitch for you, because you won't get it out of me. Sorry."
There was a moment of silence, and a few people laughed. Yamato wondered if people would think it was funny, but apparently it had actually gotten through; he had insulted her, in front of everyone, and he had meant it.
"Whoa," Kia said, staring for a moment, then doing her best to suppress a wild grin. Gojio and the others just stared. In fact, Yamato snapped some people into sobriety, it was so sudden and unexpected.
And as for Lila herself, she was dumbstruck. She could only stare at him, at his angry face, and try to sort out what had just been said to her. She laughed for a moment, trying to make it a joke... but when he didn't respond, her face twisted into one of anger, and she stepped back, glaring in shock.
**Oh, here comes the shrieky bitching,** Gojio thought, crinkling his face in anticipation.
"W... what ARE you talking about? How... how DARE you? What kind of woman do you think I am?!" She shrieked, mortified, and when Yamato decided to take safety in silence (and some coughs resonated from Kia's direction), she became even worse. Her eyes darted from side to side, and then her face contorted in anger. "I just came over here because I thought you looked lonely, and I wanted to compliment you on your music anyway. Well, that's the thanks I get! We'll see if I ever try to cheer you up again!" And with that, she stormed/staggered off to the other side of the room, and the area was silent for an awkward period of time.
Yamato paused for a moment; he wished he had said more. Then he turned, picked up his stick, aimed, and hit the cue ball. He hit two balls into different pockets.
He had broken the ice, and an exited murmur arose from the crowd again, mostly addressing what had just happened. It was now safe to talk.
"T... that was awesome!" Kia breathed. "Just incredible!! Ishida Yamato, I'd have your child!"
"That's not really necessary," Matt said, but he smiled.
"You, my friend, just performed some quality slap-down," Gojio said, slapping the smaller man hard on the back, almost sending him flying. "I sure as hell wish I had a camera... that face! Priceless! Like a deer stuck in headlights!! A frightened little deer! ...OW! What was that for?" he suddenly yelped, rubbing his arm.
"For calling me 'toots' earlier," Kia said, sticking her tongue out, but barely succeeding; she was still grinning.
"Your face is going to get stuck that way," Leon said, smiling.
"Let it. That way, whenever I look in the mirror, I'll remember this," she stated.
"Hmph. How dare she call you Cloud. We're the only ones who can call you Cloud... she's defiling the nickname," Leon said.
"Don't worry... nobody can defile that nickname," Kia assured him
"Man, she's pretty damn drunk," Gojio pointed out, almost whistling. "More than anyone else. Bet she doesn't know her right ass from her left tit."
Kia grinned. "Well, that's understandable; they're both flat."
While they giggled about that, Hikaru from across the room suddenly bound over and glomped Yamato, nearly knocking him over.
"Yama, that was GREAT! We saw the whole thing! I'll have your CHILD, man!" she squealed, laughing happily.
"Dude, man, you're gonna have a lot of kids," Gojio grinned, and Yamato laughed, a little embarrassed.
Both girls looked at each other.
"You said that too?"
"Yeah, I did!"
"AAAH!"
"Oh, geez, they're doing it again," Leon said, plugging his ears, and everybody laughed. Things looked better. Lila was on the other side of the room, a whole world away for all they cared, and it looked like she wouldn't be on their side again anytime soon.
Yamato watched his friends, smiling softly. If it weren't for Taichi, he never would have met them. They all missed Tai, now, when he didn't come to parties... and they missed Matt too, in a way; he could never really be himself unless he was around Tai. He sighed and looked down.
**Taichi... I wish you could have seen that... I wish you could have been here... you deserved to do that more than anyone else.**
*~*~*~*
Next Chapter: We may know what's happening with Yamato... what about Taichi? How is he, and what is he doing? And... what did happen to him, anyway? I'll need some more reviews before I post more, so review!
Chapter 2
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"He spent the night in my office. It was against rules, but when he came to my door looking so upset, I bent them a little."
"Ugh. That sounds pretty bad," Jill managed, biting her lip. "Those don't waste any time, going for the pressure points right away like that."
Keri sighed sadly. "I don't know any specific dialogue except for that end part, and the outbursts. At least I know that Tai's side was how corrupt the fraternity was and that their gang wasn't enough protection, and Matt's side was that he could take care of himself better than Tai could, so he had no right to stop him."
"...What was that all about, anyway? I mean, with Tai."
"I'm... really not sure. I know that at Halloween last year, someone managed to throw a party that security didn't know about. The drinks got spiked and most everyone there got drunk out of their minds, and the ones who weren't wasted got uncomfortable enough to call security. My guess is that Tai was one of the drunk ones, that's all."
Jill could sense that her friend knew more than she was letting on. "Keri, is this one of those student-shrink things that you're sworn not to tell anyone about?"
She blinked, and looked at Jill. "Am I that easy to read?"
"Only to me."
She sighed. "Yep, I can't tell you... it wouldn't hurt, but I'd just feel bad after they confided in me. But... I guess there's no harm in telling you that Yamato saved Taichi's hide that time."
Jill tilted an eyebrow again; it appeared to be a habit. "Oh?"
She nodded. "He managed to get Tai away from the party before security came. Had he been caught, he would've been hit hard by not only the School's rules, but the law as well. And..."
"And?"
"...never mind. That's all I can say."
"All right, I won't press you. Can you tell me who Lila is?"
"Ch... sure. She was a Junior when they were Freshmen... A senior now, and a real whore if you ask me. She's rich and she knows it, and she takes advantage of people. Dates younger guys, and guys far older with tattoos and motorcycles... goes through both types like they're batteries. I doubt she'd care if her best friend's brother got shot; it'd just distract attention away from herself."
"W... whoa. That's a little harsh, wouldn't you say?" Jill said, startled. "You never judge people like that. You hate it."
She sighed. "Well, she had a hard time as a kid... you're right. But what I say is true. It's the person she's become... I pity her. I really pity her."
Jill watched her for a moment, then shook her head. "Well, I'll just change the subject right about now."
"Do that."
"Okay: What happened after they fought?"
"Well, they managed to shun each other the whole next day, all the way to the party. There was only one problem, namely my class... but even then, they sat on completely opposite sides of the classroom. The other students were worried about them, but considering how rude the two were when asked what happened, everyone just let them be.
"Anyway, nothing really happened again until that night. The party had been going on for two hours or so, so it was pretty late... and I decided to visit Tai, thinking he could use some reassurance and cheering up, but he didn't answer. After I knocked for a while (he sometimes is there, but too stubborn to answer), a friend of his told me he had gone off for a walk... I liked the way she said it, to 'skulk around the campus'...and so I decided to walk around the campus. So while he was blowing off steam, Yamato was at his party."
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The party was wearing down, but it was still in full-blast. The TV was playing a blow-stuff-up movie, with guys cheering at the eye-candy karate moves and explosions and others laughing and chatting over the noise coming from the speakers. Not only the TV speakers, but the ones connected to the boom box as well; there was music playing (since there was really no plot that needed to be heard) at a fairly loud volume... that is, loud enough to hurt your ears if you're right next to the source, but not loud enough to take over everything in the room. There was a pool table with a game going on, a couple of people were playing cards, and a few others lingered in the kitchen, lingering to talk away from most the noise or raiding the fridge.
Yamato and his friends were the ones at the pool table, and things were heating up. He positioned his shot and fired, shooting a ball against a boundary to ricochet into a corner pocket.
"Yeah!" his friend, Gojio, cheered. "Win this, baby! I've got concert tickets riding on this!"
Yamato rolled his eyes and half-smiled. "That was your decision, you know."
"And it was a damned good decision, too, considering how good you are at this game... that is, when you're focused! What the hell is wrong with you, eh?" he said, lower, waiting for Matt's opponent, Leon, to take his turn. "You all right? You've been all detached and shit today. I heard you got in a fight with Tai..." Matt's grip tightened around his stick, and Gojio softened his tone even more. "Is that what's bugging you?"
"I'm... trying not to think about it," he said simply. Actually, he was thinking about it a great deal... and that's what was keeping him distant.
Gojio sighed. "All right, all right... it was probably his fault anyway. That guy has a temper when you manage to get him going. Then again, I've heard the legends about when the great Ishida Yamato actually gets full-blown pissed off," he grinned, speaking at a normal volume again. "And I gotta say, I wish I could see it."
"Oh, no you don't," Leon put in.
"Oh? I didn't know you've seen him angry," Gojio said, in an astonished tone. "Enlighten me!"
"I haven't," Leon merely stated. "Apparently, the one time I thought I'd seen it, Taichi said I'd only seen the 'tip of the iceberg.' If that was just the tip, I sure as hell don't want to see the rest!"
Everyone laughed, and Yamato half-smiled; he knew that the pool group would help take his mind off of things. But his smile quickly faded, and once again he was deep in thought about the other day.
It was his own fault, he had determined. Taichi was too harsh and provoked him, but was just concerned about him... concerned about the gang, even. He had gone way too far in his comebacks; he had taken more cheap shots than were necessary. And that one thing he had said... "We'll see if I break down like you did, you asshole"... He wished more than anything he could take that back. There was no excuse whatsoever for saying that. Especially considering how much trouble they went through to get him through to a full recovery...
"...ato!"
"..."
"Yama! Hey, Yamato!"
He blinked. "Eh?"
"It's your turn, man."
"Oh." He shook his head quickly, as if to clear it. He eyed the locations of the balls, and moved around the table. He positioned himself, aimed, and...
*Ding-dong!*
With a shoot of his arm, he grazed the side of the white globe and it shot off the pool table, causing yells of surprise as it nearly missed some people in its trajectory to the floor.
"Whoa! Watch where you're aiming, dude!" Gojio laughed as he dodged. "You're awful jumpy, aren't you?"
"The girls are here!" someone exclaimed, and nearly all activity halted to cheer as the long-awaited members of the opposite sex began to file into the room. The first wave smiled happily and waved to some friends, and after about ten came in one managed to make it through the crowd to the pool table.
"Hey, guys!" she chirped, and she was met with various "hey"s and a brief, welcoming hug. "Ooh, is Yamato playing? Damn! I bet I missed some good stuff!"
"Yeah... sorry Kia, but you missed him hitting the cue ball almost right into Gojio's forehead," another guy, Betonu, grinned, and laughter rang out again as a few more girls joined the table.
"Oh? Too bad he missed."
"Hey!" Gojio said.
Yamato smiled. "Hey, Kia. Where's Hikaru? Have you seen her?"
"Oh, yeah, she's over there saying hi to the rest of the band."
Yamato craned his neck to see around the crowd, and he managed to lock eyes with their other vocalist. She grinned and waved to him, and he rose a hand in return.
Leon suddenly made a face. "So... where's Queen Bitch and her bitchlings?"
The jovial mood evaporated, and Kia frowned. "Well, they should be..."
"HELLO, ALL!! WE HAVE ARRIVED!!"
The entire group winced.
"... staggering in at any moment," she concluded through gritted teeth.
"What? They're drunk already?" Gojio growled. "That's a record."
"They went to a party before this one," Kia yelled over the commotion that had arisen; there was a lot of hooting and whistling as a group of about six or seven girls finished slinking in after their leader. Kia turned her attention to them, and Yamato and the others looked as well; the boys that had made Taichi's entire argument against the Frat (and he was right; they were all quite drunk/high by now) were the ones yelling, and six or seven of them now stepped up to receive their shamelessly enthusiastic greetings.
"God, get a room," Gojio muttered, rolling his eyes and looking away.
"They will," Kia shrugged, and a couple of wry chuckles resulted.
They were about to proceed with the usual ignore strategy and return to their game, when a girl who was still watching them muttered, "Oh, shit."
"Huh? What is it?"
"It's that senior, Lila. She's looking for.. oh, she's spotted you, Yama. Hide."
Yamato growled, a sound full of annoyance and anger. He and Taichi weren't the only ones who knew Lila liked him... in fact, all their friends knew, and Lila's group knew as well. In fact, most everyone who knew current gossip (and plenty gossip was about Lila) knew that she was going to try something with Yamato tonight... and people virtually made a path for her as she started towards him.
"Jesus fucking Christ, she's headed straight for you already," Gojio muttered. "The netherworld creature has no shame. Yama! Did you remember to spray on whore repellent?"
"Slipped my mind," Yamato muttered, looking in the direction exactly opposite of Lila. Go away, he thought. Go away, go away, go away...
"If he did remember, you wouldn't be able to get near him, Gojio," Kia whispered.
"Hey!"
"...Um..." Leon managed, and everyone hushed.
"Hello, Ishida."
Shivers ran up and down said Ishida's spine, and he turned around to face her with a solemn expression on his face.
"Lila."
"Oh, it's so good to see you!!" She said, flinging her arms around his neck in a staggering hug. He froze, looking straight ahead of him, his expression unchanging... though things were racing through his mind at a pace too fast to be traced. He felt like throwing up; the alcohol on her breath had brushed by him as she leapt foreword, and the fact that she had the gall to even touch him made him sick in itself. Then again, she was very, very drunk. He let his eyes glance at the others, and they both looked as shocked as he felt.
She finally pulled away, her hands still on his shoulders. "It's been so long. How have you been?"
"Fine," he said simply, acknowledging the crowd that was gathering. He figured at least one of them should notice, since she was either oblivious or she didn't care.
"Oh, I'm so glad," she sighed, moving her hands down from his shoulders to glide down his chest. He remained still, though a new realization struck him; with all the other girls form her group using this time to greet their guys, it looked like Lila expected him to fall right into her hands.
"And I expect you've been well, too. You haven't been beating yourself up, have you?" He said, almost absentmindedly.
"Why, whatever for?" She grinned.
He blinked. Once. "You're right. What for?"
Meanwhile, Kia and Gojio grumbled inaudibly to each other from the sidelines. "Ooh," Kia whispered. "I want something sharp. Gojio, do you have your knife?"
"Wish I did, toots."
"Goddamn it all to hell. How dare she?" She hissed.
Lila was continuing. "Well, anyway, Yamato, I loved your concert last month. That one song about love... it really got me all riled up," she breathed.
"Really? Glad you liked it. Hikaru wrote that one," he replied, monotone. "She's over there, if you want to tell her."
Kia motioned a gun going off and mouthed "bang" at Gojio, but Lila barely skipped a beat.
"You really looked great up there... I miss your long hair, though," she cooed, now reaching up to tug at one of his spikes. "It was so nice like that. When it's cut like this it looks so wild and rugged, like that video game character."
"It does that. My roommate convinced me to cut it again."
"Your roommate? Have I met him?"
He paused. "Once or twice."
She kept on. "Oh, the way you play that guitar and your voice... you've got incredible talent."
"I practice."
"Oh? I'd love to listen," she said, fiddling with her necklace while simultaneously using her arms to press her chest together. "You should invite me to a private jam session."
"Sorry," he almost growled. "The only person I practice around, other than my band, is my roommate."
Kia growled while the people around her got increasingly uncomfortable. "She's either totally oblivious to the fact that everyone over here hates her steaming entrails for what she did to Tai and everyone last time, and that we're not intimidated just because she's a senior... or she just thinks she can do whatever she damn well pleases, no matter what we may think or feel."
"Or she's a drunken slut, and she only hears the giggles and whistles of the other drunken idiots," Gojio added.
"But... But even drunk... she COULDN'T have forgotten that... that glare he made at her..."
Lila giggled, and wobbled a bit foreword towards him as if she couldn't keep her balance, giving off a high, playful yelp as she fell. He made no move to support her, so she caught herself and stood up straight; apparently, she was a bit miffed that he didn't catch her, and it sobered her up a bit. "Well, anyway, Yama... do you like to dance?"
"No."
"You should take me to dance..."
"I don't think so," He suddenly said. No bitterness, no anger; just very plainly and clearly. It made her blink, at least, as well as everyone else... especially the drunk ones who were hooting at the whole farce, enjoying every minute of it.
"Huh?" she replied, quite stupidly.
Matt's suddenly hit eye contact with her, hard. His previously nonchalant face became stern, angry, and annoyed, as if bothered by someone who was lower than dirt to him. It was true. Every word out of this woman's mouth... her touching him, flirting with him, breathing the same air as him... they all disgusted and infuriated him. Just wondering about where she got the gall to face him and his friends after everything she'd done to them... everything she'd done to Tai... made him angrier. He wondered if he'd hate her as much if she had ever apologized... ever took responsibility, ever felt guilt, ever showed shame. Considering the fact that he hated her now more than ever... especially after she quite plainly expressed she couldn't even think of anything to be ashamed of... he guaranteed he wouldn't.
Time to end this idiocy.
"Lila, I'm not in the mood to bullshit right now. You'd better find some other guy who's more willing to play bitch for you, because you won't get it out of me. Sorry."
There was a moment of silence, and a few people laughed. Yamato wondered if people would think it was funny, but apparently it had actually gotten through; he had insulted her, in front of everyone, and he had meant it.
"Whoa," Kia said, staring for a moment, then doing her best to suppress a wild grin. Gojio and the others just stared. In fact, Yamato snapped some people into sobriety, it was so sudden and unexpected.
And as for Lila herself, she was dumbstruck. She could only stare at him, at his angry face, and try to sort out what had just been said to her. She laughed for a moment, trying to make it a joke... but when he didn't respond, her face twisted into one of anger, and she stepped back, glaring in shock.
**Oh, here comes the shrieky bitching,** Gojio thought, crinkling his face in anticipation.
"W... what ARE you talking about? How... how DARE you? What kind of woman do you think I am?!" She shrieked, mortified, and when Yamato decided to take safety in silence (and some coughs resonated from Kia's direction), she became even worse. Her eyes darted from side to side, and then her face contorted in anger. "I just came over here because I thought you looked lonely, and I wanted to compliment you on your music anyway. Well, that's the thanks I get! We'll see if I ever try to cheer you up again!" And with that, she stormed/staggered off to the other side of the room, and the area was silent for an awkward period of time.
Yamato paused for a moment; he wished he had said more. Then he turned, picked up his stick, aimed, and hit the cue ball. He hit two balls into different pockets.
He had broken the ice, and an exited murmur arose from the crowd again, mostly addressing what had just happened. It was now safe to talk.
"T... that was awesome!" Kia breathed. "Just incredible!! Ishida Yamato, I'd have your child!"
"That's not really necessary," Matt said, but he smiled.
"You, my friend, just performed some quality slap-down," Gojio said, slapping the smaller man hard on the back, almost sending him flying. "I sure as hell wish I had a camera... that face! Priceless! Like a deer stuck in headlights!! A frightened little deer! ...OW! What was that for?" he suddenly yelped, rubbing his arm.
"For calling me 'toots' earlier," Kia said, sticking her tongue out, but barely succeeding; she was still grinning.
"Your face is going to get stuck that way," Leon said, smiling.
"Let it. That way, whenever I look in the mirror, I'll remember this," she stated.
"Hmph. How dare she call you Cloud. We're the only ones who can call you Cloud... she's defiling the nickname," Leon said.
"Don't worry... nobody can defile that nickname," Kia assured him
"Man, she's pretty damn drunk," Gojio pointed out, almost whistling. "More than anyone else. Bet she doesn't know her right ass from her left tit."
Kia grinned. "Well, that's understandable; they're both flat."
While they giggled about that, Hikaru from across the room suddenly bound over and glomped Yamato, nearly knocking him over.
"Yama, that was GREAT! We saw the whole thing! I'll have your CHILD, man!" she squealed, laughing happily.
"Dude, man, you're gonna have a lot of kids," Gojio grinned, and Yamato laughed, a little embarrassed.
Both girls looked at each other.
"You said that too?"
"Yeah, I did!"
"AAAH!"
"Oh, geez, they're doing it again," Leon said, plugging his ears, and everybody laughed. Things looked better. Lila was on the other side of the room, a whole world away for all they cared, and it looked like she wouldn't be on their side again anytime soon.
Yamato watched his friends, smiling softly. If it weren't for Taichi, he never would have met them. They all missed Tai, now, when he didn't come to parties... and they missed Matt too, in a way; he could never really be himself unless he was around Tai. He sighed and looked down.
**Taichi... I wish you could have seen that... I wish you could have been here... you deserved to do that more than anyone else.**
*~*~*~*
Next Chapter: We may know what's happening with Yamato... what about Taichi? How is he, and what is he doing? And... what did happen to him, anyway? I'll need some more reviews before I post more, so review!