Chapter Two: Madly in Love

I cautiously went over to the bleachers after school to see Shelia sitting on them, waiting for me. She looked over at me, smiled, and waved me over. I sat next to her. "Hi, how's it going?" she asked.

"All right, my friends have some mixed opinions on this meeting," I said.

"Eh?" she asked in English. Her accent was thick and rich, and it made my heart flutter. (Gee, how girlie can one guy get?)

"I tell my friends almost everything, naturally I'm going to tell them if a beautiful girl asks me to met her after school," I replied, also in English. Shelia laughed and smiled.

She batted her eyelashes at me, a smile on her lips. "I was wondering, maybe this Saturday, if you'd like to do dinner and a movie with me?" she asked.

My eyes widened. "Are you asking me out? As in going on a date? With me of all people in this school? But I've got to be at least a year younger than you are! We hardly know each other!" I exclaimed, a bit surprised that she'd offered that to me. I'd never been on a date before.

"So, you'll be easier to train," she said with a laugh. "So, do you except?"

I nodded. "Uh, no- I mean yes! Yes, yes, I'll go, I'll go!"

"Don't hyperventilate on me, cutie-pie," she said, taking my hands. Shelia smiled, kissing my forehead softly. She stood up. "See ya Saturday."

The next thing I knew, Shelia and I were "an item." One thing I didn't expect was that every single guy in school was asking me how I managed to get hooked up with "an older woman." I understood their questions. Why wasn't she going after one of the other juniors or a senior? Why a sophomore? And at that, the second youngest sophomore in the class, the youngest being a ten year old child prodigy that can hold numbers in the high millions on his fingers, but that's beside the point. If she was looking for a sophomore, she should've gone for Sage.

Another thing my classmates found odd, and that my friends thought was odd, was the way our relationship was working. Typically it's the male that's the dominant one. However, Shelia basically had me on a leash. She was the one that pulled out my chair and got mad if I tried anything like that, she'd buy me flowers, candy, and all that other stuff and requested I didn't do that for her. I tried to do that once with candy, but she gave it to one of her friends. It hurt my feelings, but she told me that she really didn't WANT candy, she said that she wanted me for me.

Or was she looking for something else?

I felt weak in the relationship, and my friends were a little concerned. Mia told them that nothing was wrong, just that Shelia was probably a little more experienced in relationships than I was and also was the older one in the relationship so she felt a little more responsible.

Still, it felt weird.

"Cye, why are you letting her treat you like the girl in the relationship?" asked Rowen one afternoon. "I'm not being sexist or anything, but isn't it proper etiquette for the GUY to do stuff for the GIRL?"

I sighed. "I don't knot, it does feel awkward, and it's a bit odd, but in some ways I don't really care."

"Huh?" asked Sage.

"What are you saying, Cye? She's putting your manhood to shame here!" said Kento.

I sighed dreamily. "I don't know, I think I might be in love," I said.

"Love?" asked Ryo. "I don't know about that one, define love."

I blushed. "I have strong feelings for her, but not like you guys, or Mia, or Yuli, or my mother and sister, it's a different kind of feeling."

"You should check these feelings to make sure it's your heart and not your hormones talking," said Rowen.

I glared daggers at Rowen. "I told you, even if I am, as Kento would put it, 'horny as a horn dog,' I'm remaining a virgin until I'm legally married with a ring on my finger and I've already said 'I do.' What do you take me for, some pervert?"

"Perverts and horn-dogs and two totally different species," said Ryo. "Perverts just like to see stuff and steal underwear. Horn-dogs-"

"I think he gets the message, Ryo," Sage said.

"I dunno, I think Cye should watch himself," said Rowen. "Now, I understand that all girls aren't the kind who want the guy to shower then with flowers and candy, but getting ticked off at them for doing something like that, well, why?"

Kento blinked. "Yeah, what's up with that?"

"She didn't get ticked off, she just gave the stuff to one of her friends," I said.

Rowen sighed. "Still, watch yourself, Cye. She might not be doing anything, maybe that's the way she was raised, but be careful, she might not be looking for you as in you, maybe another aspect of you."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "I don't get it."

"What I mean is that she might be trying to rip you off or something. Have you checked your wallet after you go to dinner?" said Rowen.

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "She never even lets me take out my wallet, she always pays. She won't even let me pay the tip!"

"You mean your getting a girl that's practically worshipping you, and-" said Kento.

I shook my head. "She doesn't 'worship' me, she's just overprotective! She treats me like a china doll, like if I get tapped lightly I'll crack!"

"What I was going to say was that she's basically doing nearly everything for you and you're getting this for FREE?" said Kento.

"She might want to find sometime for pay later on," said Ryo. "Just be careful-"

"I. Am. Perfectly. FINE!" I said. "Nothing is going to happen to me, I'll be all right."

"Yeah, he's right, our little Cye is growing up," said Sage behind some fake tears. I threw a throw pillow at him (Isn't that what they're for?), and Rowen returned it. So hence begins another Great Ronin Pillow Fight.

That night, I went to bed feeling awkward. Something didn't feel right. I felt a cool breeze blow through the window and got up to close it, only to get another chill to the bone.

The window was closed.

I looked over at Kento. Sound asleep, for once. Kento's the type who snores, and the silence shook me up. What was happening? I went over to the window and sat on the ledge. I watched the night sky, looking up at the stars. My eyes got heavy as I fell asleep on the windowsill . . .