The One Called Jupiter Part Six
Come on, ya gotta know by now that I don't own Sailor Moon
The rest of the week passed dreamlessly for Lita. She was too happy, she figured, for her dreams to be plagued by the mystery of Chris. Or maybe he had given up trying to convince her her friends were evil. Or... Lita sat in her third period class on that Friday morning. She looked at the classroom across the hall from hers. She remembered seeing Chris there the day she had confronted him outside of school. That seat in the front row, right by the door. That was his seat. But since that day she had confronted him, the Tuesday earlier that week, Chris hadn't been in school.
Three days. That was a lot of days to miss school right in a row. What if... No, her friends wouldn't have done anything to him. How could they have found out about their conversation? It just wasn't possible. Lita's mood dampened as she thought of all the possible reasons that Chris wasn't occupying the seat.
He's sick. That has to be it. Nothings happened to him. He's just sick. Still, the feeling wouldn't go away.
"Hey guys. What are you up to?" Lita came out to lunch on the cold day in October.
"Nothing!" Serena sang out in her usual sing-song voice while everyone else quickly ended their conversation.
"Why do I get the distinct feeling that that's not true?" Lita squinted at her friends.
"I don't know," Mina stuffed her sandwich into her mouth.
"Why won't you tell me what you were doing?" Lita was starting to get that feeling that she had had in third period.
"Probably because we weren't doing anything." Raye said bluntly.
"Fine. I'll go eat lunch over there if you won't tell my anything." Lita turned and walked off, but not before hearing Ami whisper, "I wish we could tell her. I don't like keeping secrets."
It was all Lita could do to keep from crying as she sat under another tree all alone. But her loneliness didn't last for long. Soon, a shadow was cast over the eating brunette. "Hey! You're in my lig..." Lita gasped when she saw the bandaged form of Chris. "Chris! What happened to you?!"
"Do you have to ask?" The tall boy began to sit down and groaned every time he twisted his body.
"Here, let me help you!" Lita stood and grabbed his arm.
"Thanks." He let out a final moan as he sat on the ground. He leaned back against the tree and grabbed his side.
"What really happened?" Lita's voice was full of concern.
"All right. The full story is simply that right after you left, your 'friends'," Chris made the quotation marks with his fingers when he said friends, "over there, caught up with me. They said that they had heard every word we said. Then, they...well, you see what they did. When they left me on the ground all bloodied and bruised, Serena came up to me. She told me that if I told you what happened and continued to pursue you, that she would kill me just like her mother did." Chris closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He began to cough and grabbed his side again.
"No. There's no way. Serena wouldn't have done that. None of my friends would have." Lita's face was one of pure horror.
"Its true."
"Then why are you here? If they did this to you and then made that threat, why are you sitting beside me right now?" Lita looked over at her friends and noticed that they were still talking amongst themselves.
"I couldn't leave you alone. I just couldn't let you continue to be friends with them without knowing what they are capable of. I love you too much." Chris reached over and rubbed the back of his hand over Lita's cheek.
"I-I..." Lita moved her cheek against his hand, unable to say anything.
"Shh. You don't need to say anything Lita. Just sit here with me and eat your lunch dear," Chris smiled but his eyes told Lita that he was in pain.
"Shouldn't you be in the hospital? I mean, its obvious that you're in a lot of pain," Lita had a look of concern again.
"Yeah, you're probably right, but if I went, I would have to tell them what happened. Then they would tell the police and this whole thing would just blow up. Then your friends would kill me for sure. That is, once they got out of juvi."
"But, your parents. They have to be worried. Didn't they ask what happened to you?"
"My parents are dead," Chris cast his eyes toward the ground.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know," Lita apologized.
"Don't worry about it. They died a long time ago. It was sudden and they didn't suffer. I take comfort in that," Chris looked at Lita again with a reassuring smile.
"My parents died too. It wasn't all that long ago. It was a plane crash," Lita's eyes became moist again.
"Well, we're in the same boat then," Chris tried to joke.
It was obvious to Lita that he was trying to cheer her up. So, she forced a tiny laugh. What she didn't know was that the four girls sitting in her usual spot were now looking at her.
Come on, ya gotta know by now that I don't own Sailor Moon
The rest of the week passed dreamlessly for Lita. She was too happy, she figured, for her dreams to be plagued by the mystery of Chris. Or maybe he had given up trying to convince her her friends were evil. Or... Lita sat in her third period class on that Friday morning. She looked at the classroom across the hall from hers. She remembered seeing Chris there the day she had confronted him outside of school. That seat in the front row, right by the door. That was his seat. But since that day she had confronted him, the Tuesday earlier that week, Chris hadn't been in school.
Three days. That was a lot of days to miss school right in a row. What if... No, her friends wouldn't have done anything to him. How could they have found out about their conversation? It just wasn't possible. Lita's mood dampened as she thought of all the possible reasons that Chris wasn't occupying the seat.
He's sick. That has to be it. Nothings happened to him. He's just sick. Still, the feeling wouldn't go away.
"Hey guys. What are you up to?" Lita came out to lunch on the cold day in October.
"Nothing!" Serena sang out in her usual sing-song voice while everyone else quickly ended their conversation.
"Why do I get the distinct feeling that that's not true?" Lita squinted at her friends.
"I don't know," Mina stuffed her sandwich into her mouth.
"Why won't you tell me what you were doing?" Lita was starting to get that feeling that she had had in third period.
"Probably because we weren't doing anything." Raye said bluntly.
"Fine. I'll go eat lunch over there if you won't tell my anything." Lita turned and walked off, but not before hearing Ami whisper, "I wish we could tell her. I don't like keeping secrets."
It was all Lita could do to keep from crying as she sat under another tree all alone. But her loneliness didn't last for long. Soon, a shadow was cast over the eating brunette. "Hey! You're in my lig..." Lita gasped when she saw the bandaged form of Chris. "Chris! What happened to you?!"
"Do you have to ask?" The tall boy began to sit down and groaned every time he twisted his body.
"Here, let me help you!" Lita stood and grabbed his arm.
"Thanks." He let out a final moan as he sat on the ground. He leaned back against the tree and grabbed his side.
"What really happened?" Lita's voice was full of concern.
"All right. The full story is simply that right after you left, your 'friends'," Chris made the quotation marks with his fingers when he said friends, "over there, caught up with me. They said that they had heard every word we said. Then, they...well, you see what they did. When they left me on the ground all bloodied and bruised, Serena came up to me. She told me that if I told you what happened and continued to pursue you, that she would kill me just like her mother did." Chris closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He began to cough and grabbed his side again.
"No. There's no way. Serena wouldn't have done that. None of my friends would have." Lita's face was one of pure horror.
"Its true."
"Then why are you here? If they did this to you and then made that threat, why are you sitting beside me right now?" Lita looked over at her friends and noticed that they were still talking amongst themselves.
"I couldn't leave you alone. I just couldn't let you continue to be friends with them without knowing what they are capable of. I love you too much." Chris reached over and rubbed the back of his hand over Lita's cheek.
"I-I..." Lita moved her cheek against his hand, unable to say anything.
"Shh. You don't need to say anything Lita. Just sit here with me and eat your lunch dear," Chris smiled but his eyes told Lita that he was in pain.
"Shouldn't you be in the hospital? I mean, its obvious that you're in a lot of pain," Lita had a look of concern again.
"Yeah, you're probably right, but if I went, I would have to tell them what happened. Then they would tell the police and this whole thing would just blow up. Then your friends would kill me for sure. That is, once they got out of juvi."
"But, your parents. They have to be worried. Didn't they ask what happened to you?"
"My parents are dead," Chris cast his eyes toward the ground.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know," Lita apologized.
"Don't worry about it. They died a long time ago. It was sudden and they didn't suffer. I take comfort in that," Chris looked at Lita again with a reassuring smile.
"My parents died too. It wasn't all that long ago. It was a plane crash," Lita's eyes became moist again.
"Well, we're in the same boat then," Chris tried to joke.
It was obvious to Lita that he was trying to cheer her up. So, she forced a tiny laugh. What she didn't know was that the four girls sitting in her usual spot were now looking at her.