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A/N: ::sighs:: Well, it's been a while hasn't it? I'm sorry about the wait. I've been real busy. ::shrugs:: Well, hopefully I'll be able to post more chapters in the very near future. ::smiles:: Thanks for all the lovely reviews! It's much appreciated! ::bounces away::
Crossing Paths - Chapter Five
I feel my mouth drop open. "What?" I just stare at Taichi. You know, I thought I got away from him. What the hell? And how the hell did he get back to school? Why did he go back in the first place?
I look at Takeru and he's grinning. "Yeah, he was nice enough to give me a ride, since you left me!"
I snap out of my stupor and glare at Takeru. "So, why are you here? To bother me. Um, and the reality is--You don't live here, you live with mom. So obviously he didn't take you home." I say sarcastically.
He just smiles at me. Then says, "Well, you were supposed to take me to the mall so I could get my CDs after school. And since you left school I came here to tell you that you're still taking me."
What is with him telling me what I'm going to do? I cross my arms and say, "You think so, huh?"
He nods, and replies with, "Yes. You promised, remember?"
My arms un-cross and my shoulders hunch over. "Yeah." I stand up straight again and sigh. "Well, then let's go."
Takeru nods with a smile. "I also invited Tai, 'kay?"
I nod. Wait, he invited Taichi to come? Who agreed to this? I wince at that thought. Well, I just did. You know, I thought this day was over. Why can't today just end? I sigh, "Fine, whatever."
"He's gotta run his car back to his house though, so we'll just follow him. I mean, since it's on the way." Takeru chants happily.
I am definitely killing him when we get back. Definitely. "Fine." I say quickly.
Okay, the car ride to Taichi's was uneventful. Maybe because he wasn't in the car, but once we pull into his driveway and Hikari walks out of the house... Wait. Hikari lives here? No, that can't be it. Takeru can't be dating Taichi's sister. No way in hell. How come no one ever told me this? She walks up to the car, and Takeru gets out. They greet each other then get in the back. Oh great! That means the reason for my bad day will sit in the front. Lovely. He gets in the car and smiles at me. I raise my eyebrow. What the hell does he think he's doing? I never agreed to this, I couldn't have. Am I going crazy?
I didn't say anything to him the whole car ride there. Any of them. Never again will I do this.
Okay, so maybe the mall wasn't so bad. I didn't really have to say anything to anyone, thank God. Even though we were there for at least four hours. Taichi would say something to me every now and then, but I'd just smile or nod. Hey, I agreed to let him come, not to talk to him. We pull into his driveway, and him and Hikari get out of the car. And, Takeru gets into the front seat. Hikari and Taichi say good-bye, and I put the car in reverse.
On the way home it's nothing but silence. I figure Takeru knows I'm pissed off. I stop at a stop light, and he says, "Why don't you like Tai?"
"Why do you?" I counter.
I see him shrug out of the corner of my eye. "He's nice. Kind of a klutz, but nice."
"Right." I say sarcastically as the red light changes to green.
"So? Why don't you like him?" He asks again.
I sigh. I really don't feel like talking about this. "Why do you care?"
He sighs frustratedly. "Will you quit that. Just answer the question."
"I don't think it's any of your business why I don't like him." I reply smartly. And it's not any of his business. Not like anyone would take me seriously if I told them why I don't like him. That whole, 'I have a feeling that something happened a long time ago between me and him that wasn't good.' I don't feel like I can trust him. Yeah, people would think I'm just crazy. Hm, now that I think about it, I probably am. You'd think everyone would just leave me alone about it. I've never been much of a people person. I've got two close friends, and that's about it.
"Yamato?" He says, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"What?" I ask lowly.
He sighs. "Nothing. Nevermind."
I drop him off, and go home. I go straight to bed. I can't sleep though. I stare at the ceiling for a good few hours. Thinking about nothing in particular. I look at the floor beside my door. My shirt with the pizza stain is lying there. How the hell did that get there? Didn't I leave it in the bathroom, or throw it away or something? I think back to earlier that day. Why didn't I let Taichi help me? It was just something innocent, and yet I wanted to choke him. Is that even an emotion you should have towards someone you don't know? Hatred?
"Yamato, get up." A voice says waking me from my slumber.
The voice registers in my brain and I say, "Takeru, go the hell away."
"No, get up." He says again.
I stretch and say, "I'm not giving you a ride today, so go away."
He laughs. "Well, gee thanks. I don't need a ride today anyway. But you still need to get up."
I open my eyes and glare at him. "Since when did my mother start waking me up in the morning? I do recall she left dad a while ago." I spit out at him bitterly.
He frowns at the statement. "Fine." He turns to walk out of the room, but my voice stops him.
"Takeru, don't be like that." I call after him. "I didn't mean it." He stops for a moment; he doesn't say anything and just walks out the door. After I few seconds I hear the apartment door open and close quietly. I sigh. I think he's a little upset, don't you? Okay, so maybe that statement was uncalled for, but he was asking for it. It's the truth though, she did leave my dad right after Takeru was born. I guess he feels like it was his fault, even though it wasn't. Oh geez, I feel like a biggest asshole alive now.
I kick the covers off of me, and get out of bed. I walk into the bathroom and look in the mirror. I should probably take a shower if I want my hair to do what it's supposed to. I go back to my bedroom and grab some clothes.
Forty-five minutes later I walk out of the bathroom, fully dressed and ready to go to school. I grab my keys off my desk, and off I go to school.
Okay, so over the six months everything went pretty much back to normal. There were no more run-ins with Taichi, and I was pretty happy. School isn't so bad, and I am actually, kinda, enjoying it. Today we start our senior projects, and for some reason we're being paired off. I don't know why, but that's what the school decided this year. We're getting our partners in Chemistry. I walk into class late today, and Mrs. Leone claps her hands together when she sees me. "Ah, Yamato! You're paired up with Taichi Yagami!" She says cheerily.
I laugh, even though it's not really that funny. "Right." I say, "No, seriously. Who's my partner?"
She doesn't laugh; instead she pushes her glasses further up on her nose. "Taichi is your partner. Please take a seat next to him."
I stare at her in disbelief. She's got to be kidding! This has got to be some kind of sick joke. She looks at me expectantly. "Mr. Ishida, please take a seat next to your partner." She says impatiently.
My shoulders hunch over as I walk over to where Taichi is sitting, and take a seat next to him. "Don't look so happy." He says. He's grinning at me. Okay, I basically said that I didn't like him in front of the class and he's still grinning at me. What the hell is his problem?
"I have to go get something for my mom." I say as Taichi sits in the passenger side seat of my car.
"That's fine." He replies grinning.
I walk into my mom's apartment, Taichi tagging along. "Mom?" I yell.
She walks out of the bathroom, and she smiles at me. "Yamato, did you get what I asked for?"
I nod, and set the contents on the table. She glances at Taichi then back at me expectantly. I sigh. "Mom, this is Taichi. Taichi, my mom."
Her face breaks out in a grin from ear to ear. "Oh, Taichi! It's great to see you again. It's been a very long time!"
I look at Taichi; he looks at me and shrugs. I look back at my mom and raise an eyebrow. "Mom, how can you see him again if you just met him?"
She laughs. "Oh, Yamato! You're such a kidder!" She says.
What the hell? I wasn't kidding! There's no way she could know him! No way in hell! What the hell is going on?
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Aero-grrl: Sorry about the little cliffhanger, but it seemed like the perfect spot to stop. ^^ Lol, that sounded funny. Anyway, thanks to all the reviewers! Sorry if I left you confused! It'll start making sense soon, I promise! Please review! -Ciao