As I walked back to the hotel I was thinking about the town. It was so
"everyday", so.boring. It was like the towns you hear about in stories; the
ones where the kids are all jocks and where those jackets with the letters
on them. Everyone seemed so.happy. No, not happy. It was just like they,
existed. They seemed like normal people. I couldn't understand.
I laughed when Faye took a bite of her bread. Her face turned bright red and contorted as if in pain. Ed started to laugh and mimic her face as she ran to the bathroom. As I wiped the tears from my eyes I went back to my own bread; a few minutes later I hard a voice from the bathroom. It could be heard easily over the running faucet:
"DAMNIT SPIKE! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?"
That made me laugh even harder as I finished my dinner. I didn't want to be in the room when she came back so I grabbed my jacket and headed out.
"Where is Spike-person going?"
"Out." I replied with a sigh. "Edward wants to come!" she said with a pout. "Fine Ed, let's go." I said. I wanted to leave as soon as possible which left no time for arguing with Ed, plus it wasn't really fair to leave her there with Faye.
The sky was getting darker as we walked down the sidewalk. Well, I walked. Ed bounced around sniffing things behind me staring wide-eyed at everything. As we came to the kid's bakery I saw him outside leaning against the wall. "Hey man, its kid of cold to be outside in a t-shirt." I said. Ed peeked out from behind me curiously, and began to creep up to him. She came so her face was right next to his. As she inched closer and closer with her wide-eyed gaze his eyes got bigger. Finally he blushed and looked away
···
"What are you doing?" I asked.
The strange child with red hair jumped back and landed in a crouching position like an animal. I could've sworn she growled. "I'm sorry," said the man." This is Ed, she's a little odd." I stared at the thing before me. "Ed? She?" my bewildered gaze turned to the man. "It's a long story," said the man with a sigh. "I'm Spike Spiegel." He extended his hand out to shake but instead I just stared at him. I'd heard of him before, he was either a famous bounty hunter or computer genius. He didn't look much like a genius, but neither occupation were to be trusted. I looked away, it was rude. "Naota Nandaba" I said after several minutes. Spike took a place on the wall next to me. "Mind if I smoke?" he asked while taking a cigarette out of the package. "No" I said shyly still looking away.
We stood there for several minutes longer, staring at the red haired child as she made her way around the strip of sidewalk in front of my house. Spike looked over to the vending machine next to him and gave it a short hard kick making a dent in the metal; three drinks popped out. He picked them up and handed one to me and popped one for himself. I stared at the label: the sweet kind.
···
I wondered why he wasn't drinking. Weird kid, he was just staring at it as if it were a huge sparkling diamond or a flea ridden washcloth infested with maggots. Suddenly he popped the top and threw his head back, draining half the can. I gave him a sidelong glance and did the same, except I finished all of it. I tossed the can in the basket next to the vending machine.
Just then, a woman came out. Well, "came out" isn't really the word. It's more like she popped her head around the corner peering at Naota. "Naota- kun, what are you doing?" Then she slowly moved her gaze to me. "Oy, Naota- kun. Who is your friend?" Naota looked away and blushed. I stepped up to face her. "I'm Spike; it's nice to meet you." I said extending my hand. She took it and shook vigorously. "I'm Haruhara Haruko, it's a pleasure I'm sure! She grinned widely: it was really scary. I gave her a look but her eyes were closed so tight she didn't see. She reminded me of Ed.
As if by magic I heard: "Ed feels left out." I turned around to see Ed standing with hands on hips and a pout on her face. Haruko looked at her with a slightly confused expression. "Piya?" she said as she tilted her head. Ed jumped on to her with a huge grin as she locked her arms around Haruko's neck. They both fell to the ground. Ed recovered first and climbed on to Haruko's chest.
I stared at them with an apathetic look on my face. Then I nodded to Naota and started walking. After several steps I turned around to see him still standing there looking at me. "Come on" I said. He took one look back at the squirming Haruko and started to follow me.
I laughed when Faye took a bite of her bread. Her face turned bright red and contorted as if in pain. Ed started to laugh and mimic her face as she ran to the bathroom. As I wiped the tears from my eyes I went back to my own bread; a few minutes later I hard a voice from the bathroom. It could be heard easily over the running faucet:
"DAMNIT SPIKE! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?"
That made me laugh even harder as I finished my dinner. I didn't want to be in the room when she came back so I grabbed my jacket and headed out.
"Where is Spike-person going?"
"Out." I replied with a sigh. "Edward wants to come!" she said with a pout. "Fine Ed, let's go." I said. I wanted to leave as soon as possible which left no time for arguing with Ed, plus it wasn't really fair to leave her there with Faye.
The sky was getting darker as we walked down the sidewalk. Well, I walked. Ed bounced around sniffing things behind me staring wide-eyed at everything. As we came to the kid's bakery I saw him outside leaning against the wall. "Hey man, its kid of cold to be outside in a t-shirt." I said. Ed peeked out from behind me curiously, and began to creep up to him. She came so her face was right next to his. As she inched closer and closer with her wide-eyed gaze his eyes got bigger. Finally he blushed and looked away
···
"What are you doing?" I asked.
The strange child with red hair jumped back and landed in a crouching position like an animal. I could've sworn she growled. "I'm sorry," said the man." This is Ed, she's a little odd." I stared at the thing before me. "Ed? She?" my bewildered gaze turned to the man. "It's a long story," said the man with a sigh. "I'm Spike Spiegel." He extended his hand out to shake but instead I just stared at him. I'd heard of him before, he was either a famous bounty hunter or computer genius. He didn't look much like a genius, but neither occupation were to be trusted. I looked away, it was rude. "Naota Nandaba" I said after several minutes. Spike took a place on the wall next to me. "Mind if I smoke?" he asked while taking a cigarette out of the package. "No" I said shyly still looking away.
We stood there for several minutes longer, staring at the red haired child as she made her way around the strip of sidewalk in front of my house. Spike looked over to the vending machine next to him and gave it a short hard kick making a dent in the metal; three drinks popped out. He picked them up and handed one to me and popped one for himself. I stared at the label: the sweet kind.
···
I wondered why he wasn't drinking. Weird kid, he was just staring at it as if it were a huge sparkling diamond or a flea ridden washcloth infested with maggots. Suddenly he popped the top and threw his head back, draining half the can. I gave him a sidelong glance and did the same, except I finished all of it. I tossed the can in the basket next to the vending machine.
Just then, a woman came out. Well, "came out" isn't really the word. It's more like she popped her head around the corner peering at Naota. "Naota- kun, what are you doing?" Then she slowly moved her gaze to me. "Oy, Naota- kun. Who is your friend?" Naota looked away and blushed. I stepped up to face her. "I'm Spike; it's nice to meet you." I said extending my hand. She took it and shook vigorously. "I'm Haruhara Haruko, it's a pleasure I'm sure! She grinned widely: it was really scary. I gave her a look but her eyes were closed so tight she didn't see. She reminded me of Ed.
As if by magic I heard: "Ed feels left out." I turned around to see Ed standing with hands on hips and a pout on her face. Haruko looked at her with a slightly confused expression. "Piya?" she said as she tilted her head. Ed jumped on to her with a huge grin as she locked her arms around Haruko's neck. They both fell to the ground. Ed recovered first and climbed on to Haruko's chest.
I stared at them with an apathetic look on my face. Then I nodded to Naota and started walking. After several steps I turned around to see him still standing there looking at me. "Come on" I said. He took one look back at the squirming Haruko and started to follow me.