"Nagi!" Bonnie pushed her way through the swarming crowds, struggling to reach the young man who was patiently awaiting her arrival. "Nagi, where did Farfarello go?"
Nagi's gaze wavered in between irritation and pity. Frowning, he put one hand in his pocket and used the other to point at her strictly. "You shouldn't have led him on like that!" he said in a sharp tone that cut through her mind like a razor.
Bonnie was, to be frank, shocked. Lead the Irishman on? Her? What? "Nagi," she said, recoiling in offense, "I'm sixteen! I can't believe you imagined I was leading him on when I've made it clear I just want to help him AND I'm so much younger!"
Nagi glared at her suspiciously. "You were acting pretty friendly for just a friend..."
"WHAT?! That makes no sense! Let's be honest here - Farfarfello hates my religion, and I follow it strictly. Therefore, I would have no interest in him." The girl stomped her foot, and the more his accusation sunk in, the more irate she became, feeling both embarrassed and violated. "This may be little judgmental of me, but come on, I'm not completely naive! Everyone knows why Schuldig and Yohji club - women! And Brad's a gentlemen, but if he wasn't so busy with work, he'd pry be doing the same!"
Nagi's face heated up. What was this girl ranting about? Not like he could shoot back that she was wrong though...
"Well, in a house like that, I bet Farfarfello, behaves quite the same - and there are two reasons it would be very sick for him to be interested in me like that! One: I am jail bait. Too young. Two: I am a virgin and I will be till I get married and don't you ever accuse me of leading on someone like that because I am not that kind of girl!"
The college student had never seen the younger girl so outraged, and it left him speechless. She had poked him hard in the chest to punctuate her last five words, 'not that kind of girl', and it hurt a little... Why was she attacking him and his room mates? It was as if he had come out and called her some sort of slut or something. Geez, there was nothing to get so uptight about. Okay, maybe saying that she was leading on an older man could be a bit offensive, but it wasn't as if he had said Farfarello was even thinking about the sort of subject she was now on.
"And then there is you, Nagi Naoe!" she seethed, eyes narrowed. "I bet you're not even a virgin!" She made it sound like a horrible crime to be terribly ashamed of, so Nagi began to feel a bit offended himself.
"I'VE NEVER HAD SEX!" he screamed back, and for some reason, the room grew strangely silent afterwards... Nagi glanced this way and that, finding that everyone seemed to be staring wide-eyed at him. Including Brad and Aya. The former was scowling in disapprovement while the latter's lavender eyes were wide open in shock. Nervously, Nagi scratched the back of his head.
Bonnie, who had clamed down, looked at him apologetically. "Sorry, I sorta...lost my head," she said quietly, shrugging one shoulder. "I just...this girl said that to me once about a boy at school, and she was basically calling me sleazy, so I...I know you didn't mean it like that, Nagi. What is all this about Farfarello? I had no idea...about any of this."
Everyone slowly began talking again and he felt free to speak once more. "Farfarello was sort of developing this crush on you. His first, really, and he thought maybe you were starting to like him back, but when he saw you and Hiromi up there, he got upset and ran off. So, I knew you started off liking Hiromi, but everyone began to hope maybe you had changed your mind and could like him back... So, what is going on here?"
Only hearing this for the first time, Bonnie felt thoroughly confused. "I didn't think he was the type to do something like this," she murmured.
"He really isn't. That's why we were all so surprised."
"Oh." She looked down, staring at her new shiny, black boots, and then bit her lip. "Maybe he hasn't left yet!" she said. "Did he have the keys to the car you came in?"
"Yeah. Brad and me were going to go home with Aya and his sister and he was going to take you out for ice cream or something - sort of a celebration for both him and you."
"Aya-chan is here?"
"We met her here. But if you wanna catch Farfarello, you'd better hurry. He might've already left. In fact, I'm guessing he did."
"Tell my mom I went out with Farfarello for ice cream," she commanded hurriedly, turning to run away. "I WILL catch him!"
~~~~~
Brad's black car was sitting in the middle of the parking lot, and Bonnie's heart surged with hope. It had rained lightly and shortly during the contest, the light of the lamp posts reflecting off the slick pavement, so she nearly slipped jogging over to it, but made a safe journey to the passenger side nonetheless. Sliding her fingers underneath the door handle, she tore it open and plopped down in the seat, glancing over to her left.
Farfarfello was sitting slumped in the driver's seat, his head down on the steering wheel. With one golden eye, he stared at her, a dead expression on his face.
"Aren't you going to congratulate me?" she asked breathlessly, grinning at him. "We won! I can't believe it, but we actually won!"
He lifted his head up off the wheel, placing his elbow there instead and leaning his cheek against his fist. In the dark, his short, scruffy, white hair gleamed silver. "I didn't know ye LIKED him," he said dourly, almost pouting about it.
She frowned, shook her head a little. "The kiss on the cheek was like a victory thing - a friendship thing," she explained slowly, though she couldn't even convince herself. She had had a huge crush on Hiromi the whole year, but when Nagi had said Farfarello had feelings for her, something had sparked her interest...
He smiled at her, full lips curving delicately. That was something different about Farfarello she was noticing lately. While most of the other men that surrounded her had thin, fine mouths, his was thick and soft and kissable -
Woooooaaaaah...
Bonnie's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
Farfarello seemed not to notice, jerking his thumb towards the door. "Outta the car," he commanded. "Unless ye wanna go for victory ice cream."
She shook her head. "My mom would kill me if you drove, so I am kidnapping you - switch me seats!"
He laughed and shook his head at her, but complied nevertheless.
~~~~~
When the arrived at the small ice cream shop, Bonnie spotted a flash of red in the sea of black. It made her do a double-take and then laugh out loud. She just couldn't believe that out of all the luck she would run into that particular redhead.
"Well, hello, Bonbon," purred the nasal voice when emerald eyes ran over her. Schuldig winked seductively, and then laughed when she rolled her eyes in return. "What are you and Farfie up to?"
"Victory ice cream." She slid into the booth to sit across from the German, ironically ending up beside Omi. The two men had been sitting together and eating sundaes for reasons she could not possibly fathom, but the company was fun.
Farfarello took his seat beside Schuldig and picked up a menu, but the German was staring at him so strangely that he was provoked to turn and glare at him. "What, Schuldig?" he demanded tiredly.
"You took out your piercings."
"Huh?" said Bonnie.
"His earrings." Schuldig was referring to the four studs that usually lined each of Farfarell's ears, eight in all. "He took them out. Trying to soften your image for Bonbon, are we, Farfarello?"
The albino's jaw clenched in annoyance while Bonnie burst into a fit of giggles, in which Omi soon joined.
"Be nice to him, Schuldig," she chided when she had caught her breath. "The two of us had major accomplishments today. Farfarello is sane, and I am a singer. Now, what to order...?"
While Bonnie and Farfarello browsed through the menus, Schuldig and Omi related their story of how both had come to be there. Seems that Schuldig had lost his job and had recently taken up working at the flower shop full-time versus part-time. So, since there had been a conflict over whose day it was to work the night shift between all four remaining florists, they had drawn straws and Ken and Yohji had been the losers. Thus, Schuldig and Omi's celebrating.
"You've got chocolate syrup on your face," Bonnie informed Farfarello after their desserts had arrived. When the man blinked furiously at her in surprise, not even knowing where to begin in cleaning up, she broke into a fit of giggles and leaned across the tabletop, dabbing at his face with her napkin. He flinched, disliking it, and she let out an amused sigh. "Hold still!" And her thumb quickly swiped at his lower lip to clear away a splatter of the rich ice cream, though it wasn't so fast that she didn't feel how soft he felt.
Schuldig's eyebrows raised as he gleaned her thoughts, greedily pilfering her private musings. So, she was trying to imagine what it was like to kiss Farfarfello, was she? The thought was so absurd that he bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from bursting into laughter. However, he couldn't resist the comment, "Not so innocent, are we, Bonnie?"
Bonnie sat back down heavily, her eyes widening in horror. No one else knew what he was speaking of, but her reaction made it obvious that she did. He grinned at her, almost lecherous.
But how, she wondered, had he known? Was it THAT obvious?
"Ugh, that's the same look Yohji gets when he's teasing Bonnie," Omi said sympathetically. "Don't take it personally, Bonbon. You're just the first girl they've had as only a friend - not someone to date."
"Oh, and while we're thinking of Kudoh," Schuldig teased, speaking of the flirtatious brunette/blonde, "when is your birthday, Bonbon?"
"Next week, actually."
"Eighteenth?"
"Seventeenth."
"Oh," he pouted. "Now this presents a problem."
The spoon paused halfway between her mouth and her dish of moose tracks. "Problem?"
"How will I tell Yohji he's gonna have to wait a whole 'nother year?" he sighed with a sidelong glance at a fuming Farfarello. Then, laughing insanely while the two more innocent people at the table stared at him as if he had lost his mind, he elbowed the Irishman in the ribs and chuckled, "Just trying to get you going, Farfie. Even Balinese isn't gutsy enough to move in on your territory."
Choosing to ignore the fact that she'd been referred to as a possession, and also acknowledging the fact that Schuldig was merely poking fun at the two of them with no seriousness involved, she demanded, "What's with all these names you guys are always using? I mean, Balinese? Beserker? And what do you call Brad? Oracle?"
All three men froze, which was strange since Omi's mouth was wide open to accept some melting globs of vinilla soft serve and Farfarello was nearly at the German's throat.
"I think you need to make up a cool name for me," she continued, much to their visible relief. "What do you think, Omi?"
"I thought Bonbon was your nick name," he replied in that always chipper tone.
"I want something cooler."
Schuldig shrugged. "Sorry, kid. Looks like you're stuck with that one."
She was about to retort when the shrill ring of her cell phone cut her off. Driving her hand into her purse, she fumbled a bit for the source of the noise and then triumphantly pulled it back out, clicking the button and holding it to her ear. "Hello?"
There was deafening music blaring in the background. "Bonbon?" asked a hoarse voice.
She could scarcely believe her ears, wondering if the situation was as bad as it sounded from where she stood. It took a moment to find her own words and then she asked, nervously, "Megan? Where are you?"
Her friend from school, a vague acquaintance of Farfarello's who cut herself under his previous influence, took her time in answering. "At the big rave the kids were talking about earlier today," she guiltily replied, sniffling, sounding as if she had been crying.
Bonnie recalled hearing something about a big party as she doodled in her notebook, watching the clock in eagerness to see her last day of school over. The boys and girls had been excited and restless, the bolder ones remarking that they'd love to take part in the rave while the truthful youths had admitted they were a bit scared after hearing of the drugs and rapes and fights that happened there every year. "Megan!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe -"
"Shh, please, don't reprimand me!" Desperation rung in the girl's scared voice. "I just - I just got some bad news, ok? I need to get out of here - NOW! Please, Bonbon, you're my last hope... Come pick me up..."
Bonnie glanced up at the other occupants of the table, seeing that all were staring at her warily. Schuldig's gaze was particularly intense, jade eyes boring into her as if he could read her mind. He looked almost worried.
"Where are you?" Bonnie asked Megan.
"Under the snack table."
"I mean, WHERE is this party?"
"I don't know!"
She sighed. "Alright. Get outside where I can see you."
"I'm scared to leave my hiding place," was the sheepish answer.
"Alright! Alright! I'll come find you! Just hold tight!" Bonnie lowered the phone, clicking it off, and looked hurriedly to Schuldig. The man had all the information on the social going-ons and the big parties - if she uttered a prayer for assistance in finding this place, he was surely her answer. "Schuldig, do you know anything about a big rave?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to go, but Omi dragged me here."
"We need to get there - now."
Farfarello looked at her in surprise. "But, your parents -"
"Not now, Farfarello. Megan's in big trouble."
With a nod of understanding, he paid the bill and they all left.
Nagi's gaze wavered in between irritation and pity. Frowning, he put one hand in his pocket and used the other to point at her strictly. "You shouldn't have led him on like that!" he said in a sharp tone that cut through her mind like a razor.
Bonnie was, to be frank, shocked. Lead the Irishman on? Her? What? "Nagi," she said, recoiling in offense, "I'm sixteen! I can't believe you imagined I was leading him on when I've made it clear I just want to help him AND I'm so much younger!"
Nagi glared at her suspiciously. "You were acting pretty friendly for just a friend..."
"WHAT?! That makes no sense! Let's be honest here - Farfarfello hates my religion, and I follow it strictly. Therefore, I would have no interest in him." The girl stomped her foot, and the more his accusation sunk in, the more irate she became, feeling both embarrassed and violated. "This may be little judgmental of me, but come on, I'm not completely naive! Everyone knows why Schuldig and Yohji club - women! And Brad's a gentlemen, but if he wasn't so busy with work, he'd pry be doing the same!"
Nagi's face heated up. What was this girl ranting about? Not like he could shoot back that she was wrong though...
"Well, in a house like that, I bet Farfarfello, behaves quite the same - and there are two reasons it would be very sick for him to be interested in me like that! One: I am jail bait. Too young. Two: I am a virgin and I will be till I get married and don't you ever accuse me of leading on someone like that because I am not that kind of girl!"
The college student had never seen the younger girl so outraged, and it left him speechless. She had poked him hard in the chest to punctuate her last five words, 'not that kind of girl', and it hurt a little... Why was she attacking him and his room mates? It was as if he had come out and called her some sort of slut or something. Geez, there was nothing to get so uptight about. Okay, maybe saying that she was leading on an older man could be a bit offensive, but it wasn't as if he had said Farfarello was even thinking about the sort of subject she was now on.
"And then there is you, Nagi Naoe!" she seethed, eyes narrowed. "I bet you're not even a virgin!" She made it sound like a horrible crime to be terribly ashamed of, so Nagi began to feel a bit offended himself.
"I'VE NEVER HAD SEX!" he screamed back, and for some reason, the room grew strangely silent afterwards... Nagi glanced this way and that, finding that everyone seemed to be staring wide-eyed at him. Including Brad and Aya. The former was scowling in disapprovement while the latter's lavender eyes were wide open in shock. Nervously, Nagi scratched the back of his head.
Bonnie, who had clamed down, looked at him apologetically. "Sorry, I sorta...lost my head," she said quietly, shrugging one shoulder. "I just...this girl said that to me once about a boy at school, and she was basically calling me sleazy, so I...I know you didn't mean it like that, Nagi. What is all this about Farfarello? I had no idea...about any of this."
Everyone slowly began talking again and he felt free to speak once more. "Farfarello was sort of developing this crush on you. His first, really, and he thought maybe you were starting to like him back, but when he saw you and Hiromi up there, he got upset and ran off. So, I knew you started off liking Hiromi, but everyone began to hope maybe you had changed your mind and could like him back... So, what is going on here?"
Only hearing this for the first time, Bonnie felt thoroughly confused. "I didn't think he was the type to do something like this," she murmured.
"He really isn't. That's why we were all so surprised."
"Oh." She looked down, staring at her new shiny, black boots, and then bit her lip. "Maybe he hasn't left yet!" she said. "Did he have the keys to the car you came in?"
"Yeah. Brad and me were going to go home with Aya and his sister and he was going to take you out for ice cream or something - sort of a celebration for both him and you."
"Aya-chan is here?"
"We met her here. But if you wanna catch Farfarello, you'd better hurry. He might've already left. In fact, I'm guessing he did."
"Tell my mom I went out with Farfarello for ice cream," she commanded hurriedly, turning to run away. "I WILL catch him!"
~~~~~
Brad's black car was sitting in the middle of the parking lot, and Bonnie's heart surged with hope. It had rained lightly and shortly during the contest, the light of the lamp posts reflecting off the slick pavement, so she nearly slipped jogging over to it, but made a safe journey to the passenger side nonetheless. Sliding her fingers underneath the door handle, she tore it open and plopped down in the seat, glancing over to her left.
Farfarfello was sitting slumped in the driver's seat, his head down on the steering wheel. With one golden eye, he stared at her, a dead expression on his face.
"Aren't you going to congratulate me?" she asked breathlessly, grinning at him. "We won! I can't believe it, but we actually won!"
He lifted his head up off the wheel, placing his elbow there instead and leaning his cheek against his fist. In the dark, his short, scruffy, white hair gleamed silver. "I didn't know ye LIKED him," he said dourly, almost pouting about it.
She frowned, shook her head a little. "The kiss on the cheek was like a victory thing - a friendship thing," she explained slowly, though she couldn't even convince herself. She had had a huge crush on Hiromi the whole year, but when Nagi had said Farfarello had feelings for her, something had sparked her interest...
He smiled at her, full lips curving delicately. That was something different about Farfarello she was noticing lately. While most of the other men that surrounded her had thin, fine mouths, his was thick and soft and kissable -
Woooooaaaaah...
Bonnie's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
Farfarello seemed not to notice, jerking his thumb towards the door. "Outta the car," he commanded. "Unless ye wanna go for victory ice cream."
She shook her head. "My mom would kill me if you drove, so I am kidnapping you - switch me seats!"
He laughed and shook his head at her, but complied nevertheless.
~~~~~
When the arrived at the small ice cream shop, Bonnie spotted a flash of red in the sea of black. It made her do a double-take and then laugh out loud. She just couldn't believe that out of all the luck she would run into that particular redhead.
"Well, hello, Bonbon," purred the nasal voice when emerald eyes ran over her. Schuldig winked seductively, and then laughed when she rolled her eyes in return. "What are you and Farfie up to?"
"Victory ice cream." She slid into the booth to sit across from the German, ironically ending up beside Omi. The two men had been sitting together and eating sundaes for reasons she could not possibly fathom, but the company was fun.
Farfarello took his seat beside Schuldig and picked up a menu, but the German was staring at him so strangely that he was provoked to turn and glare at him. "What, Schuldig?" he demanded tiredly.
"You took out your piercings."
"Huh?" said Bonnie.
"His earrings." Schuldig was referring to the four studs that usually lined each of Farfarell's ears, eight in all. "He took them out. Trying to soften your image for Bonbon, are we, Farfarello?"
The albino's jaw clenched in annoyance while Bonnie burst into a fit of giggles, in which Omi soon joined.
"Be nice to him, Schuldig," she chided when she had caught her breath. "The two of us had major accomplishments today. Farfarello is sane, and I am a singer. Now, what to order...?"
While Bonnie and Farfarello browsed through the menus, Schuldig and Omi related their story of how both had come to be there. Seems that Schuldig had lost his job and had recently taken up working at the flower shop full-time versus part-time. So, since there had been a conflict over whose day it was to work the night shift between all four remaining florists, they had drawn straws and Ken and Yohji had been the losers. Thus, Schuldig and Omi's celebrating.
"You've got chocolate syrup on your face," Bonnie informed Farfarello after their desserts had arrived. When the man blinked furiously at her in surprise, not even knowing where to begin in cleaning up, she broke into a fit of giggles and leaned across the tabletop, dabbing at his face with her napkin. He flinched, disliking it, and she let out an amused sigh. "Hold still!" And her thumb quickly swiped at his lower lip to clear away a splatter of the rich ice cream, though it wasn't so fast that she didn't feel how soft he felt.
Schuldig's eyebrows raised as he gleaned her thoughts, greedily pilfering her private musings. So, she was trying to imagine what it was like to kiss Farfarfello, was she? The thought was so absurd that he bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from bursting into laughter. However, he couldn't resist the comment, "Not so innocent, are we, Bonnie?"
Bonnie sat back down heavily, her eyes widening in horror. No one else knew what he was speaking of, but her reaction made it obvious that she did. He grinned at her, almost lecherous.
But how, she wondered, had he known? Was it THAT obvious?
"Ugh, that's the same look Yohji gets when he's teasing Bonnie," Omi said sympathetically. "Don't take it personally, Bonbon. You're just the first girl they've had as only a friend - not someone to date."
"Oh, and while we're thinking of Kudoh," Schuldig teased, speaking of the flirtatious brunette/blonde, "when is your birthday, Bonbon?"
"Next week, actually."
"Eighteenth?"
"Seventeenth."
"Oh," he pouted. "Now this presents a problem."
The spoon paused halfway between her mouth and her dish of moose tracks. "Problem?"
"How will I tell Yohji he's gonna have to wait a whole 'nother year?" he sighed with a sidelong glance at a fuming Farfarello. Then, laughing insanely while the two more innocent people at the table stared at him as if he had lost his mind, he elbowed the Irishman in the ribs and chuckled, "Just trying to get you going, Farfie. Even Balinese isn't gutsy enough to move in on your territory."
Choosing to ignore the fact that she'd been referred to as a possession, and also acknowledging the fact that Schuldig was merely poking fun at the two of them with no seriousness involved, she demanded, "What's with all these names you guys are always using? I mean, Balinese? Beserker? And what do you call Brad? Oracle?"
All three men froze, which was strange since Omi's mouth was wide open to accept some melting globs of vinilla soft serve and Farfarello was nearly at the German's throat.
"I think you need to make up a cool name for me," she continued, much to their visible relief. "What do you think, Omi?"
"I thought Bonbon was your nick name," he replied in that always chipper tone.
"I want something cooler."
Schuldig shrugged. "Sorry, kid. Looks like you're stuck with that one."
She was about to retort when the shrill ring of her cell phone cut her off. Driving her hand into her purse, she fumbled a bit for the source of the noise and then triumphantly pulled it back out, clicking the button and holding it to her ear. "Hello?"
There was deafening music blaring in the background. "Bonbon?" asked a hoarse voice.
She could scarcely believe her ears, wondering if the situation was as bad as it sounded from where she stood. It took a moment to find her own words and then she asked, nervously, "Megan? Where are you?"
Her friend from school, a vague acquaintance of Farfarello's who cut herself under his previous influence, took her time in answering. "At the big rave the kids were talking about earlier today," she guiltily replied, sniffling, sounding as if she had been crying.
Bonnie recalled hearing something about a big party as she doodled in her notebook, watching the clock in eagerness to see her last day of school over. The boys and girls had been excited and restless, the bolder ones remarking that they'd love to take part in the rave while the truthful youths had admitted they were a bit scared after hearing of the drugs and rapes and fights that happened there every year. "Megan!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe -"
"Shh, please, don't reprimand me!" Desperation rung in the girl's scared voice. "I just - I just got some bad news, ok? I need to get out of here - NOW! Please, Bonbon, you're my last hope... Come pick me up..."
Bonnie glanced up at the other occupants of the table, seeing that all were staring at her warily. Schuldig's gaze was particularly intense, jade eyes boring into her as if he could read her mind. He looked almost worried.
"Where are you?" Bonnie asked Megan.
"Under the snack table."
"I mean, WHERE is this party?"
"I don't know!"
She sighed. "Alright. Get outside where I can see you."
"I'm scared to leave my hiding place," was the sheepish answer.
"Alright! Alright! I'll come find you! Just hold tight!" Bonnie lowered the phone, clicking it off, and looked hurriedly to Schuldig. The man had all the information on the social going-ons and the big parties - if she uttered a prayer for assistance in finding this place, he was surely her answer. "Schuldig, do you know anything about a big rave?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to go, but Omi dragged me here."
"We need to get there - now."
Farfarello looked at her in surprise. "But, your parents -"
"Not now, Farfarello. Megan's in big trouble."
With a nod of understanding, he paid the bill and they all left.