Domon walked down the empty street. Everything was quiet, almost too
quiet. He couldn't help but wonder if something was really wrong.
Everything was so quiet and peaceful. Then suddenly he heard a high-pitched
scream. He ran into the alley and looked at what was going on. A girl with
auburn hair and a cheerleading uniform from his high school was being
attacked by several thugs. But it wasn't just any girl. It was Rain. Two
guys were holding her arms as she tried to fight and get away. Then another
one, who appeared to be the leader, had his back to Domon so he couldn't
see what he was doing.
Rain struggled and fought against the strong grip of the two thugs that were holding her down. Her lip was bleeding and she had a large bruise on her stomach. Tears poured down her cheeks and she was almost ready to give up. A tall figure approached the thugs that were beating her up. There was something familiar about the person approaching. Why if she didn't know better she'd say it was. No. That wasn't possible. He wouldn't. They had agreed. She felt everything start growing dark and her muscles started giving in. Somehow she managed to sink to the ground and she didn't know anything more for a long time.
Domon pulled the thugs off Rain and knocked them unconscious. He walked over to her and started checking her arms and legs for broken bones. There didn't seem to be any. He gently picked her up and carried her out of the alley. A dark green sports car pulled over to the side of the road where Domon was and the passenger door swung open. "Rain!" Shirley cried seeing her friend. "What did you do to her?" Fire burned in Shirley's eyes with evil furry directed towards Domon.
"I saved her life," Domon told her angrily. "These thugs were attacking her. If I hadn't come along she probably would have died."
"I don't believe you," Shirley said fiercely.
The driver's door swung open as well. Chibodee burst out and ran over to where Domon and Shirley were arguing. "Oh my gosh!" he cried running over and taking Rain from Domon. "Come on Shirley let's get her to the hospital." Chibodee carefully carried Rain to the car and Shirley opened the door and pushed the front seat up so they could lay her on the back seat.
"I'm coming too," Domon told them.
"No," Shirley stated firmly. "You've done enough."
Several hours later Rain woke up in the white hospital room and looked around. Chibodee and Shirley were looking over at her anxiously. She squinted from the bright light then looked towards the corners of the room. He wasn't there. She knew that he was the one who had saved her life but he wasn't there. "Where is he?" she asked them. "What happened to him?"
"Who Rain?" Chibodee asked smoothing her hair with his hand.
"Domon," Rain told them. "I know he's the one who saved me. What happened to him?"
"He saved you?" Shirley asked shocked. "That punk actually saved you? I can't believe it."
"There's more to Domon that what meets the eye," Rain told them. "Now can I get some sleep? I'm really tired and I have a pounding headache."
"Of course baby," Chibodee crooned softly. "Get some rest. Shirley and I already called your dad. He's gonna stay with you when he gets off work." Rain nodded her head and let darkness consume her once more.
Domon continued his walk home and unlocked his door. All the windows of his house were dark. He walked inside and pressed the button on the answering machine. There was only one new message for his brother Kyogi from his girlfriend. Domon dropped his book bag by the couch then went into the kitchen he got a snack and then fell asleep on the couch before he had even finished eating. He awoke several hours later at about eight o'clock when the phone rang. "Hello?" he said yawning. "Domon here."
"Domon it's Rain," a soft voice just barely whispered. "I wanted to say thank you and that I'm sorry about how Chibodee and Shirley acted."
When he heard Rain's soft voice Domon was instantly awake. "Rain! How are you?" Domon questioned. "Are you going to be okay? What did the doctors say?"
"Well," Rain said after a slight pause. "I cracked a rib so I won't be doing any cheerleading for about a month. Other than that I'm fine. I'm just a little soar and bruised. The doctors said I could go home tomorrow."
"I'm glad that you'll be alright," Domon said sincerely. "Oh, and Rain."
"I know," Rain told him. "None of this ever happened. The rules still apply even if you did save my life."
"Right," Domon agreed. "No more."
"Bye," Rain whispered and if Domon didn't know any better he'd swear that there were traces of tears in her voice. But he and Rain had agreed. Things had change just like they had. They couldn't be friends anymore. It was that simple. They were too different. It just wouldn't work. Friendship for them was a thing of the past.
A few days later Rain returned to school. People pretended not to notice that she winced every time she sat down or that she sat out every day during gym even when they were playing volleyball. She and Domon went back to pretending to ignore each other. But Domon often caught himself watching Rain during class just to make sure that she was okay.
Later that day Rain was slowly walking down the hallway trying to make it to the clinic. Her cracked rib was really bothering her and she was hoping that she could go home or at least get one of the painkillers the doctor had prescribed for her when some of Domon's friends walked out of the boy's bathroom. Rain squared her shoulders slightly and continued walking with her head held high. His friends crossed the hallway so that they would eventually collide but Rain focused her eyes on the clinic door at the end of the hallway.
"Injured cheerleader walking," one teased.
"Little girl can't defend herself," another taunted. Slowly the boys surrounded her but she kept her eyes focused on the clinic door.
"Are you sure about that?" Rain asked not really looking at any of the boys.
"Is that a threat little girl?" the first one asked. "Little girls shouldn't make threats. It's not lady like. Maybe we should teach her a lesson boys." Rain felt the boys fist connect solidly with her rib cage right where her cracked rib was. She sank to her knees biting her lip trying to hold back tears.
"Hey!" Domon called out as he walked out of the principal's office. "What do you boys think you're doing?"
"Awe we were just having a little fun Domon," one of the boys said. "It's nothing really."
"It doesn't look like nothing to me," Domon observed. "Did you hurt her?"
"Domon she was already hurt," the second boy said. "We were just making it a little worse for her that's all. Plus you're the one who's always thrash-talking the jocks and cheerleaders. We figured you wouldn't mind."
"You know my rule," Domon stated firmly. "We never hurt the innocent. We only hurt people when we're challenged to a fight. You broke the rule. Now you're gone."
"But Domon!"
"You dare to cross me?" With that the boys who had attacked Rain ran off. Domon knelt down beside her. "Are you okay?" he asked gently. Rain was amazed that he could be so gentle with her and so rough on those boys not even a minute before.
"I'll be fine," she said trying to stand up but plopped back down when she felt a sharp pain in her ribcage. She winced a little and then tried her best to give Domon a small smile.
"I didn't ask if you'd be fine with time," Domon told her. "I asked if you're okay now."
"You want the truth?"
"I asked for it didn't I?"
"The truth, well here goes," Rain sighed a little. "My rib cage hurts like, well I can't say that. I can't sit down or stand up or walk o do just about anything. That really drives me nuts. The people here pretend like everything's fine and nothing ever happened. It's like they're all telling themselves this huge lie. But at home it's even worse. My dad is always home and always watching me asking if I need something. What I need is for everything to go back to normal."
"Well abnormal is always fun," Domon said with a sly grin on his face. "It's four o'clock. I figure that I've gotten my education for the day. Let's go."
"Go where?" Rain asked hesitantly.
"Anywhere," Domon told her. "Let's cut."
"Cut!" Rain said amazed. "I can't do that!"
"Awe come on Rain," Domon said teasingly. "Take a chance."
Rain struggled and fought against the strong grip of the two thugs that were holding her down. Her lip was bleeding and she had a large bruise on her stomach. Tears poured down her cheeks and she was almost ready to give up. A tall figure approached the thugs that were beating her up. There was something familiar about the person approaching. Why if she didn't know better she'd say it was. No. That wasn't possible. He wouldn't. They had agreed. She felt everything start growing dark and her muscles started giving in. Somehow she managed to sink to the ground and she didn't know anything more for a long time.
Domon pulled the thugs off Rain and knocked them unconscious. He walked over to her and started checking her arms and legs for broken bones. There didn't seem to be any. He gently picked her up and carried her out of the alley. A dark green sports car pulled over to the side of the road where Domon was and the passenger door swung open. "Rain!" Shirley cried seeing her friend. "What did you do to her?" Fire burned in Shirley's eyes with evil furry directed towards Domon.
"I saved her life," Domon told her angrily. "These thugs were attacking her. If I hadn't come along she probably would have died."
"I don't believe you," Shirley said fiercely.
The driver's door swung open as well. Chibodee burst out and ran over to where Domon and Shirley were arguing. "Oh my gosh!" he cried running over and taking Rain from Domon. "Come on Shirley let's get her to the hospital." Chibodee carefully carried Rain to the car and Shirley opened the door and pushed the front seat up so they could lay her on the back seat.
"I'm coming too," Domon told them.
"No," Shirley stated firmly. "You've done enough."
Several hours later Rain woke up in the white hospital room and looked around. Chibodee and Shirley were looking over at her anxiously. She squinted from the bright light then looked towards the corners of the room. He wasn't there. She knew that he was the one who had saved her life but he wasn't there. "Where is he?" she asked them. "What happened to him?"
"Who Rain?" Chibodee asked smoothing her hair with his hand.
"Domon," Rain told them. "I know he's the one who saved me. What happened to him?"
"He saved you?" Shirley asked shocked. "That punk actually saved you? I can't believe it."
"There's more to Domon that what meets the eye," Rain told them. "Now can I get some sleep? I'm really tired and I have a pounding headache."
"Of course baby," Chibodee crooned softly. "Get some rest. Shirley and I already called your dad. He's gonna stay with you when he gets off work." Rain nodded her head and let darkness consume her once more.
Domon continued his walk home and unlocked his door. All the windows of his house were dark. He walked inside and pressed the button on the answering machine. There was only one new message for his brother Kyogi from his girlfriend. Domon dropped his book bag by the couch then went into the kitchen he got a snack and then fell asleep on the couch before he had even finished eating. He awoke several hours later at about eight o'clock when the phone rang. "Hello?" he said yawning. "Domon here."
"Domon it's Rain," a soft voice just barely whispered. "I wanted to say thank you and that I'm sorry about how Chibodee and Shirley acted."
When he heard Rain's soft voice Domon was instantly awake. "Rain! How are you?" Domon questioned. "Are you going to be okay? What did the doctors say?"
"Well," Rain said after a slight pause. "I cracked a rib so I won't be doing any cheerleading for about a month. Other than that I'm fine. I'm just a little soar and bruised. The doctors said I could go home tomorrow."
"I'm glad that you'll be alright," Domon said sincerely. "Oh, and Rain."
"I know," Rain told him. "None of this ever happened. The rules still apply even if you did save my life."
"Right," Domon agreed. "No more."
"Bye," Rain whispered and if Domon didn't know any better he'd swear that there were traces of tears in her voice. But he and Rain had agreed. Things had change just like they had. They couldn't be friends anymore. It was that simple. They were too different. It just wouldn't work. Friendship for them was a thing of the past.
A few days later Rain returned to school. People pretended not to notice that she winced every time she sat down or that she sat out every day during gym even when they were playing volleyball. She and Domon went back to pretending to ignore each other. But Domon often caught himself watching Rain during class just to make sure that she was okay.
Later that day Rain was slowly walking down the hallway trying to make it to the clinic. Her cracked rib was really bothering her and she was hoping that she could go home or at least get one of the painkillers the doctor had prescribed for her when some of Domon's friends walked out of the boy's bathroom. Rain squared her shoulders slightly and continued walking with her head held high. His friends crossed the hallway so that they would eventually collide but Rain focused her eyes on the clinic door at the end of the hallway.
"Injured cheerleader walking," one teased.
"Little girl can't defend herself," another taunted. Slowly the boys surrounded her but she kept her eyes focused on the clinic door.
"Are you sure about that?" Rain asked not really looking at any of the boys.
"Is that a threat little girl?" the first one asked. "Little girls shouldn't make threats. It's not lady like. Maybe we should teach her a lesson boys." Rain felt the boys fist connect solidly with her rib cage right where her cracked rib was. She sank to her knees biting her lip trying to hold back tears.
"Hey!" Domon called out as he walked out of the principal's office. "What do you boys think you're doing?"
"Awe we were just having a little fun Domon," one of the boys said. "It's nothing really."
"It doesn't look like nothing to me," Domon observed. "Did you hurt her?"
"Domon she was already hurt," the second boy said. "We were just making it a little worse for her that's all. Plus you're the one who's always thrash-talking the jocks and cheerleaders. We figured you wouldn't mind."
"You know my rule," Domon stated firmly. "We never hurt the innocent. We only hurt people when we're challenged to a fight. You broke the rule. Now you're gone."
"But Domon!"
"You dare to cross me?" With that the boys who had attacked Rain ran off. Domon knelt down beside her. "Are you okay?" he asked gently. Rain was amazed that he could be so gentle with her and so rough on those boys not even a minute before.
"I'll be fine," she said trying to stand up but plopped back down when she felt a sharp pain in her ribcage. She winced a little and then tried her best to give Domon a small smile.
"I didn't ask if you'd be fine with time," Domon told her. "I asked if you're okay now."
"You want the truth?"
"I asked for it didn't I?"
"The truth, well here goes," Rain sighed a little. "My rib cage hurts like, well I can't say that. I can't sit down or stand up or walk o do just about anything. That really drives me nuts. The people here pretend like everything's fine and nothing ever happened. It's like they're all telling themselves this huge lie. But at home it's even worse. My dad is always home and always watching me asking if I need something. What I need is for everything to go back to normal."
"Well abnormal is always fun," Domon said with a sly grin on his face. "It's four o'clock. I figure that I've gotten my education for the day. Let's go."
"Go where?" Rain asked hesitantly.
"Anywhere," Domon told her. "Let's cut."
"Cut!" Rain said amazed. "I can't do that!"
"Awe come on Rain," Domon said teasingly. "Take a chance."