Men Don't Change
Kohari: I finally got an idea!
Kai: Ohmigosh! It's a miracle!
Kohari: Oh, shut up. I meant for this fic. Just for that, do the disclaimer.
Kai: -sigh- Kohari does not own Beyblade or anything else that is mentioned in this chapter.
Chapter 12
It had been a few days since the suicide incident. Hilary had spent that time with Kai, desperately trying to forget the whole ordeal. Who wouldn't want to? Kai didn't know about the incident, though.
They were currently in his room. He was lying against his pillow, listening to a rap CD, and Hilary could hear some of it even with the radio blaring beside her at the foot of the bed. She was lying on her stomach, reading a Seventeen magazine. She switched the radio station to 94.1 (a country station in N.C.).
"You listen to that?" Kai asked, amazed that people still listened to that country crap (No offense meant. Just something I put in there to describe how Kai saw it. I like country. It's cool!).
"Well, yeah." Hilary turned to him. What was wrong with it? So she didn't listen to pop/rock/etc. all the time. Country was one of her favorites. He shrugged and went back to listening to his CD, closing his eyes and mouthing the lyrics.
Hilary went back to her magazine. Then, a song came on that made her head snap up and listen closely. Kai had jacked up the volume on his CD player to drown out her music, but she could still hear it, and it caught her attention. She had heard this song before, but never had it had this reaction on her or affected her so badly.
"Kai!" She practically had to shout for him to hear her. He slipped off the headphones and she turned off the radio as the song went off.
"What?" He didn't seem all that interested in what she had to say, but he never did anyway, right?
"I need to use your computer," she said urgently.
"It's upstairs. Why?" Now he was curious. She was already getting up, and he followed suit.
"I need to download something," she explained, and he led her to the attic, where his personal laptop was. "Got a blank CD I can borrow?"
He snagged one off one of the shelves, and handed it to her as she reached over her shoulder. She surfed the net, and found what she was looking for. Inserting the disc (or disk, whatever), she clicked the appropriate buttons, and the download commenced.
Later...(Tyson's house)
Tyson sighed. Why could he not get comfortable anymore? Nothing felt comfortable anymore. At all. He wasn't even comfortable with himself.
He heard the door open and shut downstairs, but he ignored it. He was half handing off the end of the bed, upside down. His hat fell to the floor, but he didn't feel like picking it up. He closed his eyes. He still missed Hilary, and wished she loved him.
His bedroom door opened slowly, the hinges creaking slightly. "Go away, Grandpa. I don't want to practice today," he said, bored and whiney, as usual.
"I don't think practice is necessary right now." That voice didn't sound like Grandpa. In fact, it sounded like...
He opened his eyes and turned toward the door. "Hilary?" He sat up. She had missed practice for the last few days. He thought she had lied at the bridge and didn't want to see him again.
"Duh," came the answer as she closed the door.
"I thought you hated me and never wanted to see me again."
"Nah. I just needed some time to think," she explained. "You really disappointed me at the bridge ya know."
"I can change!" Tyson blurted out. "I know that's why you broke up with me! I can make things better, I swear! I can be just like Kai if that's what you" –
She put her hand over his mouth, stopping him saying anything further. "I thought that was what I wanted, too. But you don't have to change. Not for me, not for anyone," she whispered. He nodded, not knowing why, and she continued. "I realized that it wasn't my place to do that. It wasn't right. It took a song to teach me that," she was sort of laughing while saying the last part, "and I'm gonna play it for you."
She walked over to the boom box on his dresser and inserted the CD she had burned just an hour ago. She pressed the "play" button. It began, but she fast-forwarded it to the chorus.
"Cupid works for the devil. Be suspicious if he cries. Ya know, sexy shoes are good, But it ain't always right. Chocolate is a band-aid, No matter what they say. Shoes don't stretch. And men...don't...change."
She stopped it at that (A/N: -sarcastically- Three guesses what the song's called.). "That's the way it should be," Hilary commented, returning to sit on the bed beside Tyson.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, her eyes reflecting that.
"What for? I'm the one with flaws."
"Because those flaws are what make you you. I should never have tried to erase them," she told him.
"But they need to be erased," Tyson protested. She shook her head.
"No. You take away those few bad idiosyncrasies, as Kai once put it, and you take away you. They're all a part of you. Every single piece. And now," she looked directly into his eyes, smiling. It was one that was contagious. "I wouldn't change them for the world."
"Well, I suppose you failed to keep me me, then," Tyson joked.
"Why's that?" She knew he was messing around, but she still wanted to hear this.
"Because I learned one thing that I need to do. I need to respect people. Especially one certain girl who happens to be in this room that's always been there for me and I'll do anything in my power to be there for."
Her smile widened. Flattery got you everywhere.
"Hey, Hilary. Why'd this song inspire you?" Tyson asked out of curiosity.
She thought for a moment. "Cupid really is evil. He's shot his golden arrows at my heart twice. And I still haven't figured out which tip to follow. Boys don't like to prove they're weak, which crying does, and you've shown me that weakness. The male sex does that only for the one they love. Chocolate...there's nothing it can't cure. And shoes don't stretch. Not far enough to count. Men...don't need to change. The song speaks the truth. And I'm glad it's right."
They took that moment to share a hug. When they pulled apart, Hilary looked off into space a minute, as though pondering on something. Then, she got up and walked to the door.
"Where ya goin'?" Tyson inquired. He had hoped she'd keep him company a little longer.
"I need to do some thinking on my own. I'll skip a few more practices, if that's okay."
"No probs!"
"See ya later, Tyson." She left.
"Maybe a little sooner than we think."
Kohari: Review please! This is the last chapter, besides the epilogue. I'll apologize in advance to KaiHil fans (I'm one, too, so...). But everything points to...the end. I dunno how it'll end myself, but the way I see that I wrote all this...it may end up TyHil. Didn't mean to spoil the surprise.
Kohari: I finally got an idea!
Kai: Ohmigosh! It's a miracle!
Kohari: Oh, shut up. I meant for this fic. Just for that, do the disclaimer.
Kai: -sigh- Kohari does not own Beyblade or anything else that is mentioned in this chapter.
Chapter 12
It had been a few days since the suicide incident. Hilary had spent that time with Kai, desperately trying to forget the whole ordeal. Who wouldn't want to? Kai didn't know about the incident, though.
They were currently in his room. He was lying against his pillow, listening to a rap CD, and Hilary could hear some of it even with the radio blaring beside her at the foot of the bed. She was lying on her stomach, reading a Seventeen magazine. She switched the radio station to 94.1 (a country station in N.C.).
"You listen to that?" Kai asked, amazed that people still listened to that country crap (No offense meant. Just something I put in there to describe how Kai saw it. I like country. It's cool!).
"Well, yeah." Hilary turned to him. What was wrong with it? So she didn't listen to pop/rock/etc. all the time. Country was one of her favorites. He shrugged and went back to listening to his CD, closing his eyes and mouthing the lyrics.
Hilary went back to her magazine. Then, a song came on that made her head snap up and listen closely. Kai had jacked up the volume on his CD player to drown out her music, but she could still hear it, and it caught her attention. She had heard this song before, but never had it had this reaction on her or affected her so badly.
"Kai!" She practically had to shout for him to hear her. He slipped off the headphones and she turned off the radio as the song went off.
"What?" He didn't seem all that interested in what she had to say, but he never did anyway, right?
"I need to use your computer," she said urgently.
"It's upstairs. Why?" Now he was curious. She was already getting up, and he followed suit.
"I need to download something," she explained, and he led her to the attic, where his personal laptop was. "Got a blank CD I can borrow?"
He snagged one off one of the shelves, and handed it to her as she reached over her shoulder. She surfed the net, and found what she was looking for. Inserting the disc (or disk, whatever), she clicked the appropriate buttons, and the download commenced.
Later...(Tyson's house)
Tyson sighed. Why could he not get comfortable anymore? Nothing felt comfortable anymore. At all. He wasn't even comfortable with himself.
He heard the door open and shut downstairs, but he ignored it. He was half handing off the end of the bed, upside down. His hat fell to the floor, but he didn't feel like picking it up. He closed his eyes. He still missed Hilary, and wished she loved him.
His bedroom door opened slowly, the hinges creaking slightly. "Go away, Grandpa. I don't want to practice today," he said, bored and whiney, as usual.
"I don't think practice is necessary right now." That voice didn't sound like Grandpa. In fact, it sounded like...
He opened his eyes and turned toward the door. "Hilary?" He sat up. She had missed practice for the last few days. He thought she had lied at the bridge and didn't want to see him again.
"Duh," came the answer as she closed the door.
"I thought you hated me and never wanted to see me again."
"Nah. I just needed some time to think," she explained. "You really disappointed me at the bridge ya know."
"I can change!" Tyson blurted out. "I know that's why you broke up with me! I can make things better, I swear! I can be just like Kai if that's what you" –
She put her hand over his mouth, stopping him saying anything further. "I thought that was what I wanted, too. But you don't have to change. Not for me, not for anyone," she whispered. He nodded, not knowing why, and she continued. "I realized that it wasn't my place to do that. It wasn't right. It took a song to teach me that," she was sort of laughing while saying the last part, "and I'm gonna play it for you."
She walked over to the boom box on his dresser and inserted the CD she had burned just an hour ago. She pressed the "play" button. It began, but she fast-forwarded it to the chorus.
"Cupid works for the devil. Be suspicious if he cries. Ya know, sexy shoes are good, But it ain't always right. Chocolate is a band-aid, No matter what they say. Shoes don't stretch. And men...don't...change."
She stopped it at that (A/N: -sarcastically- Three guesses what the song's called.). "That's the way it should be," Hilary commented, returning to sit on the bed beside Tyson.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, her eyes reflecting that.
"What for? I'm the one with flaws."
"Because those flaws are what make you you. I should never have tried to erase them," she told him.
"But they need to be erased," Tyson protested. She shook her head.
"No. You take away those few bad idiosyncrasies, as Kai once put it, and you take away you. They're all a part of you. Every single piece. And now," she looked directly into his eyes, smiling. It was one that was contagious. "I wouldn't change them for the world."
"Well, I suppose you failed to keep me me, then," Tyson joked.
"Why's that?" She knew he was messing around, but she still wanted to hear this.
"Because I learned one thing that I need to do. I need to respect people. Especially one certain girl who happens to be in this room that's always been there for me and I'll do anything in my power to be there for."
Her smile widened. Flattery got you everywhere.
"Hey, Hilary. Why'd this song inspire you?" Tyson asked out of curiosity.
She thought for a moment. "Cupid really is evil. He's shot his golden arrows at my heart twice. And I still haven't figured out which tip to follow. Boys don't like to prove they're weak, which crying does, and you've shown me that weakness. The male sex does that only for the one they love. Chocolate...there's nothing it can't cure. And shoes don't stretch. Not far enough to count. Men...don't need to change. The song speaks the truth. And I'm glad it's right."
They took that moment to share a hug. When they pulled apart, Hilary looked off into space a minute, as though pondering on something. Then, she got up and walked to the door.
"Where ya goin'?" Tyson inquired. He had hoped she'd keep him company a little longer.
"I need to do some thinking on my own. I'll skip a few more practices, if that's okay."
"No probs!"
"See ya later, Tyson." She left.
"Maybe a little sooner than we think."
Kohari: Review please! This is the last chapter, besides the epilogue. I'll apologize in advance to KaiHil fans (I'm one, too, so...). But everything points to...the end. I dunno how it'll end myself, but the way I see that I wrote all this...it may end up TyHil. Didn't mean to spoil the surprise.