13 Shades of Grey
Chapter 01: Icing on the Cake
Disclaimer: Look back at the prologue, which will be about the place it is.
Thanks to: ButterCup, and Danslespommes for reviewing. Er. It's Brooklyn/Arista, and Kai/Amber. The rest of the pairings are Hitoshi/Shahero, Ozuma/Sonia, Johnny/Miyami, and Kane/Aspin.
"You want to what?"
"Quit the team for two months..."
"But why?"
"Because. I'm - I'm failing math. Yeah, and Professor thinks I should take a two-month break..."
Arista stood face to face with Mr. Dickinson, explaining to him why she wanted to quit. She wasn't smiling, and there wasn't any hint of mischief on her face. So he assumed she was telling the truth, still he wanted to know why.
"I don't see why you need a break, can't someone tutor you? That would be more reasonable."
There was just no getting through to this man; he just seemed to find out a reason to stop her quitting. And if she told him the truth, then she wouldn't be allowed to leave. Life was so un-fair.
"First of all, I want you to call me Master."
"No."
"You have to, we made a bet. It's the unwritten rule that when you make a bet, you live up to it."
"Yes, Master Dicklyn." She added in and undertone, that gave her some satisfaction, but she would get him back. No way she let him get away with this.
"Pass me a coffee."
"But your hormones are already on overdrive." She snickered.
Rolling his eyes, he reached past her, to the counter of the small restaurant, and picked up a coffee.
"When I tell you to do something, you do it. Understood?"
"Understood, Master Dicklyn." She saluted him, but just couldn't stop a smirk from forming on her lips.
"Stop calling me that. Jesus Christ, Belyaev, what's gotten into you?"
She snorted, as if he didn't already know. It would have been the same the other way around, if he had had to quit the team. He'd be pissed as hell too.
That was what had brought them together, she mused. She had met her friends because they were all on the team, and because they related so well with one another. She didn't want the bonds she'd made to be broken, and no way in hell she'd let Dicklyn even try.
Ignoring him, she closed her eyes, easing her mind a little. She could feel a headache coming on, and the music in the restaurant didn't help much. It was rap, or some kind of up-beat crap. She opened them, and turned to face him.
"Do you have any drugs on you?"
"What the hell kind of question is that? I don't do drugs."
His face was amusing to watch, as he sat there, sipping his coffee. It was like watching a soap opera; all the mood swings he went through were probably as many moods swings the characters went through daily. She laughed inwardly.
He turned to her; she was stifling a few laughs and glancing at him. Weirded out, he continued to sip his coffee, trying to block her from view. But that was useless, curiosity getting the better of him.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Your face."
"I'm serious."
"You wouldn't understand 'Lyn. You have to have a sense of humour." She giggled loudly, and ended up stuffing her fist in her mouth to quiet down.
"What did you have for breakfast? Are you on crack or something?"
She narrowed her eyes at him, he returned the gesture. "No, I'm not, 'Lyn. I was asking about Tylenol or Advil kind of drugs. I'm not stupid."
"Could've fooled me."
Why he was being so lenient with Arista, Brooklyn didn't know. She was just so, well actually he didn't know, but she was different to say the least. He didn't give her enough credit, and she was obviously high, and possibly pissed off?
They were walking on the sidewalk, towards his silver Mercedes.
"I want popcorn, get me some 'Lyn."
He gave a cry of frustration; there was no getting through to this girl. She was acting like an immature selfish prat. Maybe he should just give her yes or no answers.
"It's the middle of the day, what do you want popcorn for? And it's the other way around; you do what I say, capiché?"
"Mmmn, cappuccino."
"What?"
"I change my mind; I want a cappuccino, and an Oreo Ice cream sandwich."
Ignoring her would have been easy, but she wouldn't stop talking, even if he wasn't.
Only a few steps left to his car. Good thing, because Arista's legs felt wobbly, and she knew they'd give in some time real soon.
"Maybe I had a little too much to drink... Screw that. I'm still thirsty."
She turned to Brooklyn, to poke him, bother him to get her a beer or something. He stopped walking, fishing around in his pocket for his keys, and she bumped right into him. She could hear cursing coming from him.
Brooklyn turned around, coffee was spilled on his jeans, looking as if he wet himself. The only reason he had had his coffee on the go was because people were starting to stare at him and her. It was embarrassing, so he'd paid and left, dragging her with him.
"What the hell is your problem? Look, I won fair and square, so quit being a prat. Act your own age for a change."
Arista's face darkened, she crossed her arms over her chest. On the other hand Brooklyn was wiping away with his sleeve, trying to soak up the coffee that had spilled.
"You need the diaper, Master Dicklyn Sir."
She grinned but it quickly changed to fear, as Brooklyn's rage got the better of him. He looked like a maniac; he could have hit her, right there on the spot. But he didn't.
Cautiously, she took a step back. "Get in the car." He snarled, his voice was low, dangerous, he continued to glare at her.
"He took the keys out of his pockets, and opened the locks. Opening the drivers' door, he got inside and revved the engine.
She walked around to the passengers' side, and quickly got inside. She strapped on the seatbelt, and turned to him.
"Maybe you shouldn't be driving. You look sort of... angry."
He turned to her and practically shouted. "It's my car; I'll do whatever the fuck I want with it."
"Does that include screwing it?"
She couldn't help it; it was easy just that easy to piss him off. "All right, look, I'm sorry okay? I'm just concerned about my health. I'd like to live another hour at the most. And you do look angry, well actually you probably are, but that's beside the point, the point being--"
He cut her off. "I'm not the one all high on a hangover. I thought people were supposed to get sick, not high."
As if on cue, Arista's stomach twisted, and knotted. In an instance she had thrown up all over the front passengers seat.
"Happy now?" She asked, drunkenly then wiped her mouth and groaned.
"This is just my day."
She swiped the back of her hand against her mouth again, and grinned
"Then would it matter if I told you that we just ran out of gas?"
"Icing on the fucking cake." He snarled.
Brooklyn sighed. He had used all his money and borrowed some from Arista to get gas for the car. They had to walk four blocks to get it and they had ended forgetting their money the first time. Brooklyn had to run back and get his wallet. When he got there he paid, but ran short ten dollars and thirty cents. Arista had supposedly found her wallet in her jeans pocket and helped him pay. In return she had something over him, and the number of the cashier. It had taken and hour and a half. And he still didn't get anything to eat, or what he wanted for that matter. What he'd originally wanted to get were cigarettes but he didn't have any money left, and he didn't want to turn back.
[I could be mean/I could be angry/You know I could be just like you]
Arista sang along with the radio. She had turned it up to full volume. Her head bobbed along with the loud music.
[I could be fake/I could be stupid/You know I could be just like you]
Brooklyn figured he should cut her a break. She had to quit the team for two months and he knew what it felt like to just watch and not do anything. It ripped him up every time he had to watch some one else from his team score. Maybe that was why he wasn't trying to bother her. He was just letting her have her way. For today. If she thought this was what it would be like, then she was dead wrong.
[You thought you were standing beside me/You were only in my way/You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you]
Arista's voice was straining while she sang. She sat in the back seat now. The front seat was covered with unknown substances. Brooklyn said she would have to clean it later, she just figured if when they got back to school, that she would just avoid him for the rest of the weekend. Like she usually did. He was good looking, but like hell was she going to tell him that. She wasn't sure if she liked him or not, but he was constant source of outlet. When everything just got too much for her, he would always find her and annoy her. That pissed her off more, and she vented everything at him.
[You thought you were there to guide me/You were only in my way/You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you/You thought you were there to guide me/You were only in my way/You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you]
His stomach rumbled, but he barely heard it over the music. It was only until he felt his stomach muscles tighten, and his tongue dry up. He turned the music lower and stared at Arista through the drivers mirror.
[I could be cold/I could be ruthless/You know I could be just like you]
He didn't want to admit that he was hungry, and he didn't want to tell her. He sighed and was about to talk when she opened her mouth before him.
"I'm hungry." She complained. "Can we stop and eat? Please?"
[I could be weak/I could be senseless/You know I could be just like you]
"Sure." He answered quickly. Then turned into the left lane and put his car light on to signal he would turn left.
The music had been turned off so that an uneasy silence settled between them as he drove the car into the parking lot of Costco. She raised her eyebrows at him after they got out.
"I'm not paying for you."
"Don't need you to. They have free samples." He smirked at her.
"Yeah well, you should know. You probably live off them." She grinned and ran ahead of him into the store.
He scowled and wondered if he would ever have a straight conversation with her without getting insulted.
Shahero lazily walked down the hall to her dorm room. She had had another argument with Tyson's older brother, Hitoshi. That guy always seemed to find his way under her skin and she hated that. Now she had another detention slip to add to ever growing pile of pink slips. Just her luck. She was supposed to be with Mr. Bailey five minutes ago, she confirmed after a quick glance at her watch.
She started running the opposite way from her dormitory. She climbed two flights of stairs and kept running until she got to room 205. Miyami was in there, as were Amber, Ian, and another kid she didn't recognize.
"Hey Hero."
"Miss Kaeto, will you explain why your so late?" The dark man named Charles Bailey asked her. His eyes were narrowed and he didn't appear too happy. A red button down shirt clung to him; white pants were loose on his legs. Black eyes were staring at her, and his mouth was set into a thin line.
"I was in the washroom." She said it almost automatically, the lie slid off her tongue smoothly. She watched him nod slowly then motion for her to take a seat.
He scanned the students in the classroom then lowered his gaze to the novel he was reading.
"What are you in for?" Amber asked when Shahero sat down at a desk right beside her.
"Hitoshi." She said frustratedly. "You?"
Amber nodded then twisted her mouth. "Him." She drew back her thumb and pointed her finger at Ian Petrovich. He sat two seats back and one across from them.
Miyami poked Amber, and when the ochre teen looked back, Miyami held up her sketchbook. Amber snorted, then giggled. Shahero turned around to look at the drawing.
It was Ian. And he was wearing a dress with frills and lace. Ribbons decorated him. He had a narrow waist, and curvy hips, his legs were femininely long and slender. His eyelashes were twice the normal length, and his lips were in a pout. His eyes were hooded lazily, while he was standing in a girlish pose. His hair was long and went to the small of his back, but the fringe was still there. His nose was as large as ever.
Shahero's jaw dropped at how life like the picture was. She knew Miyami was an artist but she had only seen sketches. She started laughing, and put her hands over her mouth to quiet herself, which was no use seeing as she couldn't stop laughing.
Bailey looked at them curiously after hearing laughter. His eyes narrowed. "Keep it down."
Amber and Shahero lowered their voices, only snickers could be heard.
"We have to photocopy that and post it everywhere!" Shahero exclaimed.
"Yeah. Serves him right, he put gum in my hair and glued my pencils together. Then he put rotten food in my locker." Amber said, her eyes held Ian's and she smirked.
Ian watched her, he couldn't hear what she was saying but he didn't like the cynical glint she had in her amber eyes. He narrowed his own eyes and watched the three girls snicker and look at a book Miyami was holding.
"What are you laughing at?" He hissed viciously but quietly so that Bailey wouldn't hear him.
"Why, we're laughing at your face Ian." Amber's voice was laced with sarcasm and insult.
"Let me see that." He reached with his hand then held it out but only got pencil shavings that Miyami threw into his outstretched hand.
"What the hell?" He yelled when he saw what had been placed instead of the grey book. He figured it was a sketchbook the way Miyami kept scribbling things in it then showing it to Amber and Shahero. It was obvious it was something to do with him since they kept looking at him then at whatever Miyami had drawn. He shoved the shavings on the floor. Whatever the hell they were up to, he'd figure a way around it. He was good at pranks, and almost always got away with it. But sometimes he wouldn't think clearly and would screw it up and get a detention.
He lunged at the book that Miyami was holding, but she was quicker and dodged sending Ian spiralling towards the floor. Amber sneered and laughed at him, Shahero was already doubled over with laughter. Tears were forming in her eyes as she struggled to keep them from falling.
"What's the problem?" Bailey questioned.
"Uh, nothing. But Ian needs to get his hormones in check." Miyami drawled and smirked. She snickered at the Russian on the floor.
His face was beat red and unlike the picture she had drawn he was angry and anything but feminine. Ian fisted his hands and got up. He stalked back to his seat and cursed. After sitting down he rubbed the dirt off himself and glared at Amber. She in return, stuck out her tongue and pulled her eyelid down.
Ian gathered enough control to not have a go at her. One of these days he would deck her, when she was least expecting it. That would show her, he thought. He stuck up his middle finger at her; she returned the gesture carelessly. That only made him angrier. But he held it in.
An idea hit him. A slow, twisted smile found its way onto his lips.
Amber frowned, that look so did not suit him. He was up to something. Well, whatever he does, I can do better. She pushed her hair back from her face, then mimicked his smile as best she could.
Ian faltered for just a second. What the hell had she just thought of? Damn it. He grinned again, that same twisted smile. Whatever she does, I can do better.
Amber noticed that look in his eyes, Just what was he thinking. Deciding she was no mind reader, she just held his gaze unblinkingly. He followed the same.
Miyami watched them, then looked down at her drawing. It was missing something. Then she figured it out. Her drawing of Ian Petrovich was missing a chest. She snickered at the thought, while her gaze flicked over to the midget Russian. She held his gaze for a split second before rubbing out a part of Ian's body with the eraser off the top of her pencil. Ian didn't notice though.
"Hey, Ams." Shahero poked the Irishwoman and waited for a response. When she didn't get any, she poked her again.
"What?" But Amber never removed her eyes of Ian. They were now locked in a staring match.
"Don't look now, but Kai's coming."
Amber's eyes glared daggers at the door, only to see no one was there. "Liar. Now look, I lost." She skulked childishly.
"Well, you weren't listening. Anyways, look he's asleep." She pointed to the sleeping adult at the front of the class. "Come on, let's go. Sonia said she would help us with that English essay, let's go now before she goes to one of those prefect meetings."
"Yami, you coming?" Amber got up and turned around.
"What, and miss staying here in this cold room listening to someone snore and someone else glare at me?" Sarcasm dripped off every word.
"Come on then." Shahero said. All three of them made their way out of the classroom quietly then closed the door.
When they stepped outside Shahero immediately pulled out a necklace. It had a circle pendant in a blue colour. And a key dangled from it. She took of the necklace, then jammed the key into the lock and twisted it. There was a click to signify that the door had locked from the outside.
Miyami and Amber stared curiously at her. "Who gave you that?" Miyami asked.
"Kane got it from Dickenson when he became head boy. Aspin stole and made me a copy. Locks any door and opens any door. At least that's what Kane always says. Beside," She grinned "Ian's still in there."
I hope you liked this chapter. Press the lilac(?) coloured button down there and review plz. Updates on this fic will be much faster than on Schizophrenic.
Hasta, Arcada