Disclaimer: it's not mine.
Chapter Twenty-Three: Caught in the Act
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"It's okay, they're both at work," he assures me as he pulls me into his room. With the threat of parents now out of the way, and Matt most likely out with Mimi, the coast is clear for T.K. and I.
We just got back to his house after our exams. T.K. had math and noon; I had science at 12:30. When we got out, we wanted to do something but couldn't figure out what we were in the mood for. We finally decided that we just wanted to chill out at his house.
T.K. drops his bag on his floor and lazily falls onto his bed.
"So how was the exam?" I ask as he pulls me down with him.
"As good as an exam can be, I guess. You?" He starts to trail kisses across my jaw line and down my neck. I tilt my head to give him better access as he sucks on the skin just above my collarbone.
"Pretty good, except I totally bombed this bio question worth like, twenty-five marks." He mumbles something that sounds a lot like 'that sucks'. While writing the test, it really did suck. But here, with T.K., it's the furthest thing from my mind.
His lips find their way back to mine and I'm rendered helpless to do anything but kiss him back. My knees suddenly feel very weak, that's what T.K. does to me. If I weren't lying down right now, I would probably collapse. Not that I mind, because T.K. would be there to catch me.
He will always be there to catch me.
That's what makes me love him so much. Any guy can kiss you and say that he loves you. Hell, they don't even have to mean it. But with T.K., not only does he mean it, but he shows it. He's the only guy that can make my heart beat about a gazillion times faster than normal and make my legs to jell-o and send shivers up my spine, all at once.
T.K. is dependable. No matter what happens, even if we break up or get into a horrible fight, he'll always be there. He loves me so much and he really would do anything for me. When you find something like that, you shouldn't just let it go. Sora and Tai had that, and look at them now. I don't want T.K. and I to end up like that. And if something will happen, and it's totally out of my control, I at least want to spend as much time as possible with him until that moment comes.
I slide up his body and straddle his stomach, leaning down and kissing him. He puts one hand in my hair, and the other wanders up the back of my hot pink tank top. My hands run over his pale blue t-shirt, feeling his well-defined muscles underneath.
"How much time do you have until your detention?" I ask as I kiss my way down to his neck. He moans, and I feel the vibrations as I slide my lips over his throat.
"Around two hours, I think," he says hoarsely.
The slow, soft kisses turn aggressive and haste. Nothing about it is innocent. Hands are roaming, tongues are battling and teeth are knocking together. His hands cup my breasts through my shirt as I slide my hands under his and attempt to pull it off. Him being flat on his back, though, it doesn't exactly work out too well. He pulls my tank off and groans in distaste when he discovers that I'm wearing a bra.
Without warning, T.K. flips me over so he's on top. I use the time as an opportunity to both catch my breath and remove his shirt. Instead of resuming our kiss, he drops butterfly kisses on his way down my neck. He finds a sensitive piece of skin, just above the material of my bra, and starts sucking on it. I think about telling him to stop, that he'd better not leave a mark there, but I don't get the words out. Oh well. Nothing a little makeup can't cover, right? I'm having too good of time to care much at all, anyway.
His hands sweep up my arms and over my wrists, and I pray that he's too into it to feel my cuts—four, in total. There are three new ones; the most recent is from the whole Tai thing on Saturday.
I blindly feel around for his cargo shorts, undoing the belt and pulling down the zipper. I use my foot to slide the baggy shorts down his calf and he manages to kick them off. They fall to the floor, joining our shirts and, in what will now be only a matter of minutes, my skirt.
My nails scrape his back as he abandons my neck and captures my bottom lip. After lightly sucking on it for a while, he pulls me into another searing kiss. I sigh into his mouth as his tongue probes mine once again. I initiate the war by forcing my tongue back into his mouth. He's fighting a losing battle now. I know he can't resist me any more than I can resist him. Now, it's just a test to see who will crack first. T.K. hates losing, and I love pushing him over the edge, so it should be interesting.
He snakes his arms around me and fumbles for my bra clasp. I push his hands away, mumbling something about how patience is a virtue. He groans and presses me hard against the bed, pinning me down. Not that I mind, of course. I love teasing T.K. like this, making him wait. The anticipation is almost as good as the actual thing. I say almost, because I would be lying if I said it was as good. It isn't. Nothing is.
His hand runs up my thigh and squeezes my butt under my skirt. For a quick second, I seriously consider letting him win, just so the game will end and we can cut to the chase. But I have too much pride for that. Or maybe I'm just too much of a sore loser to voluntarily accept defeat, no matter what the circumstances. When did I become so stubborn? Maybe T.K. is rubbing off on me. He's playing a good game with good tactics, but I can do him one better.
If I want to, I can play dirty. Really dirty. I decide to take it up a notch, but not as far as I should if I really want to win. I hook my legs around his torso and grind myself into him. He can pretend he doesn't want this all he wants, but his body is definitely betraying him. He groans, which turns me on even more.
I love the fact that I can do this to him, that he can do this to me. Whatever changed in our relationship, I'm glad it did. Before, it never used to be like this. It was never this intense, this intimate...this hot. It was innocent fooling around, touching and groping at best. Now, it's full-on, hot and heavy animal lust. I like it, and I know that T.K. sure isn't complaining.
Maybe this is the one good thing that came from Tai's coma. If that never happened, I never would have had to seek solace in my boyfriend. I wouldn't have had to be comforted and loved and...everything else.
When I'm with T.K., I can escape. When I'm with him like I'm with him now, I'm not thinking about my family or anything else. I'm only thinking about him and about us. He's the one person who can actually make me forget about Tai, and how his situation has become even more critical this passing weekend.
I like to think that I'm a way out for him, as well. When he's with me, he can be whoever he wants to be. He can say what he means and feel the way he wants to feel. He doesn't have to put on an act, and neither do I. We are ourselves with each other. That's the best feeling in the world. Well...it's top ten material.
It's my turn to groan as I continue to grind against him, the friction between us building and building. Grabbing my breasts and forcing his tongue back into my mouth, he takes control again. Well, a bit of control, anyway. Removing one hand from my chest, he feels around for the zipper to my skirt. I tighten my leg muscles and pull him even closer. I unsuccessfully stifle a moan as he squeezes my butt again, sending shivers up and down my spine.
My lungs are burning, begging for oxygen. I want to take a breath so badly, but that would require me separating myself from T.K., and I don't think I can do that. If I had to pick, I would probably choose him, and that's scary. Thankfully, he is feeling the overwhelming need to breathe just as I am and pulls away. Panting heavily, he continues his attack on my neck as I run my hands over his lean body. After a while, I can't stand it anymore. Still breathing rather heavily, I recapture his lips and pry one of my hands of his body to grasp at his hair. I pull him closer. He still isn't close enough. I grip his head and crush his face against mine in a bruising kiss. Neither of us notices
Sliding the thick blonde strands through my hand, I'm totally unaware of everything going on around us.
I'm completely oblivious to the fact that Matt has entered the house, and that he's looking for his brother.
"Hey, T.K., I was just—" he stops dead in his tracks when he sees us. T.K. pulls himself off of me and we both sit up immediately. I don't even have time to survey the situation or make up an excuse as to what we were doing (as if it isn't obvious). "I'll, uh, catch you later..." he mumbles as he practically sprints out of the bedroom and shuts the door behind him.
I stare at the place where T.K.'s brother—my brother's best friend—had been. Then, I turn my attention to my boyfriend.
He looks more shocked than embarrassed. It must be different for guys, I suppose. Brothers bond over stuff like girls. With Tai, there was no bonding of any kind when it related to boys. If I could help it, I didn't even talk about guys with him. I never brought my boyfriends around until T.K., mostly because Tai was well aware of who he was and where he lived. My brother is harmless in general, but when it comes to my well-being, he can be pretty scary.
Mortified, I fall back onto his bed and cover my face, which I'm sure is rather red by now.
"I don't believe that just happened," I whimper. I'm about to say more, but I'm cut off by a noise that sounds an awful lot like laughter. "What the hell is so funny?" I demand, sitting up to glare at him.
"Nothing," he claims, struggling to control his features. "It's just that..." Giving him the dirtiest look I can muster, he breaks off and submerges himself in another fit of uncontrollable laughter. I wait impatiently for him to collect himself and continue. "Did you see his face? He neverexpected to walk in on this. I always tell him to knock before entering a room. But does he ever listen? Nope." He offers a weak smile which breaks into a grin and, finally, another round of sniggering.
"This is not funny!" I shriek as I hit him lightly with a pillow. It smacks against his bare chest, and that's when I realize the full extent of what Matt has just witnessed. "Oh my God!"
"What?"
It's amazing that I don't just drop dead of embarrassment. The longer I think about what happened, the more horrified I become.
"Don't you get it? It's not like your brother just walked in on us kissing. Look at us!" I exclaim. It's true: with T.K. clad in only green boxers and me in my skirt and bra, this is definitely not a good situation to be in. This is possibly the most horrifying thing to ever happen to me. His brother, who would probably go straight to my brother, provided he was conscious, just walked in on us when we were...! Oh, thank heavens it wasn't any later. Who knows what he might have seen then. "Oh my God," I repeat.
When he doesn't look half as affronted as I think he should, I scowl in disgust and pick up my shirt off the floor. Putting it on, I smooth down my hair and straighten out my skirt, then open his bedroom door.
"Wait...we're done here?" he asks, incredulously.
Throwing him a look of great contempt, I walk out the door and shut it semi-loudly behind me.
"Right, we're done, then," he yells as I hurry down the stairs.
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"Do you want to break and grab some lunch?" I ask Mimi. She nods and we shut our books, which we were studying from. Apparently, none of the exams taken previously are counting. Since we all abandoned our tests to run, they were left behind and never collected by the teachers to be graded.
When the police showed up, it was considered a crime scene and nobody was allowed in, even to get their books and possessions. Police started to clear out the school, starting with the lockers and those possessions. When they came back in the morning to start clearing the top floor and get the exams, the school had been burned down. Damned arsons, I hope they get caught.
All that studying and preparation was shot to hell.
If a month of not studying and reading up on facts didn't make us forget the material, everything going on with Tai could ensure that it had been knocked out of our heads.
We have to study our asses off because, in two days, we have our final examinations all over again. I wonder if Sora will be there. I mean, of course she'll be there, but still...
She's so unpredictable lately that I can't really be sure anymore. I think about maybe asking Meems, but I don't want her to freak out and make her go off the deep end. As I've come to realize this past week, the slight mention of Sora's name will cause something very heavy to be whipped at my head. Something seems to have changed in her recently, but I'd prefer to play it safe.
We get in my car and pull out of her driveway, on our way to lunch.
"Hey, what time did T.K. have his exams today?" Mimi asks.
"Um, I'm not too sure. He should be done by now, though," I speculate.
"Want to drop by your place and bring him along?"
"Nah, he's probably out with Kari. But we can still swing by if you want. If they're home, maybe we can bring them back something," I suggest. I throw a consulting glance her way and she has a hopeful smile on her face.
"Or maybe we could all go out. Kind of like a double date," she says, her eyes sparkling.
"Like we used to, with Tai and—" I freeze, knowing full well that I've dug myself quite a hole. There it is: the stupid thing I just knew I would eventually say to cause an awkward, uncomfortable silence between the two of us. Mimi and Sora used to force Tai and me to attend those types of dates all the time in the past. We didn't do that anymore, for obvious reasons. Tai wasn't exactly...able, if you know what I mean. I wonder if Tai were to wake up right now, whether or not we would ever attend another horrid double date again. Part of me says good riddance, and the other part of me feels that pang of insecurity you only get when something huge happens and everything familiar seems to have changed. It kind of feels like the ground has shifted, or perhaps been pulled out from under me altogether.
We drive over to my house with nothing but the radio to cut through the silence. When we get there, I tell her to wait in the car, that I'll just be a minute. I grab my keys and unlock the front door.
"T.K.? You home?" No answer. His bedroom door is shut, which leads me to believe that he's home. His door is never closed, unless he's on the other side. I turn the handle and push the door open. "Hey, T.K., I was just—"
Okay, I should have knocked.
"I'll, uh, catch you later..." I get out of there as fast as I can, bolting down the stairs and out of the house before either of them have time to react. I walk back out to the car, get in and start to drive.
"They're, um, currently...detained," I offer. She shoots me a questioning look and raises an eyebrow. "You won't believe what I just walked in on..." I hint.
"No way!" She gets my hint.
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Tell me exactly—"
"—We'll talk after lunch. If I have to relive that scene between my baby brother and my best friend's little sister, I don't think I'll have much of an appetite left when we get to the restaurant."
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"I'm not here because I agree with what you said, or because I think what I did was wrong. It wasn't wrong, I wasn't wrong. I'm not here because I can't bear the thought of having to switch schools, either. So don't think that you and your empty threats have gotten to me, or anything. And my parents agree with me, they didn't force me to come here."
There, I've said it. Now, she has no reason to think I showed up at these detentions because I was scared of losing everything. I'm not, and I think she knew that even before I said anything. I think that my attitude kind of threatens her, because there isn't really anything she can do to deter me from doing what I feel.
"Then why are you here?" Principal Nagasi asks me.
Why does she care?
"Why do you want to know?" I drop my books on a random desk and sit down, staring at her. She shifts uncomfortably under my gaze.
"Because I'm interested in your sudden change of heart," she answers.
"More like you want to know so you can use it against me later," I shoot back. She sighs and hardens her features.
"Takeru, I feel I should remind you that I am still your principal. It wouldn't kill you to show me a little respect. After all, you aren't off the hook just yet. If, by the end of our time together, I still don't feel that you should be allowed back into our school, you will have to switch like you were anticipating," she informs me.
"Well, since you might still have to expel me, I really have nothing to lose. I might as well save me the time and you the trouble. Goodbye." I pick up my books and stand up, ready to leave. I'm so angry that I don't care how Kari will react when I tell her. I don't care that this is my principal I'm talking to; she's being a bitch by holding this over my head. She's just trying to be difficult. Well, I'll show her difficult.
"And what are you planning on telling Miss Kamiya?"
I stop dead in my tracks and give her the dirtiest look I can come up with. How dare she bring that up? I mean, did I say anything about Kari? Why is she dragging my girlfriend into this when she had no reason to believe she's even involved?
"Whatever the hell I want, thanks," I say, rising to her challenge. I continue walking, making a beeline for the door. I almost make it there, before she continues.
"Don't you think that she's been through enough in these passing weeks?"
"Are you trying to guilt me into staying?" I ask, glaring at her. She gets an amused look on her face, as if I've just told her a hilarious joke.
"That's precisely what I'm doing, Takeru. Now, why don't you take a seat? The sooner you sit down, the sooner we can get out of here."
I hate it when someone else is right. Nonetheless, I sit down at another desk, this one being much further away from her than the previous one.
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Mom just called. She was crying, and I knew what she was going to tell me before she said it. She was crying just hard enough for me to know that it was bad, but not hard enough that I thought Tai had...you know.
He's even worse. The doctors say that his brain activity is very miniscule, even for a coma patient. That's really scary. I mean, they're basically saying that if things don't improve, my brother might be brain dead.
Do you know what happens if Tai becomes brain dead? He'll be kept alive by machines.
It means that my parents would 'do the right thing' and pull the plugs, so they could donate his organs to people who need them. Sure, that might be good for a bunch of other people, but what about my brother? Would they really just slice him open and divvy his parts up between a bunch of random, faceless nobodies in need of organs?
That's my brother. They can't do that to him!
I try to remind myself that it hasn't happened yet. I try to tell myself that it won't happen, that Tai will wake up before any of this can play out any further.
But I can't calm down, not now. All the anger and resentment and pain and despair are building up inside of me and I need to release. And, with T.K. at his detention, there's only one available way.
I take the stairs quickly, two at a time, heading to my room. I shift through one of my desk draws and pull out a shard of glass that I've been keeping. Tears stinging my eyes, I grasp it hard in my hand and slide it across my wrist with one smooth, quick motion. Sinking onto my bed, I take deep breaths and try to calm down. .
I can't really explain why I do it. I think it's because sometimes, the emotions just build up inside of me and I can't find a way to let them out. I've never been good at expression my feelings; I normally just bottle things up. I've done it all my life, and it looks like it's finally caught up to me. Whenever something particularly shitty happens, I just can't help myself. And 'particularly shitty' is an understatement in this situation.
I watched a TV show a long time ago, and one of the main characters was a cutter. I image myself back then, sitting on my couch while the rest of my family is scattered throughout the house, thinking, 'How screwed up do you have to be to do something like that?' I still remember what she said to justify herself, to validate what she was doing. She said that it was the only pain she could control.
That's true, yes, but it's not the reason I do it. I have enough pain in my life, and I don't think I can take anymore, even if I'm the one controlling it.
I do it because, believe it or not, it feels good. I know, I know, the thought of it sounds anything but good. I used to cringe when I thought about it, too. But I'm a lot different than I use to be. When I'm cutting, I'm thinking about myself. I'm not obsessing over Tai, worrying about Sora, or anything else. It's amazing how so few things in my life are still about me. Most of my thoughts are about my brother, or my boyfriend, my friends or family. It seems like everything has to come before me.
Everyone in my life is going through a hard time. And, just like always, they're relying on me to help and support them. They expect me to be the same old Kari, the sweet girl who you can always come to for advice. Kari can make everything all better.
If I can make everything better, why do I feel like this? Why is Tai still in his coma? Why are Mimi and Sora still not talking? Why did this have to happen at all?
Did I fail your test, God? Was the reason you had Davis follow me around was so I could save him? Was it so I could be nice to him and make him change his mind about doing us all in? If it was, I failed miserably, and I'm sorry. Is that why you did that to Tai? Were you just punishing me? Please, don't punish me. Not like this, at least. If you want to punish me, punish me. Don't hurt everyone else, everyone that loves Tai.
That is the most predominant reason as to why I cut. People just expect me to be their rock, to be their shoulder to cry on when bad things happen. I just feel like everyone expects me to be perfect. You know something? I'm not. Not even close. But I have to put on a smile and try my hardest, because everybody needs me to be something for them. Sora needs me to fight for her, needs me to bring her back to our side and get her to come to her senses. Mom and Dad want me to be their little angel, the one who takes care of the house and feeds the cat and does well in school, since they aren't there anymore to make sure I'm doing any of that. Tai needs me to be good, and stay his baby sister for when he wakes up, so he can be my big brother again. Mimi expects me to be on her side of this whole blow-out, and be her bridesmaid at her wedding. Who knows...at the rate everything is changing, I just might have to suck it up and be her maid of honour. Matt expects me to not screw myself up too much, so that when Tai wakes up, he can act like he was taking care of me for him. T.K. wants me to be his girlfriend, the one who listens to him and cares about him and does everything that a girlfriend should do.
I'm being split up and forced to go in all these different directions.
And what if I don't want to go? What if I just want to slip into denial, and pretend that I'm still fifteen and my biggest concerns are homework and boys? What if I just want to get in bed and never leave it, never go outside or talk to anyone, never have to face the pain and cruelty of the real world?
Maybe on the outside looking in, I have the perfect life...at least, before all of this. I had a great family, amazing friends, good grades and a boyfriend that I loved. I had nice things, and nobody ever teased or made fun of me. Everyone liked me, and I'm not just being conceited. I wasn't mean to anyone and nobody was ever mean to me. Teachers liked me, parents liked me, and kids at school liked me.
I can't deal with that type of pressure. What happens when I do something stupid, and prove to the world that I'm not perfect? What do I do when that day comes?
I glance down at my wrist and smile. Let the world think what they want, because I know the truth. These marks are my reminders, they prove that I'm not as perfect as everyone thinks I am. Maybe, if I cut deep enough, some will turn into scars. Then they'll be with me always, and I'll never have to worry about being perfect ever again. You can't be perfect if you've made mistakes, and I've made quite a few. This, however, doesn't feel like a mistake to me. When I do this, I almost feel better, like I'm getting back to the way I used to be. Perhaps, in some twisted way, this is the first step to healing.
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"Having fun?" Principal Nagasi asks me.
"Oh, totally...You sure throw one hell of a detention party. This is kick-ass," I say sardonically, while rolling my eyes.
"Yes, well, I was rather disappointed with the guest list." I sigh and sink lower into my chair. She glances at the clock. "One hour left," she counts down.
"Time just flies when you're having fun," I quip.
"Takeru—"
"—what's with that, anyway?"
"What's with what, Takeru?"
"That. Why do you call me Takeru, when everyone else calls me T.K.?" I ask. Finally, I have the balls to ask the question that's been bothering me since I first met her. The old me never would have talked that way to her, never would have gotten myself into this mess in the first place. But when I saw those guys, running and laughing like what happened was just a big joke, something inside me snapped. Now, other than Kari and my friends and family, I don't really care about anything anymore.
"Does it matter that much to you?" She seems kind of put off by the fact that I actually said something to her about it. Perhaps nobody has ever called her on it before.
"Yes. It bothers me."
Silence falls over us once again, and I shift in my seat. I haven't opened my books, though I brought them. I suppose I could be studying, since I still have an exam to take, but I'm not going to.
"So, T.K...you really like Hikari, don't you?" she inquires.
"Um...yeah," I answer tentatively. Why does she want to know? Does she just want to be up on the gossip going around her school, or something?
"She seems like a very nice girl," she continues.
"Yeah, she is..."
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry. It's just that you two are very cute together, you know." I don't even have to wonder how she knows that we're dating. Teachers always seem to know things like that in high school. Plus, she caught us making out in the parking lot after exams earlier today. I think that's a clue. "How long have you been together, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Almost a year," I answer after successfully stifling the urge to tell her that yes, I do, in fact, mind. While Kari and I have known each other since we were fifteen, we were just friends back then. Everyone thought that we were dating, but we really weren't. I don't really know why we didn't. I think it was because she lived in another town, and we mostly relied on phone conversations to stay in touch. Even after she moved back here last summer, and was going to attend Odaiba High with me, we were still strictly friends.
I think she kind of took me for granted, since I made it clear that I had feelings for her. She was the one who didn't want to get involved right away, saying that she didn't want to ruin our friendship. Perhaps she didn't realize that I was quite popular at our school, because she was pretty shocked when, on the first day back, I got three phone numbers. After that, she decided she didn't want to be just friends anymore.
"That's a very long time for teenagers, congratulations. Were you close with her brother?" Were...As in past tense? Why is everyone doing that lately? They talk about Tai like he's already dead. Nobody has hope that he'll pull through and be okay. Even Kari has trouble believing it lately. I still don't have a doubt in my mind as to whether or not he'll pull through. I refuse to accept that he won't make it.
"Yes, I am very close with Tai. He is one of my best friends," I report. She seems kind of surprised at this, as if a guy and his girlfriend's brother aren't allowed to get along. Maybe, for most people, they aren't. But Tai is different than most guys. That's probably why this whole situation sucks even more. Out of all the people in that school, Tai was probably one of the nicest, the funniest, and the friendliest. Out of all the people, he deserved what he got the least.
"He was a very nice young man. I really liked him. He was so outgoing and charming. He spent quite a bit of time down in my office, though," she says thoughtfully.
"He still is all of those things."
"Excuse me?" She seems to have missed my point entirely.
"He isn't dead yet, so why is everyone acting like he is? Obviously, you don't know Tai very well if you're talking about him like he's already gone. He's still here, and he's still alive. And I know that as long as he's alive, he'll fight with everything he has to get back to us all," I declare through gritted teeth.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you felt that way. I didn't realize I was doing it," she apologizes.
"Nobody ever does."
"T.K., what is this really about? Obviously you're angry with me for something other than Tai's situation," she suggests. How can she ask that? Does she not remember what happened not even a week ago, in her office?
"Of course I'm angry with you. You're totally wasting my time with your shitty detentions. You're punishing me for something I didn't do. You threaten to expel me, all because I won't say sorry and admit I was wrong for doing something I shouldn't be sorry for and wasn't wrong about. And, on top of it all, you have the nerve to say that I'm not out of the woods yet. Now, you want to have a heart-to-heart. You think that you might be able to help me with whatever problem you think it is that I have, but I'm fine," I insist. She opens her mouth to protest. "And even if I'm not," I continue, "you, of all people, cannot help me. Just because you're my principal, doesn't mean that you're a qualified psychiatrist as well."
"I think I deserve a little credit. After all, it's not like I wanted to give you this punishment, T.K."
"Whatever. I was there, and nobody put a gun to your head. Is time almost up? I want to get out of here as soon as possible," I state with a glance at the clock. Shit. Still about fifty minutes left.
"I tell you what," she begins. "I'll let you out of here right now, and I'll take one week of detention off your punishment, if you level with me right now about something."
"And what would that be?" I ask, wondering what kind of plan she's cooked up now.
"In one hundred words or less," she starts, sounding very similar to an essay question (and, oh, I just love a good essay question), "tell me why you need out of here so badly." Easy, and I can do it with ninety-nine words left over.
"Kari," I admit.
"What about her?" I don't want to answer that. I feel like if I tell her the real reason I want to be with Kari, I'll be betraying her trust. I feel like I'll be cheating on her or letting her down in some huge way. But I know that Principal Nagasi won't say anything, and it would feel good to get this off my chest...
"She needs me." Maybe that's all she needs to hear. Maybe she'll just accept that answer and tell me I can go, and that since I only used four words, I'm off the hook for everything.
"Why?" she inquires. My principal is really putting me in an awkward position here. I sigh, and prepare to explain.
"Kari isn't as stable as everyone thinks she is. She might seem like she's got everything under control, but she doesn't. Her life is pretty much in shambles right now and I'm the only one she's got anymore. She needs me and I can't let her down. I love her too much to let her down like that. She might appear normal, but right now, she's self-destructive. She's like this ticking time-bomb, just waiting to fall apart. I don't know if it will be in a day, a month or a year, but it will happen. And I need to be there when it does." I look at her expectantly, waiting to see if my answer is good enough for her. I raise an eyebrow.
"One hundred and nine," she announces. "But, since I'm rather impressed with your answer, I'll just pretend that those last nine words didn't count."
"Meaning...?"
"Go find your girlfriend, T.K. Go have fun and be a kid. It's much too difficult of task these days. I'll see you tomorrow, at five sharp." She gives me a playful smile, which I graciously return. I stand up to leave. "Don't forget your books, either."
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Okay, there's chapter 23 for you all.
I'm currently putting off writing chapter 27, because it feels too weird. The story is almost over! I can't believe it...maybe I'll wait until I've posted chapter 26, and then I'll have to write it.
Review, and motivate me :)
Another milestone: 200 reviews! I'm so glad for the feedback I've been getting...thanks so much!
Shameless plug: my one-shot (which has been extended to 5 chapters) is out! It's called "Second Chances" and it's a takari...take a look, please!