Enptisu: I just realized I forgot to put a preview at the end of the last chapter! Sorry! It's kind of late but in this chapter we see a new kind of Rei and another side of Hileimi. Tala finds a challenge and, as always, Kai is all business, no pleasure.
I've always had songs to go with the chapters, so I'm going to start actually listing them. You'll see them once it comes to a part with a song lol.
Disclaimer: Nada. Last time I'm saying it.
Claim: Plot, Hileimi, and Reidan are mine lol. Jasmine ain't mine and neither is another upcoming OC.
Chapter Five
Brotherly Love
Second period—another person as a model. Rei was getting seriously irritated. He knew Mr. Ford wasn't faring so well with him either. He was one of the only people who saw that his art lacked emotion. Technique was fine but it wasn't the best if there was nothing behind it.
Today was Friday, so he was glad. Since this school gave so much work in the school week, there was no homework given—ever. That was practically the only reason why Rei liked this school. Now, the only homework was given to the seniors because of those 'babies'.
Rei glanced at the model and then back at his canvas. They were working with watercolor today—formerly his best technique. Ford wanted to see how efficiently the students could make a watercolor painting in the time given. The model was this girl Rei knew as Mariah, another freshman in college. It was challenging to get the pink of her hair and gold of her eyes until Rei realized they were pretty much the same shade as his own.
Strangely enough, Mariah kept looking at him and Rei was getting slightly uncomfortable. He supposed he was used to some looks but some people would make him slightly uneasy about it. Mariah was trying to make herself look coy, but she looked like a dominant woman by nature. This young man wasn't used to being hit on by older women but then he didn't like it when it looked like they liked to order around their boyfriends either.
The young man tried not to make any eye contact with Mariah so Rei kept staring at his canvas. He was hunched over as if he wanted to disappear. There was a light knock at the door and he didn't look up right away while the other students did. It was only when he glanced up at Mariah and noticed her looking at the doorway, that Rei looked to where everyone else was.
There was a girl who was talking to Mr. Ford, an apologetic grin on her features. She was cracking her knuckles absentmindedly and her hair was up in a very messy—so messy it looked stylish—bun, but that's not what was weird about her. She was wearing a black wife-beater with a black spaghetti strap under that and black track pants. On her feet, she donned black jazz shoes. Her whole outfit screamed, "I DON'T GO TO WEATHERBURY!"
On the contrary, she did. Rei saw her eyes and knew who she was. What the hell is Hileimi doing here? And dressed like that?
The girl and Ford seemed to come to an agreement after their hushed conversation and she waved good-bye to him. Before she completely disappeared, Hileimi found Rei and waved to him in a friendly manner. She walked away and all eyes went to him, who never had girls wave to him like a friend. Hileimi had waved to a black haired girl in the class, but it didn't seem to awe them as much. To his classmates, it was a miracle that girl who had only been hanging out with him since Tuesday was able to treat him like that. Rei, who was at a straight posture when he saw Hileimi, slowly slouched behind the canvas.
Even though Hileimi and Rei shared third period as a free one, they never met during that time. The only time he had even seen her was the first day he had been partnered with her. So, following his usual routine, he went to 7-Eleven.
At fourth period, they showed the class what items they had purchased for Reidan. Since they were the only couple in the class no one rushed them to finish. Hileimi had created a Power Point presentation, along with holograms saying why each thing was important. Girls squealed at the cute ornaments while guys nudged each other at Rei's discomfort.
Finally, there was sixth period. It was the only class he shared with Kai. Everything else, they had the same teachers but different periods. But while Rei took art, Kai decided to continue his business classes. Today, Larent was absent so there was a substitute trying to get the DVD player to work.
"Did you know that there's a party tonight?" Kai suddenly asked, leaning his cheek bored-like on his palm. Rei nodded, aimlessly doodling on the desk with his pencil and erasing it with his hand.
"Yeah," he said, tapping his pencil. For some reason he felt like he needed to be somewhere. "I got invited by someone."
Kai looked at his friend, eyebrow raised in surprise. A small smirk took over his features at the same time Amaya started to cry. The Russian sighed but quickly put the pacifier in to her mouth. He picked her up almost as gently as he would a human child and held her close. Girls in the room cried at the robot's luck.
"Who asked you then?" Kai inquired, silently laughing at Rei's face. The Chinese youth glared at his best friend before answering.
"Hileimi did." It was a simple enough answer. Why was Kai making such a big deal about it? The Russian chuckled. "What?"
"You know, this is going to be your third date with that girl," he stated, still chuckling. Rei was speechless for a quick second.
"How could it be our third date if I haven't even dated her once?" Rei asked, keeping his voice low but calm. The blue-haired teen gently pat Amaya on her back, silent for a few moments.
"You went to Panera with her on Tuesday and then yesterday you took her to the mall," Kai replied easily, reveling in the dumbstruck look on his friend's face. "You just had your first few dates without knowing it."
"Those weren't dates, Kai, they were homework assignments," Rei retorted, leaning his forearm on the table. "You're just lucky you don't have a damn partner."
At this, Kai nonchalantly shrugged. "I still don't even know why you have something against the girl. She seems nice enough."
"Seems. I don't know. She's just weird at times and then at other times she's . . ."
Rei trailed off, not knowing what to say. What was she when she wasn't weird? He had never thought about it until now and he realized he didn't know what she was. She just confused him to no end. Kai, sensing his friend's discomfort, decided to change the subject.
"Are you going to go, then?" he asked Rei, rolling his eyes at the other teen. The tanned young man snapped back to his senses and looked at him.
"Yeah, I have to. It's part of the assignment," Rei mumbled, starting to doodle on the desk again. He drew a star and wondered where that idea had come from. "Are you?"
"You know I have to make public appearances," Kai replied, sighing dramatically. "I'll see you there then?"
"I guess so."
The dismissal bell rang and the two went their separate ways, Kai having to tutor younger kids today. Rei found Hileimi in the same spot she always was, talking to Tala. The red-head never made a serious pass at her, respecting her want to get a good grade on the baby project, so the two just left it at harmless flirting.
Salima, who was Tala's partner for the project, was friends with him and fine with the fact he talked to other girls. She had a boyfriend anyway, so she thought it was unfair if he couldn't spread himself around.
"Kon, you going to Bryan's party tonight?" Tala asked him as he approached. Rei nodded and sighed.
"Just for the sake of this damn project," he replied, over-looking the fact that Reidan was present. Hileimi didn't seem to mind the curse word but she frowned jokingly.
"Yo! Does that mean you don't wanna go even if I'm there?" she demanded, laughing. Rei pat her head, which made all three of them blink afterwards.
"Of course not," Rei said politely. The other two stared at him and he gave his fake grin again.
"Okay, well, I'll call you later, babe," Hileimi said, looking a little tired. She started walking away, Reidan still in her hands since she had agreed to take him over the weekend. Tala followed her.
"Later, Kon. This is gonna be great; your first high school party," he said, grinning and waving good-bye. Obviously he was walking her to practice . . . where ever it was.
Rei watched them for a few moments and started to walk home himself. This would be the second night without Reidan. He never knew being alone could be so blissful. A small smile danced on his lips as a calm breeze blew by.
"Change Clothes" by Jay-Z featuring Pharrell
It was already around six-thirty when Hileimi called him. Rei had been cat-napping on his bed so he answered the phone in a groggy manner. He sleepily blinked at her as she giggled.
"Wake up, sleepy head!" she said to him, laughing. Rei didn't move so she took that as a motion to continue.
"Well, since my house is on the way to the party and I was just gonna ask if you if you'd like to pick me up," Hileimi inquired, smiling. "It'd be easier to meet up and everything 'cause my friends aren't coming 'til later, I think."
"Yeah, sure. No problem." Rei rubbed his face and nodded. Hileimi looked like she was peering at a kitten in a pet shop window.
"Okay, the address is 1313 Mockingbird Lane," she said. The cell phone immediately saved the address and she nodded. "Pick me up at eight?" Rei didn't reply and Hileimi sighed. "Oh, you should get a shirt on too, yo."
Rei's eyes opened as she closed the connection. The last thing he heard was a laugh and he looked down at himself, wondering what had been so hilarious. Oh. Now he knew. He was sleeping shirtless. He sighed and scratched his messy hair, a little miffed that someone had seem him even half naked. Hileimi had only seen him from his shoulder blades and up so he hoped she wouldn't say anything to girls.
After taking a shower and tending to his raven locks, Rei stood in front of his closet. It wasn't a big closet, but he didn't have that many clothes anyways. He crossed his arms over his bare chest and sighed. Just what did a person wear to parties, anyway? He supposed he'd have to look in the section of his closet where the clothes he hardly wore resided.
There was a grey jacket that had patchy work, but in an artistic way. Words were scrawled across the back in white and the piece of clothing gave a rather hip hop look. Rei blankly stared at it for a few moments deciding whether or not to wear it. He had an American Eagle track jacket from two years previous, but he wasn't really one to wear it.
He slipped on a fitting, black wife-beater and a pair of slightly faded jeans. The pants were years old and he had worn them so much that the fade made them appear fashionable. Rei adjusted his belt, put on some socks and picked out a pair of brown Pumas Romas to be his pair. He put on the grey sweater and turned around to look in the mirror. The naive young man had no idea that clothes could change a person so much. He still looked like an artist, but even more stylish.
He slipped on his thick, black Fossil watch and noticed that it was already seven forty-five. Grabbing his keys and phone, he left the apartment, uneasy butterflies dancing in his stomach.
"First Date" by Blink 182 which is ironic because this part isn't even a date
He got to Hileimi's house right on time, even a minute early. Rei drove up to the gate and waited until the hologram of a friendly but elderly butler appeared. "May I help you?"
"Uh, yes, I'm here to pick up Miss Yogoya," Rei answered. The little surname had just slipped of his tongue before he could do anything.
"Oh, Young Master Kon, I shall let you in."
"Er, you don't have to call me—."
The hologram disappeared before he could finish his sentence and the grey gates opened. Rei sighed and had no other choice but to drive in, decided on telling Robert he didn't have to call him that.
Hileimi's house wasn't gigantic like Kai's mansion but it was still big. It looked like the house from the retro show called "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air." He drove up to the front door and got out to knock on it like a little gentleman.
The door opened before Rei had a chance to knock and soon he was face to face with Robert. Rei faltered a moment before breaking into a sheepish grin. Unfortunately, Hileimi wasn't there. Otherwise she'd possibly be happy. "Hello sir, I'll just wait for Hileimi here."
"Wouldn't you like to wait for Young Mistress Yogoya inside?" Robert said, sweeping his arm to present the interior of the house. Rei held up his hands in declination.
"It's all right, I don't want to intrude," he replied. Robert nodded sagely.
"As you wish, Young Master Kon."
"You don't have to call me that, Robert." Rei said politely. "I'd prefer it if you just called me Rei."
"Yes, Young Master Rei."
"Is he here?" A feminine voice from inside interrupted Rei's own. Hileimi came to the door, jogging, and smiled.
Her midnight hair was unbelievably straight and at its full length, fell to her hips. She wore a Chinese-style top which was black with yellow trimmings and short-sleeved. The buttons, that went from the right side of her neck to her left collarbone, were yellow as well. It was high-collared but fell a little short of her jeans, which were black hip-huggers. Her shoes were black, high-top Air Force Ones.
"Wow, Rei, you look great! I like the vintage, hip-hop look!" Hileimi said, her wine eyes lighting up. The young man noticed she actually applied some light make-up, and nodded.
"Thanks. You look nice too," Rei replied, blushing very lightly. It was so light, no one could tell but himself, who felt the warmth on his cheeks.
As he bid farewell to Robert and started heading to the car, Hileimi hung back for a bit. "You didn't go hard on him, did you Robert?"
"Of course not, Hileimi." he said, winking. The girl laughed at the way his mustache twitched. "Have a fun time. I'll take care of Reidan."
"Thanks, Robert," she said, winking as well, and pranced to the waiting vehicle. When Hileimi got inside, she said one thing:
"You clean up good, Rei." He shook his head, slightly amused, as the girl laughed.
The two got to the party a little more than five minutes later. Bryan's house was big as well, but there were no gates to stop cars and students from littering the lawn. Inside, music was already blaring and multi-colored lights were shining through the windows. Rei, who was a little wary, glanced at Hileimi but she seemed excited, a smile on her face.
"Let's go, babe!" she declared, when they got out of the car. Rei alarmed his Civic and Hileimi locked arms with him, purse under her right one.
I've only known her since Tuesday and here I am going to a damn party . . .
Before the pair stepped onto the lawn, Hileimi stopped walking and made Rei do the same. She faced him, face serious and concerned. He stared down at her, clueless as to what she wanted.
"Rei, just tell me if you wanna go home, okay?" she asked him. He blinked his golden eyes at her, a little lost. But he broke into a reassuring chuckle—the closest she had ever seen him to smiling.
"I can take care of myself, all right? Don't worry about me," Rei assured, patting her on the head. She frowned at his action but grinned again.
"If you say so," Hileimi said, laughing. "Let's get down then, yo!"
They entered the party since the door was already open. The music was even louder in here but Rei was used to loud tunes—his best friend was Kai Hiwatari, after all, and that guy played his music loud.
"Oh my gosh, who's that guy?"
"Which one? The one with the grey jacket?"
"Yeah!"
"Oh-em-gee, he is so hot and I don't even go for those type of guys . . ."
As they got deeper into the crowd, people eventually recognize Rei. They were either shocked and excited faces from girls or congratulatory whoops from guys. Overall, it seemed like a pretty welcoming crowd so he didn't feel like retreating just yet.
Turning from the hall and into the living room, they found the main source of the music. There was a live disc jockey and Rei couldn't believe how much of a club the house looked like with the dancing people. There was a table in the corner of the room where three kegs were innocently resting and many guys were standing around. Kon spotted a young man he knew and chuckled.
He brought Hileimi over to the guy with crossed arms and crimson eyes, and lightly hit him. The two-toned man looked over, slight surprise in his eyes, and laughed.
"I guess you did make it," Kai said loudly. Rei nodded and regarded his friend's appearance.
The Russian sported beige Dickies a white wife-beater and a short sleeved, grey polo he decided to keep unbuttoned. Kai looked his friend over as well, and nodded to the hip-hop jacket.
"You wore the jacket that Lyn gave you for Christmas," he said. Rei looked down at himself, memory jump-starting to life. Lyn was Kai's cousin who had a crush on him last year. She moved back to New York at the end of the school year. She was a nice girl but both of them knew it wasn't going to work out—he just didn't like her that way.
"Yeah," Rei said, trying to play it off. Hileimi was standing next to him and she grinned, holding out her hand to Kai.
"Hey, I'm Hileimi," she said, introducing herself. Kai nodded and took her hand in his paler one.
"So I've heard," he said, shaking. Hileimi laughed and shrugged, knowing very well that Rei must've said something about her. Someone came up behind the girl and startled her, making Hileimi jump and almost punch the person behind her. When she saw who it was, she calmed down and started laughing.
"Stupid ho!" she joked, hitting her friend lightly, who was laughing. "Jasmine, if I didn't see you, you would've been knocked out!"
"Hey chica!" the brunette laughed, hugging her. "I was wondering when you were gonna get here!"
"Pon de Replay" by Rihanna
Jasmine's hair was still up in a pony-tail and her eyes sparked with mirth. She wore a green halter top, which went well with her tropical skin, and a sky blue, denim mini. On her feet she had simple, white flip-flops.
"Shay's here too," Jasmine said, moving around to find a girl that had come in with her. This girl's hair was like a curtain of black silk going down to the middle of her back. Her deep gray eyes showed that she would rather be somewhere else than this party.
"Don't call me that," she said to Jasmine, rolling her eyes slightly. But the slight smirk pulling at her lips showed that they were the best of friends.
"Shayna, I can't believe you're here!" Hileimi said, surprised. She hugged the girl with a grin and then held her at arm's length to survey her wardrobe.
She was simple, but it fit her perfectly. Her legs were covered by light blue jeans and her top was a light gray spaghetti strap tank. Shayna grimaced as Hileimi pinched her cheeks and said something about her being so cute. She would get it later.
"Rei, Kai, these are my best friends Jasmine and Shayna," the wine-eyed girl said. Both young men nodded at the girls, Rei recognizing one of them.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Kon said, shaking hands with both of them. "I think you're in my art class, Shayna." Jasmine glanced at Hileimi and grinned.
"Damn boy, you sure are polite," she said. Rei faltered and blushed slightly, nodding. Kai locked eyes with her but went on to greet Shayna.
"Shayna's in student council while Jasmine and I have already met," Kai muttered. Jasmine grinned again as Hileimi's jaw dropped.
"Kai's the guy you were talking about?" she hissed at her friend. The brunette laughed evasively and shrugged, refusing to answer her question. The song that was playing seemed to be a favorite though, and they started moving to the beat.
"We're going to go dance!" Jasmine said, trying to yell over the growing volume. Obviously this tune was a popular one. "You want to come, Shay?"
The other girl stubbornly shook her head, silky hair moving as she did so. "No thanks. I'd rather not."
"Your loss!" Jasmine joked, heading off into the crowd with Hileimi. Shayna looked at them and sighed, deciding to lean against the wall between the table and a couch.
"If you don't mind me asking, why aren't you dancing?" Rei asked her, trying to be nice. Kai got him a drink and he nodded his thanks before turning to the girl again.
"I'm not really a party-goer and the other two are," she simply said. It was a tiny bit hard to hear her over the music. "I made a bet with Jasmine that she couldn't eat a carton of Ferrer Rocher in under five minutes and I lost."
Kai gave a short laugh and even Rei did. There was a pretty comfortable silence between the three as they watched others get wasted. Shayna scratched her cheek and decided she should be nice as well—just this once.
"How are the baby projects coming?" The question was directed to both of them and Rei answered first, swallowing a gulp of his drink.
"It's going pretty well. Hileimi and I aren't arguing anymore," he said truthfully. This made the other two laugh lightly.
"I'm single, so it's a lot easier for me," Kai said, looking at the contents of his cup. "Everything's fine except for the diaper changing." All three nodded at this.
"I'm single too and Mai, my daughter, doesn't cry that much," Shayna confided. The guys looked at her as if she was the luckiest person in the world and she gave a small smile.
A mass of red hair was soon visible in the crowd and made its way to the three. Tala finally made his way to them and waved, a smirk on his face. He wore jeans and a white and blue track jacket. The young men nodded at his arrival and Shayna just stayed silent.
"Glad you could make it guys. It's the first time I've seen at one of these, Rei," Tala said, clapping him on the shoulder, grinning. The Chinese chuckled and aqua eyes fell upon gray. "Why, hello there. The name's Tala. I've never seen you before, either."
Rei and Kai rolled their eyes in an exasperated fashion as Tala slid his way closer to Shayna. The girl looked back at him, not phased by his charm. The other two teens looked at each other, anticipating a show.
"What's your name, beautiful?" the red-head asked her, smiling. The girl looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you for real?" Shayna asked him. Kai stifled a chuckle and Rei looked the other way, trying not to laugh. Tala, however, was not discouraged.
"Trust me, honey, it's all real," Tala whispered. The girl laughed slightly (at him) and regarded him again as he waited.
"Okay. Guess my name and then we'll talk. No help, either," she decided, and turned her gaze back to the crowd. The red-head stared at her as if she were crazy and looked to his friends for help, who looked somewhere else. He growled at them in annoyance.
Damn bastards . . .
"Come on, baby—."
"Nope, my name's not Baby. That's someone else's nickname," Shayna said, examining her nails for show and not at all bothered by the young man next to her.
"Can't you just tell me?" Tala asked her, eyebrow raised and arms crossed. She looked at him with a fake grin.
"Oh, sure! That's why I told you to guess," she replied sarcastically, grin eventually dissipating into nothing. Tala pouted cutely but Shayna effortlessly ignored this as well.
If this girl wasn't so damn fine, I would've already told her to fuck off Tala thought, mumbling curses in his brain but staying cool on the outside. So it's gonna be Rumpelstiltskin, huh? Fine then.
The red-head settled with leaning on the free wall between the table and Shayna. The other two teens exchanged laughing looks as they realized he was giving up. Since she didn't give in, Tala would be after her for a long while.
No one had noticed who the couple was that was sitting on half of the couch. If Kai looked straight from his position, they would be right in his view. He almost spewed his beer all over them when he recognized who the two people were. The other three followed his gaze, Tala and Rei having the same reaction.
There, on that very couch, was Hilary. Only she wasn't sitting on the couch. She was sitting on Tyson who obviously didn't mind. From the way their faces were melded together, it was obvious they were drunk. Even though the two of them weren't in the right mind, there was no way that they wouldn't have a laugh about this later. Tala made sure of this as he whipped out his camera phone and took a picture.
"Dude," Tala said, blinking at the picture. "That's kinda gross. I never thought I'd actually see Tyson making out with a girl."
"I guess that big mouth comes in handy," Kai quipped. The other three, even Shayna, laughed at this. It seemed that the alcohol was starting to have its small affect on the class president.
As Tala broke his vow of silence and started talking to Shayna, who was slightly amused at his useless blabbering, Rei's eyes traveled to the dance floor. After a while he found Jasmine and Hileimi grooving to the beat, mouths smiling and eyes laughing. There were a few guys around them but that didn't stop the girls from having fun. Rei recognized the one dancing with Hileimi as Ozuma and the one with Jasmine as Mystel.
He realized now why Hileimi was a dancer. Jasmine danced very well too, but he never really looked at Hileimi like she could dance. If those dance classes helped her or if it was all natural, she danced like fluid motion. There was no bumping or grinding where she was concerned and Rei liked that about her. For some reason, his respect for her grew a tiny bit.
As a matter of fact, just watching her with Ozuma made Rei want to go over and dance himself—which was weird because he had never bust a groove in his life. He supposed it was just because Hileimi actually made it look fun to him.
Golden eyes wandered away from the scene and met at crimson. Kai was smirking at him and Rei put up a hand in question. Why was he always the one to catch him looking?
Rei saw another red-head coming out of nowhere and almost spat out his drink in alert. Three pairs of eyes looked to where he had previously been looking and the boys knew why he was so freaked out. Shayna, however, rolled her eyes as Michelle was walking across the crowded area.
Tala straightened up and Kai moved to try and help Rei hide. If Michelle ever saw him dressed this way, he would never hear the end of it. It was already late for the two of them but they needed to try and protect Rei from the evil Witch of the Waste.
Shayna gave them weird stares as Kai and Tala stepped around so that Rei was behind them. He gave an apologetic half-smile to Shayna while she waited for an explanation as to why they were so close. "If Michelle sees me like this, I'm going to die."
"I see."
"Hello, boys, you both are looking sizzling hot tonight."
"Silly Ho" by TLC
Rei closed his eyes because he knew that the only thing blocking him from Michelle's view was a makeshift wall of Kai and Tala. There was also that beer keg on the side, but that wasn't important . . . If he kept quiet she probably wouldn't even notice him since she had two hot guys to deal with.
"Too bad lil' Rei never shows up to these things," he faintly heard Michelle say, sighing dramatically. Kai and Tala quickly glanced at each and nodded.
"Yeah," the red-headed male said. He crossed his arms and shrugged his arms in a clueless fashion. "I think he's at home painting . . ."
While the other two were distracting Michelle, Rei sighed. Thank God for friends. Unfortunately, Shayna's hair started to irritate his nose. His eyes widened as Shayna's did as well. If he sneezed that meant it was right in her face. There was no way she could back up anymore and if Rei did, he'd bump into the Wall of Hot Guys. The young man tried to suppress it for as long as he could, closing his eyes. Shayna could tell it wasn't going to work though so she cringed as well.
Rei sneezed, and being the gentleman he was, he decided to blow his cover instead of getting germs on the ink-haired girl. He heard Kai and Tala mutter a curse and so did he, standing up and face to face with Michelle. Her face was surprised but very pleased.
"Oh my, is that you Rei?" she asked him, looking the young man up and down. Everyone else in the group rolled their eyes in exasperation. Rei scratched his cheek.
"Uh, yeah," he articulately replied. Michelle practically fainted and hugged him, throwing her arms around his neck. As she turned them so that his back was to the dancers, Rei made a silent plea for help.
"You just used to be cute, but now . . ." The ginger top trailed off, not knowing what to say. Instead, Michelle settled with eating him with her eyes.
"In case you haven't noticed, you're making him really uncomfortable," a feminine voice said, perfectly blunt. Michelle turned around to face Shayna, who had a cool look on her features.
"Excuse me?" the red-head demanded. Tala and Kai stifled laughs and Rei was thanking Shayna profusely behind Michelle's back. "I think you're the one making everyone uncomfortable with your creepy look."
"I don't mind it," Tala said, quickly jumping into the conversation. The other red-head glared at him and he just shrugged. "What? I don't."
"You're friends with Baby, aren't you?" Michelle said, turning back to Shayna with a scowl. The other girl raised an eyebrow and laughed quietly at the other girl's insolence.
Who's Baby? Rei wondered, looking back and forth at the tennis match being held in front of him.
"Only her friends call Hileimi that, but yeah," she replied, not at all intimidated. Hazel eyes bore into gray, trying to burn them with a glare.
"You and your friends better watch your back, you hear me, bitch?"
"You're petty insults don't scare me."
The guys tried not to laugh as Michelle stormed off, but when she was far away they couldn't hold it in any longer. Shayna was holding a triumphant smirk on her lips while the others simply laughed at Michelle's tough break.
"Congratulations," Rei said, coughing from the laughs. "You're one of us now."
end song
Shayna smiled at the joke and nodded. "Why thank you," she said lightly. Her eyes went to the dance floor, searching. She found one thing she was looking for but after a while, she couldn't find the other. "Have any of you seen Hileimi?"
Laughs died down as the young men turned to the floor. After a few moments, the shook their heads as well. Shayna sighed and groaned a little, probably used to the disappearing act.
"Can you guys help me look for her?" she asked, looking at them. How could they say no to a new friend? A new friend that practically kicked Michelle's butt?
"Of course," Kai said, speaking first. He was always one to organize well. "We'll meet back here in ten minutes."
The four nodded and dispersed. Rei and Shayna ended up going to the same place while Kai went outside and Tala went in another room. Jasmine looked at her other best friend and the Chinese teen, still dancing. "Sup?"
"Have you seen Baby?" Shayna asked, concern etched on her features. The brunette immediately shook her head.
"No, I don't know where she went!" Jasmine said, trying to be heard over the roaring music. Shayna cursed and Rei looked at Ozuma who was now dancing with someone else. He walked over and patted the other, other red-head on the shoulder.
"Do you know where Hileimi went?" he asked him. Red eyebrows furrowed in thought before he shook his head as well.
"Sorry man, I don't know where your girlfriend is," Ozuma replied, sincerely apologetic. Rei nodded and cursed, so annoyed that he let that little 'girlfriend' remark slide. For a miraculous reason—probably because they were shouting over the music now—he overheard the conversation Jasmine and Shayna were having.
"She probably had some beer!"
"What! You know she can't hold her liquor!"
At this, Rei departed. If she couldn't hold her drinks, then she could be in any place doing any thing. His eyes scanned the living room and knew that Tala was checking the rest of downstairs so he hopped up the stairs, three at a time.
The house was big. There were at least eight bedrooms, three closets, and four bathrooms. Rei had no choice but to break down everyone. Whenever he did, he'd quickly apologize while the girl screamed his name in surprise at his clothes. He was blushing by now because no one even had the decency or mind to lock a damn door.
Finally, he came to a door that was locked shut. He heard scuffling and muffled arguments inside, so Rei rammed the door with his shoulder. After a second time, it opened—he was really in a hurry to get in. What he saw made him calm slightly, since he found out that Hileimi was almost capable of taking care of herself.
The girl had elbowed some brunette in the face and when he grabbed onto one of her ankles, she promptly kicked him with the other leg. Her hits were clumsy so Rei knew she was intoxicated, and so was the guy, but he couldn't help but watch as she practically kicked the guy's ass.
"Hey, what's going on here?" he finally demanded, stepping in between the two. Hileimi immediately crawled behind him but when he looked, the only thing disarray was her top which was hastily unbuttoned. The guy on the other hand, was laughable.
"Get the fuck outta my way," the brunette snarled, trying to lunge at the girl. Rei caught him though and pushed him away. "What, you her boyfriend or something?"
"So what if I am?" Rei asked. What was up with people and assuming they were an item? He'd take a hit though, if it meant Hileimi was okay.
The guy stood up and wiped blood from his nose, smirking sadistically. "Come on then, Rei. You can join me if you want."
Something snapped in Rei, and he promptly punched the guy in the face. One hit took him down, and he lay sleeping on the floor of what looked like the master bedroom. He didn't know why, but Rei couldn't stand vulgar comments.
"I'll Be" by Edwin McCain
He turned around to see Hileimi with her face in her hands, looking very much ashamed. Rei crouched down and gripped her petite wrists. He pulled apart her hands so he could look her teary eye to gold. She wasn't crying but she looked utterly depressed. Rei put a hand on her head.
"It's okay," he softly said to her. He moved his hand so that it cradled her behind the head and brought her close. "I'm here now."
Hileimi suddenly broke into trembling sobs and leaned into his chest, wrapping her arms around his middle, fingers clutching at his back. Rei shifted into a sitting position as she continued to cry, stroking her hair like a child. Hileimi practically got as close as she physically could to him like a kid hugging its teddy bear during a nightmare. She hadn't said anything yet but he wasn't going to make her. Her cries were almost painful for him to hear and he suspected something about the situation was familiar to her.
After a while, her crying subsided. Rei knew that it was well past ten minutes but he couldn't rush her. Looking down, he realized that she had passed out. He sighed and adjusted his position before picking her up, bridal-style. He knew people were going to have questions but he couldn't carry her out any other way, or drag her out.
Hileimi's head gently lolled to one side and Rei looked down at her. On the upper cartilage of her right ear was a small hoop; a tiny, silver star on it. He didn't know why he had never noticed it before. Shaking his head at the oddity, he left the room.
Rei cautiously walked down the stairs, watching his step, and earning more than a few looks from spectators. A couple of guys gave each other high-fives, saying something about "Rei got game" but he ignored them. His friends saw him and ran to check up on Hileimi.
"What happened?" Jasmine demanded, panic in her voice. Rei gave her a reassuring half-smile and sighed a little.
"Almost got taken advantage of and I came to the rescue," he said, deciding to cut the explanation short by a few sentences. Jasmine put a hand to her mouth before she got angry.
"Who the hell is this bastard? I'm gonna kick his ass—!"
"Rei, why don't you just take Hileimi home?" Shayna suggested, cutting her friend off, who glared. "We'll settle a few things here."
Rei nodded and the two guys gave him looks. He had the urge to show them a certain finger, but knew they were just joking. Pushing his way through the door, he eventually made it to his Civic. He placed her in the seat and got in himself.
The streetlight cast an ethereal glow on her features which Rei couldn't help but observe. After everything that had happened she still managed to look like Sleeping Beauty. Her dark lashes fluttered lightly before she wriggled in her seat. She lay still and Rei couldn't help but chuckle at her childish behavior.
He noticed her hair was mussed so he reached a hand out to brush it out of her face, feeling very much like an older brother. After a few more seconds, he started the car.
Author's Notes: So, how many of you spotted the Howl's Moving Castle allusion? And the 1313 Mockingbird Lane? Anyone know where that's from? If you do, you get a cookie. Haha I don't own those either. Thanks Sam, for Shay! She finally appeared! Lol. It was really fun to write her and Tala together. Thank you for the reviews, people. Lol.
In the next chapter it seems like bumping into a person you like or dislike is inevitable. Rolling eyes, sighs, and smirks are all part of the package. Rei now knows that Hileimi's nickname is Baby, but just why is she called that? A quick explanation during a phone call helps him understand.
Now, please review!