The Boys Next Door
Chapter Four: I could live with them
The park was small and old. It had been built ages ago by the residence of the house before Ichigo and her family had moved in. It's metal slide and poles where rusted and the wood that created the ladder and plate form was decaying. The plastic seat to the swings had somehow tore and had holes in them. It's once black outer covering now dull with gray patches.
Ichigo had always come to this place in the past. She never had anything to do other than play with her ball and set on her acclaimed swing seat. The one with the gray spot that was shaped like a cat and the rusting chain that held the seat up spiraled around like its tail.
She didn't particularly like the park. It was small and had nothing but a slide, a jungle gem and two swings. But it was always a place for her to go when she was tired of the heat beating on her. For the park was sheltered by the canopies of the trees that bordered the woods behind the houses. To her…this was like her second home, but here she was alone.
Mrs. Momomiya held her arms as she looked out the kitchen window. She saw her daughter setting alone (as usual) at the park. It bothered her that Ichigo never had anyone to play with. All the neighbors were either old and their children had grown up or they were young with out the spark of desire to have them. They had thought numerous times if they should move someplace else but Ichigo had always rejected it. Saying that she was used to it. But it hurt Mrs. Momomiya to know that her daughter had gotten used to being alone. To not having anyone. She was a child and should be surrounded by kids her age. She should be able to have a real childhood with sleepovers, and parties, and playing with dolls in each others room.
With friend... But no. Ichigo had barley touched a thing in her room. Her toy box was full of toys yet none she ever touched. Only her ball that she played with endlessly as if she where lost in her own little world.
Mrs. Momomiya was filled with so much hope when the two new families had moved in and they both had a child about Ichigo's age. She thought it was finally a chance to get her daughter to act like a normal girl but it seemed that she wasn't used to the company and was pushing them away.
Ichigo's mother caught sight of the boy with blonde hair walking towards the park. He held her ball in his hands. She leaned over and pressed her face to the window. Wondering what was going on. The boy stopped in front of Ichigo and she slowly lifted her head. She couldn't tell if they were talking but the blond one handed her, her ball. She looked down at it for a moment then sat up and stood a few feet from him. She then tossed him the ball! Mrs. Momomiya's face broke open into a bright smile. Ichigo had actually tossed the ball to another person! She wasn't playing by herself! Mrs. Momomiya was so happy that she leaped away from the window and started rummaging through the cabinets. She knew exactly what she was going to do.
When Ryou had come up to Ichigo handing her back her ball. She was a little surprised. She didn't show it. But she was. After setting there in silence for a moment she decided to get it over it and try. She stood up and stepped way from him. He portrayed no kind of emotion in his face with she found strange. The kids on TV always had something about them on there faces. To show anger, giddiness, shyness, or something. He showed nothing. Unlike the Masaya that always smiled at her. But Masaya and Ryou were cute. Ichigo almost smiled to herself as she thought about it. She then tossed Ryou the ball. He caught it and raised an eyebrow. She slightly smiled and he tossed her the ball back. When it came to her she looked at it for a moment. She had never had the ball come back to her with out throwing it against something. She then decided she liked it and threw the ball back at Ryou.
They continued this game as Ichigo became slowly more and more comfortable with another person. Her smile then grew bigger as Masaya all of a sudden showed up sanding a few feet away from them both. Ryou only slightly glanced at him. When the ball came back to Ichigo she tossed it towards Masaya. He barely caught it, and looked up at them bewildered.
"Toss it back to Ryou." She said. He then tossed it to Ryou and, Ryou tossed it to her who tossed it to Masaya. It was so different from throwing it against the wall or the ground that she actually began to like them.
I could live with them, she thought to herself.
End Chapter Four: I could live with them. I'll try to update it at least once a week – Beloved Kitten