Chapter 23: Rest

I have half a mind to run after him and smack him around, but I decide that doing so would be playing right into his stupid, spiky headed plans, so I turn on my heel and stamp off towards the hotel. He's gone in the opposite direction, and I wonder for a second where he's going, before deciding that I don't care, I never cared, and I never will care. Stupid, insensitive, spineless jerkoff! Asshole! Bastard!

I fling open the double doors of the entrance, ignoring the surprised stares of the few people lounging around in the lobby, and fully intending to storm upstairs and slam my room door in typical fourteen-year-old fashion. Before I can set off, though, a slight man with ruffled brown hair taps my shoulder. I whirl around on him, probably looking like I'm about to breathe fire or bite his legs off, and he flinches visibly.

"Er, sorry to bother you, miss, but I need you to... erm..." he gestures lamely towards a square box with a hole in the top, and I give him an incredulous look.

"What? What do you want?"

"Well, you need to pick a number for tomorrow." he elaborates, and I wave him away.

"Pick for me then." And I set off again, only to be shouted back by the man.

"Sorry, but it has to be you. Fairness and all that."

I feel like screeching at him to leave me alone, but somehow manage to compose myself for long enough to pick a number, get halfway up the stairs, realise I don't have my key, go back down to the reception and get it, go back up the stairs, unlock my room door, and close it relatively softly. Then I lean back against it, letting out a scream of annoyance.

I hate him. Seriously, all he does is mess with my head. Does he get some sort of twisted entertainment out of it, out of making me feel as if I can let my vulnerable side show and then offering nothing in return? I thought relationships were supposed to be a two-way thing? Well, if he thinks I'm here to be his plaything, he's dead wrong. And I'll tell him so if he shows up to see me again. Not that I want him to. As I said earlier, I hate him.

For the first time since I got into the room, I notice that my bag containing the belongings I brought with me is sitting on the bed. And that the bed looks terribly inviting. There's a chair diagonally across from it, and a window on the opposite wall with a view of the sea. Facing the chair is an open doorway that leads to the bathroom - en-suite, I note with approval. Speaking of which, I really could do with a shower. Nervous sweating and Hwo's cigarette smoke doesn't make for a particularly pleasant smelling Xiao. Still annoyed beyond belief, I throw off my clothes and step into the shower cubicle, taking a look at the set of switches in front of me. Okay, I'm assuming the red button is the 'on' switch, and that the tap is for adjusting the temperature. I have no idea what the other three buttons are for, and I'm not going to waste my time finding out. I'm really not in the mood.

As if to spite me, as soon as I reach for the 'on' switch, a cheerful melody starts up. Someone with the worst timing ever is ringing me. I hope it's mum, and then at least I can bitch at her until I feel better. I wrap a fluffy pink towel from the rack around me and stomp over to my bag to retrieve the phone, glaring at the lit-up-screen. It's Miharu.

"What's up?" I sigh, adjusting the towel and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"That doesn't sound too good." she replies. "I was just ringing to find out how you were doing."

"Great. Things are perfect."

"Okay, what happened?"

"I hate him."

"Again?" I can hear the laughter in her voice. "I'm sure you'll feel differently tomorrow."

"No, seriously, I hate him. I could just about strangle him, Miharu."

"Why?"

I recap our conversation, and Miharu makes a little noise of disbelief.

"I could just strangle you both."

"What? Why me?"

"Because! You're as bad as he is. What did you want him to say to that anyway?"

I consider her question for a minute. I'd not thought that far. But still, he should have said something other than 'get some rest', right? Maybe put an arm around me or something and actually made it seem that he wanted to hear me say what I said? Because seriously, the way he reacted? Not exactly reassuring.

"I don't know, Miharu. But I didn't want him to fall over himself trying to get away from me, that much is certain."

"You didn't just let him go, did you?"

"Yes, I just let him go. I'd have ripped his arms off and beat him to death with them if I stayed around him another minute." Not really true, because it wasn't until he was already out of sight that the full force of my anger kicked in.

"Jeez, I should knock both your heads together. Jin's obviously lacking in relationship skills, and - "

"He'll be lacking in other things if I get hold of him." I snap.

"And..." she continues, ignoring my comment. "If he's gonna keep disappointing you like this..."

Disappointing?

"Odd choice of words." I interrupt.

"What?"

"Disappointing. Don't you mean 'being a complete moron'?"

"That too." she laughs. "But think about it. You're upset because you expected him to act differently than he did. I'd have thought you'd have known better by now. From what I gather, as soon as you start to show serious feelings for him, he takes off. "

"You think I'm expecting too much?" I ask, no longer annoyed beyond measure, instead rather confused.

"Not too much. But you're expecting..."

"So I shouldn't expect anything? I shouldn't mind if he goes running in the opposite direction as soon as I think we're getting somewhere?"

"You should kick him in the head. See if it knocks any sense into him."

Or maybe I should try and find out why us getting closer makes him want to go further away. Or maybe he should grow up. I don't know.

"I'm tired of it, Miharu. I'm sixteen, for goodness sake! I've got bigger things to worry about right now than stupid Jin's stupid issues. I have my first fight tomorrow. I shouldn't be dealing with this stuff right now."

"...I hate to say it, but you should get some rest." she tells me, echoing Jin's 'advice' from earlier. I have a sudden desire to hurl the phone at the wall.

But I don't. Instead, I say goodbye to Miharu, drop my phone back into my bag, and curl up on the bed to take a quick nap. It's two-thirty, and dinner isn't while five. The shower can wait.