Alvina's mouth dropped in awe as she looked at the biggest mall she had ever seen. Kento reached over and closed her mouth for her, which also brought her back to earth. They five boys laughed and Alvina tacked the closest one to her, which was Rowan.
"I have never been to a place this big before," she said as the group walked through the front doors. "This is a place that would make King Kong proud."
"You mean Godzilla," Kento corrected. "King Kong was China."
"Kento, who cares?" Rowan said rolling his eyes. "So how are we gonna do this?"
"Rowan, from what Cye told me, you are the nerd-type guy. You go wherever it is and get me my schoolbooks. Here's a list of the books I need. Ryo, you're the sports man. Get me whatever I might need for PE. Here is my cell number if you need my sizes for anything. Kento, when lunch comes, you have the duty to direct me to the best places in the Food Court. Cye, Sage… you two get the honor of escorting me to the shops where I can get my uniform."
After Alvina gave each of them the estimated amount of money they would need (with wide eyes from all of them when she pulled out the wad of yen) they all went their respected ways.
Cye watched as Alvina flipped through the racks of clothes. Sage explained to her that she would need a white dress shirt, a black or blue skirt that ranges from one inch either above or below the knee and a matching colored jacket with a black tie.
"I wear whatever compliments my hair," she said with a fake girly smile. "That and I just like the colors black and blue. One of each should work so I don't have to wear the same thing every day."
So it was settled. Alvina picked out one of everything. After checking out, they met up with Ryo and they all headed to the Shoe shop to get her some sneakers for PE and regular dress shoes for school.
Alvina bought two pairs of black slip-ons, each having a one-inch heel. She also bought a pair of sneakers that matched her light blue sports outfit Ryo got her. He also picked out some sparring pads, colored light blue as well, just in case she had that this year. After they checked out there, they headed for the Food Court where Kento went and did what he does best. Alvina was caught trying a little bit of everything thanks to him.
After eating, they headed to the bookstore to see what was keeping Rowan. He was just coming out with three large bags of very heavy books. Alvina looked in one of them and pulled out a three-pound book on Physics.
"This doesn't look at all like the junior copy I have at home," she said.
"The Headmaster's notes say that you're taking senior classes. This is a senior copy. That, and you'll be taking Physics."
"I'm just gonna adore this school," she said sarcastically.
As they finished the shopping, they decided to walk around the mall after putting the bought items in the trunk of the car. Alvina looked around at all of the stores with wide eyes. You could fit Buckingham Palace in the mall. Cye got into the shopping mood when Alvina directed them towards a small Sea Shop.
Cye looked through the different posters of marine animals while Rowan looked through the books on different aquatic life. Sage searched through the collection of seashells and crafted jewelry while Ryo went through the racks of clothes. Cye looked around for Alvina and found her over by the display of surfboards. He made his way over to her, and closer he came, the more descriptive her face became as she looked intently at a white surfboard with a pattern of blue and pink cherry blossoms.
"You like surfing?" he asked.
"No," she said. "I love it."
"Really?" Cye couldn't believe that he had more in common with her than he was with himself. He glanced to where Sage was and saw that he was whispering to Ryo about something that he agreed with.
"That's what I like about Cardiff," Alvina continued, bring Cye's attention to her again. "I mean, the place has okay surfing in the summer, but you get all that trash with it. I was hoping I'd get some surfing here, but my mother demanded that I leave my board at home. She said that this was not a vacation and that I had to concentrate on my continued studies.
"My father left me his entire life savings here in Japan. I've been good in using it for emergencies and school expenses. That's really what we agreed it was for. If I only had some pocket money, I'd buy this very board."
Cye was going crazy. Even though he didn't show it, he was fighting himself to control the urge to throw himself all over her. Luckily (and unluckily), an all too familiar voice broke his attention.
"Mouri!" Cye and the others, including Alvina looked toward the entrance to the shop. There, in his usual black attire, was Darres.
Out of all the places to see this jerk, it has to be here and now? Cye hit his head against the surfboard closest to him and cursed under his breath. Darres had made his way over to where he and Alvina were standing. Kento, Ryo, Sage and Rowan all closed in, ready to defend their friends if need be. They all knew about Darres and his egotistical attitude. But they were mostly worried about what he and the two other jerks he was with would do to Alvina.
"Aren't you a pretty blossom," he said to Alvina. "What are you doing hanging around these weeds?" Darres held out his hand in front of her and she took it in hers. "Darres Hiarai, at your service."
"Alvina Hoppkins, foreign exchange." Darres pulled his hand away and shoved his fists into his pockets, his two friends doing the same.
"Now," he continued. "Why would a nice girl like you be hanging around a pathetic group like this?"
"Pathetic?"
Cye looked at her, as did the others. Cye didn't know what Darres was trying to do, but it seemed to be working with the look on Alvina's face.
"How are they pathetic?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"Well, Ryo here; he's too wound up in his soccer game to have a life. I never see him off of the field. I was thrown for a loop when I saw him at the mall on a Saturday. I honestly don't know why Sam is still with him, concerning he wouldn't even have time for her."
Ryo growled and made a move towards Darres. If it weren't for Rowan, he'd be all over the other boy.
"As for Blue Boy," Darres continued. "He's MIA all the time. I mean, I never saw Rowan read so many books. He's always at the library. I honestly don't know why he still goes. He had to have read them all four times already."
Now it was Ryo's turn to hold Rowan back. Alvina seemed to pay no attention to them, and how much Darres was pushing everything to the limit. But she did.
"And Nature Boy here… I don't even know nor want to know what Sage does with his time. And Kento should be in the circus with the way he eats. He's like a cow."
Ryo and Rowan both had to hold back their other two friends. Alvina made no move to do anything as she just stood there with realization in her eyes.
Darres, you lying bastard. Cye was getting sick of him, and fast.
"But Cye here," Darres said hitting Cye on the back like a good buddy. "He just wishes he could compete with me on the Swim team." Cye flipped,
"That's a lie and you damn well know it Darres!" he said. "I never thought you would stoop this low to actually think you're faster than me in the water. You're just ticked because I always finish seconds before you. Get real."
"You see how he denies it?" Alvina looked at Cye and the others. This went on long enough in her opinion. Nobody does that to her new friends and gets away with it. She looked at Darres and smiled at him, like she was flirting.
"Wow," she said. "I never knew…"
"Yeah, I know. I figured I had to tell you that you're walking with the wrong group."
"… that you are so bad at reading that you make it look like a bad thing."
"What?" Cye and the others looked at Alvina with the same question.
"You heard me," Alvina said getting harder with her words. "I can't believe that you would bad mouth literature that way. You probably never have been into a library before. I was surprised to hear that you are so out of sync with the world around you to put Sage's meditation techniques in the spot like that. I guess you never heard the wind sing or the land speak."
"Take it easy girly." Alvina was walking toward Darres and his friends. He put up his arms as to shield himself as they backed through the store towards the front doors. Alvina continued as the five boys looked at her.
"As for land sports, I bet you can't even kick a soccer ball into the net two feet away, and that you wouldn't know good cuisine even if it bit you on the ass.
"I'm also the exchange student from England. I will be going to Han A' High so I'll be sure to stop by the team while you practice to see how bad you are compared to the worst swimmer there."
"What is your problem?"
"My problem are punks like you bad mouthing the virtues of the only friends I have here in Japan, and to do it in front of me makes me sick. I just hope that the next time you say something like that, that you look around in every nook and cranny to make sure I am not listening. Why? Because I will find out, and I will kick your ass al over Japan if you do. Now get the hell out of my face before my Cardiff rep catches up with me."
Darres and his two followers bolted out of the open doors and ran down the room and out of sight. Alvina turned and looked at the five who were wide eyed at what happened.
"I know it's sort of weird to have o girl fight for you," she said. "But nobody bad mouths my only friends like that and gets away with it. Darres Hiarai has mad an enemy today whether he knows it or not."
"Alvina," Kento said. "You're just gonna have to move in with us for good. I don't want you to go back to England." The others nodded their agreement. "We'd miss you too much."
And that's the truth, Cye thought.
After spending most of the day at the park, they all decided to head out for dinner, since nobody wanted to cook. Alvina learned more about her new friends as they learned more about her.
"Okay Alvina," Kento said. "Series of questions. Favorite color, favorite movie, favorite pastime activity, favorite quote, favorite food, favorite animal, favorite gem, and favorite book or series. You have ten seconds… go!"
"Blue and white, Pirates of the Caribbean, swimming or surfing, 'Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday', fried rice, dolphin, aquamarine, Vampire Game Manga Series. How did I do?"
"You know what you like," Sage said looking at his watch. "Nine seconds."
"What's the one thing you cherish above all," Rowan asked. "And what's right under that?"
"My friends and family are priceless to me," Alvina answered. "Under that, my love for the ocean. I grew up around water, so I feel very comfortable around it. I wouldn't do so good if I was in a desert or cooped up very far inland without a lake or something."
"Wow," Ryo said nudging Sage to follow along. "You and Cye are almost exact copies of each other."
Cye looked at Ryo and tried to kick him under the table. Ryo moved his legs up onto the booth and Sage just winked at him. Cye blushed lightly and was grateful at Alvina didn't notice.
"So," he said, trying to change the topic. "What else do you do in Cardiff?"
"Tons of things," Alvina said. "I have this group I hang out with twice a week. I wouldn't call them friends though. It's one of those 'plus/negative' friendships. The entire group gets in trouble; they run and pin it on the runt. I was the runt. I got into doing a bunch of other productive activities to make an excuse to keep away from them. I still hang with them, but rarely since I was tagged by the police."
"Can you name some?" Sage asked. Alvina took a sip from her glass of Sierra Mist and thought about how much to say.
"I swim in the community pool any chance I get. Like I said this morning, I would go over to a family's house and sleep over and work as a nanny fir their two kids on weekends. I also sing at the community center and I take language lessons. I also work at a day care every day after school and teach art lessons. I also take them myself.
"People say I can't be human to do all of that and not be over stressed or tired. That and I have my own jerks like Darres to worry about. But they help me with anger management from time to time."
Buy that time, the food had arrived so the talking stopped as they ate. Knowing Kento, he was done before the plates touched the table. It was late when they finally made their way back to the Koji Manor. Alvina tried to keep her eyes open, but the motion of Ryo's jeep lulled her to sleep.
Cye watched as Alvina placed her head on his shoulder. Sage looked back from the front seat and Ryo glanced into the rearview mirror. Cye looked at them and sighed.
"Shut up," he whispered, not wanting to hear this topic again. Once at the manor, Kento carried Alvina into the house. Sage unzipped her boots and placed them by the door. They all followed Cye up the stairs and Kento placed her on her bed. Rowan pulled the sheets around her said good night to the others before heading to his room. Kento also said good night and went to his room.
Sage, Ryo and Cye were the last three. They stood outside her door and looked at her. Sage turned off the overhead light, and they smiled as they saw what Alvina did to the room. They looked at the string of lights around the metal headboard and at the different pictures and sketches around the room. Cye closed the door after he saw Salem slip inside and onto the bed.
"She'd like a female copy of you Cye," Sage pointed out again.
"Your point?" he asked coolly.
"Look, she fell asleep on your shoulder. I was watching. She was in a position where she would have done that to Rowan, but she moved at the last minute. She likes you man, and I know you have to like her too. It's in your eyes."
Without waiting for a reply, Ryo and Sage walked down the hall to their rooms, leaving Cye alone in the hallway. He opened the door a crack and looked back inside at Alvina's sleeping form.
Truth be told, he did like her. A lot. Maybe Ryo and Sage happened to come across the correct match for him after all. Watching her, he had a strange twisted feeling in his stomach. He knew it had to be that four lettered word, but he was sure Alvina must only see him as a friend… or did she?