Chapter SIXTEEN
How To Fix Things, So EDHK (Everyone Doesn't Hate Kairi)
-Prep my speech to apologize to Sora - 3 pages should be more than enough
-Plan for Talk Take II: Parts A and B, with Selphie and Tidus respectively. Part B should be whatever, Part A's what I'm worried about.
-And also, should probably tell Naminé how thankful I am that she's the only one who hasn't hated me throughout this whole thing yet #yaybesties
Breaking my 22 minute curse motivates me to restart morning practice. Though I'm tempted to sleep in, given it's a Saturday after a particularly exhausting week, I somehow manage to get out of bed by 9:30 AM. I still feel like killing someone when my alarm clock goes off, but the urge quickly fades in place of one of inspiration. You know, that feeling you get when you wake up earlier than everyone else so you can get a head start to the day. Feels pretty good.
After the killing urge though.
Getting dressed takes a little longer than usual, because I forget what workout I usually do on Saturdays. Ultimately, I default to interval training. Grabbing my backpack and breakfast to-go, I head out just a little later than I usually do for morning practice.
My mind's swamped with calculating interval training times and my to-do list today that I'm basically on autopilot until I reach the track. Even then, it takes me a moment to realize there's someone else up at this ungodly hour.
Someone I know, specifically.
Someone I can't see until I've prepared my 3-page speech.
Shit what's Sora doing here?
After processing the thought for a moment, I realize it's less likely that he's ambushing me and more probable that he's been keeping up with morning practices, unlike me. My instinct is to turn around and run, but he's facing my direction and most definitely already saw me. Judging by the fact that he hasn't said anything to acknowledge my existence, I decide the best thing to do is just to carry on with my training. I'll...deal with him later.
As I start my laps, I dimly wonder when 'later' is. Because he's doing some soccer drills on the field, he ends up in my line of sight every time I round a corner. And I'm pretty sure we've made eye contact at least twice. This just makes things even more awkward, and the tension distracts me from my training. I'm pretty sure this is my worst performance since the season started…
Finally unable to bear with his not-so-subtle attempts to constantly angle his body away from me, I come to a stop as I finish another lap. Drawing a deep breath, I start walking in his direction. Nothing to be afraid of, just...apologizing...to Sora…
Ugh, I'm so screwed.
I have no idea what to say when I'm standing by his side, as he prepares to take a penalty kick. Without looking in my direction, he takes his shot. I watch as the ball soars through air and just barely makes it in the goal's far right corner.
"Nice shot," I mumble before I realize what I'm saying.
After a beat, he responds without looking in my direction. "Thanks."
We dally for awhile, each waiting for the other to say something, until Sora finally takes the initiative. By which I mean he leaves to go retrieve the ball. Again, in hindsight, that's a perfectly normal thing for him to do cause he's practicing. But in the moment, I morph things into him choosing to ignore me.
I really don't like being ignored.
When he comes back to take his next shot, I stand squarely between him and the goal. A grin rises to his face. "What are you doing?" he asks whimsically.
"Making your life harder." I smirk. "Come on."
"I'm practicing penalty kicks, Kairi."
"And I'm in your way, so practice getting past a defender instead," I continue. Which reminds me to stay on my toes. I've been to a lot of our soccer team's home games, and I know Sora's fast. Plus, being quick on my feet isn't something that comes naturally to a cross country runner like me. At least not anymore.
Sora takes the most direct route and comes at me, probably thinking it won't be hard to get around me. Well, his first mistake is underestimating me. Surely he hasn't forgotten my achievements in middle school soccer?
A meter away, he dribbles the ball between his feet while trying to figure out how to get past me. But life isn't easy, and he makes his second mistake, which is trying to force his way through.
He's forgiven for this mistake though, because I doubt he knows about my seven years of martial arts training.
Sora rests his arm on me, which I lean into to fight back. Since he's obviously stronger than me, I eventually yield, deftly slipping past him as he falls forward. Stumbling, he reacts just in time to catch his step, but that gives me the opening I need to kick the ball away.
We watch as the soccer ball rolls off, neither of us bothering to chase after it until it comes to a stop. We're both just kinda watching, again like we're waiting for someone - something, anything - to make the first move.
I want to kick myself for being such a coward when Sora speaks first.
"You okay?" he asks.
I appreciate the open-endedness of his question, giving me control over the flow of the conversation. Has Sora always been so...thoughtful? He's literally giving me the perfect chance to…
"I'll go get the ball," I mumble, dashing off before he can see me blush. Because how much more embarrassing can I get? Seriously? Why the hell am I going to get the ball?
I draw a deep breath and count down from 10, working myself up to say two simple words. 'I'm sorry.' I'm sorry for snapping at you. I'm sorry for what I said. I'm sorry that I assumed -
" - assumed, so I made an ass out of me and you."
Standing in front of Sora, I stare at the grassy ground, which sets off the bright red color of his cleats. After a pause, I mentally go through my words. Wait a sec…
"Shit!" I raise my head, looking Sora in the eye. "I didn't mean to call you an ass - just me! I'm the dumbass!"
…
Oh my god why am I actually such a dumbass…
While figuring out how to also apologize for calling him an ass, Sora speaks up first. Or, rather than speak, he decides to laugh.
His chuckles make me grow self-conscious, and I nervously dribble the ball between my feet. "What are you laughing at…" I trail off, less defensive and more insecure.
He finally stops laughing to look at me properly. "Nothing, I wasn't - well, okay I was laughing at you."
Wow, way to poke at someone's wounded ego, Sora. "Yeah, haha, I called myself a dumbass. Sure, whatever, it's not that funny - "
"No, not that - " Sora snickered, "you're just - you're so...unpredictably predictable."
What? Why does Sora always throw around these big, ambiguous words in his speech? "What do you mean?"
"It's just…" He gestures before him, at me presumably, "you...I don't even know how to describe it. You always do something unpredictable that surprises me...to the point that it's predictable."
"...I still don't get what you mean."
"Never mind. What were you saying? You assumed?"
"...right." I inhale deeply, drawing on my remaining reservoirs of courage and honesty. "I...shouldn't have snapped at you. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you at all, it had nothing to do with you - I was just letting out my anger on you cause you were there." I pause, feeling like my apology is missing something. Hmm…
"It's okay," Sora says. I pause and look up upon hearing the calmness in his tone. Why isn't he holding this over me like he usually does? "I was also being difficult. It's not all your fault - I'm sorry too."
"Right. Me too.
…
"And…" I draw a deep breath, "thanks. For a lot of things actually," I say, realizing I do have a lot to thank him for. "For listening to me rant that day. For doing morning practice with me. I swear, only you could drag me out to morning practice and not be killed by the end." Sora laughs at my words, but I'm half-serious. "Really. And - did I tell you? At my last meet, I ran my best time yet." Slowly, a grin stretches across my face. "So...yeah, thanks."
Sora's silent, like he doesn't know what to say. In fact, he's staring at me like he's waiting for me to say something else. But I think that's all I have to say...right? Right.
…?
"...right, yeah, no problem," he rushes out, like he's trying to make up for the extended pause. "I - I mean, morning practice helps me too. And...it was all to make up for you driving me to the hospital that day. So I guess we're even."
"Oh, right. I totally forgot about that." Seriously though, Mrs. Hikari falling sick feels like ages ago. "She's okay now, right?"
"Yeah, better than ever. Back on her feet hosting all her parties again. Hey, you haven't stopped by in awhile. We had the best baklava from this place - you totally missed out."
"Oh my god, what? I feel like you're holding out on me now. Can't bring yourself to think of a friend in need anymore, huh?"
"In need of what? Food? You look like you're eating well."
"...are you implying I'm fat?"
"Wha - no, Kairi, I just - aww c'mon. I'm screwed whatever I say, aren't I?"
I roll my eyes good-naturedly. I'm honestly not that affected by what Sora thinks. "Whatever. Like I care what you think."
"Hey, honestly! I didn't mean to imply anything! You're just trying too hard to read between the lines."
"Like I said: whatever."
"Aww, c'mon. I'm just trying to defend my honor at this point. Kairi? Kairi!"
While my feelings are genuinely not hurt...Sora doesn't know that. So in the meantime, I might as well have fun watching him sweat.
We mess around on the field some more before deciding to call it a day. Or a morning, cause the day's just begun. Not surprisingly, my stomach is screaming for food and I'm more than eager to get brunch.
"You hungry?" Sora asks perceptively with a smirk.
"How can you tell?" I ask as we do some cool down stretches (making our coaches proud since we started doing sports).
"Could've sworn I just heard your stomach grumble."
I pause, cheeks flushing. Though I figure they're red anyways after all the running we did. Well, that's just a little embarrassing...I thought only I could hear it…
"Wanna grab food?" he proposes.
My phone rings at that moment, so I respond as I'm reaching for it. "Yeah...actually, hold on a sec." My eyes skim through Naminé's text and then look up at Sora. "Can Naminé join us?"
"...Naminé? Yeah, sure."
"Okay, cool. Where should we go?" I ask as my fingers start composing a quick reply.
"I'm down with anywhere - you can pick."
"Indecisive." I clucked my tongue disappointedly. "Should we go to that diner on Waver Street again? Last time - " I catch my breath, because I realize that's the place Sora and I...argued last time. But we're past that, right? "Last time...your pancakes were to die for."
Sora chuckles. "Yeah, sure. Just don't actually die for them."
I quickly text Naminé the address and we finish up our stretches. Heading to the girl's locker room, I quickly hit the showers and try not to bask in the warm waters too much. As I'm drying my hair, I catch a glimpse of my outfit in the mirror. I'd changed my top but I'm still wearing my running shorts, cause I thought I'd just be heading home. Do I look a bit too casual…?
Wait, why am I worrying about my outfit? It's just brunch at the diner, with Sora...and Naminé…
My phone rings again - it's Naminé, texting that she's on her way. That prompts me to hurry up and gather my stuff so we can get going. Running out of the locker room, I locate Sora dithering by the school gate entrance. As I dash towards him, he notices me and jerks his head upward in greeting.
"How are we getting there?" he asks.
"I drove here - what about you?" I ask.
"Me too. Are we just gonna drive separately then?"
"That feels redundant. Shouldn't we carpool to save the environment or something?"
Sora stares at me, which makes me feel self-conscious. Did I say something dumb? We carpool to save gas and protect the environment...right?
The corner of his mouth quirks upward. "Sure, Kairi, whatever you say."
"Wait, why are you - "
"How should we do this then? Are you driving, or should I?"
I narrow my eyes at him - or, specifically, his persistent smirk. Why do I feel like I'm missing something?
"Kairi? Kairi."
"...huh?" I must've been focusing too hard, cause it takes me a moment to register he's calling my name.
He laughs again. "You must actually be dying for the pancakes now. C'mon, how are we carpooling?"
I exhale loudly. Sora's sense of humor has always been weird, so he must've just made an inside joke with himself or something. I shouldn't waste my energy trying to figure him out. Clearing my wandering thoughts, I try to focus on the task.
"Okay, okay, let's see…" Why am I making things so difficult? Maybe we should just drive separately. Why did I suggest carpooling again? Ahh, seriously, it's so cold already when it's only October -
Wait, it's November, isn't it? Halloween was a few days ago…
Wait it's the beginning of the month?
I'm seriously lagging in everything - in life.
"Can I head back to my place real quick?" I ask. "It's on the way. I need to grab something."
"What, did you leave your wallet at home? Don't worry - I can pay."
"No, not that. I just - " I pause, biting my tongue before speaking. Why am I making a big deal out of this? "I need to grab...something," I finish lamely, hoping he'll take my words at face value.
Sora pauses for a moment and then nods. "Sure. I'll drop my stuff down too," he says, lifting his duffel bag and soccer ball. "So, how are we doing this?"
Finally, we decide to each drive back to our places separately, do what we need to do, and then Sora will pick me up and drive us over. Cause Sora's car, though I'm loathe to admit, is a lot nicer than my antique baby. Seriously. I don't think Mom's ever gonna buy me a car that nice, even if I graduate college or something.
Once I reach home, I head towards the bathroom and locate my stash of pads. My monthly cycle usually comes on the dot, the fifth of every month, and I'm not taking any chances. While in my room, I decide to change into a pair of jeans, since it'd been colder than I thought outside. Finally, once I have everything, I head to the living room to wait for Sora's text.
"Kairi! Where'd you go in the morning?" Dad asks from the kitchen, sipping his morning coffee.
"Oh, conditioning. I decided to start again," I explain.
"Okay, I see. Plans for today?"
"Gonna grab brunch with Naminé and Sora, and then probably hang out with Naminé." I belatedly realize I'm supposed to be grounded, but...
"Okay, sounds good. Will you be back for dinner?"
Aww yes! He forgot!
"Yeah, we're staying in?"
"Yup. Your mom doesn't have work today, so I think she's making something special tonight! Get back early if you can!"
"Okay!" I chirp as Sora texts that he's here. "See you later, Dad!"
"Have fun!"
He forgot I'm grounded! He and Mom tend to do that - ground me indefinitely and then eventually forget about it cause they're busy with work. Either way, works out for me!
I hop into the passenger's seat of Sora's car, reclining in the comfortable seat. "Hey, do you really need that much leg space?" Sora teases as he watches me adjust the settings.
"Let the runner decide what's best for her legs," I return, crossing my arms. Pausing a moment, I realize he hasn't set off yet. "What?" I prompt. "Did you forget something?"
"...no." He turns his head to focus on the road and adjusts the car to reverse pull out of the driveway. "Let's go."
I'm worried a little by his distractedness, but he's smiling that dumb smirk again so I figure he made another inside joke with himself. Seriously. I'm gonna ask him about it someday.
It's a quick 5-minute drive, so we don't even have much time to talk. As Sora drives around looking for parking, I hop off to join Naminé so she isn't just waiting for us by herself.
"Hey!" Naminé greets, perking up visibly when she sees me. I wave back as I approach and take the seat across from her, grabbing the menu resting on the table. "Where's Sora?" she asks.
"Finding parking. Did you order already?"
"No - well, I ordered a tea for myself, but I figured I'd wait for you guys. Were you two practicing together?"
"Yup. Since it obviously paid off and I broke my 22 minute curse - WOOHOO! - I gotta keep it up, right?" I don't know why I'm even looking through the menu when I know what I want - those to-die-for banana pancakes Sora got last time. "Can we order?"
"Yeah, we could...but shouldn't we wait for Sora?"
"I'll order for him. Otherwise it might be busier by the time he gets here," I insist, raising a hand to catch our server's attention. "Last time we came, he got the pancakes. I mean, you can't go wrong with the pancakes…"
Naminé's quiet, so I look up curiously and notice she's blankly staring before her. "Hey," I prompt, "what're you thinking about?"
She blinks back into a reality and grins shyly. "Huh? Oh, nothing...do you come eat here a lot?"
"Yeah, cause it's close and it's good. Like, good. I don't know why I didn't bring you here sooner - I drag my parents here all the time."
"Yeah, even you and Sora ate here before we did." Naminé pouts good-naturedly before turning towards the server who's finally ready to take our order.
I blink, realizing Naminé's words are true. Since when did Sora and I share things in common that I don't share with Naminé?
The server turns her attention towards me, so my mind's quickly moving on to placing my order. After the server leaves, Naminé and I are somewhat awkwardly silent for awhile. I'm just trying to figure out why we're suddenly out of things to say to each other...
"Hey!" Sora's perky voice breaks up the awkwardness a little as he sits down next to Naminé. "Sorry, I was looking for street parking but couldn't find any so I ended up at the parking lot."
"What?" I exclaim. "It costs like 3 bucks an hour there!"
"It's not that bad," Naminé insists, to which Sora agrees and I gape. Mom would kill me if she sees a parking ticket for more than $2/hour.
"Did you guys order already?" Sora asks, looking around probably to ask for a menu.
"Yeah, and we ordered for you too," Naminé says. "She said you got banana pancakes last time so we got that. Is that okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, that's perfect, thanks. They were super good last time." He laughs, glancing at me. "Maybe you should order your own stack this time so I can actually enjoy my own this time."
"Hey, I didn't eat that many last time!" I protest.
Amidst our chatter, the food comes quickly enough on a busy Saturday morning. Sora and I dig into our respective stacks of pancakes while Naminé gapes at the size of her plate.
"I - I didn't realize there's this much food!" she exclaims, a fork poking at her eggs.
"Yeah, they're known for their large portions here. Makes the price almost worth it." I snort. "Sorry, should've remembered to tell you."
Naminé turns towards Sora. "If I have any leftovers, do you want any?"
Sora blinks, a forkful of pancake midway to his mouth. "Uh, yeah. I mean, I probably eat the most out of all of us, right?" He chuckles, and Naminé laughs along.
"Or you could get it to-go!" I chirp.
"I don't like reheated eggs though," Naminé pouts, finally lifting her fork. "They taste...rubbery."
"You're right," Sora chimes in, "nothing beats fresh breakfast food!"
They devolve into a conversation about their favorite breakfast foods while I'm left wondering if I should stuff myself or ignore their words and just take my leftovers to-go. Jeez, reheated pancakes still taste good, don't they?
"So, you two are doing morning practice together again?" Naminé asks.
"Yup. Well, I just started again today. Cause of EHK - "
"Everyone Hates Kairi," Naminé explains to Sora. She pauses for a moment and then chuckles. "Kairi does this thing where - "
"She makes these short abbreviations for things in her life?" Sora finishes Naminé's sentence. He laughs at Naminé's shocked expression. "Yeah, I've noticed. There was BB - Big Betrayal, right? And then there was Talk-with-a-capital-T...am I missing anything?"
"Well, I see you're all caught up on Kairi's life," Naminé chuckles.
Sora grins. "Not everyone makes funny little acronyms for everything in life."
"Well, anyways, now that we're on the same page," I clear my throat, seizing the metaphorical speaking floor, "I stopped cause of EHK but I'm gonna get back into it. Or at least try."
"Wait, what does EHK mean?" Sora interrupts.
"Naminé just said - Everyone Hates Kairi," I deadpan.
"No, I mean - why did Everyone Hate Kairi? Figuratively speaking." He snorts. "I still can't get over these abbreviations…"
"Hey!" I frown, feeling like he's laughing at me again. "And, cause, everyone hated me. Except Naminé," I hastily amend my words, shooting my bestie a friendly smile. "Selphie and Tidus were mad at me, you were mad at me, even my mom and dad grounded me for bad grades...literally everyone - except Naminé - hated me."
"You're only just exaggerating a little," Sora says.
"And E-D...E-D-H-K-A!" Naminé exclaims cheerfully. I blink, wondering what in the world she's talking about. "Everyone...Everyone Doesn't Hate Kairi Anymore!" she explains with a smile. "Right?" She looks at Sora curiously. "You guys...made up, or whatever, right?"
I have to laugh at Naminé's acronym-making skills - obviously still needs work. "Sure. We're finally on our way to EDHK - Everyone Doesn't Hate Kairi!" I cheer, throwing my hands up excitedly. The two people across from me join in halfheartedly, which I'll just appreciate and not ask what they're laughing at (not me, right?).
"So, since we're cool and you're here so that means you're not grounded anymore…" Sora eyes me curiously, "you just have to talk to Selphie and Tidus, right?"
My mood plummets at the mention of Talk Take II. Or, specifically, Talk Take II: Part B, with Selphie. Part A will probably go something along the lines of waiting for everything to blow over, which is how my arguments with Tidus usually go. I'm still trying to figure Selphie out though.
"Yeah...we'll see," I murmur, focusing on my food.
"I'm glad things are working out," Naminé smiles encouragingly. "Go Kairi!"
"Thanks Naminé." I manage a smile. Thinking about Talk Take II makes me nervous so I quickly change the subject.
We complain about homework, strict teachers, and the rapidly dropping temperature for the remainder of brunch. After eating, Sora says he has to head back home while Naminé and I make plans to hang out for the rest of the day.
"Hey Kairi," Sora asks as we're heading out of the diner.
"Huh?"
"I was wondering...did you really wanna go back just to put on a pair of pants?"
I pause, a shiver running up my spine. Wha - how did - how'd he even notice I switched out my shorts?
He chuckles, probably cause I can imagine I'm making a funny face. "I'm still trying to figure out exactly what you went back to get...and all I've noticed is you came back wearing jeans."
"I went back to get pads, Sora. Just FYI," I blurt out before I can stop myself.
Sora and I both turn away from each other, cause this conversation's getting a little out of hand. Naminé, on the other hand, just laughs out loud.
"You two are so cute," she says between chuckles.
"Hey! I'm cute, Sora's not," I insist.
"Why can't I be cute?" Sora pouts. "I'm cute too."
"Go be cute in front of another girl till she has to mention her pads."
"...I'm sorry, Kairi!"
Well. At least he has the decency to blush.
A/N: I'M BACK.
(Not that I actually went anywhere geographically, I mean maybe figuratively in online space - )
Ahem. I hope everyone's doing well!
I don't have much to say except that I finished my test, #bless the weather's finally warm enough for dresses, and being away from writing has really made me miss it. So have no fear, this fic will be here till it's finished - I promise!
I hope you've enjoyed C16 and leave any questions or comments if you have any.Also, look forward to the next chapter, aka Let's Continue Resolving Subplots!