Chapter 16
Protective
Point of View: Janice
My tranquil eyes drifted over to the dainty little curtains. They were nice to look at, the colors light and soothing. Little pink buds dotted the sky blue and white background of it. And it was see-though. My hand ascended up to the window by my bed, my fingers grasping the cotton material with ease. I released. A gentle breeze sent the fabric flying about. I sighed peacefully.
Sunshine poured into my room. Quite reluctantly, I brought myself to stand up, and stretch. A yawn escaped my mouth as I made my way downstairs. This was no morning wakeup, it was a lovely autumn noon, and I was currently home during my break. I had another class in an hour, my basketball class, to be exact, though I really don't consider it to be a 'class.' I have fun in this course, and despite how positive I try to seem in my other classes, they are all a bore. Though, my other two classes are enjoyable in their own ways, I am glad to get them over with in the mornings.
I opened the front door, Sora on the other side, just reaching for the knob. I grinned as I stepped aside to let him in. He always came back at this time. Sora just walked past me, silent. Strange.
"What?" I asked, "No hug, or 'Hey Janice!' today?"
He just walked up the stairs into his room without another word. I sighed. He's been acting like this all morning, but I just assumed it was something he'd shake off. I strolled into the kitchen for a glass of water. Last night, he had told me all of the events of that evening. I can't say I wasn't in complete shock when he finished his story.
Kairi...kissing another guy? I mean, she just doesn't seem like the one who'd kiss anyone, if not Sora! Those two are just so perfect for each other; I can't believe Kairi could really find someone to take Sora's place! Well, perhaps they really were never in the same place. Perhaps Sora really was the only one dwelling in the past, maybe Kairi never really had strong feelings for him. Maybe this is just for the best.
Sora and I walked around the school campus. Our last classes had just finished, a few minutes prior. I wiped a droplet of sweat from my forehead. Goodness, practice could really take the life out of me! I leaned slightly on Sora as we emerged from the building, my balance relying partly on him. I started an easy conversation with him as we walked past the many other students. He finally started talking to me again, of course, I could sense he was obviously still heartbroken, but he was putting up an effort to get over her. I respected him for that.
"I'm tired, Sora!" I whined.
"What do you want me to do? Carry you?" Sora joked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"That'd be great, thanks."
Of course Sora ignored my biddings, and left me to tread on, weak and helpless. Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating quite a bit, but he could have at least offered to carry my stuff! I slumped lifelessly on him, a weary sigh escaping my mouth.
I groaned loudly at an attempt to provoke him, or at least get some of the life back into him. Usually, his response would be some sort of tease, like, "Ah, tough, sucker!" or at least something to that effect. I groaned louder. This should get on his nerves sooner or later...
Groan.
"Shut up."
"Why?"
"'Cause."
"'Cause why?"
"'Cause I said so."
"And...?"
"JUST SHUT UP!"
"Why?"
Well, that went on for a while. I got him talking to me...if you call that talking... But that loosened him up a bit. He managed to smile a little and laugh...but shakily. Well...I'll just annoy him until he's back to normal! He can't stay like this for too long, not with me on the case!
We walked on home, leaving the campus grounds behind. Footsteps. Hmm... I looked back. Was someone following us? There was nobody that I could see. We were already one or two blocks away from the school...and I'm pretty sure no one, well at least no one I knew of lived in this neighborhood...
I peeked at Sora, apparently he hadn't heard it. Maybe it was just me... I shrugged off the feeling.
"So..." I started a new subject, hoping to break the silence between us, "You want me to help you find a girlfriend?" I smiled sweetly, so not to offend him in anyway.
He grinned goofily, "Well, you have good taste in girls?"
"Well..." I trailed off...then suddenly, it didn't sound right, "Hey!"
So, I guess our little walk was filled with laughs. Footsteps. I was not imagining things. I whirled around, as if I were some sort of secret agent, off to catch the baddie in the act. I guess I thought it was a mugger or rapist. Memories of Greg filled my mind...
Another college girl stood there, her hair a strawberry blonde, defiant eyes hazel. A few random freckles dotted her cheeks. Ahh...I recognized this girl from passing her a few times in the halls. But, I didn't care who she was, just that she was stalking us!
"Okay, who are you, and why are you following us?!" I demanded.
"Oh, I know her, she has all the same classes as me," Sora stepped in.
"Oh..." I mumbled, a blush rising onto my cheeks.
"Yeah..." she replied, looking at me as if I were crazy, "I was 'stalking' you 'cause I wanted to tell you something, Sora."
Okay, I don't give who she is, I just don't like her. Sora looked like he wouldn't mind if he were on another planet. I rolled my eyes. This girl slightly reminded me of the Wendy I hated...
"Look, we don't have all day," I stated rudely when she paused.
She glared at me. "Well, all of my friends thought I should tell you this—"
"That's very nice," I interrupted, once again, curtly, "Are you done yet?"
She rolled her eyes and ignored me, and directed her attention once more to Sora, acting as if I weren't there. "Well, I have this huge crush on you, and you know, we'd make such a cute couple! So, how 'bout it?"
I choked, and almost threw up, as Sora just stood there, speechless. He started to speak, and to my horror, it didn't sound like a rejection tone.
"Breanne, I—"
"Actually, it's Brittany," she smiled oh-so-sweetly with a flick of her hair.
"Okay," Sora said, not really caring, "I'd lo—"
"I'm sorry," I quickly cut in, "But Sora's kind of taken, too bad!"
"Oh..." she replied, disapproval in her tone, "By you?"
"What?!" I cried.
"Good luck," she said bitterly to Sora, and walked off without a second word.
Well, that leaves two of us speechless. I couldn't help but hate her. Gosh, what would've happened if I had let Sora say 'yes?' I know he's all heartbroken and stuff right now, but that's still no reason to go out with someone like her! I averted my gaze to the cement sidewalk, my face burning up. I could feel Sora's stare on me, and the shade on my face deepened. I hadn't meant it like that!
"What was that for?" he asked, his tone slightly angered.
"What was what for?" I turned the question around at an attempt to save myself, as I hurried down the street
"You were the one who said I should get a girlfriend, and now this really pretty girl that I really like, whom I might be meant to be with wants to get with me, and you turn her down for me!" Sora answered, his pace quick, and expression irritated.
"That you really like?!" I shouted back at him, my steps halting, "You didn't even know her name!"
"So?" Sora shot back, "We could've gotten to know each other better!"
"Oh please!" I cried, aggravated, "The only reason you wanted to be her boyfriend is 'cause you just can't get over the fact that Kairi's moved on, that you'd just take any lousy girl! You've become so blind, that you can't even see what kind of person she is! You're just being such a child!"
"Oh, am I the only one being childish?!" he cried, frustrated, "What about you and Sean? You say you're in love with him, yet you show nothing for him, and you know what? He doesn't care for you either! You know why? 'Cause he's got Wendy!"
Tears slipped down my cheeks as I thought of him. Anger rose inside of me and I glared hard at Sora. He had no right to say that, he had no right to say he ever had feelings for Kairi; he really was being a child. No, not maybe, they never were an item! They were over years ago! He is being a child for holding onto that! And he is being an idiot for insulting me.
My palms were sweaty; they had formed a tight fist. I was so angry...so angry at him that I couldn't even say anything. My breath was shaky and heavy. Now, I was really burning up, but not of embarrassment, oh no. I dug my nails into my hands, cutting in so deep, blood almost crept out. I have never been so outraged in my whole life!
Sora's face softened a bit as he realized what he had just said. I gritted my teeth together, my head slowly shaking as I backed away, slowly. He had no right to bring Sean into this. That was just the last straw...
"Janice, I'm—"
I never gave him a chance. I didn't want to hear his words right now, they were just bull. I took off in a full out sprint. My feet were on fire, and showed no signs of slowing down soon. My tears finally erupted, the full content of his words exploding upon me.
"He doesn't care for you either! You know why? 'Cause he's got Wendy!"
He knew exactly why I'm not with him right here, right now, and yet he's found a way to use that against me. I could hear his quick footsteps behind me in pursuit. I quickened my pace.
"Janice!"
I felt him grab my wrist. My strength gave out, and I just broke down crying. My energy just vanished, and I could feel myself sinking down to my knees. Sora caught me. My entire balance relied on him now. I wanted him to let me go, to let me sink into the earth, and just be alone, but I knew he wouldn't. He held me tight, and I pressed my face into his chest. How cruel the world seemed right now...
Author's Notes: I know, I know, took me long enough! Yeah, I make you guys wait all this time...for this?! Yeah, this was one of my 'extra chapters' which have practically no effect on the final outcome of it all. (Sorry, Brittany, had to make you bad!) But I swear, the next chapter will be MUCH better! No, I have NOT been busy, I have been lazy. nods proudly Oh, well, amidst all my laziness, I've thought of a few more ideas! But...I don't really know what to do with them... Thanks for everyone who's been nice enough to review my newest one shot, "Caught in the Past!" I got so many nice reviews! I got a lot of 'that was beautiful!'-s! And I got a lot of 'poor Sora!'-s for the last chapter! I'll be doing those reviews here too.
Ooh...I finally got this CD, JoJo, that I've been looking for, for weeks! They're always out at the stupid store! I'm so inspired by the songs! It makes me want to be nice to my stories for once! But...it kind of makes me want to put in more angst! chuckles evilly
"Caught in the Past" reviews
daea: I'm so glad you liked it! Yeah...sometimes it is hard to find something good to read, but currently, I have such a great selection to choose from!
Zanisha: Whoohoo! I'm going on Zanisha's favorites! Lolz, you're reviews are always so nice!
Daggerly: Yeah! I just wrote the best one shot Dagger-lie's ever read! (that's gonna be your nickname till I think of a better one) You've NEVER cried? Gosh, I cry over a lot of stuff! Movies...books...'Maiselph'... Oh yeah, I'm evil! Yayz! I've made it on Daggerly's favorites too!
Astaldotholwen: Yayz-ness! I am so glad you liked it! You even mentioned me in your own one shot! Personally, I don't believe in ghosts. They are make believe creatures used for movies and stories. Lolz. So sorry about your friend! Sorry if I made you sad about her!
madcow863: Aww...that's gotta suck for you! Well, at my school, all the guys like the stupid sluts who wear lots of makeup, carry purses just for the heck of it, wear frickin' short skirts, and just look...evil... thinking of Kelly Humphrey But...I've got lots of guy friends, so I don't mind. Yeah, I didn't cry either, but then again, I'm the one who wrote it... Well, yeah, I'm not one to cry either, but I've never made anyone cry, so this is kinda cool!
Aree: So glad you liked! It took me...like two or three days to write, so I think I probably could've done better, but I'm still proud of my work!
Lvkishugs: Yeah, that's supposed to be her daughter, come on, you don't really expect Kairi to come back to life after she died, right? Ah...I'm never gonna get to finish MiaB...
classengurl: I made it on another favorites list! Well, I don't think my writing skills are improving...I think they just get better randomly... o.O
Nilladriel: Hey, you really sound like you understand this weird one shot completely! Lolz, Riku hater? Yeah...he's kinda evil.
HisLight: Mwhahahaha! I'm a good writer, so I can make all you readers miserable, and start to cry!!! Lolz, jk. Ooh...vet? I have a dog...but I'm always so busy/lazy to play with him, and the neighbor's dog seriously hates me!!! But, my dog seriously wants to kill my friend Amy! He's never hated anyone so much!
silentchill13: Yeah! I made you speechless! No! I'm humble! Really!
Kintora: Aw, lucky, Hawaii? Yeah, I just love killing off people! Lolz, jk. Yeah...it was a bit rushed, and yes, that was their daughter, and how Kairi dies is one of the mystical mysteries of the world! Oh, I don't know, maybe she died of childbirth, maybe she died of some disease, maybe she just died randomly! Yeah, I don't know... x.X
Mikari: Yeah, I'm not really one to cry either...or one to laugh, but once I start, sometimes it's hard to stop... I don't cry over much, but I get saddened over a LOT. o.O
Gosh, I've been playing DDR all this week, and haven't improved a bit! Yesterday, I spent an hour or so with my old hula hoop from like five years ago, practicing my own tricks that I just made up, and now here I'm sitting before my computer...hair a mess...but it looks kinda cool! Last night, my brother and I did workout mode together, and it was so boring, and then, he just started jumping up and down on the left and right arrows, and before long, I was joining him! I have to admit, his was more fun, and we burned more calories...until I started sitting on the couch and just stomping on the arrows... Now for the regular reviews...
Reviews
Zanisha: Yeah...they are long... Well, starting today, I'm gonna try to cut back! But all the review replies are making it long anyways!
Shinimegami Sky: Yeah, I might write books during my free time in the future... Don't worry, I'd read your books any day! Ooh...really like your art!
classengurl: Fourth of July...I did NOTHING. We stayed home, I was on the computer most of the time, 'cause I was soo BORED!!! And what else sucked was that we could hear the fireworks soo loudly from the rest of the city, but we couldn't see a thing!!! I spent my time writing a themed one shot...which I never posted...
Apolla: Yeah, we had to de-bug our house too, all these professionals came, and we had to stay in a hotel for three days, and when we came back, they were all dead...but now they are back!!! I swear they want revenge or something... So many bug bites...
Lvkishugs: Just wondering...are you still in Utah? Oh yeah, SORAxKAIRI FOREVER!!!
Astaldotholwen: Yeah, I'll probably be on this site for another few years... Ooh...love your new one shots! No!!! I'm gonna miss ITDWM!!!!!
Ohbaby: Yeah...this chapter was a lil' short too... Well, I'll probably make the next one longer!
Daggerly: Yeah, I'm a Friends freak too! Must get eighth season... Friends FOREVER!!!
HisLight: Yeah, glow in the dark is cool! But...I've never seen those bugs live... I don't think how I was 'laughing' can really count as actually 'laughing'... More like the 'sound of the insane!' CriesYou're gonna be gone for ten days!!! Gonna miss ya!
zilly: Yeah...I probably wouldn't be here either...but since my profile will always be here, I'd probably write something out of boredom, or insanity, or something like that... Yeah, Sora just assumes the worst!
madcow863: Hey, you're back! Thought you didn't like me anymore! pouts The consequences of my actions...gosh...that's a thinker... o.O Lolz... Hey, how's it going with your story? I haven't seen an update in a while! Okay, scratch that, I haven't seen an update in a month! Well, we haven't exactly been updating MiaB or TPW either... coughAmanda!cough
silentchill13: Yes...you shall die...and I shall be victorious!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! cough Anyways...glad you like! Yeah, I'm random too! Okay, I'm not, but I can be a good...actress! (my replacement word for 'liar')
Kintora: Gosh, if you're stressing now, you'll be going crazy once I start on part two of this story! Hmm...maybe I'll kill off Sora...hmm? Oh, I didn't say anything! Yeah, the simpler form is supposed to be easier...but I'm kinda more attached to the long, harder way... Just wondering...in your class, are you 1) the amazing gifted and talented one who aces all the impossibly tough quizzes, 2) the normal one, who gets good and bad grades randomly, or 3) the totally clueless one that barely understands what the heck the teacher's saying? Up to last year, I was number three...then I started studying this year...then I thought, "Aw, screw this!" and I stopped studying... o.O But...I still got a B average!
Neko=Miko-Kagome: Glad you like it so far, don't know for how long you'll think that! Yeah...I try to update often...but I'm starting summer school next week, so I might be busy...
Gosh...the summer heat is KILLING ME!!! Is this the same anywhere else, or is it just me?
Wow...this really is late... Well, besides being lazy, (Ahh! No! Don't kill me!) I've been working on 'Caught in the Past,' which I spent about a week or so on, until I was finally satisfied, then I took another couple of days off... And recently, I've been working on another one shot idea I've had for a while, but it's coming along quite slowly, I can't seem to write it... Hmm? Writer's block? No! I shall never get writer's block! NEVER!!!
Okay, well, much love, everyone! Please review!