Chapter 2 – Renji Abarai
"Hey, Alex," Shiro said from my doorway. "I'm gong to be out for a while. I should be back by no later than three am. I promise. Don't wait up for me."
I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering what it would be like to kiss the cold tempered teen. I lifted my head just enough to glare at him before waving him away and letting my head drop back onto my pillow. I turned onto my side, setting my homework on the floor next to my bedside table. I set my alarm for five and closed my eyes.
"Will you shut up, Abarai? She might still be asleep. Besides she has classes and a game tonight against Karin's team. So shut up and quit making such a racket."
"I can hear you, you know," I said, rubbing sleep from my eyes. "So, Hitsugaya. Who is your red-headed friend? Or can he speak for himself?"
"I, my brunette beauty, am Renji Abarai," the tall red-head answered. "I am the lieutenant of the sixth division under Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, in the Gotei Thirteen of the Soul – oomph!"
"You already told her too much when you told her your name, you idiot. Sorry to wake you, Hatake-kun. I was hoping that this idiot here would be a little quieter when we arrived."
Renji was still rolling on the floor rubbing his head where Shiro had hit him. I had to smile. Unfortunately, I yawned in the same moment.
"What time is it anyway?" I asked. "It has to be close to two in the morning. And like you told him, I have classes and a game later."
"It's five," Shiro replied from the kitchen doorway. "And your alarm will be going off in about twenty seconds."
Sure enough, a loud buzzing from my bedside table told me that I had half an hour to get breakfast, take a shower, make lunch and get to the soccer field for morning practice. I switched it off and shoved my books and homework into my denim messenger bag.
"Forget breakfast and I already have your lunch made. You'll need all the practice you can get for the game tonight. Besides, doesn't the locker room have showers?"
"Oh, right. Get Renji registered for classes by seven. Classes start at seven-thirty, Red. See you at school, Hitsugaya!"
With that I grabbed both of my bags and met up with Jack and Sally just as they arrived at our usual meeting spot. I waved at them and we made our way to the soccer field. I almost headed back to the apartment for breakfast when Sally handed me a bagel with cream cheese in a sandwich bag. I draped my arm across her shoulders while attacking the bag with my teeth and free hand.
"What would I do without you, Sally? Is there anything that you would like to contribute, Jackie Boy? Unless, of course, that thermos has coffee in it just for me."
"Yeah, it's for you," he said. "BUT, you're not getting any until you finish that bagel. Understood?" I nodded. "Good."
No more than ten minutes later, I was sipping the scalding liquid. It needed a little more sweetener but other than that, Jack did a damn good job of getting everything I liked into a good cup of coffee. We walked like this for another twenty minutes before making it to the locker rooms. We changed quickly and headed to the field. I noticed the banners already hanging from the stands on both sides. The ones on the stands farthest from the school had Japanese writing on them in addition to the English alphabetized versions so the people that came out to the game from our side could read them. The opposing team wouldn't be in until after lunch, so our team had the advantage of being fresh instead of suffering from jetlag.
An hour and a half later, everyone split up and went to their respective shower areas. I stood under my assigned shower head, allowing the hot water to wash away all the sweat and grass grim that I had acquired during practice. I quickly shampooed my hair before rubbing soap suds all over.
"Hey, Alex," Sally said just loud enough to be heard over the running water. "What do you think it will be like to face a foreign team so early in the year? I mean, it sounds exciting, but I'm scared about it. We'll be facing a team that might be better than us, you know? I just hope that Mom will show."
"She will, Sally. Trust me. And besides, there is absolutely no reason to be scared of a few Asian kids. The only kids you need to worry about are either African or from somewhere south of the border. So all you need to worry about is getting us that winning goal tonight. Now let's get to the school before Hitsugaya has a fit over me not being there to show his new friend around."
That got her laughing. We finished up in the locker room before making our way to the school courtyard. Shortly after our arrival, I saw Renji's tall, red-headed, tattooed form point us out to Shiro. I waved at him. The crowds separating us parted and the temperature dropped a good fifteen or twenty degrees by the time Shiro reached us.
"We've been waiting for you for half an hour," Shiro hissed at me. "Where have you been?"
"Well, gee, let me think," I stated sarcastically. "I had to take a shower after practice because I didn't want to smell like sweat and grass all day. Now if you don't mind, I would like to show Red to his classes before I'm late for my own."
I started walking away when I ran into Jack. I glared at him and he backed off. He asked Sally what my problem was when I spun around and shouted at Renji to hurry up and follow me if he didn't want to get lost.
"And you, Jack," I shouted at my best guy friend, "should know that he's not my fucking boyfriend! Just because he's been staying with me for six months doesn't mean we're fucking dating! Come on, Red!"
I felt a hand on my shoulder. I was spun around and pulled into a tight hug. I was so mad at myself for losing my temper like that, so I started crying. I balled my fists into the shirt of the one person that I thought I was comfortable with. I pulled away just enough to see that it wasn't my Shiro. It was Renji Abarai. I buried my face in his shirt again, only this time it was from embarrassment. When I was sure that both emotions were back under my control, I heard the bell ring for morning classes.
"Damn," I muttered, wiping my face. "I guess I always could ask Mr. Smith for a note to show you around, Red. Sorry I yelled at you like that, Jack. You didn't have to wait for me, Hitsugaya. I need to see your schedule, Red, so that I can see…what…classes…"
His schedule mirrored mine exactly. I stood there for a few seconds before I felt Jack push me toward Trigonometry. I sat in my seat, Jack and Sally on either side and Shiro behind me. Renji stayed behind at the door, waiting for the teacher to introduce him.
"Good morning, everyone," Mr. Leechman greeted. "It seems we have yet another new edition to our class this year. This is Renji Abarai. He just transferred into this wonderful institution from Japan. If you would, could you please tell us a little about yourself, Mr. Abarai?"
I heard Shiro shift in his seat so that he could glare at the sixth division lieutenant. I knew that it meant for Renji to not go into any great detail about where he was really from. Jack snickered, Sally smiled and I rolled my eyes for the second time in twenty-four hours.