I stopped, and stood there at the corner of the alleyway. I could hear
Serenity's soft sobs in the background. Suddenly, I realized something.
Something very important, that could make all the difference.
She called me Seto. During the fight, when she was warning me, she called me Seto. And she just had now. Did that mean anything at all? I wondered this as I stood, trying to keep my balance.
I slowly turned, and walked towards her. She stared up at me, looking sympathetic - not to mention scared to death. She was pale as a sheet. She was afraid of what would happen next, and she wasn't the only one.
Her lower lip trembled, tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Seto . . . " she whispered. "Oh Seto!" she threw her arms around my neck, sobbing into my shoulder. I stood there, rigid, and let her totally lose it. I was getting angry. She wanted to forget about the confrontation in the hallway. It wasn't going to be that simple.
"Seto . . . why did you do that?" she whispered, looking me in the eyes.
I was taken aback. Somehow this seemed for the circumstances a strange question. I didn't really know why it seemed that way. I suppose I had expected her to know the answer.
"Because I . . . Because you would have . . . Because something really bad would have happened if I hadn't!" I said sharply, still catching my breath.
I suddenly realized that she hadn't asked me because she really wondered; she had asked to see what my answer would be. I smirked.
She looked a little dejected, but maybe that was how I had intended it. It wasn't time for 'happily ever after'. I was still angry at how she had acted before.
"I'm sorry Seto," she whispered. "I didn't mean what I said."
All my dejection and hurt for the past week had become solid anger.
"Did you ever think for an instant that what you said might have hurt? Everything isn't always in the moment." I said sharply. She continued to cry, but cried harder.
Despite my quick feeling transition and intensity, I was still incredibly weak, and hardly standing up. I leaned on the side of the concrete wall, all but gasping for air. She stood up.
My eyes swirled, and I leaned against the wall for a moment to rest. It felt like I couldn't keep my eyes open. I blinked repeatedly, briefly going in and out of consciousness. My head throbbed.
"Oh my gosh! Seto, are you okay?!" she shouted, running over.
"I'm fine," I heard myself say.
"You aren't either!" I heard her murmur over and over 'oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh'.
She leaned in closer and put a hand against my forehead to check for fever. Her hand felt ice cold. I leaned to the side a little dazedly, the ground rising up to meet me. As I blinked, the sensation went away, but returned soon after.
"You're running a fever," she said softly. She smoothed my hair back from my forehead, seeming to have a strange reluctance to take her hand away. I sighed, all but surrendering to her touch. Her hand was comforting.
"We can't exactly stay in this alleyway forever, if you know what I mean," I said.
"You're right. What do you propose we do?" she asked, looking to me for an idea. I shrugged. She continued. "We could always go to one of our houses."
"Fine, how about mine?" I more or less told her.
"I don't know . . . think about what Joey would say." she reasoned.
"What Joey would say?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "It would be that many times worse if we went to yours."
"Not necessarily," she said. "At least that way he'd believe me about what happened."
"So in other words," I replied, "you propose I stay with you instead, is that it?"
"I suppose."
"Fine then," I shrugged. I leaned against the wall for support, to try to stand. I slipped a little on the slick concrete, and she quickly reached for my arm. I jerked away, but ended up slipping more and falling down because of it. She smiled softly, and held out a hand.
With her help, I was able to stand. My resistance of help had made me fall many a time before, but there had been someone there who knew me better than I knew myself, time after time.
I was more than a little dizzy as we slowly walked out to the street. When we got there, she motioned for a taxi. One pulled up shortly after, and we got in.
If it bothered the driver that I was only semi-conscious, or he even noticed, he didn't show it. In this part of town, he must get all kinds.
Finally, he dropped us off in Serenity's cul-de-sac, and we walked to the door, after a short argument about who would pay the fare. I finally won, and handed him a few dollars.
As we stood there on the doorstep, she gave me a short smile. She was as nervous as I was. She slowly reached for the knob, but it was opened before she even reached it.
She called me Seto. During the fight, when she was warning me, she called me Seto. And she just had now. Did that mean anything at all? I wondered this as I stood, trying to keep my balance.
I slowly turned, and walked towards her. She stared up at me, looking sympathetic - not to mention scared to death. She was pale as a sheet. She was afraid of what would happen next, and she wasn't the only one.
Her lower lip trembled, tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Seto . . . " she whispered. "Oh Seto!" she threw her arms around my neck, sobbing into my shoulder. I stood there, rigid, and let her totally lose it. I was getting angry. She wanted to forget about the confrontation in the hallway. It wasn't going to be that simple.
"Seto . . . why did you do that?" she whispered, looking me in the eyes.
I was taken aback. Somehow this seemed for the circumstances a strange question. I didn't really know why it seemed that way. I suppose I had expected her to know the answer.
"Because I . . . Because you would have . . . Because something really bad would have happened if I hadn't!" I said sharply, still catching my breath.
I suddenly realized that she hadn't asked me because she really wondered; she had asked to see what my answer would be. I smirked.
She looked a little dejected, but maybe that was how I had intended it. It wasn't time for 'happily ever after'. I was still angry at how she had acted before.
"I'm sorry Seto," she whispered. "I didn't mean what I said."
All my dejection and hurt for the past week had become solid anger.
"Did you ever think for an instant that what you said might have hurt? Everything isn't always in the moment." I said sharply. She continued to cry, but cried harder.
Despite my quick feeling transition and intensity, I was still incredibly weak, and hardly standing up. I leaned on the side of the concrete wall, all but gasping for air. She stood up.
My eyes swirled, and I leaned against the wall for a moment to rest. It felt like I couldn't keep my eyes open. I blinked repeatedly, briefly going in and out of consciousness. My head throbbed.
"Oh my gosh! Seto, are you okay?!" she shouted, running over.
"I'm fine," I heard myself say.
"You aren't either!" I heard her murmur over and over 'oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh'.
She leaned in closer and put a hand against my forehead to check for fever. Her hand felt ice cold. I leaned to the side a little dazedly, the ground rising up to meet me. As I blinked, the sensation went away, but returned soon after.
"You're running a fever," she said softly. She smoothed my hair back from my forehead, seeming to have a strange reluctance to take her hand away. I sighed, all but surrendering to her touch. Her hand was comforting.
"We can't exactly stay in this alleyway forever, if you know what I mean," I said.
"You're right. What do you propose we do?" she asked, looking to me for an idea. I shrugged. She continued. "We could always go to one of our houses."
"Fine, how about mine?" I more or less told her.
"I don't know . . . think about what Joey would say." she reasoned.
"What Joey would say?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "It would be that many times worse if we went to yours."
"Not necessarily," she said. "At least that way he'd believe me about what happened."
"So in other words," I replied, "you propose I stay with you instead, is that it?"
"I suppose."
"Fine then," I shrugged. I leaned against the wall for support, to try to stand. I slipped a little on the slick concrete, and she quickly reached for my arm. I jerked away, but ended up slipping more and falling down because of it. She smiled softly, and held out a hand.
With her help, I was able to stand. My resistance of help had made me fall many a time before, but there had been someone there who knew me better than I knew myself, time after time.
I was more than a little dizzy as we slowly walked out to the street. When we got there, she motioned for a taxi. One pulled up shortly after, and we got in.
If it bothered the driver that I was only semi-conscious, or he even noticed, he didn't show it. In this part of town, he must get all kinds.
Finally, he dropped us off in Serenity's cul-de-sac, and we walked to the door, after a short argument about who would pay the fare. I finally won, and handed him a few dollars.
As we stood there on the doorstep, she gave me a short smile. She was as nervous as I was. She slowly reached for the knob, but it was opened before she even reached it.