A.N.- This is the most exciting and longest chapter thus far so I hope y'all like it! (No joke it's 11K+ words)
Title: Classic (based off Classic by MKTO) I used this song because Xion's make over and stuff. Yeah...
P.S.- Italics are flashbacks (not like a sentence or a word i mean if there's like a section like the first part)
Last Night...
"Are you sure about this Xion?" Selphie asked for the tenth time as she walked Xion to the door
"Absolutely. I'm tired of just being seen as one of the guys, you know what I mean?" Xion said, looking at the perky brunette. Xion mentally slapped herself, of course she didn't know what Xion felt like, she was the epitome of girly.
"Yeah, well like I said just stop by before the party tomorrow, I'll be glad to help!" Selphie yelled as Xion walked down the steps and towards the street.
"Thanks again, Selphie!" Xion said, looking over her shoulder one last time before getting in her car and driving off.
Xion woke up Friday with a nervous tingle in her stomach. It was the same feeling she usually got before a big tournament. The day of the party was finally here. She remembered last night and she felt the knot in her stomach twist further. She was a combination of excited and terrified for what Selphie might have in store for her.
She had been torn on the decision for a while. She had thought about it a few times but lately, it was all that kept coming up. If she was being honest, she hated the way most guys treated her. They weren't jerks or anything, they just didn't treat her like... like a girl. You could have the same group of guys, right? Put them around Selphie, Kairi, even Namine and they'd be a mixture of quiet and somewhat reserved. But put them around Xion and it'd be all sex jokes and bodily functions.
Xion used to really like being just friends with all the guys, but lately it was like she wasn't even a girl. Girls she knew got asked out left and right, and here she was, never having even gone on a date before, let alone have a boyfriend. She'd kissed boys before, but they didn't count. Stupid games of spin the bottle and truth or dare didn't qualify to her as an actual kiss. And then there was Roxas...
She assumed that she always liked him. When they were younger, she didn't really realize it, but now her feelings for Roxas were crystal clear. They hit her like a ton of bricks in middle school and they carried over all the way to her senior year. If this were any other guy, she wouldn't think twice before just forgetting about it. If this were any other girl, she'd tell them to move on. But this was her in the situation and of course she couldn't exactly be unbiased.
Riku had helped her a lot. He always told her the truth, at least, until lately he did. He'd listened to her talk about Roxas for years. He listened when she wanted him to and gave her advice when she asked for it. He was candid and open, and she admired that quality about him. However, he seemed like he knew something he wasn't letting on.
So Xion decided to keep this little makeover a surprise. It wouldn't hurt anybody, right? She smiled as she got out of bed and hopped in the shower, anxiety and eagerness taking over. She wondered what Riku and Roxas would think. She could already hear the whole "you shouldn't change yourself for some guy" spiel from Riku. And Roxas, well... he was a mystery in itself, entirely unpredictable. But that was one of the things Xion liked about him. She would just have to wait and see, but she knew they were all in for a shock.
I was sitting on a bench on the boardwalk, sipping a Paopu smoothie and waiting for Sora to finally get off of work. He had taken an extra shift to cover for Neku, one of his coworkers. Knowing the lazy bum though, he'd probably just want to go home and take a nap even though the party was in a few hours. I rolled my eyes, knowing that was exactly what he would do.
The door opened and I turned to see Sora walking out as he noticed me. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shook his head but he still smiled as he made his way over. "I should've known you'd be here Kairi."
"Oh, and why is that?" I asked, standing up and smiling back at him. I couldn't deny that he looked cute in his white polo and green board shorts (it was the store uniform as well as two out of three of our island's colors).
"Because you always find a way to sabotage my nap." He said simply, his signature grin lighting up his face. I opened my mouth to reply but I was cut off by a high pitched voice from the shop doors.
"Hey, Sora I was wondering..." Sora turned around and I got a glimpse of a rather short girl with long brown hair standing right outside the shop. She was wearing the same white polo with the shop's logo as Sora was and I had a very good guess on who she was.
"Oh, hi Yuna." Sora said politely, turning around to face her.
"Sorry, I don't mean to bother you." She looked really nervous and her eyes were trained on Sora. I immediately saw the way she looked at him and I felt jealousy flood my veins. "I was just wondering if you were going to that big party tonight." She asked quietly, walking over to where we stood. I looked up at Sora only to have his blue eyes meet mine.
"Um, yeah. We're going together actually." Sora said, glancing back at Yuna. I turned back too and she looked almost like she was surprised to see me.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there." She said, looking down at the ground. Wow, she didn't even notice me. Nice.
"Yuna, this is Kairi, my best friend. Kairi, this is Yuna." Sora said, running a hand through his hair. A thick awkward silence settled over the three of us as Yuna gave me a once over.
"It's nice to meet you. Well, I guess I'll see you there." Yuna said, her eyes flickering back up to Sora's. I felt him put his hand on the small of my back and push me forward a bit.
"Maybe, bye Yuna." He said before we walked off towards our homes. We walked in silence for a while, until I got too curious. This was the girl with the huge crush on Sora? And she didn't even bother to notice his best friend who's casually standing beside him?
"So, that's Yuna." It was more of a statement than a question
"Um, yeah." He said sheepishly, doing that thing that boys do a lot where they scratch the back of their neck. "Sorry about that." He said genuinely, looking down at me.
"I just thought she was a little..." I trailed off trying to find the right words to describe her
"Focused?" We both laughed lightly. Focused was a nice way of putting it.
"Kind of. Is she like that when you work with her?"
"Not really, she only talks to me when we're closing or clocking out. I try to schedule all my shifts with Roxas though, so I manage to avoid her." He explained.
"She really likes you." I said quietly, glancing at the ground before looking back at him. It was kind of awkward. Sora and I had talked about guys and girls before, but this was different. Maybe it was because we were older or maybe it was because lately I couldn't help but feel jealous over stupid little things like this, but whatever the reason I could feel the tension.
"Yeah, I know Kai. It's hard because she's younger and she's such a nice girl. It's hard to just straight out shoot her down. I want to let her down easy, you know? I mean, I don't know if chick flicks apply to real life but if I've learned anything from them, it's that you don't want to be a girl's first heartbreak." He admitted it shyly and it made him all the more sweeter. It clicked in my mind that the reason he hadn't rejected her yet was because he cared about how it might affect her. Then the guilt seeped in. Was I seriously jealous over a sophomore having some tiny crush on my best friend? Really? 'Kairi you need to get your shit together' I thought to myself.
"That's sweet Sora." I said, shoving his arm as we reached his house and he opened the door for me. "Just don't wait too long, you don't want to lead her on or anything. That would be much worse. I thought He's Just Not That Into You would've taught you that." I joked before walking into his kitchen. I dug around in the drawers for a spoon and pulled out a pint of cookies and cream ice cream. I tore the cap off and dug the spoon into the smooth, creamy, delicious treat while I turned around to see Sora leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed and a smile spread across his face
"How could I not remember that?" Sora said jokingly, the smile still on his face as he watched me. I just smirked back and scooped the ice cream into my mouth.
"I don't know. I guess I'll just have to make you watch it again." I teased. His smile widened and I felt my stomach flutter as he started walking towards me.
"I guess so." He said, stopping right in front of me. He was kind of close and as stupid as it was I felt nervous or something. My breath hitched in my throat and I locked eyes with his.
Before I knew it, he had taken the ice cream right out of my hands, spoon included. I looked down at my empty hands, shocked before I started laughing. I looked back up to see Sora backing up with the spoon in his mouth, his eyebrows raised in a challenge and I was most definitely going to accept it.
I started running after him, laughing and smiling because being around Sora had that effect on me. He had that effect on everyone, actually. I followed him out the kitchen, back through the living room and as he went to run up the stairs I caught up to him. However, I must not have seen the pair of shoes right in front of me because the next thing I knew I tripped and flew forward. It all happened really fast. He must have turned around because I felt his arms wrap around me as I was thrown against his chest and I heard his body thump against the carpeted stairs.
"Ow." I opened my eyes that I hadn't realized I had shut to see Sora rubbing the back of his head with a sort of grimaced smile and I couldn't help but let out a tiny laugh... then I realized the position we were in. Sora still had one arm wrapped around my waist and my body was flat against his, and his eyes were locked on mine and my heart nearly beat out of my chest. I jumped up like my skin was on fire and I felt my face heat up even more.
"Sorry about that." I mumbled. I saw that Sora was just as embarrassed as I was and I felt kind of relieved for a moment. The tension was still there though, and my heart was pounding so, to risk further awkwardness, I thought of an excuse to leave.
"Um... I forgot, I have to do some stuff before I get ready. I should really go do that now." I said, stumbling over my words and getting my stuff. I'm pretty sure we both knew it was a lie.
"Oh, uh okay." Sora said quietly, shoving his hands into his pockets as he watched me slip my shoes on before heading towards the door. The air around us was just so thick, everything felt really forced and foreign. I knew we'd be back to normal later, but it was hard to shake this off when I literally just crashed into my best friend who I kinda, sorta have feelings for, our bodies were flush against each other, his arms were wrapped around me, and he looked at me like that.
"So, meet me outside at like 8 or something." I said with a small smile. I was about to close the door but I looked back over my shoulder. "And thanks." I closed the door and walked across the yard to my house, but I could've sworn he blushed when I said that last part.
Selphie paced back and forth across her bedroom as she tapped a finger against her chin. "Xion, have you ever worn makeup a day in your life?" She asked, stopping right in front of the girl she had asked the question to.
"Nope." Xion answered, looking nervous.
"Alright, so I won't do too much. You don't need it, but some mascara and lip color could do you good. You're gonna have to trust me and listen to what I say." Selphie explained. She started digging through her make up bag and found the things she was going to use. "Ok, close your eyes. I'm just gonna put on some light coverup. It'll help blend your skin." Selphie explained. Xion shut her eyes without any doubt and she began to brush the light powder against Xion's cheeks. "Hm, we're the same skin tone. That'll be good for the outfit I have picked out for you." She said. Xion's eyes snapped open and they looked up at her with nervousness.
"What? Selphie, I never agreed to that!" Xion exclaimed, suddenly worried she had gone to the wrong person.
"Relax Xi, it's cute. Not too girly, no pink, I promise. See for yourself?" Selphie said, putting down her tools and walking towards the closet. She looked through the rack and found her work of art on the hanger and he;d it out for Xion to see. "See, it's just a romper. I thought you could pull it off. And it's a nice olive color, no neon and pink, like I said. I picked out a brown pair of flip-flops I have because I know you wear those black high tops with everything. And, if you really want, I have a beige sweater that would look perfect with it." She explained, whipping out the paper thin sweater. She looked over at Xion and smiled. "Trust me, with this on, you could get any guy you want."
She saw Xion's eyes flicker with thought before she saw the girl nod hesitantly. "Alright... thanks Selphie."
"No problem." Selphie said. "What are friends for. Now, where was I?"
After about 30 minutes of very carefully applying makeup and getting Xion into her outfit, Selphie stepped back t admire her handiwork.
Xion didn't look like a totally new person, she just looked a little more... girly. Less tomboy and sport chic. The olive color of the romper looked perfect with Xion's complexion, and the whole outfit matched perfectly of course. Nobody could doubt Selphie's killer fashion sense. And, with just a minimal covering of mascara and coverup, Selphie honestly thought Xion looked really pretty. Selphie had even used one of her secret tricks of the trade(1) to make Xion's lips the perfect pale pink without using any form of lipstick, lip gloss, or any other gooey lip makeup.
"So... how do I look?" Xion asked worriedly, her hands playing with the bottom hem of the romper.
"See for yourself." Selphie said with a smile, grabbing her friend's shoulders and turning her around to face the full length mirror behind her. She saw Xion's eyes widen and she laughed lightly. "Do you like it?" Xion turned from side to side, her eyes locked on the girl in the mirror.
"Wow Selphie. It looks great! I mean, I still look like me, just..."
"Not? Yeah, I mean, I'm pretty good if I do say so myself." Selphie joked, running a hand through her hair. In all honesty she was just glad Xion liked it. She thought Xion didn't need the makeup, but if her friend wanted it of course she would help her. Xion turned around to face her and smiled.
"Thanks Selphie. I really appreciate it." Xion said. Selphie just shook her head and pulled the other girl into a hug.
"No problem. I'll see you later okay?" Selphie said as Xion grabbed her things.
"Yeah, thanks again!" Xion called before heading out the door. Selphie sighed and glanced at the clock. It read 7:36.
"Crap... what am I gonna wear?"
A.N.(That last line break was a mini line break we are still in Selphie P.O.V. This has been a PSA)
Selphie was almost positive she had broken a personal record because her she was, sitting on her porch steps at 7:58. Yes, she had somehow picked out an outfit and put on makeup in just 20 minutes. She glanced down to double check her choice. She'd gone with an orange dress with yellow flowers printed on it and brown flats. She knew her eyeliner was even, so she didn't worry about that. She didn't have time to think about much else though because Tidus rolled up in front of her street a minute early.
"Wow, you've been early two days in a row. Well, aren't you punctual." Selphie joked as Tidus got out of the car. She gave him a once over and immediately approved his outfit. He wore a blue and white striped polo with navy shorts and white vans. He smiled up at her as she walked down the rest of the steps.
"What can I say?" Tidus said, opening the door as Selphie walked up to the car. She was kind of surprised at this, but it was a good kind of surprised. Not many men opened car doors for girls anymore, especially teenage boys. She filed it away in the back of her head for another time as Tidus hopped in the drivers seat, turned the key and took off towards the other side of the island.
"Well, it looks like we've got some time to spare. Let's see how your summer reading is going." Selphie said, watching as the palm trees whizzed by.
"I thought tutoring was on Thursdays?"
"It is. I just want to see if you've been doing the work outside of tutoring."
"Well if you must know, I got up to Chapter four in The Great Gatsby."
"Oh really?"
"Yes."
"Prove it." (Spoiler alert)
"Well, Nick and Gatsby go to lunch and Nick meets Wolfsheim. Nick then meets up with Jordan who reveals to him that Gatsby once knew and loved Daisy." He said. I was about to open my mouth when he cut me off. "And, of course that he has come to win her back." He took his eyes off the road and looked at me, a smirk planted firmly on his face, and I knew I had lost. "You're gonna have to do better than that Selph." He said smugly, turning back to the road again. I resumed looking out the window as my mind flashed through the last ten minutes
'Tidus Keystone, you're just full of surprises'
"I'm kind of nervous about tonight." Roxas heard Namine say beside him as he drove up the island mountain side. He glanced over at her quickly, noticing that she was wringing her hands. He chuckled and set his eyes back on the road.
"And why would that be?" He asked, amused by his girlfriend.
"I just have this bad feeling or something..." She mumbled. He felt himself smile but he stayed focus on the curvy roadway.
"Nam, did I tell you that you looked beautiful yet?"
"Yes, about two times." She replied and he could hear the light tone of her voice. He had worn his black V-neck and white cargo shorts in the hopes that Namine would more than likely be wearing white too, and of course, he wasn't disappointed. Namine's clothes were pretty much white or blue, she wasn't much of a bright colors kind of girl.
He remembered the look on her face when he had picked her up though. It was like she was expecting him to do it. 'Of all the colors you own, you just had to wear white. You did this on purpose.' He felt himself smile again at the memory of his girlfriend trying to be annoyed bu merely coming off as cute.
"Well, you are." Roxas said, snapping out of it and looking back over at her as they turned onto the driveway to Leon's.
"Are you sure nobody's going to notice?" Namine asked him one more time, referring to their somewhat identical choice of clothing.
"I doubt it. And if they do, they'll all be too hung over to remember." Roxas said, stepping out of the car and shrugging as his girlfriend did the same. Even though it was still kind of early for the party to be getting started, the porch was already spotted with groups of friends and the music could be heard from outside.
"So, you said Axel was bringing that girl, right?" Namine asked quietly. He looked down at the girl next to him and nodded.
"Yeah, her name's Larxene. I haven't met her yet, so I don't really know what she's gonna be like." Roxas said. As they got closer to the house, Roxas felt his hand reach out to grab Namine's only to remember that he couldn't actually hold her hand without people getting the wrong idea. 'More like the right idea.' He thought to himself. He shook it off and settled for making sure she stayed close as they weaved their way through the crowd.
"Hey Roxie, over here!" He heard Axel before he saw him, which was really surprising given that said friend was at least six feet tall and had bright red hair. He looked over to where the voice had came from and saw Axel waving a red cup over his head by the drinks. He turned around to make sure Namine was still right behind him as he made his way towards Axel.
"Hey Axel." Roxas said as they got to him. He then noticed the blond girl with pigtails. She had her arms crossed and was scowling, like actually scowling. "Is this Larxene?" Roxas said, gesturing towards the girl.
"Unfortunately." He heard the girl mutter. Axel just laughed and threw an arm around her shoulders and pointed to the blond couple in front of him.
"Larxene, this is Roxie and Namine. They're good friends of mine. Guys, this is Larxene." He said. Larxene merely shrugged his arm off and stalked off towards the beer pong table. "Eh, she's a bit of a handful, but she's fun." Axel explained, sipping his drink.
Roxas just laughed, amused at the whole situation. She seemed exactly like Axel's type. His best friend needed someone with a big spark, someone like him. Someone who could handle him and who would challenge him and keep him on his toes. And to Roxas, he'd never seen anyone more perfect.
"I'm gonna go get see if I can find Olette, okay Roxas?" Namine said, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt. He turned around to face her, his lips immediately tugging downwards at the corners as he looked at all the people around. She giggled and tugged on his sleeve again. "Don't worry." She whispered with a smile before turning and shuffling her way through the crowds. Roxas watched as she disappeared through the people.
"Alright, I know you guys are close and all, but I didn't know you guys were that close." His mind was snapped back to the present as Axel gave him a weird look.
"Oh... yeah I mean we're best friends." Roxas said with a small shrug, trying not to let the panic surface. He didn't think a party was the best place to tell his partner in crime about his secret girlfriend.
"Are you sure there's not something more between you two?" Axel asked one more time, eyeing him up and down. The one thing Roxas hated about his best friend was how he easily saw through anything.
"Y-yeah." Axel opened his mouth and Roxas was sure he was going to call him out, but he watched as Axel's eyes traveled to the other side of the room and they widened at whatever they saw.
"Is that... Xion?"
Riku was really not in the mood to party lately. It was the first official Friday of summer and so far he had managed to only leave his house three times this week. He had spent a lot of the past week with Xion and some other guys outside the group, so he couldn't complain. He just didn't feel like being around the whole group right now.
Riku was observant. He knew a lot about the group, and sometimes it'd be a lot easier if he didn't. He had pretty good guesses as to who liked who, and he knew they were all dancing around it because of the stupid rule. His mind flashed back to freshman year when nobody had told him about it and he stupidly asked Kairi out. She had rejected him in the nicest possible way and explained that their group made a rule. They couldn't date anyone inside the group or else the whole friendship would be in jeopardy. She also explained how they came up with it and how it had kept them so close for so long.
He was relieved that she had kept it a secret for him. He was pretty sure Sora felt a lot more than "friendship" towards Kairi, especially based on the back story those two had. God knows Sora and Kairi have that whole cliché childhood lover thing going for them. Riku knew that from day one (he was just a risk taker so he went for it). He also knew for a fact that Xion liked Roxas. Meanwhile, Roxas and Namine were looking more suspicious every single day. And if his suspicions proved to be true, it would tear the group apart. He had a bad feeling this summer was going to be different than the others.
Riku silently thanked some higher power for Selphie and Tidus. He knew that the blitzball star and the perky co-valedictorian would never, in a million years be into each other. And, of course he knew that despite the fact he was always there for Xion, he'd never have a chance with her. He was so far past friend-zoned. He was like, in the brother-zone.
His mind thought through all of it as he drove up the mountain to the party. Yes, despite the fact he wasn't really feeling, he wasn't about to skip out on Leon's infamous summer bash. Somehow the dude managed to make it better each year and the parties always got wilder and bigger. Based on last year's, he could only imagine this year.
He finally reached the house on the mountain side and could barely find a spot in the big lawn that served as the parking lot. He slid into the first one he could find and got out, locking his car and making his way up to the house. He was trying to find someone he knew when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and he couldn't believe what he saw.
"Oh my god, what the hell are you wearing?" Riku asked. He looked up and down but he could've sworn he was dreaming. Here was his best friend, Xion Black, wearing some sort of dressy-shorts thing and her lips were pink and her eyelashes were thick and long. She just smiled up at him and looked down at her clothes.
"So, what do you think?" She asked. She seemed really happy with it, but Riku wasn't sure why? She was perfectly fine just the way she was before. He liked her the way she was. But...
"Xion, don't tell me you did this for him." Riku warned. The look on Xion's face said it all and Riku felt anger boil up in his veins as he tugged her back towards his car. Once they were in a somewhat private place, he faced her again. "You shouldn't change yourself for him!" He whispered. "Xion, if he doesn't like you for who you are, then that's his problem. Changing yourself to please some guy is wrong."
"Oh come on Riku, you're just saying that because you're my friend. You're supposed to."
"Where'd you even get this stuff anyway?" Riku was one hundred percent certain the closest thing to makeup his best friend owned was chapstick.
"Where do you think? I asked Selphie to help me. Besides, who says I'm doing this for Roxas?" Xion said authoritatively, sticking her hands on her hips and glaring up at him. He just rolled his eyes.
"Please, I'm your best friend and the only thing you've had to say about makeup in the best three years is that you don't understand how girls possibly wear it."
"Well, maybe I just don't want to be 'one of the guys' anymore." Xion said quietly. Riku suddenly felt bad. He knew how Xion felt about the whole tomboy persona she had. He was at fault on several occasions for it. And if Roxas really had any reason behind this, Riku knew she'd do anything to captivate his attention and even more if it meant she had a shot with him. And as far as Roxas? Well, he couldn't be mad at Roxas either. The guy was entitled to be with whoever he wanted to be with, even if it wasn't Xion.
He sighed, knowing there wasn't really a choice except to let nature run its course or whatever line they say in sappy girl movies. "Alright, but just try not to get hurt, ok? You really don't need to change who you are, I mean afterall, I don't think you're so bad." He said, punching her shoulder lightly and letting himself smile. Xion gave him a small smile and started walking backwards.
"Thanks Riku, we'll meet up later, okay? Don't forget about our plans tomorrow!" She yelled, turning around and walking the rest of the way up to the car. Riku shook his head and exhaled, leaning against the side of his car as he tried to clear his mind. As if dealing with his own feelings weren't enough, now he had to worry about everyone else's.
"You know what'll help?" He asked himself as he pushed off the car and headed up towards the house. "A drink."
Xion walked into the house with her head up high and trying her best to ignore some of the odd looks guys were sending her way. She wasn't even halfway to the drink table when Tommy Johnson from he fifth period English class came up to her.
"Wow Xion, where'd your high tops go?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her while the corners of his lips tugged up into what he was probably trying to make a seductive smile.
"I thought I'd change it up a bit." She said quickly, pushing past him and letting her eyes roam the room. She felt an odd sense of accomplishment fill her as she searched for a familiar spiky haired blonde. Granted, the attention wasn't his, it was still a warm welcome from the usual high five she was given. She finally found him, standing over by the drinks table with Axel. She continued making her way to the table, the butterflies storming in her stomach and her heart beating like a hummingbird.
"Hey Roxas, Axel." She said as she approached them. Roxas glanced at her quickly and smiled before looking beyond her at the party. She was surprised that he didn't look surprised and a bit disappointed at the same time because he had barely noticed her (2). She tried her best not to let her disappointment show as she turned her attention to Axel who was looking at her as if she had two heads.
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Xion?" Axel teased. Xion just laughed and pushed him on the arm. He laughed too but he didn't let up like Xion had hoped. "No, but seriously what's with the makeover?"
Xion just grabbed a cup, not caring what was in it and took a small sip. "Hmm, I just wanted to change it up." Before Axel could say anything else, a girl with a scowl on her face and blond pigtails made her way over, grabbed onto his arm and yanked him to the next room muttering something about "beer pong" and "partners". Xion was kind of relieved, it gave her a chance to be with Roxas alone which had been her plan. She racked her brain for a good way to start a conversation with him.
"So, how's the party so far?" She mentally kicked herself for being so lame. She couldn't think straight around Roxas, her brain turned to mush and she blurted out the first thing she could think of. He looked at her, surprised by the sudden conversation but he responded anyway.
"It's okay. We just got here a little bit ago." He said, his eyes scouring over the many heads in the room once again. 'Wait, we?'
"So, who'd you come with?" She asked, trying to come off as nonchalant as she focused on the rim of her cup. 'Please say Axel, Please say Axel!'
"Axel." His response was almost immediate and he turned back to face her. She noticed he was acting kind of strange, like he was a little on the edge. She didn't have any time to think about it though because he quickly cleared his throat and smiled at her. She felt her breath hitch in her throat. "So how's the party for you?" He asked.
"It's good." She said, smiling at him. He just nodded and looked back into the crowd. Xion frowned, trying to think of anything at all to talk about. 'Hey Roxas, did you see that blitzball game? No, that's too sporty. Alright, how about the weather? Really Xion the weather, are you kidding? Oh, I got it, ask him about next school year.' But before Xion could say a word Roxas beat her to it.
"I was starting to think you got lost." And unfortunately, he was not speaking to her. Xion saw Namine walking towards them.
"Nope, I was just talking to Olette. She didn't really want to come after last year but Hayner kind of forced her to. Hey Xion, I like that romper. It's really cute!" Namine said, turning to her. Xion felt jealousy flare up but she tried to cover it up with a small smile.
"Oh, thanks. It's Selphie's." Before she could do anything stupid, she quickly walked onto the back deck where all the dancing took place. She managed to push her way through the so-called dance floor and plop on the wooden step that led into the great big yard.
She felt like Namine had somewhat taken her spot. Her and Roxas were really close childhood friends and one day they sort of just drifted apart. Xion always wanted to have that back, she thought Roxas just needed time. You know, it was the whole teenager phase boys go through. The whole "I'm too cool for girls" act. And yet here they were, almost eighteen, and Roxas and Namine were best friends. Xion felt replaced.
There was something about the way the last five minutes happened that didn't seem right to Xion. She quickly replayed it in her mind and it just felt weird. There was something about the way that Roxas was acting that was off. Xion didn't want to get her hopes up or jump to conclusions but she wasn't coming up with other answers.
Then someone stumbled into her from behind and she got a great idea. 'Xion, you need a drink.'
"I swear Sora, we're gonna be the last ones there." I said for the seventeenth time as I sped up the road, turning sharply at all the curves and not really caring that Sora was clinging onto the seat for dear life.
After I'd gone home, I'd done a few things around the house before getting ready. My outfit consisted of a pink top that cut off a little higher than usual but I wore black high-waisted shorts to cover up the extra inch. But of course, when I had went back over to get Sora, he was asleep on his couch. So of course I had to wake him up and wait for him to get ready and by the time we left it was already 8:30.
Which brings us to now, where I was going 60 on a 45 stretch of road.
"Okay Kai, I know you're mad but going fast isn't gonna matter if we don't even make it there." Sora said. I immediately loosened up my grip on the steering wheel and went back down to 40 miles per hour.
"Ok, fine. Besides, it's only like five miles away now." I muttered, keeping my eyes focused on the road. I was trying my best not to remember the whole ice cream incident from a few hours ago and the ride had been dead silent the whole way.
"So, are you ready for this?" Sora asked, smirking as he looked over at me. I kept my eyes on the road and just nodded.
"I guess. I mean, it can't be worse than last year." I said, giggling as I remembered Hayner and Sora.
"In my defense, I was under the influence of alcohol and was not unaware of my actions." I laughed as I pulled into my spot and cut the engine, getting out of the car. I took a minute to look over at Sora one more time. He was wearing an unbottoned red and black plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had a gray T-shirt on underneath and was wearing black Vans and a normal pair of jeans.
My mind flashed back to earlier that night...
"What are you doing!?" I yelled, whacking the sleeping boy with the pillow I had grabbed. He immediately sat up and started scratching the top of his head.
"Kairi? What are you doing here?" He asked, his eyes squinting in confusion and his head tilting to the side. He looked adorable but I was so mad that I barely noticed. It was 8:05 and this boy was still sleeping!
"What am I doing here? It's already past eight and you're not even ready yet!" I yelled, whacking him once more with the pillow. His eyes widened and he stood up running over to the kitchen.
"I'm sorry! Give me a sec." Sora said. I rolled my eyes and waited until he ran back into the living room. I just smirked and pointed towards the stairs. "Right, my room's that way." He muttered walking past me quickly and running up the stairs. I followed him up to his room.
Sora was leaning against the door frame of his closet, one arm folded across his chest and the other tapping against the wood.
"What. Should. I. Wear?" He said, emphasizing each word carefully and tapping the wood on each syllable. I rolled my eyes and stalked over to his closet, going through the row of shirts he had. "Kairi?" He asked, and I knew by the tone of his voice he was smirking. I tried my best not to blush as I found what I was looking for and handed it to him.
"Here. Wear this." I said, handing him my favorite outfit he had. He raised his eyebrows and his smirk widened into a smile and I felt my heart speed up.
"I always knew you thought I looked cute in this." And with that he disappeared into the bathroom. It was a good thing too because he didn't see the smile and the blush takeover.
I felt my cheeks start to heat up at the memory of it but I shook my head quickly. Focus Kairi. Tonight. Party. Right.
"Well come on, let's go!" I said, walking up towards the house. Sora followed and soon enough we were walking through the doors.
"Finally you guys, I thought you'd never get here!" I turned to see Axel standing with the rest of the group on the other side of the room. Sora immediately began running towards the pyromaniac while I settled for politely excusing myself through the crowd and apologizing for the idiot that just ran through.
"Axel, I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!" I heard Sora say as I got to the rest of them.
"I know dude, not since Spring Break. I bet Kairi's been keeping you in check though." He snickered and the rest of the group laughed along. "Like really guys it's almost 9:30, what took you guys so long?"
"What do you think?" I said, pointing at Sora. The group just laughed again and I took the chance to grab a cup from the table. It tasted like cotton candy.
"Well, I'm gonna go see if I can find Neku!" Sora said before running off. I shook my head and turned back to everyone. And by everyone I mean, Axel, Namine, Roxas, Riku, Xion, Selphie, Tidus, and Hayner and Olette.
Hayner and Olette were really good friends of ours. The only reason they weren't in the group was because didn't want to be. Everyone knows about our little rule and the problem is, Hayner and Olette are dating. None of us would've had a problem with it (after all, those two had been dating for three years now), but they had refused, saying that they wanted to respect our rules and stuff. All in all, it worked out pretty well. They hung out with us a lot of the time at parties and whatnot, and the whole island knew we were close.
"So, did we miss anything exciting?" I asked, sipping my drink more.
"Not really, but something is bound to happen. Do you see the amount of people here? It's way bigger than I remember." Riku said, glancing around at the party. I nodded in agreement because he was totally right. He must've seen some of his other friends because he excused himself from our little group and headed off towards the beer pong table.
"You know what it is? It's all the underclassmen coming in, I'm guaranteeing it." Xion said before sipping her drink again. We stood there chatting back and forth for a few more minutes before Axel said something about some "Larxene girl" and "the dude by the keg" before running off in that direction. Roxas leaned down and whispered something to Namine and they excused themselves and went out to the back yard. Xion then excused herself, leaving me with Hayner, Olette, Selphie, and Tidus.
Olette and Selphie began discussing their tutoring program and Hayner began asking Tidus about sports. I felt a little out of place in the discussion so I downed the rest of my drink and grabbed a new one before heading off to find Sora. I walked through a few of the jam packed rooms but I couldn't find him anywhere when finally, I spotted his unruly hair coming down the stairs. I was about to walk over and ask him about it but I didn't need to because my answer was walking down the stairs. Yuna trailed behind him. She was wearing some crop top and a skirt and her hair was all curly and I could see her eyeliner from all the way where I stood.
At the bottom of the stairs, Sora turned around and said something to her, and he placed his hand on her shoulder and shot her a small smile. She smiled back and I felt my stomach drop.
I wanted to suddenly hide, to just crawl into myself. But I was in a room full of people. I felt the sting of tears prickling my eyes, hot and heavy. I tried to take deep breaths and ignore the stabbing at my heart. If I was being a smart and rational person, I wouldn't jump to conclusions. Especially after earlier that day at the surf shop.
But I was not smart, and I was not rational. I was tipsy. And I suddenly wanted to be a lot more than tipsy. So before Sora could see me i ducked into the room and headed straight towards the drinks table. I tilted my head back and chugged the rest of my drink before grabbing another one. I took a gulp of it before heading off to the dance floor on the deck, the place Sora was least likely to check. He was the last person I wanted to see.
Namine found herself wishing she had her sketchbook in hand as her and Roxas walked along the bottom of the hill in Leon's backyard. The music from the party could be heard but it was soft, it wasn't blaring around them. The moon was high up and Namine looked over at Roxas.
"This used to be a lot more fun." She said quietly was they walked along the small pathway.
"Yeah, I know. I think it's just because we have this huge secret." He said, looking over at her. "Don't get me wrong Nam, I know it's what we have to do..." He said, trailing off.
"It's just hard." She finished for him. She smiled and looked up at him and his deep blue eyes and she knew that it was really hard for him. He stopped walking and turned to her with a sigh.
"I think Axel's catching on." He whispered quietly.
"Well then maybe we should trust him." Namine said. As the time was going by, it was getting harder and harder to hide it. It just felt more and more natural to reach for his hand or to kiss him goodbye. They were getting sloppy, and they were running out of excuses. She knew it wouldn't be long before it came out but she had an idea to buy them more time. "I have a proposal." She said, her face lighting up because she had the best idea.
"Well let's hear it." Roxas said gently, glancing around to make sure nobody was watching before grabbing her hand.
"We're each allowed to tell one person that we absolutely trust and we know will keep it a secret. Deal?" She said, sticking out her pinky. She saw him think about it for a moment before he smiled and bent down and pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes fluttered closed automatically and she stood on her toes, leaning up into it. Before she knew it, he had pulled away and shook her pinky with his.
"Deal. Now how about we go back for a little bit before we head home?" He asked, letting go of her hand and backing away from her. She tried her best not to frown as they made their way up the hill.
"Sounds good to me. Thanks Roxas." She said, looking over at him. He looked down at her and she saw it in his eyes again, that look. That look he got when they were out together. It was the same one she felt.
I'd do anything to kiss you right now.
Tidus found himself watching the horde of teenagers jumping around together, dancing and yelling and having a good time. And he was standing off to the side, leaning against the rail of the porch with his hands shoved in his pockets. He would've been with them, but it was only a little more than an hour into the party and half his blitzball team was already slurring their words.
Tidus really didn't like alcohol. It had never been good for him. He tried it once and he hated the lack of control he had over his actions and words. Not to mention, it would put his scholarship opportunity in jeopardy if the party got busted or they had random drug testing at the school and he still had alcohol in his system.
His mind came back to reality when he saw Selphie walking up to him.
"Hey, I thought the blitzball star of all people would be having a good time." She said, a light teasing tone laced in her voice as she joined him against his little railing. He just shrugged and looked down at the bubbly girl.
"This really isn't my version of a good time." He said loudly over the music. Selphie rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, tugging him onto the giant hill in the backyard. Namine and Roxas were on their way up and they said hello as they passed and whatnot before Selphie plopped onto the top of the hill. The music was still loud, but you could talk at a normal volume where they were now.
"So, what is your version of a good time?" Selphie asked curiously, sitting with her knees tucked underneath her.
"I like to go to parties and have fun, but I'd rather do it sober. Like, all the guys on my team get drunk a lot and I don't get how it's fun to them." He explained. Selphie listened to everything he said and nodded at the end.
"After last week, I am never drinking again." She said giggling. A small silence settled over the two as the music played in the background. "You know, you kind of surprise me." Selphie said quietly, looking at him. Tidus was confused though.
"I surprise you?" He asked incredulously, chuckling at the end of his sentence.
"Alright, let me explain. You're Tidus Blank, blitzball star of Destiny Islands. And from what I gathered about the jocks at our school, the better they are, the more conceited they get and the more barbaric they act. And since you're the best... you should've been the worst."
"Oh thanks." Tidus said with a smirk. Selphie just rolled her eyes and shoved his arm before going back to her explanation.
"But I mean it's not just that. Like, you're also... okay how do I say this... chivalrous than the average teenage boy. You opened the car door for me earlier, and yesterday you didn't show up empty handed. Don't get me wrong it's a good thing. A great thing actually. It's just unusual. Most teenage boys barely remember to hold the door for you when you're standing right behind them."
"Well my mom and my dad always raised to me to treat a girl right. Whether you're dating or even if you're just friends, you never show up empty handed and you always open the car door. It's just the right thing to do." Tidus explained.
"Well I think it's sweet." Selphie said, smiling at Tidus. "And as far as the whole jock stereotype goes, I shouldn't really judge a book based on its cover or its position on the sports team." They both laughed lightly. Tidus really enjoyed talking to Selphie. She was just so easy to talk to and nice. They didn't have much in common but they always had something to talk about. He was really glad they were getting close again.
"Yeah, especially having a cover yourself. You're a straight A student but you're not all work and no fun. You're actually a lot of fun." Tidus admitted
"Thanks. Now, how about we go join that party." Selphie said, brushing off her knees and getting to her feet, holding her hand out to help him. "Come on, I'll be your sober dance buddy."
"I might have to take you up on that." He said, getting to his feet and following her back to the dance floor.
Xion had never gotten so much attention in her life and she wasn't used to it at all. At every turn there was some guy trying to get her to dance with him, or asking her what she was doing tomorrow. She wasn't really sure that she liked it either. She knew that they were only treating her differently because they wanted one thing. Too bad they were all out of luck. There was only one guy she had on her mind.
And as she thought about it, he came in through the porch. Xion felt her face light up with a smile until she noticed who trailed in right behind him. Namine. She felt her smile immediately disappear as they maneuvered their way through the crowd and headed straight to the door. It was really crowded though and Namine kept getting left behind. Xion watched carefully as Roxas stopped and waited for her. Once she caught up, he put her hand on the small of her back and guided her the rest of the way, looking around at the people surrounding them.
The thing that settled it for Xion was the way he looked at her, like he was protective of her. As they reached the doorway, Roxas opened the door and let Namine ahead of him and with that they were gone. Xion felt frozen in place. She didn't know what to do. She had spent a total of five minutes with him at that party, and she was certain he spent a lot more with Namine. She'd worn this girly contraption and he had barely given her a second glance! And then there was the way he watched her and helped her and looked at her. 'It's the way you wish he looked at you'...
I didn't know whether this was my third cup or if it was my fourth. I didn't know if it had been an hour or if it had been two. All I knew was that I was drunk. Blissfully drunk. And even though I couldn't really see or talk 100% soberly, I still felt the stupid jealousy and hurt in my chest. I grabbed another cup (I think this was my fourth) and I clumsily took my phone out to check the time (It was 10:32).
I had managed to evade Sora for a solid hour and I had also managed to get more than tipsy. But I still felt the pain that I was trying to get rid of. I shook my head and glanced around, trying to find my way to the bathroom. Somehow, I found it and managed to lock the door.
I took a moment to look at myself in the mirror. I wasn't the type to get smash-faced and ruin my makeup and end the night throwing up in the flower pot by the door. I could get drunk and maintain a semi-normal appearance, and hangovers rarely affected me. Tonight was no exception and I was thankful for that, but I couldn't take my mind off Sora and Yuna.
The whole thing had been on my mind the past hour or so. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Then I remembered something I really wish I thought about before that third cup I had. 'Kairi, you're the one that drove here.'
Well, shit.
I figured I had taken long enough in there and stumbled out and I must've done something to deserve bad karma because of all the people I could've run into, Yuna was standing on the other side of the door.
"Oh, hi." She said, her eyes widening in surprise. I looked behind her and realized there was no line before I quickly pulled her into the bathroom and locked the door. "Okay... this is kind of weird." She said, walking to the other side of the room.
"You and Sora... you guys hooked up." I said. I could tell my speech was a little slow but that was literally the last thing I cared about. Her face contorted into confusion and she began to profusely shake her head back and forth.
"No, we didn't." She said walking over to me. "No, he said he wanted to talk to me." She said before her eyes got this sad look in them.
"But I saw you guys coming down the stairs together." I said. Okay, now I was confused. They were talking? Who goes upstairs to talk?
"Yeah, well it was a... private conversation." She muttered. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes before I tried to get more answers.
"What did he say?" I asked urgently. Yuna just shook her head, walking to the other end of the room again.
"You don't even realize how lucky you are" Yuna said, still shaking her head as she walked back to the door, and she opened it, standing in the door way. "I'd give anything to be the girl he wants."
Before I could even blink she was gone. I ran out into the living room just in time to see the short girl making her way to the front door and I went to follow her when I bumped into someone... more like someone bumped into me.
"Well, well, look what we have here." I heard that voice and I almost cringed. I turned around to see the one and only Cloud Strife, the most self-absorbed human being I have ever met in my entire life
"What do you want Cloud?" I asked with venom in my voice, forgetting all about my chase for Yuna.
"What do I want?" He asked me, his smile getting even wider. Man I hated this guy. "Why Kairi, I want you." He said, coming closer to me. I tried to walk the opposite direction but he grabbed onto my arm and spun me to face him, making me stumble in the process (in my defense, my motor skills weren't one hundred percent at the moment). "Oh, and it looks like you've had a little too much to drink tonight."
"Nope, I'm perfectly fine." I spit back, tugging on my arm. "Let go of me."
"How about we go upstairs hmmm? I saw Sora coming down a little bit ago." He said with a smirk and I felt my eyes widen. I tugged on my arm but I just couldn't get free and it seemed like nobody around me was noticing my current situation. He suddenly pulled me right up against his body and I felt my stomach flip with disgust as I struggled to get away from him.
"Let go of her Cloud." Suddenly all eyes were on us and the music had died abruptly, but my eyes were fixed on Sora who was standing a few feet away. His eyes were burning with anger and his voice was deep and low. It only ever got that way when he was furious, and I haven't seen Sora this mad since the day Cloud was kicked out.
"I'm not sure this is any of your business." Cloud said, wrapping his arm around my waist, making me even more uncomfortable.
"She obviously doesn't want to be with you." Sora said walking over to us and ripping Cloud's arm away from me. "Come on Kairi, let's go." He said. And as much as I was mad and confused at Sora, he was the one who was there for me so I followed him towards the door.
"Well Sora, I don't think she wants to be with you either." Cloud said. The whole crowd 'oohed' at the challenge and Sora stopped in his tracks, his fist clenched at his sides. He silently turned around and walked back to where Cloud was standing.
"What did you say?"
"The only reason I'm not a part of your little pathetic group anymore is because you couldn't handle the thought of anyone else dating Kairi, isn't it? You didn't want anyone to be a threat to your little crush you had going on, and let's face it, I was the biggest threat you had. And it's more than five years later" Cloud taunted Sora and I watched as he got angrier and angrier. I knew if I let Cloud go on, something bad would happen.
I grabbed Sora's arm gently and walked in between him and Cloud. "Sora, look at me." I said quietly. He looked down and I could tell that he was more than angry. He was hurt. Vulnerable. "He's not worth it. Let's go." I whispered. Sora's eyes softened a tiny bit and he closed them for a moment before he looked back at me and nodded. I let Sora turn around and started to lead him to the door. We were so close just a few steps away annnnnddd...
"She's a great kisser, if you were wondering." BAM!
Sneak Peek at the next chapter of Wild Teenage Summer:
"You're dating Namine... our Namine?"
"I think I know who Roxas likes..."
"Sora, I've kept your secret for years. Can you keep mine?"
"Why is it bothering you so much?"
"I feel like the rest of the group has so much drama right now. How about we do something fun?"
(1)- This trick is one I use myself. I take lip liner and outline my lips. Then you color the center of your top and bottom lip. I then use my finger to blend it over my whole lip. Put a layer of lip balm over it to smooth out the color and VIOLA!, awesome lip color with no worry about smudging and no gooey, icky stuff.
(2)- Okay I couldn't make this come out right but there are two reasons Roxas is so like nonchalant about Xion's new clothes and makeup. One, he's taken by Namine so he doesn't really notice other girls. Cliche, huh? Sorry. And two, he doesn't think a makeover is like a huge deal. Basically he's more mature than the guys that are treating her differently because he's treating her the same way he always has.
A.N.- Alright, I hope you enjoyed that. It took DAYS LITERALLY DAYS for me to write. Next chapter is kind of long too. And it's got QUITE a bit of drama. Oh my gosh I loved writing the end of this chapter. In case you didn't get it, Sora punched Cloud. And don't worry he drives Kairi home cuz he didn't drink anything. The characters did not drink unless it was specifically written so like Xion and Riku got buzzed but Kairi got drunk. The rest were sober. Except Axel but duh that's Axel.
So I had a little Riku monologue in here, but honestly he's not a big part of this ark. I'm thinking this story will have anywhere from two and up story arks following through the whole summer. He has a bigger ark coming so don't worry! The main arks right now are Sokai and Rokunami.
I know Rokunami didn't have much but it's because the next chapter is centered around them a lot. And Xion had like literally two paragraphs in-between line breaks and you're all probably like "Why even bother" but like, to me as a writer, that revelation was important and I thought it needed to be written. And I didn't have anything else for those three otherwise it'd be thrown in there.
In the next chapter, as you've seen in the sneak peek, we're gonna have a lot of confessions. STAY TUNED!