CHAPTER EIGHT: AVOIDANCE
One year ago
"I think Makoto likes you."
"Don't say that."
"Why?"
"I don't need that voodoo put on me."
"Voodoo!?"
"Yes," Misaki slammed her laptop cover shut, "Voodoo."
Azami let out an over exaggerated sigh as she flopped down onto Misaki's bed, "Any other girl at school would be having a heart attack if Makoto liked them and you have the audacity to call it 'voodoo'."
"Yes plus he doesn't like me in the way you're implying."
"Uh no I'm pretty sure he does. I've seen how he looks at you like he's undressing you-"
"Lalalalala!" Misaki plugged her ears as she paced around her room, not wanting to imagine Makoto undressing anything let alone her.
"Misaki!" Misaki!" by the second shout Azami seemed to reach through Misaki's off-key singing and earn the girl's attention once more, "Why are you acting like this is a bad thing?"
"I don't want a boyfriend." It was an outright lie because Misaki did want a boyfriend but the guy she wanted to date hadn't talked to her in years and as far as Misaki knew was still in Australia.
"You're such a liar!"
Misaki flinched at Azami's high pitched voice as she felt a pillow hit her leg, "I'm not a-"
"Yes! Yes you are! How many guys have you turned down in the last two years huh?"
"I don't-"
"Three!" Azami held up three fingers on her right hand, "Granted one of them was a scumbag but still!"
Misaki sighed as she sat down on her floor, crossing her legs and resting her elbows on her knees, "What's your point?"
"My point is that for some strange reason you can't stand the thought of having a boyfriend. You turn down every guy that asks you out and freak out if a guy even likes you. Unless your goal is to be an unhappy hermit I'm not sure how you can possibly not want a boyfriend."
Misaki stared down at the hardwood floor as she tried to come up with some lie. She hadn't told Azami about Rin but even if she did the blonde simply wouldn't understand. Most people would think Misaki was insane to be turning down guys in the hope that this one guy who she last saw when she was eleven would turn up and sweep her off her feet. It was a ridiculous idea but that ridiculous idea kept the pink bracelet on her wrist day in and day out. But behind the hope was anger. Anger at Rin for cutting off all contact with her. Anger at herself for devoting so much of her life to someone who may never come back.
"I don't want to be a hermit," Misaki mumbled, tapping her nails against the wooden floor, "And well I guess Makoto is pretty cute so it's not really bad voodoo if he liked me," Misaki raised her gaze to see Azami nearly jumping up and down with excitement, "But he probably doesn't even like me like that!"
"Ha, yeah we'll see about that."
Misaki had no idea what she wanted to do. It had been four days since what Misaki now thought of as the incident. Three day of ignoring Rin's texts because what was she supposed to say? 'Oh hey Rin yeah I think what we did was a mistake so let's forget it happened'. Or she could go for a more honest approach and say something like 'I want to kiss you again but that'd be wrong but I really really want to kiss you again'. Then there was always the guilt ridden approach of 'Rin I feel horrible about what happened and I'm pretty sure I'm the worst person ever so please stop texting me'. Or she could just ignore him. Which is exactly what she had been doing.
Ignoring Rin had actually proven to be easier than Misaki expected. After all once she heard Rin was back she spent months avoiding him so four days was nothing. The issue was that while Misaki could ignore his texts she couldn't ignore the memories. She would be doing something mundane like making a sandwich when all of the sudden she would remember how it felt to have Rin's lips on hers. The thought would send a shiver down her spine and cause her to lose track of what she had been doing. It was annoying but okay when she was alone. It was certainly not okay when it happened when she was out with the guys. The lie of 'I got a chill' managed to get old fast but luckily no one questioned her about it. Plus like it wasn't as if they could guess what she was thinking. No one could guess what she had done.
Misaki wasn't the type of girl that screamed 'cheater' or 'liar'. It wasn't like she was some hussy who went crazy at the sight of a male. Heck she didn't get her first boyfriend till ten months ago and they didn't even kiss until five months ago. Yet she had willingly made out with one Rin Matsuoka in a back alley near a McDonalds. Classy.
Along with ignoring Rin over the past three days Misaki also wished her parents safe travels as they left for their six week trip to Europe. Six weeks of being home alone, aka six weeks of relaxation. Azami wasn't a fan of Misaki's plans for being home alone. She thought Misaki should throw wild parties and have week-long sleepovers and basically be a rebellious teenager for six weeks but Misaki had gotten very good at telling Azami 'no' and following through. Unfortunately Misaki could never follow through with a certain blonde haired pink eyed freshman.
It all started when Makoto mentioned in passing that Misaki's parents would be out of town. She and the swim team had all gotten together on Sunday to eat ice cream and hang out. Instead what ended up happening was Nagisa begged Misaki for them to have a party at her house. Misaki immediately said 'no' which then made Nagisa beg everyone else to ask Misaki to let them have a party. Soon she was telling not just Nagisa 'no' but also Rei, Makoto, and even Haru who threw in his petty request for a party. Finally after an hour Misaki caved and since it would only be the five of them and Gou she figured it couldn't be that bad. She was wrong.
On a simple Tuesday night Misaki found her house overrun by four swimming males and the sister of the guy she just cheated on her boyfriend with. Here Misaki thought she had moved past her issues with Rin and become friends with Gou. Now Misaki could barely look at the girl without thinking of the incident.
"Misaki!" Nagisa carried out the last syllable of her name as he ran out from the kitchen, "We need more popcorn."
Misaki was firmly planted on the couch in the living room, too afraid to go into the kitchen to see the messes the boys and Gou were making, "Then go buy some."
"Noooo!" Misaki felt two arms fling over the back of the couch and onto her shoulder as Nagisa began whining directly into her ear, "I brought lots and lots of snacks and you put it somewhere and I can't find it so you need to find it!"
"Nagisa," Misaki laughed, the boy's breath tickling her ear, "Stop it!"
"C'mon! C'mon! C'mon!"
"Makoto, I think Nagisa is harassing your girlfriend," Haru stated calmly as he walked out into the living room, a plastic bag in his hand, "I found the popcorn."
Nagisa released Misaki and did a jump for joy before attacking the blue eyed teen in a hug, "Yay Haru!"
Misaki could hear Haru order Nagisa to get off of him followed by the sound of Nagisa basically running back into the kitchen with the bag of snacks. Soon the sound of the popcorn maker and cabinets slamming shut met Misaki's ears causing her to flinch. She loved those boys like brothers but this was definitely not in her plans for summer break.
"Hey Misaki," the girl's voice startled her as she looked to her left to see Gou bounding into the living room, "The boys want us to pick the movie."
"They're in the office so the second door-"
"Just come with me."
Gou's hand latched onto Misaki's arm and although no one could have guessed it the maroon haired girl had some strength. With a strong tug she forced Misaki off the couch and dragged her into the office. There the girls stared at a bookshelf full of DVDs while maintaining a pretty shallow level of conversation.
"I don't want a comedy," Gou said to herself as she tapped her chin, "How is your summer break going so far Misaki?"
Oh you know I just made out with your brother aka cheated on my boyfriend so all in all it's been pretty horrific. "Good," Misaki shrugged forcing thoughts of Rin out of her mind, "You?"
"Boring," Gou sang as she let out a huff, "This is the only exciting thing I've done all week."
Misaki thought about pointing out how it was only Tuesday therefore Gou had many more days left this week to do exciting things but figured it'd be best to not be a smart-ass towards the girl. Instead she nodded her head in agreement and offered up the fact that they were sure to do more fun things over the break.
"We're going to start up practice again next week," Gou stated as she took a movie off the shelf, eyed it for a moment then placed it back, "I'm thinking five days a week for five hours a day, do you think that's too much?"
Misaki's face must have given away her answer as Gou shrugged and mumbled something about maybe cutting the time down. Soon the conversation turned to what movie genre to watch. Both girls unanimously decided on watching a scary movie which led them to picking out The Grudge. Once the movie was picked Misaki just wanted to sit back down on the couch but Gou insisted that she hang out with them in the kitchen.
Upon walking into her kitchen she noticed two large pizzas that they had ordered earlier and a solid six large bowls of popcorn with more being made. All Misaki could do was let out a sigh before decided that she wasn't about to stop them from making messes so she may as well enjoy it. After eating two slices of pizza and helping make popcorn the group was ready to settle down for the movie. They brought all the popcorn out into the living room along with numerous blankets and pillows which they set down on the floor in front of the couch. Everyone wanted to sit on the floor leaving Misaki and Makoto the couch. The couch could sit three which left Misaki with enough room to lie down and rest her head on Makoto's lap. It was perfectly comfy with the blanket placed over her and Makoto rubbing her back. All was well until the sound of the doorbell rang out.
"Is it the pizza guy again?" Misaki asked, praying to god that no one had ordered more pizza.
"No it's Rin."
Nagisa's words were clear as day but Misaki was still hoping she had heard him incorrectly. Without a word she sat up straight and watched as the blonde leaped over people to get to the front door.
"You invited my brother?" Gou asked, also sitting up so she could get a better view of the door.
"Yeah! I figured it wouldn't be a real group get together if I didn't invite Rin!"
If Misaki wasn't in shock she would have gotten up and punched the blonde right in the esophagus. She would have barricaded the door and commanded that everyone stay silent so Rin would think no one was home. Then she'd learn magic and cast a spell on everyone so no one remembered her outburst. Too bad Misaki couldn't do any of these things. Instead she sat close to Makoto, her hazel eyes watching the door and wishing that when it opened up it'd be the pizza guy, or a zombie, or anyone other than Rin.
"Rin!"
Fuck my life. Misaki watched as Nagisa gave Rin a hug- much to the latter's disapproval. A few curse words later Rin was inside the house and staring at a certain noirette who was seated on the couch. While everyone else was saying their hellos Misaki stared down at her thighs while playing with the hem of her black cotton shorts. She was waiting for Rin to say something to her but his comments passed right over her. Apparently he was clued in on the game Misaki was playing- the ignoring game. Because of this Misaki figured Rin would sit as far away from her as possible and allow her to pretend that he wasn't here.
"So what are we watching?" Rin asked as he stepped over Rei and took a seat on the couch.
At seeing Rin sit right next to her Misaki abandoned the game and decided to say her first words to Rin since that night, "I was going to lay down."
Rin raised one eyebrow at Misaki before looking down at the couch he was sitting on, "Then where do you suggest I sit?"
Anywhere but here. Misaki looked around the room and noticed how full the space in front of her couch already was. Nagisa was lying flat on his back with three pillows propped behind him. Rei was next to him and couldn't extend his legs out all the way lest he kick Gou who was lying horizontally. Haru was on the other side of Nagisa and any space next to him was taken up by bowls of popcorn and cans of soda.
"We're watching The Grudge," Haru answered Rin's question without even bothering to look up at him.
Nagisa then reached over Haru to grab a bowl of popcorn before offering it to Rin, "Here you go."
"Thanks," Rin said as he took the bowl and placed it in his lap. He then slid off his Samezuka jacket and grabbed a pillow off the floor and placed it behind his back. The guy was in the process of getting comfy meaning he had no intention of moving.
"Maybe you should move Rin," Rei stated as he turned to look up at the three people currently sitting on the couch, "Misaki doesn't look very happy."
"She'll get over it," Rin mumbled through a mouthful of popcorn, "Just start the movie already."
Misaki wanted to protest because she wasn't about to just 'get over it' but any words she was about to say got drowned out by the sound of the movie. Soon Gou got up to turn off the lights in order to provide a scary atmosphere for the movie. And that's how Misaki ended up sandwiched on her couch in the dark between her current boyfriend and the guy she cheated on him with. Fantastic.
"Eek!"
"Makoto nothing even scary happened!"
"I-I know I-I'm n-not scared just h-hold my hand okay?"
Misaki wasn't sure what was worse. Having Makoto clinging to her due to his fear of the movie or hearing Rin chuckle under his breath every time Makoto jumped and squeezed Misaki's hand so hard she let out a yelp of pain.
"It's not funny," Misaki hissed under her breath as she looked to her left to see Rin smirking in the darkness.
"Ah!" Another whispered scream and Makoto grabbed Misaki's shoulder and pulled her into his chest as if using her as a shield. Rin didn't even have to say anything. All he had to do was look to his right and smirk.
"Oh my gosh we are never watching a scary movie ever again," Misaki muttered as she tried to get Makoto to release his death grip on her shoulder but it wasn't working.
"Yo," a hand reached out across Misaki's face and latched onto Makoto's hand, "You're gonna break her arm."
All Misaki could do was look between Rin's serious face and Makoto's scared to death face. With a strong pull Rin forced Makoto's hand off of her shoulder leaving the girl free to stand up and remove herself from the situation. "I'm going to get more popcorn," she mumbled, picking up an empty bowl from the floor as she headed towards the kitchen.
Upon entering the kitchen Misaki noticed some popcorn sitting in a bowl on the counter. Instead of grabbing that bowl she decided to make fresh popcorn because that would take longer and Misaki wanted to be out of that living room for as long as possible. She wanted to be away from Makoto and Rin for as long as possible.
"Hey."
His voice made her shiver and groan in frustration. She wanted to get away from her problems but looks like the problem followed her into the kitchen, "What?" she asked, turning on the balls of her feet to see Rin with his hand in the popcorn bowl.
"I didn't know Makoto was such a wimp, granted he was always pretty fragile when we were kids but I didn't think he'd be the one wearing the skirt in the relationship."
Misaki rolled her eyes, turning back around and pouring popcorn into the machine, "If you came in here to make fun of him you might as well just go back out there cause I really don't want to hear it."
"No, the reason I came in here was to ask you why you've been ignoring me."
"I don't think it's that hard to figure out," Misaki mumbled, feeling her cheeks begin to warm as she kept her back towards the shark toothed male.
"Look," Rin huffed, pushing his hair back, "I've been thinking about what happened and-"
"Can we please not talk about it here?"
"Huh? Why not?"
Misaki turned around, a dumbstruck look on her face, "Uh I dunno because maybe my boyfriend is sitting out in the other room?"
She could see Rin visibly flinch at the word 'boyfriend'. "So you haven't told him?"
"I don't know why I would," Misaki whispered, the sound of the popcorn maker filling the silence that was left in the wake of her words.
The pair stood in awkward silence until the popcorn was done. Although Misaki didn't ask for any help Rin was quick to aide her in pouring the kernels into the large pink plastic bowl. His proximity made Misaki's head fill with thoughts of his lips. The nagging feeling wouldn't leave her alone until she forced herself to move away from him and busy herself with grabbing the other already made bowl of popcorn.
"Hey," Rin's voice met her ears as she was about to exit the kitchen, "Can you stop ignoring my texts?"
"Sure."
"And can we get together to talk sometime?"
"You're being really needy you know that right?" It had been a joke but as Misaki turned to look at Rin she realized that he wasn't about to laugh. Something was on his mind, something that looked to be bothering him the longer he thought about it.
"Rin?" her voice grabbed his attention, pulling it away from his thoughts as he met her gaze, "I'll text you tomorrow so we can plan a time to talk."
"Gre-"
Before the word could leave Rin's mouth a very stern looking Rei strutted into the kitchen and grabbed Misaki's wrist. "Not only are you missing the movie but Makoto-senpai has begun clinging to me whenever anything scary happens," he explained as he began pulling Misaki out of the kitchen.
"What am I supposed to do about that?"
"You're his girlfriend- figure something out."
Misaki didn't even think to turn around as she was being led out of the kitchen by Rei. If she had she would have noticed the smile on Rin's face instantly disappear at Rei using the word 'girlfriend'. She would have seen the hurt flash in Rin' eyes and his hands ball into fists because Misaki wasn't supposed to be Makoto's girlfriend, she was supposed to be his.
Author's Note: so I may or may not have been listening to the new Katy Perry album on repeat when I realized that one of the songs on the album describes Misaki's feelings towards Rin when he stopped writing her PERFECTLY. the song is called Ghost and you guys should all totally go listen to it and let me know what you think. I also broke my streak of using Taylor Swift lyrics...whoops
Pinkychick1: Misaki is totally the one who acts funny over what happened while Rin is just like 'whatever'. When writing this chapter I felt like Rin wouldn't really act differently around her but that he really needs to talk to her since he hasn't really been able to comprehend what happened. If anything it's Misaki who is acting differently by ignoring him.
InsomniaticAct: I feel like as the story goes on most people will probably root for RinSaki but they'll feel bad for Makoto cause of what the poor guy will have to go through but alas! I've already said too much!