Hello! I am so sorry for the delay in updating again. Finals and graduation caught up with me, but hopefully I can get around to posting more frequently now. My goal is to have this done by the end of summer; I have to finish this.
Thank you to everyone who read the story in my short absence and to Momo and 91101TakaharaShiori01995 for your lovely reviews! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
I do not own Metal Fight Beyblade.
Hikaru collapsed on the couch. "I can't deal with this anymore," she said wearily.
"You're not the only one," Madoka sat next to her.
Sophie paced around the room. "At least his sorry ass is alive. It would've killed Mei Mei if, well, you know…"
Hikaru nodded. "Now that that nightmare's finally over, we can do something with our summer again."
Madoka stared at the floor. She had an idea, one she didn't really like, but maybe it was their only other option at this point.
"Maybe we should stop talking to the guys," she said slowly. Hikaru and Sophie stared blankly at her. "I know it isn't ideal, but the majority of issues we've had so far are from them. I'm not saying we have avoid them completely, but I think we should take a break."
"A break?" Sophie sounded skeptical. "It's kind of hard when we're sharing half a condo with them."
"I'm in," Hikaru nodded. "When we first got here, we didn't know they were going to be here, too. We can go back to that frame of mind again."
"Exactly," Madoka agreed, relieved that one of them seemed to understand what she was saying.
"I don't know," Sophie sounded unsure.
"You just don't want to lose your chance with Wales," Hikaru smiled.
Sophie fluffed out her hair. "As if. But if that's what you think, then count me in. I can be just as done with any of the boys as you, Wales included."
"Then it's settled," Hikaru decided. "The ban on boys begins now. We can be civil to them, we can say hello, but we're done putting up with them. This is our summer, and we need to act like it."
The three girls stuck their hands in the middle of them, one on top of the other, sealing their pact.
The so-called "ban on boys" was proving to be harder than any of them thought. Madoka hated that she had to go out of her way to avoid Gingka, knowing he'd want to hang out with her. She was, as they'd stated "civil", but anytime he said anything, she suddenly came up with a million reasons why she was too busy to do anything. Unfortunately, she was beginning to run out of solid excuses.
Sophie, was struggling much more than she'd ever admit. She was still irritated that the boys hadn't let her go out to look for Mei Mei and the others the day after the storm, but it was impossible for her to forget the sunset she'd shared with Wales. Every time they passed on the beach, she'd looked away quickly, refusing to make eye contact. She was certain he'd heard about the way she and Hikaru had blown up on the others.
Mei Mei, after her ordeal, had begun to warm up again, but she still spent a lot of time locked up in the room she shared with Madoka by herself. She'd spend hours looking out the window down the beach, watching the excitement below. More than a few times, she caught herself looking for Chao Xin, before catching herself and remembering what he had done. He hadn't been around much anyways.
Hikaru was probably doing the best under the circumstances. She and Ryuga refused to so much as look at each other, though toward the others, she was a little friendlier. She didn't dare let her guard down, though, not wanting to risk getting into any more trouble. If there was going to be a ban on boys, then she was going to do it right. Her friends meant more to her than any of them did.
About a week into the ban, they'd finally gotten into a comfortable groove. They divided their time exploring the island, spending time on the beach, and visiting the different villages and towns. One day they'd even gone on a boat tour, and watched for whales. The whales had been a no show, but they did get to see a pod of dolphins swimming nearby.
All in all, their vacation was finally starting to become what it was supposed to be.
Unfortunately, in their hearts they knew none of it was going to last.
Sophie was the first to break the pact.
She'd known it was going to happen, but she didn't know how soon. Two weeks into the ban, she'd run into Wales down at the water's edge. Unable to avoid him, she'd been coerced into talking to him. Fortunately, the other girls weren't around, and she'd been able to lead him further down the beach out of sight of the other girls.
"What's going on with you?" He asked.
Sophie took one last glance at their surroundings to make sure they were alone. "It's hard to explain," she said at last.
He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"We've been busy," she said, slightly annoyed. "Don't forget, you guys are the reason we've had so many problems."
"Right, and the four of you have been completely innocent with everything that's happened. This is all our fault."
Sophie's face flushed red. "You know what I mean. Chao Xin really hurt Mei Mei; she's still not completely back to normal. He could have at least stopped back at the condo and said he was okay before going out with those other girls."
"Have you even heard his story?"
"No," Sophie pursed her lips. "Why does that even matter?"
"It matters because he thought he saw Mei Mei out in the water that night. That's why he went into the ocean in the middle of the storm. The waves swept him out to the other side of the island."
"But Mei Mei was never in the water during the storm," Sophie frowned. "What did he see?"
Wales shrugged. "I don't know. The point is he thought he was helping Mei Mei, but by the time he got out there, he couldn't see anything. He's lucky to be alive. Hikaru and Ryuga- they almost got off easy compared to what he went through."
"Right," Sophie could feel annoyance seeping back into her. "Because fighting a rip current during a storm is always easy. It's not a matter of who got off easy; it's the fact that he didn't even try to come back. He may have washed up on the other side, but that doesn't mean he has to stay there an entire day and flirt with the locals. He has friends. Friends who needed him."
"I'm not saying what he did was right. I'm just saying there's more to the story than what you think."
"I've got to get back," Sophie glanced at the sky, which was starting to dance with shades of purple and pink. "It's getting late."
"Is that really the reason?"
Sophie stared back at him. The situation was uncomfortably similar to the one of the cliff edge, where they'd watched the sunset together the first time. Where she'd thought he was going to kiss her. She forcibly pushed the thought out of her mind.
"Yes," she raised her head. "I don't want the others to get worried; I said I was going to be near the condo on the beach. Meaning, I'd be in their sight."
Wales saw right through her. "We know what you're trying to do. The four of you are trying to cut us off. Sooner or later it's not going to work; you should know that. You'll break down eventually."
"Hardly," Sophie scoffed. "We just want to enjoy what's left of our summer."
"So do we."
"In that case, you should be grateful, we aren't around to bug you. That stupid prank war is finally over."
"You don't get it, do you? We don't want you to cut us out of your lives; we want to enjoy the summer just as much as you do. And spending it with all of you without any of this negativity is part of that."
The sun was half-hidden beneath the waves now; it was going to be dark soon. The arrival of dusk was beginning to block out the vibrant yellow and orange shades in the sky. Sophie could see the faint outline of the moon beginning to appear.
"I've got to go," she repeated. Finally, her resolve strengthened, she turned away and started to walk down the beach.
A hand on her shoulder turned her around. "Wales, I don't-"
She froze, unable to deal with what was happening. She knew it was coming the second she looked at him; she just hadn't expected it to happened so suddenly, especially right now with the circumstances.
But in that moment, the pact meant absolutely nothing and she met him in a kiss that transported everything else away and left them alone on the beach as the sun dipped below the horizon.
"I've got it," Hikaru said dramatically a few days later, drawing attention to herself.
"What?" Madoka asked.
"Clubbing!" The other girl said excitedly, sitting up on the couch. "We haven't done that yet, and there's plenty of nightlife on this island. We should check it out!"
"I don't know," Mei Mei said doubtfully. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
Hikaru shrugged. "We've been cooping ourselves up for way too long. Let's go out and have some fun!"
Sophie would've agreed almost immediately, but was still wrapped up in what had happened to her. She didn't know what to think anymore. Part of her felt guilty about betraying her friends that way, but at the same time she felt as though not knowing about it wasn't going to hurt them. She just had to keep her mouth shut.
To their surprise, Madoka declared her approval for the idea after only a few minutes.
"It'll be fun," she reasoned. "There's no point in sticking around here tonight and moping. This way we're getting more of the island experience, too."
"Fine," Mei Mei pouted. "But if we're going out tonight, I want to look good. No more of this wearing lazy outfits and bathing suits."
Sophie looked at her in disbelief. "Do you honestly think we would let you go out looking less than amazing? Tonight is our night. C'mon, I'll do your makeup."
And with that the four of them raced upstairs, flipping through their clothes in search of the perfect outfits.
By nine, they were more than ready to hit the clubs. Madoka had found one that wasn't too far from their condo in case they wanted to go back at any point. It was a fifteen minute walk at most, which was also a plus if they ended up staying out later than anticipated as well. It was also a teen-friendly club, meaning they'd have no problem getting in and were less likely to have to deal with older weirdos.
Hikaru was looking for shoes to match the red one shoulder top she'd paired with a black, pleated miniskirt. The back of the shirt had slits going down it, with black lace on the inside of the shirt. She'd done her own makeup: red lipstick and big cat eyes. She knew there was a pair of red heels somewhere in the mess.
"How do I look?"
Hikaru, successfully having found the shoes, turned and saw Mei Mei. Her face broke out into a grin.
Mei Mei looked better than she had in weeks; the tired circles were gone from her eyes, and she seemed to glow from the inside. Mei Mei's eyes were decorated with glittering blue eyeshadow and what looked like false lashes; her lips were a pale pink color.
As for her outfit, she had on a backless, sparkling blue minidress and matching heels in a turquoise color. Hikaru thought she recognized the dress as Sophie's.
"Doesn't she look great?" Sophie bounded into the room at that moment. "Wait a sec, the halter's messed up-" She quickly adjusted the knot for Mei Mei. "And perfect!"
"You do look really good," Hikaru assured her.
Mei Mei smiled. "Thanks," she said softly. "This was a great idea. I really needed this."
"We haven't even started yet," Sophie smiled.
She wore a light green sequin tube top, and a poofy white skirt resembling a tutu. Her heels were just as sparkly as her top, if not more so, and she'd pulled her recently straightened hair into a tight ponytail. She wore large white hoop earrings, and shimmering green eyeshadow that drew out her eyes.
"Hurry up, Madoka!" Sophie called.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Madoka stumbled into the room, trying to put on a pair of heels with wedges. She wore a pink, purple, and white ombre off the shoulder dress, and a large, chunky statement necklace. Her eyes were covered with silvery makeup, and like Hikaru, her lips were bright red. "Are we ready?"
Sophie nodded. "Of course. Let's go."
The club was bursting with people. Mei Mei squeezed her way past a group of girls about her age and found a booth to sit in. The other three followed suit. Sophie ordered some fries, and the four of them enjoyed them, before deciding to go out on the dance floor.
The dance floor was more crowded than Mei Mei thought possible, but she didn't let that deter her.
"Don't look now, but I think that guy is checking you out," Sophie nodded in the direction of a guy standing with a group of friends.
Mei Mei glanced over. He was pretty cute. "You think so?" She blushed.
"Definitely. You look killer in that dress," Sophie nodded. "You should talk to him."
"Maybe," Mei Mei tilted her head to the side. "I think I've had enough boy drama for a while."
Sophie shrugged. "It's your decision." She danced away.
Mei Mei looked over at him. She was tempted, but her mind was still hung up on a few other things. She weighed her options, settling on following after Sophie. There was no point in getting caught up in a summer fling.
Madoka and Hikaru were talking at the edge of the dance floor, eyes sweeping around the room. Mei Mei and Sophie walked up to them.
"Ugh, don't look now, but trouble," Hikaru had a disgusted expression on her face.
Sophie looked in the direction Hikaru had mentioned. She covered her mouth quickly to stifle a gasp. Out of all the nights, really-
Their next-door neighbors were right nearby.
"Are you kidding me?" Madoka groaned. "This can't be happening."
Sophie bit her lip and turned away. She desperately wanted to talk to Wales, but there was no way that could happen with her friends around. He looked as good as ever and was staring right at her, but she tried to keep her eyes everywhere else. If the other girls found out-
Wales motioned toward an empty booth in the corner of the club. Sophie nodded, then discretely held up her phone. She sent him a quick message. He held up his own phone, signaling he'd got the message.
Mei Mei watched as girls flocked up to Chao Xin, and was shocked to see he didn't pay them much attention. Something seemed off about him.
"I'm going to get something to drink," Sophie said casually, then walked away.
Hikaru bared her teeth. The guys would not stop looking in their direction. "We might as well find out what they want," she muttered. "The faster we get this over with, the faster we can go back to having fun."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Madoka commented.
"No, but it's what I'm going with."
With Madoka and Mei Mei flanking her sides, Hikaru marched right up to the boys. Wales had disappeared and Chao Xin had slowly begun to inch away from the rest of the group, presumably to chat up some females.
"Well?" Hikaru stopped, folding her arms across her chest.