*XION*

"It's so cold!" Roxas cried, staring up at the sky.

I laughed. "It sure is!" December had come, and the ground was covered in snow. He and I were walking to his house so I could tutor him. We did this twice a week, and sometimes he had eaten ice cream with Axel and me.

"Axel's coming, right?" Roxas asked. He and Axel seemed to be friends, but at the same time, didn't. Maybe it was because Axel was two years older, and a misfit, while Roxas wasn't.

"Yeah, I invited him, like you said," I replied, kicking snow out of my way. I hugged myself, and tightened my loose scarf.

"Okay, good," Roxas said, smiling. Since it had gotten too cold for ice cream, Axel and I went to each other's houses and drank hot cocoa instead. Roxas had sort of joined in on the tradition.

Once we made it to his house, I saw Axel standing on Roxas's porch, dozing. He must've heard us coming, because he snapped out of his light nap and yelled out, "Hey, kiddo!"

"Hi, Axel!" I laughed. Axel came over and tousled my hair. "Hey!" I cried, swatting at his hand. We burst into laughter. Roxas looked on, expressionless.

"Let's go inside," Roxas curtly said, and unlocked the door.

"C'mon, Xion," Axel said, and walked into the house after Roxas.

"I'll get the hot chocolate ready!" I called, and set my stuff down before going into the kitchen.

When I came out with three steaming cups of hot chocolate, I saw Roxas and Axel glaring at each other.

"When will you two give up?" I sighed, setting the cups down on the table. I sat down.

"What do you mean?" Roxas asked.

"You two act like you hate each other, but you secretly are best friends, aren't you?" I asked, teasing them, kind of meaning it.

"Ah! Hot!" Axel cried after sipping his beverage.

I laughed. "Beats ice cream, though, huh?"

Axel and Roxas nodded, not looking at each other. This reminded me of when Axel and Riku first became friends. I refused to look at Riku, but that was because I was scared of him. What was wrong with these two?

"Roxas, will you get napkins, please? Axel's bound to spill," I said, lying.

Roxas got up and left.

"What's your problem?" I asked Axel, whispering.

"What?" he responded, playing dumb.

"Why don't you two get along in front of me?" I tried again.

"We don't get along at all. Got it memorized?" this time, there was no smirk when he said that.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Roxas is stuck-up and thinks he's so smart! He annoys me," Axel whispered, looking away.

"Why do you hang out with him, then?" I asked, confused.

Silence followed

"Because, I want to see if he'll be a good friend for you once I graduate," Axel finally confessed.

"Why are you so worried about me? I'm not a child," I snapped. "Besides, that's two years away."

"Sorry for caring, and trying to be a friend," Axel whispered, looking downcast. I could tell I'd hurt his feelings, but I was too angry to apologize.

Roxas walked back into the room.

"What's going on?" he asked when he saw how angry I was and how upset Axel was.

"I was just about to leave," Axel said quietly. "And not come back."

"Already? Well, it was good seeing you," Roxas replied, setting the napkins down on the table.

"Bye, Xion," Axel said before walking out the door.

I didn't respond.

Roxas shut the door once Axel left. "What did you say to him?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to seem innocent.

"You obviously said something to him to make him upset like that. He's not like that often."

"I'm sorry. We were talking about something, and I started yelling at him," I admitted.

"Oh," Roxas replied. He seemed lost in thought. Had I upset him, too?

"We should get to studying," I said. Before I hurt any more feelings, I silently added.

"Yeah, you're right. Next time, can we study at your house, Xion?" Roxas asked, grabbing a textbook.

"No, that's okay. I mean, if we can't come here that day, we don't have to study. We can take a break, if you want," I blabbered.

"No, it's not that. I want to see where you live," Roxas laughed.

I froze. What? He can't do that! I don't want to meet my roommate; he'll know the truth if he does…

"Xion?"

"Y-yes?" I blurted, sitting up straight. Roxas laughed.

"Are you alright? You seemed upset," Roxas pointed out.

I laughed, and lied. "No, I'm fine!"

Why was I becoming so different, so unkind, and a liar?