Aacura: Is Ray ok Max?

Max: See for yourself…

Tyson: She wrote the damn thing, so she is going to know what happens to him… WHY ASK!

Aacura: (sly look) I will hurt you...

Tyson: OO …… Aacura does not own Beyblade!

Chapter 9 - Ray?

Normal POV

"Ray! Ray? Are you ok, man?" Tyson asked. Ray had been awful quiet in his and Max's dorm, and it was night time. Ray pulled out his homework,

"Sure. You yourself?" Ray tried to act normally, but was failing drastically in Tyson's eyes. There was definitely something wrong.

"Fine. Ok dude, as long as you're ok. I mean, I know he's your cousin and all Max, but he's a jerk! And… I know you liked him and everything Ray, so… what I'm trying to say is… sorry man."

"It's cool Tyson." Ray replied, with some hesitation.

(One week later)

Max was still awake in his bed. He looked across to the bedside table to his digital clock, to find it was 2:00am, and then looked even further away, to find something shaking amongst Ray's bed covers. Max knew that it was Ray, crying.

A week had passed, and Kai's harsh words seemed to affect Ray deeply. Since that day under the tree, Ray seemed to think on his words and dwell on them, until he finally believed them himself. In other words, it was a way of bullying himself. Max knew all this, not because Ray had told him, but because of the signs and signals that Ray was giving off. For example, the crying in the early hours of the morning, and as Max woke up from Ray's compressed sobs (well, tried to be held back), he would also find him to go to the bathroom at 4am just to wash his hair twice (it was obvious at the length of time he took, and Ray would say things aloud as though going through a check list, "Hair washed twice… check…"

"What would you see in a greasy haired kid…"

Then the remainder of the early morning, Ray would put up his new hair style. No longer did his hair look long and neat in its wrap, but it was now put into individual plaits, that made more plaits, shortening his hair 'till it was shoulder length and held together with a black, unnoticeable bobble,

"What would you see in a greasy haired kid, with long, girlish hair, wrapped in flimsy BANDAGES…"

This took a long time for the Neko, as his hair was so long (he didn't have the heart to cut it) that it would be half six in the morning. The time they were to wake up in order to have breakfast and go to lessons by eight, Ray would tie on a pale blue bandana, covering his hair, fear of any grease showing, whilst Max would take a normal shower. They'd dress at the same time, but tears were almost brought to Max's eyes every time Ray would put on his different clothes. His traditional Chinese wear was somewhere in a crumple in Ray's wardrobe, and Ray's different look, for today anyway, was baggy black trousers and a baggy yellow top, followed by his bandana. Max knew the reasons for such choice in clothes. Bandana, again to cover his possibly greasy hair, baggy clothes to hide his unhealthy slim feature, to make him look bigger. Max could swear that he could count another one of Ray's rib everyday! Ray wasn't eating or sleeping right. In only one week, Ray had lost a lot of weight through not eating at all, bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, and his complexion was appallingly pale and grey due to lack in nutrition. Ray was in bad shape, but refused point blank to talk about it. Ray's self confidence dropped dramatically, and he hardly smiled anymore,

"What would you see in a greasy haired kid, with long, girlish hair, wrapped in flimsy BANDAGES, a totally freaky over-bite…"

He was also completely paranoid that people were talking, behind his back or looking at him disgustedly, making him play with his hair a lot, fidget with his clothes and blush and sweat.

It goes to show how being embarrassed, insulted, and rejected can change your life.

Ray wasn't doing this to please Kai, Max knew that. It was his mind that thought to himself "Do I have that many disgusting and highly noticeable flaws?"

Ray locked the dormitory door, with the same sad looking face, and with a hint of fright. He had been able to hide from Kai and his friends for the past week, but today they had English, so today, he would see Kai… and Kai would see him.

"What would you see in a greasy haired kid, with long, girlish hair, wrapped in flimsy BANDAGES, a totally freaky over-bite, and a hopeless wish that I would like him!"

"He's a dweeb!"

Aacura: (cooing) Oh Kai…..

Kai: (Hiding in corner)

Aacura: Make up with Ray… OR I WILL TOTALLY KILL YOU!

Kai: (Whispers) Please R&R, Aacura can get real nasty. And I want to make up with Ray too!

Aacura: Away from the story for a moment, I'd just like to say that this sort of stuff actually does happen! People who are bullied bully themselves without realising it! It's really sad that there are people out there who are willing to make a persons' life a misery, only for them to be unhappy when they go home as well. I'm strongly against bullies! They can F OFF for all I care! I hope you all also agree with me.