Happenstance
Chapter 5 – Story of Crimson

you were my eyes
trustworthy friend
stood by my side
like a true friend
what you provided
a way to mend
my broken pride
easy to mend
then it subsided
that was the end
a bullet inside
that was our end
in the end
can't mend
a traitorous friend
you were an eye

There's an orchid in her hair.

Whether you personally know her or not, Paine doesn't come off as the type of girl to wear flowers in her hair. Especially an orchid that looks like it was specifically (Yuna)-picked for someone special. Especially an orchid that is small, white, and I'm willing to bet, unscented. It looks nice on her, but it would've looked nicer in my unbroken vase in my living room.

I'm not sure if it's fair that I'm suspicious, but I cannot help the feeling. It's not every day you run into a man with enough self-confidence in his masculinity that he walks around with a pony tail that falls past his behind. A man who doesn't bother to help you pick up your fallen orchids – doesn't even seem to care that they have scattered around his feet, and the water which soaks his shoes. A man who seems more mature and ridged than most… and so…

Actually… maybe I'm wrong, and it's not fair that I'm suspicious. Maybe he doesn't have anything to do with the flower in Paine's hair after all.

Still…

The feeling of suddenly being watched comes to my conscious, and I turn around from my place at my locker to meet Baralai's gaze. I swallow hard.

He doesn't say anything initially; he simply stares at me with a sort of annoyed, and yet worried expression on his face. Offended, maybe. And who's to blame him especially since I just ran out of the gym yesterday without giving him an explanation. And I know that he deserves one, but I'm not planning on giving it to him. Even if he is one of the few people who have been nice to me since my transfer here… He's a male Yevonite, after all. He just… He wouldn't understand.

"Hi," I say weakly, turning down my gaze as I aimlessly stuff my binder in my locker.

"Why'd you leave so suddenly yesterday?" he asks, his body still as a rock, as if he's trying to hold in his annoyance.

I hesitate momentarily, closing the door of my locker and fiddling mindlessly with the lock as I think of an appropriate response. "I changed my mind," I tell him quietly.

"How come?"

"I didn't feel well."

"Really…" he says in a low, almost sarcastic tone. I can tell he doesn't believe me, but he has no way of proving me wrong. And he's not the type to grab me by the wrist and force answers out of me. He's much too civil and polite for that. "How are you feeling today then?"

"Better, thanks." I force out a smile, reaching up to tuck a stray hair behind my ear. An awkward silence follows.

"Rikku, I'm sorry I made you go to the tryout," he sudden says. He sighs deeply, glancing out the window as he straightens the fabric of his jacket distractedly. "I should've respected the fact that you were uncomfortable."

I'm speechless for a second as I stare him, shocked that he would be the one to apologize when he wasn't the one who carelessly dropped a friend's bundle of clothing on the ground and dashed out without a second thought. It makes me feel guilty as I observe his upset face, and with a nervous laugh I reply, "It's alright. It had nothing to do with you."

He gives me a weak smile, shoving his hands into his pocket before meeting my gaze. "Is something troubling you, then?"

I flinch. "It's fine."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm fine."

He nods, resolutely abandoning the question when he notices my slightly annoyed tone, making him realize that I'm in an uncomfortable state again. His face lights up briefly, as if he's about to ask me to go to the plaza for lunch or if I wanted to make a stop by the ice cream truck, but then his eyes suddenly narrow. And his expression is deeply solemn and serious. And that's when I realize he's staring intently at my bruised wrist. "What's that?"

I hide it behind my back impulsively. "Nothing," I say with a light laugh, "I fell." It's not exactly a major secret how I got the bruise, but there's really no need for him to know about Gippal and my rash decisions last night. It'll just give him more of a reason to think I'm a stupid Al Bhed if he doesn't think so already.

He doesn't believe me again, and gives me a half glare. Baralai never glares at me. "Fine." His tone is dull and emotionless.

I clutch onto the strap of my bag, fingering with the loose threads at its ends as I try to figure out how to talk normally with him again. He's a great classmate, but I'm not sure if we would make good friends outside of school; I'll probably just piss him off.

"There's a pizza special in the cafeteria."

I glance up at him nervously, the sudden change in topic a little startling and awkward. "That sounds nice."

"It is. Two for one deal. Do you want some?"

I nod, taking a step in his direction and we walk toward the stairs at the end of the hallway. The tension between us has dissipated by the time we walk though the staircase doors, replaced instead with light conversation and mild laughter as he tells me about Mr. Wakka's accidental stumble into the swimming pool last week.

- - - - - - - -

There's an orchid in her hair. LeBlanc's hair.

I learned her name this morning when one of her friends shouted it after her daily "snobby Al Bhed slut" remarks at me. Apparently, she's quite popular around the school, and the type to skip classes to hang around in the washroom gossiping and applying make up. She comes off as the typical bitch and the type to be able to seduce any man she chooses.

…Even a pony-tail-wearing man? Perhaps not. He seems too mature and darkly for her. They'd never work out.

I watch as she walks with the air of a queen down the sidewalk, two boys trailing behind her, one tall and one chubby, and two other girls on either side of her, carrying her bag and schoolbooks. She tousles her short blond hair casually every once in a while, turning her head to the sky as if expecting it to clear up and pull out the sun in honour of her presence.

At the corner of my eye, I see Yuna jumping up and down, waving at me as she runs my way. I turn from my spot on the curb of the sidewalk to greet her. Her smile is wide and triumphant, hair bouncing in the wind as she gleefully rushes toward me. She agreed to walk home with me today since she had to make a stop by the convenience store on my street. And considering that I hardly ever get to spend time with her, I jumped excitedly at the chance. Pops, after much careful debate, agreed it would be alright, as long as I got home on time.

I bend over to grab my bag on the ground and stand up. Behind her, I notice two blonde boys approaching as well. One of them I recognize as Tidus, her boyfriend whom I met at the flower shop the other day. And the other…

…Crap.

"Rikku!" Yuna exclaims, and I can see Gippal's eyebrow rise slightly in confusion.

I give her an awkward grin, standing up and embracing her back when she hugs me.

"Do you mind if Tidus and Gippal tag along?" she asks, pointing to Gippal standing behind her. "You know Tidus already—"

Tidus waves cheerfully. "Hey."

"—And this is Gippal. He's in Ms. Lulu's homeroom and—"

Gippal smirks slightly. "We've met."

"Oh."

I glance downward, my palms suddenly sweaty and I tug on the sleeve of my shirt to cover my wrist. I give Yuna an assuring smile. "Neighbours," I explain simply, avoiding her gaze and his.

"Really? Oh, that's right! You're both in the same building." She smiles sheepishly before clasping her hands together and then grabbing Tidus' arm. "Great! Then no time needed for introductions. We should go, before the store closes."

Tidus mumbles something about Yuna being paranoid as they turn to leave, and I impulsively reach for her arm, not wanting to be left behind with Gippal the whole walk home. Not that it would be a terrible thing; it's just that we ended things awkwardly last night. And I'm not really in the mood to talk to him about anything really.

Girls like you, he had said. As if he knew everything about me. As if he was my childhood friend and grew up alongside me and knew my likes and dislikes, my personality and attitude, my experiences and dreams. Piecing my face and a name and a stereotypical image of girls like me and suddenly he thinks he knows all about me. Suddenly he thinks he's allowed to look at me with that smirk as if he's already got me all figured out.

He takes my hand before I'm able to reach Yuna's. I jump back immediately.

"Hey," he says, pulling away as well. In front of us, Yuna and Tidus are cuddling and laughing, completely oblivious to our exchange. Gippal looks at me with a serious face. "I just wanted to ask if your wrist is alright," he says in a sincere tone.

I glance up at him hesitantly before turning away and jogging lightly to catch up with Yuna.

Gippal follows me, his tone revealing more annoyance now. "What's wrong with you?" He adjusts the strap of his bag, cocking his head to the side to look at me. "You're not very friendly, y'know… Reiko," he says in a teasing sort of voice. The smirk on his face is back again, and I wonder if he's capable of any other expression but. He chuckles softly. "What? Mama didn't teach you manners?"

BAM!

My hands are frozen in the air where I had shoved him, mouth hung open in disbelief of what I had just done. My eyes are wide as I watch him grunt from his position on the pavement, a sort of fear in my chest. Around us, people have stopped momentarily to observe. I can feel Yuna and Tidus' looks on us as well. But all I can see is Gippal's tangled form half-lying on the ground, the brief flash of anger in his glare before he turns away from me with a cold shoulder.

"Hey, what happened?" Tidus asks, approaching us. I lower my hands, turning to face him guiltily. Tidus gives me a confused look before staring down at Gippal getting up. Then, he breaks into a nervous laugh. "Did you trip yourself, man?"

Gippal doesn't reply. His face has become dead serious and he walks past me without sparing the slightest glance. He pats Tidus' shoulder lightly and briefly skims his hands around Yuna's waist, whispering something to them both before walking away on his own. He doesn't turn back.

A sinking feeling churns inside of me, and I feel like collapsing to the ground and digging myself a bottomless pit to rot in. Not even two minutes into our conversation and I had succeeded in making a potential friend – a neighbour – into an enemy. An enemy who knows exactly where I live. An enemy who goes to my school.

An enemy who has held me against my will once already.

I break into tears without knowing, and Yuna's by my side instantly, soothing my sobs with gentle words and warm embraces. Tidus pats my back awkwardly, gently guiding us into a corner where no one can see.

I grip onto Yuna tightly, knowing after my cries subside, she's going to want to know what happened. Going to make me explain. And memories are going to lead to those years when she wasn't by my side to dry my tears. Years I'd spent in Bikanel without her protection and care to stabilize me. The day I decided I wanted to run to the end of the world. And maybe it's just an Al Bhed girl thing. Or a Rikku thing. Or a Blue Devil victim thing.

But I don't want to talk about it. So I cry for as long as I can.

- - - - - - - -

Aniki's homemade dinner isn't sitting so well in my stomach, so I leave to go out on the balcony to get some fresh air. It's cool outside this time of day, the sun hiding behind the clouds, and light rain that falls in a sort of weak drizzle over the city.

I'm tired. Yuna and Tidus walked me home, refraining from questioning me after Tidus made the deduction that Gippal was hitting on me – like he apparently does with many girls – and said something that went too far. He promised to give him a good slap to the back of the head for me tomorrow. I didn't bother correcting him of what really happened after he made that promise.

I sigh, leaning in the pillow of my arms on the edge of the rail, staring down at the building courtyard where there are still a few people sitting around. Some are smart and have umbrellas. Others are daring and like to dance in the rain, namely children. It'd be nice to be down there now, playing with them too. Jumping around in the puddles and waving my arms to Heaven and say, "Look at me Mom, look what I can do!"

I shiver suddenly at the thought.

Sometimes, I forget I don't like the rain. Rain that comes gushing down like there's no tomorrow. Soaking you all over deep into the soles of your shoes, and your socks make a sloshy sound when you walk. November rain, mostly. Because that's the snowy month. And rain is unusual. And things that aren't normal are unusual. Things that are wrong are unusual.

Rain's stupid anyway. Nothing romantic. Nothing beautiful. It's just cold water falling down. And yet I spot a couple down below, partly hidden behind the trees, holding hands and leaning close. I watch them with a slight frown. The way they seem so natural together, so… loving. The way she lets him reach up and touch her face. The way she leans her head against his chest. And neither of them have an umbrella either, 'cause they're stupid and think the rain is beautiful.

I sigh, turning around and heading inside. I hear the doorknobs clicking, and I smile as I realize Pops has finally come home. With excited steps, I run up to the door to greet him, slowing down when I get the uneasy feeling in my stomach again. The door opens and I see my dad, and he flashes me a grin as he takes the keys out of the lock.

But I'm not paying attention to him. I'm not grinning back. I'm staring behind him. Behind him where there is a man. Leaning against the wall, waiting. A familiar man. With a pony-tail. And he's looking at me.

"Rikku?" Pops closes the door, looking at me funny. "Wha's wrong, girl? Not happy to see yer Pops?"

I manage a small smile, hugging him slightly before numbly walking back to the balcony. The sight of that man made my stomach drop. I had never expected to see him again, and he's right outside my apartment. Right outside! As if he'd been… following me. Stalking me… to find out where I live and –

"Rikku?" My father places a hand on my shoulder, looking at me concernedly now. "What's the matter, girl?" His tone is steady and protective.

I decide I'm overreacting and jumping to conclusions. If that man had really been waiting for me, he would've knocked by now or something… not just… stand there. He must be… waiting for a friend or something else...

"It's… nothing," I say, though I know Pops and Aniki have mutually agreed never to settle with that answer from me. So I clasp my hands together and force out a wide smile, pecking him on the cheek softly. "I'm fine, Daddy. Just… feeling sick." I nod toward the 'meal' on the kitchen counter, and that's enough to distract Pops and get him to go scowl at Aniki. I sneak back outside to the balcony, trying to shake off my childish worries.

A sigh escapes my mouth, the stress inside of me upon seeing that man mildly floats away with my breath. The rain is falling heavier now, and most of the people have gone inside. With the exception of the couple, who seem to be closer to each other more than ever now. With a small, amused smile, I lean my elbow on the rail and rest my head in my palm, staring down at them. They look so perfect for each other. And I'm suddenly a bit giddy as magical, happily-ever-after fairy tales come to mind. They're very lucky, I think, to be safe in each other's arms like that. And I watch with interest as the male makes a move to kiss her.

She slaps him.

With surprised eyes, I watch as she pushes the man off her and runs away from the courtyard in panic, through the rain and mud and puddles and all. The man simply stares after her, frozen in his spot. It's a sad sight really; and a little funny if you weren't feeling sad. Perhaps they weren't as happily-ever-after perfect as I thought.

It's then that I realize their faces and figures seem awfully familiar. Schoolmates maybe? Old neighbours? It's hard to tell from up here.

I jump back from the rail with a start when realization hits me. When the hair, the clothes… I've seen it before...! I shake my head and blink and squint, and that really can't be… that really can't be… Paine…. is it…?

… and Gippal?

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