Kyoya went to dinner with his fiancé; the others were about while Kristen slept.
"What do you think would be the best thing to do for her?" Payton asked he sat on the sofa in his uniform; Carson leaned into his arms casually.
"I don't know; I mean it isn't like that we can be with her 24/7 to keep her safe. And if there's one thing about Damian we all know is he's crafty." Diego said.
"What are we going to do, send her back to America?" Hikaru said sarcastically trying to lighten the mood though it lacked his usual bite.
Silence.
"Well..." Tamaki said like he was going to elaborate but didn't
"I wasn't serious! We can't just ship her there like cargo!" Hikaru shouted shocked when the king seemed to consider it.
"If it's the only way to keep her safe it isn't like we have much of a choice." Maggie reasoned.
"She can go back to school, try to act normal." Toral softly said.
"Kristen is far from normal." Kaoru also tried to joke. Bello barked, and let out a growl.
"Oh boy, I know but we need Kristen to be safe." Sarah pet the dog; he flattened his ears and growled lowly.
"Bello; do you want Kristen to get hurt?" The growling immediately stopped when Madison said that. "I know we can't make the decision for her, but if it will keep her safe we need you to be her guard dog okay?" Madison talked to the dog like he was a human. The dog let out a bark before padding upstairs.
"We'll all go to the mall and try to explain on the way back." Maggie said. The others nod and awkwardly watch TV.
The next day the others went to school and I took care of Freedom Fire. I groomed her and fed her, saddled up and swung myself over her, taking her out to the fields. I started warming her up at a paced trot, after warming her up we did fast laps around the large field from the gardens to the edgy cliffs that led towards the beach. I pulled on the reigns when I saw the ocean. Freedom neighed and trotted lightly.
"Come on girly; let's take a look at this." I said, we started moving and I found a path that wasn't so rocky and steep. She trots down the rocky path onto the sandy beach. I dismount the saddle slip off my converse, putting my bare feet into the water for a minute before putting them back on. I smile when Mystic starts trotting in the water. I chuckle and walk towards her, I pet her muzzle and press a kiss on her nose. She snorts happily, I hop back on her and I have her run across about an acre back and forth slowing down a bit each time until she was walking.
"Good girl." I pet her head, we head back up towards the stables. She gets a drink and I give her a sugar cube. My phone rings in my back pocket.
"Hello?" I said putting her in the stables.
"Hey we'll be there in about ten minutes to head to the mall." I heard Carson's voice along with chatter in the background.
"We?" I asked frowning as I brush some fur off of my purple tank top that had a small circle with no fabric that had a matching string to tie the halter style shirt and jean short shorts, purple red converse high tops, a half white open jacket, silver layered necklace, different shades of purple marble looking bracelets on my left arm, sunglasses were perched on my curled brown hair.
"Yah we're all coming the twins want to help choosing clothes, Hunny wants to go to the candy shop, Tamaki want to go to the commoners mall and they're dragging Kyoya along." He said chuckling.
"Put one of the twins on." I said, I press one more kiss on the soft horses fur and leave the stables.
"Hey Kristen." I recognize Hikaru's voice.
"Hey I was wondering if it would look good to do the same hairstyle you and Kaoru did last night but use a different shade of red." I went inside and grabbed my white clutch purse.
"Depends on what shade." He answered.
"A dark golden red copper." I said as I went to the kitchen, I found a few pieces of meat throwing them to Bello and Addie.
"Yah that should work on you, let me show you a picture when you get in the car." He said, "Oh yah we're here." He said chuckling.
"Coming." I hung up and walked outside, I climbed into the limo.
"Here." Hikaru showed me a picture of a girl with dark lightly curled and waved golden red copper hair.
"Would it look good on me?" I asked.
"Kaoru would this look good on Kristen?" Hikaru asked Kaoru.
"Yah but she may need to either curl her hair everyday or braid it over night while it's wet." Kaoru said like he was a hair stylist; I chuckle under my breath.
"Kristen I thought you we're doing the neon hair." Sarah said confused.
"That's why I'm going with a natural color; most people are used to me with blue, green, purple, or red hair or streaks. So by using a more natural color it will be safer for me." I said.
Everyone sort of stiffened when they heard the explanation.
"What?" I asked confused.
"Nothing." Maggie smiled at me; I stared at her for a minute but decided that she'd tell me if it was important.
"Here we are!" Madison broke the silence. We head inside, Toral, Sarah, Kaoru, Hikaru left to go get clothes, Kyoya went to do god knows what, Hunny an Mori went to the candy shop with Maggie and Madison, Carson, Payton, and Diego went to GameStop, Shimari and Casey went to go get shoes with Haruhi leaving me with Tamaki. Tamaki lead me to the hair salon and sat in the chair next to me while I got my hair done. He chattered aimlessly, I chuckled and rolled my eyes when necessary.
"Kristen do you love Kyoya?" The question caught me off guard, if I had been drinking something I would've done a spit tick.
"What? Why?" I asked my fingers played with the hem of my shirt.
"I wanted to know, do you love Kyoya?" His face was serious not the usual goofiness I was use to.
"I don't know. I don't want to be." I said not looking directly at him.
"Why?" He sounded confused.
'"To love is to destroy and to be loved is to be destroyed'.'' I quoted City of Bones.
"What?" Once again he sounded confused.
"Everyone I've ever been with thought I loved; never ended well. The first few times I thought it was him but after a while I wondered if it was me. I guess it was." I chuckled dryly. "It doesn't matter, I don't need a boyfriend or anything. I'm fine just on my own all I need is my friends." I said trying not to break down, I swallowed the lump in my throat that was choking me.
"He still loves you; he didn't know he was engaged it was forced by his father though!" Tamaki argued obviously shocked.
"Some loves are meant to be, others are cursed." I quoted Beautiful Creatures.
"But you never know. How can you know if you never try, if you don't take that risk if you do-" I cut him off.
"Don't you think I have?" I shout at him. "Don't you think I've tried!? I want to be loved I want for it to be true but to love someone you have to trust them and I don't think I can trust anyone anymore." My voice lowered until it was a whisper.
"Sometimes love is hard to find, but if you look in the right eyes you'll see it." He said, he wasn't going to back down.
"And I won't ever find the right eyes to look into." I said, the lady was finished doing my hair, I looked and the mirror and I had to admit I looked awesome with red hair. I pay and we leave.
"You will I promise and it will be Kyoya he cares about you more than you think." Tamaki said as we walked around the mall.
"And what happens when he's my prince charming, but I'm not his Cinderella?" I softly reach for the layered silver necklaces out of habit of my old pendant.
"You are his Cinderella, I know it." Tamaki said his voice was pleading.
"Whatever you say it isn't going to matter, he's engaged." I said trying to close the case but Tamaki wouldn't let it go.
"Do you know why he's marrying her? Not because he loves her or anything like that, he's the third son and according to traditions he's destined to never succeed but he's going to keep trying to please his father so he'll be the heir to the Ootori medical company." Tamaki said his voice was serious.
"My point and because he's going to try to please his father he'll be married to her." I said when I realized something; I'm not being a friend by supporting him, but Tamaki doesn't seem to either... my thoughts feuded back and forth. "And I'm going to be a good friend and support him even if it hurts me, I've been faking a smile for so many years a few more won't hurt." I said with a sad smile that felt faker than any of the smiles I've forced before.
"Kristen,"
"No. I'm fine with it; I understand and if it's what he needs to do I'll back him up." I said as I saw Toral, Sarah, Kaoru, and Hikaru walking towards us with tons of bags. "Ehh?!" I said confused. I knew they were getting me clothes but I didn't need a new fucking wardrobe!
"Hey Kristen, love the hair." Toral said she dropped the bags she carried on each arm wrapping me in a hug, Sarah not wanting to be left out jumped on my back.
"Hai Nee-cha!" Sarah said happily.
"Thanks." I hugged Toral back, I'd do the same to Sarah but I couldn't really. Madison Maggie Hunny and Mori came back, Hunny looked like he bought the whole candy store. Case and Shimari came buried in shoe boxes Haruhi sighed, Kyoya showed up talking on the phone.
"I like your hair." Maggie said hugging Kristen, the girls all hugged me giving me complements on my hair.
"Yah Kris-Chan the hair looks super cute!" Hunny said cutely Mori grunted in agreement.
"It does look good on you." Haruhi said like her natural host self. Diego and Carson along with Payton came back with a bag with a few video games.
"Please tell me you didn't get another Call of Duty game." I said annoyed.
"Okay we did not get another call of duty game." The said in sync.
"Can you say it so it's true?" I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Sorry Kristy." Diego said giving me a hug. "But I like your hair." He tried to lighten the mood.
"Whatever." I grumble. "Can we go home, I want to take a nap and pretend I don't have to try on all the clothes and shoes you guy bought." I said holding my clutch by my side.
"But you have to!" The twins whined. "We can always help you." The mischievously smirked. I grab them by the hair and bump their heads together.
"I'm going to take a nap." I mutter as we leave, we hop in the car and they look tense.
"Kristen I think it'd be safer if we went back to America." Maggie said she sat next to me.
"WHAT?! NO I CAN'T GO BACK THERE I-" I cut myself off. "Please tell me this is a sick joke, please be a sick cruel ass joke I'll get revenge on. " I pleaded my head in my hands.
"Kristen, it'd be safer from him back home." Maggie tried to reason.
"I can't! Please don't make me go back to that hell, please!" I tried not to cry but I felt tears welling in my eyes.
"Why can't you go back?" Kyoya said his voice was blank.
"I just can't! Maggie you know what happened before I left and I'm not going back!" I shout.
"Kristen, you can't run away." Kyoya said sounding annoyed but I knew better than to believe it, he kept his emotions locked up to please daddy.
"I'M NOT FUCKING RUNNING AWAY! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND NONE OF YOU DO! THE MOMENT I GO BACK IS THE MOMENT I MAKE MY FRIENDS LIVES A LIVING HELL AGAIN!" I scream at Kyoya the words slipping out of my mouth.
"And why is that?" He kept his composure.
"You know what, fine I'll go. But if you don't want your lives turning to hell you shouldn't hang out with me. In fact McKenna and Ella shouldn't but I can't get them to leave! I've tried to get them to go I don't want them to have to handle the shit that happens to me but they just won't leave." I said the sadness clear in my voice.
"One who holds you hands in your problems is a great friend. But the true friend is the one who holds your hand more tightly when you say leave me alone." Payton said smiling crookedly.
"You guys are lucky I love you, but when we get there stay away from me. I mean it." I said smiling at first before I started to frown again. Shimari was silent.
"Kristen it'll be okay." Shimari said.
"Don't you get it?" I said in disbelief. "You know that they will torture anyone who's different from them, and that includes people who are near me. Shimari believe me when I say this I love you McKenna and Ella dearly but you've seen what happens. I just don't want anyone getting hurt because of me." I said sadly.
"Okay, I'll go back to America."