Chapter Seven
-Miku-
The sun is now up, sending warm rays of light sneaking through the cracks between my blinds. I watch as tiny dots of dust climb up the stairways of sunshine. It takes a minute for my eyes to adjust to the sudden light as I rub them. I stretch my arms and legs, sitting up in my bed. It's funny how one day it can be pouring outside, and the next day is completely taken over by sunlight.
Suddenly, a thought flashes into my mind. Today is… Wow! I can't believe it's already vacation day! I throw the covers off me as my long, loose teal hair flows around my shoulders. I hadn't even thought of picking out an outfit to wear today! I fly through my closet, pulling out a pair of jeans and a black and cream striped blouse. I toss them on my bed and run into the shower.
By the time I am done in the shower, my hair looks a mess from the humid air that clouds over my head. I step out with a white towel wrapped around my body. Sifting through my drawers, I sort through cosmetics, perfumes, and… ah! My pink hairbrush! I furiously rake the brush through my tangled hair as the memories from my thirteenth birthday form in my mind. Luka had given it to as a gift because my hair was so messy back then. I guess it still is, but at least I have a way to take care of it now.
After I finish getting dressed, I run downstairs and dash out of my front door. Suddenly, all I could feel was the sweltering heat of the sun beating down on my tanned skin. As I calm my fragmented breathes, I start to smell the calming fragrance of magnolia as it fills the August air. I relax my shoulders as the birds begin to chirp their morning calls, harmonizing with the buzz of the bees as they go about their daily work. Now complete relaxed, I sit down on my porch step and face the sky as I watch the sizzling heat waves modulate off of the driveway pavement.
My serenity is abruptly interrupted by the sound of a horn honking. I look up to see Luka, Rin and Gumi all waving from Luka's black convertible as they pull into my driveway. I wave, standing up from the porch step. "Hey, Miku!" Gumi shouts, waving back at me. I pull open the back car door and slide in next to Rin. This leaves Luka behind the wheel and Gumi in the passenger seat.
"It is so darn hot today," Rin whines, turning off her cell phone. "How do you live like this?" she asks no one in particular.
"I know," Gumi smiles, "Isn't it great?" Rin rolls her eyes in shock.
"By the way Miku," Luka says, looking at me in the rearview mirror, "Your suitcase is in the trunk. I nod appreciatively.
"Thanks for taking that for me," I say with a light smile.
"Yeah, you're welcome," she shrugs, pulling out of my driveway, "It wasn't really any trouble or anything." There's a light silence as she slides onto the open road. I tilt my head.
"Um, Luka?" I ask. She lets out a transient, attentive hum, signaling for me to continue speaking. "How much money are we planning to spend on this vacation?" I ask. Gumi and Rin exchange a glance.
"Twenty-thousand dollars," Luka replies indifferently. My eyes practically jump out of their sockets.
"Twenty-thousand dollars?!" I repeat, clinging on to the headrest of the seat in front of mine.
"Calm down. That includes our spending money, and don't forget, it pays for all four of us," she says with a motherly, mature voice. She still doesn't take her eyes off of the road as she speaks. "Also, half of that came from Rin's family. You know how generous they are," she adds.
"Yeah, but they don't give any of it to me," Rin growls, crossing her arms and shoving her feet into the back of Luka's seat.
"And still, another fourth of that came from Gumi and her parents," Luka informs me. I sit down again.
"They almost wouldn't let me go," Gumi adds pessimistically.
"You see? It's not that much when you think about it," Luka concludes.
"Wait!" I suddenly interject, "What about Kaito and Len?" I ask.
"What about them?" Rin asks. "They're paying for themselves. And our planes are separate from them, so we should be fine for at least a couple hours," she mumbles, picking dirt out of her nails.
"What do you mean?" I ask Rin, raising an eyebrow.
"What?" Rin asks, "Would you like to spend an entire plane ride with those bakas?" I let out a scoff.
"Gosh, Rin," I sigh, with a dismissive shake of my head, "Get to know a person before calling them an idiot." Rin's eyes widen.
"What?" she asks defensively, "It's not like you like either of them, do you?" My face suddenly turns bright red.
"L-Like? Either of them?" I ask, my words coming out in broken shards. "N-No way!" I protest, fidgeting with my black and cream striped dolman top. "Luka, how much longer until we're at the airport?" I ask, quickly changing the subject.
"Liar!" Rin retorts, bringing back just as fast as I had dismissed it. My cheeks flush as I remember the time that I had said the same word to Kaito. "You so like one of them!" she calls out with a devious grin on her face. I gasp in objection.
"Come on Miku, which one is it?" Gumi laughs.
"You're in this too?!" I demand as the car swerves.
"You three calm down," Luka groans, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "I feel like I've said this fifty times already. Especially you, Miku. Although… I would like to know which one of those delinquents you've got a crush on," she hums.
"Luka… You too?!" I gasp. Rin smirks.
"Is it Kaito?" she teases. I widen my eyes.
"K-Kaito? Shion? No way! G-Gross," I stutter, pretending to be totally disgusted by the idea.
"Oh well then," Rin shrugs. Thank god she fell for it… "I guess it must be Kagamine," she sings sweetly. I practically choke. Even Luka laughs. "And to think…" Rin adds, "That my best friend would go behind my back… and with my Lenny. Oh, how does she live like this?" she says, marking every dynamic word with a threatening tick of her fingers.
"I-I swear! Rin! It's not like that!" I yell.
"Miku, I'm driving," Luka warns.
"That's what they all say," Rin hums, checking her nails.
"Come on, Rin, you know she doesn't like him," Gumi sighs with a shake of her head. "If anything, you do," Gumi adds playfully, polishing her goggles on her grey summer sweater. Gosh, sometimes it is so nice having a friend like Gumi.
"M-Me?" Rin gags, shoving her finger into her chest. "No way! L-Len isn't like… boyfriend-worthy or anything! W-We're just friends!" she protests.
"Come on, Rin," Gumi laughs with a regal wave of her hand, "You just admitted he was your Lenny. Now you're going to tell us he isn't your guy?"
"H-He's not!" Rin argues, her face turning bright red. She crosses her arms with a humph and thrusts her boots into the back of Luka's seat.
"I swear Rin, if you do that one more time…" Luka warns, her voice dangerously sweet, piercing the air like daggers so that Rin gets the message nice and clear. Rin cautiously removes her feet and curls up into her own seat.
"Jeez, sorry," she growls.
"Rinny-chan, you are so moody. Lighten up," Gumi suggests happily, "We're just having a little bit of fun, that's all," she giggles. Rin mumbles something under her breath. Luka shakes her head, making a left turn.
"You guys spent so much time arguing. We're already there," she tells us, pulling into the airport parking lot. "You might all want a pair of shades. It's really sunny and hot outside," she adds, tossing me a cute pair with teal lining. She hands a green pair to Gumi and throws a yellow pair to Rin. Out of her black bag, she takes out a pink pair to put on herself. "Consider these a gift. They cost me a ton," she adds with a laugh.
"Thanks, Luka," I say, putting mine on like a celebrity. "How do I look?" I ask, pouting in front of the rearview mirror.
"Oh, Miku…" Rin sighs, shaking her head. She puts hers on. "These are great though," she says, pushing them back on her nose.
"B-But…" Gumi starts, "My goggles…" she trails off, laughing with a look that falls in between frightened and confused. "Oh, boy."
"Oh, that's right. I almost forgot, Gumi. You can't wear any other headgear but your goggles," Luka sighs, shaking her head at Gumi's childlike attitude.
"Whatever. I need to stop wearing these all the time, anyway," Gumi says. Part of me drops into regret as she yanks the pink goggles off her shoulder-length green hair and stuffs them into her brown leather bag. I'm going to miss those. Gumi puts her pair of green sunglasses on and adjusts them. "I actually like these. They're way better than goggles any day," she laughs.
"I'm glad you like them," Luka smiles. "Alright, let's go. Don't forget all of your suitcases," she reminds us, opening her door and stepping out. Gumi, Rin, and I all do the same and make our way to the trunk of her convertible to get our suitcases and bags. Rin tugs open the trunk. We all pull out our suitcases- of course, Luka has the most.
Walking along the paved parking lot in sync, almost as if we're in the mall, lots of eyes turn our way. I'd hate to sound vain, but I guess that's how it goes when you're a group of four attractive, well-known teenage girls. Not to mention the fact that we're all dressed really stylishly. Luka even managed to convince Rin to put on something other than a hoodie and jeans just for today.
Instead of her usual lazy getup, Rin is wearing a cool-tinted loose grey sweater that falls over her petite figure and a cute cropped orange plaid skirt. To go with the skirt, she has semi-transparent stockings that stop mid-thigh. In her short blonde hair, she wears a big orange bow with white polka-dots. Around her wrist are a couple thin gold bracelets that clink every time she moves her arms. Luka actually succeeded to get Rin to wear orange nail polish and a little bit of mascara. As she walks, her dark grey combat boots click against the hot asphalt.
Gumi is confidently wearing a white dress that stops mid-thigh. The bottom is gradiently patterned with intricate floral lace. Around her thin waist is a skinny brown leather belt with a silver buckle. Over her dress and belt she wears a dark grey sweater that has a side designed with little holes going down the sides of the sleeves. On her feet are tall wedges that increase her height by a couple inches. They have bright pink straps that create a crisscrossed design across her feet. I guess that her shoes would have matched her goggles if she hadn't have taken them off. Gumi's makeup looks perfect- not too much, and not too little. Her cherry blossom pink lipstick contrasts with her green hair perfectly.
Of course, you can't ever forget Luka's outfit. No matter what she wears, she always seems to look good in it- and be noticed. Today she's wearing a trendy fitted black and white striped dress that shows off her long legs. Over it, she wears a tasteful sleeveless denim jacket. A pair of golden hoop earrings hangs from her ears, and her nails are painted black to match the dress. She's also wearing black heeled boots with laces and a delicate lace pattern on the side. Her long pink hair is styled so that it falls in loose curls, and the tips of her bangs curve over her raindrop-colored eyes. Her shades top off the look and add a playful, fun touch.
"Are you guys ready? I'm excited!" I smile warmly, swinging my arms as we walk. Rin, Gumi, and Luka all nod.
"Miku, get ready to have the best birthday ever!" Luka sings, trying to motion her arms as she balances her four suitcases. I laugh along as we make our way into the airport. It's not long before my best friends join in. I smile to myself. This… is perfect! I guess she's right. I am going to have the best birthday ever.
Whoops. I hope I didn't jinx it.
Oh, Miku... Miku, Miku, Miku... you just did jinx it. Sorry 'bout that. Thanks for reading (gotta say it at some point). Hopefully the story can get a little bit more un-perfect as it goes on in the next couple chapters... Prepare for shockers and twisties!