Another update, within what, like ten days? Yeah, if you read any of my other stories, then you probably know that I've been on a writing binge as of late. Granted, that's not really a bad thing, as I have no social life that could deteriorate to begin with. Anyway, let's start the chapter.
I Refuse To Allow It To Happen To Her
I was sitting at my desk, doing my homework and quietly singing along to the music that was playing through my earbuds, when I felt a paw rest on my leg. I looked to my left to see Ashley with a plastic bag in her mouth.
I took out the earbuds and greeted her, "Hey."
"Hey." She returned, dropping the bag. "I have been sent to retrieve you."
"Oh?" I asked. "And what for?"
"The others want you to join them in the pool." She explained.
"I'd prefer not to." I replied.
"Oh, c'mon." She said, nudging me. "It's the middle of October. This is one of the last warm days of the year."
"Maybe later." I said.
"It's supposed to rain later." She pointed out.
"Well, I'm sorry," I said, "but I have homework to do."
Ashley sighed, before saying, "C'mon, you and I both know that that's bullshit. You always finish you work as soon as possible, and you never save it for the weekend."
"Alright, so I'm doing some extra credit work," I said, shrugging, "but, I still need to get it done."
"Riku, your lowest grade is a ninety-five in Gym." She replied. "You don't need extra credit."
"Doesn't mean that it can't help." I responded.
She sighed again, before saying, "You worry too much. Trust me; you won't get kicked out like they threatened. You're one of the smartest students in all of your classes, according to the others. Now, c'mon, you're swimming, and that's final."
"I don't have any swim trunks." I quickly pointed out.
"Adam knew that you would say that," Ashley said, motioning towards the bag, "which is why he grabbed you some on the way over. Go ahead; think of another excuse that I can shoot down."
I sighed, defeated, and said, "Fine, I'll go."
I stood up and grabbed the plastic bag. I went into the bathroom and stripped down, sitting my shoes and phone aside. I looked at the swim trunks that Adam got me and saw that they were a solid black, with one white stripe going down either side. I began putting them on, followed by my shirt again.
"So," I heard Ashley ask, from the other side of the door, "what exactly were you singing?"
"Just some Issues." I replied, exiting the bathroom. "Why?"
"You're pretty good at it." She replied.
"Oh. Thanks." I said, awkwardly.
I started heading for the door, but Ashley stepped in front of me, saying, "C'mon, there's no need to wear a shirt. Swim like a normal person."
"Fine." I said, sighing. I took my shirt off and threw it into the bathroom, before turning back to Ashley and saying, "There. Happy?"
She took a second to answer, and I saw her eyes tracing the hundreds of scars covering my torso. I snapped my fingers, and she shook her head.
"Oh, yeah. I'm good now." She replied.
I nodded and opened the door, allowing her to leave first. I closed the door behind us and we went down stairs. We went through the living room and out to the pool, where I saw Jessica, Adam, Kyle, Ashtynn, Valerie, Leo, and Alex, already swimming. Maxwell had had to visit a local site today, so, while he wasn't home, he would be back early tomorrow morning.
"Oh look," Kyle said, noticing me, "you actually convinced him to join."
"Not true," I said, as Ashley dove into the pool and I sat down on one of the chairs, "there is a large difference between convinced and forced."
"Yes, and there's also a difference between swimming and just sitting on the sidelines." Ashley pointed out. "Now, get in."
"Momentarily." I replied. "I don't completely feel like it yet."
I was suddenly hit by a large amount of water, backed with enough force to knock me off of the chair. I got back up to see Adam and Kyle laughing, with Kyle's face replaced by that of a Vaporeon.
"You ass." I said, walking over to the edge of the pool.
"C'mon man, it was funny." Kyle said, changing his head back to a Zoroark.
"And besides, you could've just made a shield to block it." Adam joked.
I just glared at him, before charging an Aura Sphere and launching it at the two. They both dodged it and it hit the water between them, exploding and launching water at both of them, soaking their still-dry heads. This caused the others to burst out laughing, and Adam and Kyle to flip me off.
"C'mon, you guys kinda deserved it." Leo pointed out.
They just glared back him in response. We had told Leo, Alex, and Valerie about my powers the day after the others discovered it, so now the only one who didn't know about it was Maxwell, just due to the fact that it hadn't come up in a conversation yet.
Jessica swam over to me and said, "C'mon Riku, are you gonna get in or not?"
I sighed, before saying, "Fine, I'll get in."
She moved away and I sat down on the edge of the pool, before dropping into the water. The contrast between the warm autumn weather and the chilly pool struck me as soon as I entered, and it took all of my concentration to keep my teeth from chattering. After a few minutes of swimming around, I became used to the temperature and actually started enjoying myself. We were all having a conversation about random shit, when we were interrupted by a chime sounding out.
"Who's phone was that?" Adam asked.
"That'd be mine." Valerie said, paddling to the edge of the pool. She dried her hand on a towel that was sitting on the ground, and she grabbed her phone, before saying, "Oh, it was the school."
"You actually signed up for that text alert bullshit?" Kyle asked.
"Yeah, why not?" Valerie replied. "I mean, it tells you when we're out of school for some reason, and it can remind you about special events that are going on."
"Well, what's this one about?" Adam asked.
"Something about the Halloween dance this year." She said. "It says that, due to funding cuts, they can't hire an actually DJ or band for it, so they are holding auditions to try and find one that will work for free."
"Sounds cool." Adam said. "Maybe we should try out."
"You have a band?" I asked, surprised.
"To an extent." Jessica replied. "We tried to start a band a few years ago, but we could never find a lead vocalist or a lead guitarist."
"Who all is actually in it?" I asked.
"Well, I play the rhythm guitar," Adam said, "and I cover backing vocals, Kyle's got the drums, and Ash and Jess take the bass guitars."
"So why could you never get the missing members?" Leo asked.
"Everyone we found sucked at it." Kyle said, shrugging.
"I wouldn't say that they sucked," Ashtynn said, "it's just that they were all rather sub-par."
"So, the nice way of saying that they suck." Adam pointed out.
"Well, technically, yes." Ashtynn replied.
"So, are you guys going to audition?" Alex asked.
Adam shrugged, before saying, "I mean, we could, but we'd have to find two members."
"Is it really that hard?" I asked.
"Harder than you think." Jessica replied.
"What exactly was the name of your band, anyway?" Leo asked.
"Sudden Obsession." Adam replied. "And, before you ask, it was just a random name that came up during a meeting."
"I think it's pretty cool." I said, shrugging.
Suddenly, my nose was hit with water. I looked up, to see that the sky had become increasingly overcast, and it was just beginning to rain.
"Damn it." Kyle said. "And I was starting to enjoy myself, too."
Jessica shrugged, before saying, "We could go hang out at the mall, if you want."
"I'm in." I said, shrugging.
The others all agreed, so we got out of the pool and went inside. The others went home to shower, and we decided to bathe as well, before meeting up at the mall. I was the first one done, so I just sat in the living room, talking to Ashley.
"Do you really think that I'm good at singing?" I asked her.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" She replied.
I shrugged, saying, "I don't know. I had always thought that I wasn't too good at it."
"Don't worry, you're great at it." She reassured me. "Hey, why don't you be their lead singer?"
"That'd be cool," I said, "but I'm not too good in front of crowds. I mean, it was difficult for me to play anything on the streets. Granted, when I did, it normally pulled in a good crowd and a fair amount of cash."
"What do you mean by play?" She asked.
"Well," I responded, "I can play guitar as well."
"You're kidding, right?" She asked, disbelief in her voice. I shook my head, and she said, "So you mean that you could potentially fill both empty spots in their band?"
I shrugged, before saying, "Technically, yes. But, I'd prefer if you didn't tell them. I already told you, I have stage fright, and I know that if Kyle and Adam knew, they would bug me until I joined, and I don't want that."
Ashley sighed, before saying, "Whatever, man."
Changing the topic, I asked, "So, you coming to the mall with us?"
She shrugged, saying, "I don't know. I'm not sure why, but I feel like it'd be awkward walking around with you guys."
"I could carry you." I offered, jokingly.
"Okay." She complied.
"Wait, are you being serious?" I asked, shocked.
She laughed, saying, "No, don't worry, I'm kidding. I will come though, if you want me to."
"Cool." I said, scratching behind her ear.
She pushed up to me, and said, "Why does this always feel so good when you do it?"
"What, was I the first one to scratch behind your ear?" I asked.
"Unfortunately, yes." She said, purring slightly.
I laughed, and we sat there, me petting her, until we were joined by Kyle and Jessica.
As they entered, Jessica saw what I was doing, and asked, "Does she actually like that?"
Ashley opened her half-lidded eyes, and said, "Absolutely. It feels fucking wonderful."
"So, you ready to go?" Kyle asked.
"Yep." I said, rising. "C'mon Ashley."
"I'm coming, I'm coming." She replied, getting up.
We all grabbed a jacket and left the house, locking the door behind us. We started for the mall, hoods up against the rain.
"Ugh." Ashley groaned. "As much as I enjoy swimming, I despise rain. All that it's good for is an excuse to sleep in."
"Do you even need one of those?' Kyle asked.
"Not really." Ashley replied, shrugging.
She groaned again, before shaking the water off of her. Pitying her, I looked around, and, confirming that no one else was paying attention to us, I created a small aura ceiling over her head, blocking the rain.
"Thanks." She said, looking up at me.
I nodded in response, and we continued walking.
"So," Kyle said, "are we going to be meeting Levi at the mall? I've noticed that he hasn't been around recently."
"No," Jessica replied, "he's at football practice."
"Seriously?" Ashley asked. "In this weather?"
"Yeah, I guess." Jessica replied. "Being a football player is very demanding."
No one said anything else, but Kyle, Ashley and I shared a questioning look. Shortly before we entered the mall, I made the ceiling disappear. We entered and saw the others, already waiting there.
"There you guys are." Adam said, as we approached them.
"Calm down." Ashtynn said, lightly smacking him in the back of the head. "The rest of us didn't get here until a few minutes ago."
"Doesn't mean that I can't be impatient." Adam replied, shrugging.
Ashtynn just sighed, but said nothing. We started walking through the mall, talking, and getting a few odd looks. I can't really blame them, to be honest. A large group, which includes two mis-colored morphs, along with a Ninetails. Then again, it's not like we aren't locals, so I don't quite understand them, still. After a few hours, we decided to take a break and sit down on the benches outside, under an awning.
"So, why exactly are we out here?" Ashtynn asked, as we sat down.
"I don't know." Jessica replied, shrugging. "It's just something to do."
"Yeah, I guess." Ashtynn replied. "So, do you guys actually want to try out for the dance?"
Kyle shrugged, saying, "I guess. I mean, it sounds fun."
"That it does." Jessica agreed.
"Hey," Adam said, "maybe Riku here can provide some special effects."
"Please, stop." I said, starting to get annoyed by his constant jokes.
"C'mon man," he said, "you know, use some of your freaky aura shit, give us some nice scenery. Wouldn't be too bad."
I sighed, and Jessica said, "Adam, please stop."
"What?" Adam asked. "All I'm saying is that our nice little weirdo could show off a nice little light show."
I've fucking had it. I quickly shot up from my seat, taking everyone by surprise, and grabbed Adam by his neck, lifting him up and pinning him to the wall.
"I fucking said stop." I yelled at him.
"Dude, what the hell?" Leo yelled, shocked.
"Okay, okay." Adam choked out. "I was just joking, man. I'm sorry. It won't happen again, I promise."
I continued holding him by his throat, gripping him tighter.
"Riku, let him go." Jessica said, pulling on my arm.
I reluctantly loosened my grip, allowing Adam so drop to the ground, where he sat, gasping for breath. I looked at the others and saw looks that were mixtures of shock and fright. I sighed, sitting back down on the bench.
"What was that all about?" Alex asked me.
"Sorry about that." I said, speaking to Adam. "It's just, I can't stand it when you joke about my ability."
"Why?" Kyle asked. "I mean, your aura shit is awesome."
I sighed, before saying, "Maybe to you guys, but I can't fucking stand having it. I mean, to you guys it's an awesome power, but to me, it's just another thing that, should anyone discover it, will cause me to be bullied and discriminated against even more. I mean, really, it's just another thing that makes me weird and odd."
"Damn." Kyle said. "I guess I never really thought about it that way."
I simply nodded in response. By now, Adam was done gasping for breath, so I reached down, offering to help him up.
"Thanks." He said, accepting my hand.
"Listen, I'm sorry that I almost killed you." I said.
"Don't be," he said, holding his hand up, "I'm sorry that I fucked with you about it for a month. Honestly, I probably should have stopped when you told me to."
"Well, you guys make up quickly." Ashtynn said.
"Now all we're missing is the kiss." Valerie joked.
We both just glared at her in response, which elicited laughs from the others.
"Anyway," Jessica said, "you guys wanna go home? I mean, it's getting kind of late."
The others agreed, but I said, "Nah, I think I'll wonder around a little more. Give myself some time to calm down."
"Alright." Jessica responded, nodding, before they threw their hoods up and started walking away.
"Want me to stay with you?" Ashley asked.
"If you want to." I said, shrugging.
She nodded, before yelling after the others, "Guys, I'm gonna chill with Riku!"
I saw the hooded figure of Jessica throw us a thumb up, and we went inside. We started walking through the mall, randomly wandering around.
"So," I started, "how exactly do Valerie and Alex understand you?"
"What do you mean?" Ashley asked.
"Well, I've never seen any translator ear rings or anything like that," I responded, "and they're humans. So, how can they understand you?"
"Well, you probably don't pick it up, as you can understand me anyway," she replied, as we entered the food court, "but, shortly after being brought into the house, Maxwell brought me to a special teacher, who taught me how to speak English. So, now I can communicate with humans, as well as morphs."
I was about to respond, when I heard a familiar voice coming from a few tables away. I froze and turned my head, and saw Levi sitting at a table, his hand locked with a girl with bleach blonde hair, wearing extremely slutty clothes. I slightly tapped Ashley with my foot, and she looked up at me. I nodded towards the table, and she looked as well, letting out a silent gasp. I signaled for her to follow me, and I led the way to a pillar closer to the pair, which we hid behind. From here I could hear what they were saying, and we poked our heads around the pillar, listening intently.
"So, am I coming over tomorrow?" Levi asked the girl.
"Of course, babe." The girl replied. "I can't wait for a repeat of Monday. It was so wonderful."
What the fuck?
"I know," Levi responded, "after all, I was there."
The girl laughed, before taking a serious tone, saying, "So, when are you gonna ditch that little gothic whore?"
I stared down at Ashley, and I saw shock on her face. They're talking about Jessica.
"Don't worry," Levi reassured, "I'll get rid of the dumb cunt soon, I promise. I only have to wait a few more weeks and I'm almost positive I'll have her on her knees for me."
At these words, I felt my body tense up, and my hands clenched tightly into fists.
The girl sighed, before saying, "I love hearing about how you trick and control girls. When you come over, you've gotta tell me about that stupid fucking Gardevoir that you had be your sex slave again."
"Of course." Levi said, as they got up.
Just before they left, Levi locked the girl in a kiss, and I saw him grope her ass at the same time. As soon as they were out of site, I released my fists, realizing that I had dug my nails into my palm hard enough to draw blood. I slid down the side of the pillar, not believing what just happened. I looked at Ashley and saw that her facial expression matched how I was feeling: utter shock and disbelief.
"This is horrible." Ashley said, sitting down next to me.
"Yeah." I agreed.
"We have to tell the others." She said.
"No, we can't." I quickly said. She looked at me, confused, so I explained, "Think about it. If we tell Jessica, then she'll be heartbroken, and if we tell Kyle or Adam, they'll go and kick his ass."
Ashley sighed, defeated, before saying, "Then what do we do? We can't just let Levi use Jessica like some sex toy."
"No, we can't." I agreed. "I refuse to allow that to happen to her." I thought for a second, before saying, "I guess we'll just have to keep them under constant supervision when they're together. One of has to be with them, no matter what."
Ashley nodded, saying, determination in her voice, "Right. We can't let him use her. We have to protect her."
I nodded, before saying, "C'mon, let's head home. I've about had it with the mall for today."
Ashley agreed, so we stood up and left the building. I threw my hood up and, after confirming that we were alone, popped the ceiling up above Ashley again, before going out into the rain. We got home in a few minutes, running into very few people. As soon as we entered, we were greeted with the scent of cooked food. We entered the dining room, to find a less than welcoming sight. All of the others had stayed for dinner, but there was also a new comer, whom had his arm wrapped up with Jessica's. Levi.
"Hey," Kyle greeted, "you guys are just in time for dinner. Sorry, but you'll have to go and grab your own plates from the kitchen. We didn't know how late you would be out, so we didn't bother getting them out for you."
"Right." I growled out, a glare fixed on Levi. "Ashley, I'll grab you one; you can go ahead and sit down."
I went to the kitchen, my eyes never leaving Levi.
As soon as I entered the kitchen, I heard Levi ask, "What's his problem?"
"I'm not sure." Jessica replied. "I mean, we had a minor incident at the mall today, so I guess that that could still be bothering him."
I grabbed two plates from the cabinet, along with a fork. I went back into the dining room and sat Ashley's plate down in front of her, before sitting down in my own seat. We all passed around the bowl of pasta that Kyle made, getting some, before we started eating. The whole table was talking, except for myself and Ashley. I just sat there silently, sending a constant glare at Levi. When we were done, I offered to do the dishes, so I took all of the plates and went into the kitchen. I was halfway through the washing the plates, when I heard a throat clear behind me. I turned to see Adam standing there, bouncing from foot to foot nervously.
"Yes?" I asked.
"Well, um, I was sort of curious as to if your still pissed at me." He began. "I mean, you seemed pretty miffed at dinner, and I just wanted to make sure that we were cool."
"Don't worry," I reassured him, "I'm not angry at you."
Your brother's a different fucking story, though.
"Awesome." Adam replied, a smile spreading across his face. "And, hey, Kyle wanted to challenge you to a rematch in Call of Duty. You, me, and Leo against Him, Alex, Ashtynn and Valerie."
"Alright," I said, nodding, "I'll be up in a bit."
"I'll tell him." Adam said. "We'll go ahead and get everything set up."
With that, he left the room. I finished the dishes shortly after, and I left the room to hear voices coming from the living room. I quickly poked my head in to see Jessica and Levi on the couch, watching TV. Looking over to one of the armchairs, I saw Ashley, her eyes close, but I could tell by her breathing that she was feigning sleep. Good. I don't want anything happening to Jessica. I left before being noticed, and went upstairs.
So, how was that for a chapter? Not very long, but it brought out some more plot points and set up later chapters, so, all in all, I see it as a success. Anyway, see you guys in the next update, which, honestly, may end up being soon, depending on how my life rolls and rather or not I get writer's block. Goodbye.