Hello! I am really sorry for the late, late update. I am going to do my best to update much sooner. The story will get a whole lot interesting in a next few chapters, so don't miss out on that! And also, I am using my improved writing style to continue you this, so I am going to revise/rewrite the previous chapters bit by bit so that they flow better. I have changed the name of Tommy to Denzel from FF:AC, which was originally my idea but I forget. Heh, stupid me. Well, I really hope that you like this chapter so far and please leave a review! Thanks!! XD
Reality Ain’t Pretty, Sora!
Chapter 7
“Do you see this mess, Sora?!” His angry manager exclaimed madly as she eyed him suspiciously early morning the next day. Sora gazed at the vandalism, no it was more than vandalism, the whole comic book store was burnt down. The burnt ashes met Sora’s nose, making him wince once or twice.
The store that had once stood happily with the rest of the market place, was no more. The walls and everything inside it was a black, charcoal color; degraded into nothingness. It was all his fault, if he had been watching it like he was suppose to, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.
“I didn’t do it.” Sora argued, not knowing what to think except for the fact that the only person who could’ve done this was Axel. He could’ve easily burnt the place down with his fire. He dug his hands in his pockets and continued to stare at the stunned 25 year old. “I’m fired aren’t I?”
Shooting him a pissed look, she growled, “Ya think!? I don’t understand how this could have happened!” She edged closer to her destroyed store, trying to see if anything survived. Facing Sora once more, she asked holding her palm out, “Can I have the keys please?”
Damn. The keys probably melted in all that crap.
A wave of panic rushed through Sora, he had left the keys on the countertop when he abandoned everything. No doubt their existence was no more. “You don’t need them, the door that was there isn’t there anymore. So, if you want to go in just walk through that space right there!” He took out his hand from a pocket and pointed at the place where the door used to be.
“Stop being smart with me, now give them to me!” Her voiced raised with every passing moment. Her stress level was getting higher. “You have them, don’t you?”
“Um…”
“Sora!” She covered her eyes. “What did you do with them?”
“I left them on the counter…by accident.” He lied in the end of his confession, trying to get some tension off of him. It wasn’t really an accident, he just didn’t give a damn and left the moment he got the chance to escape that day.
“Great. That’s what happened. Someone came here and…and let hell loose!!” She came over to Sora, with eyes of the Devil. “You--”
“At least you have insurance!” His guilty expression couldn’t have gotten any more guiltier than it already was.
“Just go…and yes you are fired!!”
With his head hung low, he quietly walked away from the shopping district, disappearing from view. The crowd that had formed around the former employee and manger had dispersed and scattered about in all directions.
He knew this could have been coming, yet he didn’t know why he didn’t try to prevent it all from happening. But how could he predict that Axel couldn’t gone to this extent? No job meant no money and the money he had wasn’t much and surely his parents wouldn’t give him any just like that. The way he was, he knew that in his parent’s eyes, he was just a big disappointment, a mistake.
Brushing the thought from his distressed mind, he pondered on what to do next. A whole new day awaited, he wanted to do something. But what? He passed through crowds of children as he walked along the sidewalk.
Kairi. I’ll talk to her, she always knows what to say.
The auburn’s image came into mind, her pretty face and enchanting smile. Her smile, that’s one thing he couldn’t forget ever. That smile of hers, it was engraved in his memory. No matter what happens, he’ll always remember it.
He briskly walked in a steady pace, with his hands shoved in his pockets causing his baggy pants to drag down just a little bit more below his waistline, a bit of his boxers showed. The few spikes of his brunette hair swayed leisurely in front of his gloomy blue eyes.
The very familiar scent of the salty ocean water made him look up as he neared the docks, he halted to soak it in. The aroma of the waters from the sea reminded him of all the times he used to go there every night by himself when he was seven years old. The calm serenity from the clear, soothing waters always helped him clear his mind when his parents fought during the night. The endless hours of hearing his parents fighting with each other made him uncomfortable and uneasy.
He strayed from his path and walked slowly towards the shore line where the ocean looked tempting. The soft golden sand bore his imprints as he made his way slowly towards the tides. The city was left behind him as he neared closer to the wetter sand, kneeling down on both knees.
Removing one of his hands from his pockets, he dipped in into the cool water. A chill flowed through his hand, but it relaxed him. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath of the wet air, he pushed everything from out from his mind. A moment later, he opened his eyes again to be greeted by the small island in the distant. He remembered the island that he used to play on with his two best friends, Riku and Kairi, when they were younger.
Those days were gone now as time went by. The older they grew, the more they abandoned their little island. The corner of his mouth curled into a thin smile as he thought about the secret cave that he used to draw in with Kairi without Riku knowing what they were up to.
Something pestered him as he dropped the thought. A shaking sensation took over his body as he took his hand out from the water. His temporary smile changed into a frown as he felt the unfriendly urge in him coming again.
The ocean wasn’t enough to calm his senses anymore after he met Axel that one day, the day he sought to the wrong person for help. Axel’s solution to Sora’s problems was to give him drugs, telling him that it would calm him down and make things better eventually. But he was wrong, his parents continued to fight and he wasn’t feeling any better than before.
His free hand trembled in midair as he tried his best to stop himself from doing the bad habit that he was trying to stop and end forever.
It felt like he was choking as he did his best to resist from going into his pocket to take it out and smoke the cigarettes he had with him. This strange urge engulfed him as he fought it. But why was he fighting it? What purpose did he have to stop?
His finger trailed over the box of had in his pocket, ready to take one out. The lighter leaning against it. He shook his head slightly, trying to stop the compulsion.
“Sora?” A melodic voice said from behind him. He stopped dead, his breathing ceased at the sound of Kairi’s voice. He didn’t have to look back to know that the voice belonged to Kairi.
He twirled around to meet her friendly gaze upon him. She sat down on the warm sand next to him, placing a comforting hand on his arm.
“Kairi,” he began, trying to sound steady and did his best to hide his surprised expression, “what are you doing here?”
Kairi flashed him a smile, “I saw you sitting here so I wanted to come over. You looked alone here by yourself.” She looked out into the ocean where the isolated island floated in the distance.
Sora followed her gaze and took another breath. The urge that consumed him had disintegrated after Kairi came to him. He wasn’t going to smoke now, not in front of her and not when he wanted to stop.
“It’s been awhile since we’ve been there,” he stated referring to the island, trying to forget his troubles. “I wonder…”
“So much has changed, hasn’t it?” Kairi asked with a hint of sadness. But what exactly did change?
Sora didn’t say anything, but watched the small waves glistening in the bright sunlight as the rays reflected from them. A cool breeze weaved through his hair and brushed against his hot cheeks. Strands of Kairi’s auburn hair swept across her face as she continued to look out into the sea.
This feels like the perfect moment to ask her, Sora thought as he admired the quietness and stillness of their surrounding. What would be a better time to ask than now?
“Kairi?” Sora said, hoping that all would go smooth when he was going to ask her what he wanted to for so long.
Without shifting her head, she said softly, “Yes Sora?”
After a second of hesitation he asked, “Do you remember the end of the school year dance?”
Chuckling a little, Kairi replied, “Of course I do. That’s why I bought that dress, remember?”
“Yeah, well, so…I was hoping that you’d like to go with me?” The rhythmic hums of the ocean’s waves were muted out as well as the rest of the world as he anxiously waited to hear her answer.
She turned to Sora, catching a glimpse of him as she moved a few locks of hair from her face and placed them behind her ear. Her smile became a little crocked as her eyes began to get softer. “Didn’t Riku tell you?”
The whole world stopped spinning as Kairi mentioned Riku’s name to him. “What? He didn’t tell me what?”
“Oh, I thought you knew,” she muttered regretfully. “Riku asked me last night so…I said yes. But, I’m sure he won’t mind if we all go together?”
It was like a sharp thunder bolt struck him from the cloudless sky, or even a direct slap in the face.
Riku…
Sora tried to find a word that would describe the anger that raged through him all over, but wasn’t sure there was even a word to explain anything. Betrayed? Hurt? Rejected?
How could his best friend betray him like this? Didn’t he know how much Kairi meant to him? Of course he did.
His looked away from Kairi’s apologetic face and peered down at the sand that scattered a little from the wind and had gathered against his shoes or the creases in his jeans. “No, that’s alright.”
--xxx--
“C’mon guys, hurry up! Let‘s start now before night falls!” Roxas exclaimed with great irritation as he pressed the white and black keys of his keyboard randomly. He had been waiting to start playing for at least half an hour now for everyone to arrive then get set up.
Kairi uncoiled the wire to her microphone and plugged the it into the stereo that sat next to her. She threw a firm smile at her hyper friend as she set the dials, “Patience Roxas, I’m as excited as you right now too!”
This was their first band rehearsal in Kairi’s basement that day. Riku played a few chords of his guitar as he did his best to tune it. Sora sat depressed looking behind the drum set in front of him, twirling around on his stool. Naminé, another close friend of theirs who was asked to join them, happily stood next to Roxas as she shook the thin tambourine in her hand.
Kairi looked at everyone but Sora as she brought the microphone near her mouth. “You guys want to play that song…what’s it called?”
“Passion by Hikari?” Riku asked in return as he silenced his guitar by placing his hand against the strings then looked keenly at Kairi.
Kairi nodded and smiled, “Yeah, that one!” She turned from Riku to Sora, then at Naminé and Roxas. “Ready?”
Riku started to play the first few notes of the well known song. Sora waited for his cue to start playing his drum part. Even though he knew the song, he didn’t feel like playing right.
Purposefully, when it was Sora’s time to join in, he clashed his drum sticks hard against the cymbals, creating a horrid, unpleasant sound that ruined the flow of the song.
Everyone stopped playing and turned to him, especially Kairi.
“Sorry, my bad,” Sora apologized lamely, hoping to delay them again. “I am just a little out of practice is all.” He sneered as he eyed Riku sternly, then Riku looked away. Of course he hadn’t forgotten what Kairi told him earlier that day and he wasn’t going to let it go.
“No problem,” Riku spoke to Sora for the first time they gathered together here. Riku knew well that Sora was mad with him but he pretended that he had no idea whatsoever.
You’re the problem, jerk.
The rest of the time, Sora played his part right and was up with the beat and tempo, well almost because his music talents weren’t too good, but good enough. Roxas wasn’t perfect at the keyboard and Naminé wasn’t an expert at keeping a constant rhythm with everyone else either. Riku messed up a few times and Kairi forgot some of the lyrics here and there, but her voice was still lovely and angelic.
But then after a few minutes into the last ten minutes of practice, Sora loosed his grip on the sticks he played with. Then, targeting Riku, he let one of the sticks fly towards Riku and hit him on the back on his head.
“Ouch! What the hell, Sora?” Riku turned to Sora, giving him an angry glare. He stopped playing and placed a hand on his head where Sora had struck him.
“Oh, my bad.” Sora snickered once more at the fulfillment of his goal, but his grin faded away when he saw Kairi standing next to the traitor, asking him if he was alright.
A small, inaudible grunt escaped from Sora’s dry lips. He fought the temptation to throw the other stick right into Riku’s eyes this time. Getting up from his whirling stool, he walked over to Riku slowly and stood firmly by Kairi’s side.
“Kairi? Are you and your friends done?” Kairi’s mother’s faint voice traveled to the basement as Kairi sighed.
“Yes, Mom, we are,” she called back in reply to her mother who was talking to her from upstairs in the kitchen,
“Oh, good! I was starting to get a headache…”
Sighing again, Kairi faced the rest of her friends. “I guess we can practice some more another day?”
Roxas was he first to speak up, “Well duh. We suck…like a lot. Apparently no one has any musical talents here.”
Riku forced a mocking chuckle, “Yeah, now we know who can’t hold a pair of stupid sticks.” He tossed a hot glare at Sora once more.
“Whatever.” Sora leaned down to pick up the other wooden drum stick and held it with the other one in his hands.
Kairi let out a small involuntary gasp when she saw Sora’s arm. “Sora! What happened to your arm?” She pointed at the small scars and scratches that were on his arm from the day before.
“Oh, those,” Sora began, “It’s nothing, I just fell in a bush.” He covered his arm with his free hand and looked at Riku and Roxas, hoping that neither of them would tell why or where he got the sharp thorns stuck to him.
“Hmm,” Kairi mused, looking away convinced.
He began to walk upstairs with everyone else following behind him. Riku growled at his friend and waited for Kairi, Roxas, and Naminé to get ahead of him.
“Bye guys!” Kairi looked after her friends as they filed out of her house. She looked up at the sky and saw the shining stars illuminate the cloudless sky. She waved at Roxas, Naminé, Riku, and Sora, but avoided direct eye contact with Sora when she bid her goodbyes.
Sora shoved his hands in his pockets again and walked closely by Riku when Kairi had closed the door. Roxas and Naminé had parted ways with each other as Sora and Riku walked the opposite way in the dark night. Sora was determined to follow close by Riku, making sure that he got the chance to talk.
“So, why didn’t you tell me?” Sora spat out the question as soon as they were ear shot distance away from Kairi’s home.
“Tell you what?” Riku muttered under his breath as he sighed annoyed into the night.
Sora hissed with rage and anger, “Why did you do it?”
Riku’s thin lips formed into a thin, sly grin. “Oh that. You mean Kairi, right?”
Sora grunted for his answer and narrowed his eyes at Riku, even though he knew he couldn’t see him in the darkness.
Riku continued, “I told you to ask her before someone else does, and well, you lost your chance. Great thing is, she said yes.”
The joyful tone molested Sora viciously and even more when he saw how Riku was just fine with what he did. “How could you?”
“How could I not?” Riku glared at Sora secretly. “You’re not the only one who likes Kairi, you know.”
“Yeah, I can see that now.” Sora remarked mockingly.
“Whatever, Sora. I am not going to talk to you about this now-”
“Why? Because you know what you did was shallow?”
“No, because I know that you’ll never understand.”
Crossing his arms against his chest, Sora balled his hands into fists. “You know what, you’re a stupid piece of shit!”
Riku was silent, amused by Sora’s outraged anger. The two walked through the light of the dim lamp post ahead, their shadows cast along the barren cement of the sidewalk as their strident footsteps echoed through the empty road . Shaking his head to the side, he remarked slyly, “Tsk, tsk. Cussing are we now, Sora? Kairi would never like someone like that.”
A wave of frustration and wrath wiped over Sora. He tried hard to hold his tongue in place from uttering all the profanity he wanted to spit out so that he wouldn’t let Riku have another chance to say anything else against him.
“You know, once you’re gone-”
“Is this what this is all about?” Sora interrupted angrily, glaring at Riku with his furious eyes. “Once I leave, you think that this will be your chance to get what you want?”
Letting out an eerie laugh, Riku turned away from Sora’s hurt face and parted ways from him, going deeper into another isolated street where it was much darker, not a single street light was in sight. “Well, we’ll see, won’t we Sora?”
Scowling, Sora frowned and looked down at the uneven paved asphalt of the road. The flickering light from the light post above his head shone dimly down on him, his long shadow was cast beside his body. Dark shadows were carved beneath his sullen eyes, covering them in darkness as he watched the last sight of Riku walking down the alley.
--xxx--
Sora’s own house was dark as he approached the front steps. He peered into the side window as he neared the door, catching a glimpse of a light shining brightly through the curtains. Stepping quietly inside, he walked silently towards the only source of the light in the gloomy house.
Sitting on a vacant couch, was Sora’s mother. The light illuminated the thick book she held in her hands as she flipped a page and had a sad look across her face. Sora hesitated for a moment before approaching her, wondering if he would disturb her.
After taking another step, his mother peered up. “Sora?” She beckoned for her son to come over and sit by her. Without refusing, Sora hastily plopped down onto an empty space by his mother.
He laid his head against his mother’s comforting lap as she placed a soothing hand on his warm forehead. The low hum of crickets filled the room through the open window that allowed a fresh breeze to enter.
Sora was the first to speak, “Mom?” He shifted his cheek a little bit more onto his mother’s lap as he spread his legs onto the sofa.
“Hmm?” His mother’s soft hand gently ran through Sora’s brunette hair as she took a breath of air.
“Are you going to miss me when I go?” His heartbeat slowed down, its pulse steering towards a steady beat.
“I miss you every time you’re not with me, Sora. Of course I’ll miss you, I will miss you more and more everyday when you‘re gone.” She closed the front cover of her book and set it next to the side table beside the bottom of the elegant lamp.
“I will miss you too,” was all Sora could manage to say for the moment. “Sometimes…I just feel…” He couldn’t finish his sentence and his understanding mother didn’t force him to say any more.
“Are you mad at me?” Sora asked after a moment of silence as he wondered what she thought about him going to a far away boarding school. He folded a hand underneath his head and exhaled slowly.
“Well, I’m definitely not happy, but…” His mother’s tone seemed to darken just a bit, “But…maybe if it wasn’t for your Dad, then maybe this might not have happened.”
Sora winced at the words he just heard, he didn’t want to hear them. His Dad wasn’t, let’s say the most ‘responsible’ father out there, but he certainly didn’t act his part right. He came home late almost all the time, he himself drinks too, and not only that, but he doesn’t seem to care too much for Sora either.
It was his Dad who told Sora to lie to people to get out of any trouble he was in, big or small. It was he who attributed to Sora’s current personality, to lie, manipulate, cheat.
“Where is Dad anyways? Is he here?” Sora inquired as his mom’s warm hand continued to run through his hair.
Grunting, she answered in an irritated tone, “He’s coming home late again, as usual.”
A stream of regret traveled down Sora’s chest, wishing that he hadn’t brought up his father when he knew that the two didn’t like each other too much. “Oh…”
“You should get some sleep now,” she suggested patting his shoulder softly. “It’s getting quite late now.”
Nodding, Sora lifted his head and leaned towards his Mom to give her a hug. He embraced her as she did the same, he rested his tired head on her shoulder for a moment. He breathe in the scent of her hair as he basked the warmth that he felt between his Mom. It had been awhile since he really talked to her or even gave her a simple hug.
Breaking away finally, she gave him a weary smile as Sora stood in front of her. “Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, Mom. Everything’s fine.” He returned her smile with a thin grin and turned away, walking up the stairs to his room.
No, everything was not fine.
A pair of gleaming white lights shone through the windows and cast onto the wooden floor beneath. The raucous noise of the engine cut off a second later, just as Sora reached the top stair. His father had come home, he shook his head a little and entered his cluttered room, leaving the door open just a hair.
Kneeling down, he peered through the thin slit from the door as he heard the click of the front lock unlock itself by the key from the other side. His father stepped in warily, as he took his coat off and hung it in the closet.
He vanished from sight as he headed towards the living room where his mother sat patiently. The muffled voices of both parents reached his ears as the two exchanged plain greetings. Sora strained his ears harder as he did his best to catch more of their conversation.
“…where were you….I was wondering….why didn’t you…” The bits and pieces of the missing words from his mother left him blank as he pressed his body forward towards the door in his dark room.
“Why do you….I don’t see why….I think you worry too much.” In return, his father’s voice was slightly louder than his mom’s, enabling him to hear more clearly.
“Because this happens….I think that….” His mother sounded a bit more anxious now, he strained himself even more. Giving up, he slowly creaked the door open more and as quietly as he could, he walked out and sat down near the top stairs to hear more of his parents’ argument.
Sora ceased his breathing as he heard his mother’s next words. “You know what Sora asked me?”
“What?” His father replied with an uninterested tone.
“He asked if I was mad at him! And I think that I should be more mad at you than him!”
Sora slouched in his spot and bit his lower lips, almost making it bleed.
“Why is that?”
Sighing with frustration, she said, “You wanted to kick him out of the house! How could you think of doing such a thing!”
“It was a good solution I think.”
Now Sora perched his head in his hands, almost covering his ears to block out the rest of the conversation.
The clashing of her hands banged against the kitchen counter, “No! No, it wasn’t! And by the way, none of your other solutions work either.”
Snorting, he remarked, “Yeah? Like what?”
“Here’s some advice for you, get a better job. We are behind in everything. I even had to work overtime to make up for the money that you didn’t make because-”
“Because what?”
“…Because you’re always going to those god-forbidden--”
Sora was already in his room when he closed his door to knock out the bickering and the last few words of his mother’s sentence. None of it made any sense to him at all and he didn’t like it either. Making his way around the cluttered mess of his room, he climbed on his bed then opened the window and peered outside into the sky.
The distant clashing of waves calmed his senses down somewhat, but he was still upset and disappointed. He hadn’t expected Riku to do such a thing and he couldn’t believe that Kairi would say yes either. His parents arguments didn’t make things better either.
“Sure, ok…so maybe it’s not as big of a deal as I am making it…” Sora whispered to himself as he thought things through. “But I still don’t understand it.”
Once I’m gone, he thought, Riku will get what he wants and I can’t do anything about it.
--xxx--
Kairi seemed a bit nervous after everyone left when she helped her mother with washing and drying the dishes. Perhaps I should have thought of a different approach, Kairi thought to herself as she set a plate on the side then picking up another one and passing the soapy sponge across it. She sighed as she remembered Sora’s defeated face and the sorrow that he showed on the beach when she told him about Riku. But what could she do now?
“Kairi?”
She looked at the direction towards her mom when she called her name, breaking her thoughts. “Yes?”
Setting her cup of tea on the table she sat at, she said, “I don’t think you and your friends should go to France like you wanted to in a few days.”
Her heart sank as she listened reluctantly to her mother’s words. “Why not?” She placed the second plate on top of the first on and reached for a glass from the pile in the sink.
“I think it’s an unwise decision.” She took a sip of her steaming tea as she looked at her daughter intently.
“No, it’s not!” She exclaimed worriedly, “Sora, Riku and I already decided on going!”
“Wait, you’re going with Sora and Riku?” Her mother set the cup firmly against the table now, looking aghast.
Kairi rinsed her soapy hands under the running cold water and wiped them dry with a paper towel. Taking a seat across from her mom, she sighed tiredly, “Yes, I am going with them. Who else?”
“You should go with Naminé and Olette, not Sora and Riku! I will not permit it! No, you’re not going with them.” The authority in her mother’s identical blue eyes frightened Kairi slightly.
“Why not!? They’re my friends and I wanted to go with them!” Kairi did her best to keep her tone respectful and not too demanding at the same time.
“They’re guys! I will not allow my daughter to go across the sea with two guys by herself!” She leaned forward to her young daughter, making sure she was clear.
“But…but…,” Kairi stuttered trying to find the right words to state her position.
“And why are you going there, may I ask?”
“I told you already, Mom!” Kairi whined, “I wanted to see if I can get a good singing job there. All the good artists and singers get famous in Europe, so what better place to go?”
Her mom grunted bitterly, “Why can’t you do something here?”
“Because, Mom, Destiny Islands is too small of a place. No one here cares how talented you are, you can’t get anywhere here!!” Kairi’s voice raised just a hair.
“Singing isn’t a good profession, Kairi. Why can’t you forget about this silly trip to France and decide on a better career? What about becoming a doctor?” She took another sip of her tea and looked questioning at Kairi’s unhappy look.
“I don’t want to be a doctor,” Kairi replied flatly as she crossed her arms around her chest. She leaned against the back of her chair and took a deep breath.
“What about a teacher?”
“No, I don’t want to teach children all day, everyday.”
“A guidance counselor?”
“I think I need one right now,” Kairi remarked sarcastically, “I don’t want to deal with everyone’s problems.”
“A fisherman?”
Kairi tilted her head, “What?! Ew, no! I am not going to do that and I’m not even a man! I think working with fish everyday wouldn’t be something to look forward to.”
“Oh, I know, you could own your own shop and sell things…like flowers and clothes and jewelry! How about that?” Her mom seemed to be delighted with her own idea.
“Selling things isn’t my expertise. Besides, that’s something you do already!” Kairi pointed out as she recalled that her mother owned her own store with knickknacks and such.
“Yes, you’re right Kairi. But why can’t you choose a steady job?” She placed a thoughtful hand underneath her chin. “Go to college and get a degree, then do something big!”
“Mom, can I just go and see if I get something there?” Kairi begged, hoping her mom would approve of the trip. “I really don’t want to miss out on this.”
“Well…I…Oh fine. You can go, but only if Naminé and Olette are with you.”
“Huh? You mean I can’t bring along Riku and Sora?” Kairi questioned, looking a little down and sad.
“No.”
After a moments thought, Kairi said, “But if we go someplace far away, maybe having two guys would be a good thing. Three girls alone in a foreign place might not be a good idea.”
“You’re right,” her mother said, Kairi smiled at her mother’s comment but then frowned the next instant when her mom said, “That’s why you shouldn’t go at all and I can’t come with you either.”
Kairi wanted to bang her head against the table for having to say what she said. I should have kept my mouth shut, Kairi thought.
“But, we’re not going to…you know, do anything with them, if that’s what you’re worried about,” the auburn replied with hope. “They’re our friends also. We were deciding on getting separate hotel rooms if that’s what you’re afraid of.”
“How do you know they’re not going to try anything on you?” Kairi’s mom asked harshly.
“Because they’re not like that!” Kairi exclaimed as she tried to defend her friends as much as she could without getting her temper up.
“Look at Riku! He’s so tall and look at his hair! It’s so long and have you seen his shirt? It shows part of his stomach,” the older auburn remarked as she recalled the image of Riku in her house.
“Mom!” Kairi exclaimed again, tired with the conversation, “He can’t help it if he’s tall and his pants are fine…And having long hair doesn’t mean anything! His shirt is just his style.”
“But I’ve heard that guys with long hair means that there’s something wrong with them and that showing their stomachs and having long hair means that they’re gay!”
Kairi covered part of her face with a hand. “No, he’s not gay. I don’t know where you’re getting these crazy ideas from, but they’re not true.”
“Have you’ve taken a proper look at Sora, my dear? He looks so sick!”
Kairi sat up straight in her chair and moved her hand on the table. “What do you mean he looks sick?”
“He has these bags under his eyes…and he just looks different. I don’t know how to explain it, but there’s something wrong with that boy. He looks ill. And he cuts himself too! The scars on his arms proves it otherwise, he’s Emo!!”
“Being ill doesn’t mean anything either,” Kairi said softly as she tried to recall Sora’s face that day, “And those scars aren’t there from cutting, they’re there because he fell in a couple of thorny bushes!”
“Bushes? What is he doing in bushes? Anyways, his hair does mean something. It’s so spiky and weird. What kind of hair style is that? Is he in some kind of cult?” Kairi’s mom set her cup of tea to the side now.
“His hair was always like that and he’s not in any sort of cult!”
“I think his pants are too low also. Tell him that he needs a belt and that he shouldn’t let his underwear be shown to the world,” she said annoyingly.
“Oh, Mom…” Kairi hoisted herself up from her chair and stood behind it, pushing it in towards the table. “So can we go?”
“I’ll have to think about it.”
Walking over to the other side of the table, Kairi gave her mom a hug and a peck on the cheek. “Alright. Goodnight.”
“Here, take my mug.” She handed Kairi her empty tea cup and got up herself to leave the room. Kairi rinsed it and as she did, she wondered what her mom’s answer would be.
Up from her bedroom, Kairi’s paranoid mother bellowed, “Don’t forget to tell Sora to put a belt on! Why do you think he had his pants so low? He wants to get you-”
“Mom!”
“And stay away from Riku, I think he’s confused with his sexuality!”
Kairi grunted as she placed the tea cup in the cupboard. “Riku’s not gay and Sora is not going to try to do anything to me!”
-End Chapter-
Well, how was it? Did you like it? Please tell me what you think in your review, and I'm really sorry for the late update!! I feel bad for Kairi because of her paranoid mom and whatnot. Poor girl...
Thanks,
-Sora788
