'Remember me?' Chapter 4
Finally finished chapter 4 >.<
Like the layout by the way :)
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“I’m sure that by now most of you have started to fill out your applications. As for those procrastinators…”
The 15 year old blonde was sure that her homeroom teacher shot her a glance.
“I hope that you end up graduating with a fit background.”
Cagalli rolled her eyes and went back to starring out the window. The joys of having a window seat. She had heard those stupid words so many times that she was able to rehearse them before entering the second floor room.
“I suppose I should let you out now. I’ve already cut 5 minutes of your lunch hour.”
Just as the oldest female in the room finished her sentence, 90 percent of the class jumped for joy and rushed out the room. Cagalli was most definitely not one of the 10 percent that stayed behind and made sure to grab the collar of her best friend on her way out.
“Cagalli! Let go!”
“Honestly Nicol, you need to build up your muscles. Did you ever consider going into that gym by your house?”
“Cagalli!”
“Alright, alright. Keep your shirt on.”
The older blonde loosened her grip instantly, something the boy wasn’t expecting so soon. He would have fallen down the stairs had his friend not been there.
“Thanks.” He managed to mumble out, brushing some dust off of his shirt while he did so.
“No problem. Do you have to buy lunch today?”
“No. You?”
“Nope. Let’s go eat outside. Won’t be long until we leave this place.”
Nicol grinned, “Yeah…”
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“Nicol…what’s up? You seem a little off.”
Cagalli took a bite out of her cheeseburger. She noticed that her friend wasn’t lecturing her on her horrible diet like how he usually did. Her remark seemed to get him out of his petite world. His green eyes met her auburn ones.
“Well…umm…Cagalli…what…school are you going to?”
Cagalli raised a brow, “Well, I was thinking DiMare High…why? You’re going there too, remember?”
Nicol gaze journeyed back to his salad and picked at it with his fork. Cagalli tilted her head and poked him at the top of his head. He looked at her slowly then looked back down at the greens.
“Nicol?”
“…”
“Are…you not…staying with me?”
When Nicol looked up at the blonde with sorry eyes, Cagalli instantly guessed she had guessed right on the spot. She put her burger down slowly and folded her arms.
“Then…where are you going?”
“Umm…my father…he wants me to go to Platinum Secondary…to learn more about the piano…”
After Nicol finished his explanation, Cagalli realised that it wasn’t just about his father.
“Nicol…do…you want to go there too?” she formed out.
“…I guess I can’t lie to you, can I?” A sad smile made its way to his face.
“…” Cagalli looked down to her half-eaten burger.
“The piano…” She looked up at Nicol, who seemed to have lost some of his sorrow.
“I don’t know why Cagalli but…but it’s just so magnificent! I love everything about it! The way my fingers moves smoothly across the glossy white keys…the way that I can just close my eyes and know where put my fingers.”
Nicol brought up his hands up and closed his eyes.
“I love the feeling that comes when I realise that it was my effort that made those beautiful sounds. I also love the way I can write my own music and show my feeling off, whether or not someone understands them. I just...love it.”
The green haired boy opened his eyes and found that the blonde possessed downcast eyes. His luminous smile disappeared when he saw his best friend hurting.
“Cagalli?” He got out of his seat and walked over to her side of the red bench. Seating himself next to her, Nicol gave her a loose hug.
“I’m sorry Cagalli…I was being selfish…I’ll apply to DiMare too-“ Nicol felt pressure against his shoulder and he met the blonde’s angry eyes.
“Don’t you ever sacrifice your happiness for me, okay?” Her tone was not of a reassuring mother’s but resembled one of a stern judge. Before he could open his mouth, Cagalli cut him off.
“I-I know that you really love to play the piano…I’ve known ever since we were like what? 5? But the point is I want you to be happy. If you want to go to Platinum, then go there and learn more and more. But I want you to remember one thing while you’re still in school:
You will always have a friend who will be cheering you on when you become a famous musician. Even if you do forget about me…I’ll always be there for you, cheering you on. Then when I bring another friend, I’ll be able to tell him that ‘That’s my best friend up there!’”
Nicol could see that tears were beginning to form in Cagalli’s eyes. He beamed before pulling the girl into a tight hug.
“Cagalli…you idiot. I won’t ever forget you, you’re my best friend. Even if we do go to different schools, you’ll be the first person I’ll think of if I ever get a high mark on a test or get an award. Always.”
He felt a light smack at the side of his head,
“Idiot. You’ll always get an award. I’ve heard you play before and believe me, you’d kick anyone’s ass.”
Nicol chuckled at his friend’s choice of words.
“Thank you Cagalli…” He pulled away and wiped the clear liquid that trailed down her cheeks with his uniform sleeve.
“You’re my best friend Nicol and I know you deserve the best…Anyway,” Cagalli dried the remaining tears harshly with the end of her top.
“We’re supposed to meet Fllay and Shani at the arcade in 5 minutes.” Nicol’s grateful smiled faded away, “Now? But we only have 10 minutes left for our break! We won’t make it there and back in that time.”
“It’s called skipping Nikky. Now come on, we’re going to be late.”
“Cagalli!”
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Shinn slumped down to the ground.
He never knew that Rey knew the meaning of late. The blonde boy had made him wait outside the school building for almost 20 minutes now. It was a good thing that the raven haired boy was patient otherwise there would have been hell to pay.
“Shinn!”
The said boy lazily looked towards the front entrance of the dreaded building and found Rey and Lunamaria. The pink haired girl was running up to him while Rey coolly made his way to him, bag slung over one shoulder. It was not a wonder why he was late. He was busy picking up his girlfriend.
“I had the best Socials class!”
While Luna told him of the happenings of Socials class, Shinn noticed that she had boldly intertwined her fingers with Rey’s. He snickered when he caught Rey blushing, causing Luna to ask the raven boy what was wrong.
“Nothing.”
“A-huh…so anyway, what school did you apply to?”
“Don’t know yet. I was thinking of just going to St. Hawk’s High. It would be easy since we don’t have to fill out any of those annoying forms. What about you guys?”
“Well- let’s start walking neh? - We were thinking about going there as well. It’s near home and easy - like you said.”
“Cool.”
As the three walked towards their street, Luna noticed a bump near the chest area of Shinn’s uniform.
“Shinn? What’s that?”
The boy looked down at the lump but didn’t respond.
“It’s a gift from his childhood lover.” Rey stated, causing Shinn to blush madly.
“No it isn’t!” It was too late as Luna started to tease him. It was rare times like this where Shinn would want to beat the crap out of his best buddy. He tried his best to hide his happy face when Mia, Rey’s sister, saved him.
“Rey!”
The blonde sighed in response as the raven haired female came bounding out of his house.
“I thought that she stayed with your mom?” Luna whispered.
“Apparently not.” Was the all the blonde said in reply. This caused Shinn to blink then snicker once again. He was one of the two people that knew that Rey didn’t like his sister very much. It was obvious that Mia doted her little brother though.
“Rey!” The boy let go of Luna’s hand and managed to catch Mia in his arms.
“Why are you so happy?”
“Daddy told me that you were coming to my high school! This is going to be so cool! My friends already have little siblings in school and now it’s going to my turn to brag about you!”
“…I’m not an article of clothing.”
“Everyone is going to be so jealous when I tell them that my little brother won the academic award for 3 years straight!”
Lunamaria and Shinn suppressed their begging snickers. It was a known fact that Rey was not a sociable person.
“I’m not going to DiMare.”
“Heh?” Mia had a look of astonishment stuck on her face.
“B-but daddy said that-“
“Well I haven’t exactly informed father yet-“
“Well then I’ll gladly do so for you!” with that, 16 year old Mia ran off towards their house.
Rey had a rare look of shock on his face before bounding off after her. Shinn and Lunamaria looked at each other before letting their laughter out.
“That was interesting, huh Shinn?”
“Yeah…oh shit!”
Luna jumped, “What?”
“I had to go to the post office!” Shinn grabbed his hair.
Luna loosely shook her head, “Why?”
“I had to deliver something for my mom!”
“Shinn!”
“What!”
“Run!”
“Don’t have to tell me twice!”
Luna watched the boy sprint and couldn’t help but yell out,
“It closes at 4!”
“SHIT!”
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Bright orange letters and numbers flashed across the screen in the arcade, indicating that the player had achieved a high score.
A boy with shoulder length green hair jumped up from his seat and commenced a victory dance.
“Shani-kun! You’re the best!”
“I know!”
Fllay jumped up and down beside Shani, giving him a peck on the cheek before she stopped. Shani blushed and rubbed the back of his neck,
“Where’s Cagalli and Nicol?”
“I think they went to buy some slushies. Let’s go find them.”
As the two walked around the dark floor, Fllay received whistles and comments, which she had responses to. That entertained Shani very much. When he saw a flash of blonde, he called out,
“Oi! Cagalli! Over here!”
The blonde hair swished around and a flash of white shined through the darkness. After the two younger kids had made their way to the older two, they distributed the flavoured treats around. Strawberry for Fllay, orange for both Cagalli and Shani while Nicol had grape.
Cagalli managed to receive a comment or two as well but unlike Fllay’s responses, the blonde’s response was a bit more…violent.
The kid who received the bloody nose ran off to who knows where. Shani chuckled before talking in between his sips.
“Cagalli, let me tell you something. Violent actions are not the way to go here because it might get us kicked out. I really don’t give a damn if you do it somewhere else because then Orga can take care of it.”
Cagalli rolled her eyes, “Whatever. What is he going to do, tattle on us?”
“You got that right.”
The four froze and slowly looked up, where they met with a tall beefy man. He didn’t look too happy. Shani let out a ‘charming’ grin which of course, failed miserably.
The man pointed towards the exit, “Out.”
Fllay stuck her tongue out at him before sticking her nose up in the air. Nicol rubbed his temple while both Shani and Cagalli rolled their eyes. ¾ of them left the arcade sadly, knowing that the place had the best junk food.
“So where are we off to now?” Fllay asked, sipping her pink slushie.
“I dunno. What time is it?” Shani looked at Nicol, who looked at his watch.
“3 sharp.” Nicol replied.
“Hey Shani, did you tell Orga that you were skipping today?” Cagalli looked across the street towards a bookstore.
“Oh crap!” The blonde snickered.
“Did you have Science together?”
“Shit! Yeah!”
“Someone’s gonna get their ass kicked…” Cagalli sang and Nicol gave a disapproving face.
“Shani-kun! Look! There’s Orga-kun!”
Shani cringed and dashed behind Fllay. Peeking over the shorter girl’s shoulder, the boy found his best friend stomping over to them. How he knew that they would be here was kind of obvious…plus the bookstore was right there…
Orga’s eyes held anger in them but it disappeared when he greeted Fllay, Cagalli, and Nicol. However, when he saw Shani, the red eyes returned.
“We had Science today.”
Shani chuckled weakly, “Y-yeah…I know…”
“We had a test today.” Orga’s deep voice lowered and instantly Shani knew he was dead.
“…”
“It was worth 25 percent of our grade.”
“…” Shani knew he couldn’t look away from those eyes for if he did, the situation would get worse. He gulped and let him continue.
“You’re failing that class Shani. Care to tell me why you thought skipping would be a good idea?”
The other three glanced among each other and knew that they split.
“Uhh…I-I have piano practice to go to….”
“I told mom that I’d go with her to the hospital and visit your mom, Orga.”
“Shani-kun…I have some things to do…”
Orga looked at Cagalli, “Alright then. I’m going there too later.”
The younger two nodded and ran off, leaving Fllay with the guys.
The redhead turned around and gave Shani a tight hug.
“Good luck.” She whispered in her ear before rushing off. He blushed and looked the opposite direction. Orga chuckled before letting his anger take over again.
“Shani. We have things to discuss.”
“I feel a little guilty for leaving Shani there alone…” Nicol confessed while walking down the street with Cagalli.
The blonde glanced at him and nodded, “Yeah…but whatever. Now I have to go to the hospital or Orga will know that I was lying…” She sighed and looked over to the green haired boy.
“Did you really have piano practice?”
“Yeah but I need to deliver a letter at the post office. Father asked me to.”
Cagalli frowned, “What time do you have practice at?”
“Umm…I think it was around 3:30.” The pale skinned boy tapped his chin.
Cagalli widened her eyes when she caught a glimpse of Nicol’s watch.
“You’re going to late! It’s almost time!”
“Wha…what?” Nicol started panicking until Cagalli proposed that she’d deliver the letter.
“Thank you Cagalli! You’re the best!” Nicol hugged her before sprinting off, waving while he did so. Cagalli returned the gesture and let a tinge of sorrow wash through her.
“I’m going to miss you, Nicol…”
She looked at the ground before crossing onto another street. The post office wasn’t too far away and the blonde was sure that she would be able to make it there in just 10 minutes.
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Shinn panted heavily as he leaned against the glass doors of the post office. He mentally noted to get Lunamaria back somehow.
The post office did not close at 4 but at 6. Scowling, the boy made his way inside.
Warm air met his cold face as he stepped into the carpeted room. For a post office, it seemed a little different especially with the couches, TV, vending machines and other household items. It was also relatively empty…which sort of creeped him out.
His head swished from side to side, looking for people. Frowning, the boy made his way to the front desk and rang the little silver bell. To his dismay, no one came to serve him and he didn’t know what to do. It was his first time in a post office.
The raven haired boy leaned over the counter and tried to look into the small room to the side. His ruby eyes caught something on the floor and he diverted his attention to it. He heaved a frustrated sigh.
‘We’ll be back in 10 minutes.’
It would have made more sense for the sign to be on the locked front door but maybe the person’s common sense didn’t work. He had had those days before. Shinn weighed his options.
He could either go home and tell his mother what happened or wait for ten minutes. Deciding to stay, the middle-schooler made his way to the fluffy couches.
His hand retrieved the pink necklace he liked to play with so much. He didn’t remember exactly who gave it to him. All he remembered was that it was a girl with blonde hair and she gave it to him when he was 10.
His mother had told him that this necklace was supposed to protect him. From what Shinn had no idea but it was the thought that counted. It would be nice to meet that girl again…
The sound of the door opening caught his attention. He looked over curiously to who had let in the cold air. The door closed and Shinn found a girl repeating his actions.
She was seemed to be the same age as him and had blonde hair. She wore a red and white uniform with a logo of a hawk on the sleeve. If he remembered correctly, that was the uniform of the S. H. Academy. And that meant that she was from the rivalling school.
Their eyes met and lingered for a second too long. It was as though they knew each other. She looked away first and walked to the desk. Again his actions were repeated except for the fact that she let out a string of colourful words.
Shinn smirked and looked out the window. The clouds were starting to become an ugly gray colour. He hoped that the person in charge would get back soon and he would miss the foreshadowing rain.
“Anyone else sitting here?”
Shinn directed only his eyes to his right. Glancing up, he found the annoyed face of the blonde.
“No.”
She took the seat opposite him and crossed her legs. He noticed that her eyes happened the same as his favourite colour. The hand that had clasped the necklace let go and made its way to his pants pocket.
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The boy’s starring did not pass Cagalli. He wore a dark gray uniform that indicated that he went to her rivalling school. But that didn’t matter to her because right now the place was empty and the silence was creeping her out. He was the solution to her problem.
“Nice necklace.” She started. Cagalli was sure that she had something like that before. It belonged to her mother who…didn’t exactly give it to her.
“Thanks.” He mumbled out, avoiding her eyes. She frowned when she saw faint markings through the front. The blonde also remembered that her 10 year old self had marked the back with C.H.
“Can I see it? It's a Haumea right?” The boy looked at her weirdly then surveyed the room. Cagalli rolled her eyes; she wasn’t about to steal the thing.
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Shinn had his doubts. What if she ran off with it? He didn’t know the exact value of the stone but he knew that it was rare. Ever since he obtained it, he had never seen the stone owned by anyone else.
After a few moments of thinking, Shinn concluded that if she did run off with it, it was most likely that she wouldn’t be as fast as him. Letting out a slow breath, Shinn took off the necklace and gave it to her.
His ruby eyes watched her as she examined it with a frown. It startled him when the blonde jerked her gaze to him. She looked him up and down before settling her eyes on his. Honestly, he was a little creeped out by the way she starred at him. Shinn relaxed when she let out a grin.
“You’re that boy, aren’t you?”
Shinn raised an eyebrow. What did she mean by that? It was obvious that she caught his confusion because she started to explain deeper.
“That boy from 5 years ago. The soccer game? Remember that? You…you said that you liked my eyes…” She looked down at her shoes and grinned, holding out the necklace.
“This is mine. See the markings on the back? C.H…it stands for Cagalli Hibiki. That’s me…” She looked up at him and they starred each other for awhile; Her with content and him with confusion.
“You don’t remember?” Her rough voice had toned down to a soft and disappointed one. Her casted her eyes back down to the ground.
Shinn frowned and closed his eyes. The girl that gave him the necklace was a blonde…and so was she…the girl also had auburn eyes...so did she...No one else had spotted the faint markings on the back…but she did.
“Cagalli….” He said the name out loud. The image that came to mind was of a small 10 year old blonde. The image slowly evolved into the teen sitting opposite to him. His eyes jerked open when a bolt of thunder echoed throughout the office.
He saw her jump in her seat which made her bag fall down to the ground. Blinking, the boy picked it up and handed it to her. He saw that her hand was slightly trembled.
“Yeah…I think I remember.” So he was lying. It seemed like the right thing to do since she seemed scared.
“Really?”
“Yeah…”
“Do you remember chasing me after Shani - the green haired boy- called me a boy?”
“Yeah…” he leaned forward and listened to her talk.
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The two spent hours talking and realised that the person wasn’t back yet. Cagalli glanced at the clock and saw that it was past 6. Her mouth twitched when she remembered that she was supposed to meet Orga at the hospital.
She stopped mid-sentence and pressed her hand against the glass window behind her. It was getting dark and was raining. She didn’t even notice.
They had spent time talking about their family, friends, school and messed up things. That must have distracted her from her surroundings.
Cagalli sighed and looked back at Shinn with a frown. “I don’t think that guy is going to be coming back anytime soon. I’m leaving…I had to be somewhere…”
The blonde picked up her bag and walked towards the doorway. When she looked back at Shinn, she saw that he was walking towards her as well. He smiled,
“I might as well go too. Which way do you walk?” Cagalli pointed to her left. He mumbled something that she couldn’t hear and then he replied.
“Why don’t I walk you home? A girl shouldn’t walk home by herself.” She snorted, “Unlike many other girls, I know how to take care of myself.”
When she opened the door, sounds of the rain caught both their ears.
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Amongst the sounds of feet running through water, Shinn called back to the girl.
“Are we almost there?”
“Almost!”
He grinned and held on to her hand tighter. It had gotten dark and it was heard for Shinn to see. Because of that, holding the blonde’s hand seemed like the most reasonable thing to do.
They had decided to run towards her house and had fun doing so. Jumping into puddles and splashing each other wasn’t something Shinn did with Lunamaria and Rey too often.
His ruby eyes searched for her auburn ones and smiled when they met. He heard a noise and stopped running, making Cagalli collide into him.
“Oi! What was-“
He turned around and hugged her. A car sped by and drove through a puddle, making the water rise. Since Shinn was taller and covered Cagalli, he was the only one that got drenched. He looked down at her ‘o’ shaped mouth.
“Are we almost there?”
“Y-yeah…”
“Are we going to be meeting tomorrow again?”
“S-sure…”
“Are you cold?”
“S-sort of…”
Shin grinned and rested his cheek on the top of her head. He had seen Rey do this to Lunamaria before when she was cold…so it was okay if he did it to someone…right?
“Hey…Shinn…”
“Yeah?” She rested against him.
“We really should get out of the rain.”
“Yeah.” Either didn’t move.
“Shinn.”
“Yeah?”
“Keep the necklace. Do you remember what I said when I gave that to you?”
“…Yeah?” He looked down at her with a look of guilt.
“ ‘In hopes of meeting again’ We met again…isn’t that weird?”
“…Yeah?”
Cagalli chuckled, “Oh and Shinn, you really do sound unintelligent when you keep repeating the same word.”
He chuckled as well, letting the raindrops fall on him.
In the dark night on a sidewalk stood two teens. Both smiling as though they knew something that no one else did.
Like the layout by the way :)
***
“I’m sure that by now most of you have started to fill out your applications. As for those procrastinators…”
The 15 year old blonde was sure that her homeroom teacher shot her a glance.
“I hope that you end up graduating with a fit background.”
Cagalli rolled her eyes and went back to starring out the window. The joys of having a window seat. She had heard those stupid words so many times that she was able to rehearse them before entering the second floor room.
“I suppose I should let you out now. I’ve already cut 5 minutes of your lunch hour.”
Just as the oldest female in the room finished her sentence, 90 percent of the class jumped for joy and rushed out the room. Cagalli was most definitely not one of the 10 percent that stayed behind and made sure to grab the collar of her best friend on her way out.
“Cagalli! Let go!”
“Honestly Nicol, you need to build up your muscles. Did you ever consider going into that gym by your house?”
“Cagalli!”
“Alright, alright. Keep your shirt on.”
The older blonde loosened her grip instantly, something the boy wasn’t expecting so soon. He would have fallen down the stairs had his friend not been there.
“Thanks.” He managed to mumble out, brushing some dust off of his shirt while he did so.
“No problem. Do you have to buy lunch today?”
“No. You?”
“Nope. Let’s go eat outside. Won’t be long until we leave this place.”
Nicol grinned, “Yeah…”
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“Nicol…what’s up? You seem a little off.”
Cagalli took a bite out of her cheeseburger. She noticed that her friend wasn’t lecturing her on her horrible diet like how he usually did. Her remark seemed to get him out of his petite world. His green eyes met her auburn ones.
“Well…umm…Cagalli…what…school are you going to?”
Cagalli raised a brow, “Well, I was thinking DiMare High…why? You’re going there too, remember?”
Nicol gaze journeyed back to his salad and picked at it with his fork. Cagalli tilted her head and poked him at the top of his head. He looked at her slowly then looked back down at the greens.
“Nicol?”
“…”
“Are…you not…staying with me?”
When Nicol looked up at the blonde with sorry eyes, Cagalli instantly guessed she had guessed right on the spot. She put her burger down slowly and folded her arms.
“Then…where are you going?”
“Umm…my father…he wants me to go to Platinum Secondary…to learn more about the piano…”
After Nicol finished his explanation, Cagalli realised that it wasn’t just about his father.
“Nicol…do…you want to go there too?” she formed out.
“…I guess I can’t lie to you, can I?” A sad smile made its way to his face.
“…” Cagalli looked down to her half-eaten burger.
“The piano…” She looked up at Nicol, who seemed to have lost some of his sorrow.
“I don’t know why Cagalli but…but it’s just so magnificent! I love everything about it! The way my fingers moves smoothly across the glossy white keys…the way that I can just close my eyes and know where put my fingers.”
Nicol brought up his hands up and closed his eyes.
“I love the feeling that comes when I realise that it was my effort that made those beautiful sounds. I also love the way I can write my own music and show my feeling off, whether or not someone understands them. I just...love it.”
The green haired boy opened his eyes and found that the blonde possessed downcast eyes. His luminous smile disappeared when he saw his best friend hurting.
“Cagalli?” He got out of his seat and walked over to her side of the red bench. Seating himself next to her, Nicol gave her a loose hug.
“I’m sorry Cagalli…I was being selfish…I’ll apply to DiMare too-“ Nicol felt pressure against his shoulder and he met the blonde’s angry eyes.
“Don’t you ever sacrifice your happiness for me, okay?” Her tone was not of a reassuring mother’s but resembled one of a stern judge. Before he could open his mouth, Cagalli cut him off.
“I-I know that you really love to play the piano…I’ve known ever since we were like what? 5? But the point is I want you to be happy. If you want to go to Platinum, then go there and learn more and more. But I want you to remember one thing while you’re still in school:
You will always have a friend who will be cheering you on when you become a famous musician. Even if you do forget about me…I’ll always be there for you, cheering you on. Then when I bring another friend, I’ll be able to tell him that ‘That’s my best friend up there!’”
Nicol could see that tears were beginning to form in Cagalli’s eyes. He beamed before pulling the girl into a tight hug.
“Cagalli…you idiot. I won’t ever forget you, you’re my best friend. Even if we do go to different schools, you’ll be the first person I’ll think of if I ever get a high mark on a test or get an award. Always.”
He felt a light smack at the side of his head,
“Idiot. You’ll always get an award. I’ve heard you play before and believe me, you’d kick anyone’s ass.”
Nicol chuckled at his friend’s choice of words.
“Thank you Cagalli…” He pulled away and wiped the clear liquid that trailed down her cheeks with his uniform sleeve.
“You’re my best friend Nicol and I know you deserve the best…Anyway,” Cagalli dried the remaining tears harshly with the end of her top.
“We’re supposed to meet Fllay and Shani at the arcade in 5 minutes.” Nicol’s grateful smiled faded away, “Now? But we only have 10 minutes left for our break! We won’t make it there and back in that time.”
“It’s called skipping Nikky. Now come on, we’re going to be late.”
“Cagalli!”
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Shinn slumped down to the ground.
He never knew that Rey knew the meaning of late. The blonde boy had made him wait outside the school building for almost 20 minutes now. It was a good thing that the raven haired boy was patient otherwise there would have been hell to pay.
“Shinn!”
The said boy lazily looked towards the front entrance of the dreaded building and found Rey and Lunamaria. The pink haired girl was running up to him while Rey coolly made his way to him, bag slung over one shoulder. It was not a wonder why he was late. He was busy picking up his girlfriend.
“I had the best Socials class!”
While Luna told him of the happenings of Socials class, Shinn noticed that she had boldly intertwined her fingers with Rey’s. He snickered when he caught Rey blushing, causing Luna to ask the raven boy what was wrong.
“Nothing.”
“A-huh…so anyway, what school did you apply to?”
“Don’t know yet. I was thinking of just going to St. Hawk’s High. It would be easy since we don’t have to fill out any of those annoying forms. What about you guys?”
“Well- let’s start walking neh? - We were thinking about going there as well. It’s near home and easy - like you said.”
“Cool.”
As the three walked towards their street, Luna noticed a bump near the chest area of Shinn’s uniform.
“Shinn? What’s that?”
The boy looked down at the lump but didn’t respond.
“It’s a gift from his childhood lover.” Rey stated, causing Shinn to blush madly.
“No it isn’t!” It was too late as Luna started to tease him. It was rare times like this where Shinn would want to beat the crap out of his best buddy. He tried his best to hide his happy face when Mia, Rey’s sister, saved him.
“Rey!”
The blonde sighed in response as the raven haired female came bounding out of his house.
“I thought that she stayed with your mom?” Luna whispered.
“Apparently not.” Was the all the blonde said in reply. This caused Shinn to blink then snicker once again. He was one of the two people that knew that Rey didn’t like his sister very much. It was obvious that Mia doted her little brother though.
“Rey!” The boy let go of Luna’s hand and managed to catch Mia in his arms.
“Why are you so happy?”
“Daddy told me that you were coming to my high school! This is going to be so cool! My friends already have little siblings in school and now it’s going to my turn to brag about you!”
“…I’m not an article of clothing.”
“Everyone is going to be so jealous when I tell them that my little brother won the academic award for 3 years straight!”
Lunamaria and Shinn suppressed their begging snickers. It was a known fact that Rey was not a sociable person.
“I’m not going to DiMare.”
“Heh?” Mia had a look of astonishment stuck on her face.
“B-but daddy said that-“
“Well I haven’t exactly informed father yet-“
“Well then I’ll gladly do so for you!” with that, 16 year old Mia ran off towards their house.
Rey had a rare look of shock on his face before bounding off after her. Shinn and Lunamaria looked at each other before letting their laughter out.
“That was interesting, huh Shinn?”
“Yeah…oh shit!”
Luna jumped, “What?”
“I had to go to the post office!” Shinn grabbed his hair.
Luna loosely shook her head, “Why?”
“I had to deliver something for my mom!”
“Shinn!”
“What!”
“Run!”
“Don’t have to tell me twice!”
Luna watched the boy sprint and couldn’t help but yell out,
“It closes at 4!”
“SHIT!”
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Bright orange letters and numbers flashed across the screen in the arcade, indicating that the player had achieved a high score.
A boy with shoulder length green hair jumped up from his seat and commenced a victory dance.
“Shani-kun! You’re the best!”
“I know!”
Fllay jumped up and down beside Shani, giving him a peck on the cheek before she stopped. Shani blushed and rubbed the back of his neck,
“Where’s Cagalli and Nicol?”
“I think they went to buy some slushies. Let’s go find them.”
As the two walked around the dark floor, Fllay received whistles and comments, which she had responses to. That entertained Shani very much. When he saw a flash of blonde, he called out,
“Oi! Cagalli! Over here!”
The blonde hair swished around and a flash of white shined through the darkness. After the two younger kids had made their way to the older two, they distributed the flavoured treats around. Strawberry for Fllay, orange for both Cagalli and Shani while Nicol had grape.
Cagalli managed to receive a comment or two as well but unlike Fllay’s responses, the blonde’s response was a bit more…violent.
The kid who received the bloody nose ran off to who knows where. Shani chuckled before talking in between his sips.
“Cagalli, let me tell you something. Violent actions are not the way to go here because it might get us kicked out. I really don’t give a damn if you do it somewhere else because then Orga can take care of it.”
Cagalli rolled her eyes, “Whatever. What is he going to do, tattle on us?”
“You got that right.”
The four froze and slowly looked up, where they met with a tall beefy man. He didn’t look too happy. Shani let out a ‘charming’ grin which of course, failed miserably.
The man pointed towards the exit, “Out.”
Fllay stuck her tongue out at him before sticking her nose up in the air. Nicol rubbed his temple while both Shani and Cagalli rolled their eyes. ¾ of them left the arcade sadly, knowing that the place had the best junk food.
“So where are we off to now?” Fllay asked, sipping her pink slushie.
“I dunno. What time is it?” Shani looked at Nicol, who looked at his watch.
“3 sharp.” Nicol replied.
“Hey Shani, did you tell Orga that you were skipping today?” Cagalli looked across the street towards a bookstore.
“Oh crap!” The blonde snickered.
“Did you have Science together?”
“Shit! Yeah!”
“Someone’s gonna get their ass kicked…” Cagalli sang and Nicol gave a disapproving face.
“Shani-kun! Look! There’s Orga-kun!”
Shani cringed and dashed behind Fllay. Peeking over the shorter girl’s shoulder, the boy found his best friend stomping over to them. How he knew that they would be here was kind of obvious…plus the bookstore was right there…
Orga’s eyes held anger in them but it disappeared when he greeted Fllay, Cagalli, and Nicol. However, when he saw Shani, the red eyes returned.
“We had Science today.”
Shani chuckled weakly, “Y-yeah…I know…”
“We had a test today.” Orga’s deep voice lowered and instantly Shani knew he was dead.
“…”
“It was worth 25 percent of our grade.”
“…” Shani knew he couldn’t look away from those eyes for if he did, the situation would get worse. He gulped and let him continue.
“You’re failing that class Shani. Care to tell me why you thought skipping would be a good idea?”
The other three glanced among each other and knew that they split.
“Uhh…I-I have piano practice to go to….”
“I told mom that I’d go with her to the hospital and visit your mom, Orga.”
“Shani-kun…I have some things to do…”
Orga looked at Cagalli, “Alright then. I’m going there too later.”
The younger two nodded and ran off, leaving Fllay with the guys.
The redhead turned around and gave Shani a tight hug.
“Good luck.” She whispered in her ear before rushing off. He blushed and looked the opposite direction. Orga chuckled before letting his anger take over again.
“Shani. We have things to discuss.”
“I feel a little guilty for leaving Shani there alone…” Nicol confessed while walking down the street with Cagalli.
The blonde glanced at him and nodded, “Yeah…but whatever. Now I have to go to the hospital or Orga will know that I was lying…” She sighed and looked over to the green haired boy.
“Did you really have piano practice?”
“Yeah but I need to deliver a letter at the post office. Father asked me to.”
Cagalli frowned, “What time do you have practice at?”
“Umm…I think it was around 3:30.” The pale skinned boy tapped his chin.
Cagalli widened her eyes when she caught a glimpse of Nicol’s watch.
“You’re going to late! It’s almost time!”
“Wha…what?” Nicol started panicking until Cagalli proposed that she’d deliver the letter.
“Thank you Cagalli! You’re the best!” Nicol hugged her before sprinting off, waving while he did so. Cagalli returned the gesture and let a tinge of sorrow wash through her.
“I’m going to miss you, Nicol…”
She looked at the ground before crossing onto another street. The post office wasn’t too far away and the blonde was sure that she would be able to make it there in just 10 minutes.
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Shinn panted heavily as he leaned against the glass doors of the post office. He mentally noted to get Lunamaria back somehow.
The post office did not close at 4 but at 6. Scowling, the boy made his way inside.
Warm air met his cold face as he stepped into the carpeted room. For a post office, it seemed a little different especially with the couches, TV, vending machines and other household items. It was also relatively empty…which sort of creeped him out.
His head swished from side to side, looking for people. Frowning, the boy made his way to the front desk and rang the little silver bell. To his dismay, no one came to serve him and he didn’t know what to do. It was his first time in a post office.
The raven haired boy leaned over the counter and tried to look into the small room to the side. His ruby eyes caught something on the floor and he diverted his attention to it. He heaved a frustrated sigh.
‘We’ll be back in 10 minutes.’
It would have made more sense for the sign to be on the locked front door but maybe the person’s common sense didn’t work. He had had those days before. Shinn weighed his options.
He could either go home and tell his mother what happened or wait for ten minutes. Deciding to stay, the middle-schooler made his way to the fluffy couches.
His hand retrieved the pink necklace he liked to play with so much. He didn’t remember exactly who gave it to him. All he remembered was that it was a girl with blonde hair and she gave it to him when he was 10.
His mother had told him that this necklace was supposed to protect him. From what Shinn had no idea but it was the thought that counted. It would be nice to meet that girl again…
The sound of the door opening caught his attention. He looked over curiously to who had let in the cold air. The door closed and Shinn found a girl repeating his actions.
She was seemed to be the same age as him and had blonde hair. She wore a red and white uniform with a logo of a hawk on the sleeve. If he remembered correctly, that was the uniform of the S. H. Academy. And that meant that she was from the rivalling school.
Their eyes met and lingered for a second too long. It was as though they knew each other. She looked away first and walked to the desk. Again his actions were repeated except for the fact that she let out a string of colourful words.
Shinn smirked and looked out the window. The clouds were starting to become an ugly gray colour. He hoped that the person in charge would get back soon and he would miss the foreshadowing rain.
“Anyone else sitting here?”
Shinn directed only his eyes to his right. Glancing up, he found the annoyed face of the blonde.
“No.”
She took the seat opposite him and crossed her legs. He noticed that her eyes happened the same as his favourite colour. The hand that had clasped the necklace let go and made its way to his pants pocket.
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The boy’s starring did not pass Cagalli. He wore a dark gray uniform that indicated that he went to her rivalling school. But that didn’t matter to her because right now the place was empty and the silence was creeping her out. He was the solution to her problem.
“Nice necklace.” She started. Cagalli was sure that she had something like that before. It belonged to her mother who…didn’t exactly give it to her.
“Thanks.” He mumbled out, avoiding her eyes. She frowned when she saw faint markings through the front. The blonde also remembered that her 10 year old self had marked the back with C.H.
“Can I see it? It's a Haumea right?” The boy looked at her weirdly then surveyed the room. Cagalli rolled her eyes; she wasn’t about to steal the thing.
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Shinn had his doubts. What if she ran off with it? He didn’t know the exact value of the stone but he knew that it was rare. Ever since he obtained it, he had never seen the stone owned by anyone else.
After a few moments of thinking, Shinn concluded that if she did run off with it, it was most likely that she wouldn’t be as fast as him. Letting out a slow breath, Shinn took off the necklace and gave it to her.
His ruby eyes watched her as she examined it with a frown. It startled him when the blonde jerked her gaze to him. She looked him up and down before settling her eyes on his. Honestly, he was a little creeped out by the way she starred at him. Shinn relaxed when she let out a grin.
“You’re that boy, aren’t you?”
Shinn raised an eyebrow. What did she mean by that? It was obvious that she caught his confusion because she started to explain deeper.
“That boy from 5 years ago. The soccer game? Remember that? You…you said that you liked my eyes…” She looked down at her shoes and grinned, holding out the necklace.
“This is mine. See the markings on the back? C.H…it stands for Cagalli Hibiki. That’s me…” She looked up at him and they starred each other for awhile; Her with content and him with confusion.
“You don’t remember?” Her rough voice had toned down to a soft and disappointed one. Her casted her eyes back down to the ground.
Shinn frowned and closed his eyes. The girl that gave him the necklace was a blonde…and so was she…the girl also had auburn eyes...so did she...No one else had spotted the faint markings on the back…but she did.
“Cagalli….” He said the name out loud. The image that came to mind was of a small 10 year old blonde. The image slowly evolved into the teen sitting opposite to him. His eyes jerked open when a bolt of thunder echoed throughout the office.
He saw her jump in her seat which made her bag fall down to the ground. Blinking, the boy picked it up and handed it to her. He saw that her hand was slightly trembled.
“Yeah…I think I remember.” So he was lying. It seemed like the right thing to do since she seemed scared.
“Really?”
“Yeah…”
“Do you remember chasing me after Shani - the green haired boy- called me a boy?”
“Yeah…” he leaned forward and listened to her talk.
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The two spent hours talking and realised that the person wasn’t back yet. Cagalli glanced at the clock and saw that it was past 6. Her mouth twitched when she remembered that she was supposed to meet Orga at the hospital.
She stopped mid-sentence and pressed her hand against the glass window behind her. It was getting dark and was raining. She didn’t even notice.
They had spent time talking about their family, friends, school and messed up things. That must have distracted her from her surroundings.
Cagalli sighed and looked back at Shinn with a frown. “I don’t think that guy is going to be coming back anytime soon. I’m leaving…I had to be somewhere…”
The blonde picked up her bag and walked towards the doorway. When she looked back at Shinn, she saw that he was walking towards her as well. He smiled,
“I might as well go too. Which way do you walk?” Cagalli pointed to her left. He mumbled something that she couldn’t hear and then he replied.
“Why don’t I walk you home? A girl shouldn’t walk home by herself.” She snorted, “Unlike many other girls, I know how to take care of myself.”
When she opened the door, sounds of the rain caught both their ears.
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Amongst the sounds of feet running through water, Shinn called back to the girl.
“Are we almost there?”
“Almost!”
He grinned and held on to her hand tighter. It had gotten dark and it was heard for Shinn to see. Because of that, holding the blonde’s hand seemed like the most reasonable thing to do.
They had decided to run towards her house and had fun doing so. Jumping into puddles and splashing each other wasn’t something Shinn did with Lunamaria and Rey too often.
His ruby eyes searched for her auburn ones and smiled when they met. He heard a noise and stopped running, making Cagalli collide into him.
“Oi! What was-“
He turned around and hugged her. A car sped by and drove through a puddle, making the water rise. Since Shinn was taller and covered Cagalli, he was the only one that got drenched. He looked down at her ‘o’ shaped mouth.
“Are we almost there?”
“Y-yeah…”
“Are we going to be meeting tomorrow again?”
“S-sure…”
“Are you cold?”
“S-sort of…”
Shin grinned and rested his cheek on the top of her head. He had seen Rey do this to Lunamaria before when she was cold…so it was okay if he did it to someone…right?
“Hey…Shinn…”
“Yeah?” She rested against him.
“We really should get out of the rain.”
“Yeah.” Either didn’t move.
“Shinn.”
“Yeah?”
“Keep the necklace. Do you remember what I said when I gave that to you?”
“…Yeah?” He looked down at her with a look of guilt.
“ ‘In hopes of meeting again’ We met again…isn’t that weird?”
“…Yeah?”
Cagalli chuckled, “Oh and Shinn, you really do sound unintelligent when you keep repeating the same word.”
He chuckled as well, letting the raindrops fall on him.
In the dark night on a sidewalk stood two teens. Both smiling as though they knew something that no one else did.