She was worn out. It was warm and the parade had gone longer than planned. Her costume had been a bit heavy and it hadn’t breathed all that well, so was sweaty and overheated. She had sighed deeply when the parade finally re-entered the school grounds and was over. She had run to the locker room to quickly shed the cumbersome and torturous evil. And, despite her better judgement and numbing fears, she had quickly stripped completely down and jumped into a cold shower. She barely managed to rinse off the sweat and slip into her jeans and t-shirt before more girls came streaming in. But she had managed the shower without incident and was calmly sitting outside in the courtyard of the school.
She sat on the ground against the main building, calmly watching a few of the senior students and faculty police the area as the parade participants dispersed. She reclined, her bare feet perched on top of her shoes. Her poor and abused feet had refused to slide into her shoes, so the shoes stayed off.
The last few days had been both refreshing and tiring for Xallie. After her friends had shown up at her door and after she had drunkenly flashed both of them, they finally managed to calm her down and talk. She had unloaded the past few weeks and felt better after it. Well, save for the rare and massive hangover that stalked her for the next two days. Between that hangover, the festival, and showing her friends around, Xallie was completely exhausted.
So she sat there, giving her aching body a chance to rest. She wiggled her toes in the soft breeze and breathed deeply. Everything was returning back to normal after Chie and Kosuke had popped in. This new city was beginning to feel a little more like home.
“Taking a load off I see.” A shadow fell over her legs and she looked up. Her heart lurched in her chest for a moment. It was the boy from the unfortunate incidents at the club and in the hallway. “Is it alright if I sit here?”
Xallie nodded, a timid and curt bob, and Ryo smiled. As he lowered himself down next to her, she couldn’t help but flinch slightly. She had avoided him ever since she discovered that she had flashed him. He looked over at her and she turned away from his gaze.
“O, that is better. My feet are killing me.” He exhaled. He frowned when she flinched at his voice. “What a parade, huh?”
Xallie only nodded, her chest and throat too tight to allow her to talk. He looked over at Xallie again, which caused her to blush and shy away, and a glum smile twisted the corner of his mouth.
“I see.” His shoulders slumped and he sighed. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have bothered you.”
He started to push himself to his feet.
“No!” Xallie reached out, grabbed Ryo’s arm, and tugged him back down. “Ee… sorry.”
She blushed and snatched her hands back. She stared at her fingers as they wrapped themselves in her shirt. She couldn’t believe herself. First she was treating him like the plague and then she had nearly tackled him.
“You’re not bothering me.” The whisper barely left her lips but Ryo heard it and beamed.
“That’s good.” He leaned back against the wall. “You have been avoiding me. I was a bit worried.”
“Sorry.” She wilted under the blunt statement.
“Bah. It’s alright.” He waved his hand in the air. “I was a tactless creep, wasn’t I?”
He laughed and she smiled just a bit as she remembered the incident. She lowered her feet and brought her knees into her chest, hugging them in embarrassment.
“I didn’t mean to run like that,” Xallie rested her cheek against her knee as she turned to look at Ryo “I just didn’t…”
“Know that you had flashed me?” he finished for her when she faltered.
Xallie managed to keep looking at Ryo and she nodded. She hugged herself a bit tighter.
“Sorry.” He gave her a weak smile beneath his understanding eyes. “Tactless and clueless.”
They both sighed at the same time, looked at each-other, laughed. Xallie’s chest didn’t feel so tight anymore and she felt much more comfortable. They laughed together for a few minutes before it eventually faded into lingering smiles. Xallie rested her chin in-between her knees and looked out into the courtyard as Ryo gazed at the orange, evening sky.
“You know,” a look of confusion crossed Ryo’s face for a second “I don’t think I ever got your name. I believe you ran off before you told me. Both times… how rude.”
“Xallie.” She giggled.
“Oooo, exotic.” He cooed and Xallie giggled again and blushed, partly from embarrassment but there was a nice tingling pleasure that warmed her cheeks. “Nice to meet you, again, Xallie.”
He held out his right hand and Xallie merely stared at it for a few seconds.
“Please tell me you aren’t about to go running off again.” He tried to duck down and look at Xallie’s face.
“O!” she snapped out of her daze and slowly grasped his hand with her own. “Nice to meet you too.”
She blushed as her hand was bathed in the strong warmth of his grasp. Her heart beat faster.
“I’m…”
“Ryo.” She interrupted.
“You remembered.” His smile nearly swallowed his face and she blushed deeply. She could only nod.
Ryo smiled for long minutes and held onto Xallie’s hand. Xallie looked up from their hands and into his eyes. They were gentle and warm. She couldn’t help but lose herself in those eyes. So the two sat there, holding hands, their eyes lost in each-other, and Ryo’s smile etched permanently onto his face.
“So,” Ryo shook his head slightly and blushed. His chuckled and released Xallie’s hand before standing up. “I… um… pfft.”
He started to pace nervously, the embarrassment ambushing him. Xallie smiled at the flustered boy, which only made him fidget and pace more.
“Would you… would… well,” he swallowed loudly and fought the nervous urge to flee that suddenly welled up inside “Would you like to, um, g…”
“There you are!” a loud voice cut through Ryo’s stumbling.
Both Xallie and Ryo looked towards the voice. It was Chie, with Kosuke following close behind. Xallie shot to her feet and hurriedly brushed herself off.
“You said you would meet us by the bus stop.” Chie’s squinting eyes burrowed into Xallie and she hunched under their power.
“Sorry.” Xallie gave a small bow. Chie glanced towards Ryo and then back to Xallie before she straightened up. Chie smiled as she remembered Xallie’s story and confession. Kosuke clearly did not.
“This guy harassing you, eh?” Kosuke circled around Ryo, glowering. “Needs a little push, does he?”
“Ack!” Xallie blushed and waved her arms around wildly as she stepped in-between Kosuke and Ryo. “No, no, no. He wasn’t harassing me.”
“Are you sure?” Kosuke looks over Ryo and frowns. “He looks shifty to me.”
The two boys glowered at each other, a tense friction exploding around them. It didn’t last very long.
“Play nice.” Chie walked up behind Kosuke and smacked him on the head.
“Ow!” Kosuke stumbled forward and grabbed his head. “Hey, what was that for, eh?”
“Rude.” Chie shook her head and crossed her arms. “Nice to meet you. Chie.”
“Ah,” a bit dumbstruck Ryo stared blankly for a few seconds before finally answering. “Ryo.”
“Kosuke!” Kosuke yelped when Chie kicked him after Kosuke only continued to glower. Xallie laughed as Ryo simply stared in amazement.
“O, these are my friends from Sasebo.” Seeing Ryo’s confusion, Xallie went about formal introductions. “That was where I moved from. The pretty one is in the same year as me, bit rough around the edges but she’s actually quite sweet. Aren’t you, Chie?”
Chie blushed and mumbled under her breath before turning towards Kosuke.
“That thing is a senior. Let’s just leave it at that.” Chie shrugged as she stated.
“Thing!? That thing? I’m hurt, really.” He turned in a huff and stuck his nose in the air.
“Anyway, we came up to visit our clumsy girl her and what does she do?” Chie sighed. “Flirts with a guy.”
Ryo blushed at the last part as Xallie shrugged while she gave an unconvincing grin.
“You remember we have a reservation, right?” Kosuke turned back towards Xallie with a reproaching glare and wagged his finger.
“O!” Xallie gasped with delight and rushed back over to pick up her shoes. “Karaoke!”
“So you did forget.” Kosuke sighed. “That’s a first. You feeling alright?”
“Yep!” Xallie twirled on her bare feet and laughed. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go! Karaoke!”
Ryo was lost in a daze as he witnessed the complete transformation of the shy, nervous girl that flashed her panties to the prancing and laughing wild child. She was smiling and giggling as she rushed forward and began to tug on her friends.
“Come on, come on. Karaoke!” she gave a bright and maddeningly cute smile towards Ryo. “Wanna come?”
“Uh.” Ryo was still dumbstruck by the change when she that sparkling beauty of that smile slammed into him. He couldn’t think straight. “That’s okay.”
“You sure?” Xallie gave a small pout when Ryo absently nodded. It only lasted a second before she smiled again and tugged on Chie and Kosuke even harder. “Maybe next time then, okay?”
Ryo again only absently nodded as he watched Xallie drag her friends out of the courtyard. Chie gave a quick shrug and mouthed “Sorry” before she disappeared around the wall.
“Karaoke!” Ryo heard the bubbling laughter fade as he stood in the courtyard, mutely staring at a pair of sneakers lying forgotten on the ground. He picked them up and stared in wonder. Xallie had dropped her shoes. It wouldn’t be until the daze wore off many hours later, while he was staring at those shoes lying on the floor of his room, that Ryo realised that he had stupidly turned down an offer from Xallie to hang out. He cursed himself to sleep that night.
