Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ Maxie ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: All characters of Beyblade are © of Aoki Takao.

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Maxie - part 2

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A mixture of clattering sounds and white light streaming through the window woke me up.

At first I was surprised to find myself in a different bed than my own, but then I remembered the night before, an encircling warmth and Rei's resonant voice.

Rei's apartment is very small. There is only one bedroom, a bathroom with two doors that connects to the bedroom and living room, and a kitchen. And the only furnishings in the whole place are a double sized bed with a side table, a couch, and two stools by the kitchen island. Rei lived alone.

It was obvious the kitchen was his favourite spot though. Textbooks, lined paper, and pens were strewn across the counter. Rei himself was in heart of the kitchen, scrambling eggs and baking hash browns in the toaster oven.

“Oh hey, you're awake.” Rei turns around with a smile. “How was your sleep?”

“It was great.” Really great. The first night I didn't have to hear my mom crying or moaning.

Rei scraped the eggs and potato onto a plate and set the food before me. “Breakfast is served!”

“Wow, thanks Rei!” I was so hungry, I nearly choked. But the food was so good. The eggs had a mixture of chorizo sausage and tomatoes with cheddar. It was the best home cooked meal I've had in ages. Mom is a terrible cook so we always ate frozen food or ordered take-out. I explained this to Rei with an admiration and sadness I never intended.

Somehow he understood why I was there even before I told him.

“You can stay here as long as you need to.”

“Thanks Rei. Um, about last night…”

“-Oh yeah, you phoned me right? Sorry, I was at work so I couldn't pick up.”

“That's okay. I'M sorry, I took your bed. Where did you sleep?”

Rei's laugh rings around the room much like Miriam's. “On the couch. Don't worry about it, Max. We're friends, there's no need to be formal.”

Friends who haven't seen or heard from each other in years. How could Rei be so considerate? That's a redundant question and I already know the answer.

“I have school in a couple of hours but I'll be home early today since I have nothing else after. Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?”

“Actually, if it's not too much trouble, can we eat at home? I really like your cooking.”

Rei's eyes glow amber in the light. “No problem. I'm gonna surprise you with the best dinner you've ever tasted.”

I was handed a spare key before Rei hurried to catch the bus. This way I could easily enter and leave the apartment whenever I wanted. I felt like a roommate already.

On my way out, I twirl the key around my index finger and Rei's words in my mind.

“Stay as long as I need to huh?”

He had said this with such amiability. But Rei was being both generous and strict. He set the lines and wasn't going to let me lay back so easily. That was just so like him. There were plenty of times when I thought that Rei should have been the leader of the Bladebreakers. As the leader of the White Tigers, Rei developed authority and benevolence. He is ruthless with his opponents and very loyal to his friends.

But he doesn't know who I really am. If he knew, maybe I would lose his loyalty… I almost laughed out loud. What am I thinking? That's the last thing I should worry about. Besides, I'm not going to stay long. Just long enough until I can find a place for myself.

I took a long stroll along 13th Avenue, chewing on a cigarette and digging my fingers in imaginary dirt within the folds of my pockets. Going home now was something I did not intend to do. I couldn't conceive facing Mom again after my last break down. But my cell was vibrating and it was my partner calling and I had forgotten the phone book back home. Fuck. I ignore the persistent silent rings, directing my thoughts elsewhere.

Six years ago, before I had met Miriam, there were four young and vigorous boys running across the beach. They left gasps of breaths as deep as the footprints in the sand. The sun was setting and the tide was low, so two out of the four began lagging behind. The boy with the long, black braided hair turned to the blonde and pointed after the other two boys disappearing into the distance, chuckling,

`We've already finished twenty laps, but those guys just keep going.'

The blonde laughed along. `It's because Tyson opened his big mouth again and challenged Kai.'

`And although Kai opposes, he always gives in the end.'

`Whenever it comes to Tyson.'

`Yeah.'

The black-haired boy now turned his attention to the diminishing light and kneeled down into the sand. The blonde boy followed suit.

The blonde fixated his attention to the boy beside him and saw what looked like the reflection of the sun in his eyes. But it was hard to tell because his eyes were nearly the same colour and just as intense as the golden rays. He looked like he was in deep thought.

`Hey Rei, what are you thinking?'

`Not thinking, just missing.'

`Missing who?'

`Missing the village… Sensei… The White Tigers.'

`Do you miss your mom and dad?'

` … No, not really. I mean, I never knew them.'

`Oh what, really? You didn't have a family?'

`I was an orphan. Lee and Mariah's parents helped raise and take care of me, so I guess they're my actual family.'

`I see… sorry.'

`Don't be sorry, I was happy. I wasn't alone.'

`I'm glad. I can't imagine growing up without my mom and my dad.'

`Yeah. But you know, there were two things that I wanted. Two very different things.'

The waves were beginning to lap at the two boy's toes.

`I wanted to be both within the comfort of family and complete independence. Being an orphan made this possible. Because they weren't my biological family, I had more freedom to move around outside, go back to the house in odd hours, and do whatever I wanted to do. Lee and Mariah couldn't do that.'

`So Mariah and Lee got all the loving attention from their parents. Were you ever jealous of them?'

`Of course. But then I also felt thankful that I had that kind of freedom. Their parents wouldn't let them out of their sight for a second.'

`It was the same with my parents. Still is, kind of.'

`Yeah… But then my selfishness became the reason why The White Tigers and I fell apart; why Lee and Mariah got so angry with me. I expected to remain close, but I also planned to become completely independent. I wanted to be free and go wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted. They considered me a close family, but I just completely left them. That wasn't right.'

`Hmm.. Are you guys okay now?'

`Oh yeah. It took some work but we're close again. I guess what I'm saying is, it's just so hard to have two different things at the same time. You can never fully have one; you can only have half.'

`Is having only half a bad thing?'

`No, I don't think so…'

`Well then it's all good. Actually it's better than good because you have two of the best halves in the world.'

The blonde met the black-haired boy's astonishment with a grin.

From afar, a mousy brown haired boy was waving his arm and trying his best to run through the sand towards the two sitting boys.

`And you have OVER half of family comforts because Kenny counts as a nagging mother.'

This statement caused an explosion of laughter out of the both of us. The waves were up to our ankles now and the sun was half underwater. Rei stood up and held a hand out to me. But I can't remember whether I took it or not.

I stumble back in shock when a hobo swings a hand out in front of me, cutting through my daydream, and asking for change.

Holy shit what the hell was I thinking just now? I totally zoned out. That was six years ago. I said some crazy stupid stuff. Ugh. I claw through my hair. Lately it seems I'm spacing out more and more. I need some amphetamine.

Before I had known it, I had somehow walked all the way home. No, this place isn't my home. It's a nightmare. I didn't want to come back to this place. Maybe the reason why I came back is because I'm so familiar with it. When you are used to something or someplace, it's hard to see yourself with anything else. It's hard to leave.

It may be a nightmare, but I know this nightmare better than the unknown future. What's going to happen if I continue to stay with Rei?

I'm very indecisive as I pace left and right before the front doors. Should I go up? But after what happened the other night, I just can't bring myself to face her. If I see my mother with a big, black bruise on her face, I think I will cry.

Then out of the corner of my eye, I see a shadowy man, completely dressed in black on the other side of the street. I try to act indifferent, that is, until I notice the man staring at me. Great. I'm caught by one of my past clients. The last thing I want to do now is be seen in public, dealing drugs right in front of my home. And hells, I'm so clean right now.

I try leaving the area and the past client, but then I notice the man following me. What the fuck? Doesn't he get it that I don't have anything on me and that I'm not interested? But the man continues to tail me. I can see his reflection in every angled shop window that I pass.

When I sped up my pace, the man sped up with me. This is so agitating. I decide to confront the guy and tell him to his face to get lost. When I turned around, the man stopped for a moment, as if surprised by the unexpected change in my mind, before coming to stand within a foot from me.

It's hard to not make a face with this guy. His long, scraggly, unwashed beard reeks of sweat and alcohol, and his pupils are in a perpetual state of dilation. His eyes keep flickering from my freckles, to my hair, to my eyes… he's in a state of euphoric alertness. Euphoria, I wish I could be there now.

“Adam is looking for you.” The man hoarsely whispers.

My heart begins to pound harder and I'm perspiring in my palms. This guy must have just dealt business with my partner.

He repeats `Adam is looking for you' as I feel him beginning to invade my personal space. And then--

“What's that smell?” The man leans in closer and breaths out a disgusting stench. “You smell so…” His face all of a sudden got so close to mine and I freak out.

“GET AWAY FROM ME!!!”

I throw my arms out into the man's chest, pushing him to the ground, and run as fast as I can back the way I came from. Past the hobo, past the dreams, past the faint smoke of my half eaten cigarette, through the panhandler's alley, up the stairs of the shabby, brick apartment, and into the one and only place I can call safe.

My bangs keep dripping water droplets onto the ground. No matter how many times I wash my hands and face, the smell of sweat, alcohol, and blood just won't go away.

Hells, I feel so dirty right now.

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