Kami Cursed (Dragon and Phoenix) (8 page)

R
yuu was still
holding a grudge.  I was sprawled on the thick beige carpet, reading about the atrocities
of the civil war and eating cookies when he came in the door and tossed a paper
grocery bag at me.  It bounced off my head and landed on the floor. 

Dad barely glanced
up from his computer.  “Hi ya, Ryuu.”  I was glad that he was writing again,
but really, you should sound a little more concerned when someone throws
something at your daughter’s head.

I sat up and
took the crumpled bag.  There was something hard in there, at the bottom.  I
rubbed my head where it had hit me.  “Nice to see you too,” I mumbled sullenly.

Ryuu narrowed
his dark eyes at me.  Then his features smoothed out and he plopped down on the
couch.  I reached in the bag and pulled out a blouse and some shiny pink
shoes.  “What the heck is this?”

My so-called
friend leaned his head back on the couch and pretended to study the ceiling.  “Girly
crap.  Dawn sent it.  For your date.”

I reached out
and smacked his leg, darting a glance at Dad.  But he was still engrossed in
his work.  “Shut it,” I hissed.

Ryuu smirked at
me, then stood and stretched.  “Well, see you guys later.”

Dad looked up
from his computer, just now registering Ryuu’s sullen mood.  I had to hand it
to him, the kid did broody really well- all dark and withdrawn.  No wonder all
the little cheerleaders loved him.  I stuck out my tongue when he turned his
back on me.

“Aren’t you
staying for supper, Ryuu?”  Dad seemed surprised.  And rightfully so- Ryuu and
I barely ever argued.  Now that I thought about it, this was our first real
fight in… well, ever.

“Nah, Kit will
be leaving on her
date
soon.  So I’d better go home.”  He crossed his
arms and waited.  The jerk.

Dad sat up
straight and pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.  “Date?”  He
turned his owl eyes on me.  “You’re going on a date?”
I rolled my eyes and stuffed the blouse back in the bag.  “No.  I’m just… going
to see a movie with a friend from school.”

Dad narrowed his
eyes at me, darting a quick glance at Ryuu.  “Well that’s nice honey,” he said
gently.  Leave it to my dad to be the only father on the planet who was actually
glad
that his teenage daughter was going out with a boy. 

I stood and
headed toward my room.  “Buh-bye Ryuu,” I said sweetly, giving him an
exaggerated wave.  His plan hadn’t worked.

He frowned and I
could see the moody little boy he’d once been glaring out at me from his dark
eyes.  He clenched his teeth and I turned back toward my room to avoid his
black look.  On second thought, he was a lot scarier now than he’d ever been
back then.

A few minutes
later, I heard the front door open and close as Ryuu left.  Dad came to peek
into my room while I stood staring blankly at my closet.  What did girls wear
on dates anyway?  And what did you wear if you didn’t consider it a date?

He cleared his
throat and came to sit on my bed, looking awkward.  “Kit…Katherine,” he said
finally.  “I’m really glad that you’re getting out and doing things that other
girls your age are doing.”

I held up a
hand, not looking at him.  “Wait!  This isn’t a sex talk is it?”

“Oh!”  He made a
choking noise and started coughing.  “No…I didn’t think.  Well… just...no.” 
When he subsided, he regarded me with watery eyes. 

“I just wondered,”
he looked at me earnestly.  “Well, what about Ryuu?”

I pulled out a
pair of jeans and stood looking at my shoes.  I was
not
wearing those
shiny pink sandals that Dawn had sent over.  Maybe the shirt though.  I didn’t
think I should show up in a baggy T-shirt, no matter what my feelings on the
date/no date status of this outing.  “What about him?” I said distracted.

Dad sighed.  “Well,
I mean, I kind of thought that he was your boyfriend.”

I looked up at
him.  “Ryuu?”

Dad nodded.  “Of
course.  He’s always been with you since he moved here.  You guys do everything
together.  When you were…sick… he sat by your bed every day and watched you
sleep.  You should have seen that little guy.  He haggled the nurses and
doctors- drove them crazy.”  He looked down at his hands.  “He even took care
of your Dad when he fell apart- and he was only a kid.”  His blue eyes met
mine.  “That kid would move the earth for you, Kit.”

I shook my
head.  After all that, I felt really, really guilty about fighting with Ryuu. 
I hadn’t taken the time to think about just how wonderful my friend really
was.  I just took him for granted.  But still.  “Dad, I love Ryuu.  He’s my
best friend.  But he’s way too young for me to think about him that way.”

Dad laughed. 
“He’s not that much younger than you are.”

I crossed my
arms and tapped my foot.  “He’s three years younger than me.  He’s still in
junior high!”

Dad stood and
looked down at me with an odd expression on his face.  “Your mom was eight
years younger than me.  It didn’t faze us.”

I glared.  “And
look at how that worked out.”

He winced and I
instantly felt bad.  I wondered, quite suddenly, if mom had a new husband now. 
Maybe one a lot younger than my dad.  I was such a ball of mean, hateful
things.

His shoulders
slumped.  “Well, I suppose when you’re a teenager, three years makes a lot of
difference.”

 “A lot,” I said
firmly.

He sighed.  “At
least cut the kid some slack, okay?  I’m sure Ryuu’s not happy right now.  That
kid’s
lived
for you the past few years.  Going up to the center every
day.  Bringing you gifts and sitting by your bed holding your hand.”  He gave
me puppy dog eyes.

I waved him away
and turned back to the clothing situation.  “I got it, okay?!”

He backed away
with his hands raised in self-defense.  “Okay, okay.”

I tossed a
couple of shirts onto the bed and glared at them.  I glanced up when I realized
Dad was still hovering in the doorway.  “Have fun tonight sweetie,” he said
fondly.  “And come right home after the movie.”

I sighed.  “Sure
Dad.”  In a town as small as Pine Rapids, there wasn’t much risk to me staying
out late, but he did have
some
parental instincts.

He closed the
door behind him and I stood in the middle of my room staring at the floor for a
very long time.  I couldn’t forget the look on Ryuu’s face.  Did he really feel
that way about me?  No way.  He probably just hated the idea of my having a
social life that didn’t involve him.  Finally, I shook myself and launched into
motion.  I was seventeen years old.  It was time to start acting like it. 

I decided on
sneakers.  Wyatt could just deal with me the way I was, or forget it.  When he
picked me up, we all did the awkward meet the date thing.  Dad didn’t seem
particularly happy but, much to my relief, he was nice.  Then we headed to the
theater a few blocks away. 

Wyatt picked the
movie, something gushy that people take dates to.  I sat through it without
noticing much of what was happening on the screen in front of me.  The couple
behind us was making out- loudly.  Wyatt’s arm somehow found its way across the
back of my seat.  I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, so I ignored it.  It
was the longest two hours of my life, pretending that I wasn’t pretending that
I didn’t know what was going on.

When we emerged
into the lights again, Wyatt took my hand.  We sat on a bench a little ways
down from the theatre entrance.  I was so jittery that I actually jumped when
he slipped his arm around my waist.

His green eyes
crinkled at the corners as he silently laughed at me.  “Am I that scary?”

I shook my
head.  “It’s just the dark, I think.”  The sun had set and the old-fashioned streetlights
were coming on one by one.  The air had a bite to it that cut through my
sweatshirt.

Wyatt smiled. 
“I had fun,” he said lightly.  He angled himself toward me, and I braced myself
as he leaned in to kiss me. 

His lips were
soft and warm on mine.  The sensation wasn’t unpleasant.  I didn’t know what to
do with my hands, so I kept them in my lap.  When I didn’t resist, he slipped a
hand behind my head, taking advantage of my surprise to slip his tongue into my
mouth.  His hand at my waist started to migrate upward.

I jerked back
and pushed his hands away.  “What the heck?”

He looked
honestly surprised.  “What?  Did I do something wrong?”

I blushed and
looked at my hands.  “Um, well I just…”

He slid closer
to me on the bench, trying to put his arm around me.  I frowned.  “Is this the
only reason you wanted to go out?”

He laughed. 
“You really
are
like a little kid, aren’t you?”

I glared at
him.  “Look, you’re a nice guy and all.  But I’m just not ready for - I mean, a
few months ago, as far as I remember, I was fourteen.”  I twisted my hands in
my lap.  “I’ve never even kissed a guy before,” I blurted.  I wanted to die.  I
wanted to crawl in a hole and die.  Right now.

He frowned at
me.  “I thought that’s what you wanted.  Why did you come out with me if you
don’t even like me?”

I shrugged.  “I
like you just fine.  But I don’t know if I
like
you.”

He laughed,
sitting back and crossing his arms.  “Half the girls in the school have asked
me out,” he pointed out.  “Any of them would be happy to be in your place.”

I stared at him,
shocked at his arrogant attitude.  “Maybe it’s because they don’t realize what
a jerk you are!”

He glared at
me.  “You’re acting like a kid.”

I stood up and
stared down at him, balling up my fists.  “And you’re acting like a moron!”

I turned and
ran.  Hot tears poured down my cheeks. 
Stupid jerk!
 And stupid me. 
What was I thinking, going out with him?  More than anything, I was
embarrassed.  I was in way over my head. 

I ran down the
street, ignoring the people passing by.  I finally found a quiet spot in the
park not far from my house.  I sat down with my back against the play structure
and put my head on my knees.  Then I cried like a baby. 

I was still
snuffling when a soft voice spoke.  “Well,” he said with a sigh.  “That went
about like I thought it would.”

I glared at
Ryuu’s sneakers.  “Shut up.”  I wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my sweatshirt.

He reached down
a hand and pulled me up.  “C’mon.”

We walked back
down the sidewalk in silence for a few minutes.  Finally, I stopped hiccupping
and attempted to speak.  “I w…wish I’d n…never woken up from that stupid
curse.”  I’m a messy crier- I forget to breathe.

Ryuu was still
holding my hand, and he squeezed it, hard.  “Don’t say that.”

I sighed. 
“Sorry.  But look at me- I’m a mess.”  I stopped.  His appearance had been
pretty convienient.  “Did… did you follow us?”  I nearly choked on my
embarrassment.  “Did you see
everything
?”

He kept his dark
eyes focused ahead, not looking at me.  “Yep.”

I moaned,
mortified.  “I can’t do anything right.  Why can’t I just be like all the other
girls at school?”

He turned and
gifted me with a beautiful smile.  “You are a million times better than those
other girls.”

I snorted. 
“Ha.”

He pulled me
along and I followed.  “Where are we going?”

Ryuu gave me a
mischievous look.  “I’m going to show you what you did wrong.”

I rolled my
eyes.  “Breathe?”

He snickered. 
“Look, there’s a late showing of that movie you wanted to see- the one with the
mutant zombie werewolves.  You buy my ticket, and I’ll buy a tub of popcorn and
some milk duds.”

He turned to
face me.  “We’ll watch wolf-men eat people while we eat popcorn ‘til we feel
sick.  I promise you’ll forget all about what’s-his-face.”

I grinned at
him.  “Whoppers,” I corrected.  “And put them in the popcorn while it’s still
hot.”

He nodded. 
“Sure thing.”  He put his arm around my shoulders as we walked.  It felt
natural, not like an invading force.  “And we won’t even call it a date this
time,” he promised. 

I elbowed him in
the ribs.  “Just don’t even say that word again.”  I pretended to gag.  But I
hadn’t missed the fact that he’d said
this time.
  Maybe my dad was right
and I was the only one who considered this a friendship.  No.  That wasn’t
right.  He was just being nice to me because I was so pathetic.

Ryuu ruffled my
hair, the light from the streetlamps making his dark eyes look golden.  “You
don’t have to be in a hurry, you know,” he said softly.  “You can’t expect to
just grow up overnight.  It takes time.”

I punched him
lightly in the stomach.  “This coming from someone who’s three years
younger
than me.”

He shrugged.  “I
know how you feel.  If I could be older, I would.  In a heartbeat.”