Chapter 12-The Taste of Friendship (Game of The Heart)

Chapter 12: The Taste of Friendship
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There we were, standing out in the dead of night like two lost souls. After Leo signaled for me to sit with him, he readily peeled his green hoodie from his thin form and set it over the concrete, a small cloud of dust lifting around it.

"What are you doing?" I questioned, staring at the limp clothing spread out at my feet.

"Please sit on this."

"What? No, it's fine! Why did you do that? You're going to be cold now," I scolded as I ran my eyes over the narrow, frail frame that was loosely veiled by a baggy gray tee. Leo was all lean muscle and bone, appearing like he'd snap with the touch of my fingers against his skin, and yet here he was, putting down his jacket in the frigid cold just so I wouldn't hurt my Bottom sitting down. I insisted he take it back, but he was just too obdurate on the issue.

"Just relax. I'm fine," he whispered with a slight smile. "Please. I'd feel bad if you stayed out here with me and I didn't even do this for you."

"But Leo…"
I would've argued more, but the boy had powers I just couldn't beat. What did he do? He simply stared at me with those wide, pleading honey eyes that threatened to well up with tears if I didn't sit. Could he just do that on a whim, or was he seriously that sensitive? Either way, it broke down my determination and I took a seat on his jacket, which still felt warm from Leo's body heat.

"Thank you," he said while quietly seating himself beside me.

For a long while, there was utter silence between us, only the thick roars of the wind occasionally breaking in. I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged them tight, shivering against the breezes as goose bumps pricked my skin like thorns. Leo looked on at me, worried but realizing he couldn't do anything more. He was down to a tee and sweat pants; he'd be silly to give me another article of clothing. Instead, I pulled his jacket out from under me and smoothly wrapped it around my bare legs.

"Better?" I asked as I flattened my hands against themselves and rubbed to create a bit of warmth from friction.

"Yes…" he whispered, smiling, while I dipped my head and locked our eyes.

"Why have you been smiling so much? You're usually so nervous all the time."

"Ah…" He lowered his head, smile retreating and face gradually turning pink.

"N-No, no! I didn't mean for you to stop smiling! I was just curious why!"
I whimpered. I felt like I broke him.

"It's… nothing. Don't worry about it," he assured me as he lifted his eyes longingly towards the stars, almost like he wanted to be up there rather than down here.

"Do you… like the stars?" I pried carefully.

"Hm? Ah… Yes. I do." He continued to stare up absently at the dimmed sky. I followed his gaze and ended up watching as well. The stars twinkled incessantly, burning their life source away to provide us with such unsurpassed beauty.

Suddenly, it hit me. I remembered an old story, though only vaguely. Someone—I don't know who—told me once that each star is a person who has passed on, and they are put up there to continue watching over us. I glanced down at Leo, who was still baring his soul to the stars through that intensity in his honey eyes. I had to ask.

"Is there… someone up there you know?"

"Someone up there?" He dipped his head at me and a look of melancholy swept his features. "Yes, there is."
My heart sank for him. "C-Can I ask… who?"

"It was… my mother." He lowered his gaze defensively.

"O-Oh… I'm sorry."

"It's okay. She must be happier up there."
He forced another smile, and my heart practically shattered. Did this boy think that little of himself? Did he really believe that his own mother would be happier up there alone than down here with him? Or was it simply a hopeful wish that she'd find happiness even after passing? I wanted to ask, but I couldn't find the courage to say the words. I didn't want to be the one to pour salt on the wound or tear open the scar after it was suppressed for so long.

"Are… you okay?" I asked instead.

"Yeah. She…" He gnawed at his lip, nearly slicing the flesh and drawing blood until I frantically spoke up.

"Stop that! You're going to get hurt!"

"H-Huh? Oh, right…" He lifted his sharp teeth from his lower lip and brushed the imprinted bite mark with his thumb.

"Do you want to talk about it, Leo?"

"No, no… I don't want to be a burden."

"You're not a burden. I'd actually like to hear about it, if you don't mind."
He fetched out a small pocket watch, flipped up the intricate cover, and peeked at the time.

"It's a bit late, though. Aren't you tired?"

"Oh? What time is it?"

"Nearing one," he said warily.

"Oh… Well, are you tired?"

"No… I stay out here much longer with her. I just want to know if you're okay." He blew a gentle sigh that took form as a cool, wispy white mist in the air.

"Of course. Tell me about her," I whispered with a small smile that urged him to speak.

"Well…" His eyes swirled with happiness as he watched the stars and began regaling to me a description of his mother.

"She was beautiful. She had the same gold eyes and long silver hair I do, and she had the white ears, but… She was just so much prettier. Her skin was softer than anything I'd ever felt and she just had that way of lighting up a room when she smiled… She was always happy. It was like she just couldn't frown, even when she…" Suddenly, his voice cracked sharply and he lowered his head and his honey eyes, brimmed with tears. I was dangerously close to tears myself, but I forced a smile, even though I felt myself choking up with pity for him.

"I would've loved to meet her," I whispered as gently as I could. And then, I saw two teardrops splatter onto the pavement like rain.

"Y-Yes…"
For a while, we just sat in silence, calming ourselves. His tears faded quickly, and mine dripped back behind my lids. The two of us simply waited in each other's company, and for a bit, I felt good. I felt like I'd finally connected with someone in this place—not just a little chit-chat here and there, but real, solid communication. And who would've thought that Leo, who was so shy and fragile, would open up to me?

Maybe… I was making more of a difference here than I thought.
"Leo?"
"Yes?"

"Thank you for talking to me like this," I told him, genuinely smiling. I also genuinely enjoyed how he squirmed and flushed red at the sight of me.

"W-Why would you thank me for something like this?"

"Because it was really nice."
He nervously tilted his chin to his chest and flit his eyes over the pocket watch still held firmly in his grasp. He seemed startled by the time.

"What? What time is it?"

"It's past one. We need to have enough rest for tomorrow."

"Oh… Okay then. Let's go."
I rose to my feet, and grasping his jacket tight in my fingers, draped it over his shoulders as he stood. I smoothed it out against his small chest and arms, and he shied away at the contact.

"T-Thank you," he mumbled, just as reticently as he did before.

"Of course." I began making my way towards the front door until Leo's soft voice called out to me again through the still night.

"Alice? I… I come out here every night to look at the stars… So if you ever want to talk to me again... we can…"
I grinned, watching him anxiously shuffle his feet against the cobblestones.

"Definitely."
And with that, I swiveled in position and marched back upstairs, feeling so giddy I didn't know if I could fall back asleep. It was amazing.

I was making friends.
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The next morning, I finally awoke in peace. No yelling, no shoving me off the bed, no creepy people watching over me… It was nice. I glanced over at the time, and it was just about four. It felt like I took a nap as opposed to really sleeping, but for some odd reason, I was really refreshed. I probably slept for a long time after I collapsed yesterday.

Oh… Right. I finally remembered the severity of that incident—the blood, the exposed flesh, the heart that was torn from its rightful spot… It horrified me to the point I fainted, and it still horrified me even now. I closed my eyes and sighed, shaking my head and suppressing the tears that nearly flooded my eyes again. I couldn't handle this. I had to tell the Queen I couldn't do it anymore. But…

I touched my hair, which was sticking to my face in ragged strands and clinging greasily to my back. Maybe I would shower first. And in the meantime, I would push the scene out of my mind. If I just set it aside and buried it, I would be okay. I wouldn't collapse again. My only goal right now was to shower.

So, for once, I bolted up from bed rather than dragging myself out of it and rushed out into the hall, searching for Eri's room. I didn't know where the bathroom was, so I figured I'd just use hers again.

"Which one… was it?"
My eyes flit over the three consecutive bedroom doors, and I whimpered. Each finished wooden door was exactly the same, without even a name carved into it, or a little flower in the corner to show me it was Eri's. I was too tired yesterday to pay attention to where I was going, and now, I had no idea which one was hers. I knew it was on this side, but that's all I had. Damn my short attention span! Should I just knock on each door?

Before I even weighed the consequences, my fist was pounding on the middle door. I held my breath and simply prayed it was the right one.

For a while, there was no answer. In fact, there was dead silence in the room, and I wondered if maybe Eri was in the shower already. She's such a bright bubble of energy that she was probably up and ready to go. Should I peek in? I could check to see if it was the right room, and if not, slide out before anyone noticed.
Okay… Let's do this.

I took a deep breath.

One… Two… Three!

My hand reached for the knob and just started to turn it, but I stopped myself from going any further. Jeez, what was I so nervous about? It's like I knew on the other side of the door was some awful, terrifying thing.

But that was ridiculous.

Okay, one more time.

One… Two… Three!

My hand finally spun the doorknob round, and the door clicked open. I cautiously pushed the frame open and peeked through to…

"grin-Dammit!" I screamed as I slammed the door behind me and leaned against it, cheeks heating pathetically. "Huge, huge, huge mistake!"

I stood corrected. There was an awful, terrifying thing behind that door. I inwardly continued cursing myself, mangling my hands through my hair and slapping myself across the face.

"Why the hell did I do that? Why would I—Ah!"
Suddenly, the door swung in from behind me, and I instantly fell flat onto my back, my head landing just between a pair of bare feet partly obscured by crisp, black fabric. I squeezed my eyes shut to avoid the sight from before that had scarred me, but then the voice echoed even louder through my ears.

"Oi, what the hell are you doing?"

"N-Nothing…" I mumbled as I slapped my hands over my eyes.

"Then is there some reason you needed to show up at my door this early in the morning?"

"I-I'm sorry…"

"You just had to peek at me?"

"N-No!" I screeched, whipping my hands down to my hips and glaring up at him.

Yes, him. The only person in this place who used the word "Oi"—Cane. And then, remembering why I had my hands over my eyes in the first place, I replaced them.

"Then why would you barge into my room when I'm changing?"

"grin-Don't say that! I-I didn't mean to!" I yelled with cheeks heated. "And I didn't barge! I knocked and I got no answer!"

"So that gives you the permission to come in?" he asked as he repeatedly tapped my cheek with the edge of his foot.

"Y-You… Get your silly foot off me!"

I smacked his foot away and quickly brought myself to a standing position, eyes still clenched to avoid his half-Unclad appearance and fingers nervously fisted into my shorts.

"Why are your eyes closed? It's rude to not look at someone while they're talking to you, you know."

"B-But you…"

"What? Just because I don't have a shirt? Grow up, would you?"

"A-Aren't you embarrassed?" I snapped as I shot my head away, hair flowing and whipping against my back.

"What do I have to be embarrassed about?"
I rolled my eyes behind their protective covers. "You're that conceited…"

"I'm not conceited."
I scoffed. Was he kidding? He's been condescending since day one!

"But you—"

"Grow. Up. It's not a big deal."

Sighing, I slowly lifted my left lid and took a peek at his chest. His muscles glistened with small droplets of water still resting on his skin—likely from a shower—as he curled his hands around his broad shoulders. After a moment, when my eyes accustomed to the sight, I lifted both lids and relaxed my hands against my hips.

I didn't like him.

I couldn't stand him.
But I had to admit, he had a beautiful body.

Gorgeous planes of defined muscles lined his chest and arms—not too large, not too small. His milky skin was tanned by the sun and made him the faintest shade of bronze. He had an entirely different body type compared to poor, pallor Leo.

He was wider, bigger, but while I despised myself for thinking this way, he was remarkable. If he had this body and a nicer personality, he'd be perfect.

But of course, what's underneath always outweighs the superficial, so he's still disgusting in my eyes.

"Hey, my eyes are up here," he said as he motioned my head upward.

"I-I wasn't staring," I argued, bringing my eyes up to meet his. "They were just there."

"Yeah, and when a guy says that to a girl, she smacks him."
I studied the seriousness in his eyes and burst out into a small fit of giggles. He was right, and he seemed so deadpan

when he said it. Even through my laughter, I saw a smile rise up out of him. After a few more moments, I slowed myself and looked up at him, both of us still smiling.

Realizing that, I defensively wiped my smile away and crossed my arms over my chest. "W-Why are you smiling so much?"

"Because no one ever laughs at my jokes," he stated plainly, his smile easing from his face.

"That's because you're such a—"

"'If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.' Haven't you ever heard that phrase?"

I grumbled and sealed my lips. I wasn't going to say something nice, so…

"That's what I thought. So, what did you come here for?" he questioned calmly.
"I was actually looking for Eri's room… I needed her shower."

"Eri sleeps like a pig."

"Huh?" I asked, eyes widening in surprise. "Where'd that come from?"

"She sleeps so much it should be a sin. I guarantee she's still in bed."

"But she was just up at four in the morning yesterday, running around like a maniac..."

"Yeah, for that little bit because it was your first day. Once you left, I'm sure she fell dead asleep, and she probably won't want to get up like that again."

"Okay, but what does all this have to do with what I was asking?"

"She's still in bed. Did you not get that?" he explained somewhat tiredly.

"So..?"

"Eri's fast asleep, and she's too paranoid to leave her door unlocked for you to get in."

"Paranoid?"

"She thinks ghosts are going to come in and kidnap her or something, I don't know. Point is you won't get in there."

"So, what the hell should I do?" I sighed heavily, tousling my hair. "Is there like, a hallway bathroom or something?"

"No. None of us need that since we have our own bathrooms."

"So where do I go shower in the morning?" I shouted, listening to my voice reverberate back to me in the hallway walls.

"Would you shut up? You're so damn loud. You can use my shower if you need to."

"N-No!" I squealed, my heart racing at the thought.

"Fine, suit yourself. Go ahead and be dirty. It's…" He glanced back at a large, rustic wall clock and then back at me.

"Not even five yet. No one else gets up this early on their day off. Have fun sitting in your own filth for the next six hours."
I ran my hands through the sticky strands of hair on my face and groaned.

"Fine. I'll use your shower. But don't get anywhere near me, got it?"

"Why would I want to? Don't worry, I don't plan on it."
I quietly tiptoed into his bedroom, and the door clicked shut behind us.