I Love You... Right?

Chapter 2: They're Just Pets, Right?

"Dude, you totally like Shika, don't you?"

"What?! Taiyo, do you even know me?!"

After the first day, the two boys decided to chill in Emiko's room. Well, it was more Taiyo's decision. He texted Emiko he was at his front door with no warning. Emiko half expected it, though. He even told his mom in advance.

"C'mon, it's obvious!" Taiyo leans forward, sitting on his self-proclaimed beanbag throne. "Girls are only mean to people they like, and since you're sooo desperate for a bitch, you'll take what you can get! And that whole talk about love?! You need to open your eyes, man." He smirks mischievously.

Emiko stares at Taiyo blankly. "And I should listen to your advice, why? You had, like, 20 crushes back at Stonewall, and none of them got anywhere."

"Sometimes the single friend gives the best advice." Taiyo straightens his face, then cracks a smile.

Emiko smiles back. "Then you should listen to your own advice. If her aggression toward me shows that she likes me, then she must be absolutely into you. Bitch looks like she would kill you if she had the chance."

"He-..." Taiyo stops himself, leaning back in the beanbag. "Y'know... maybe you're right. And she ain't half bad lookin', either..."

"Stop fantasizing, weirdo," Emiko states, throwing a pillow at his face.

Taiyo catches it. "Hey, be careful throwing things, dude. You remember what happened last time." He throws it back softly.

"You wanna know who I am crushing on, though?" Emiko smirks, leaning forward on the bed he sat on, holding the pillow in his clutches.

Taiyo's jaw drops as he scoots closer. "Spill the beans."

"Remember that Homare girl that approached me at the gym?" Emiko blushes. Wow, even saying her name gets me all giddy on the inside.

"Wait, that girl? The one you saw with her tits hangin' out?" Taiyo's eyes widen.

Of course, that's how he remembers her. "Uh-huh." Emiko nods. "She gave me her number!"

"DUDE!" Taiyo jumps up and hugs Emiko. "THIS IS A MOMENT IN HISTORY! Emiko talking to a girl? AND SHE LIKES HIM BACK?!"

Emiko shushes him with a big smile. "My mom's still home!"

Taiyo flops back into the beanbag. "Right, right, my bad. Well, what are you gonna do with her number? I say you should send her some shirtless pics!" He says with a whisper.

"No, dude! That's too much too soon! She told me to call her on Friday so we could find a place to study." Emiko tosses the pillow toward Taiyo.

"Uh-huh. Yeah. Study." Taiyo winks after catching the pillow..

Emiko tilts his head and squints his eyes slightly. "Y-... Yeah. Study. I don't expect anything more."

"Well, as a bro, you should. Just don't lose your virginity! That's mine!" Taiyo laughs, and Emiko joins. Their laughter calms down, and Taiyo speaks up again. "Dude, can you believe it?! We're actually talking to women! And they're our friends now!"

Emiko leans back with a smirk. "Told ya the second we switched schools, girls would be all over us. That hallway incident gave us a bad rep."

"Hey! That was the only reason anyone knew our names; you should've been thankful." Taiyo hugs the pillow defensively.

"Whatever," Emiko rolls his eyes. "I was still shocked, though. I hope you caught the looks I gave you throughout the day."

"Of course I did, bro. I was just as surprised as you." Taiyo raises his eyebrows.

The two sit in silence as they both reminisce about their school day. Mainly the amount of women they got to interact with. The door creaks open, and a tiny brown dog waltzes in. She jumps onto the bed and into Emiko's lap.

"So, how did you do today?" Taiyo breaks the silence, calming his tone. "Not the greatest start with your faint."

Emiko exhales softly. "Could've been better, but I like Stark Shark so far. It sucks transferring schools, but my mom said if I want the best for me, Stark Shark was just the smarter choice. Stonewall just didn't have what I needed."

"Well," Taiyo sighs, "I'm glad I decided to transfer with you, even if I miss Stonewall. Not sure what you would've done if I wasn't there."

"I don't even wanna think about that." Emiko smirks, petting Mocha. "I'm glad you came with, Taiyo. You really didn't have to."

"Uh, of course I did? I'm not just gonna leave my best friend all alone in a nightmare!" Taiyo throws the pillow back.

Emiko grasps the edge of the pillow in his hands, almost missing the catch. "But you had no good reason to leave- Stark Shark just offered me higher-level classes and more opportunities. You miss Stonewall, and I know it."

"Being with my best friend was all the reason I needed," Taiyo says sternly. He pauses and looks Emiko in the eyes, to which Emiko returns his gaze. Emiko's heart warms as he recognizes Taiyo's intentionality.

"Thank you, dude. I'd so be gay for you if I was." Emiko smiles.

Taiyo bursts into laughter, then jumps out of his beanbag and waddles to Emiko with a kissy face. "COME HERE THEN, MWAH-MWAH-MWAH-" He extends his arms out and grabs for Emiko.

Emiko laughs as his dog, Mocha, darts from his lap. He curls up into a ball, "NOOO! NOOO! I DON'T LIKE IT!"

Taiyo jumps on him, pushing the two of them into the bed. "YOU GON' GET KISSED, AND YOU GON' LIKE IT, BOY!" He screams in a Southern accent. They both burst into a laughing fit until tears come from their eyes. Suddenly, the door bursts open.

"Taiyo-! Stop causing a ruckus! This is my one day off work!" Emiko's mom raises her voice to be heard over the laughter.

Taiyo raises his head and locks eyes with his mother. He jumps off Emiko and zooms past her, standing in the doorway, leaving Emiko's room, still laughing. "Sorry, Emiko's mom! And see ya tomorrow, Emiko!" His voice is shut out as he closes the front door of Emiko's house behind him. Emiko's mom looks at Emiko with a disappointed face, sighs, and then walks away, closing the door behind her. Emiko is still calming down from the laughter.

What a weirdo. He chuckles. He sighs, lying down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. I hope he actually likes it at Stark Shark, though. I don't see it ending well if he's just doing it for me...

Character description time!!! (trademark'd):

Emiko's Mom: 5'5, long, straight brown hair. Tall and skinny. Dark brown eyes, wears jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. 40 years old.