StarLit / Yaoi

StarLit / Chapter 16

I glared at Drew as he threw me the egg shaped, leather ball. For the past week he'd been making a big deal about this sport that a lot of Americans were obsessed with and managed to con me into playing in the park. This game was annoying and it seemed like the only goal was to wrestle your opponent to the ground and steal away the ball. Not that I cared much for baseball either, but this American football was causing me all sorts of problems.

To start with, Drew was talking all my time from Yuki. Second, I was loading sleep over his snoring. Ayase refused to let me sleep in the living room and my sisters a selfish jerk who won't let me sleep in her room. I threw the ball rather hard at Drew and he dodged quickly.

"Hey!" He shouted. "That could have taken my head off!"

I shrugged lazily. "Isn't that the point of the game?" I intended for him to hear me but I couldn't get my voice loud enough for him to hear me.

He tossed it back to me, harder, and it smacked me in the face and cause it was too much work to dodge. "Idiot!" Ayase called. "You should have ducked!"

"Shut up!" I hissed at her. "I don't like this game"

"Geez are you lazy!"

Kioko was sitting beside her laying in the sun in her shorts and a tank top. The weather had recently taken a turn for the better and the sun was baking. Most people would consider this good, but I just find it annoying. When the weather gets warm I sweat and when I sweat its uncomfortable.

"It's hot" Drew finally complained and collapsed. I actually agreed with him, as painful as that was to admit, but it was baking. "Ayase!" He ran over to them suddenly with a lot of energy. "Let's go to the beach"

"The beach?" Suddenly Kioko shot up and grabbed her bag. "Let's go!"

"Kioko, we're not going to the beach"

"Why not? It's a million degrees and a few weeks to summer vacation. Let's go and enjoy ourselves before exams!"

I agreed. Maybe I could just sit in the water and take in the breeze. Yuki was also in agreement, seeing as he was laying there dying like the rest of us. The only one who seemed to be enjoying the park was Ayase. But after a few arguments the kids won and Ayase drove us back to the apartment to grab some swim suits.

I grabbed my trunks and quickly changed before walking over to the guest room. "Ready?"

Yuki jumped at my voice and turned. "I... Don't have a swim suit" he admitted.

"What? Why would you want to go and then say you don't have a suit?"

"I wasn't thinking about it!"

Ever since the events with his uncle had ended and his classmates left him alone, most likely because of me, he was reverting back to his original personality. It was a little shocking to hear his sudden bursts of rage, but eventually it became second nature for him. It reminded me of the first time we met and that screaming into the sun. He ranted for a long while, if I remember correctly. But I liked his new personality. It made him, him. Not just a damsel in distress, like he had been for a while.

"Just wear some shorts" I suggested. "No one will notice"

"I'll notice!"

"You can borrow one of mine" Drew's voice made me seething with anger. What the hell was he doing just listening in on conversations?

Yuki smiled. "Thanks"

I watched Drew hand him over a swimsuit, my blood boiling. If Yuki were just a little bigger he could wear something of mine.

Damn these two for being tiny! Seriously, I thought Americans were supposed to be larger than him. Or is Drew the exception?

We finally reached the beach, already the day was turning bad as those two talked and joked. I had to keep sighing before I could scream at them. Kioko had the front and was grinning at me the entire time through the rear view mirror.

Once we got out of the car, which was honestly hotter than the outside, we found a spot next to some rocks away from people. Ayase's more of an introvert and doesn't like people, as ironic as that is. Kioko immediately laid down under the sun in her bikini. Drew and Yuki went straight for the water while I stood beside Ayase as she set up an umbrella.

"Not going to the water?" Ayase asked. "Scared of the water?"

I averted my eyes from her bizarre expression. "You know I'm not"

"Then why not enjoy yourself? It's been a rough year, you know, with all that effort you've had to pull though"

"Which is why I'm just going to lag here" I said, taking a seat under the umbrella beside her. I looked bitterly at Drew who was splashing sea water in the distance. "How long his he staying here?"

"Who? Drew?" She hummed as she thought. "For the rest of high school, if I'm not mistaken"

"WHAT!?" I snapped my head to the side to glare at her. My sudden outburst had her jump and place a hand to her heart to calm down. "That long? He'll be here the whole summer and the rest of next year!"

"Yes and stop shouting. Your gathering a lot of attention"

"And your just fine with that?"

"Well I think I should probably move into a house. It may be a four room apartment but those rooms are like closets and I want a yard of my own"

"Why are you letting some American live with us?"

"He's an exchange student, Misato"

"No exchange student stays this long!"

"He's got a whole year and another to spend in Japan. He's fluent in Japanese, he just wants to be apart of the culture. He's a nice boy why don't you get along with him?"

"I share a room with him! He's like a little kid. The lights need to be on, he snores, he can't sleep on the floor because he's afraid of carpet beetles. What even are carpet beetles?"

"They're like bed bugs, I think"

"You don't have to answer! I don't like Drew. It's small in there with this many people"

"That's why I'm getting a new place" she sighed. "And you know, you really don't have a right to complain. It's my house, I pay the bills"

"But I live there! Don't I get any say?"

"Then move out!" Suddenly, I was speechless. "I'm tired of arguing with you. He's here and that's that. There is nothing either one of us can do about so just let it go"

I stared at her for a while. The only sound was of the crowd running in and out of the water and the slight discomfort emanating from Kioko. Finally I just had to say something. I put my head down and asked her something I've always wanted to know. "Why are Kioko and I living with you?"

She flinched slightly, but didn't look up at me. "Because they asked me too"

"But why did you just agree to take care of us? I've always wanted to know. What's the point in raising two kids who aren't your own? And why were our parents never around? You've never told us any of this. I want to know"

"Right now?" She asked, suddenly calm and collected again. She sounded defeated. "It's a nice day. Let's not ruin it"

"The days already been ruined. Why are you taking care of us like a mother should?"

She hesitated answering me, but eventually gave me all the answers the biggest mystery of my life. And it started with a miscarriage.