Kiss me, kill me

Chapter 2

The Depressed Kids buried their heads in their knees, hoping to drown out a bit of the racket that filled the cafeteria. And they waited impatiently for the bell to ring.

But their brooding was interrupted by the soft touch of a small hand patting their backs.

Who dared to interrupt their self-loathing?

They raised their heads slowly. Kuki Sanban? What did she want? Had she come to make fun of how far they'd fallen? Go ahead. Laugh all you want. We don't have the strength to fight back anymore. But she didn't laugh. She didn't humiliate them. She didn't even admonish them for letting themselves become so pitiful. All she did was hold out a hand gently, with a warm smile on her face.

What's this...a warm ray of hope...a hand of salvation sent to redeem us? What a joke...don't make us laugh. But even though they tried to hold themselves back, they could not resist the warm feeling that overcame their senses at that very moment.

And before they knew it they were grabbing tightly onto that small hand offered down to them.

"Would you like to sit with me?" Kuki asked, holding her hand out softly.

"Sure...why not..." they didn't have anything better to do. And they roughly grabbed onto her hand as she led them away to her table.

When her friends saw who Kuki had invited to sit at their table, they grunted in disgust.

"Why'd ya have to invite them to our table, Numbuh 3?" That brute Wallabee Beatles whined in annoyance.

"What? They're not that bad," Kuki responded in their defense.

"Not that bad? Girl, I don't what you're thinking, but Numbuh 5 ain't sitting at the same table as those Delightful dorks," Abigail Lincoln got up from her seat and promptly exited the cafeteria.

"Oi, wait for me!" Wally called after her.

"Uhhhh...," that Hoagie Gilligan kid tried to come up with a polite excuse to leave, "I'm just gonna..um...water the old crops...if you know what I mean!"

"Ugh..." Nigel Uno groaned and placed a hand over his face, "Let's go, Numbuh 2."

And he dragged his friend away with him.

"Sorry, guys..." Kuki responded apologetically for her friends' behavior.

"Ehhh...no biggie." They had been arch nemeses, after all. There was no reason for the kids next door operatives to welcome them into their group just because they weren't popular anymore.

Kuki was surprised at the way they talked. They usually spoke in big fancy words and had a lot to say. But right now they just seemed to dress and act like any other kids. It was a bit jarring. But nothing to get upset over.

Either way, the Delightful Children looked down and Kuki felt like it was her job to cheer them up. If anyone was good at cheering people up, it was her.

They had been acting strange for a while, actually. Over the course of only a few weeks, they had changed from prim, proper, proud, and powerful, to normal, uninterested, downtrodden, and underachieving. All their popularity, that big reputation they had hanging over their foreheads for such a long time, came spiraling downwards until it was as if they were never a big deal in the first place. They didn't feel up to making other kids miserable anymore and that seemed to be their favorite pastime.

Kuki could tell that something was wrong and she wanted to help them. But first she had to get them to trust her. Make them understand that she meant the words she said and she was determined to not back down until she was able to make them happy.

They were becoming less and less like themselves-less delightful, day by day.

"What's wrong with you guys, lately? Did something happen?"

"Not much. We've just...grown up a bit, that's all."

No longer did they desire the things they once strove to achieve. No longer did they care.

Their new style was a bit different, though it wasn't bad.

"I love what you've done with your hair!" Kuki tried steering the convo in a different direction since they didn't seem to want to talk about it.

They didn't "do" much with it, but they knew she was trying to be nice so they thanked her for the compliment.

They talked for a while about trivial things like their interests and other such things.

Even if they hadn't realized it, they had already changed a lot from the evil children they were once known to be.

They didn't know why Kuki was being nice to them, but they felt too weak to say no to her kindness.

Over the next month or so they talked a lot and got to know each other more. The "Depressed Kids" didn't think they were very interesting company, but every time Kuki smiled gently at them, they felt a warm feeling rise inside their hearts. She was so kind and accepting with them. And she was patient in getting to know them despite the fact that they hadn't opened up much. She was kind, cute, funny...all the things they could never hope to be.

They shrank back in fear, at the realization. They shouldn't have tried to get close to her...now they'd only drag her down with them. She was so pure. And they were scared. Terrified...of corrupting her...

"We have to go..."

"Where? The bathroom?"

"No..."

They couldn't take it. They couldn't stand the thought of tainting her and her innocence.

She was too good to be hanging around criminals like them...so why did the thought of losing her sting so badly?

They ran into a unisex bathroom and started vomiting uncontrollably.

It made them sick. The thought of hurting the one person that had showed them kindness...love...

Love? Was that really how they felt about her? They didn't know...but they did know that they did not want to hurt her at any cost.

They stayed in the bathroom for 15 minutes, before regaining their composure and returning to class.

After school they saw Kuki waiting outside. They avoided her and tried to speedwalk away.

"Hey, wait up!" she called after them.

Gosh darn it, they just weren't quick enough.

"What happened at lunch today?"

How were they going to face her? They couldn't tell her the truth...

"Guys?" she tried to approach them, but without warning they collapsed onto the ground in a sobbing mess.

"Ashley, Constance, Bruce, David, Lenny..."

They sniffled and looked up at her.

"I don't know what's going on, but I'm here," she pulled them into a tight hug.

They only cried harder. Darn her...They tried to resist, but they couldn't hold themselves back from returning the warm embrace. Why did she have to make them feel this way...