By Richan
It was a cold snowy day in April. A young man of about 15 years was staring out the window of a coffee shop, sipping a large insolated cup of coffee. As he turned to walk to a table his three foot long chestnut brown braid twirled around him gracefully. He approached a corner as black as his clothes as it was an unlit area in the cheap café. The cashier stood behind the counter of the coffee shop counting up his tips. “It’s almost closing time, Mr. Maxwell,” he said.
“Call me Duo,” the brown braided boy said coldly from the dark corner in which he sat. “And I ain’t goin’ out there till I’m finished.”
“I wasn’t pushing you out,” the cashier said, “I was just informing you.”
“Whatever…” Duo mumbled as he continued to sip his drink. “I have to get back to my room soon before my psycho-roomy locks the doors. I didn’t bring any key anyway,” he said as he rose to his feet and walked out with his drink still unfinished in his hand. He sipped it as he walked.
The snow was thick in the air and Duo couldn’t see very far before him. It was too late when the hot brown liquid burned through his thin jacket sleeve and scorched his flesh. He winced and dropped the cup as he fell back, not entirely all the way, for he stopped himself with his hand by twisting it back and touching the ground.
“I’m so sorry sir, are you all right?” a voice asked from above him. Duo grunted and looked up at the hand coming down and grabbing his arm to lift him up. He stood with the boy’s help and looked at the face of his ‘attacker’. “Sorry sir, didn’t see you there,” the boy said. It was a boy from his class, one whom he paid little attention to except to know that said boy always had to make some pacifist comment when the subject of war was brought up in history and government classes.
“No problem mister uhhhh….” Duo’s voice trailed off.
The blonde boy smiled. “Quatre…Quatre R. Winner.”
“Right…” Duo said, grinning. “I couldn’t see either so don’t worry about it.”
Quatre scooped down to pick up Duo’s cup. He handed it to the braided boy who tossed it into a trash can.
“What’re you doing out here so late, Quatre?” Duo asked.
Quatre sighed. “I was visiting my one of my sisters for her birthday. She waited until an hour ago to open gifts. I still have to stop by the store to pick up some soup for my roommate. This constant weather changing from cold to warm has caused him to fall ill.”
Duo tried to keep up with the proper English the boy used and managed to do so pretty well. “Oh, you room with Trowa? Hope he’s all right.”
“Trowa will be all fine,” Quatre said, a little nervous as he spoke so properly to his classmate. If only he knew Duo a little bit better he might have felt comfortable enough to speak more informally. He smiled. “Catherine had made him some soup already but she had to leave town to rejoin her circus troop. Her vacation was over today.”
Duo nodded after Quatre had spoke but didn’t respond. “I’ve got to go, my psycho-roommate’s gonna lock me out if I don’t hurry.” Duo said. Quatre didn’t have time to respond before Duo ran away.
Duo had a feeling that he had been locked out for good after about an hour of waiting outside the door and wishing he had brought his key. Then suddenly his hero came, Quatre, carrying a brown paper bag. Duo jumped to his feet “Hey buddy!” he said.
Quatre gave him a confused stare at being called “buddy”. “Yes?” he asked.
Duo held open his arms as though in defeat “He locked me out again. I usually sneak into the girls' dorm and room with Hilde but they caught me last time and they’re guarding the place.”
Quatre blinked. “Huh? Hilde?”
“Yea…” Duo said. “I sleep on the floor beside her mini refrigerator. Sometimes she finds some food to be missing the next day. She rooms with Relena, the girl Heero can’t stand.”
“You can stay with us, me and Trowa,” Quatre said, smiling. “I wouldn’t deny a classmate a room. Besides, it would be embarrassing to be found lying in the hall,” he said.
Duo laughed. “True.” He followed Quatre to his room, suddenly remembering that Trowa was sick. “Is he past contagious?” he asked.
Quatre grinned and said, “I haven’t fallen ill.”
Duo took that as a ‘yes’ or an ‘it wasn’t contagious’ anyway and flopped down on the floor. Quatre pulled an extra blanket out from under his bed and handed it to Duo.
“Here…Spring break starts tomorrow, by the way. We need to be out of the dorm by 6:00.” Quatre said. Duo grinned nervously. “Heero will be gone by at least 11:00 a.m.”
“I’ll be sure to wake you early then,” Quatre said.
Duo nodded and when all was silent and Quatre had crawled into bed, he managed to fall asleep.
Duo’s eyes opened and he sat up. “Wha-*yawn* time is it?” he asked drowsily. He saw the clock as he turned his head to crack his neck, then fell back onto the floor. “Not THAT early!” he gasped, but eventually got onto his knees and then his feet. “Heero’s up by now…” he said. “I’d better go get packin’. Thanks buddy.” he said to Quatre.
“You’re welcome,” Quatre responded.
Duo had his clothes on when he slept, even his shoes, so all he had to do was walk out into the hall and towards his room. He knocked on the door when it didn’t open again. “Open up!” Duo demanded. This time the door did open. Heero stood in the doorway with nothing on but black spandex shorts and white socks. He had a towel draped over one of his shoulders and a toothbrush in one hand, foamy with strong mint scented toothpaste. Duo didn’t bother with any smart remark which he would usually come up with at that point, he just pushed past Heero and began to throw his things into a black backpack.
Duo didn’t own very many items. He left his school uniform in its drawer in a small brown dresser he and Heero shared. He had the first two drawers and Heero had the last two. He put into the small front pocket of his bag his toothbrush, hairbrush, hair ties, and chocolate flavored toothpaste. In one of the two large pockets of his bag Duo put his boxer shorts and socks, all three pairs of each, an undershirt, two black t-shirts and one black sweat shirt, and a couple pairs of dark colored jeans and a notebook and two pens for his spring break homework. He had to write a short story for English about his vacation before it ended. In the next pocket he placed a few random items such as some candy, money that wasn’t in his wallet which was in his pocket, his dorm key, a yearbook, and a Duobat keychain and a Relena plush doll that made Heero want to kill Duo every time he teased him with it, the whole reason why Duo had ordered the doll in the first place.
Heero had pulled on a pair of blue jeans and was sitting on the bed, running his fingers through his messy brown hair as Duo finished packing. “So where you going this year?” Heero asked.
Duo grinned at him “It’s a secret, Heero.” he said.
Heero sighed. He knew Duo didn’t have anyplace to go unless he had managed to save enough money from his job at Burger King, which he recently was fired from for super gluing a spatula to the grill.
“I’m going on a mission...” Heero said. “History homework…gotta spend a week with the Amish folk,” Heero said.
Duo laughed. “Have fun with that,” he said as he shouldered his bag and set out into the great unknown that was called “Spring Break.”
Duo walked down the busy streets of the city. He really didn’t have anywhere to go. What little money he had would probably buy him five good meals and two nights at a cheap motel, maybe a few more meals if he slept outside. He thought he should just go camping, that might have been fun. He decided instead to rent a motel room for the night.
The room was covered in a thick layer of dust. Duo coughed and looked at the blankets, the only clean things in the room, not including the pillows. He wiped dust off of the TV and turned it on; he saw fuzz, that was it. He sighed and looked at the VCR. It was broken. Duo sighed and lay on the bed. “I’m not gonna survive this, am I?” he asked himself. Duo held a small key to the room in his hand. He didn’t even realize the lady had given it to him. He sighed and sat up. He felt weird and as though he had to leave. He left his bag on the floor beside the bed and patted his wallet in his back pocket.
Duo left the room and made sure he had his key before closing and locking it. He walked down the street towards a cheap café. How far had he come? He had been thinking about what he’d do for vacation as he walked toward the hotel, now he didn’t even see the dormitory or school. It was as though he were in a dream. He found no café, no restaurant, nothing but a hot dog stand. He ordered one juicy beef hot dog and ate it hungrily. When he turned around to pay the man, he was gone. Duo gulped on a piece of beef that had risen back up toward his mouth. He put the money on the stand and ran back to the motel. He was especially freaked out now. What was happening to him?
Duo saw that the motel stood where it had before, but it looked more inviting this time. It didn’t look any cleaner or nicer, just more inviting. He unlocked his door and went into the room, closing and locking it again. He threw himself onto the bed and closed his eyes, assuming he was tired from being woken up so early. Or maybe he was getting sick. He buried his face in his pillow and closed his eyes, falling asleep suddenly.
When Duo awoke he was in the same bed, but a horrible hissing was in his ear, he smacked the roach away from his head and yelped as he realized what it was. He sat up suddenly and grabbed his bag, it was night. He opened the door and left, throwing the key into the room. “This place’s creepy!” he cried as the woman came out to see what was the matter and tried to keep him from leaving. She insisted on him returning with her to the counter where he had rented the room but he wouldn’t. He ran, ignoring her witchy shrieks.
She was just an old lady, Duo realized as he saw the school, he had been looking in the wrong direction. He hadn’t gone very far, not far at all. He needed to get father away. The city was creeping him out. Maybe it was just chills down his spine caused by snow in April, but he felt a creepy feeling. He ran toward the bus stop. He would go camping. He would rest his mind.
As Duo sat at the bus stop a girl his age with long honey blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes approached him. She had on a pink dress and fuzzy pink scarf and cute white dress boots and fluffy pink ear muffs and white gloves. She had a suitcase in her hands and sat beside him. “Hello Duo,” she said, smiling at him.
Duo had been staring at his feet and his head shot up. He suddenly stared at her. “Oh! You scared me!” he gasped. “It’s just you, Relena!”
The girl looked shocked as she asked, “What do you mean it’s just me?”
“Sorry…” Duo said. “I just visited the spooky part of town…that’s all.” He leaned forward. Relena smiled at him. “Duo, do you have any place to go this year?” she asked. He shook his head.
Relena looked thoughtful for a moment. Finally she said, “Duo, I’d like you to come with me. I’m visiting my brother for the holiday. He’s in Europe. Will you join me?”
“Sure…” Duo said, wondering if she was visiting someone else before she left on her trip and that’s why she was at the bus stop so late.
Relena was surprised to hear him answer so quickly. He had never been cruel to her, but he had never been nice either. All he had ever done was made a few crude comments. She didn’t even know why she liked him.
Soon the bus came and Duo and Relena got on. Relena paid for both of them as they rode to the airport and she bought him a ticket there. Nothing was said between them from the time they got on the bus to the time Relena bought Duo’s ticket. He just grinned at her as he took it. Finally he said, “Thanks…”
“No problem.” Relena said, returning his grin. “I’m happy to help a classmate.”
“Classmate…” Duo repeated. He was sick of hearing “classmate”. Why couldn’t they just simply say “friend.” “Friend…” he corrected her. “From now on, I promise…I’m just sick of hearing ‘classmate’.”
“You’re funny.” Relena giggled, causing Duo to smile slightly.
“He’s not home…” Relena said as she looked around as well. “He won’t be until late I assume.”
Duo just nodded in response and set his bag down on the floor, sitting in a chair beside it.
Relena saw a maid dusting and requested some tea for for Duo and herself. Duo wrinkled his nose at the thought of tea; he didn’t care to drink it, but since she offered he would be polite. He had been rude enough to her in the past. Even if his comments were meant to tell her she was beautiful and way too good for Heero, who pretended he didn’t like her, his comments had still been rude. The tea was brought and Duo poured more sugar into the cup than there was tea, literally. He was eating tea flavored sugar.
Relena and Duo spoke of a few things. They discussed the weather, which was snowy where they had come from and quite nice where they were. They talked about books. Relena enjoyed reading fluff stories while Duo preferred authors like Edgar Allen Poe. They talked about their classes. Relena enjoyed hers, while Duo didn’t care either way. All he cared about was the school. It was then that Relena revealed that it had been Heero who suggested they send Duo an invitation and that Relena pay his fee. Duo stared at her in surprise. “Why?” he asked. Relena and Heero hadn’t even known him back then. Relena explained that on one of Heero’s missions, one which Relena couldn’t speak of, Heero had seen Duo looking anxiously at the school. It was just a couple years back. Duo hadn’t known that Heero was even sneaking around at age 13, but then again, it couldn’t be something he just started doing this year either.
After a couple of hours Relena’s brother walked through the door of the mansion. He was about 19 and had long platinum blonde hair. Relena stood up and ran to him, throwing her arms around him and exclaiming “Milliardo!” The young man smiled and wrapped his arms around her in return of the gesture. “Relena…” he said. He looked at Duo. “And this is?” he asked. Relena introduced them.
Duo seemed to give Milliardo a death glare. He didn’t like the look in the young man’s eyes. Milliardo didn’t like the look that Duo had given him either. “Be careful around his type.” Milliardo said. “I am going to freshen up, sister. Have a servant show him another bathroom so he can do likewise…and you. I have at least three here,” he said. Relena nodded and Duo was lead away to a big bathroom where the maid told him he could bathe. Duo took a shower and changed his clothes. By the time he finished fixing his hair it was time for them to leave.
Milliardo and Duo exchanged death glares the entire time when the young man took Duo and Relena out to a big fancy restaurant. Relena tried to ignore the hostility between her rich brother and poor friend. Eventually Duo was too focused on eating to continue in the glaring game. Milliardo pretended that he had never felt angry at Duo when the boy thanked him for the meal.
Duo approached Relena at one of the parties. She was one of the many who did not dance, but stood by the refreshment table. Relena was dressed in a flowing blue gown and had her hair up in a bun and Duo was dressed in his usual costume. He asked her to dance. This caused some people to make noise of disagreement to accompany their stares. Relena ignored the people and nodded to Duo’s proposal and took his hands.
Duo had proven to be an average dancer, but with Relena’s expert moves he soon looked like the best dancer on the floor next to her. Some of the people grew angrier or remained just as offended by his presence, but others began to soften. It didn’t matter to Duo anymore, for it was his last day in Europe.
Duo smirked. “Gimme some candy and I’ll tell ya.”
“Hmf…” Heero pretended not to be interested but gave a piece of candy to Duo anyway.
Duo grinned and said “It was wonderful. I went to Europe with Relena.”
“Relena!” Heero gasped. Duo nodded. Heero sighed and stared at the floor, mumbling something.
Duo smacked Heero’s back gently and said, “Don’t worry man, you’ll get your chance next holiday! Maybe summer!” He laughed and laughed and laughed, until Heero shot him a death glare and he shut up. “Most we did was dance man, honest,” Duo said. “But I won’t deny that I like her…Hey, maybe it’s just a passing, ya never know with me.”
Hero just grunted and looked away.
The End
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