To You, I Belong: Chapter 2
#1 of To You, I Belong
OK...so this story began as a pseudo-collaboration with a friend of mine when I was in high school, and I have been writing this story on-and-off since 2005. Needless to say, you'll be able to see a marked difference in descriptive language as well as overall skill and style as the chapters go along. Bear with me, and enjoy the ride!
So technically, this is the second chapter...I lost the original transcript of the first chapter (It was written in one of my high school notebooks which I have since likely thrown away).
All characters mentioned are (c) Ken J. Kitsune
Chapter 2: Enter, the Phantom
"I had heard that the campus was big, but this is almost like a small city!" Brittany exclaimed as she looked out the window. The stereo clock read 6:55.
"Aaron, are you sure you know where it is?" Kerri asked. She, too, looked out the window.
"I swear...you have zero faith in me," he replied with a sigh. "I've been here twice before." He paused. "I just need to get myself acclimated to the area again."
"Translation: you're lost," Brittany piped in.
Aaron could only reply with a grunt of defeat. Kerri laughed to herself and put her hand back for a high-five from her friend.
"Hey now! I though you were on my side!"
"I am," Kerri giggled, "but Brittany definitely got you there."
"And speaking of there, we're here."
Brittany's ears perked up. "Really? How can you tell?"
"Look out the window, ace," Aaron said sarcastically. Brittany glared and decided to slap him later and looked out the window once again. Sure enough, a multitude of cars could be seen beginning to form up ahead. The occasional sign was posted along the road, pointing them in the right direction. To Aaron's dismay, the lot was just about full.
"I had a bad feeling about this. Parking here is notoriously bad." He groaned and began to look anyway for a spot. "This is gonna be a while."
"Not really! Look over there!" Brittany pointed to a newly available space just to their right. "Looks like it's pretty close too! Lucky us!"
Kerri raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You're 0 for 2 tonight, Aaron."
"Don't remind me..."
The group finally pulled in and came to a stop. Almost instantaneously, the back door lock came undone, much to Kerri and Aaron's surprise. The next thing they heard was the sound of a car door slamming shut. Aaron quickly got out to try and stop Brittany.
"Hold up there! Can't you at least wait for us?"
Brittany looked back. "Would you be insulted if I said no?"
The wolf snarled quietly but regained his composure quickly. "Fine," he said in a short manner. "Go ahead. Just wait for us at the door."
Without another word, Brittany was off and running to the entrance. Aaron sighed and shook his head in defeat. He went around to the other side of his car and opened the door for his wife.
Kerri stepped out slowly, almost dramatically. Her strapless sapphire dress flowed down and around her figure with a diamond pendant necklace resting gently on her neck. Her hair was pulled back in to a French bun, letting the occasional bang float down along her eyes.
"For a second, I though you had forgotten about me."
"I could never do such a thing." Aaron smiled warmly. "You look gorgeous tonight, my love."
Kerry blushed and looked away with a smile. "You flatter me too much, Aaron."
"But you and I both know that it's true," he cut in. His arms found their way around her waist and pulled her close. "You know, there's only one other way that you could be any more gorgeous..."
"How's that?"
Aaron whispered softly into her ear. Kerri immediately blushed fiercely and slapped his arm playfully.
"Aaron...!" she hissed. The wolf simply smiled slyly. "Wipe that little smile off your face."
"Make me."
Kerri pulled Aaron into a soft kiss, effectively, as she intended, wiping the smile from his face.
"Well, that's on way to do it," Aaron joked.
"I know what makes you tick," she said. "Oh! We'd better get going. Brittany's probably already inside."
"No she isn't."
"I don't follow. What do you mean?" Just as she asked, Aaron revealed three tickets from his coat pocket and smirked.
"Looks as though I got the last laugh."
**
The convention area was already buzzing with much activity. Brittany was waiting outside rather impatiently for Aaron and Kerri. It didn't take her long to figure out that Aaron had the tickets, much to her chagrin. Behind her, more and more patrons entered through the doors, including Erik and two of his friends. A light breeze kicked up, but not enough to cool Brittany off.
A few minutes later, she finally caught sight of the couple headed towards her. She waved them over and immediately went over to Aaron.
"Ok...we're even. Can I have my ticket now?
"How do we ask...?" he replied in his best teacher voice.
"PLEASE...?" she growled. Aaron smiled as if nothing happened and handed over her ticket to enter. Without another word, Brittany was away and through the doors. Kerri looked over to her husband.
"It's almost like letting a bull loose in a china shop."
"She'll be fine," he reassured her and took her hand. "Come on. Let's head on in and have some fun."
**
A light waltz echoed through the area, adding more ambiance to the already decorated floor. Couples glided across with floor with ease to the music, making it a bit difficult for Erik to maneuver his way to the drink table.
'Thank God I'm over 21,' he though to himself as he took a small stem glass of champagne and took a seat at a table. He took off his mask and sipped a small bit of his drink. His friends had since found temporary dates for the night, leaving Erik to do as he pleased. His eyes closed for a moment and sighed deeply.
"This would be a little better if I actually knew someone here outside of my friends."
Almost as if on cue, a soft voice answered his request.
" I guess that's my cue to arrive to the rescue eh, Cooper?"
Erik jumped at the sudden arrival. His mind went through the list of people that it could possibly be. Only one eventually came to mind.
"Holly...? Holly Rose, is that you?" He looked back to see a now very familiar doe.
"Sharp as always," she said with a laugh.
Erik quickly went over and hugged her closely. "It's so great to see you again, Holly! For a second, I didn't know it was you!"
"Come on now. Who's the only one in the world that can call you by your middle name and get away with it?"
Erik shook his head and sighed. "Good point. I should've known." He took another sip. "How has Connecticut been treating you these days?"
Holly sighed in pure bliss. "Oh, I've loved it! Everything about the place is just perfect. Erik, you would've loved it up there."
"I probably would have, but I chose to be here. After four years of life at Penn State, I wouldn't want to trade it for the world."
"I know," she replied, "but I still wish sometimes that you would've gone with me. We could have had so much fun together." She paused for a moment. "It would've been high school all over again."
Erik thought for a minute. "Which reminds me, are you here for the high school reunion at PHS?"
"Ah, so you got the letter too, I see. I can't wait for it!"
"When was it again?"
"Clueless as always," she joked. "Next Friday, remember?"
"Oh yeah! I remember now."
Holly nodded as a smile made its way across her face. "So, are you taking anyone special with you? Any significant other that you may have met over these last five years?"
"Nope. I'm still single."
"Good," she said quietly under her breath. "Well then, how about taking me?"
Erik started to finally catch on. "Holly, are you asking me on a date?" She nodded. "In that case, sure. I'd love to."
Holly leapt into his arms and held him close. "Oh, Erik! Thank you. I promise you'll have a good time with me!"
Another waltz came over the floor. Holly took the opportunity and took Erik's hand, leading him to the dance floor.
"Come on. Let's dance for a little while," she said playfully.
"Wait a second. Let me grab something." He went back over to the table and put his mask back on. Holly couldn't help but laugh when he returned.
"You haven't changed at all, have you, Cooper?"
"Is that a bad thing?"
Holly giggled. "Not at all."
The two started to gently move to the waltz. Holly sighed in contentment and looked up into his eyes.
"I've missed you, Erik," she said softly.
"And I've missed you too. Nearly five years of friends like us apart isn't a good thing."
'Yeah...friends...' Holly though to herself, dejected a bit by his comment. She moved closer to Erik and gently rested her head on his shoulder.
"Dancing like this brings back memories of our senior prom. Do you remember that night, Erik?"
Erik smiled. "How could I ever forget it? You wore that long, flowing black dress and you hair was done perfectly. You looked absolutely stunning." He sighed. "We had such a great time that night, didn't we?"
He didn't get a response. Holly was off in her own world, reliving that night. She shut her eyes tighter, trying to keep every last scene in her memory forever.
The clock chimed 10:30 all too soon. Holly knew that she had to leave, as much as she didn't want to.
"Time can fly by so quickly, can't it?" She let go of Erik reluctantly. "I have to leave. My hotel is an hours drive from here, and I'd rather not fall asleep at the wheel." The two headed for the doorway slowly. They stopped for a moment.
"Do you want me to drive you back?"
"Nah, it's alright. I can manage," she replied. Without hesitation, she kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you next week, my Phantom."
As she exited, Erik felt his cheek where Holly had just kissed him. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes.
"She still doesn't get it," he said to himself as he returned to the ball.
**
"Ugh...where did those two lovebirds go this time??" Brittany muttered to herself. "I leave for one second... actually 10 minutes, but who's counting...and they just up and go without telling me!"
She reached over for a glass to calm her nerves when another hand met hers for the exact same thing. Brittany immediately drew back and looked over at the stranger.
"Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"It's quite alright," the lioness responded. "I've already had one tonight."
"Thank you very much," Brittany replied with a smile. "I just needed one to calm my nerves."
The lioness laughed. "Don't we all." She extended her hand to her and smiled as well. "I'm Kigali."
"My name is Brittany. It's nice to meet you." She returned her greeting. "So, do you take classes here at Penn State?"
"I used to." Kigali showed her alumni ring. "I graduated three years ago. I majored in secondary education with a specialization in science. On top of that, I just moved to Michigan last year, too."
"What for?"
Kigali shrugged. "Hey, you gotta go where the job opportunities are, right?" Brittany nodded in agreement. "Anyhow, what about you? Tell me a little about yourself, seeing as though I've been talking about myself."
"Well, I'm from Washington, and-"
"You mean the state!?"
Brittany waved her hands. "No, no. That's my mistake. Washington is the name of a town just south of Pittsburgh. Sorry if I confused you, Kigali."
"It's ok. I'm not from around here. That's probably why. So, did you go to Penn State?"
"Nope. I just graduated from UPitt last summer. I'm a pre-med major. I work at the university hospital."
Kigali's eyes lit up. "Really? Hey, do you know anyone there by the name of Rita?"
She nodded. "Yep. She and I are good friends."
Kigali smiled and laughed. "So that's where she landed. I graduated with her!"
The two began a long-winded conversation about friends and college memories. Off to the side of Brittany's field of vision, Erik walked by in what seemed like slow motion to her. Everything around her seemed to be frozen in time except her and him. She started to blush lightly as he continued to walk past. Finally, Kigali brought her back to reality.
"Hey...Brittany! What gives?"
"Wha...? Oh, sorry. I just got a little sidetracked," she said with a nervous laugh.
"You're telling me," she laughed. "For a moment, I though I was talking to a statue."
"Brittany! Over here!" Kerri called. Brittany looked over and saw her and Aaron approaching them. "Hey, this is fun and all, but Aaron and I are worn out. We're heading back to the hotel. Let's go."
"Alright." She turned back to Kigali. "I hope I can talk to you again this weekend."
"That won't be a problem. I'll be around here somewhere. See ya, Brittany!"
Brittany waved goodbye and exited with Kerri and Aaron. The two were still walking hand in hand, happy as a lark. As they got back into the car, they looked back one more time at the festivities before driving off.
"So, did you have a good time back there?"
"You bet!" Brittany chimed. "I had a blast." She looked out the window once more. To her surprise, there he was again. The same guy that she saw walk by at the ball was walking along the sidewalk on campus. "Aaron, stop the car for a minute!"
He obliged and wondered for a minute. "What's this all about, Brittany? Did you forget something?"
"There's someone back there that's walking all alone. I think he's a student. I saw him back at the ball earlier. I want to go see if he needs a ride. You don't mind, do you?"
Aaron though hard for a while. "Just this once, Brittany."
With that said, Brittany got out and went back half a block to where Erik was still walking. She caught up with him and stopped in front of him. She began to blush again.
"Hey...it looks like...you could use a lift," she said shyly. "Would you like to...come with my friends and me? They don't mind..."
Erik smiled, his mask still on. "Sure. I could use a lift."
**
End Chapter 2