Somewhere to Belong
Longing
“Oh, hey, Rikku. Sorry I didn’t wait for you. I’ve had a lot on my mind.”
“Yeah. I heard about what that jock strap, Haru did to you. What I don’t get is, why does he always mess with you?”
“I dunno’. I guess it’s because he can’t resist my womanly charms,” Suko said with a Cheshire grin.
“Yeah, right. No offense, but, you’re not exactly the most popular girl in school. You have a reputation for being a little…”
“Being a little what?” Suko interrupted, “being a little weird?”
“Well, actually, I was going to say eccentric.”
“It’s the same thing, Rikku!”
“Yeah, but, eccentric doesn’t sound as bad.”
Rikku has been Suko’s only friend since she came to live with her Uncle when she was 5. They live right next door to each other and are both labeled as “social-casualties.” Neither one of them has ever had a boyfriend, been on a date, or even had a first kiss yet. And they were already 16!
In all honesty, Suko considered Rikku more as a sister instead of a best friend. Rikku is the only one Suko can count on to cheer her up when she’s sad because she’s getting picked on or missing her parents. (They both died in a plane crash on their way back home from a business trip in America.)
“So, did you hear about Kagome Higurashi’s latest illness?” asked Rikku, trying to break the awkward silence.
“Um, yeah. I think Miss Toyama said she’s out with Reye Syndrome or something.”
“Nuh-uh. That was last week. This week she has Rickett’s or something like that. What is that, anyway? Is that even a real illness? I swear, that girl is never in school, and, yet, she always seems to pass all of her classes!Have you ever even seen her in class? I sure as hell haven’t. And people call us weird!
“So, what time do you get off of work?” Rikku asked as they walked up the driveway to Suko’s house. “We can go get a burger or something and chat on-line. That’ll be fun, huh? We’ll get Cyber-boyfriends!”
“I get off about 8 or so. It’ll take me a while to clean up and clock out.”
“All right. I’ll see you then.”
“ See ya’, Rikku.”
Suko didn’t even need that crappy little job at the coffee shop down town. Her Uncle Sanma made sure she had everything she ever needed or wanted. Not to mention the small fortune she had tucked away at the bank in a Trust Fund from her parents’ life insurance policy.
The only reason she took the crummy job was to escape the boredom of an anti-social summer. And, now that school was back in session, she needed a place to get away from the torment and bullying that had now become a part of her everyday life. So her job was more of an emotional “security blanket” for her than anything else.
“Hi, I’m home!” Suko called out as she dropped her book bag by the front door and headed toward the kitchen.
“Welcome home, Red,” said her Uncle, giving her a tight hug. “You want something to eat before you head off to work?”
“No, thanks. Rikku and I are going to get something when I get off. Right now I just want to take a quick shower and was off the Haru-germs.”
“Is that boy bothering you again?”
“Yeah, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ll just do some kind of Voo-Doo spell on him and everything will be fine,” Suko grinned. Her Uncle looked at her unimpressed. “What? I’m kidding!” And with that, she turned and ran up the stairs to her bedroom.
Suko wiped away the sweat off of the mirror that had built up from when she was showering. She looked at the thin, pale, crimson-haired girl staring back at her with those sad, longing eyes.
“What’s wrong with me?” she asked her reflection, “ sixteen and never been kissed, even. The entire male population has absolutely no idea that I exist. So much for fairy tales,” she sighed as she turned off the bathroom light.