Parallel Vol. 6

Chapter 26: I'm Back!

A couple of hours later, Suuzki, lying on the ground, groaned as warm sunlight flooded the room from his open blinds. The young man sat up and stretched, loosening muscles that had tightened from sleeping on the cold floor. Suppressing a lazy yawn, he picked the pillow off the floor and gently placed it on the bed where Jade was curled up like a hamster ball.

The edge of Suzuki's lips curled ever so slightly as he recalled the previous night. At some point, Jade ran to her room and returned with a bottle of vodka, claiming it would help 'stoke the fires of determination and friendship.' She tried to get Suzuki to drink with her, but he adamantly refused, leaving her to drink to the fires by herself. Suzuki would never admit it, but he enjoyed her little rant afterwards. Jade cursed everything from the aliens to a bus driver who refused to wait for her four years ago. Having lost her inhibitions to the alcohol, she complained about her father, who got himself caught, and her aloof grandfather, who was doing god-knows-what for Genaco. Her complaint continued for over an hour until she ultimately tired herself out.

Shaking his head, Suzuki started his morning exercise routine. Roughly thirty minutes later, a sweaty Suzuki looked at the still-sleeping Jade with mirth. Evil glowing in his eyes, Suzuki ordered an item on his phone before entering the shower.

Shortly after he emerged from the shower, towel draped over his shoulders, Suzuki answered a call and made his way to the entrance, where he met a courier. He thanked her, took the package and returned to his room. Seeing that Jade was still fast asleep, Suzuki opened the box, taking out the bright red air horn. Leaning over Jade, he unceremoniously squeezed the horn.

A loud screech, like a nuclear alarm, blasted around the room. Unsurprisingly, Jade shot up like a rocket, shocked silly by the loud noise. She instinctively reached under her pillow but then, realizing this wasn't her bed, raised her fists in search of the assailant. Only then did she see Suzuki holding the red horn. Putting two and two together, Jade's cheeks turned beet-red, partly from embarrassment and anger. Fists clenched, she looked like she wanted to punch Suzuki, but she suddenly doubled over, clutching her head. "Fuck! Damn you, Suzuki. My head hurts!"

"That makes sense. You finished an entire bottle by yourself," countered Suzuki with the faintest of smiles. "Get up. It's already 8. The other teams want to have a meeting before the game starts. You need to take a shower." Exaggeratedly scrunching up his nose, he teased, "You reek."

"Hm?" Jade blew into her hand, promptly recoiling at the rancid smell. "Yeah, no, that's bad." She shuffled off the bed and made to leave the room but briefly stopped next to Suzuki. Devilish smile curling up her lips, she hooked her hand around his waist and blew into his nose before he could escape.

"Ugh, fuck." Suzuki angrily cursed as he grabbed her arms. He almost tossed her to the side, but as he looked at her smug 'fuck you' grin, a strange emotion surged alongside his disgust. It was raw, powerful, and primal. It momentarily consumed him, causing his eyes to burn as his grip tightened around Jade's arms.

"Ow!"

Jade's yelp shocked Suzuki back to his senses. "I'm sorry." He apologized, immediately let go and took two steps back. "Think I'm still a little tired from last night."

"No, it's fine. I overreacted." Jade's eyes dimmed as she watched Suzuki's lose that fire, returning to their neutral state. But then, she smiled as she walked to the door. "I'll be out in a few. Go make breakfast for us, team leader."

"Sure, why not." Suzuki raised the bed after Jade left. Glancing at the picture on the wall, he murmured, "Can't do this one on my own, can I?"

'Nope. But that's why you've got the rest of us. By the way, when are you going to ask Jade out? A blind man can tell she likes you.'