Never Again

12

        Ding dong

        The doorbell again. Fiona rolled her eyes. Unfortunately, her mom saw her do it. Before she could get up and go to the door, she stopped her. "Fiona, Xiao kai and you were-- best friends before, really best friends. If-- if you guys could at least talk, I think--I think that would be enough for him."

           Friends? Wait a second-- she needed to backtrack. Huh? Friends? So-- ? But all those words, that l -word. Was it sister-brother love? Relief filled her to her bones. She whooped internally.

          "Thank you!" she exclaimed and hugged her mom delightedly. Her eyes shined with joy.

           Kind Mrs. Watson was caught by surprise at first, but she hugged Fiona back. However, in a split second, Fiona had already jumped up to get the door, and had already disappeared behind the wall separating the room. A feeling of longing filled her. She thought about those times --those times when she acted mean to Fiona, those times she yelled at her and screamed at her-- they seemed so childish now. If she had been more caring; more careful, would everything had fallen into this, this mess? Her eyes glistened uncontrollably. She raised a finger to gently wipe away a watery drop. Her face was red now. 

          What kind of mother was she?

        Fiona stopped at the door. The feeling of the last time they met filled her again. Awkward. So, pitifully, awkward. How was she supposed to face him again? A grim hello? An overexcited hi? Mother said they were best friends before. That's something, right? Fiona chose to believe it. For now. 

        She opened the door and stared. A. . . panda??

       "What-- what are you wearing?" she blurted. 

        "And who are you?" she added. 

        In simple words, it was a panda. In more complicated words, a person dressed in a panda suit who might possibly be a psychopathic killer. 

         The mysterious panda said nothing. Out from his (or her) back came a bouquet of yellow roses. 

          "Errr-- thank you?" The panda nodded happily with those criss-crossed eyes and flipped his/her head back to attempt to escape. Too late, the panda head fell off. A familiar black haired Junkai poked his head out from within. Fiona stared at him. Her eyes twitched ever so slightly. Junkai noticed it and slapped on a big smile. 

          He tried to use his paws to wave. The black paw ended up falling off. He quickly swooped it up and acted like nothing happened. If Fiona had less self restraint, even if it was just a teensy bit less, she would've punched him. Lucky for Junkai, all she did at the moment was purse her lips. 

          "Why-- why did you do that? " she asked him.

           Her stare was unwavering, and, frankly, intimidating. "I could've sworn you were a psychopathic killer," she muttered to herself. 

          Junkai just blinked. "Stupid boy," she grumbled. Then she frowned at the word. Where had she said that before?

         Junkai's smile had faded. 

         "All the doing of my teacher," he replied. Before she could say anything to that, he pushed past her into her house, still wearing that ridiculous panda suit.

         "Hey--hey! You're intruding private property!" 

         He stopped and looked back at her. "I'm a psychopathic killer." He raised his eyebrows. A small index finger pointed at him accusingly. It closed itself into a fist and dropped when he left.

        Fiona looked around, found a nearby table, and imagined bonking her head on it repeatedly. When she felt that she had done it enough times, she finally placed the bouquet of flowers in the trash can and joined her mother and Junkai in the kitchen. 

        With a superior gaze, she looked around when finally her eyes rested on Junkai. She hissed at him then turned to her mother. "I need food." Her mom nodded obediently. She pushed herself to face Junkai again. Oh, he was going down. "Wait a second, Junkai-- I distinctly remember-- don't you have school?" 

         Junkai looked at her once while he ungloved his hands. "It's Sunday." 

         Fiona stopped. She seemed to have forgotten that bit. 

         Her mom, seeing the awkward tension, pushed them out of the kitchen, saying all the way: "I'm going to be making dinner, I'm going to be making dinner."

         Once again, Fiona and Junkai were in the hallway alone. For awhile, Junkai did nothing but stare at her. And Fiona averted her eyes, still trying to find away to escape the situation. 

         Junkai at last looked away. "I'm sorry about before. Can we-- can we be friends?" Junkai started. 

          It was Fiona's turn to blink,"Umm. . . I guess."

          "Just, talk I mean. I don't really know you?" Junkai said stiffly. "I-- I know Fiona, but I don't know you."

         Her back slumped. "I know, I'm sorry."

         "No, no it's not your fault," he assured her. " I think, more than half actually, it's my fault."

         Fiona was silent. 

        "Those girls, they did that to her because of me. I bet your mom didn't tell you that," Junkai chuckled forcefully.

        "It's not your fault," she said without looking at him. "It's the girls' fault." 

        And that was the end of the conversation. After Fiona said this, Junkai looked at her again, almost in awe, or in a daze. Fiona, on the other hand, looked at the ground. 

        They stayed like that for awhile. It was comfortable, in weird ways. They stayed like that till Fiona's mom came and asked Junkai if he wanted to stay for dinner. He said yes. Seemingly, as soon as dinner started, Fiona dropped her plate and utensils in the sink and ran upstairs. 

        She would only come downstairs to eat again when Junkai left. 

        "Thank you Mrs. Watson, for the dinner," Junkai was saying. 

         "Your welcome, Xiao Kai. My pleasure," she smiled, "Say! You didn't call your father! He must be worried sick by now, and at this hour!" Mrs. Watson fretted a little and pointed at his panda suit's pocket, where his phone was sticking out of it. She paused for a little when she saw it was an Iphone 6. Nowadays, she didn't have that money to buy Fiona a decent phone. 

          "No, it's alright," Junkai calmed her down. "My father doesn't care about those kind of things anymore." Mrs. Watson nodded her head slowly, not quite believing him.

         "I--I-- alright. Well, have a good night, Xiao Kai, promise me?" she asked him. 

         "Thank you, good night to you too." Mrs. Watson nodded. She started to worry again, noticing he didn't answer her question. 

        Reluctantly, she closed the door. 

        The night was very silent; there was no star or moon in sight. And on dark, silent nights like this, people tended to feel lonely. Junkai raised his head, looking for a small shape with brown hair. 

        The curtains were closed.

        And strangely, just like that, the story came to an end. It was without warning, without the time for preparation, without a word in advance. In the deepest parts of Junkai's heart, he knew that-- it was, indeed, the end of their story. At the time though, he chose not to believe it.

       He chose not to believe that Fiona and Little Kai's paths will never cross again. He chose not to believe, that one day, Fiona would meet someone else, marry, and raise children; that  Junkai-- Little Kai-- would just be another insignificant person in her life;

       That she wouldn't remember him.