Hands In The Stars

3. Call Out

He washed his hands and arms with great care, then reached out towards his mothers collection of perfumes. These were luxury things, but the small enjoyments that everyone occupied their sad minds with lately. He let his fingers brush against the fancy glass bottles, grabbing onto the one at the very far end, the one with the warm tropical scent, the one which he admired so much. For having such expensive taste, his parents surely thought of the most average house for them to settle down into. Despite the size it struggled to fit all the supplies, decorations and beauty collections his mother kept bringing home every week. All the souvenirs and cheap machines his father kept thinking were good ideas quickly added to the pile. He sprayed some of the liquid onto both his neck and shirt, then quickly put everything back where it belonged. 
"This woman never keeps the same order in here, I swear after every weekend the entire cabinet is reorganized." Datui muttered and Ping wagged her tail in agreement. He turned to her with a stern expression. "Don't tell anyone I talk to you all mornings long, they'll think I'm going insane. I trust you on this one."

Just as Datui turned around to look out of the window his eyes fell upon the petite girl making her way down the street. She was only a few houses down. He immediately hurried over to the hallway, grabbing his lunchbox from the kitchen on the way and shoving it into the big bag around his shoulder.
"Bye Ping I'll see you in some hours! Unless I get kidnapped on the way, there's been a lot of such lately..." Datui called out, lowering his voice towards the end. He slipped his feet into his dark brown leather shoes and swung the door open. "Hey Ai, wait up!"
He stepped out of the door, slamming it shut behind him and quickly locking up. Datui's mighty voice caused Ai to halt and slowly turn around, giving him an annoyed frown as soon as they locked eye contact. He walked towards her. She sighed loudly, turning right back around and continuing her way down the street. It didn't take too long for Datui to catch up with her though, her inadequate legs didn't take her very far and he soon had to slow down his pace just to keep her slow pace.

"Where did you go off to yesterday..? I waited for you, you know." Ai asked in her soft and tranquil voice, looking down at her bruised legs as she walked. The red skirt of her school uniform danced ever so slightly in the warm, dusty morning wind.
"Oh, well..." Datui began, looking down at the short girl for a split second before turning his attention back at the road just in front of them. "I didn't bring an umbrella to school yesterday, so when it began to rain I just did the reasonable thing and went right home before it got too bad. I mean, if I would have waited til the school day ended I would have been forced to get home in the storm. I don't know about you but I for one don't want to walk in the cold rain more than necessary. I thought you'd get that. You should have done the same." He defended himself, looking at Ai once more. The wind played with her thick, rich, black hair as they walked. Ai listened for a moment, quietly sighing to herself as she thought of just how much she would never have done such a thing.

"Ah, I'm sorry then..." Ai murmured after a short pause. Her attention fell onto a white rock resting on the street, quickly coming up in front of them. As she approached, she kicked it lightly and paused, watching as it skipped across the dirty road and eventually fell down between the rusty metal bars of a street well. She rushed back up to Datui. The two of them fell deafeningly silent as the familiar sound of thick leather boots marched towards them. The thumping sound approached fast from behind. The two teenagers quickly turned their heads, laying eyes upon the group of military marching down the side of the street onto the block they just passed by. Ai stared at them with big eyes, clenching tightly  onto her friends arm. 
"I wonder who they're stopping by... I hope It's not that new family down the street, I kind of like them." Ai muttered as she slowly turned her gaze up at her friend, who only shrugged.
"I mean, it probably is. They are the new family. I hope they're expecting it, though." He muttered. The two of them went silent once more.

"So... How was your day yesterday?" Datui asked after a while with a slight, nervous chuckle. 
"It was okay, as always, I guess..." Ai answered in a hushed tone once again, thinking about the day earlier. She felt her eyes beginning to water up by the memory of her mother's ferocity. Without even realizing it, she had halted dead in her tracks, staring down at the ground below her as she got lost in her dark train of thoughts. She snapped back into reality and glanced up just in time to see Datui stop a few meters away. He turned around to face her, lips shut in a tight line. Ai quickly turned her gaze away from him and went down onto one knee, beginning to tie her loose shoelaces. A single innocent tear ran down her soft, red cheek. She could feel his eyes staring through her in the dense silence.

"...Yeah Ai, you sure look quite okay to me." Datui mumbled in a sarcastic tone as he looked down at the girl in front of him. She slowly got back up onto her feet, and he backed up to wrap one of his long arms around her shoulders, keeping her close. "Come on now, at this pace we're going to be late and that will just bring even more trouble for you." He notified her as he proceeded to walk towards the school, dragging Ai along. "Have you got any plans for today?"

Ai kept quiet for a second. Her eyes fixated up at him. His annoying, handsome face made her smile just the tiniest bit, no matter if she wanted to or not. It couldn't be helped. His long, straight hair swayed around his features as they walked in the breeze. No matter how unreasonable he could be at times, she always ended up walking to school with him right the next day. That was just who they were. The sun that had so previously peeked out over the sky, that had just put the slightest of shimmer in every puddle on the ground, had now been covered up by a thick cloud. The morning turned gray, the ground full of mud and gravel. She searched for something that might catch her attention, only to end up empty-handed.

"What did you say? Oh... Ah, no, not really, I don't." She finally answered him and rubbed her eyes. Datui gave her a concerned look. She looked so tired. Light bags under her eyes, hair somewhat messy in the wind. He just wanted to go right back home and let them both take a nap together, but the day called. He was just about to give a suggestion, when they walked around the corner of a building and took a turn towards the bigger road.
"We're almost there!" Ai suddenly burst out. She could spot the big building towering in the distance. She hurried and felt Datui's arm let go of her as she turned around to look at him with a small smile across her face. He smiled back at her, putting his hand onto her head, messing up her hair even more. Datui took his eyes off of Ai and looked at the school in front of them, but stopped as he realized he had walked past her once more. He turned around to look at the girl when she suddenly sprinted past him at full speed and he stared after her in shock for a few seconds. He had to chuckle at the sight, and quickly sprinted after her, accepting the challenge.
"As if I'd let you get there before me that easily!"