Chapter Three

The Confrontation

 

            Momo was exceedingly nervous as she stepped into her classroom the next morning, feeling as though a hundred eyes were boring into her from all sides, taunting and reproachful.  You’re taking a dirty art class, they seemed to accuse.  You were staring at a naked guy last night and you liked it!  You liked seeing Kiley in his birthday suit.  Admit it!  Admit it!  Admit—

 

            “Shut up!” she growled to herself, trying to silence the taunting voice in her head.  “Just shut—Gyaaaahhhh!”

 

            Her muttered words ended abruptly with a high-pitched shriek when a pair of arms suddenly threw themselves around her shoulders, glomping onto her in a tight hug as a laughing voice proclaimed in her ear, “Good morning, Pussycat!  What’s the matter?  You seem a little tense today…”

 

            “Kiley!” Momo yelled, twisting around in his arms to deliver a resounding smack to his head, but the boy—having anticipated such a reaction—had already danced well beyond reach, his amber-brown eyes sparkling impishly as he grinned with unrepentant delight.  “Would you quit doing that?!” Momo snapped.  Curse him and his stupid sneak attacks, anyway!

 

            “Doing what?”  Kiley feigned wounded innocence.  “I was just saying hello to my favorite person in the world…”

 

            “And attempting to put her into cardiac arrest in the process!” she growled.

 

            He grinned again.  “Awww…I’m sorry, Pussycat.  Here…let me kiss and make it all better!”  He leaned toward her with puckered lips, only to find himself sprawled out in a twitching heap on the floor a moment later, with a nicely-defined imprint of a textbook indenting his face.  He caught sight of Momo’s long legs heading away from his prone position, lying still a moment longer to fully appreciate the view, before sitting up again and rubbing his sore head.  He could hear her muttering to herself as she slammed her bag on her desk and sat down with a huff, clearly more annoyed now than she’d been before he’d attempted to cheer her up.  He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  Hmmm…it was clear that he needed to work on his technique a bit.

 

            “Stupid, perverted pumpkin…” Momo grumbled to herself, trying to ignore the fact that the room was half-full of students, all of whom had been witness to that embarrassing little display.  If people hadn’t been staring before, they sure as hell were now, she thought with a darkening scowl.  Why did that idiot have to go and draw attention to the two of them like that?  As if there weren’t enough rumors flying around about her as it was!  Her only relief was that Sae hadn’t arrived yet, or else the entire school would by now think that she and Kiley were some kind of couple or something.  A couple of what, exactly, Momo shuddered to guess.

 

            She was drawn out of her thoughts by a very definite feeling that she was actually being watched by somebody.  Blinking, she looked around cautiously until she found the source of the feeling, and her eyes widened when they met those of one Kazuya Tojigamori, who sat calmly at his desk as he continued to stare at her.  He didn’t say a word—not that she expected him to—but he didn’t look particularly pleased as his gaze shifted to Kiley, then back to her suspiciously.  She swallowed, hard, and forced herself to look away from him, her heart pounding in her throat.  What was that?  Why was he staring at her like that?  After weeks of complete and utter nothing, why was he suddenly acting as though…as though he was…

 

            She clenched her eyes shut and refused to let herself finish the thought.  Finishing that thought would only get her hopes up, and she for one was sick of those hopes repeatedly getting hurled to the ground and crushed beneath his feet.  Whatever his problem was, it wasn’t any of her business anymore.  She didn’t care.  She wouldn’t let herself care!

 

            “Hey, Pussycat, we still need to set up a time to study so I can help you catch up with the work you missed!”

 

            Momo jumped in surprise, not having heard Kiley approach.  She scowled at him, as though she was still upset at his earlier behavior, but secretly she was relieved that he was there to take her mind off of depressing thoughts.  Completely unperturbed at the death glare she was pinning on him, Kiley sat down at the desk just in front of her and turned to continue, “You know, what with your swimming and now the art classes, we-mmmph!”

 

            He blinked in surprise at the hand that suddenly shot out to clap itself over his mouth, as Momo regarded him with a slightly panicked expression on her face.  “Shhhh!” she hissed.  “Not so loud, dummy!”

 

            “Mmmph?”

 

He blinked again, questioningly, and she slowly removed her hand.  “Kiley…please…for my sake, please don’t say anything about the art class in school,” she whispered to him, her eyes pleading with him to agree.

 

He frowned, clearly puzzled.  “Why not, Momo?  Are you embarrassed about it or something?”

 

“Or something,” she muttered, scratching her head as a faint blush tinted her cheeks.  “Look…Kiley, you know how people like to gossip!  Especially Sae, and especially about me!  What do you think will happen if she should somehow find out that I’m taking an art class drawing naked men and that you’re the model?  She’ll use it against me.  She could ruin me for life!  Toji will never ever speak to me again…”

 

“Aw, Momo, I doubt it’s all that serious,” he replied with a slight laugh.

 

“Kiley, this is Sae we’re talking about.  Evil incarnate, remember?  Think about the past year and everything she’s managed to do to me, and then tell me that she isn’t capable of using this to ruin my life!”

 

Kiley thought, and then a small grimace touched his features.  “Okay, point taken,” he agreed, his voice dropping to a quiet murmur.  He smiled at her, but his eyes were serious.  “I’ll protect you, Momo,” he added, his voice barely above a whisper.  “Don’t worry.  I won’t let Sae or anyone else sink their claws into you again.  I promise.”

 

Her own eyes softened as she regarded him, and a small smile appeared on her lips.  “Thank you, Kiley,” she replied sweetly.  “I knew I could depend on you.”  Her brow furrowed a little, as though she was fighting back tears.  “You really are a true friend…”

 

“Heh.  Yeah,” he agreed with playful arrogance.  Then, with an exaggerated wink, he added, “Do me a favor and remember that the next time you try to use me as a punching bag, okay?”

 

Her eyebrow twitched.  “Only if you remember not to sexually assault me in a public area,” she growled back.

 

His grin slowly widened, and a gleam appeared in his eye.  “Only in a public area?  So…does that mean I can sexually assault you if we’re in a private area?” he asked with well-feigned innocence…

 

…and once again found himself kissing the floor.

 

*          *          *          *          *

            Yet another head-pounding day of learning was finally over—made tolerable only by Momo’s presence—and Kiley had exchanged his shoes and was currently on his way to freedom, keeping his eyes peeled for the sight of long, golden hair in the hopes of possibly coaxing his favorite peach into joining him for a session of studying in his bedroom.  Well…among other things, he amended with a mental smirk.

 

            And he saw her a moment later, walking home by herself, as always.  He paused a moment to consider her, sighing heavily.  Poor little thing, he thought sadly.  People were morons not to get how special Momo was.  But, he added a moment later, cheering considerably, at least she always had him to keep her company!  And with that bright thought, he picked up the pace and began to trot toward her…only to let out a startled yelp as a hand appeared abruptly from around a corner, grabbed him roughly by the lapels of his shirt, and hauled him back against the school wall with almost enough force to crack the brick.

 

            “Um…ow,” he protested, glaring at the offending hand, and then up at the owner of said hand.  To his surprise, it was Toji who stood glowering back at him, looking more than a little put out.  Kiley blinked.  “Uh…what bug crawled up your ass?” he asked snidely.  Toji wasn’t his favorite person in the world on his best days; there was no way he was even close to forgiving the other boy for his cruel treatment of Momo’s feelings lately.

 

            “Listen up, because I’m only gonna say this once.  You stay away from her,” Toji stated in a low, dark voice, releasing his hold on Kiley’s shirt.

 

            Kiley did not need to ask who “her” was.  “And if I don’t?” he replied, his own voice darkening.  “Just what are you gonna do about it?  Call me crazy, but I could have sworn that you gave up all right to act like a jealous boyfriend when you stomped all over Momo’s heart last semester.  Am I wrong about that?”

 

            If possible, Toji’s expression blackened even more.  “The last thing she needs is a playboy like you messing with her mind…”

 

            “Of course not.  That’s your department now, remember?” Kiley retorted.  A pair of fists abruptly grabbed his shirt again and shoved him roughly into the wall.  “Hey!  Watch it!” he snapped, attempting to pry the offending hands from his clothes.

 

            “You just keep away from Momo, do you hear me?” Toji growled.  “You have no idea what’s really going on and neither does she…”

 

            “Well, maybe if you tried talking to her she would, but no, you have to go and completely snub her for no good reason!  Not a single explanation on your part, after everything you two have been through to be together!  And don’t you dare give me that crap about loving the Queen Bitch ‘cause I don’t believe that for a moment!” Kiley snarled.  “If you’re really any kind of a man, you’ll face her like one and tell her the truth!”

 

            “I…There’s nothing to tell,” Toji muttered, giving Kiley a single shake before finally releasing him and stepping back, scowling at the ground.  “I’m with Sae now, and that’s that.”

 

            “Heh.  You won’t hear me complaining,” Kiley snickered, attempting to straighten his rumpled shirt.  “I suppose I should be thanking you, actually.  Well, aside from having you committed, of course.  I mean, to take Sae over Momo, you’re obviously a few grapes short of a fruitcake.  But hey, if it means I’m free to pursue Momo, then more power to you!  Just don’t go acting all pissy at me.  I mean, you’re the one who practically sent her running straight into my arms,” he stated airily, pushing past the other boy to stride away. 

 

He couldn’t resist one last dig as he went.  “Do me a favor and keep acting like a jackass,” he called back over his shoulder, “At the rate it’s going, it won’t be long at all before you send her running straight into my bed, too.”

 

            He didn’t even see Toji move until a hard fist suddenly connected with his head and sent him flying into the grass, while his jaw abruptly exploded with pain.  He lay there, too stunned to move, for a long moment, before he managed to shake the dizziness from his head and looked up at Toji, who was glaring down at him, nearly trembling with rage.  “I’m sorry,” the other boy stated with tightly-reigned fury.  “I didn’t quite catch that last part.  Care to repeat it?”  When Kiley, still in shock that Toji had actually struck him, didn’t reply, he snorted disdainfully.  “I didn’t think so,” he muttered, turning to stride away in the other direction…only to freeze in horror at the sight that greeted his eyes.

 

            Momo stood there in the middle of the walkway, her bag hanging limply from her hand and her lips slightly parted as she gaped at him in utter shock.  It was clear from her expression that she’d witnessed the fight; just how much she’d overheard was anyone’s guess, but she did not look pleased.  Several other students had formed a ring around them, as well, obviously wanting to know what was going to happen next.  She ignored them as her gaze slowly drifted from Toji to Kiley’s form still sprawled out in the grass, then back again.  Her lips were slowly thinning in disapproval, her brow drawing together in a perplexed frown.  Clearly, this was a side of Toji she’d never seen before, and obviously didn’t like.

 

            Toji stepped forward, mouth opening to explain, to try to defend his actions (and maybe plead with Momo to forgive him).  But before he could get a word out, he found himself being spun roughly around, and was able to catch a glimpse of Kiley’s furious countenance before he found a fist in his own face, striking with enough force to snap his head to the side and make him stagger back a few steps.  Apologies forgotten as anger once again rose to the surface, Toji threw up his fists and prepared to beat the living crap out of Kiley…who appeared just as ready to pound it out of him.  But before either of them could do much more than rush at each other, a small, golden-haired tiger had suddenly gotten between them and was roughly pushing both of them away from each other again.

 

            “Stop it!” Momo shrieked, her expression warring between fury and utter disbelief .  “I don’t believe you two!  What do you think you’re doing?!” she snapped.  “You’re gonna get yourselves suspended from school if you keep this up!”

 

            “He started it!” they each proclaimed hotly, and glared at each other.

 

            “Do you have any idea how immature you sound?  You’re acting like a pair of ten-year-olds!” Momo snapped, glaring at both of them.

 

            “I was only trying to defend your honor!” Toji protested.

 

            “That’s bullshit!” Kiley snarled, bristling, and only Momo’s firm grip on his arm kept him from leaping at the other boy again.  “You were trying to run her life!  Telling me to stay away from her…that’s a load of crap!”

 

            Momo frowned.  “Is that true?” she asked quietly, looking over at Toji.  He looked like he wanted to protest, but then merely shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed deeply, looking away from her, unable to meet her gaze.  That was answer enough, however, and her frown deepened.  “What gives you the right to choose my friends for me?” she questioned bitterly.  “You don’t care anymore, remember?”

 

            “He’s always felt threatened by me, Momo,” Kiley snorted.  “It’s that jealous instinct acting up, is all…”

 

            “You shut up!  I’m not finished with you yet, either!  I heard what you told him before he punched you, and I have to say if he hadn’t hit you for that I would have!” she snapped, shooting him a glare fixed to melt rock.  He meekly subsided.

 

            The other students, realizing that the fistfight—as it were—was apparently over, all began to disperse on their way to find other things to do.  Surprisingly, the trials and tribulations of these certain classmates of theirs was getting to be old news; a trip to the mall or the local movie theatre was far more interesting at the moment.  Momo stood there massaging the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger, attempting to ward off the oncoming headache as she thought about what to do.  Quite frankly, she was at her wits end with the entire messy business.  She was at the point where she wished she’d never met a boy named Toji or Kiley.  If she never saw either of them ever again…it would be too good to be true!

 

            Shaking her head in exasperation, realizing that she just didn’t have the strength to yell at either of them, she simply turned on her heel and stomped away, wanting nothing more than to make it home and have a nice long, relaxing soak in her tub.  “Momo, wait!” Kiley began, starting after her, but she suddenly whirled around again, glaring fiercely enough to cow even the bravest of souls, and pointed a finger at him. 

 

“Stay!” she barked.  “Both of you!  Don’t follow me, don’t talk to me…don’t even look at me for the next week if you can help it!  It shouldn’t be a problem for you, Toji.  You’ve got ignoring me down pat by now, no doubt,” she added bitterly.  The boy winced, but said nothing.

 

“Aw, Pussycat, don’t be mad…” Kiley persisted.

 

“No!  Kiley, I mean it!  I don’t want anything to do with either of you right now!” she snapped, feeling as if she was on the verge of tears.  “I’m going home.  I’m taking a bath.  I’m going to catch up with my homework.  Alone!  And I swear if I see one hair on either of your heads near my house, I’ll call the cops and have you arrested for trespassing!  Just leave me alone!”  And with that, she spun on her heel again and took off down the sidewalk, leaving the two young men to stare bewilderedly after her.