False Bestfriends

My best friend is a nine tailed fox. He sneaks out at night and turns into some creature with nine tails. It's a secret, nobody knows but me; his best friend; Joan. Shhhh, don't tell anyone.

"Seriously?"

Joan jumped, her pen falling off in the process. King laughed loudly, his eyes twinkling mischievously as he laughed. He had spoken very close to her ear. She sighed, picking up the fallen pen and turning back to her writing.

"Your best friend is a nine tailed fox" he repeated, coming to rest on the table she was writing on.

"Yes" she snickered, looking up at him, "You sneak out at night and turn into some creature with nine tails. It's a secret, nobody knows but me; your best friend; Joan. Shhhh, don't tell anyone"

She finished in a dramatic whisper, a small smile on her face as she watched him burst into laughter again.

"You've watched too many Korean series" he commented when he finally stopped laughing.

"Like you don't watch them with me also" she replied, shutting the book she had been scribbling on. His eyes followed her movement then he looked back at her.

They stared at each other. She was used to their stared. They would stop halfway in a conversation and just stare at each other or one of them would sight the other somewhere and they would venture into a staring contest.

"It's nice to know you're always thinking of me" he spoke finally.

She scoffed, looking away from him to anything else.

"I was bored and I found myself scribbling nonsense"

"Because your brain has so much information about me. I'd say I am the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last thing you think about before sleeping"

She had already started shaking her head before he completed his statement.

"Where do you get such ideas from?" she laughed nervously, looking back at him. He chuckled, going to lie backwards on her bed. She turned around on her chair to face him properly while he looked back at her from the bed.

"Isn't it true?" he asked, expressionlessly.

"No, King. You're not the first person I think of when I wake and definitely not the last person I think of before I sleep"

"Ok"

"Ok?" she raised a brow.

He laughed, "Ok. What else do you want me to say?"

"Did you see my mum before you came up?" she changed the subject, glancing at her room door.

"Yeah, with a visitor. They're in the kitchen"

She turned back around, facing her reading table and opening her book again. She placed big strokes across the last thing she penned down and then hesitated before tearing the page off and throwing it into the waste bin.

"Do you want to go out? Take a walk or do some other thing?" he asked.

"You can go yourself"

"I wouldn't be asking you if I wanted to go myself"

She didn't reply instead she drew. When the drawing became clear, she realized she was drawing him.

"Thinking of me again"

She jumped, again. She flung her hands at him, successfully hitting him on the forehead. He always had his way of creeping up on her.

"It's nice" he admired. His jaw rested on her right shoulder so it made funny movements as he talked. She added strokes and slashes, completing the drawing. It didn't exactly look like him but they both knew who she had been drawing.

"You can add it to the ones in your room" she offered, tearing the page off and folding it into a neat square.

"What?" she asked when he didn't say anything. He sniffed her neck in reply.

"Are you prepared for school tomorrow?" he asked, taking the folded paper from her.

"Yeah. You?"

"What I did before coming here. Actually I came here to sleep" he replied, placing a kiss on her neck before leaving.

She turned around, watching him lie on her bed comfortably.

"I've told you to stop staying up late. It's not good for your health not anyone's for that matter. At least 4 nights a week, get a good 8 hour sleep" she advised.

"You know" was his reply.

"I know King, I know but it doesn't excuse you"

"I'll sleep now"

She sighed, staring at his back he had covered with her duvet.

"I'll be here when you wake"

Joan slipped on a jacket over her gown as she picked up her bag from her bed. She glanced at the rumpled bed, she'd just have to leave it that way till she returns from school, she was late

She took a quick look at herself in the mirror, just enough to see that her clothes were in order, that her face didn't have any weird particles on it and that her hair was neatly brushed. She wasn't a fan of vanity, spending long minutes on front of the mirror, for what exactly?

"Good morning mum" she greeted as she came into the kitchen, giving her a hug.

"How was your night, darling?" her mother, Mrs. Michaels, asked, moving to rub her head. She dodged as always.

"Fine." she replied, sitting at the table in the kitchen. She picked her mug her mother had already laid out before hand and poured he self tea from the teapot that was still very much hot.

"I'm late." she sighed after taking a sip of her tea, watching her mother scrub the kitchen counter clean.

"As always. Just make sure you put something in that flat stomach of yours before leaving my house."

She chuckled at her mother's expression. Her mother was a beauty even in her late fourties with he heart shaped face, big eyes, small nose and slightly wide lips. Her hair was packed, as it was most times, in a ponytail.

She looked away, picking up a toast from the stack on the table. She bit into it, reveling in its goodness.

"What time did King leave yesterday?" her mother asked

"11."

"He slept." she added as a way of explanation. Her mother didn't reply.

"I'm leaving." she announced, picking two more pieces of toast. Her mother looked at her about to say something then shut her mouth.

"Finish that tea" her mother ordered.

She replaced the toast then picked up the mug, gulping down its content hurriedly. She picked the toasts again.

"I'm done! I'm leaving!" she shouted, hurrying out of the house.

Sisi lived right beside her. She was late, Sisi was much worse. She would probably just be taking her bath. She rang the doorbell just as the door flung open.

"I'm ready!" Sisi announced, a bright sheepish smile on her face, her arms spread apart to buttress her point. She laughed, handing Sisi a toast.

Sisi mumbled a thanks as she shut her door and locked it.

"Part of the reason I'm still friends with you is because of this baby over here. Otherwise, well..." She said jokingly, gesturing to Sisi's blue mustang parked on her driveway.

Sisi laughed loudly.

"Lies" Sisi said.

The car beeped, showing Sisi had unlocked it. They got into the car; Sisi at the driver's seat and she at the passenger's seat.

"I'm considering taking driving lessons" she said as she buckled her seatbelt. Sisi gave her a look at the act.

"Or you'll just teach me" she added, ignoring the look. Of course, Sisi didn't do seatbelts.

"Babe, better go and learn from professionals. I'll just teach you to destroy roads" Sisi spoke, finishing her toast.

She chuckled, handing Sisi the second one.

"Okay" Sisi laughed, "I'll eat for the both of us"

"Fast fast" she hurried Sisi who finished the toast in three bites.

"Good girl" she hailed laughing.

Sisi shook her head, a sorrowful look on her face as she started the car and they drove to school.

Sisi was a year older than her. She was seventeen, Sisi was eighteen but they were both in the same grade, grade 12. Also Keisha and Selena, who were also eighteen.

They were in the cafeteria after having the first half of their classes.

The cafeteria, as expected, was crowded and noisy. She and her friends sat on their table at the far end of the cafeteria.

"I love your braids" Selena said to her and she gave her a look.

"Girl, I've been on this braids for two weeks now"

Keisha snickered while Sisi typed away on her phone.

"It looks new to me" Selena shrugged.

"Madeline is just an attention deeker" Keisha commented and they all looked to the group that was making the most noise.

"You're a cheat! You hear me! A cheat! I can't believe I fell for you, you liar!" Madeline, the ever pompous girl of their set shouted at her boyfriend, Niel, now ex-boyfriend.

Niel was sitted on his table with his friends, a bored look on his face as he twirled his car keys in his fingers while Madeline shouted and screamed.

"I'll make your life a living hell in this school, you hear me! East wood high, hear me now!" Madeline shouted, turning to face the rest of the students, "I'll make this two lives a living hell! Mark my words!"

With that, she stomped out of the cafeteria.

"Epic!" Sisi laughed.

"Who's the second cheat?" she asked, turning to face her friends.

"Lady beside Niel" Selena smirked.

She turned and noticed Pen, Penelope Chopra; the Asian girl with the extremely long hair and doll- like beauty; sitting beside Niel on his right. There was no one on his left. She widened her eyes then chuckled, turning back to her friends.

"I didn't expect that. I thought she was decent"

Sisi clicked her tongue while Selena and Keisha made funny faces.

"She is..." Sisi started then laughed.

"Ok, she is decent but I heard she is like head over heels in love with Niel and she did what most people blinded by love would do, cheat with him" Selena explained.

"So they are like dating now?" she asked.

"No, still friends. I actually don't think Niel likes her much. I think he's just having the fun of his life" Keisha answered.

She turned to look at them again, to see them already laughing and chatting like the drama that had just played out didn't happen. As she turned back to her table, she caught eyes staring at her from across the cafeteria. She smiled at him, Koty, short for Colton. He smiled back at her and she looked away.

"He's very much single and searching" Sisi wriggled her brows.

She gave a sarcastic look.

"I don't know why you guys think it's important to date in high school. I mean, why would you even date? You still have a whole life ahead of you and you're rushing into relationships that would end up collapsing"

"Teach" Keisha rolled her eyes.

"I'm going for my sixth boyfriend soon" Sisi said.

Selena said nothing. Of course, she knew they wouldn't listen to her and they always ended up paying the price. Sisi had experienced two heartbreaks already, Keisha had been seduced to give up her virginity, after which she regretted it and had suffered depression for months; and Selena,well Selena had not joined the boyfriend game but she was already being initiated. Initiated being that she had something going on with Kennedy McCarthy which she refused to let them in on, claiming it was her personal business.

"We have a short time before school ends. Like high school ends completely" Sisi deadpanned, demonstrating with her hands.

"Like I don't know that" she gave Sisi a look.

Sisi rolled her eyes, "High school

doesn't happen twice. Just date Koty, even if its just a week."

"I won't."

"He likes you. I mean, girls, isn't it obvious?" Sisi asked, looking at Keisha and Selena for affirmation.

"Yeah" they affirmed.

"He's always looking at you" Selena added.

"So is Ken" Keisha added drily.

Selena turned around and immediately turned back, blushing heavily.

"Are you guys like dating?" Sisi asked curiously.

"Na" Selena answered , her mood dropping.

"You can just ask him out yourself." she suggested. They stared at her and then bursted into laughter.

"What happened to no relationships?" Sisi mocked.

"I'm just saying that so you'll get embarrassed and then learn your lesson."

She joined them this time in laughing.

"Savage." Selena muttered.

"Wait! Aren't we getting food?" Keisha asked suddenly.

It was then they noticed that their table was empty. They had not bought any food.

They bursted into another round of laughter.

Classes had ended for the day. She needed to get home quickly so she could do all the things she had to do quickly and then settle down to read. Exams were fast approaching and waiting for Sisi was impossible.

She bade Sisi bye at her locker then made her way through the Sea of people out of the hallway. Someone tapped her from behind and she turned seeing Koty.

"Hey" he greeted.

"Hi, good afternoon" she smiled, stopping to listen to him.

He opened his mouth to say something then closed it, shaking his head. He handed her a paper bag. She raised a brow.

"I saw you and your friends didn't get anything today and I figured you must be hungry." he explained.

"Oh." her smile widened as she looked down at the bag.

"But..." She looked back up at him, "I'm sorry. I can't accept this"

He stepped back as she stretched the bag out to him.

"I'm sorry also. I can't accept it back."

She laughed and he laughed with her. He had a cute laugh and his dimples peeked out through them. She liked it. She liked hat he kept his black and curly hair neat and smooth and that he was tall, two inches above her and that he worked out and that he dressed neat and cool and that he was nice and friendly and that he didn't behave like the other football picks even if he was a member of the team.

"Well Mr. Koty, I'm afraid I'll have to refuse you" she said after they stopped laughing, her hand still stretched out. They looked funny; standing in the middle of the hall way, laughing with her hand stretched out like a scarecrow .

She was hungry but she just didn't feel comfortable accepting things from him especially when she knew he had a crush on her. She didn't want to lead him on or any of that stuff.

"And I'll also have to refuse you" he spoke, taking slow steps away from her, laughing slightly, his eyes bright and happy. She chuckled, watching helplessly as he disappeared round the corner.

She sighed, putting her hands down at her side. She would just have to accept it then.

Getting home, the house was empty as expected. Her mother wouldn't be back from work until about 8pm and her father was non-existent. Her mother had never spoken about him and she had never botheted to ask her about his whereabouts, if he was alive. She was beginning to get curious now.

An hour and a half later, shevwas done with the house chores she had avoided that morning and also had her bath and changed clothes. She just had to get a few groceries from the grocery store a few streets away and then make dinner. She glanced at Sisi's bungalow as she came out of her duplex. Sisi was not back home yet; if she was, music would be blasting heavily from her room.

Sisi was one girl.

They had been neighbors for as long as she could remember but they had become friends at the end of middle school. They weren't close. Though they she rode in Sisi's car almost everyday to school and they spent a good quality of time together, she was never totally free with her.

Sisi was far too different from her. She was loud, crazy, boy crazy, short tempered and she, Joan was more in tune with her behaviour than Sisi would ever be. Despite all that, she still valued Sisi as a friend, Sisi was irreplaceable.

She smiled, remembering when the nickname Sisi had stuck. Sisi's real name was Susan but she told anyone who cared to ask that she was Susie. Of course, everyone knew it was short for Susan but she had misheard wrongly when Sisi had told her. Sisi didn't mind and now the nickname had stuck and virtually everyone called her Sisi.

She flung her braids behind her neck and began humming to a song as she walked along. She would have to make fewer braids next time. She didn't like hair being a nuisance as much as she loved fashion. Better still, she would go natural until she was ready to braid her hair again. She glanced at her wristwatch, it was almost 6pm. Perhaps King would be home.

She sighed, that was highly unlikely. She worried about him. It seemed like lately he was becoming more closed off, more distant and she didn't like that

He was the only person she was ever totally free with and so his recent withdrawals made her feel lonely.

She considered going over to his house but discarded the thought as soon as it came. He had warned her not to and she didn't even know his address; she only knew the name of the location; there was a huge probability he would not be home.

Besides he lived faraway, she would have to make two stops to get there if she took a train and if she decided to use a cab, it was too expensive.

She wished he lived closer, she wished he attended the same school with her. He was her best friend yet they were so far apart in everything that she wondered how their relationship had lasted this long.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Sorry" she quickly apologized to the teenage boy she had bumped into absentmindedly. He didn't respond, he just walked on. She shrugged, entering into the grocery store.

In a few minutes, she had bought all she needed and made her way out and hastened her steps home. She had to make dinner before she could settle down to read and she had to give King a call before hand. It was a habit, to check up on him everyday.

She brought out the keys to her home as she made her way up the porch unaware of the hooded figure coming up behind her.

She fitted in the keys and pushed the door open just as a hand closed in on hers. She jumped. Her heart leaping in her chest, the bag of groceries and her keys falling to the ground; as she turned around to see who it was.

"King!" She exclaimed in relief and annoyance.

He bent and picked up the fallen groceries and keys while she calmed her racing heart and then he led he inside the house, locking the door after.

"How many times have I told you to stop sneaking up on me!? I could have had a heart attack!" She shouted at him as he dissapeared into the kitchen.

"And why are you looking like a gangster with your face covered that way!? ... King!"

She huffed, following after him when he did not respond. She paused, noticing his stance. His hands were placed on the kitchen counter, his head bowed; the bag of groceries was kept carelessly at a corner.

"King?"

"Why are you covering your face?" She asked. She walked up to him when he still did not reply and turned him to face her. He was surprisingly receptive and then she threw the hoodie of his face.

"King!" Was what she could utter, anger boiling in her chest. He hugged her, burying his face in her neck.

"How many times have I ... Why do you let this happen!? What is wrong with you!?" She shouted, her hands hanging loosely at her sides, not making any move to hug him back but not pushing him away either.

"I'm sorry" he murmured.

"No!" She continued, "You're not! You're not, King! Everytime this and you keep complaining yet you don't do anything about it. What's wrong with you!?"

"I'm sorry"

She opened her mouth to shout again but then closed it, shutting her eyes and taking deep breathes to calm herself.

"I'm sorry" he repeated.

They fell silent.

"Just let me go" she spoke upon opening her eyes.

He did slowly and reluctantly, his eyes searching hers. She looked away.

"Sit there" she nodded at the dining. He complied. She opened a cupboard, bringing out a first aid kit from there.

"You see this?" She asked him, bringing out an almost empty pack of cotton wool from the kit as she walked up to him.

"Most of it ended up on your face" she slammed the kit angrily on the table.

The table was pushed back with more force than necessary then she leaned against it, in front of him. He stared at her solemnly.

The cuts were ugly, the bruises discoloured. The last ones had not even healed completely and now this.

"You should just leave that house and come live with us" she spoke, now calm.

"As if" he muttered.

"King I'm telling you" she spoke, taking out the necessities, " You better do something. Avoid him, stay out of his way"

"I try" he said tiredly, "It's not that easy.

She positioned his face and began to clean the wounds.

"I don't like it" she sighed after some moments of silence.

"I can barely see your handsomeness any more. It's all covered in bruises"

He chuckled then stopped abruptly, wincing.

" So you admit I'm handsome"

"Like I've not said that before" she answered, giving him a look.

"It's rare" he said, smiling.

"Of course, it's supposed to be rare. You didn't give yourself your handsomeness, GOD did"

******

They sat together in the sitting room, watching TV. They had cooked and eaten dinner already. They sat close to each other but without making any contact. She stared at the little space between them, itching to cover it up and wrap herself in his arms.

"Are you okay?" King asked. She looked at him.

"You've been staring at nothing for a long time. You've not even been watching the TV" he explained, a concerned look on his face. She gulped.

"Nothing" she replied. He raised a brow but said nothing else, turning back to the TV. She stared at it too but she could barely concentrate.

She was the one who placed restrictions in their relationship, who made the rules. No excessive contact, no barging into rooms, no hugs longer than 30 seconds except on special occasions, pecking to be rare. King always broke them. He would hug her for as long as he liked; he would wrap her in his arms whenever they sat together; he would barge into her room whenever he visited; he would Peck her consistently and he was open about their relationship in public. Though she resisted; most of the time, she ended up giving in. He knew how to break down her guards, he was her best friend after all.

But recently she noticed he had started to follow those restrictions. He still broke them but not as much as before. With both of them sitting closely together, she had expected him to pull her into his arms as usual especially now that he was worried but he just sat, acting like everything was fine. It worried her.

"Joan"

She looked at him again.

"If anything is wrong, please tell me"

She stared at his worried face, noticing how good he looked despite the injuries. She liked the way his afro stood high and neat, how the front edges of his hair curled outwards; his eyes that grew smaller whenever it expressed emotion and his cheeks that stood high whenever he smiled.

She looked down at that little space and she crossed it, pushing herself into his arms. He let out a sigh of relief.

"You could have told me" he whispered, pulling her close and burying his face in her hair.

She said nothing, tightening her arms instead around his back.

"You could have told me" he repeated.

They had slept off. It was surprising. They had slept off in that position. It wasn't until her mother woke them up that she realized it and she didn't realize she had been clinging to King's arm until she noticed her mother's disapproving frown directed at her. She pulled away immediately. King noticed.

"Good evening ma'am" he greeted respectfully, getting to his feet.

"How are you?" her mother asked, a smile replacing her frown. She was still dressed in her work clothes with her bag hung on her shoulder.

"Very fine" he replied.

Her mother stared at his face.

"Did you get into a fight again?" she asked, her smile disappearing.

Joan brows shot up. Was that what her mother thought whenever she saw him with bruises? Her mother had never commented on King's injuries in the past and she had never bothered to inform her why he had them.

"I... ma... no... " King stuttered, glancing at her.

"He... " She started, getting to her feet.

"You always get into fights, King" her mother interrupted, turning away from them and switching off the TV. The sitting room turned dark immediately; they had switched off the lights after they had dinner.

"And that's very bad. Very bad" her mother added. She couldn't see her mother and the next minute the sitting room was flooded with light.

"Joan, you should caution him and not just babysit him everytime he comes running here after getting beaten" her mother spoke coldly from where she had switched on the lights.

"I'm sorry ma'am. I'm really sorry but it's not what you ... "

Her mother held up a hand.

"That's enough. My advice to you is to change, for your good and her good. You should get going now."

With that, her mother turned and walked away. They stood there in silence after she left, not speaking a word.

King dropped down unto the sofa.

"I don't want your mum to hate me" he spoke sadly, his head in his hands.

"She doesn't" she sighed, sitting beside him.

"She thinks I get into fights"

"You do in a sense"

He glanced at her.

"I'll get going now." he said, getting up.

"No!" she said quickly, standing up also.

He looked at her perplexed.

"Stay. You'll stay in one of the guest rooms. You can't go back home this night."

"But... "

"Its too dangerous, King. You have to stay, you'll go back early in the morning."

"Your... "

"I'll talk to her. Just sit there and don't move" she spoke sternly then quickly hurried up the stairs.