Cloud - Chapter 8: Chapter 8

I didn't know what was happening.
And it was seriously getting on my nerves.
Frederick was avoiding me.
Emma was also avoiding me.
I still haven't seen any of my other friends.
And Cloud.
Cloud was simply Cloud.
Which meant that he wasn't doing anything special and that I haven't seen him yet.
The only positive thing about all of that was that I had a new friend.
And it was Rain.
As crazy as it seemed.
I didn't know why but since this day had started, since I had put one feet on the school ground, he has been following around the school, without leaving me for one second. According to him, it was because he got a sudden liking into me, in a friendly way, not in a love way, I meant.
"I don't understand," Rain said, as we walked together to my second class of the day, "Who in their right mind named their son, Luffy?"
"My mom," I replied, "She is a great fan of One Piece. Monkey D Luffy was her favorite character and she wanted to name me after him but she couldn't call me Monkey, so she called me Luffy."
"Weird," Rain said.
"Rain, you're name is Rain. If anyone of us, his name is weird here, it's yours," I said before adding, "And your brother's."
"Luffy, you don't understand. Cloud and I, our names mean something, unlike yours who was created from a fictional character," Rain snapped back.
"You were named after the weather," I said in disbelief, "Let me guess, Cloud was born on a cloudy day and then, you were born on a rainy day."
Rain laughed at that and I smiled at him. We arrived in front of my class and he opened the door for me, like a gentleman. I laughed and then thanked him with a smile before entering. Rain wasn't going to any of his classes. He said that he preferred to go to mine. I didn't know if he had the right to do that but, what could I do?
As soon as I was in the class, every eyes turned on me and Rain. And I started to become uncomfortable. Trying to not mind the stares, Rain and I went to the back of the class. These people here had a great problem, I thought.
Why couldn't they stop staring?
Since this morning, when I arrived at the school on this faithful Monday, people has been staring at me weirdly but Rain assured me that it was because of him but a part of me wouldn't believe him.
It was weird.
Too weird.
What was also weird was that I had a complete black out from what happened at the party which Frederick and I went to. Okay, it was more of a Frederick going to the party and of a me staying in the car but what I meant was that, after I had slept in his car, I had no memory of what happened after.
Complete black-out.
I tried to ask Frederick what happened but like I said, he was avoiding me. The only thing I remembered was waking up at home the next day after the party. Frederick told me that, when he came back to the car, I was still sleeping so he drove us home. But I didn't believe him. Really, I couldn't have sleep for so long. Something must had happened, something that he didn't want to tell me.
"These people," Rain said as we sat down next to each other, "They don't really know when to stop, do they?"
I followed Rain's gaze and saw that he was glaring at the people who was staring at us. I looked back at Rain with a sorry expression.
"This must not be easy for you," I said and Rain looked at me.
"I manage. I'm used to it. It's Cloud who has a bit of a problem with it," Rain told me and I gave him a questioning look.
"What do you mean?" I asked him, "He didn't seem really affected by it."
"Cloud doesn't mind the rumors about him. He also doesn't care when people talk in his back and say that he is the devil, or whatever," Rain told me and I looked at him attentively, "What he has a problem with is when people start to say things to his face."
"I don't understand," I said.
"What I mean is, when people talk in his back, he doesn't mind. But if one of those people come and tell Cloud that he is the devil at his face, now we have a problem," Rain told me.
"He gets angry easily," I said and Rain shook his head.
"He doesn't get angry to the point of beating someone to death but he will start to make the person feel extremely miserable with his life," Rain said.
"I'm sorry," I told Rain, "For the way people treat you."
Rain surprised me when he smiled.
"You're different, little Luffy," Rain told me and I looked at him in confusion.
"Different from what?" I asked him but before he got the chance to answer, the door of the classroom opened and finally the teacher came in.
But it wasn't Mr. Robin, the English teacher, who came in, it was someone else and I immediately felt it. The sudden fear. I felt Rain tensed beside me at the sight of the newcomer in the class.
"Hello, everyone," the man said as he went to sit at the teacher's table. Everyone's eyes were on him, "Mr. Robin got some health problem, so from now on, I will be your new English teacher."
Some students cheered at that and some girls even started to make some inappropriate comments but the teacher wasn't paying any attention to them, he looked like he was searching for someone as his eyes were traveling from faces to faces.
His gaze finally met with mine and I instantly felt something. I didn't know how to describe it but it was a familiar feeling. His eyes didn't stay on me for long as they went on Rain whose face only darken. The corner of the new teacher's lips turned into a smile and I suddenly got a very bad feeling.
"Who is he?" I asked Rain as the teacher's eyes were no longer on us.
"Trouble," Rain replied as the teacher clapped his hands to tell everyone to stay quiet. The class soon fell completely silent.
"So as I said, I will be your new English teacher. I hope that we will get along well and that we will get a good year together," the teacher said and everyone cheered again, except me and Rain.
"What's your name, Sir?" One girl in the front asked.
"Oh, I nearly forgot," the teacher replied and his eyes went directly on Rain, "My name is Alexandro Vins."
His name sounded familiar but I didn't know where I first heard it. One thing for sure he meant nothing good. Don't ask me how I knew that, because I wouldn't be able to answer. Maybe it was because this Mr. Vins was too weird.
He didn't look like an teacher, he didn't look human at all. His skin was pale and his hair were tied into a ponytail. His eyes didn't look real at all. It was weird. But there was something about him that made me feel attracted to him and I was sure that everybody in this classroom felt it too. Except Rain.
He didn't look scared at Mr. Vins presence. He just looked completely angry and like he was ready to kill someone. One thing for sure, Rain knew who Mr. Vins was and from the way Rain was glaring at him, he didn't like him.
***
"Fuck! We are in some big shit," Rain said, as we got out of the English class.
"What are you talking about, Rain?" I asked him as we walked into the corridor.
"It's better if you don't know, Luffy," he replied as he got his phone out from his pocket. He typed something before he put the phone near his ear, "Cloud, they are here. Call me as soon as you got this message."
"What's happening?" I asked Rain.
"Nothing," he replied.
"It doesn't seem like nothing to me," I said and Rain sighed.
"Luffy, stop asking questions, you don't want the answers," Rain told me.
"But I want to know the answers," I said.
"No, you don't," he said and I gave up. I wasn't getting any answers from him.
We both turned around the corner and came face to face to a group of people who were all grouped around two persons who was fighting. As we came closer, I saw that it was indeed Emma and Nicolas who was fighting.
"What's happening?" I asked as I quickly walked towards them. I made my way to the group of people, stumbling in some people by the way, but I finally succeeded into arriving in front of Emma and Nicolas. I tried to go to them but someone took my hand to stop me.
"Don't, Luffy," Rain told me.
"But they are my friends," I said and he shook his head.
"Let them be," he said and I looked back at Emma and Nicolas who were still fighting.
"Nicolas, don't do this," Emma pleaded as the tears fell down her cheeks.
"How many times must I tell you that? We are over, Emma," Nicolas said in exasperation and Emma cried harder.
"But I love you," she said and Nicolas shook his head.
"No, if you loved me, you wouldn't have cheated on me," Nicolas said as he tried to walk away but Emma stopped him.
"It's not what you think. Please let me explain," she pleaded and made Nicolas more angry.
"We're over, Emma. Get over it," Nicolas shouted at her and then he walked away. Emma continued to cry as the people around started to take theirs phones out to take pictures of her. As I walked to her, Ken and the others arrived.
"Emma, what happened?" Jennifer asked her friend as Ken and Gina told the people around to stop taking pictures.
"Nicolas, broke up with me," she replied while crying and I heard Rain sighed in exasperation behind me as I arrived in front of Emma.
"Stop crying, little girl. I'm sure that you will get a new boyfriend very soon," Rain said out loud and Emma and the others looked at us. Emma's eyes fell on me and Rain and her face immediately decomposed.
"What do you want, Luffy?" She asked me harshly and I was a bit taken back by her tone of voice.
"Why are you angry with me?" I asked her and she looked at me in disbelief.
"I have every reasons in the world to be angry with you. It's because of you that Nicolas broke up with me," she shouted at me and it was my turn to look at her in disbelief.
"Calm down your voice, little crybaby," Rain warned Emma as he stepped in front of me and Emma laughed.
"Luffy, you are really a slut," Emma told me, "First, it was Cloud and now it's his brother."
"What are you talking about, Emma?" Jennifer asked her.
"Oh, you don't know," Emma said before giving me a hateful glare, "Luffy kissed Cloud."
I didn't think that I have been so shock in my entire life and everyone was in the same state that I was in. Ken's eyes nearly got out of theirs orbit while a gasp escaped Jennifer and Gina. I was completely lost.
"I didn't kiss Cloud," I said, unable to keep the disbelief out of my voice.
"Yes, you did. You kissed him in front of me," she said and I shook my head.
"When exactly did you see that?" Ken asked her.
"Friday night, at the party," Emma replied and I became more confused than I was before.
"I didn't go to this party," I said.
"Luffy now, you are lying. I saw you at the party," Ken said and I shook my head.
"I didn't go to the party, I just stayed in the car, I didn't enter the house," I said but it looked like nobody believed me.
"You're a liar. You were at the party and I saw you kissing Cloud. Don't deny it," Emma told me before adding, "Rain, tell him. I'm sure that Cloud told you what happened."
I looked at Rain, silently praying that he said that it was not true and that I never kissed Cloud but when I looked at his face, I knew that it was true.
But how?
How could it be?
I didn't remember kissing anyone. I didn't even remember leaving the car. If I had kiss him, I should remember, shouldn't I? It was pretty damn important.
"I don't remember kissing him," I said finally and Emma snapped.
"Stop lying," Emma shouted at me, "You kissed him. You even let him insult me. It's because of both of you that Nicolas broke up with me, you little piece of shit."
To say that I was hurt by her words, would not be enough. How could she say that it was my fault? I didn't remember doing anything and I surely didn't remember kissing Cloud. Emma didn't seem to be sorry with her words, which made me wonder.
Maybe she was telling the truth and I really did kiss Cloud. But if it was true, this meant that Frederick lied to me when he said that when he got back to the car, I was still asleep. It also explained why he was avoiding me. Maybe he didn't want me to know the truth? But again, it didn't make sense.
I opened my mouth to say something, anything but I couldn't find the words to say. What could I say to her anyway? Even if I said that I didn't remember, she wouldn't believe me, as well as the others. Ken, Jennifer and Gina were trying to put on a good face but I knew what was going on in theirs heads. They were asking themselves, how could I do that to Emma? How could I kiss Cloud?
"That's enough," Rain said finally and I looked at him with teary eyes, "Apologize immediately."
"What? I'm not going to apologize," Emma said and Rain stepped towards her. Ken and Gina came to stand beside Emma and Jennifer.
"Apologize, immediately," Rain ordered again but Emma only glared at him.
"Rain, let it be," I said finally but he didn't listen to me.
"Emma, I won't tell you that twice," Rain said, "If you don't apologize immediately, I'm going to make your life a living hell and trust me when I say that I'm worst than Cloud."
"I won't. I don't have to, he is not my friend after all," Emma said and now I felt really hurt. I looked at Emma and the others, expecting someone to say that it wasn't true, that I was still their friends but nothing. So I didn't stand here any longer and walked away.
Now, I lost all of my friends because I did something that I didn't even remember doing. Of course, if Emma won't talk to me anymore, the others also won't. I could say goodbye to the few friends, I had here.
I arrived in front of the man toilet and I entered. Fortunately, there was no one inside, I didn't want to deal with anyone right now. I went in front of the mirror and looked at my face.
Have could I have no memory of Friday night? As more as I tried to remember, I felt like I was going more far away from the truth. I heard the door of the toilet opened and then Rain came in. He gave me a small smile.
"Are you alright?" he asked me as he came to stand beside me.
"I think I will survive," I replied.
"Don't mind what Emma said to you. She is a bitch," Rain said with a smile and it stayed silent for some seconds.
"Rain, did I really kiss Cloud?" I asked him, hesitantly and he sighed.
"It's Cloud who kissed you. You just kissed him back," Rain replied.
"But I don't remember anything," I told him, "How could it be?"
"Don't worry about it, Luffy. Cloud and you kissed, that's all. Emma has nothing to say about it, so you don't have to worry about her," Rain told me and I nodded slowly.
"I just don't understand why she is so angry. I knew that she hates Cloud but not at this point," I said.
"Emma is not who you think she is," Rain told me, "She is manipulated bitch. She loves to talk bad about people but it's clear that she has never looked at herself in the mirror. It's not your fault that Nicolas broke up with her, she is the one who cheated her boyfriend with someone else. She is just trying to put on all the blame on you."
I smiled at Rain and he smiled back at me. He was trying to make me feel better and I must say that it was working. I felt more comfortable with Rain now. At first, I didn't really feel good in his presence, but having pass a few hours with him made me feel better.
Another weird thing.
"Alright, lets go have lunch, I'm starving," Rain said finally, "You can come and sit with me and my friends, Luffy."
I gave Rain a thankful smile and we both went out of the toilet and started to work towards the lunch room. We talked and laughed on the way. Rain was really funny but I knew that a part of him was dark, just like Cloud.
Everything has been weird since this day had started.
I was missing something. Something really important.
And I was going to find out what.
But first, I needed to talk to Cloud.