That Girl

Created: 9/17/03

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(Notes for this Chapter: The big bodies of italics are flashbacks. I just wanted to clear that up if any confusion.)

Chapter 1

"She"

She casted her eyes upon the sun, feeling the pain of burning rays. "So beautiful." She smiled.

Nearby, other teenagers were fawning over this girl, all looking up at the sun as well, trying to impress her. The kids murmured, "How can she handle this burning?" Everyone shrugged. "SHE IS SO AWESOME!" As everyone agreed, they began to start a cheer: "Go, go, go! She's in the flow! Everyone look at her, everyone speak to her. EVERYONE LOVE HER! GO with the FLOW! YEAH!" They all screamed and whooped.

She sighed, noticing the kids doing their cheer again. She stopped looking at the sun and started to walk away. Her black basketball shorts were in the suns shining light. She stretched her arms, her white tank top shuffling on her figure eight shaped body. Following on the shirt were the words: "only when things started to get better…" Finishing the sentence on the back was: "I died."

Everyone finally realized that she was walking away, so they began to follow her, mimicking her every move.

She listened closely to the sounds behind her. She soon, pretending, shoved a finger in her nose and started to finger around. Everyone gasped and said, "WOW! She is incredible!" They copied her and she noticed that they actually did it. She smacked her forehead and muttered, "Baka." One groupie said, "WOW! She called us idiots! She is totally leet." She smiled and ran up to the popular girl,

She looked at her, full of giddiness, "Kiss me, kiss me on the cheek!"

The other girl shook her head, "Look. I told you kids to leave me alone. I am also only interested in myself. Sorry." She walked away.

"What's so special about me?" she asked herself. "Do they know…do they know my secret?" She gasped.

She walked away from the school grounds since it was, indeed, the end of the school day, where they kept following her. She turned around and grabbed one of the boys by his white-collar shirt, "Leave me the heck alone!" She screamed in his ear, smirking at the others. They nodded obediently, the same girl asking for a kiss, bowing, stated, "For the meeting of tomorrow, Friday!" They all ran off in the opposite direction.

She exhaled with relief and walked the trail of her favorite brown and orange brick wall.

"They do know your secret." Said a voice, coming from a teen, like her.

She opened her eyes in surprise and then returned to her calm self. "Oh, they do, do they?" She sneered.

"Yes, Tami, they do."

She waved her hand at the boy and climbed the wall that went over just her head by a couple inches, so it was about five feet, seven inches, when she was five feet, five inches. She scooted close to him and rested her head on his shoulder of his navy blue t-shirt. She began to put a cute, unable-to-resist face on and whispered, "Tell me."

He sighed. "Tami, don't."

"Then tell me." She whispered in his ear, almost seductively.

"Tami…" His voice grew stern, but he couldn't resist her silky long brownish blue hair, which also added the color purple, that went to the length a little beyond her shoulders and her beautiful black-gray eyes that were filled with passion and confusion. "Stop it!" He grew back his strength and she was taken back.

"Many years ago…" She began, but stopped when she noticed he was somewhat angry and even a bit sad. "I'm sorry." She looked at him with her head up. "Tell me the secret that you say they know."

"They know that you…" A person screaming interrupted him.

"Fire, fire, FIRE!" The woman fainted and the two jumped off the wall, looking into the air to find smoke.

When they reached it, the house had burned completely and was on the way of collapsing. It was a brown and white two-story house.

The boy teenager cried out and ran toward the house, kicking at the door with many firemen chasing after him. When they pulled him out, there were tears on his face, but they weren't visible after the gray-black spots from smoke formed on his face. Tami ran up to him and laid his head in her lap, while sitting with both of her legs on the side. She showed no emotion on her face, but there was a hint of sadness and anger combined together. She examined him; his dark messy red hair was turned into gray, many kinds of gray, and she opened his eyes, they were still that caring black which you could stare so deep that you can see what he's feeling. She gave a little nervous smile at him and she stared at the burning house. She closed her eyes and a memory washed over her.

"Oh, Kene, you'll never change." A young girl's voice said happily. She appeared to be crying tears of joy.

The young boy known as "Kene" turned to her and kissed her cheek, "I love you too, Tami."

She breathed in and out happily and gasped. She gave him a loving look and said, "Stay with me forever, please."

Tami gave the boy in her lap that same loving look, years before. She sighed and looked at the flaming house. Memories, she blinked. "Mmm…" She droned, feeling relaxed. She bent over in an uncomfortable position, and rested her head on his chest, drifting off.

She opened her eyes, surprised. "School?" She murmured to herself.

"Class dismissed." The teacher announced as the school bell rang.

Tami rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked at the clock. Last period ended, she thought. School's already over? Friday already? She asked herself. Or did it never happen… The last question drifted into her mind. She blinked, Kene…She sighed.

"Ms. Leart." The teacher said, staring down at her.

She had awakened completely immediately and slipped out of the classroom, waving slowly at her teacher.

"My head…" She rubbed her temples as she walked off campus. Her "fans" weren't following her, so it still must be after school Thursday-right? "Ugh!" She groaned aloud. Kene, she thought. She ran to the wall, the same thoughts running over in her head, If he's there, it's Thursday, if he's not there it's Friday. She fell over and…

"Whoa." The boy caught her in his arms. "Be careful, you can get scratched real easy with the cement…" He gave her a smile.

She smirked and said, "Thank you." After she got herself standing up without his support she said, "I know that. This is my wall…well, this property doesn't belong to me, but it's my favorite wall." She let out a breath. "It's my favorite." She said more gently. "I go here everyday after school, no matter what. I cry on this wall, I laugh, I think, I talk, barely anyone goes on this wall…other then walking or something beside it for normal traveling purposes." She laughed at herself, engulfed in her own deep explanation. "I'm Tami, what's your name?"

"Kene. Kene Cannon." He smiled at her and noticed a little purple spot on her knee. He reached down to touch it, but she pulled away.

She smiled at him and said, "Tami Leart then." She began to talk some more, but was interrupted.

"There's a bruise on your knee." He told her, worriedly. "Let me look at it."

She shook her head and said, "This? That's not a bruise, Kene." She bent down and pulled it off. "It's just tape I keep there to see if any decent person would say anything about it." She placed it back onto its spot and grinning she said, "You are that decent person."

Before she fell to the floor, she turned around and landed on her back with a soft groan. She lay upside down and she tilted her head upwards to see…

"Hi Awesome."

She closed her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, but managed to ask, somewhat nicely, "What day is it?"

"Friday; the day I said we would meet again." The same kissing girl happily said with others now crowding over her head. She felt many hands grab her things and finally her.

"Thanks, but I have to go now." She snatched all of her stuff back and thought, Why, why didn't I check my clothes?! She looked down at herself and noticed she was wearing the same outfit the day before. She sighed, What had happened afterwards?

"Miss…Miss." A gentle feminine voice said, shaking Tami's body gently. "Time to wake."

Tami shut her eyelids tightly, the light blinding her eyes. She stretched and easily stood up, not noticing that Kene was gone. "Yes?" her voice squeaky and raspy. She blinked some more and fully awakened. She noticed her surroundings and stared blankly at the no-longer house, which she thought would've turned into ashes, but instead was green grass and a tree. She bluntly looked around for the other teen and spotted the woman.

"You have been sleeping on this street and I thought it was best for you to wake up." A warm smile graced her face.

Tami let out this grateful sound and smiled. "Do you happen to know where the boy in my lap went?" She pointed to her lap and then the floor.

"There was no boy in your lap when I found you, honey. Did you sleep much Wednesday night? You were just sprawled on the floor, looked like you were dreaming." The woman gave Tami a worried look and asked, "Would you like to come to my house? It's nearly five-thirty in the morning."

Tami gave a little small smile and made an "Unnnhmph" weak sound. "What happened to that house over there?" She pointed to the area where the tree was.

The female became more worried and replied, "It burned down three years ago."

She softly put her hand on Tami's shoulder and tugged at her arm. "Please…Come to my house, I'm worried about you, dear." She kindly said, hoping that it would convince Tami.

Tami opened her mouth in confusion and surprise, "No, it burned down Thursday, before now…"

"No…" The woman said, growing more concerned.

"But…Oh…" Tami swooped in an invisible circle and collapsed, fainting.

"Move…" A voice commanded. "Come on, move on." It repeated.

Tami slowly, as if it was the first time, opened her eyes. "Where?" She asked, her voice, once again, squeaky and raspy.

"School hospital."

"Doctor, I'll get her some more ice."

"Okay." The commanding and answering voice had been clarified as 'doctor.'

"Doctor…" Tami sat up, observing that the worried woman from before she blacked out, the doctor, a nurse, one of her teacher's, the principal, and a stranger were all in the same room. She smirked inwardly, regaining her old self again, thinking, That woman can't do better? A school hospital? She laughed at her and, admitting as well, that she should thank her. "Thank you ma'am." She directed the comment to the woman. The woman was tense and grew relaxed, nodding in her acknowledgement.

"Well, I'll go now," she told the others. "Take care of this young lady." She smiled towards Tami and whispered in her ear, "Be careful and cautious."

She wanted to talk, the doctor and nurse chatting in the corner with her principal. The stranger was watching her from another corner and the teacher was next to her side, and she began to talk instead. "Ms. Tami, are you alright?" She asked, not that concerned, but she showed a kindness.

"Yes, thank you. How many periods have I missed?"

"Well, told by that kind woman from before, you passed out for a good four hours and a half. So," She pointed to the clock. "Its ten now. But, due to no prep period for us teachers this morning, you guys have an hour-long lunch, and twenty minute breaks in between classes. We've been teaching you nothing, but nonsense!" The principal whipped around and opened his eyes in bewilderment. "Nothing is nonsense." The teacher nodded and said "Sorry." And he returned talking to the medical workers. She nervously laughed and said, "One more class period till heaven! As you know, each class period is fifty minutes long. Two periods have passed. An hour long and twenty minute break and lunch, together are coming soon!" She smiled and squeezed her shoulder, while getting up. "I won't see you for the rest of the day. Ms. Ress, Mr. Lans, and Mr. Fresh will be seeing you!" She stood up and pondered around in her mind, doing math. "All this calculations are driving my mind crazy! Some might be wrong too!" She laughed mirthfully. It was then that Tami realized that child-like innocence in her math teacher. She smiled as she saw her leave.

The group of three walked over to her and the doctor squeezed her shoulder, "You're going to be just fine, hon.' " She weakly smiled, not seeking comfort in the doctor's clothes; blue short shorts and a white tank-top that obviously indicated that she wore no bra and she had appealing cleavage, all underneath her white doctor coat. She appeared to be young looking, in her early twenties. Black hair and red eyes completed her and her pink lips were pursed into a smile. The principal was also young, in his early twenties; most of the teens at the high school adored him for his gorgeous looks-red unruly hair, bluish green eyes, and glasses, which did not make him, look geeky, but rather intelligent and stylish. His body was outrageously surprising, as it was not filled with abs or muscles, but a rather fit body.

The man began to speak, "Hi Tami. I'm Mr. Guylla. Your principal." His voice was kind and young sounding. "I just hope you take it easy for the rest of the day, okay?" He smiled at her. She nodded and he began to exit the room. "Good girl. I'll be seeing you later, Tami." Tami saw him wink at the doctor, now clarified (because of her pin) as Ms. Anne Vocal.

The nurse smiled at Tami. She looked like the real nurse type with her white little hat, and white uniform with white stockings and white sneakers. Her complexion was a milky white and she was perfected with blue eyes and blonde hair-Ms. Winkle. She had a wedding ring while Ms. Vocal and Mr. Guylla did not. The two medical workers walked out and Tami could make out some words, "Remembering things…" The doctor murmured and the nurse just agreed. The two shut the door.

"Tami, is it?" Came a voice from the corner.

She eyed the figure cautiously and nodded. She examined his appearance-red messy hair and black eyes that were sweet…That reminded her of someone…Kene. "Kene?" She asked in a hushed voice.

"It's Bri."

She began to hyperventilate, as her eyes grew watery. She rubbed her eyes; not wanting to believe it wasn't Kene. Time slowed down with her, and she leaned back as her breathing was at a slow pace. Bri ran over to her and caught her before she violently landed her back on the springy bed. He called for a nurse or the doctor, but she shook her head and he stopped yelling out their names.

"You remind me of someone." Tami told him.

"Oh, really?" He asked, softly.

She nodded.

"Who?"

"Kene." She simply stated.

"Ano…"

"Not 'Ano;' 'Kene.' "

He shook his head and laughed. " 'Ano means 'um' in Japanese.

She laughed. "I know that, but I thought you meant…His name was Ano." She laughed hysterically and stopped to find Bri looking at her.

He whispered in her ear, "What's wrong with you?"

Miss Vocal stepped into the room as Bri skittered back to his corner as if nothing happened.

"Um…Tami, hon,' you may leave now."

Tami hesitated for a moment and stared at the doctor and Bri. Some part of me tells me to ask him what he meant, to find out who he is, why he looks so much like my Kene…she thought to herself. I need to know, but I'm not sure if I should…Tell me, brain, heart, what should I do? She asked her human body parts. She shut her eyes for a moment as if it helped her think. Well…one part says you have to know if you want Kene back or found or…The other says it's too dangerous; Which should I listen to? She asked herself.

She sighed in exasperation and got off the bed as the doctor left the room.

She glanced toward Bri while he was looking straight at her, piercing her with his black eyes. She shook her head slightly and sighed, shrugging to herself.

She turned to leave the room, back facing Bri.

"Um…Tami…Wait, please?"

Tami turned around in hesitation to find Bri directly in front of her, only a mere inch apart.

"Um…Hello." She smiled, hiding nothing. (Tami was not one of fear or nervousness, she's unique).

He smiled warmly. "Hi Tami."

She began to get a better look at his physical traits. His skin was a tan color, a very light tan, and he seemed older than her and Kene. Though, he seemed to look like a high school student, as she was too, he seemed like a junior or something. She didn't know how to place him. She had sudden urges to kiss him, but she restricted herself.

"Why do you have to look like my Kene?" She asked out of nowhere.

"I'm sorry…I don't know. But, I know I'm not him, Ami-Am." He replied.

"What the hell?!" She exclaimed a bit angrily. "Don't give me a nickname! You have no right! I thought you were a nice kid, but you go on as if you've known me forever!" She corrected him.

She stood there with her arms crossed, waiting for an instant apology, but she was surprised.

Bri placed his lips on hers and had her in a major lip-lock that she didn't stop. Her eyes opened in bewilderment and surprise when he finally released her lips.

"I think you owe me an apology. Nicknames…Just calm down already. Maybe I do know you. You seem familiar." He pointed out to her in a firm voice.

She was in deep thought. 'His lips taste…' She tried to decide while she licked her own lips. '…like cherries.' Another thought popped up after that one. 'Cherries?! That's so feminine.' She exclaimed to herself.

He snapped his fingers in her face and that drew her attention toward him.

She gritted her teeth, forgetting the thoughts before. "Don't do that again!" She yelled. She was not one to storm out of rooms so she slapped him across the left cheek while the impact didn't affect him at all. His cheek just turned red.

He blinked calmly a few times. "You slap like a…" He drifted off. "Nevermind, Tami, nevermind." He smirked.

"Shut up." She snapped. "I'm going to leave now." She announced.

In reality, Tami had just stood there while her fans watched her.

"You look mesmerized." Came a voice, not from the group.

Tami pushed her way out of the little crowd and tried to find the voice.

She was silent when she finally found the person. "Bu—muh—oh." She stuttered for the first time in her life.