It was a blindingly bright summer day, and Haruto wished he hadn't chosen to wear a sweatshirt today. In fact, the whole morning had completely thrown him off, and he still hadn't seemed to find his footing.
"Who's Lila?" Pix asked, gliding along beside him, just barely off the ground. He was wearing Haruto's sister's clothes, dressed in a white sweatshirt that fell off his shoulder, pink shorts, and sandals with socks.
"Bijan's older sister," he replied. "She's my friend. She's a year older than us and is in some serious prep school stuff for college, but she doesn't really like it."
"Huh? Why's she doing it, then?"
"Ahh, well, it's complicated…" Haruto rubbed the back of his head. "Her and Bijan's parents expect a ton out of them, and sometimes it's stuff they aren't really into."
"Ah… Yeah, I can understand that." The two crossed the block, walking toward the large brick home. "Bijan's somebody you've known for a long time, right?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, since we were kids. Why?"
"I could just tell. He seems to really like you." Haruto raised his eyebrows.
"Huh… Really? Do you think so? He doesn't ever really show it." For some reason, Pix had an odd feeling, as though he had misspoken.
They reached the house, walking through the front gate. Haruto gently knocked on the door, but after a split second it swung open. A girl was standing there, with dark, tanned skin, jet black eyes, and dark hair that flew wildly about down her back and shoulders. Streaks of hot pink and melon green stood out against the black of her hair. She was wearing very ripped jeans, and a black sweater that fell off her shoulders but didn't fall past the top of her stomach, with a leather jacket worn over it, half-zipped. Her lips were glossy, and a dark burgundy color. Pix thought she looked fun.
"RUTO!" She lunged forward, throwing the boy into a headlock, ruffling his hair up. "I missed my metal buddy! Everyone at school has horrible taste in music!"
"You shouldn't say that," he said, swatting her hand away. She was wearing a lot of rings. "How would you know? You probably didn't even talk to anybody there."
"You got me." She laughed, then pushed him aside and honed in on Pix, her eyes lighting up. "Oh my god!" Pix was a little nervous. Did she somehow figure out he was an alien…?
"YOUR LOOK IS SO CUTE!" The girl clasped her hand over her mouth. "You're so pretty! What's your name?" His eyes lit up as well, and he smiled.
"I'm Pix! What's yours?" He stuck his hand out, and she shook it enthusiastically.
"Hi, I'm Lila… Oh, are you a boy?" She now had both hands over her mouth. "Wait, that was so rude! Sorry!"
"No, I am. You got it right." He giggled, brushing his hair out of his face. "I know I look kind of funny."
"No way, you look cool! I love the kinda spacey look… Oh, hey, where'd you get those antennae? They look really real." He giggled even more, although Haruto seemed a little pale. Lila had a look in her eyes and a smirk that he was familiar with– The look she got when she knew something without anyone telling her.
"Ah, I don't know. I… go to a lot of different stores. Hehe." She didn't push it any further.
"Well, come on in. Bijan's in the basement, Haruto. Go talk about scary movies or whatever it is you're into these days. I wanna hang out with your silly friend." She took Pix's hand, leading him into the foyer. "Do you want a soda?" The kitchen was wide, and decorated with dark tiles and elegant wall decor. Lila swung the fridge door open, just as someone walked into the kitchen– A thin, older woman, with dark eyes and dark grey hair.
"Lila," she spoke in a thick accent. "Why are you dressed that way?" She glanced over at Pix coldly. "I see you brought a… friend." Lila was glaring at her.
"Ugh, he's Haruto's friend! Leave him be!" She quickly ushered Pix down the hall. "Uhh, go down to the basement. I'll get you a soda and be there in a minute."
When Haruto stepped downstairs into the furnished basement, he found Bijan sitting at his desk, his headset on and a game controller in his hands.
"Aghh…" He sighed, tapping away at the buttons a bit aggressively. Haruto walked up behind him, tapping his shoulder gently. "EEP!" Bijan startled, dropping the controller with a loud clack. "Ah! Ha– Haruto! Hey!" He turned off his PC, clearing his throat loudly, his cheeks flushed. "Hey. It's good to see you."
"Hey." Haruto sank down onto the sofa beside the gaming desk. "How've you been?"
"I'm good… Oh, hey, how was the Metalboys concert?" Haruto's eyes lit up a bit.
"Oh, it was really cool… Ah, I forgot to take pics though. Sorry."
"Nah, it's alright. Sorry I couldn't come," Bijan mumbled, smoothing his hair out a bit and glancing at the things on his desk. "You know how my dad is." Haruto smiled.
"It's no problem," he said. "I went with Pix." Bijan looked up at him, a strange look on his face.
"Oh, well, that's cool. I'm glad you were able to use the extra ticket, heh…" He looked away again just as Pix came downstairs.
"Hey." Haruto went over to him. "Where's Lila?"
"Uh, her mom appeared and started chewing her out a little…" Bijan shot a glare at him, making him shrink a little into the sweatshirt he was wearing. Pix wasn't sure what he had done wrong, but he felt relieved when he heard someone coming down the stairs, pulling the attention off of him. It was Lila. She sighed, leaning in the doorway.
"I'm back. Sorry about that, Pix." She handed him a cold soda. "That happens a lot." Her tired expression became a bright one as she looked at Haruto and her brother. "But, hey, why don't we get out of the house?" Pix was sipping the soda cautiously.
"Do we have to…?" Bijan mumbled. Lila crossed her arms.
"Some sunlight would do YOU GOOD." And that was how the group wound up crammed in Lila's car. She was blasting music that sounded familiar to Pix– it wasn't the same band as the one Haruto liked, but it was the same type of loud, angry music. Lila tore down the street, bobbing her head to the music and singing to herself. In the back, Haruto sat in the middle, his knees practically up front because of how small the car was, with Pix and Bijan on either side. Bijan looked out the window, tapping his fingers against his jeans and mumbling the song's lyrics to himself. Pix was staring out the window too, but had a huge smile on his face, and rolled his window down. Haruto turned his head a bit, noticing, and when Pix saw him looking he mouthed the words:
"It's like being in a spaceship." The wind was brushing his hair into his face, but he didn't seem to mind at all– His eyes were bright and full of joy. Haruto didn't say anything, but there was a little smile on his face.
Lila parked in a very crooked way in a small lot, kicking the car door open and sliding out of the seat.
"We're here! C'mon." She helped Pix out of the car, a grin on her face. "Do you like this shopping center?"
"I'm… new in this town."
"Seriously? Where'd you move from?" She walked along with him, leaving Haruto and Bijan in the dust. "Keep up," she called over her shoulder. Her and Pix were both rather quick walkers.
"A really far away place," Pix said, looking nowhere in particular. "A different country."
"Which country?"
"Uh… France." Lila gasped, and her dark eyes got all sparkly.
"France… That's where she lives."
"Who?"
"My girlfriend." She had a sheepish smile on her face, rubbing the back of her neck. "We do long-distance."
"WOW! What's she like?" he asked as they walked into the shopping square, heading towards a clothing store. He didn't mention that he had no idea what long distance was. Or a girlfriend.
"Oh, she's a sweetheart. She's the shy type, and a total bookworm. She's totally my type…" She sighed dreamily, swinging the shop's door open, ringing the small bell hanging above.
"Seriously? Here?" Bijan sighed, tailing the two. "Lila, they don't even sell clothes you like here."
"Yeah, they do, sometimes. Besides, I'm not here for ME, I'm showing Pix. The stuff here totally matches his style. Go hang out at the bookstore or something."
"Ughhh, whatever. Me and Haruto are gonna go hit up the comics, then. C'mon." He turned. Haruto shuffled his way over to Pix's side.
"Are you gonna be alright alone?" he whispered, slight concern in his eyes.
"Sure thing," Pix said, with a smile. But there was something that bothered him– He wasn't sure what. He watched Haruto go, and the smile faded. Lila seemed to notice, because she quickly grabbed something from a nearby shelf and held it up.
"Hey, check out this camisole! C'mere, let me hold it up to you…" She smelled like cherries, and was very intent with the clothes-shopping process, Pix quickly found. "My mom does this all the time. I guess I picked up the habit," she said in a low voice, smiling. "What's your family like, Pix?" He glanced down at the top she was holding to his chest, searching for an answer and biting his cheek a little.
"I don't really know how I'd describe them," he said.
"I feel that... What about your friends? Do they dress cool, like you do?"
"Yeah! But I don't have that many. I'm… different." She pulled the shirt away, and when he looked up, he found that she had a more sappy look in her eyes.
"You know what? I think you're pretty cool! Haruto thinks so, too." She winked very obviously, a silly smirk on her face.
Pix's pale blue face flushed rosy red.
"WAUH– WHAT? DID HE SAY THAT?"
"No," Lila said, "but he wouldn't take just anyone to a concert. Especially not Metalboys. They're his favorite band."
Oh… Pix had a strange flutter in his chest. He turned away, scrunching his face up. Lila laughed and pulled him along.
"Come on, let's go look for more clothes."
By the time they had finished browsing the aisles, the sun had dipped in the sky. Lila checked her phone, pursing her lips.
"Umm, not sure where Ruto and Bijan are. How about we split up and find them?" Pix nodded and hurried along. Something about him being missing with Bijan bugged him.
The shop square wasn't as busy now, and the gardenias were in full bloom. Pix darted around, poking his head into different stores. He checked in the bookstore, a sweets shoppe, and a few craft stores, but couldn't find any sign of Haruto.
He eventually found himself at the back of the buildings, where the pavement trailed off into gravel and the outskirts of the square. He heard a small shuffle that caught his attention.
"HARUTOOOO?" He called, looking around. It was quiet.
Wham! Something knocked over the trash cans nearby with a loud clang!
"EEP!" Pix lifted into the air instinctively, high off the ground, whipping around with his hands covering his face.
"... WHAT THE HELL?" That wasn't Haruto's voice. Pix peeked.
Bijan was standing there, alone, his mouth agape and his eyes very wide.
"OH… HEY…" Pix slowly lowered himself onto the ground, looking away shyly. "You saw that, huh…?"
"YES, I DID! WHAT ARE YOU?!" Bijan grabbed a trash can lid, wielding it like a shield. "St– Stay away!"
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you! I promise!" Pix backed away, raising his hands, wincing. "Bijan, please! Don't tell anybody! I'm not here to hurt anyone–"
"Wait– Does Haruto know about this…?"
"Yes," Pix answered calmly. "Haruto rescued me."
Bijan was quiet for a moment, then dropped the lid with a loud clatter, sighing.
"Uggghhh… Fine! Listen up!" He pointed at him, glaring. "I won't tell anybody, but you had better STAY AWAY from Haruto! You're only gonna drag him into your weird alien trouble! He's somebody precious to me, and I won't let you…!" He turned without finishing his sentence, stomping away. Pix was left alone, in shock.
When he returned to the rest of the group, he was very quiet. The car ride home, he stared out the window, but didn't smile the way he did before or say anything. Haruto and Bijan were talking, their voices a gentle, excited murmur about bands and video games. Lila dropped Haruto and Pix off at home, and leaned out her window, smiling with her arm resting over the edge.
"It was good meeting you, Pix," she said, fireflies fluttering by. "You're really nice. It's good to see Ruto smiling so much now." Pix smiled, too, but he felt it falter a little. "And, you know something?" Lila asked, looking at him.
"Yeah?"
"I know what it's like to feel like you're from outer space, too." She reached out, gave him a fist bump, tried to mess with Haruto's hair again, and then drove away. Bijan didn't say goodbye, but Pix saw him wave to Haruto from the back window.
Haruto and Pix were alone now, standing outside the house. Haruto seemed to notice immediately that Pix wasn't smiling anymore.
"Hey…" Before he could ask what was wrong, Pix shook his head just a little, and the smile returned to his face.
"I'm really tired. Get some sleep, 'kay?" Without saying another word, he brushed past, walking up to the door.
Although he didn't get the chance to say a word, Haruto couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something was wrong, and it kept him up for a while that night, until he finally fell asleep, questions lingering at the back of his mind.