Chapter Text
“You’re riding the “[Redacted] Royal Straight Prince Maru, my dude,” The red-haired kid said. I didn’t know him. I had no idea who he was. I have heard his name countless times in my dreams, but every morning when I wake up, it’s gone.
“Who the heck is Prince Maru?” I asked
“I heard that’s what the girls call you, Prince?”
“They certainly don’t”
“Pretty sure they do,”
“No, they don’t!”
It was gone. His name, I sat up trying to remember the dream. A teen a few years younger than us with a weird cat tail and a cat ear hoodie. The bright yellow hoodie and the headband that the redhead always wore.
His smile; it was a beautiful smile, but his name. His name never came back into my memory.I made my way down the stairs, my head being all over the place, trying to put the pieces of my dream together.
“Hey champ, ready for breakfast?” My Dad asked and I looked up. It’s weird how I began to miss him overnight. In the Dreams with these weird Skateboard kids, my Father doesn’t exist. He was dead, to be exact.
So every morning when I wake up, I am happy to see him standing in the Kitchen, smiling at me and making breakfast.
I sat down on the dinner table to better watch him make breakfast.
“Alex called wondering what you do today,” “Good, have you told him I’d be busy?” I asked. He turned around to look at me
“Sorry, I didn’t know you were bus-”I interrupted him “Yes, you did. We’re gonna snowboard today, or did you forget?”
He signed before turning back to the Pan. Of course, he was avoiding eye contact now, typical. “Yes, but work has been holding me up, I am sorry, Kiddo.”I jumped off the Table and walked up to stand next to him “But Dad,”
He turned to look at me and put his hand over my shoulder, but he didn’t touch it, just slightly hovering.
When I got angry, I didn’t like being touched, so he did this instead, if he wasn’t sure how annoyed or angry I was.
It was always interesting to me.
I still couldn’t quite understand the reason for this.
“It sadly can’t be helped, but we will get to snowboard tomorrow. I promise. Now you at least have time to do something with Alex,”I put some eggs, bacon and bread on my plate.
“Pinky Promise?”
He smiled a bit and held up his Pinky.
We intertwined our fingers “I promise you, kiddo.”
With my full plate, I went back to the table. I sat down on the chair and began eating.
I smiled, in this moment, once again. I was happy the dream was over.
I liked the skateboarding and the fact that I had friends in this imaginary world.
But I didn’t know if I wanted that more than the life I had now.
“Leave some for your Mother and me”
I rolled my eyes and continued eating.
After I had finished eating, I grabbed my phone from the Table and dialled Alex’s phone number.
Alex: Hey, Love? You slept the whole day again. How are you?It was only 1PM
Langa: I could go right back, my father loves his work more than me!
Alex: You are always so overdramatic. We are going to the Mall. See you in 2 hours.
Langa: What if I am busy?
Alex: I mean this in the nicest way possible, you don’t have any friends
Langa: Fair, see you in 2 hours.
I hung up, our phone calls mostly didn’t really last long because I hated them. I much rather talk to Alex in person. I got up and went back to my Room, getting ready for the mall.
“Let’s go, snowboy. We aren’t done yet.”
I followed along, carrying Alex shopping bags. I hated shopping personally, but I liked spending time with him.
But my love for him was really put to the test with every piece of clothing he handed me.
I needed rest, I wanted to go to sleep again because I had a really nice dream.
This Boy again.
I shook my head, feeling terrible about myself once again.
Is it not terrible, thinking back on it?
Thinking about some guy in my dreams while being out with my definitely real and not just in a dream boyfriend.
But it’s not like I liked that Dream boy like that, maybe we were just really good friends. Yeah definitely.
He is my best friend- Wow, I am a complete freak.
“Langa- where are you right now?”
I looked up at Alex, who waved his hand in front of my face. “Huh? I am here.”
“I mean, mentally. You are not even looking where you are going.”
I nodded, “Sorry, I didn’t notice.”
He playfully punched my arm “Did you hear a single word I said?”
“Of course, but if you want to repeat it, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.”
He sighed and took the bags out of my hands. I didn’t know why he put up with me. I was clearly annoying. He mentioned before that I wasn’t, but if he did. Could I even blame him?
I truly enjoyed his company, but I make everything more stressful for him.“Then again, I was talking about how we should get stuff for you too,”
“For me? Are you serious?” I was a bit baffled by that suggestion.
“What’s wrong with my clothes?”
“Nothiing, don’t always be so negative! I just thought maybe you want to switch things up or just have fun looking at stuff” He paused, setting his things down on the floor so he could take my hands.
They were warm and comfortable. Maybe that’s just me, because my hands were always cold.
When we started dating and Alex wanted to take my hand, he always pulled away for a moment, complaining about how cold my hands were.
He didn’t do that anymore.
I didn’t know if he was just enduring it or if he started liking holding my hands.
I sometimes felt like I didn’t know anything.
“Are you okay, love?” He asked, his voice now more calm and genuine.
I squeezed his hands a bit, collecting my thoughts.
But I wouldn’t even know where to start.“Of course, just, my mind is just a mess. Ignore me, okay?”
He shook his head no and pulled me closer.
“I will not do such a thing, We will get you cute outfits now. And you keep focusing on me, babes.”
“Ugh babes?”
He let go of one of my hands and picked up his stuff with it. He then began to pull me through the mall, trying to find a fitting shop for me.
“Your Hair is light blue, so are your eyes. And then you wear mostly white things.
You already are the palest person on the planet, you don’t need to make Casper the Friendly Ghost competition.” I scoffed at his comment, even though I knew he was right. I was very pale, and I wouldn’t say in a good way. “I love you, you are the most handsome, but we need to get you in something that will make that beauty shine. kay”
“Sure fine…Let’s go.” We walked into a shop; I didn’t read the name of it. Mostly because I couldn’t care less.
I was following Alex like a shadow, while he picked out clothes for me. Some being black, others have more colours.
I stopped by a mirror and looked at myself. Was I really this pale?Did he not like how I looked, so he was trying to change my wardrobe?
I sighed and continued to follow Alex to the dressing rooms.
He handed me the pile of clothes with a smile, “Try these on. Don’t forget to combine what you think looks cool! And you can come out and show me once you are ready!”I smiled too; he was happy. Which made me happy.
I gave him a small kiss on the cheek before turning around and walking into the changing room.
I looked at myself for a solid minute before I decided to start changing into the first outfit. A dark blue shirt with a black Jacket, the pants were a similar kind of black.
It looked a bit more washed out than the Jacket, but hardly anyone would notice.I turned around and looked at myself for a while.
It was simple, just how I liked it.
That revelation made me sigh, because it always happens.
Alex will point out something that he notices about me, and I get offended or think it’s something he hates.
But after he suggested his help, I noticed he was being genuine. Even if his jokes sometimes hit me a bit hard.
I knew he would stop with them if I told him that I think he was going too far sometimes.
He would apologise and tell me how much he loved me, and he would never want me to feel bad. But then he would feel bad, and I didn’t like that idea either.
In the end, he kept my style, what I usually wear, in mind while picking out new clothes for me.
He was really trying to help and not to change me.
I walked out of the dressing room.“I am so amazing! Turn around, I wanna see the full fit,”I got red of embarrassment, but I obliged and made a slow turn. “Are you comfortable?”I looked at myself once again, stroking some strands of hair out of my face.
“I am not sure…” I answered honestly.
He stood up, “We’ve got enough other outfits for you, so no worries. We are doing this to make you feel good, aren’t we?”
“We are?”
He laughed as he walked up behind me, putting his head on my shoulder.
“Of course, why buy clothes if you don’t feel good in them? Now go out on the other stuff we don’t have all day.” He stepped back again and sat down where he had waited before. I walked once again into the dressing room.
I put on the black button-up shirt and over it a pink Jacket.
I was still not sure about this one, it looked a bit too formal, but then again. My closet doesn’t really scream Rebel.
I walked out once more, and Alex immediate reaction was to sigh. “Come on, really?” He walked up to me to fix up some details. He opened the first two buttons of the shirt and fixed the collar.I had the Shirt completely tucked into the pants, but Alex pulled out the left side of the shirt, so it was only half tucked in.
He turned me around to make me look in the mirror again “Much better!”
I looked at myself again.
The Pink Jacket reminded me of my dream again. It looked like the uniform I wore when I was working at that weird Skateshop.
It reminded me of the small barking dog, the manager who always gave us a hard time and that…Redhead.
His laughter, which somehow began to feel real, like it really gave me some comfort.
Like a beautiful melody.
“If you didn’t want to go shopping, why didn’t you say anything?” I was pulled back out of my thoughts and back to reality but Alex’s hurt words. He looked a bit disappointed, probably because I was mentally anywhere but here.
“No, what, that’s not it!” I thought about how to save it
“I just was shocked. I really like this outfit, I should buy it!”
He frowned “Really?”
“Yeah! In fact. I should wear this on our next date, don’t you think?”
For a few seconds, it looked like he didn’t believe me, but he eventually believed me.
“You should! You look fantastic. I didn’t mean to accuse you of…” He cleared his throat.He did feel embarrassed now. He thought a moment before continuing to speak, “I guess we are both not doing our best today, huh. I got two suggestions. To my place for ice cream and cuddles, or we call it a day?”
His way of asking me if I needed my alone time. “I am incapable of saying no to ice cream and cuddles,” I answered and went to change back into my original outfit.
With the new jacket and shirt, we made our way to check out and then to Alex’s house.