Saturday, March 28, 2009

99 Paper Cranes - Chapter 15

Chapter 15 – Long Vacation Part 1: Beach House



Thursday came, and it's already the start of their long vacation. It was 9 AM, and Jiro's van parked outside Kit's house. “Finally!” Kit shouted. Danson and Hannah (who slept in their house the night before) stood up from the couch and picked up their bags. “Mom! We're leaving!” Kit shouted to her mom. Mrs. Jin came out of the kitchen to see them leave. “OK, call me once you get there.” Mrs. Jin said. The three nodded their head. “Auntie, thank you for letting us stay.” Hannah said to her. Mrs. Jin smiled at them. “Of course, anytime. Calvin used to sleep here as well.” she said. “Mom, we're not going to discuss about Calvin again, OK?” Kit said. “Fine, fine... I don't know what happened to the two of you, but we'll talk about it another day.” her mom said. They kissed Mrs. Jin's cheek, and then went out of the house.

“Aren't you guys supposed to pick us up at 7 AM?” Danson complained as soon as he saw Jiro. “Supposed to be, but Chunnie here woke up late.” Jiro said, glaring at Chun. “I said I'm sorry already, OK?” Chun said. Kit, Hannah and Joy just laughed at him. “Let's get going, I heard the traffic is terrible at the express way.” Hannah said. As they were about to get inside the van, Hannah saw Calvin outside their house, watching Kit. Hannah tapped Kit's shoulder and pointed at Calvin. “Aren't you going to talk to him?” she asked. Kit just shook her head. “Today's not the right time to talk to him...”
“But it seems that he's regrets what he have done to you...”
“I don't want to talk to him now, maybe after our vacation, I will...”
Hannah looked up at her and smiled. “Is that a promise?” she asked. Kit nodded her head. “I've only broke a promise twice, and I have no plans of breaking another one.”

--

While on their way to the beach house...

“OK... how about, we have a little party later?” Joy asked Hannah and Kit. “Party?” Chun asked Joy, his eyes widened with surprise. Joy just glared at him. “It's a girls-only pajama party, OK?” she told him. “Awww.... how about us guys?” he asked in a hurt tone. “You guys can do whatever you want...” Hannah said. “After all, we girls need to bond.” Kit said. “Wei, don't you girls get tired of the whole bonding thing?” Chun said, shaking his head. “Wei, you should know that, Chun. After all, you're a... you know... why don't you join us?” Joy said. Then, Kit tapped Joys shoulder. Joy looked at her. “Actually, Chun's not really gay. He's acting like one to annoy Calvin.” Kit said. Jiro looked at them through the rearview mirror and smiled at the three girls. “What a relief! At least I don't have to worry about a gay sneaking up on me or molesting me while I'm asleep!” he said. All of them laughed, except for Chun who seems to be annoyed with Jiro. “Wei, even if I am a real gay, I won't molest you 'coz you're not even my type!” he said. “So, if you are a real gay, you would still chase after Calvin?” Danson asked. Chun smirked at him, then glanced at Kit. “Not even him...” he said. Then, Jiro looked at Danson and smirked at him. “Aha! So Danson's your type after all!” Jiro said. Annoyed at Jiro's teasing, he hit him with a pillow he was holding. The girls were just snickering at him. “I think I'll go for the tomboy Kit here...” Chun said, winking at Kit.

Danson looked at Kit through the rearview mirror, and found that she was blushing at what Chun said. It was known to him that Kit do have feelings for Chun. “Guess it's inevitable at all... Kit have always liked Chun since then, and if Chun would court Kit...” he thought. Jiro noticed how Danson became quiet all of a sudden. He nudged him and smiled at him. “Any problem, lover boy?” he asked. Danson smiled and shook his head. “Nah... hey lets pull a stop at the next gas station. I need to buy some more drinks...” he said.

As soon as Jiro saw a gas station, they pulled over. While Joy and Kit went to the powder room and Chun and Jiro were left at the van, Hannah accompanied Danson to the store to buy food. “Hey, don't take Chun seriously, I know he's just joking around... you know how he is...” Hannah said to him. Danson looked at her and smiled. “I know he is... but I just don't like the way he looks at Kit...” he said. Hannah looked at him, and nudged him. “Oooohh... are you getting jealous?” she asked. “Of course not!”
“You don't have to deny it to me. I can see it in your eyes. You see Kit as more than a friend...”
Danson gave her a startled look. “Am I that obvious?” he asked. Hannah nodded her head. “Only a fool would not notice, especially with the way you look at her.” she said. Danson looked away from Hannah, and stared at the bottle of soda he was holding. “Guess I'm not good at hiding at all, huh?” he asked. “You are good at hiding your feelings... maybe I just noticed because we're the same... we both secretly love someone we both know we can never have...” she said. Then, Danson looked at her again. “Calvin, isn't it?” he asked. This time, it was her turn to give him a startled look. “Am I that obvious?” she asked. Danson smiled at her. “Only a fool would not notice, especially with the way you look at him...” he answered back. Hannah looked up at him, and smiled. “Guess I'm not good with pretending, huh?” she asked. Danson just rolled his eyes at her. “Oh, please, Hannah. If you could only stare at Calvin's handsome face the whole day, I know you would do that.” he said. Hannah just laughed at him. “You try to act normal in front of him, but when you talk to him, you stutter. When you're in front of him, you don't know what to do, if you'll run away from him because you're too shy, or if you'll stay...”
“Hey, I already improved!”
“You did? You can not even tell him your name when he asked for it!”
“At least now I'm more confident when I'm around him . And how about you, you seem to be always jealous when a guy always approaches Kit One day, you'll be more obvious with your feelings.”
“At least if I did, I can always admit to Kit that I like her. How about you? Can you admit to Calvin that you like him?”
“Even if I can't, I can always write him a note saying that I like him...”

With the last thing that Hannah said, Danson began to suspect something. “Leave notes?” he thought. Could Kit's hunch be right after all? “Could... could Hannah be the paper crane girl?” he thought. Danson stared at Hannah for a long time. Hannah felt his eyes watching him. “Hey, don't stare at me... you might fall in love with me...” she joked. “Hannah...” he called. “Have you tried leaving a note at Calvin's locker before?” he asked in a serious tone. Hannah realized why he was asking that question to him. She was not to careful with what she said. She could've slipped her secret away. “I... I did not... not yet... but planning to.” she said. Danson just nodded her head. “OK... as you said. I thought you were the one that gave Calvin a note that has a really bad penmanship. He just threw it away...” he said. Then, he laughed at Hannah. “Hey, I have a nice penmanship you know!” she shouted as she hit him on his arm.

--

It was almost noon when they arrived at the beach house. Danson, Hannah, Kit and Joy have already gone inside to fix the place, while Jiro and Chun were left to unload their bags from the van. “Hey, Jiro... since the girls are planning something by themselves, why don't we plan something on our own?” Chun said to Jiro. Jiro gave him a curious look. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Well, since we're not included to this pajama party that the girls are planning, why don't we have a boys' night out tonight?” he said. Jiro shook his head. “Man, I'm straight. I love my girlfriend, and I don't like going to gay bars... I'm not a G-Y-A like you.” Jiro said. “I told you I'm not gay, OK? I was forced to say I'm gay because of the stupid dare... and besides I like annoying Calvin a lot.” he said. Then, Chun put his arm around Jiro, but Jiro pushed him away. “I told you I'm not gay, Chun. Go and harass Danson, OK?”
Jiro said. “You really won't believe that I am not gay, aren't you?” he asked. Jiro nodded his head. “Fine... I was planning to treat you and Danson to this girlie club I found just a block away from here... but then again, I think I'll go alone...” he said.

He took some of the bags and waled towards the house. Jiro looked up at him, surprised with what he said. “Hey, Chun... I'm only kidding. Don't take it seriously...” he said. Chun looked at him and smirked. Then, he looked back at him. “So, are you coming with me?”
“Are you sure it's the girlie club?”
“Yes.”
“The one where girls dance in bikinis or something?”
“Not just in bikinis, sometimes they striptease, man!”
“Fine, I now believe you're not really gay. I'll go with you...”
Chun smiled at him. “Yes!” he shouted. “But don't tell Joy where we are going, or else she'll kill us...” Jiro said. “Why would she kill me too?” Chun asked. “Because you're the bad influence here, Chun!” he said. Chun just laughed at Jiro, then he headed inside the house.

--

“Wow! It's a beautiful place!” Joy said as she went outside the veranda. The veranda of the back of the beach house is facing the beach. “Just look at how blue the water is... and the sand is so white!” Hannah said. Then, Hannah looked at Danson and smiled. “Thanks for inviting us here, Danson...” she said to him. “No problem...” he said. Then, Kit came, and stood besides Joy. “Joy, I think we should prepare our lunch now.” she said to her. Joy looked at her and nodded her head. Then, the two of them went inside the kitchen, leaving Hannah and Danson at the veranda. “Would you like to take a walk for a while?” he asked Hannah. Hannah nodded her head.

The headed to the shore. Both of them took off their shoes, and then walked through the the sandy shore. “I'm glad you came with us...” Danson said. Hannah looked up at him and smiled. “Why? Are you going to miss me if I didn't came with you guys?”
“No way! What I mean is that at least you get to stay away from your beloved piano, even for just a few days.”
Hannah just laughed at what he said. Somehow, she enjoyed joking around with Danson. She never thought it was also fun hanging out with this guy. “I needed a break, and besides, I think I'm ready for my piano recital next month...” she said. Danson paused, and then faced her. He gave her a smirk as he looked at her. “Oh really, and what if you missed a note during your performance?” he asked. “Aiyo! That could never happen! I'm a musical prodigy, you know...”
“Well, even the smartest person in the world makes mistakes, and you're not an exception!”
“Well, I have memorized my piece, so there's no way I'll make a mistake...”
“Oh really? And what if Calvin would go and watch you? I think you'll be able to forget your piece if you see him from the audience.”
“No I will not!”
“I bet you will!”
“No way!”
“Ha! Like whenever he is around, you seem to forget everything...”

Then, Hannah pouted at him. “Why are you always picking up on me?” she asked. Danson just smirked at her. “I find you cute when you're really mad and you can't do anything about me bullying you...” he said. Hannah smirked at him. “Oh, really?” she asked. Danson nodded his head. Then, she thought of something to get back at Danson. Using her feet, she splashed some water on Danson's legs. “Aiyo! Why did you do that?” he asked. Hannah just laughed at him, seeing the irritated look on his face. Danson got back at her by splashing water on her as well. “Hey, not fair!” Hannah shouted at him. “You started it!” Danson said, then he splashed some more water at her. Hannah splashed back some water at him. “I wouldn't do that if you didn't picked on me!” she said to him. Before they knew it, they were already running along the shore. Both of them were already wet, though they tried to get away from each other when one of them splattered water on the other one. “Stop it, Danson!” Hannah said between giggles. “You started it!” Danson said, splashing some more water at her. Hannah tried to run from him again, but Danson caught her hand. Hannah tried to let go from him, bu as she tried, she almost fell. Good thing, Danson didn't let go of her hand and was able to catch her. As he held her in her arms, they both stared into each other's eyes once more. Danson felt his heart beating faster as Hannah looked at him, and Hannah felt the same.

“Hey, lover boy!” they heard Jiro call. Danson helped Hannah stand up and then let her go. Both of them blushed, knowing that Chun and Jiro caught them at a very awkward position. “I... I think I'll help Joy and Kit prepare the food...” she said to them. Then, she walked back to the house. Chun and Jiro looked at each other, grinning from ear to ear, and Danson noticed it. “Aiyo! It's not what you're thinking!” he said defensively. “Oh really?” Jiro asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “We're just joking around...” Danson defended. “Fine. No need to be defensive, man... as if we didn't really know that Hannah's into Calvin and not you.” Chun said. Danson just nodded his head. “At least we're clear...” he said. “Anyway, we'll be going out later.” Chun said. Danson gave him a confused look. “Going out? What about the girls?” he asked. “Well, they're planning something all by themselves, so why not enjoy by ourselves, right?” Chun said. Danson looked at Jiro, who was nodding in agreement. “But... do you think they'll be OK without us?” Danson asked again. “I forgot to mention, Joy's a black belter in Taekwondo so they'll be OK...” Jiro said. “OK, but have you told the girls we'll be going out tonight?” Danson asked again. The two shook their heads. “There's no way we'll tell them. They'll get mad if they found out where we're going!” Jiro said. “And besides, we'll just sneak out later so that the won't found out.” Chun said. “Fine... I'll go with you guys... but, where are we going anyways?” he asked. Chun and Jiro looked at each other and then grinned at Danson. “To heaven.” Chun said. This made Danson even more confused.

--

Calvin stood before the door of the Jins. He was hesitating to knock or not. He then decided not to bother Auntie Jin, after all, he should let Kit enjoy they're long vacation. As he turned his back to leave, the door opened. “Calvin?” he head Auntie Jin call. Calvin turned around and smiled at her. “Good afternoon, Auntie...” he said, smiling at him. “What can I do for you?” she asked. “Uhmmm, mom wanted to remind you about you're meeting up later...” he said. Mrs. Jin smiled at him. “Your mom just called me a while ago to remind me that.”
“Oh....”
“Are you looking for Kit?”
Calvin was not able to answer her. Instead, Mrs. Jin gave him a brochure of a beach house down north. “I didn't know what happened between the two of you, as Kit doesn't want to talk about it. Whatever it is, you kids should work it out. You two have been friends for more than ten years, don't just waste it because of some silly things.” she said. Calvin just nodded his head, and then took the brochure from her hand. “Do you think if I follow Kit there, she would talk to me?” he asked. “Of course, she would! If you would take effort to follow her, then she'll realize you're eager to make peace with her...”
“I'm a little hesitant, because I've hurt her, and I don't think she'll forgive me...”
“Aiyo, as if you don't know Kit. You just have to let her calm down when she's mad before talking to her. She'll forgive you, don't worry.”
Calvin looked up at her and smiled again. He said his thanks and goodbye to her, and then went on his way. If he would only cut his date with Trixie short tonight, he would be able to reach the beach house by night time.

--

That afternoon, Danson and Kit were strolling down the beach. Danson noticed that Kit is in her deep thoughts. “Hey, anything wrong?” he asked. Kit looked up at him and shook her head. “You're too silent...” he said. Kit paused and then took a big sigh. “I don't know... maybe after all the things that happened I suddenly felt tired...” she said. Then, she looked at him and smiled. “It's a good thing you asked us out for a vacation.” she said. Danson just smiled at her. “We need to get away from all the school work and pressure, that's why. And besides, you need a rest from your problems.” he said. Kit smiled, and then took his arm. She leaned over his shoulder. “Thank you for doing this for me, Danson...” she said. “Hey, I'm Calvin's substitute for now, remember?” he said. Kit just laughed at what he said.

“The place is really beautiful. It's so quiet in here... it feel like shouting...” Kit said, as she gazed to the horizon. “Well, why not. We're the only people here, and I think the others would understand...” he said. Then, Kit looked up at him again. “Sure?” Danson nodded his head. “If that's what could make you feel better, then scream. Come on... I'll scream with you.” he said. Then, Danson began to shout as loud as he could. “Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh” Kit just laughed at him as he watched him scream. She looked at the sea, then began to shout again. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” she shouted. Then, Danson shouted again. “Kit Jin! No matter what happens I'll always be here!” he shouted. “Danson Tang! Thank you for being my friend!” Kit shouted. “Kit Jin! Always be strong!” Danson shouted again. “Danson Tang! You're such a sissy!” Kit shouted. Danson gave her a startled look. “Wei... me? Sissy?” he asked. Kit just laughed, then she looked at him and pinched his cheeks. Then, she gazed at the see again. “Danson Tang! You are so cute!” she shouted again. Danson gave her a contented smile. “Much better.” he said. Then, he gazed at the sea again. “Kit Jin! I - “ he paused for a while. He couldn't shout his love for her with her beside him. “Kit Jin! Jia You!” he shouted. “Danson Tang! Jia You!” Kit shouted. Then, Danson finally thought of a way to let out what's inside his heart without Kit knowing it. “Kit Jin! Mahal Kita!” he shouted again. Kit gave him a startled look. “Huh? What does that mean?” she asked. Danson just winked at her. “It's a secret!” he said. Then, Kit hit him on his arm. “Wei! What if you're already cursing me?”
“No, I'm not!”
“Then what does that mean?”
“I'm not telling...”
“Come on!”

Then, Danson looked at her and smiled. “You have to find out what that means.” he said, winking at her. “Kit rolled her eyes at him, and crossed her arms. “Fine, I'll figure that out sooner or later...” she said. Then, Kit shouted again. “Trixie, you're such a bitch!” she shouted. Danson looked at her. He could see the anger in her eyes. “Trixie, you're such a liar!” she shouted again. “That's it... just let it out...” Danson said to her. He could see the tear forming at the corner of her eyes. “Calvin Chen! I thought you were my best friend! I thought you trust me!” she shouted again. This time, her tears voluntarily fell from her eyes. Danson held her close, consoling her. “Calvin Chen! You're such a jerk!” she shouted again. Then, she wiped the tears from her eyes, when she looked up at Danson, she smiled. “It really felt better...” she said. Danson nodded his head. “I said to myself I won't cry for him again, but I couldn't help it....” she said in a low voice. Then, Danson pulled her close to him and embraced her. “It's OK to cry, Kit...” he whispered to her. “I am here... you can always cry on me...” he said. Kit closed her eyes as she buried her face onto his chest. She then put her hands up, and embraced Danson back. Somehow, being in Danson's arms made her feel better...

--

Jiro gazed at the sea as he walked through the shore. Seeing the sea again, he remembered Tin. He could still remember the moment he woke up after drowning, it was Tin's angelic face that he first saw. He couldn't help but wonder how she is doing now. Then, he felt someone hugging him, he looked back and saw Joy smiling up at him. “Are you thinking of her...” she asked. “Who?” he asked. “You know... Tin...” Jiro smiled. He held her hand, and faced her. “Whenever I am at the beach, it would always remind me of her...” he said. The smile on her face slowly faded. She turned away from Jiro so that he won't see the look on her face. “Guess, you really can't forget her, huh?” she asked. Jiro smiled to himself, for he knows that Joy is getting jealous of Tin again. “Hey... you don't have to be jealous of her. Besides, she is just a childhood friend I long to see...” he said. This time, he hugged her tight. “I owe Tin my life. If it wasn't for her, I would have been devoured by the sea. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be standing here with you, hugging you tight...” he said. Joy looked up at him and smiled. “I'm thankful for her... because of her I still have you.” she said.

Jiro just embrace his girlfriend tighter. “But honestly... there was this girl whom I've fallen in love with. The moment I opened my eyes, and saw her beside me... I thought I saw an angel...” he said. Joy could sense that he was talking about Tin again. Though Jiro may not say it, she know that Jiro have been in love with Tin. “You never saw her again?” she asked, her voice was cracking. Jiro shook her head. “Actually, I'm staring at her right now...” he said. Joy blushed upon hearing that. “Remember during our basketball practice, where I fell on the floor and I was unconscious for few seconds? The first person I saw was you, and I thought I was already in heaven because I saw an angel...” he said. “Of course, I could never forget that. You challenged Calvin for a one on one that day. You made a wrong move so you fell on the floor. I was really worried that time...” Joy said. Then, she looked up at him, and saw Jiro stating at her. “I love you, Joy. I love you... today and for the rest of my life...” he said. Then, he moved closer to her, and kissed her on the lips for a long time.

--

Hannah saw Chun by the bench outside the beach house, watching Joy and Jiro. Hannah walked towards him, and sat beside him. “Isn't it great to be in love?” she said to him. Chun just looked at her. “What's great about love if you can't have the one you love?” he asked. “That's exactly the point. Love is very mysterious... one time you could be hating one person, the other, you find yourself proposing to her in front of everyone...” Hannah said. Chun just let out a smirk. “Trixie and Calvin...” he muttered. Hannah nodded her head. “Yeah, you're right. One time, you have this secret admirer since high school that you didn't even bother to look at, you played a joke on her best friend, then the next thing you know, she's turning you down when you asked her out for a date...” Hannah gave him a startled look. “Kit...” he said to her. “So, Kit has been in love with you since high school?” Hannah asked. Chun nodded his head. “But she said she's dating Danson already...” Chun said. Hannah smiled at him and shook her head. “They're just friends... close friends... almost like best friends...” Hannah explained. “I know that...”
“So you like Kit now, that you asked her out?”
Chun shook his head. “I don't know what got into me why asked her out that time when Calvin proposed to Trixie,and Trixie accepted him. Maybe because I was hurt... because of what happened...”
“So, you still like Trixie, huh?”
“There are things about her that I like. Things that people haven't seen because of their impression of her. But I know.... she's not that shallow.”
“Maybe that's what Calvin realized that's why he gave Trixie a chance.”

Then, Chun looked at her and smiled. “And how about you? You've been carrying a torch for Calvin, but he still didn't notice you...” he said. Hannah took a deep breath and leaned forward, gazing at the sea. “Maybe because I'm just happy with just loving him from afar. I'm happy whenever I see him happy, even if it hurts deep inside...” she said. She lowered her head, and stared at the sand. “You can have your chance with him if you want to. Let him now how you feel.” Chun said. Hannah looked up at him and smiled, shaking her head. “If I do, what would happen next? I'm scared to be rejected, Chun. Letting someone know that you love him is a big risk to your heart... and I can't take that risk. I can't have my heart broken again...” she said. Chun looked at her, startled with what she said. “So you've been in love before, huh?” he asked. Hannah nodded her head. “Arron was his name. He's a pianist just like me. I've known him since the day I had an accident. I was blind for a year and a half, you know?” she said. “You were?” Chun asked in a surprised tone. He never thought that this musical prodigy sitting beside him was blind before. Hannah nodded her head and smiled. “It's OK. Everyone gets surprised whenever they found out about my past. When I became blind, I thought it was the end of my dreams. Playing piano have always been my life, and I was devastated when I the only thing I saw was darkness. Arron have been there for me, cheering me up and encouraging me. He even thought me to play the piano again...” Hannah said. “Then... what happened to him? To this Arron?” Chun asked. Hannah paused. There was a long silence between them, and finally, Chun saw a tear coming out from Hannah's eyes. “He... he died...” she said. “He... had a congenital heart disease, and... his last seizure... it... it was the reason why he died...” she continued. Then, she wiped the tear from her eyes and then smiled at him. “But all is in the past now. He gave me back my ability to see by giving his eyes to me. I promised him that I would never cry, but everytime I remember him, I can't help but cry... the only thing I regret was that before he died, I was not able to tell him how I feel. I was not able to tell him that I love him...” Chun put his arm around her, and Hannah leaned to him. “Is that the reason why - “ Chun asked. Hannah nodded her head. “Yes... it's one of the reasons. I want to let Calvin know how I feel. It might be too late, and I may not have the chance to let him know. I don't want to regret things in the end. That's the only way I could tell him that I love him.” Hannah said. “But do you think...” Chun asked. “It would be much better if you let him know that you are...”

Labels: 99 Paper Cranes, fan fic