The Girl Next Door

Chapter Two: Head Over Feet

            “Hey Mrs. Yuy!”

            “Hello Milliardo. How’re you?”

            “I’m great-is Heero home?”

            “In his room.”

            “Thanks!”

            I watched as Milli threw my mother the smile that had won him the honor of Prom King last school year and trampled up the stairs. “Hey, Yuy, what’s up?” he yelled, only halfway up the stairs as he saw me emerge from my room. From the doorway, I could see my mother shake her head, a small smile on her lips. I could almost hear her thoughts:

            ‘Boys, boys, boys!’

            “Nothing special. What’s up with you?” I answered; rolling my eyes as he charged passed me and threw himself down on my bed. “Won’t you come in?”

            “Sure will.” Milli grinned at me and folded my pillow in half before repositioning it under his head. “Guess what today is.”

            “Yours and Noin’s anniversary.”

            “No.”

            “Treize and Anne’s anniversary?”

            “No.”

            “Relena and Dorothy’s?”

            Milli looked at me in horrification. “Are you implying my sister is a-a-?”

            “No, their friendship, you stupid idiot,” I responded, smirking at him. “Not that you’d care if she was, would you?”
            Milliardo thought this over. “No, not really. Anyways, you were halfway right when you guessed Relena. It’s her birthday tonight and since she’s coming back from Gran’s, my parents are throwing a snazzy party for her. They said invite anyone I want and-,” Milliardo propped himself up on his elbows and looked directly at me. “You’re invited.”

            “I don’t wanna go.”

            “Please? It’s not going to be any fun for me without someone else there!”

            “You think *I’ll* have fun? With all those screaming freaks she calls friends trying to dance with me and flirt with me and-and-ugh!” I shuddered, not wanting to continue it.

            “They’ll be doing the same to me! We’ll be partners in misery!”

            “And then I’d have to get her a present and shell get all misty eyed and go, ‘Oh *Heero*’ and try to hug me.”

            “Tell her you’ve got a cold and she’d better stay away unless she wants to get sick,” Milliardo suggested. “I do it all the time!”

            I groaned and fell face first onto the floor and into a pile of dirty clothes. “I don’t want to!”

            “Treize and Noin and Anne’ll be there,” Milliardo coaxed.

            “Did you ask them?”

            “No. But if you say yes, they’ll go because they know you never say yes to anything unless it’s something good!”

            “Aaaagh, fine!” I gave in, sitting up and glaring fiercely.

            Milliardo laughed, “Thanks! Relena will be ecstatic!”

            “Oh joy,” I grumbled.

            “C’mon. We gotta go recruit the others as birthday guests.”

#@#@#@

            I stood uncomfortably in a corner of the room where the party was being held. Milliardo was busy ‘entertaining’ his girlfriend, Lucrezia Noin and no one else I really knew had arrived yet, not even the birthday girl.

            “Hello Heero.”

            I jumped slightly at the sound, being caught unaware by the sensuous tones. I turned to rest my eyes on an attractive girl, despite her oddly shaped eyebrows that had earned her the name ‘Pitchfork Brow’ back in the fifth grade. But now, she was sixteen, shapely and decidedly, dangerously sexy. She now carried to the reputation of the easiest girl in school, but with the protection of being Relena’s best friend, no one would dare say that to her face. Besides…Dorothy was one little spitfire that would spit back.

            “Hello Dorothy.”

            A slow smile curved over her perfectly shaped red lips. “Oh come on now Heero, we don’t stand on ceremony here!” And with that, she leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the lips, a soft kiss but a fiery one nonetheless.

            I let her kiss me for a second but pushed her away before I could let that warm pink tongue that was sliding over my lips reach my mouth. “Get it through your head Dorothy. I’m not interested.” She pouted momentarily, but sprang back from the refusal as she always did.

            “You’re no fun,” she complained. “Jeez, even Wufei’s more fun than you; he’ll kiss back!” Chang Wufei, president of our class by sheer communicational skills that had left Milliardo in the dust when the two had given their campaign speeches in the beginning of the year. He was known for being quiet and studious but with a quick temper…and for getting a nosebleed at the mere mention of sex.

            “You slept with *Wufei*?” My eyes widened. Not even Wufei’s long-time girlfriend, a petite girl named Meiran could get him to go that far. Anyways…wasn’t Wufei supposedly honorable-honorable people didn’t cheat on their girlfriends.

            “Of course not.” Dorothy seemed shocked at my stupidity. “Meiran’s a sweetheart-,” I snorted my disagreement and Dorothy glared at me. “She’s a sweetheart if you get close to her and I wouldn’t want to be the ruin of her and Wufei. I *do* have morals y’know!”
            “But you had no problem with sleeping with Trowa when you knew he was going out with Cathy,” I pointed out.

            Dorothy shrugged. “Cathy’s a nasty little bitch and Trowa’s a sexy guy with wonderful talents with his hands. It was twice as good with him because I was hurting that back-stabbing little bitch.” Her clear blue eyes flared up with an icy fire and I made a mental note to never get on Dorothy’s bad side.

            “What’d she do to you that was so awful?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. Knowing Dorothy, it was probably something to do with a sexual situation but I was truly curious. Damn that gossip-loving heart I seemed to have acquired somewhere along the road.

            “She cut off my hair with one of her stupid knives in sixth grade. Ever since then, I’ve been bent on making her life miserable.” Dorothy smiled widely at me, “Don’t make me hate you, Heero. You won’t be a happy camper.”

            Although her tone was cheery, like a friend joking around with another, it carried an ominous note to it. I forced a smile and nodded. “You want something to drink?” I asked, anxious to get away from Dorothy for a moment. Although I truly did enjoy talking to Dorothy, when she got into her competitive mood.

            “You don’t have to get me anything.” Dorothy flashed me another seductive smile. “That’s what the other boys are for. See, like Milli.” Dorothy turned and called towards a shadowy corner. “Milli? Oh, Milliardo!”

            There was a pause and then a very flustered looking Milliardo came stumbling out of the corner, followed by a blushing Noin. “Yes, Dorothy?” he asked weakly, straightening his tie.

            “I’d like something to drink. Would you be so kind as to get me something?”

            “Su-sure,” Milli squeaked out, still looking dazed by his interruption. “What do you want?”

            “Something cool and refreshing,” Dorothy answered, lifting her long, white-blond hair off her neck and stretching so her curves were all exemplified for Milliardo’s viewing pleasure.

            Milliardo choked and nodded, scurrying off in the direction of the long table set up with beverages and hors d'oeuvres. Noin shot Dorothy a furious look before running after her boyfriend.

            Dorothy laughed as she turned back to me. “See? I even have Milli wrapped around my finger and I’m not even interested in him.”

            “Then why do you-,” I paused and a wry smile forced its way across my lips, despite my efforts to keep from smiling, “put yourself so forward?”

            “Because I like knowing I’ve got that kind of power,” Dorothy answered. “I like power. But I’d never go after Noin’s precious Milliardo to show it; she’s likely to marry the poor boy and anyways, Relena likes her.”

            “And Relena likes Cathy.”

            “But Cathy’s not a potential sister-in-law, is she?” Dorothy pointed out.

            “Is this fine?” Milliardo asked, appearing by her side and holding out a glass containing a clear liquid that was frosted over with condensation.

            She took the glass from him and studied it critically before raising the glass to her lips and taking a small sip. She smiled and flecked her tongue over her lips. “Its perfect,” she deemed, her eyes meeting his meaningfully.

            And then she caught sight of Quatre Winner, a boy she’d had her sights set one for a long while. “You’ll have to excuse me, but I see someone I *must* speak with.” With a quick smile, she nodded at Milli and the furious Noin and whispered in my ear as she passed, “Fresh meat!”

            And then, Dorothy was gone leaving behind a furious girlfriend, an intoxicated Milli and a delectable whiff of perfume. “Let’s *go* Milliardo,” Noin hissed, yanking her boyfriend away.

            “Uh sure…see ya in a bit Heero!” Milliardo waved at me as Noin stalked away with him.

            I sighed and retreated back to my shadowy corner. There was no longer any reason for me to socialize, and frankly, I was glad.

#@#@#@

            “Where’s the birthday girl?” I turned towards the girl and half-smiled at her. Anne Une, Treize’s ‘Lady’ was headed towards me, Treize in tow.

            “I don’t know,” I replied, sipping at my casually.

            Anne frowned, her brow creasing. “But the party started almost an hour ago! Why isn’t she here?”

            I shrugged, “I still don’t know. And *you* guys are an hour late, you shouldn’t be talking!”

            Anne blushed slightly as Treize explained, “We were uh-busy.”

            “In the backseat of a car,” I snorted in disgust. Anne blushed deeper and quickly excused herself to the bathroom.

            “Jeez, you guys are just as bad as Milli and Noin,” I complained. “Always at it!”

            Treize had the decency to blush at that. “At least we’re not like Dorothy,” he managed to say.

            “Dorothy’s got *morals*,” I quoted. “She won’t sleep with a guy if she likes his girlfriend.”

            Treize shook his head slowly. “I don’t want to know how you two started discussing that.”

            “I don’t want to know how you and Anne ended up in the back seat!”

            Once again, Treize found reason to blush. “Hey!” he said suddenly, his head jerking up. “There’s Relena!”

            I turned and followed his gaze, feeling very out of sorts as I looked for her. She was an hour late for her own birthday party, what was wrong with this girl? And then I saw her.

            Tan and leggy with a great smile, she was hugging her brother with one arm and easing her short black coat off with another. Threads of the conversation drifted towards me and I pieced together that her train had been delayed. But it didn’t really pierce my mind; I was lost in looking at her. Her hair was piled on top of her head in the way that only girls can manage and she was wearing a *very* nice short red dress. Her legs seemed to go on for miles in the high sandals she had on…I could only think, ‘wow’!

            She turned and flashed a smile at Treize and I. “Treize! Heero! Hi!”

            “Hi,” I answered awkwardly as she neared us.

            Treize, always the debonair one was already sweeping her into a bear hug. “Relena! Welcome back! You look great!”

            She giggled and swatted at him playfully. “Nice to know someone missed me,” she smiled at him.

            “We always miss you, Lena,” Treize responded, his arm still draped comfortably around her shoulder as he drew his own Lady closer to him.

            Relena laughed again and her eyes darted up to his face a slight sigh of disappointment leaving her lips as Treize’s arm left her shoulder to wrap around Anne’s waist. There was no denying that look in her eyes…Relena was indubitably in love with Treize Khushrenada.

            And here I was, weak-kneed and tongue-tied, falling in lust at least if not love with her myself!

            As I watched her eyes follow him, even as she spoke animatedly to Dorothy about her trip, I came to a decision.

            Once upon a time a six-year-old Relena Peacecraft had announced she loved me. And now, I was going to evoke the same words from the sixteen-year-old Relena standing before me. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind.