~*~Chapter Six~*~
Tension remained in the car the whole ride to Mitsuwa, a Japanese marketplace. Jake and Will didn’t look at each other at all, and even I was too nervous to say anything. It seemed to take way too long than usual, too. It seemed as if we waited at every stoplight at least ten minutes.
I stared out the window, the palm trees flashing by in a blur as Jake steered the vehicle. Silence. I prayed that someone would say something … anything. But nothing happened. My temper rose, and I needed to do something about this.
“So, Will … when are you leaving?” I asked, and he looked shocked that I had spoken. Jake continued to focus on the road. Will stared at my face.
“Thursday.” Will replied, and switched his gaze to the dark, cloudy sky. Rain poured down, and all that could be heard were raindrops pitter pattering against the windows, and the windshield wipers moving robotically back and forth.
“You leave tomorrow?!” I shouted, and Jake glanced at me, but then concentrated on his driving. “What time?”
“6:14PM.” Will answered obediently.
“I guess we’ll have to make the most out of the time we have, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Finally, the time had passed, and Mitsuwa came into view. It had white walls, and a blue, Japanese-style roof. The parking lot was almost empty, and Jake easily found a parking spot close to the entrance of Mitsuwa. I quickly opened the door, as did Jake and Will, and we all scrambled out of the car. I stood in the rain for a moment, and I gazed into the clouds above me. Jack and Will raced to the front doors of the haven, and thrust them open. I was still at the car in a daze. I noticed that they had already gotten inside Mitsuwa, and I should catch up with them. I sauntered over to the entrance, allowing the rain to soak me.
A scent of ramen burst into my nose as I opened the doors. I scanned the room, looking at all of the different foods and Japanese items here. There were check-out counters to the left of us, and to the right, was a store called “Sanseido Bookstore”. I ran into there before I could think otherwise, and I excitedly picked up different books, trying to read them, but hopelessly failing to. There were tons of Naruto Shippuuden books on one shelf, and on all of the others were other manga books such as Tokyo Mew Mew and Ultra Maniac. Novels and magazines written in Japanese occupied the shelves as well.
I loved to read mangas in my spare time and even during school when we weren’t doing anything. My favorite mangas of all time would have to be Hana-Kimi or Tsubasa. They were both so suspenseful, and the romantic comedy plots would always keep me flipping the pages plus continuing to purchase the books.
Jake and Will simply walked casually, glancing at different books, pretending to show interest. I continued to browse through the rows of unread books, as I ran my fingers gently across the covers. Then I turned to look back at Jake and Will.
“Maybe we should head on to go eat some dinner, huh?” I said, and chuckled.
At the marketplace, there were a lot of different ethnic foods that contained sushi, seaweed, ramen, and much more. I could feel drool dripping from my mouth as I skimmed all of the menus, attempting to decide which one I should order. Japanese Kanji letters were written on the signs around the market, and one said “Ramen Paradise” and another read “Sushi Shop”.
I had finally decided on choosing the Miso Ramen. Will desired a dish of sushi, so we ordered that, too. Jake took a few bites of my ramen with his chopsticks poking around for something that looked yummy or even edible.
I wiped my face with a napkin, and I stood up, causing the chair to make a loud roar against the floor. I raised my arms in the air, stretching, and then I put them back to my sides and sighed, satisfied.
“That was deslish!” I shouted, and a few heads turned to gaze at me in wonder. I turned bright red, but luckily Jake pushed me forward, signaling for me to leave before I do something else stupid. He courteously put the trays away and paid for the dinner, smiling as he dazzled the girl at the cash register. I reminded myself never to take both Jake and Will on a trip together ever again.
The rain had gotten worse, and it was almost pitch-black outside. There were echoes of thunder and I could see lightning not too far off into the distance. Jake and Will were hesitant to open the doors, but I simply burst through them, and I walked slowly in the rain. I couldn’t get enough of it. It felt so good trickling against my smooth, pale skin. Jake stood, staring at me as if I was crazy, as Will ran to the car, splashing through puddles on the way.
I had stopped by now, and our hair was drenched with water, along with our clothes. Will was waiting in the car impatiently, but Jake didn’t go back.
“I’m not leaving until you do, you know.” Jake said, and grinned.
“I know. Don’t worry, I’m not cold. I love the rain.” I said, and I smiled back.
Lightning was striking closer, and the thunder boomed louder. A huge burst of wind tore through the parking lot, and I covered my face up with my hands, but the wind didn’t cease. It continued to push through the air. My hair blew with the wind’s strength, and I could see Jake closing his eyes and facing me. I suddenly went numb, and crashed onto the wet asphalt. I simply laid there and my hair absorbed the water on the ground.
“V…Vanessa?! Are you okay?!” Jake shouted, and got down to his knees. He nudged my shoulders gently, pleading for me to get up or tell him I was alright. But I couldn’t speak, or move. My eyes were still open, but it was as if I was paralyzed. I moved my eyes to look at Jake, and his face was covered with fear and a hint of sadness. I could feel the rain on my side, and I began to shiver. The thunder was even louder now, and I could see a line of lightning crash to the ground only a meter or two away from us. My eyes widened and I could see Jake’s breath get faster and more intense.
“Jake.” I moaned, and continued to shiver.
“Vanessa! You’re okay, right?” He asked me, obviously faking a smile.
“N…no. I can barely move.”
“Come on, Vanessa! You have to try. Let’s go to my car and drive back home!” He shouted at me, but I could tell he was extremely worried. He began to shiver as well.
“You must be cold… I’m sorry.” I mumbled, changing the subject. My eyelids were slowly closing shut.
“Vanessa!” Jake yelled, and shook me. “Vanessa!”
I couldn’t hear much after that. I didn’t know what had come over me, except for the fact that I could barely move or speak. I could feel sudden warmth, and I could tell that Jake was still near me, but there was no sign of Will. I couldn’t see, though, so I wasn’t so sure. Where was I now? Who was here waiting with me in this horrid nightmare?
Now, I was able to open my eyes again, and the sunrise was so beautiful. It was the best thing to wake up to. The parking lot was still flooded with water, and the sunlight reflected off of it. I realized I was lying on the sidewalk next to Mitsuwa, which was closed for the day. I wondered why nobody had noticed me lying on the ground. But I realized I wasn’t alone. Jake was snoring next to me, while Will was sitting against the wall and sleeping soundly. All I could do was stare at Jake; at his peaceful face. When he was asleep, I missed him. I missed his smiling face and everything about him when he was wide-awake. Don’t get me wrong, Will’s a great friend, too, but I … think … I’m falling more and more in love with Jake. And Jake waited with me through the whole storm last night.
I heard a moan that penetrated my thoughts. I turned to find Jake rubbing his eyes, and I noticed that his clothes were soaking wet, yet mine were almost dry. H…how am I dry and he wet? Did… he keep me dry last night when I was unconscious? Jake finished rubbing his eyes, and he looked fully awake. He smiled at me again, and I couldn’t hold back a blush. I could feel my cheeks getting hot.
“Good morning!” Jake said, and stretched out his arms and back.
“’Morning.” I repeated, and grinned back.
Happy St. Patrick's Day! biggrin Oh, and thank you very much for reading this chapter =3 I really appreciate it.
The next chapter is going to be on March 29, 2008. I PROMISE, I won't delay the time ^^'
R a i n b o w N o o d l e Community Member 
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