10 An Ocean Part II

My eyes fluttered and I lost my footing, crashing down into a puddle of murky water. Jesus I was gonna need one hell of a shower after all of this.

I pushed my self up, a question forming in my head.

After what?

I shook myself straight and pushed on, Grand Dobi's front door only a few feet away.

Where, where would she be once I got inside?

I didn't have the slightest clue were she could be, Autumn was so unpredictable I would never be able to search this entire campus.

I was barley able to stand.

Then it felt like everything in my body shut down, I was falling again. Suddenly I got a sensation, the feeling of a hand grabbing me before I fell.

Autumn?!

I managed to crane my neck up, Shi's brown eyes staring at me.

"Finally you came, took you long enough."

He helped me up.

"Why a-"

"Im still disciplinary committee president so I have to lock up the school every so often."

Shi helped lug me to the front steps, a small outcropping stopping the rain.

I panted hard and grabbed my chest. Shit was I going to last?

Shi stood behind me, a plastic rain coat over his uniform, "You really do look like shit man, I don't really know what's going on but I think I can guess."

He looked down at me, "You are here for that girl, Autumn Reina. I was locking up the gymnasium and I found her in there, I asked her to leave and she started crying."

I gripped my shirt, "Wh-" cough* cough* "Why did you let her stay?"

Shi shrugged, "Because I know a hurt woman looking for love anywhere, I cannot bring myself to make things worse."

Shi suddenly looked depressed," Amelia would hate that after all."

We both watched as the night slowly got darker.

"You are a third year right?"

Shi nodded slowly, "If your wondering, Amelia is a first year. Yeah kind of sucks the love of my life is two years away, plus I graduate next semester so I'll be gone before I know it,"

"Before Amelia knows it."

Jeez what a buzz kill, I narrowed my eyes, "Don't beat yourself up too much, the time will come when you have a chance with her, don't mess it up."

I smiled up at him, his face quite the opposite, "I could same the same for you. I still see you as a rival so watch yourself."

I laughed slowly, "Don't worry, she isn't my type."

She was totally my type.

Shi raised an eyebrow, "So you saying my princess is not good enough, you just that much better?!"

I put my hands up in defense, "No, No, No."

Shi patted me on the back exceptionally harder than usual, "Just don't bring up past relationships, that's how you fuck things up, also d-"

I held my hand up, "I got it Shi, thanks."

The door to the gym was slowly pushed open, the huge hanger-like gym filled with all types of courts. I stepped on the slicked wood floor, water still dripping off of my clothes and hair. I held my cough in as I saw Autumn, her eyes watching a volley ball net. She was wearing the school's issued gym clothes, and her blonde hair was tied in a ponytail.

I slowly shut the door, inching toward her.

Her blue eyes looked lost, almost like she was searching for something.

"Hey A-"

She stepped back and grabbed my soggy uniform, bringing me over her shoulder and slamming me against the ground. The air rushed out of my body.

"Oh my god Warren, don't sneak up on me like that!"

I laid on the floor, my entire body withering with pain. Fuck that hurt! I smiled to hide it, "Don't worry about it, it didn't hurt at all."

Autumn crashed to my side and helped pick me up. She held her nose as she got close, "Did you not take a shower j-"

She stopped talking.

Her arrogant and joyful attitude subsiding, "You didn't come her for me right?"

I scratched the back of my neck, "Would you be mad if I said yes."

"YES YOU IDIOT! WHY WOULD YOU COME ALL THIS WAY IN THE RAIN? YOU HAVE ASTHMA TOO SO THIS IS SERIOUS!"

I cleaned my ears as she finished, "I'm sorry but I had too."

Autumn put her hands on her hips, "And why is that?!"

"Because I can't bare to see you guys separated..."

Autumn removed her hands from her sides, her expression turning sad, "Siblings fight all the time, I'm sure this will blow over."

Autumn watched the volleyball she had rollaway.

I also caught her stare, "You really like sports huh?"

She slowly shook her head and smiled weakly, "Not particularly, just sports have always been my outlet you know."

I got up, "Is that why you came here?"

She nodded, "It's the only way I know how to calm myself..."

I walked over and grabbed the volleyball off the floor, "Why don't you show me something, I mean, I came all the way out here."

I shrugged.

She shook her head and blushed, "Oh I do most of this in secret."

I looked around the huge gymnasium, a jumbo-tron and huge lights aiming down at us.

In secret you say.

"Well then what do we do?"

We stood in silence.

"Fine," she said in annoyance.

I finger gunned her and plopped on one of the many metal stands laid about.

"So is volleyball your favorite?"

Autumn thumbed her chin," I guess it's what I'm best at but my favorite is basketball."

I nodded, it felt nice to hear her talk.

I wearily looked at my hand shaking. Come on Warren, you are so close.

Autumn readied herself, standing behind the black base line.

"I have been trying to improve my serving, the team won't accept me if I cannot fix my flaws."

She tossed the ball up and elegantly followed through with a jump and a swat of her hand. As she did, I noticed something, a bright smile on her face that was gone as her shoes touched the court. She really did enjoy it.

The volley ball hit just inside the back corner, a proud look on Autumn's face. "See, I'm getting way better."

"Please come back Autumn, so everything will be fixed"

I used the line I used before, hoping it was enough.

"Nope, I can't just take your word for it, I really am use to Fey belittling me but after what she said to Arid, it hurt. It hurt to watch them slowly fall apart."

The ball slowly hit a bin filled with basketballs.

The bin toppled over, a few basketballs bouncing out.

"I'm sure you noticed but those two stand out the most out of us four, heck, all three of them do."

I watched as a basketball hit her feet, her face dark from her blonde strands blocking it. Autumn glanced down at the ball.

"The only reason I try for sports is because the others are so distinguished. It feels like I'm bland and ill inspired so I try my best to be a character. I want to stand out too."

She bent down and gripped the basketball.

"I felt it when Fey said we were acting fake, and honestly, we have been. All our lives when something happened to one of us, we all did everything in our power to fix it. But.."

She finally showed her face, tears sliding down her reddened cheeks, "After what happened to Olivia, its like we shut the idea completely out, like it never happened."

"Like this isn't reality," I said softly.

She looked at me with her tear struck face and nodded, "Yeah, like it isn't reality-"

She voice cracked, using her arm to wipe away tears.

"Trust me Autumn, this is reality. Sometimes it feels like I'm some main character and my life just gets more bizarre just for the hell of it, but after meeting you four, I feel different."

I hopped off the stands and walked toward Autumn.

"Before I felt empty, like a shell, as if someone else made my decisions for me, like I was just a puppet."

I was now standing in front of her, her eyes still flowing as she held the basketball.

"Then I met four variables I never knew would happen and things started to change and the decisions I made felt real."

My out stretched hands took the ball from her, her entire body shaking.

"If I have anything or even any purpose, let me help you find that reality."

Smooth as butter.

Or I th-

I started to cry.

Damn I'm a sucker for build up. I held it in so far but after everything I saw and took to heart, I couldn't help it. I can't believe for a second I wanted to run away.

Autumn and I cried for a minute or so, all of our pent of emotions reaching a climax.

After our eyes were puffy and red, I spoke.

"How about this Autumn, if you can score on me, you have to come home, if you don't, then you have to do me a favor and come home."

Autumn blinked rapidly from my demands, "Is that not a lose-lose for me?"

I smiled, "Only is you lose."

She leaned back and laughed, pure joy littered across her face, "Okay then, bring it on."

She dribbled slowly as I took my place in front of the basket ball hoop, the ten foot goal sitting idle as me and Autumn exchanged looks.

I crossed my arms.

"Um, have you ever watched basketball, why the heck are you just standing there?!"

I did not say a word.

She scratched her head and dribbled faster, approaching me and faking back.

I did not move.

"Are you even trying?!"

I did not say a word.

She bit her lip and attacked, quickly switching over and spinning around me. Damn she could play basketball, but in the end, I won.

She went up for the layup, the most fundamental basic to the sport besides dribbling.

The ball hit off the glass and bounced off the rim. It landed a few feet away.

"What the hell, how did I?"

I flicked her on the forehead, "Your problem is that you are affected by other too easily, if we are ever gonna make progress then you need to be able to focus on yourself."

Autumn rubbed her forehead, "Progress?"

I waved my finger back and forth, "I literally said I would help you no?"

She put her hands behind her back and blushed, "You were seri-"

"YES I WAS SERIOUS!"

She laughed, "Okay, Okay, Okay."

It was amazing to have the mood changed.

"Anyways for my favor is this,"

I pointed at her, "You will help me with something very very personal."

She tilted her head, "What?"

I sighed, "After all this is over, I will tell you alright."

She nodded, "Alright."

I turned and faced the exit, Shi looking smug as ever, "You two love birds done, I need some sleep too ya know."

We looked away quickly, "Yeah we are coming."

Autumn and I sat on the front steps of the school, the same place were me and Shi first talked.

We sat quietly, not one of us uttering a word.

Man my life took a turn, never did I imagine going on some sorry ass journey to receive my newly adopted step sisters. I only new them for three days and things were already this crazy.

Siiiiigggghhhhhh.

I looked at Autumn who fiddled with her umbrella.

"Hey, do you know were Olivia is?"

Autumn jolted from the question and dropped the umbrella.

"Uh, no.."

Autumn sighed, "I don't know were she is but I might know what she wants to achieve."

I gestured to her, "Spill it, it's already dark."

"She said she wanted to make it up to Fey, to fix things herself but she also said she did not know how."

I smiled.

Jeez these girls were hopeless.

Autumn slightly bowed, "I'm sor-"

I cut her off, "I know where she is."

Autumn dumbfounded, pointed at me,"You do?!"

I nodded with confidence, "Yep, but can I borrow that umbrella, I'm gonna need it."

Autumn handed it to me, "How will I get home?"

I showed her my phone, an image of a late night uber coming to pick her up.

She grinned, "Dang you got me."

I got up and stretched my back. Round Four bitches, let's all hope things go well.

I pocketed the umbrella, the rain hitting so hard it stung a little. The freezing feeling rushing back as I took a step onto the courtyard.