~ * * ~
“You could have warned me,” Shun frowned in disapproval.
“Sorry,” I replied unrepentantly, “You gonna eat…”
Shun pushed his plate towards me. “I should make you beg for my food after what you did to me Friday,” Shun said irritably “leaving me alone with both of them.”
He shuddered.
“But you won’t,” I added knowingly, squirting ketchup over the fries.
“Next time I want to date someone who has ‘the hots’ for you would you mind giving me a heads-up or something?” he asked scowling. “They argued over you all the way home. How did you know Ashley made a bet with Courtney?”
“I didn’t,” I admitted between bites. “I only knew she was up to something.”
“Too bad they weren’t fighting over me,” Shun lamented.
“You’re too easily impressed to interest vain, shallow girls like that,” I said in disgust. “They don’t handle rejection well.”
“Well no wonder you’re a babe magnet, you reject girls on a daily basis,” he teased playfully “That and the fact that you dressed up in brand new black jeans on Friday. Did I mention how smokin’ you looked?” He winked. “Are you busy tonight?”
“Yeah, beating you up,” I glared at him. “Mrs. Ramirez was being nice and bought me those. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings by not wearing them.”
“Okay, okay,” Shun held his hands up in surrender, “Just kidding. Hey, you’re not really mad at me are you?” he asked slightly worried.
“No, not you,” I pushed the rest of the fries away in disgust.
“Are you sick or something?” Shun asked in concern. “You always finish any food within arm’s reach.”
“I’m okay,” I muttered.
“Will you threaten my life again if I ask why you avoided me all weekend?” he ventured uncertainly.
“Sorry about that,” I apologized. “It wasn’t you.”
“Ah…the classic ‘it’s not you…it’s me’ line,” he grinned.
Ignoring his teasing I admitted reluctantly “I just…wasn’t myself.”
“Who were you then?” Shun asked irrepressibly.
I glowered at him.
“Sorry, can’t help it. It’s genetic.”
“No it’s not,” I contradicted scowling. “Your whole family is as serious as a heart attack. You’re just a black sheep.”
“True,” Shun agreed cheerfully. “But you’re even more gloomy than usual.”
“It’s nothing,” I said dismissively. “I’ll get over it.”
“You know, we never talk about serious things,” Shun said thoughtfully. “Is that much of a friendship if we can’t talk about things that bother us?”
“If you were ever serious…” I began pointedly.
“Okay,” he surrendered, attempting to stifle his perpetual grin “This is my thoughtful and grave expression. Now can we have a deep conversation?”
“Maybe we should start with how you feel about being compared to your brother all the time,” I suggested neatly turning the focus away from me “And the fact that you aren’t sure you want to join the family business.”
“Is it that obvious?” Shun asked in surprise.
I shrugged. “To me it is.”
“Anything else about me you care to analyze?” he was torn between relief and anger.
“Well, I know that you would rather not train so hard,” I continued. “You have other interests you’d like to spend more time on.”
“Like fishing,” he grinned “in more ways than one.”
“I think you should tell Mr. Suzuki.”
“He won’t understand,” Shun shook his head dolefully.
“I think he will.”
“So if I agree to try to talk to him about it will you tell me what’s bugging you?” he asked slyly.
“Just between us…?”
“Always,” he agreed soberly.
“I left the movie the other night because I had a…an issue and I wasn’t sure if I could…I needed to…I had to get away from Courtney,” I finished lamely.
“What happened?”
“Let’s just say she is no respecter of personal space.”
“She got a little to close for comfort?” Shun laughed.
“That’s one way of putting it,” I admitted reluctantly.
“She liked you,” he shrugged.
“Yeah, well, I can do without that type of ‘liking’ from someone like her.”
“I saw her try to hold your hand.”
“Yeah, not what I’m talking about,” I could feel my face growing hot with embarrassment.
“Did she put her hand on your leg,” Shun nodded in understanding. “That gets me, too.”
“Keep going,” I muttered.
“You don’t mean she…” Shun’s eyes widened in shock. “But you just met.”
“Didn’t seem to bother her any.”
“Wow! California girls are different.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Wait…haven’t you ever…I mean…are you saying you’ve never…you know…had a…you know…” Shun stuttered.
“Of course I’ve had a ‘you know’” I replied in annoyance “I…oh, just forget it. You wouldn’t understand.”
“I can’t if you won’t explain it to me.”
“I don’t want anyone to have that kind of power over me,” I replied furiously. “I knew she was a…well…that she wasn’t nice, and I couldn’t stand her, but I couldn’t help my reaction. I couldn’t stop it…control it. I hate it when someone else makes me do something I don’t want to do.”
The bell rang indicating the end of lunch and I rose, thankful for the timing. Shun grabbed my arm and urged me back into my chair. I probably could have broken his grip, but I wouldn’t do that to him. I could tell by the look on his face that he wanted to say something to make me feel better, but I didn’t think anything could.
“Geez, Jack,” he lowered his voice and began speaking rapidly in Japanese as people surged around us on their way out of the cafeteria, unwilling to risk anyone overhearing. “You can’t control everything, no matter how hard you try, and that type of thing is going to happen…I gave up on trying to control that a long time ago. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow…get it…flow…I crack myself up.”
“I just don’t want someone else…especially someone like her…controlling my…flow.”
“In my experience…” Shun began.
“Which is obviously so vast,” I broke in sarcastically.
“As I was saying,” Shun continued with dignity “before I was so rudely interrupted, in my experience that part of our anatomy has a mind of its own.”
“I guess.”
“But there are some things we can control and you know what…you’re right…I should talk to my father about what I want. I’m eighteen and I can make my own decisions.”
At my look of amusement he said apologetically, switching back to English as the room cleared out “But we were talking about you.”
“Were we?”
“Look, if I got upset every time my…special parts…got a little excited without my permission I’d never smile again,” he grinned as if to prove his point.
“Now that would be a tragedy,” I said ironically. “I’ll keep in mind what you said, but right now we should probably get to class before we’re late and end up in detention.”
“Aw…man…there’s the tardy bell,” Shun got up quickly to dump his tray. “We could tell the teacher we’re having a crisis,” he offered hopefully. “Although she’d probably just send us to the counselor,” he added glumly.
“I have a better idea.”