Laughter shook Ron’s chest as he proceeded to the kitchen to open up the medicine cabinet where her father had installed a safe.
It had been Dr.
Jones’ recommendation to add, along with his diagnosis that she was crazy, not that she’d ever given them any reason to think she would steal or sell the medication.
Using the second key on the ring to open it, Ron took out one of the bottles, lightening the weight Sora felt against her chest as he hummed, “Do you think Kari is a part of the alien armada, sent here to brainwash the masses, starting with your school because the youth are the future?” Sora snickered at his joke; Ron was great at brightening her mood.
“Ooh!
I can see it.
The slow and steady conquest, huh?
Does that mean I have a special gene or something that makes me immune to their brainwashing, and I’m the heroine that’s the last hope for humanity?” “Whoa, making me sweat here, Sora!
The fate of humanity on the shoulders of a fifteen-year-old?” “Sixteen in nine days!” “Praise the gods!” Ron mused, lifting his hands to the sky.
“Humanity is saved; our hopes rest on the shoulders of a sixteen-year-old!” “Hey!
I just learned recently that during World War II, this one thirteen-year-old Navy gunner was a hero, and I’m three years older than him!
Humph.
I can totally take out some alien bullies.” “Whoa!
Excuse my ignorance, Hero of the Teenage Alliance!
It must be rough holding the flag against the high school alien threat.” Sora giggled, nearly in tears.
“You have… no idea!” The tall, brown-haired man’s lips softened into a small smile as he took a tablet out to give her, and Sora filled up the glass she typically left by the sink before popping the pill in her mouth and swallowing.
“Wait…” Ron’s paused.
“Weren’t you supposed to be the alien?” Sora’s running mind tripped, falling down a hill to hit every rock and branch along the thought trail until she came to a screeching halt at the bottom.
“Hmm, maybe I couldn’t be brainwashed, but I got super alien powers?
The last resistance, a struggle between human and other!” she giggled.
“Heh, you could write a novel about that kind of stuff, Sora.” “Mmh-yeah…” “Back to the point—and not trying to dredge up bad thoughts—but do you want to talk about what happened to Wendy?
You don’t hate her now, do you?
Are you two fighting, or did she join Kari’s circle?” “No… No, Wendy’s fine—she was forced to do it; she didn’t do anything wrong.
Well, no, she’s not fine, but… yeah,” Sora sighed, brushing back her hair as Ron locked the cabinet.
“I want to get her away from school, too.
It’s just her stupid, envious, horrible witch of a mother that’s the issue.” Ron puffed out a long hiss, his grimace showing what he thought about the woman.
“I don’t know anything about Jane’s life, but yes, I can see how you hate how she came between you two.
You don’t blame Wendy for your hair?” Pulling her purse strap back up, Sora followed Ron back to his post and shook her head.
“She’s just as much the victim as me… She has it bad enough with her mom, and—oh, I learned it’s all Lori’s fault!” “Hmm?” Ron scratched his temple, looking down at her as they moved through the hallways.
“Kari’s not the ringleader?” “No, she totally is, but Lori kept convincing her to keep me at school to bully and steal all my stuff!
It’s like I’m just an unlimited credit card for her,” Sora huffed, crossing her arms.
“If I don’t do what she says, she’ll hurt Wendy, so I have to get her out now that Kari’s grown bored of me or whatever.
I guess I’m just too much trouble or something.” A quiet hum rumbled in Ron’s throat upon entering the elevator again, studying her appearance.
“I know I can’t be much help; my opinion doesn’t go all that far, and I’m just your semi-chaperone while your dad’s away, but if there’s something I can do, let me know.” Heart and nose burning as she looked up at him, Sora closed in to hug the man who was one of the few people who never judged her.
“Thank you, Ron.” “Of course, heh… and are you going to go to school dressed like that… with your purse and watch?” “Yeah!
I’m setting my foot in the sand!” she determined, hot air streaming out of her nose as she pulled away.
“Lori only has power because of Kari, and if Kari’s not going to back her, then she loses almost all her support.
If Mary is going to stand up to whatever has everyone else scared, then I can’t show her I’m weak.
No one helps a crybaby victim.” “I, hehe, wouldn’t say that, Sora,” Ron whispered, “but I’m happy to see you so motivated.
Is there anything I can do?” “Mmh… no.
Well, other than listening to the ramblings of a crazy girl, heh, that has ridiculous, nonsensical hair!
Ugh… See, even the universe is out to get me—I’m not paranoid—Howie will tell you my hair was all cut, and then the universe is like, ‘Wham!
Let’s see how legit she sounds after this!’ Boom—magical-hair-grow-torture-serum!” Inserting the key as she semi-joked around, Ron pressed the button to go to ground level; luckily, it seemed no one wanted to use the elevator in the short period he’d been away.
“If you can steal that formula, you could patent it and make your dad look like a poor scrub, huh?” “For real!
Hah, but you think the cosmos are gonna do ‘anything’ to help anyone?
Not me, that’s for sure!” Knowing her time with him was running out as the elevator descended, Sora eyed the attendant she’d known most of her life.
He’d been married at twenty, and two years later, he had a buddy who got him a job at the hotel.
Oddly enough, Sora didn’t know much about his wife Stephanie other than her love for cold, sweet things and how stunningly beautiful the light-blue-eyed woman Ron made her out to be.
According to him, she had even dyed her waist-length locks the same shade, having loved the color since she was a little girl.