25 Chapter Nineteen: New York City- Episode One

It was late in the night that everyone stood at the airport. Raiden, Jennifer, Aaron, and Jayden stood in front of the airport bidding goodbyes to everyone who has come to see them off. There weren't many people; just Zane, Sarah, and Miss Renata were there. Mr. Gardien had been planning to come with them as well but some last-minute thing had come up and was hence unable to join them.

'I still don't understand why the hell do we have to come here so late in the night.' Sarah grumbled scrolling through her phone.

'You could have stayed back at the dorm.' Jennifer pointed out.

'Shut it, Gallagher, you are very much aware I cannot. Miss Renata was gonna see you off and she's not going to let me stay the night with Travis.' She spat.

'Even she knows what you two do in the dark.' Aaron remarked.

Sarah gave Aaron a bitter glare. Aaron just turned to look at the other people at the airport.

'Take care, you four.' Miss Renata instructed them, 'and you will go straight to LA and back right?'

Raiden and the others glanced at each other worriedly.

'Yeah,' Jayden lied.

Before all of them left, Zane pulled Raiden to the side. He hadn't spoken to her or even appeared in front of her after that night and she was beginning to worry their friendship was going to be ruined.

'Uhm Raiden' he stuttered.

Raiden stayed quiet.

'I know what happened that night should not have happened and crossed my limits. A lot was going through my mind and instead of consoling you, I took my chance. I am deeply sorry for doing that. But I am not sorry that I wanted to kiss you, I have wanted to kiss you for a long time.'

Raiden looked at Zane; there was nothing in his face that showed nothing of the mischief she was used to seeing in him. Instead, it was one of resolve, determination, and maturity. To say that Raiden was not touched by this sincerity would be a complete lie.

'I-I really don't know what to say.' Raiden managed, trying not to let her emotions take the better of her.

Zane smiled softly. His eyes held his usual mischievous twinkle as he did so.

'You don't have to say anything for now. There is a lot you're going through now, and I really don't want to stress you out by adding me to the list of your problem. I am just saying what I felt at that moment and it would be a huge injustice not to tell you about it. But please do think about this. I'd like to speak to you about this when you come back.'

'Two weeks is a long time.' Raiden stated.

Zane winked, 'A guy can wait.'

***

'Holy crap.' Jayden gasped as gave his jacket a hitch as his teeth chattered, 'Is mid-November always this cold up here? Good lord.'

'It's colder in Britain, if I may add,' Aaron pointed out chuckling.

'Shut up you Brit,' Jayden snapped, 'I've been in Perth my entire life. You expect me to actually anticipate cold in November? It's not my fault for being a purebred Aussie!'

'Never said it was.' Jennifer shrugged as she turned to Raiden, 'What about you Raiden? How do feel after coming to New York after such a long time?'

Raiden didn't have any words to answer. Even after staying in Los Angeles for quite some time, New York was a city that was much closer to her heart. In all her earlier memories, it had played as a silent audience- the Empire State Building, The Statue of Liberty, the noisy streets of downtown Manhattan, all seemed to be calling out to her as she took it all in.

I'm home Xavier, I'm finally home.

Raiden's felt sudden loneliness in her heart as she remembered Xavier. This was the place that she had met her best friend and this was the place she had lost him. Both the best and the worst things in her life had happened here.

Raiden could remember the day she had met Xavier as it had been just yesterday.

***

Raiden had always been a person to fall in trouble back then even in nursery no matter what. Even when it wasn't a time she had actually started making trouble. Odd things happened in class and since she already had a reputation for causing trouble, she was always punished.

On one such incident, she was sitting in the playground, drawing figures in the sand with a stick. She wanted to make friends and play like everyone else but no one wanted to be friends with her.

And that's when she had met Xavier.

He just stood there standing in front of her, with his small figure casting a long shadow on her drawing while his inquisitive green eyes continuously studying it.

'Move, you're blocking out the light,' Raiden said, not looking up from the ground.

The shadow was gone as Xavier appeared beside Raiden.

'That looks so nice.' He just commented.

Raiden paused a bit at his words and then she resumed drawing again.

'Why aren't you playing with everyone else?'

'No one wants to play with me.'

'Why?'

'I am a bad girl. I do bad things. Teacher says bad girls don't have friends.'

Xavier stayed silent for a while.

'They say that I am a bad boy too. I do bad things. I am in the other class and I have no friends.'

Raiden didn't say anything but just looked at him. Xavier smiled.

'Do you want to be friends?' he asked as he extended his hand.

Raiden smiled. It was the first time someone had asked her a question like that.

'Sure,'

***

Good old days. Raiden chuckled.

'Let's grab a taxi, we'll be going to a hotel, we need to stay the night somewhere.' Aaron declared.

Raiden turned around in shock.

'Hotel?' she asked, narrowing her eyes, 'you are not gonna stay in any hotel in my city. I have the keys to my old house and we are gonna stay there.'

'How in the world do you have the keys? Didn't you guys sell the house when y'all transferred to LA?'

'Oh hell no,' Raiden replied confidently, 'We kept the house because we love this city too much to not return. And all three of us have a key, in case we ever need to come here. It's here with the LA keys.'

'Cool,' Aaron whistled.

Raiden winked, 'indeed it is.'

***

'Damn Raiden, this house is so goddamn big.' Jennifer gasped as she entered the house.

'But filled with dust.' Aaron sneezed. 'Sheesh, I hate all this dust.'

'Yeah,' Raiden said sheepishly, 'it hasn't been cleaned much lately, 'Xavier's parents next door are too busy to clean their own house and it was too much to ask them to take care of the house during that time.'

'I'm glad you people didn't.' Jennifer stated, 'Well then, let's get down to cleaning this place up for some standard living, and then we can freshen up.'

Jayden and Aaron nodded.

'Sounds like a good idea to me,' Raiden agreed, 'I'll get the stuff from the basement.'

***

'Ah, it feels good after such a nice shower.' Aaron said as he hopped on the couch.

'It does,' Jennifer agreed as she eased back into the couch beside him.

Raiden, who sat opposite them, looked around her as she took in her surroundings again. It was still the same as they had left almost two years ago.

Xavier and I used to have so much fun in here.

Raiden closed her eyes as she remembered all the fun they had here- all the good memories all the fun, it had been a long time.

She finally felt at home.