Paper Cranes

Elizabeth

"Good morning, Elizabeth Hiroshi~!"

Ugh, that voice. Stay still, and silent, and keep your eyes shut. No matter what.

"Hey, hey, hey! Are you ignoring me?!"

Crap, I think my face twitched.

"I know you're awake! It's almost twelve!"

Unwillingly, my eyelids lifted. My gaze trailed to the door where there stood a bubbly redhead.

"Kimberly, why-"

"It's Kimmy, Elle! You know that! Call me Kimmy! Kimmy! Kimmy! Kimmy!" the skimpy dressed female yelled excitedly.

"Okay, Kimmy," my eyes gave in involuntary roll, "Why are you dress like that?" I eyed her plastic machine gun.

"I'm cosplaying!"

"As what?"

"Yoko!" Kimberly replied, tapping her skull clip, "Gurren Lagann!"

"Gurren what?"

"Lagann! Lagann, Lagann, LAGANN!"

"Stop shouting, damn it! God, you watch too much anime! Normal people aren't this loud!"
"Sorry..."

I looked at her sheepish grin as she took a seat beside me.

"So, why are you here?"

"What, can't a girl come and visit her cousin?" Kimberly shrugged, "Besides, I was in the neighborhood."

"In the neighborhood?"

"Yeah, there's a convention down the street! Lot's of hot boys dressed as other hot boys, ya know?"

"And what's your mom saying about this?" I looked at her, trying not to twist my face up in disgust at her 'outfit'.

"My mom's totally cool with it. She calls it a phase."

I was particularly sure that it was, at first, a phase three months ago.

"Anyway, I'm also here to ask you..." she paused dramatically, "What do you want for your birthday?"

My birthday...? Oh, yeah, it's in a week. I'll be eighteen. Ew, I feel old. I sighed heavily.

"I don't want anything," I decided out loud.Because I already have everything.

Shut up, brain.

Brendon

"Just tell me, Ryan!" I said for the billionth time since we entered the tour bus.

"It's nothing!"

"Yes, it is! You don't like her, and I want to know why!"

"I don't not like her, Brendon," Ryan said calmly, and it pissed me off. He was lying to my face.

"Stop lying to me!" I frowned, "If you have a problem with her, I want to know what it is."

"Brendon," Ryan said, "I don't have a fucking problem with her, okay? Okay?"

"It's not okay!" I told him, "It's not okay because I know you're lying to me!"

"Just drop it."