In This Country Act 01 Ch. 02

"You know you miss hanging out with me," Hyper nudged her. "It wouldn't hurt to have fun once a month, right?"

"Only once a month," Crystal emphasized.

"Nothing more, but nothing less either," Hyper agreed.

"Fine," Crystal rolled her eyes.

"Wahoo!" Hyper cheered, causing Crystal to gently smile.

"Now tell me about the event," Crystal urged her friend. "I want to congratulate them for whatever they've accomplished."

*****

The event was a fundraiser for school issued uniforms, located at a local library in Sepuco that started at seven in the afternoon. Despite the small amount of space available, the fundraiser was jam packed with people. As a matter of fact, the city even had to close the surrounding streets so that the fundraiser could accommodate the large amount of people it gathered. There were plenty of booths hosting games with the promise to win prizes based on the scale of achievement.

In the middle of it all was Crystal, inspecting the new uniforms the fundraiser was about. At first, it seemed like the uniforms were the same, but she could actually tell they were different. The summer uniform was almost like a T-shirt, being a thin piece of material for the hot, damp climate that befell the islands of Cavalanchee. The winter uniform, however, was thicker, almost three times as thick, and designed to keep the body temperature warm at all costs during the winter season, like now.

For some reason, Crystal couldn't understand why it took a fundraiser to push for new school uniforms. She also couldn't understand why the fundraiser was only happening now, and not many years before, but as they say, there's no time like the present.

Of course, she participated in the event. Most of the time, it was to win a nice, miscellaneous prize for a kid, but there were a few times she won them a grand prize. For the time being, though, she was just walking through the crowd, looking for Hyper since had gone off to talk to the mayor of Sepuco.

And then she saw him . . . Raymond.

Their eyes locked for a few seconds before Crystal did a complete one eighty and went back the way she came. She heard her name being called, but didn't bother stopping or slowing down to let him catch up to her. All she wanted to do was put as much distance between her and him as possible. Adversely, Raymond was persistent and after ten minutes of chasing her, he finally got close enough to grab her hand.

"Slow down for a sec," he said.

"Let me go," she demanded.

Chivalrously, he released her hand but she quickly took off in the crowd again as he called her name the whole time he chased her. Ignoring him, Crystal searched the crowd for Hyper, wondering how in the world she hadn't found her partner by now. After a second to think, Crystal dialed in her number and frustratingly waited for Hyper to pick up.

"Hey Crystal," Hyper answered on the fifth ring.

"Hyper, where are you?" Crystal asked.

"I'm at that basketball booth behind the library," Hyper replied, then cheered for someone making a shot.

"Are you serious?" Crystal said. "I thought we were supposed to meet up after you finished talking to the mayor."

"We were," Hyper confirmed. "I sent you texts to let you know where I was but you didn't show up."

"You did?" Crystal said. Quickly, she checked over her messages and saw texts sent from Hyper. The first few texts asked where she was, the next few said that Hyper saw Raymond, and the last few said that she was going off to enjoy the fundraiser and give her a call to meet up. "That's my fault, then. I guess I never took my phone off silent."

"You saw Raymond, right?" Hyper inquired.

"Yeah, he's following me right now," Crystal responded.

"You know he'll keep doing that if you don't give him a reason not to," Hyper said.

"No should be enough," Crystal groaned.

"Some don't take no for an answer," Hyper replied. "If you just make up a lie or something, he'll stop bothering you. At least until he finds a way around your lie."

"Great, how am I supposed to do that?" Crystal sighed.

"You're Crystal, it shouldn't be too hard," Hyper encouraged. "We'll talk later, okay?"

"Fine," Crystal agreed before hanging up.

"Crystal," she heard Raymond call instantly.

"What Raymond?" she glared.

"I just want to talk," he said as he caught up with her. Getting no response, he continued, "I had no idea you were going to be here."

"Here I am," she replied monotonously.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"No," she answered deadpanned.

"Well, I got you a prize," Raymond smiled as he reached for his pocket.

"I don't want it," Crystal said.

"Would you like to go play at one of the booths?" Raymond desperately asked.

"I've already played," Crystal rejected.

"Then what would you like to do?" he inquired.

"You said you wanted to talk," Crystal answered. "If there's nothing you wanted to talk about, then I'm leaving."

"Wait, I do have -," Raymond began to say.

"Hey Crystal," another voice said.

Both of them looked over to see a guy pushing a bike towards them as he seemed to be leaving the fundraising event. Without even thinking about it, Crystal rushed up to the guy and gave him a hug. Mostly, it was because he kept her from having to hear Raymond talk, but also to act on what Hyper advised her. At this point, she didn't care if he was a fan or not.

"Hey, when did you get here?" Crystal cheerfully asked, hoping the guy would catch on.

"Uh, I got here about fifteen minutes after it started," he shrugged.

"You should've called me, I couldn't find you anywhere," Crystal gestured.

"My bad, I got a new number a couple of months ago," the guy apologized.

"Then let me have your number," Crystal requested. "That way we can hang out like we used to."

"Alright," the guy agreed. Purposefully, Crystal spoke in a hushed tone (talking about how he spelled his name) just loud enough for Raymond to hear them trade numbers but (hopefully) not hear what they actually were. "There we go. I got to get back to the booths now. You can come if you want."

"Sure, I'm not busy," Crystal nodded.

"Uh, Crystal," Raymond called, not to be forgotten. "I thought you didn't want -."

"We're just going to do some catching up, Raymond," Crystal interrupted.

"My bad, man. I didn't see you standing behind her," the guy apologized. Putting out his hand, he said, "I'm Grey."

"Raymond," Raymond replied, not shaking his hand. "I'd like to finish talking to Crystal, please."

"We can talk later, Raymond," Crystal denied. "I'd like to enjoy the fundraiser with Grey."

And with that, they walked off towards the fundraiser, leaving Raymond behind. However, if there was one thing that Crystal knew, it was that Raymond was going to make another attempt to "talk" with her when she was alone again. I guess that means I'll have to stay by Grey's side until I find Hyper, Crystal thought.

So for the time being, Crystal went with Grey to different booths, winning prizes and telling jokes to each other. In the background was Raymond, gritting his teeth impatiently in hopes that he could talk with Crystal again. He also knew she was avoiding him, but he had a plan to bridge the gap between them. All he had to do was find something she was interested in, make a connection, and she'd be his.

Unfortunately, he was running out of opportunities. Whether it was because of his mistakes, time management, or, in this case, interferences, every chance Raymond got had been wasted. But he wasn't going to give in until he victoriously claimed her.

Up ahead, Grey bought Crystal and himself a meal of chili cheese hot dogs before looking for a place to sit. Honestly, Crystal found herself enjoying her time with Grey. It wasn't on purpose, but after she put Raymond out of her mind and focused on having fun, she found that Grey was a nice guy to hang out with.

"There's a spot," Grey pointed towards a bench beneath a tree. "Let's sit there."

"Ah, I can now rest my feet," she sighed as she sat down.

"Is that guy still following us?" Grey asked.

"Of course," Crystal replied. "He's been waiting for us to separate so he can talk to me again."

"Well, I guess he'll just have to wait a bit longer," Grey chuckled before taking a bite.

"Thanks for coming, by the way," Crystal said. "I was running out of people and booths to hide behind."

"Wow, that's a weird thanks coming from a heroine," he smiled.

"I know right," Crystal laughed. "I can already see it in the news now, 'Crystal fights Asphalt and runs from Strangers'."

"Highlight of the century right there," he smiled.

"That would be embarrassing," she rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you already know about me, so tell me something about yourself."

"Alright, but don't freak out," Grey said slowly. "You have to promise me you won't freak out."

"Why?" Crystal laughed a little.

"It's not something to laugh about," he insisted.

"Okay, I promise, now tell me," she rushed him.

"I used to be a part of a gang," Grey whispered, his breath coming out in puffs.

For a moment, Crystal thought he was joking. But from the way he was acting, it knocked the smile off her face automatically. Without moving, her instincts took over, dropping the temperature significantly, calculating the distance from the bench to Raymond to the fundraiser behind them. She also eyed Grey carefully, wondering how dangerous he was, if he had help, and most importantly, thinking she probably should have stayed with Raymond.

"I know, that's something I'm not proud of saying," he grimaced as he continued to eat his chili dog.

"What do you mean 'used to'?" she glared, wondering how he could eat at a time like this.

"Exactly that," he answered.

"Why are you telling me this now?" she inquired.

"Its better you hear this from me," Grey replied, "than find out some other way and think I was just trying to play you like a fool. Besides, I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me? For what?" she asked warily.

"You made me realize I didn't want to live a gangster lifestyle," Grey responded, staring at the snow covered trees.

"Tell me what happened," Crystal urged.

"I used to be a part of the Dinshoto Dirty Dogs," Grey started, briefly showing her a tattoo of the gang's insignia on his shoulder. "Back in my childhood, it was more like a family than a gang because they looked after a whole bunch of kids without parents, me included."

"You mean after the Hour of the Hexagon, right?" Crystal asked for confirmation.

"Yeah, after that," Grey nodded. "I don't know if my parents were dead or alive, but all I knew was that they were missing. With parents gone, kids were running into the first arms they could find and mine just so happened to be the Dirty Dogs. As I got older, I became more aware of their gangster ways and decided to help out as their errand boy, to show my thanks and appreciation. And of course, during that time, the Dirty Dogs spread out to Urcople, Xankunto, and Weydon."

"I know the history," Crystal told him, just about staring icy daggers his way.

"Then you should remember how we fell," Grey said.

"It's a bit vague, but I remember," Crystal nodded a bit proudly. "I kicked ass that day."

"You didn't just kick ass," Grey replied. "You destroyed a base of operations used in the drug trade. Everybody got knocked at least twice, me included, of course. I was one of those that didn't escape and, even though I was just an errand boy, ended up serving time. While in there, I reflected on my actions, knowing that my parents, whether dead or alive, wouldn't have been proud of my current predicament. So, I did time, let out early for good behavior and decided to change my ways."

"And that's why you're thanking me?" Crystal asked.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I'm crediting you for having me reflect and change my ways."

"What have you been up to since you got out?" she inquired.

"It wasn't easy getting back on people's good side, I can tell you that," Grey sighed. "For a while I was homeless and had to stay a shelter. Still, I found a way to help out and was eventually suggested to take part in Cavalanchee's Workers Program."

"The one where the government helped convicts find jobs?" Crystal guessed.

"Yeah, that's the one," he replied. "I did odd jobs for a solid year and then, upon completion, they buried my record, gave me a check, and sent me on my way. Ever since then, I've done a few temporary jobs, but the fishing company I work for now is going pretty well for me."

"I don't know what to say," she glanced his way. "People don't usually come up to heroes and heroines and thank us for getting their life back together."

They sat together in silence. Grey finished his chili dog, then ate Crystal's chili dog when she passed hers over to him. Crystal went over what he had said, unable to decipher what the swirl of her emotions was trying to tell her. A few were stuck on him being a former criminal, but plenty were acknowledging his efforts to change his ways and courage to tell her his story. Guys used to be simpler than this, Crystal thought. At the sound of boots crunching snow, they looked up to see Raymond walking up to them.

"I was wondering if I could speak with Crystal, please," Raymond requested.

"I'm not the one you have to ask," Grey said.

"I can't right now, Raymond," Crystal denied again. "I'd like to spend the rest of time with . . . my boyfriend."

"WHAT?" Raymond and Grey simultaneously exclaimed, eyebrows almost flying off their heads.

"Yeah, Grey is my boyfriend," Crystal confirmed, then looked at Grey for support.

"I - I thought . . . y - y - y - you were . . . joking," he said shakily, not from the frosty weather.

"No, I was serious when I told you that a few months ago," Crystal replied.

"Then . . . uh . . . as a gift, let me put these prizes I won on you," Grey stuttered as he reached for his prize bag. Pulling out the prizes, he said, "I got this . . . uh . . . necklace for you. That goes around your . . . uh . . . neck. Then I have this . . . uh . . . bracelet, which goes on your wrist. I also have . . . perfume, I think . . . and uh . . . makeup! I won makeup for you."

"You seem to have won a girl's goodie bag," she giggled.

"I did, didn't I?" he laughed with her.

"I don't believe you," Raymond crossed his arms.

"Well, I only seem to have girl products with me," Grey shrugged.

"I'm not talking about that," Raymond all but yelled.

"He's my boyfriend," Crystal restated. "I don't need your approval."

"Why am I only hearing this now?" he demanded.

"Because I don't want people to know I have someone I like," Crystal glared. "Besides, I can like and dislike whoever I want."

"Oh yeah, then where did you find him, under a rock?" Raymond sneered.

"It doesn't matter where we met," Grey asked. "You can find love anywhere these days. To be honest, I found my first love underneath a rock. She was huge, hairy, and had a ravenous appetite that wouldn't be satisfied."

The other two looked at Grey weirdly, as they couldn't fathom a person that matched Grey's description. Crystal didn't want to ask, seem rude, and risk ruining her plan, but since Grey brought it up she had to go with it.

"So what happened?" Crystal prodded.

"She jumped out a window and escaped," Grey sighed.

"How did a fat woman jump through a window?" Crystal inquired incredulously.

"She was a spider, not a woman," Grey laughed.

"Back on track," Raymond disregarded. "I think you're lying about your relationship. In fact, I know you're lying about your relationship."

"You're just jealous," Crystal said matter of factly.

"Even still, I don't believe you," Raymond sneered. "You're going to have to prove me wrong."

"Are you serious?" Grey asked. "Do you know just how ridiculous that sounds? Is this some sort of fetish you have?"

"This is NOT a fetish," Raymond declared. "Now, prove you're in a real relationship."

"It seems to be a fetish to me," Grey muttered.

"Fine," Crystal agreed. "You want proof? I'll give it to you."

For the first time, all three of their thoughts were similar to each other. The guys were thinking, 'I can't believe she's doing this.' Crystal was thinking, 'I can't believe I'm doing this.' But Raymond wanted proof and Crystal was about to do anything to prove their three month relationship wasn't a scam (even though it was).

Slowly, she stood up and glared disgust Raymond's way before turning to face Grey and his worrisome face. Gulping down her hesitation, she sat across his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and stared deep into his eyes. A small gasp escaped her lips as she realized Grey's eyes were grey in color. Grey smirked, knowing that she put two and two together just then.

Tentatively, their lips touched, exchanging breaths and synchronizing heartbeats. After a few seconds went by, they pressed their lips against the other, exclusively exploring the outside of the mouth slowly. Since it was her idea, Grey followed Crystal's lead. Every move she made was full of instructions that he had to obey. As a matter of fact, one of the instructions he was unknowingly obeying disregard anything else. Raymond, the fundraiser, the wintry season, the whole world, and anything else that didn't have to deal with Crystal and her fantastic lips simply ceased to exist.

As for Crystal, every thought about Grey being an ex-convict undeniably denounced their old ways as they acknowledged Grey's potential for actually being boyfriend material. It was more surreal than anything she's ever felt before. In spite of her eyes being closed, she still found a way to map the entire region of his mouth using her own mouth. There was a little bit of chili that she cleaned off, a little scar on his lips that she found herself wondering how it got there, and her new favorite, a growing goatee beard that she loved to feel.

Unfortunately, they had to separate as Grey was panting from the lack of oxygen.

"I'm sorry about the beard," Grey whispered. "I'm going to get it shaved off."

"Don't," was all Crystal said.

It was Grey's turn to lead this time as he leaned in to resume their make out session. Crystal could tell he wasn't very experienced in making out by the way he paced himself and even separating their lips at times. However, it was a joyous moment for her because she could tell he was excited through his eagerness of tasting what control felt like. Suddenly, he began to caress her body, one hand gently gliding over her legs from her thighs to her knees. But it was his other hand that her mind focused on. It was wrapped around her back, trying to find a place to hold on to that was void of any sexual advances it didn't want to be accused of.

"I think that's good enough," Crystal said, drawing surprise and disappointment out of Grey.

"Oh . . . uh, that's right," Grey agreed, staring at Crystal's lips, then her eyes, then her lips again.

"No," Raymond said through clenched teeth. "That's not enough."

"What do you mean that's not enough?" Crystal glared. "You wanted proof and we just gave it to you."

"Anybody can kiss and make out," Raymond replied disgustingly. "If you really want to show your love, take it to the next level. Suck his tiny, little dick."

That's it, Grey thought, suddenly deciding to end this once and for all. Calmly, he removed Crystal from his lap and her arms from around his neck. Next, he stood and stretched, removing any stiffness that he could feel in his body. And finally, he struck Raymond right above the chin, almost knocking him over in the snow.

"I knew it, I knew it. I knew you were a pervert who had a fetish for couples proving their love!" Grey yelled, stomping over to Raymond. "We did everything possible, disregarding sex, to show you how much we love each other and you still don't believe us! Love isn't proven on the spot, genius! It's shown through a person's actions every damn day. Now get out my face before I show you how much my fist loves you!"