Chapter 16

It ended up being a long, quiet drive back home. Lisa had volunteered to drive everyone home, but Paul wanted to stay behind to make sure that the rest of his friends made it home okay. Maddie and Roxy had no objections to leaving though. The whole drive home, Yumi stayed quiet, not having much to say, instead she continued to just look out the window, a almost blank stare crawling over her face like a mask coming into place. Lisa could only imagine what was on Yumi's mind, and glanced in her rear view mirror at Maddie, who was trying her best to cheer her friend up. Lisa told herself that it wasn't going to work, and that she was taking the approach all wrong. As they pulled up to Maddie's house, they noticed that Yumi wasn't making an effort to exit Lisa's car. Maddie asked what was wrong, but didn't get an answer from Yumi.

Resting her head against the passenger window, Yumi sighed softly. "Can I sleep at your house tonight Lisa?" She asked. Lisa could see the shock on Maddie's face, and motioned to Roxy that she should probably help Maddie understand what Yumi was going through at the moment. Turning back to the Japanese girl, Lisa nodded slowly. "Sure. Of course you can." She told her. "Are you okay?" Lisa asked. Yumi shrugged. "Just allot of thoughts running around in my head. I figure someplace quiet for the night and I might be able to sort them out." She said. Lisa nodded. "I understand." She told Yumi. "Plenty of quiet at my house." She said, and Yumi could tell the slight undertone in Lisa's voice. It couldn't have been more than a 10 minute drive from Maddie's house over to where Lisa lived. But what shocked Yumi wasn't how close it was, but the house itself.

Yumi watched as the front gates slowly opened. As Lisa drove up the driveway, Yumi could only stare in surprise at how big the house was. To her, it reminded her of something you would see in the movies. As she stepped out of the car, Yumi turned to Lisa, who forced a smile. "Welcome to my house. It looks rich, but it's not really." She said, and Yumi assumed it was supposed to be a joke. "Well, come inside." Lisa told her. Yumi couldn't help but be in awe as she stepped inside the large house. It reminded Yumi of home a little, but she didn't let it show. "Usually my butler is here, but he has the day off." Lisa said, and Yumi looked at her. "I'm kidding. It's a joke." She said, and Yumi nodded. "Oh. Right." She said. As they walked upstairs, Yumi noticed a few pictures on the wall of what she assumed was Lisa and her parents. She was curious if she would get to meet them, and was about to ask Lisa, when she stepped into her room.

It was something out of a little girl's dollhouse. Or a Princess's bedroom. The large, canopy bed, the almost un-needed amount of closet space, the balcony with a view, it was almost like she was dreaming, but she knew that she was wide awake. "If you want to take a bath, the shower is right down the hall." Lisa said, and Yumi nodded. "I don't have a change of clothes though." She said. "You can wear something of mine." Lisa told her and smiled. Yumi nodded once more, and slowly made her way down the hall. She was still surprised that no one else was home, and wondered if Lisa's parents were just at work or something. She opened the next door she found, and noticed the rather large shower. It looked like there was enough room for more than one person, and quite a bit of water jets all over.

As she took off the dress, Yumi wondered where to put it, and decided to fold it up into a bundle, and left it outside the door. She would have to return it eventually, and she didn't want it to get damaged. It took a few knob twists, and turns, but Yumi finally got the shower working, and it almost felt like heaven, with the jets from all angles hitting different parts of her body. It tickled, but felt good at the same time, and Yumi told herself that she could get used to something like this. She reminded herself that she was a guest though, and tried not to waste too much time. Somehow she just couldn't get herself to leave the comforting water though. Pulling herself out of the shower, Yumi noticed a folded shirt and towel sitting on a small table, and figured Lisa must have left them there. She wondered why Lisa didn't say anything though.

Lisa was in her kitchen, when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "I'm in here Yumi!" She yelled out. She turned around when the footsteps came closer, and tried her hardest to hold back a chuckle. She leant Yumi one of her shirts, so she could at least sleep in, but she didn't realize how big it would be on Yumi's small frame. "I can try and find something smaller for you to wear, if you want me to..." Lisa said, but Yumi just shook her head. "No, it's fine." She told her. The shirt was large enough to reach down to Yumi's knees, but she still had to roll up the sleeves, just so she didn't make a mess of anything. The pair stayed silent for a bit, allowing Lisa to finish her cooking. As she made a plate of food for herself, and one for Yumi, Lisa wondered what to say that wouldn't make the situation any more awkward than it already was.