Everybody at the table fell silent. I stared at Kai, trying to figure out his game. "We were paired to do an essay on each other."
"Right, well, nice chatting but I have to go now," I said and left them all staring as I fled to the bathroom where I locked myself in the stall and desperately tried to calm my nerves.
My thoughts were a jumbled mess. A part of me was furious with Kai for helping me out. It would only make me a bigger target for Matt and my brother, not to mention the rest of the school once they found out Kai has taken an interest.
Another part of me was grateful but extremely cautious. Again, what the hell did he want with me? Did he think he could appeal to me by doing nice things until I dropped down my guard only to fuck with me in the worst way ever? He wasn't innocent in this. Nobody was ever kind to me for no reason. Everybody had secret agendas. And I didn't trust his.
The entire scene left me feeling emotionally and socially drained. I had enough socialization for one day and yet I had to go back to class after my free period and do it all over again. Deciding that I'd rather not be stuck in a dirty bathroom stall, I made an effort to pull myself together and breathe. It was hard to prevent myself from hyperventilating but I focused my thoughts on A Court of Mist and Fury that was hiding in my bag.
Thinking of that made my heart slow and my hands to stop shaking.
I grabbed my things which ended up being tossed on the ground at one point or another and headed to the library, where I planned on picking the most hidden spot I could find and bury my nose in my book.
The plan ended up being completely fool-proof because nobody ever visited the library. Our librarian Miss Dee was a middle-aged woman whose eyes always lit up whenever the door opened and she saw me standing there.
"Hi, Astrid," she said and picked up a pile of books that were sitting on her desk only to dump them on the counter. "I've collected a few books you might enjoy. Are you done with the other ones I gave you?"
"Almost, I just have to finish reading A Court of Mist and Fury," I explained.
"This is what, your third time reading that book?" She asked.
"Fourth," I corrected, giving her a shy smile. That book and that world really helped me deal with my anxiety.
"Never too many times to pick up a good book is what I say," she told me as I walked over to the counter to see what new reads she had for me.
"I figured since you've read the entirety of Vampire Academy that you might as well move on to Bloodlines, its spin-off series. My niece says she liked these better and highly recommends them."
"Alright, I'll take them when I bring you the other ones first," I replied.
"Don't worry, you can do that tomorrow. I trust you more than anyone with books," she shrugged off my concerns.
"Okay," I agreed hesitantly and let her scan the books before I put them in my bag. Then I went to find my corner and settled down to read.
I stayed there until I finished the very last chapter of my book. It was the copy I had bought for myself after deciding that this was one of the books I needed to have in my own personal collection. I stashed it back in my bag and then heard the bell go off, signaling the end of the free period.
The last class I had today was Biology so I said goodbye to Miss Dee and headed there. The hallways were once again full but I kept my head down anyway, avoiding eye contact with anyone living or dead.
Getting to the classroom, I sat down at my usual table. I dropped my bag on the ground, the echo bouncing off the classroom walls. I was the only one in as everyone else went out for their fifteen-minute break. It gave me some time to revise for today's quiz.
I was going through my notes when the door opened. Not able to help myself, I looked up to see the one and only Kai. The guy had clearly been trying to find me.
"Why do you look so pissed?" He asked cautiously as he walked towards me and sat down next to me despite the fact that literally every other table in the classroom had been empty and he could have his pick.
"I'm not," I replied, but I could hear the lie in my tone.
"Uh huh," Kai said, running a hand through his hair. He stretched out his legs and made himself comfortable in his chair while crossing his hands behind his head. "So Matt's got a stick up his ass when it comes to you."
I didn't respond, flipping over the paper to continue on with reading my notes.
"I think he likes you," Kai replied.
I snorted. "That's the stupidest thing I heard anyone say."
"Think about it," he urged. "You're Connor's sister so he tries to play it cool but overcompensates by being mean to you all the time so that his brother won't suspect."
"We're not in kindergarten, Kai. This shit doesn't make any sense. Treating someone like shit can't be justified by saying that you like them," I pointed out.
"I'm not defending him. I don't agree with him. I just figured you might need a heads up," Kai shrugged.
I dropped my hands on the desk, along with the notes, and met his gaze. "Why?"
"Because he doesn't like that we're friends."
"We're not friends," I stated.
"Of course we are. Do you invite total strangers into your house?" He asked me and just as I was about to open my mouth to respond, he cut me off. "I don't think so. See, we're friends and that's making Matty jealous."
"Why do you care anyway?"
"It's entertaining to see someone trying their hardest to be invisible stand out naturally in a crowd," he replied. "It's who you are."
"No, Kai. I'm just a girl who wants to get through these notes for today's bio quiz."
He went pale. "There's a quiz?"
"Yes, have you been living under a rock?" I raised an eyebrow. "We've been preparing for it for the past two weeks."
He leaned in, as if he was about to tell me a secret. In a low voice, he said, "In case you haven't noticed, I don't really pay attention."
"And how's that going for you?" I asked, feeling myself smiling slightly.
"Not well," Kai said which made me laugh.
"Damn," I said and brought my hand to my face. "Okay come here then. We can go over stuff together before class starts."
He dragged his chair across to my desk, sitting so close that his left leg inevitably touched the entirety of my right. He didn't move and I didn't want to show how much that unnerved me.
I started to go over the basic things, explaining it in a language that he could understand. I made him repeat a few things that I said and moved on to other questions before coming back and quizzing him on it. He seemed to memorize what I was saying effortlessly.
We were on the last page of the notes when people started to walk into the classroom. I wanted to shrink but Kai needed me to continue so that he could pass the exam so I did just that. I ignored everyone and kept going.
"Nice, Asher. Getting yourself the school nerd to tutor you," Ophelia purred in his ear as she passed by our table. I saw Kai shudder the moment she touched him.
"Don't you have better things to do than shade people all day, Fee?"
"I don't know, do I?" She asked, clearly insinuating something sexual. She sat down behind his desk, eyeing him hungrily as if he were a piece of meat.
"Not when I'm concerned," Kai replied and turned to me, giving me a bright smile. "Ignore her, she's jealous that we're going to pass with flying colors."
I rolled my eyes but smiled. The class was almost full and we were done just in time for the teacher to come in.
"Bags to the front, phones in the box. We're going to be sitting according to the order of your surnames from left to right. When you're done, you can leave."
Everyone started to pick up their things and drop their bags at the front of the classroom. Mrs. Aldrin held a box in her hand and I gave her my phone which had been off for the past hour. She gave me a smile and a nod and I nodded back, as if in confirmation that I was prepared and ready.
Because of our surnames, Kai and I ended up sitting next to each other because Lola Atkins wasn't here today. It also saved me from sitting with Adam Baxter who smelled like weed all the time but the teachers never did anything about it because he was the principal's son.
We were sitting in the front row which made cheating extra tricky for Kai but he surprised me because he didn't even nudge me once. I sped through the questions and ended up being the first one to hand in the paper.
Mrs. Aldrin let me grab my phone and just as I was about to go get my bag, I saw Kai stand with his own paper, handing it in and surprising our teacher because when she turned it around, it had been completely filled out.
Everybody at school knew that Kai really struggled with Biology.
To answer her question, Kai pointed at me and she seemed to understand that I helped him study.
Kai and I walked out of the classroom together where I finally asked him, "So, you did well?"
"I think so. We'll see," Kai said, then put his arm around my shoulder. "Before we go home, I'm taking you to Starbucks and buying you a drink. My treat for helping me out."
"I never agreed to letting you drive me home," I pointed out, awfully aware of his arm around me but I didn't know if I should push it off or not. There was nobody in the hallway so... Should I just leave it?
"Would you rather walk?" He asked, knowing the answer. When I didn't answer, he laughed and said with a smile plastered on his face, "Don't fight this, Astrid. Go with the flow. You might find that for once in your life, you're having actual fun."
I rolled my eyes but couldn't help my grin from spreading.
Kai could be really pleasant sometimes.
Enough to get under my skin.