Bodyguard University was Thailand's top and secret school in which only the elite were accepted to train as bodyguards for government and celebrity personnel. Not just anyone could waltz in and apply. You had to be invited to audition.
Kidnapping 321: 1.02 seconds. อนาคินน์ รัรษณณากูร (Annakhin Ratsananakun)
Given the level of difficulty it took to save the simulated hostage on that test, it was nearly impossible to defeat my record of 1.30 minutes, especially by a junior. The only plausible explanation was foul play.
"Porsche! Can you tell us how it feels to have your school record once again superseded by Kinn Annakin's?" Techno, our school's unofficial news reporter asked me with microphone obnoxiously shoved almost against my lips and a stupid camera live-recording our interview.
The anger surging in my heart was meticulously poured out as each letter was revealed. Drip by drip, the concoction of envy and shameful defeat spilled into the cauldron boiling over in my chest. Powerful spheres curled by my sides, forcing fine nails to cleanly slice into calloused palms. My jaw had clenched tightly as though my teeth were being ground down to nothing.
Not wanting to make myself look worse than I already had, I forced a smile towards the camera and hid my fists behind my back.
"I feel like someone's daddy must be making this school very happy," I said as cheerfully as I could.
Techno's mouth gaped open. "Are you telling us that Kinn cheated?"
"I'm not saying that," I backtracked, realizing that if he did have influence, I couldn't risk slandering him. "I'm just saying that he may not have as much skill as people think he does."
"You talk a big talk, but where's your score to back it up?" A familiarly despicable voice called from the crowds of people checking the scoreboard.
Ugh. This asshole again. Kinn's pale face and sharp eyes stood out to me as he approached us. Casual confidence radiated from him, igniting my irritation. Instead of vexation, he seemed amused by our banter. Chestnut lips cocked into a smirk, and his hands were snug in his front pants pockets. Before the battle of snark had even started, he had already won.
"Unfairly placed behind your fraudulent one," I shot back at him, not handling my temper as well as I thought I would.
He shook his head and laughed.
"You're claiming my victory is because of my father, but what about your dad? Isn't he an alumni, and the largest contributor to BU?"
I should've gone silent at that point. However, my temper wasn't my best friend. I stomped closer to him. Grabbing his stupid uniform collar, I yanked him so that his breath tickled the tip of my nose.
"Everyone knows I always play fairly," I growled.
Techno spread his arms out between us and laughed awkwardly.
"Okay, okay. Now is not the time for a pissing contest," he said nervously.
I rolled my eyes and took a step back.
Kinn seemed all too pleased by my reaction and hadn't changed his stance in the slightest, like he anticipated everything that just happened and was watching a soap opera play out on his TV.
"Just like every small dog, all bark and no bite," Kinn said while challenging me.
"Are you calling him a lap dog?" Techno asked curiously.
Why would you say that, Techno? I glared at him and nudged the bastard for making a suggestive comment.
"Certainly. I'm sure he's been passed around onto quite a few laps," Kinn said.
That was it. Without another word, I Hulk-smashed my knuckles into the highest point of his cheekbone. Well, I would've if he hadn't dodged my attack and snatched my arm. He twisted, and my back was flipped to the unforgiving floor. He hovered over me and settled my waist between his legs. Warm thighs melted my body in ways I didn't want to feel. Peering down his hanging shirt collar, I saw six rows of abs flexing. His aggravating smile made me clench my jaw. I swiftly bucked my hips and hurled him to the floor. Then, I straddled his waist.
Snagging his wrists, I slammed them above his head. I narrowed my eyes, daring him to move when I was mounted on top of him.
"Not bad," he murmured underneath me.
"Looks like we have a sexy rivalry here!" Techno cheered. He crouched down and motioned for his cameraman to get a closeup of our heated faces.
"There's nothing sexy about this prick," I snarled, restraining myself from spitting onto his panting face.
"Really? You seem pretty attracted to me," Kinn remarked while his gaze trailed down my body.
If one were to observe Kinn objectively, he was very dashing. His raven hair was always slicked back to show off his widow's peak but styled in a way that there were wisps framing his snow- white face. A high bridge supported his perfectly sloped nose, rounded at the end over a pair of full, rose-coloured lips. Though I hadn't seen much his body, the way his uniform stretched tightly across his shoulders didn't leave much to the imagination. He was very fit.
With all of this taken into account, a beautiful person didn't mean their personality matched. In that respect, Kinn was hideous.
Embarrassed, I checked to see that I wasn't showing anything that would make Kinn say this. In the next moment, I was being tossed in the air and hammered onto the hard ground. The quick impact seared into my back and stole my breath. That jerk had tricked me! As much as I wanted to attack him again, my need for air was greater than the desire to kick his ass.
Kinn stood up, dusted himself off, and casually stood over me with a loud cackle. "You look cute underneath me. You should be there more often."
I sourly raised my middle finger at him as I sat up and watched the person I despised walk away, after cutely waving to the camera. The desire to see him fall flat on his arrogant face burned within me. I wanted him to admit that I was better than him.
Techno stood and grinned at the camera. "The tea is hot today, everyone! It seems like our school's top bodyguards are enemies. Will Kinn continue to surpass Porsche, or will Porsche be able to keep face? Stay tuned!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was one particularly unique part about BU's testing that I loved. The testing wasn't graded solely on your skills but also on your timeliness. During my 3.5 years here, I had defeated every high score in the school's history. The last time a score had been surpassed was over ten years ago.
Kinn Annakhin was the third year jerk that randomly appeared and nonchalantly beat my records like he was on level one of a videogame. Besides his effortless victories, his cockiness pissed me off, and I couldn't do a thing about it because he was right to be egotistical. He was as good as he talked himself up to being. I just couldn't stand people that deemed their lives more valuable than others.
Still, there was one score he didn't have a chance to defeat until he was a senior: the Pairing Program. In a senior's last semester, he was paired and assigned to bodyguard a junior under the surveillance of the school as a true testament of their bodyguarding abilities. BU would create unsuspecting Phases, like kidnapping, attacks, and ambushing, etc., to the junior, and their bodyguard had to be there to protect them.
A few days before the Pairing Ceremony, Professor Thongkham had gathered my entire class into the auditorium to prepare for what was ahead our last semester. His lecture reminded me that this test was not ordinary.
"Rule number one, and also the most important rule, is to never allow harm to come to your Protectee. If there's someone trying to fight him, then you fight for him," Professor Thongkham said.
"If you see someone aiming a gun at him, then you jump in front of him."
That lecture was a few days ago. Now, I was eagerly waiting on stage for my name to be called. Facing the large auditorium, I surveyed seated juniors apprehensively listening for their bodyguards. The Pairing Ceremony was a quiet and serious event.
"Sarawat Guntithanon and Tine Teepakorn," Principal Nattapol announced over the deafening microphone.
A tan guy abandoned the lined group of seniors and met a junior with full lips in the center of the stage. They wai'd* to each other and departed on the opposite side of the stage with the rest of the names already called.
(*The wai is the Thai greeting in which people put their palms together and bow their heads as a sign of respect.*)
"Nervous?" Phupha, my best friend, whispered to me.
Judging by the pearls of sweat sliding down the side of his face and jittery leg, I should've been asking him that question, but I didn't want him to feel self-conscious.
His tall stature and muscled physique misled you to believing that he was a confident and self-assured guy, but he was the most insecure person I knew. Too often, his awkwardness was mistaken for sternness, and his shyness was mistaken for stoicism. Unless you read his pages, you'd misinterpret his cover.
"Nope. It doesn't matter who they give me. I'm going to be the best bodyguard, no matter what," I muttered to him, doing my best to camouflage my moving lips.
"Phupha Viriyanon and Tian Sopasitsakun."
Phupha raised his eyebrows in astonishment. I, too, was just as shocked to hear the junior he had been crushing on was going to be his Protectee. For all those times I tried to convince him to just say, "Hi," he was now forced by fate to have a conversation with him.
I pushed him forward and watched him stumble across the stage. As soon as his look met Tian, I knew it was love at first sight. He swallowed largely and wai'd to the charming boy.
"Ram Vera Vorarat and King Kitti Tattaprathan."
Slowly, less blurred faces were dotted throughout the seats and joined their new companion. Professor Nattapol was taking her sweet-ass time before calling my name.
I had no concerns regarding my ability, but I was curious to whom would be lucky enough to be paired with me. They'd want to give me a challenge, so the likelihood of a weakling was high. A defenseless person meant I was his only hope of defense.
"Porsche Prachaya and Kinn Annakhin."
My heart jolted at the second name. Completely shocked, I stood there like a Greek statue. An overwhelming sensation trembled within as I searched for him in the crowd. I pinched my thigh to make sure this wasn't a dream. Nothing had prepared me for the moment I'd be tied to Kinn.
I realized that Kinn had already entered the stage when Professor Nattapol turned back to give me a stern look. I scurried from my row and rushed to face Kinn, who had the biggest shit-eating grin I'd ever seen. He looked like he had won the lottery by stealing it from his biggest enemy.
We wai'd to each other and joined the paired group.
"Let's see how long this lasts," Kinn hotly said against my ear as we settled in place.
I snapped an irked expression and held my fists behind my back.
"Don't you know, this is until the end of the semester," I bitterly informed him.
"It's supposed to be a semester, but that doesn't mean it will be," Kinn said.
The way he said it wasn't with animosity or doubt. It sounded more like a warning, suggesting that he had plans to ensure my failure already piling up in his sadistic brain. They didn't pair me with someone capable because they wanted me to take the easy way out. They knew he would be my biggest challenge yet.
****
Voila! This is chapter one for an idea that I've been ruminating about for quite some time. I thought it'd be a fun story, and it fit so well with KinnPorsche that I couldn't resist. Stay tuned for part two! :)