Thank you all so much for 18K reads!! I've gotten several thousand in just the last week, that's crazy!
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Lucas' POV
It was Monday morning and I was talking with Kai and his friends, huddled in a circle in the midst of the cold, yet sunny late March weather.
I was ecstatic, we had won our second match, Kai was starting to show more and more of his personality around me, and he declared to Joon that he would always pick me over his daughter.
What more could a guy want... besides an official relationship of course. But deep down I know that isn't a possibility until Kai takes care of his loose ends.
"He looked so heavy, I don't know how you managed to pull him off," Jack was telling Kai as we all talked about our match last Friday.
Zay and Jack had been somewhere in the crowd, and I later found out my mom had brought my whole family to watch. She said she had to physically drag Kaleb, explaining how she was so worried as he looked pale the entire time.
I bet the little brat was shitting his pants after actually seeing Kai fight in person.
"It was probably the adrenaline, honestly," Kai explained. "If you told me to pull someone that big right now there's no way in hell I'd be able to do it."
Zay had a playful smirk on his face, "Adrenaline? Or fear of your little boyfriends over here getting heart?" He teased.
I chuckled at his words... if only.
"Shut the fuck up! He's not my boyfriend," Kai was acting like his normal self, stoic yet lively.
I'm not his boyfriend yet.
It seemed as though only I got to see him when he got embarrassed, and that was one of the things that sustained me in this unclear relationship we had going on.
I mean we do all the things boyfriends would do. We go on dates, we have sex, he's even been introduced to my family, although it was unexpected.
"But Kai," Zay started, "do you think you'll be able to win? Your last fight was already 10 times harder than the first."
"Don't worry about it, I didn't even give 80% of what I've got during Triple O, I'm sure that Doubles will be similar," Kai was cocky. But I will admit, it's hot when he's so confident.
"Oh right! Did I tell you guys about what happened with Ms. Graham?" Zay's eyes got wide, an excited expression appearing on the dark males face.
"That 12th grade English teacher?" I asked.
"Yeah! Apparently she got caught sleeping with a student!" Zay was a bitch for gossip.
"Wait, isn't that illegal?" Jack asked with a concerned look on his face.
"Nah, I heard the student was 18," Zay waved him off.
"But still... that's basically pedophilia cause most seniors start their year at 17, and she's like 40," Jack was grossed out at the thought.
"Okay, but get a load of who she was sleeping with," Zay was smiling ear to ear, thrilled to be sharing the information he overheard.
Zay leaned in close, motioning for all of us to move forward as he began to whisper, "It's that guy on the soccer te-"
"Kai!?" Zay was cut off by a loud shout coming from the parking lot.
We all whipped our heads around to see a short girl with strawberry blonde hair. She had tears in her eyes that looked like they would fall any second.
"K-Kai, is... is that really you?" Her voice quivered.
I turned to look at Kai, wondering if he actually knew the girl or if she was a fan.
He looked perplexed, his eyes slightly squinting and his brows creasing together, "Sarah?"
Sarah? Isn't that the name of the girl that helped Kai when he was in trouble?
"Holy shit," her words were breathless.
The girl sprinted toward Kai, rushing right past me causing me to jerk my head, following her speedy movement as she jumped into Kai's arms, wrapping her legs around his waist.
What the actual fuck?
Kai stumbled backward due to the momentum of her leap, but he quickly embraced her in a tight hug.
"Oh my gosh, it's really you!" She squealed, Kai's eyes became small, his smile consuming his entire face.
He set her down, the strawberry blond placing a hand at the bottom of her short white skirt so it didn't fly up as the rest of us stared at the two in confusion.
"Y-you moved so suddenly and I couldn't find you anywhere! I was so w-worried about you..." Sarah wiped the tears from her cheeks with her light pink sweater, her thick eyeliner starting to run.
She paused, really taking in Kai's appearance, the most loving smile appearing on her face. Sarah's cheeks were rosy and now she let her tears stream down, not attempting to wipe them away.
"Wow, look at you. You're nothing like the small boy I remember! I used to be so much taller and bigger than you... but now you look like you'd even hit your head on the top of door frames!" she giggled.
Kai pouted, "Of course I've grown, it's been eight years since you've seen me."
They both had such warm looks on their faces.
Jack turned to Zay, "Who's she?"
"Oh, yeah. Kai probably hasn't told you too many details about what happened with his dad. But if I'm right, I think that's Sarah, the girl who helped get Kai out of that hell hole."
I guess I was right, it is her. I'm glad they are getting to see each other again, they both deserved to know that the other was okay for some sense of closure.
"I just transferred here. It's kinda weird that it's the latter half of the second semester, but my dad got a job in this town so we moved. I can't believe you're here too..." she pushed a hand through her wavy hair, moving it out of her eyes.
Jack, Zay, and I stood behind the two watching the encounter take place as the bell rang, interrupting their conversation.
She glanced at the two large doors at the entrance of the school, a sense of panic and realization in her eyes, "Oh shoot! I need to go get my schedule before class starts, promise me we'll talk during lunch!" she quickly ran off in a hurry.
We all followed behind her, Kai looked so happy to have seen her again, a smile resting on his face.
If I think about it, Sarah probably means a lot to Kai. She literally saved his life and is the only reason he's here with me today, so I guess even I owe her a thank you.
When lunchtime rolled around, Sarah was sitting with the four of us at a table outside the school.
"So you're all Kai's friends?" She asked us in an excited tone.
"Yep," Zay spoke first. "I'm Zay and that's Jack. I've known Kai since middle school, he mentioned you a couple of times. But he left out the part describing you as a goddess," he winked, trying to charm the beautiful girl.
Because of her, I couldn't sit next to Kai and instead she clung onto his arm, it was strange that Kai was even letting her touch him. He usually hated that kind of thing.
I had never seen Kai smile so much before, not even when he's with me...
I took a good look at her when I knew she wouldn't notice my staring. Sarah was probably around 5'2 or 5'3, had freckles littered across her nose, and what looked like artificial blush heavily placed along her cheeks and nose. Her hair was such a unique color and it fell past her waist. She was wearing white platform shoes to go with her outfit, and even I have to admit, she has style and it really suits her.
She was stunning in her own right. Although I'm gay, I can tell that she is truly beautiful and that anyone interested in girls would probably be attracted to her.
She gave off an innocent and sweet vibe.
"And you are?" She asked me.
"Oh, I'm Lucas," I didn't mean for my tone to come out so harsh, but she seemed unbothered by my hostility.
"I'm Sarah, I was friends with Kai in elementary school," she gave a soft smile. "It's really nice to meet you all, I thought I might have to sit alone for a couple of weeks, I have a hard time making friends."
I nodded my head as she returned to her conversation with Kai.
I clenched my jaw, staring at the two. They looked like a couple with how they were sitting and with the endearing smiles.
Zay elbowed me in the ribs and smirked, "They look kinda cute together don't they?"
I glared at him hard, causing him to throw his hands up in surrender.
"Dude, why would you say that to him? You know that Lucas and Kai are..." Jack gave a knowing look while raising his eyebrows, scolding his friend.
I ignored them both, going back to staring at Sarah and Kai's interactions. They didn't look like two friends who had been separated for years. They looked like lovers in the midst of the honeymoon phase of their relationship.
For some reason, I was feeling bitter.
Here I was moping over Kai giving a girl attention. And I know that they were friends. I know how much Sarah did for Kai in the past and how important she is to him. And I know that Kai doesn't like girls... but I can't help thinking about how good they look together.
Kai hasn't even spared me so much as a glance since Sarah showed up this morning.
It shouldn't bother me, Kai's gay, He's told me that he's never been attracted to girls... but I also know that he was never attracted to guys either.
I don't understand why I'm thinking like this, Kai's done more than enough to show that he's into me. I just can't help but wonder... is he really gay?
It's only been two and a half months since that night at the party. I know I shouldn't be thinking like this, but what if Kai is still questioning his sexuality? Some people don't figure it out for years, yet he decided so fast and just slapped on a label.
"I... I want to hear more about what happened after that day," Sarah looked down, treading carefully with saddened eyes.
Kai's smile faltered, "Yeah... I think you deserve to know, especially after I disappeared without a word. But I don't really want to talk about it here," Kai looked around, noting the numerous students surrounding us and walking around.
"How about after school?" She hopefully questioned.
"After school... I have plans with Lucas," Kai looked toward me.
We were going to review our next opponents' fights. It's getting tougher which means we have to take this whole thing more seriously.
"I was actually meaning to talk about that," I interrupted them. "My mom asked me to babysit Tallie today so I can't." I regrettably told them.
Damn it, why today of all days? I don't want to leave them alone together.
I gnawed on the inside of my cheek, frustrated that there was nothing I could do about it.
I internally slapped myself. Stop it, Lucas. It's not like Kai is my boyfriend, and either way, I need to trust him. This conversation between them is something that needs to happen eventually. It has nothing to do with me so I shouldn't butt in, I should be giving them space.
"You two should catch up," I forced the words out of my mouth.
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Kai's POV
"Lucas, do you think you could give us a ride to that cafe near my house?" I asked him.
I hadn't talked to Lucas much today, my mind was so preoccupied with Sarah. I can't believe it's really her.
The day at school passed super fast and I was walking out of my last class with Lucas right next to me.
He looked a little frustrated, but I assumed it was because he had to watch his little sister, "Sure."
Sarah was waiting near the lockers by the entrance, she was surrounded by a couple of guys I recognized as the football players that randomly started talking to me the other week.
She looked extremely uncomfortable as Ryan placed an arm against the lockers over her head, leaning forward and trapping her against the wall.
I quickly made my way over and landed a harsh grip on his shoulder, digging my fingers in and pulling him away from her.
I had a cold look on my face and he snapped his head around, "Ouch! What the fuck, who do you think you a-"
His eyes swelled to the size of saucers as he noticed my expression, "O-oh Kai... G-good to see you, man."
He placed his hand on my wrist, trying to pry my grip off as his face contorted from the pain.
"The fuck do you think you're doing right now?" I asked him, not releasing my hand.
He began to bend his knees, attempting to crouch in order to lessen my hold, "I-I was just talking to the new girl. No need to get so mad, man."
"Sarah, are you okay?" I asked as she wearily moved away and walked behind me, standing next to Lucas.
I let go of Ryan's shoulder with a hard shove.
He grabbed his shoulder as the other two guys caught him before he fell. He steadied himself and then looked at me, "Oh? So are you two," he gestured toward Sarah and I, "like a thing?"
I glared at him even more, obviously not. Who wouldn't act like this when you're pressuring a girl and making her uncomfortable. I was probably even more agitated because it was Sarah.
I turned to look at the girl behind my back, she looked scared, "Are you okay?" I asked.
She just nodded her head.
"Okay, let's go then. Lucas said he could give us a ride," We made our way to Lucas' car and I got in the back seat with Sarah so she wouldn't feel like a third wheel.
The drive was short and we made light conversation, it was weird that Lucas didn't join in at all. He was usually a pretty outgoing guy.
I kept glancing into the rearview mirror and every time I checked, Lucas had a glum appearance.
Once we got to the small cafe Sarah and I got out of the car. I walked around to Lucas' window and gestured for him to roll it down. His expression softened when he looked into my eyes.
"I'll see you at school tomorrow, yeah? You won't ditch, right?" Since I wasn't going to get to hang out with him after school, I at least wanted to be able to stare at his face instead of paying attention in class tomorrow.
What? There's nothing wrong with enjoying some eye candy. Especially in a class I don't want to be a part of in the first place, seriously, why did I even sign up for precalc? I only need algebra 1 and geometry to graduate anyway.
He stuck his hand out of the car and ruffled my hair, "Fine, but only because you asked. I'll see if someone can cover my morning shift."
"Hey! Don't mess up my hair!" I swatted his hand away and finally got a laugh out of him for the first time today.
"I'll see you tomorrow," He waved as he backed out of the spot.
After his car had disappeared I opened the door for Sarah and followed behind her, a bell chiming as we entered.
We went to the front to order, "What do you want?" I asked her.
"Hmm, that!" She pointed at a slice of strawberry cake in the display.
I chuckled, "It matches you and your outfit."
"It fits the aesthetic and tastes good," she shrugged her shoulders. "It's a win-win situation."
"Can we get a slice of the strawberry cake and chicken tenders please?" I asked the cashier as I pulled my wallet out of my front pocket.
Sarah laughed at my order.
"Sure thing," the cashier replied.
"You don't have to pay for me!" Sarah exclaimed, trying to pull my hand down before I could hand them my card.
"Don't worry about it, I make a lot of money. One piece of cake is nothing," I reassured her.
We took a seat at a booth toward the front of the store next to the window.
"Why are you getting a full meal?" Sarah questioned, "It's like 4:00 pm."
"We usually go out for lunch but we didn't because I thought it'd be easier for you if we just stayed on campus," I explained.
"Oh, I see. Sorry about that. I was wondering why none of you were eating. I got worried thinking about how you never had lunch back then," she frowned.
"A lot of things have changed, it has been eight years after all," I spoke in a soothing voice to ease her worry.
"And when you said you make a lot of money? What do you mean? Did you manage to find some rich foster parents or something?" She asked, genuinely curious about my life.
"Oh," I awkwardly scratched the back on my head. "No. It's not like that. I ditched the system back when I was a freshman... nothing seemed to work out for me there."
A waiter brought our food out, Sarah quickly digging into the pink cake.
"Then how did you do it?"
"At first I got checks from the government, but it wasn't really enough so I got a job," I told her, taking a large bite of my food as I hadn't eaten in over eight hours.
"I can't imagine supporting myself as at 14, back then I was still an angsty kid. I was always mad at my dad for making us move," she spoke light-heartedly.
"Where'd you move to?" I asked her.
"We went all the way to Wisconsin," Sarah sighed, making a grumpy face as she stabbed her food. "Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely place, but it just wasn't for me. I never really fit in there. Plus I was so worried about you but had no way to get in contact."
"Well, you're here now. That's more than enough for me."
"Seriously, I'm so happy I found you again," Sarah looked up, thinking. "What are the chances we both ended up in Silveredge?"
"Either way," I looked into Sarah's cat-like blue-green eyes trying to convey my sincerity, "I'm really happy that I got to meet you again. Now I finally get to thank you for what you did. I don't think you fully understand, but you quite literally saved my life... in more ways than one."
If it wasn't for Sarah I would have died of starvation. If it wasn't for her my dad really would have killed me.
She had a loving smile on her face and she tried to not tear up, "How could I not, I couldn't comprehend why people treated you so badly at school. And then when I got to know you, you became my best friend." She let out a little laugh and spoke with a determined voice, "And no one gets to hurt my best friend."
Her mood quickly shifted again, "Before I left, you were in the hospital and the doctors said there was a chance you'd never be able to walk again..." she glanced at my perfectly working legs.
"That? Yeah, I couldn't walk at all for about a year," I looked down at my food, recalling the not so pleasant memories. "I was paralyzed from the waist down."
Her brows were tightly knit together, "But don't worry," I shook off the sad expression on my face. "I did rehab and now I'm good as new!"
"That's good, I'm so happy that you're okay," she sighed in relief.
"Hey," Sarah started as she pulled her phone out. "Give me your number. Oh and your Instagram and Snapchat too."
"Sure, I don't have snap though," I told her my number and Instagram username.
"Woah! Why do you have over 200 thousand followers?" She was surprised. "Does it have to do with your job?"
"Yeah. Have you heard of Mad Dog?" I asked her. "Or maybe you haven't since you've been out of state for a while... but I'm somewhat popular there."
"No, I've heard of it. It's a pretty big deal over in Wisconsin too, although I never knew fighting could be so popular." She explained.
"My following is just because I fight there," I spoke nonchalantly.
"What, you mean like fight fight? As in you fight?" She was flustered.
"Yeah, I've been fighting there for almost four years now," I took a sip of my water.
"Wow... that's insane. I heard the people that fight there are super dangerous though! Have you not gotten seriously hurt? Is it really okay for you to fight there?" Sarah's voice was laced with concern.
I couldn't help but laugh. She was so cute, "You don't need to worry about me getting hurt at Mad Dog, trust me. I've fought there for so long, and I've only participated in the big tournaments a couple of times."
I took another swig from my cup.
"Isn't that even more dangerous! I heard some kids from my school talking about how violent this one guy was... I don't remember his name but they were talking about how he knocked out everyone he fought against and ended up winning... what was it called.... Triple O? D-did you have to fight someone like that?" Sarah's voice was trembling, genuinely worried.
I choked on the water in my mouth, violently coughing as my uncontrollable laughing only made me choke even harder.
"Oh no!" She grabbed a bunch of napkins in a panic, handing them to me as I had spit out a bunch of water onto the seat and on my shirt. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bring up bad memories..."
I couldn't help myself and let out a quiet snort as I wiped up the water with tears in my eyes. "I-its okay," I wheezed. "I had a great time fighting in Triple O, I didn't get hurt at all."
Sarah nibbles on her lip that was covered in a mauve lipstick, "But how... My mom is a physician and said that it's super common for people who get knocked out from physical contact to have concussions."
"Uhm," I scratched my head, "I don't know how to tell you this after you showed so much concern for me... but do you really not know who won Triple O at Mad Dog this year?"
"No... why? Is he scary?" She asked unknowingly.
"Look it up. The guy is absolutely terrifying. I've never seen someone with such unmatched talent," my voice was dripping with sarcasm as I teased my old friend. I was getting such a kick out of this, but it didn't seem like she was catching on.
She quickly moved her thumbs on her phone until I saw my image pop up. She pointed at her screen and then back up toward me, "You!?"
Her mouth was wide open and she sputtered in confusion, looking back and forth between me and her phone.
I chuckled at her reaction, "But of course. How else would I be able to make the big bucks at such a young age."
"So this is real? You're the guy that people acknowledge as one of the best fighters in California?" Sarah was still confused.
"So I've heard people say."
"But why? It couldn't have been easy, especially when you were younger. It's not like they have age or weight brackets, so how did you even manage to protect yourself against adults?"
"It was really hard at first, but after about a year I started getting good. Really good. And now that's all history, and here I am." I opened my arms, motioning toward myself.
"But why? Why would you do something so risky?" She asked, shoving more cake in her mouth and putting it in her cheeks as she chewed, she reminded me of a little squirrel.
My lips formed a thin line, "I didn't want anyone to be able to hurt me ever again..."
An understanding look appeared on her face.
"Because of that, but also because it's my best chance of finding my dad," I told her, a gloomy look covering my face.
"What!" Do you mean to tell me they didn't catch him? He-he's still out there?"
I sighed, rubbing my eyes, "Yeah, the trail went cold after a couple of months. But I made a deal with the guy who runs Mad Dog. If I win Doubles he'll find him for me, and then I can finally put that motherfucker in his place."
"Holy shit... I can't believe that after all this time you still have to deal with that."
"But what if you don't win?" She asked.
"I will," I spoke with vigor and confidence.
"It's not like I'm fighting alone, Lucas is fighting right by my side so I have nothing to worry about," I felt my face soften just thinking about the boy.
"Lucas? They one with brown hair, super tall? Seemed super moody?"
"Yep," I felt a giddy smile form on my mouth, a slight blush encompassing my cheeks.
Sarah was about to take another bite but halted her fork before it reached her mouth and gave me a strange look, "Why's your face so red?"
"What?" I asked, alarmed that she noticed.
She was my only friend back when I had no one, but it's been so long and there's no way for me to know if it's okay for me to come out to her. We just met, maybe it's too soon.
I'd like to enjoy our peaceful reunion for as long as I can, I don't want to ruin it if she's not going to accept me. Now that I've spilled almost all of my secrets it wouldn't be good for her to hate me... Even though I feel like I can trust her and my instincts are usually never wrong, I just have no way of knowing what she'd do with the information.
But then again, I don't really want to be involved with someone who would judge me just for my sexuality.
"No reason, maybe it's just a little hot in here..." I trailed off, tugging on the neck of my shirt.
"Hot? We're right under the AC, if anything it's cold," Sarah raised her eyebrows in suspicion.
She brushed it off, mumbling as she took the last bite of her food, "Your expression always changes when I mention Lucas."
"Oh my god, that's it!" The strawberry blonde suddenly shouted. "You, you're into Lucas?"
"W-what? What are you talking about?" I asked nervously.
She leaned in and whispered near my face to make sure no one around us would hear, "You're gay, aren't you?"
My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open, my brain trying to find an excuse but my mouth failing to convey the words.
How the fuck did she guess that?
She jumped back into her seat with a bright expression, "I knew it! I thought it was weird how you acted so sweet toward him!"
I had no words, still unsure of what was happening as Sarah continued to talk to herself. "I'm kinda sad though, Lucas is totally my type. I wanted to ask him out.."
"No! You can't do that-" The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them.
"Woah, chill. I'm not about to steal your little crush. Friends don't do that," She reassured me.
"How did you guess..."
"Hmm, honestly it was a long shot. I was like 8% sure, but your reaction confirmed it. You gave yourself away," she laughed
"So, you don't care that I'm gay?" I hesitantly questioned.
"Why should I? I'm bi so I get the whole same-gender attraction thing. Why? Did you think I'd actually be homophobic or something?" She was almost offended.
"I haven't seen you in years, how should I know?" I let out a breath of relief.
"Lucas doesn't really give off a gay vibe though. I've been there myself, it really sucks when you like someone that's straight," Sarah sighed, shaking her head at the memory.
"I don't exactly give off a gay vibe either," I spoke.
"True, true. It is just a stereotype that all gay men are feminine. So, have you made any progress with your little crush?" She smirked, wriggling her eyebrows in a teasing manner.
"Who said he was just a crush?" My words implied that he was something more.
A look of realization crossed her face, "That must be why Lucas was glaring at me all day!" She had a warm smile and her eyes scrunched up, "He was jealous because I was acting too clingy." Laughter fell from her lips, "Sorry, I guess it's my fault that he was in such a bad mood."
"Nah, I'm sure it was about something else, he's probably just mad that his mom's making him babysit his siblings again," I spoke.
"I doubt that's why," she muttered to herself. I almost didn't hear it.
"So Lucas is risking his health to help you find your dad? Aww, he's literally fighting for you, that's so sweet." She was looking at my Instagram page, "You two look super cute together."
"We do, don't we," I beamed, finishing the rest of my food.
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So, how do y'all feel about Sarah coming into the story? I don't like love triangles so there's no need to worry about that:)
It's good that Kai's old best friend is back but...