Ch 3

They ate mac and cheese. "I thought you wanted me to talk more." Kai was still confused because he was yelled at by Liam. "you never talk with me like that." Liam pouted. "The things I talk about are boring, it's better to listen to you." Kai said, a bit embarrassed because all he talk about was liam. Liam changed the subject "Why didn't you wear a jacket to school?"

"Too expensive." kai was stuffing his face with mac and cheese.

"I'll buy you one tomorrow," liam said.

"Busy. Part-time job." Kai said, in between bites.

"You have a job?" Liam was upset that kai didn't tell him.

"At the bakery." kai said.

Liam still got kai a jacket. "Here, it should fit you." Liam said. "Thanks." kai said. He put it on without hesitation. "You're weird." a girl with glasses said. It was break and all the students were in the quad. "Why are we weird?" Liam was confused.

"First, he has tattoos everywhere." she pointed at kai.

"My guardian is a henna artist. She practices on me." kai argued.

"Second, you only talk to that big oaf." she said.

"Oaf?" liam asked, hurt.

"Third," she continued.

"There's more?" liam muttered.

"you two act like gangsters." she said.

"I look like a gangster?" kai asked, looking at his clothes.

Sammy had a crush on liam. She hated kai because he was Liam's first priority.

"But i don't smoke or drink." kai said, looking down his shirt. His chest was cover with henna art. "I'm not that tall. Maybe I should ask Sarah to take a break with the henna." kai muttered. Beth joined in to break those two up because she had a crush on kai. "You two look so annoying together. You two should stop hanging out for awhile." Beth said. Liam didn't want kai to be insulted like this. "Okay, maybe we should give each other some space." Liam agreed. "Okay." kai said nonchalant. He grabbed his bag and headed to history, not sparing a glance for Beth.

At lunch, Liam hung out with his friends and kai read a book under a tree in the school garden. Liam was a bit anxious and kept checking his phone.

"What's up with him?" gabe asked.

"Maternal instincts." someone muttered back.

"Hey, did you get in a fight with kai?" Gabe asked Liam. "nah, he is just somewhere else." Liam strained a smile. "You look miserable without him." Gale said (Gale and Gabe are twins, their parents made their names while playing scrabble.) They kept joking around but Liam was worried. "what if he get bullied?" Liam muttered. "Tor? Getting bullied? he is kinda intimidating if you don't know him. His muscles are bulging, like he's on steroids." a guy said. "That's not how it works." someone corrected him.

Kai was quietly reading in the garden, when the boy who ripped his shirt showed up with 15 other guys. Some had knives. Kai put down the book. "What's up?" he asked, smiling casually. "Is he crazy?" one asked. "No, I'm not." Kai said. "Yep, he's crazy." someone muttered. He was way too innocent, in a weird way. A guy charged at him with a knife. Caught off guard, kai grabbed the knife.