12

"Scared you?" he asks with his hands in his pockets

"Scared you?" he asks with his hands in his pockets.

"Y-yeah," I say as I fold my arms across my chest.

"Good," he grits his teeth and I crease my eyebrows in confusion. "Don't be too friendly with him. Or any guy for that matter."

He turns and walks towards the stairs, leaving me stunned. I don't know who this is, but it's certainly not the same Kian I spoke to online. I walk up the stairs and knock on his room. He doesn't answer. I knock for the second time but all I hear is muffled voices. I open his door slowly and see him seated by a table like mine, except that his is navy blue.

"Hey," I whisper. He glances at me but doesn't say anything. "Where's Cara?"

"She left."

"When?" How could she leave and not tell me? Of course we aren't friends, but isn't it polite to tell someone that you're leaving?

"Before Ryan finally did," he clicks on his laptop and the screen comes on.

"Did she leave through the front door?" I step into his room but I can't get myself to go over to his table.

"Yes, Kira," he says in an irritated voice. A page that reads 'Advanced Math Level 4/4' comes on display.

"I didn't see her," I say absent-mindedly, squinting my eyes to read the screen.

"Maybe that's because you were too busy flirting with her step-brother," he snaps, turning to me. I take a step back. What's with the temper?

"I wasn't flirting with Ryan." I'm still offended he thinks I'd flirt with a guy I just met!

"Yeah right, and this is AM Level 1," he says sarcastically as he lifts up a paper and slams it on the table. His anger is frightening and I unconsciously take another step back and feel tears sting my eyes.

"I apologize if you think I was fl-" my voice starts to crack.

"Oh, just belt up already," he scolds as he stands up from his chair and walks towards me. "This is not some charity case so get your act together and stop crying."

"I am not crying," I whisper, wiping my cheeks. No one has ever raised their voice at me, except Grandpa. And he occasionally does that when I came home later than 1a.m., or if I get into trouble at school.

"Of course you aren't," bitterness is dripping from his tone. Why would Cara and Ryan be around such a guy? Maybe they are like him, after all, 'birds of a feather flock together.'

"I'm politely asking you not to mingle with my friends. I'm already sharing a house, a mother and a school. The least you could do is make your own friends," he looks me up and down and shakes his head in a disappointed way. I just arrived I'm already disappointing people. Way to go, Kira.

"Okay," I say softly, keeping my head down.

"I will not share my friends with someone like you, Kira," he says strongly. Those words bite because what type of person is he assuming I am?

Calm down, Kira. You're stronger than this. Don't let this affect you as much as he wants it to. I wish I was and I also wish it wasn't affecting me the way it was.

"I just wanted to be your friend," I say as I burn a hole in the carpet with my stare. Was the whole online interaction a lie? I hold the doorknob tighter when I hear him snigger.

"I don't know you, and I have no intention of doing so anyway. As you'll learn to realise, I only associate myself with people of my standards and authority. Basically the same hierarchy as me."

"Excuse me," I say in my most levelled voice as I walk out. As much as his words hurt me, I will not show him more satisfaction by crying in front of him.

"One more thing," he calls after me and as I have a hand on my door. I stand still, not turning to look at him, "this is the first and last time that you'll step foot into my room. Is that clear?" he hisses and I nod.

"Who knows what kind of bad luck will follow you in here," he murmurs before shutting his door. I quickly open my room and close the door behind me. I jump onto the bed and cry out onto the pillow, letting everything out.

I'm some charity case, that's why his mom volunteered to do this. He has to share his belongings with me. I am not on his level and I don't have any friends. Even back home, I didn't have any friends but I thought things here would be different. I know he's so right, and yet it hurts so bad. I soon fall asleep with one question on my mind: Am I bad luck?

***

"Dad?" I couldn't see clearly, but my eyes soon focused. "Dad!" He's walking towards me.

"Dad, I missed you so much," I run up to him and hug him. He picks me up and twirls me. I don't bother looking for mom cause she's never here. He puts me down and pats my head.

"Hang on tight, Crystal," he says as he strokes my back. I smile when he says my second name. He often calls me that instead of Kira. "I'm always here with you," he says. His smile still reaches his ears.

"Every step of the way?" I ask him as I extend my pinky finger towards him.

"Every step of the way," he says with full certainty and meets my pinky with his own before kissing my forehead. I close my eyes to savour the kiss.

When I open my eyes again, he's no longer there. I'm also no longer in the park he'd always take me to. I'm just in a dark room on a cold floor. Just another dream. But they are not just dreams; I can feel them.