Chapter 74: Cat’s Out of the BagKai’s P.O.VNight patted Kia’s back. “You were very brave tonight,” he spoke softly, his voice like a cooling balm to the soul. “It takes a lot of courage to break away from such toxicity, and you did just that. I really admire your strength.”“Thank you, Night.” Kia’s expression softened and I watched her reach out to give him a hug. “You and Kai helped me so much. I don’t even know how to repay you for this.”“You don’t have to,” Night offered a smile, patting her back comfortingly. “You did a good job fixing me up too. Thank you.”Seeing him interact with my sister brought out this feeling in my gut that I couldn’t really explain. I felt grateful for Night’s empathy. This whole scenario had been so full of anger and charged with tension, that Night’s gentle affirmation was like a burst of cool wind in the fiery depths of hell.Even after the house became quieter, I could still feel the tension between my parents and me. Of course, I was thankful tha
Chapter 75: ReconciliationKai’s P.O.VA chill went through my entire body, and I froze, eyes closed, waiting for the silence to break. I fully expected either of them to come up and slap me in the face. After all, this was an even bigger disappointment than hitting that pathetic scum.I bet my parents never expected me to turn out this way, and just like most strict households, they too would be regretting having me as their son.But the hit never came.I slowly opened my eyes to figure out what was happening, and the faces that greeted me were not the ones that I thought I would see. My parents did not look angry at all—they were shocked, yes, but not offended about my existence.What on earth was happening? Was I dreaming?The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop myself from talking. “Why aren’t you angry? You don’t look angry.” I glanced at Night, to confirm that this was actually happening and that my parents actually didn’t seem angry at me.It seemed that I wasn’t day
Chapter 76: Envious of YouNight’s P.O.VLater, when the atmosphere in the living room was no longer as tense and everything finally seemed to settle down, Kai guided me to his room and lent me some of his clothes for me to wear after hitting the shower.I gratefully accepted it, so eager to finally freshen up and get ready for bed. I didn’t want to show it because Kai had been through a hell of a rollercoaster ride…but I was exhausted, mentally, emotionally and physically. But I was only holding it together for him.Kai went into the bathroom as I changed, and when I was dressed, it was my turn to wait for him to finish washing up.I guess it’s really true when they said that a person’s childhood bedroom could tell you a lot about themselves. Kai seemed like the average boy vying for his parents' validation—there were more awards and trophies lining his shelves than I could count with my hands.Upon closer inspection, I saw that they were from his tennis and badminton competitions ba
Chapter 77: I Want To See This ForeverKai’s P.O.VWhen light started to seep into the gaps between the curtains of my room, I stirred awake from the comfort of my sleep. Night’s back was pressed against my chest, and I had one armed draped over his body, while the other was under his head, fallen asleep under his weight.I slowly tried to get up without waking him, but was only able to fully free my buzzing arm from underneath him when he rolled over, groaning lightly in protest. “Sorry,” I said with a wince. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”“It’s alright…” he mumbled into the pillow, voice muffled. “Need to get up anyway…”“I’m gonna go take a shower,” I continued as I got out of bed, stretching my arms to get some blood supply going. “Wanna join me or do you wanna get your bearings sorted first?”“I’ll join you if I manage to force myself to get up…” He groaned, settling himself more comfortably into my pillows.I laughed, shaking my head. When I did get into the bathroom however, he fol
Chapter 78: Unnoticeable ChangeKai’s P.O.VNow that the Campus Hotshot contest was just around the corner, all the participants and the student council—myself included in both those categories—were working extra hard, all preparations in full swing.As hectic as it was for me as a contestant, I could tell it was no less difficult for the other student council members themselves as well—I barely saw Tina and Yim in one place, and Zach was basically playing octopus, trying to have 8 limbs functional enough to do almost everything.Okay, maybe that wasn’t a very poetic analogy, but I digress.Anyway, the latest batch of photos was to be shot later in the evening inside the Main College Auditorium. The University Principal had called us in for a meeting this morning and according to him, the magazines that we were to sell at the event consisting of all the photos, needed to be top notch because that was going to contribute to a large portion of the funds for the Council for this year.No
Chapter 79: Pride and a CrownKai’s P.O.VWith the help of the volunteers and the student council members’ leadership, the set was ready right on time, just as the sun began to set. I quickly went to change into the outfit I was supposed to wear for the photoshoot.Zach was still worried about Ruby’s absence, but I didn’t even fret. I knew already that she was doing this to torture the people around her by making them think she was going to be late or wouldn’t show up, but that was just her throwing a temper tantrum.I knew her well enough to be assured that she would never, ever let go of her crown over something petty. Sure, she’d have her fun, but in the end, she’ll show up at the very last minute.And true enough, my predictions were proven right because just as I was about to head to my place on the set, the witch strolled into the room like she owned it, all glamed up and ready to have her photos taken.“What did I tell you?” I muttered to Zach, and he only looked at me with an
Chapter 80: Drunk Words are Sober ThoughtsKai’s P.O.VI don’t know what my face looked like when I stared at her like she was mad, but I’m guessing I conveyed my disbelief properly, because her smile dropped like she was offended with the way I was looking at her.The entitlement in her words made me think that she was indeed some spoilt rich brat, who had gone out and gotten dead drunk and even her own friends had deserted her at the side of the road…if she had friends in the first place.But seeing as she still stood in my way with no signs of moving along, I guess I had to spell it out for her, so she could understand what was going on.“Ma’am…it’s nighttime; the university is closed,” I told her firmly with a tone that clearly said ‘now leave me alone’. “And if you want a tour, come back next time when it’s more appropriate and you’re already enrolled. Someone from your department will show you around the campus.”Hopefully that was enough to repel her. Surely, it was. Or else, I
Chapter 81: Threats and MistakesKai’s P.O.VWhat if Night had already misunderstood the situation? I realized that the look of shock on Night’s face was slowly turning into anger as he started at the woman. Suddenly, that sense of dread in the pit of my stomach intensified until I was left grasping at straws for a few moments, not knowing what I could do to make this situation better.My blood ran a little bit colder when I realized the implication of Night thinking I was getting on with this girl, so I struggled to voice out my excuse, forcing my voice past the lump forming in my throat. “Night! Thank god you’re here; you gotta help me get this drunk lady off my back. She thinks I’m her ex. She keeps trying to cling to me. I swear…this isn't what it looks like.”For a second, I thought Night would laugh before helping me with the ridiculous situation I was in. Instead he seemed… angry.He had his eyebrows furrowed, his jaw clenched so tightly that I was worried he would hurt his tee