Wintercrest Academy

Running Into You

      “Careful.” Mr Ariel pulls Kaia to himself in one, swift, dramatic move. A single braid had escaped and gotten too close to the Bunsen flame. Hazardous, yes. Did it deserve the force with which Mr Ariel pulled her, heck no. Bren observes as Kaia tenses in his arms.

           “Oh. Uhm. Thank you, sir. I’d go tighten my bun,” Kaia says and dashes out of the class door. Probably to the bathroom. Bren was surprised no one else seemed to notice the glances Mr Ariel stole at Kaia like he was hiding some . . .teenage boy crush on her. And it annoys Bren. So much. The fact that it’s obvious Mr Ariel has forbidden feelings for Kaia. Forbidden because first, he’s her teacher and Wintercrest frowns really big on that kind of relationship. Second, the man has pictures of her in his camera! Like a freak. If he could get her naked, Bren is certain he’d have those pictures on his camera as well. Kaia walks back into class, her bun sitting tighter atop her head and she slips back into her laptop immediately returning to work. But the moment she drops her head to look at her desk, she raises it back up and cranes it to look at Bren. He freezes, slightly embarrassed that he’d been caught gawking.

           The dynamics of their relationship is a little bit ‘different’ now. Is she still an enemy? She’s always going to be. But is she becoming an enemy that he wants to be around? Sadly, yes. As long as Kaia exists in Wintercrest, his father would always remind him that he’s not enough. That he must remain first place in class. That the future he’d picked out for him is bright and doesn’t deserve a dull son. Bren is anything but dull. Not to Jacob Kang, though. As long as he’s not top of the class, he’s a dummy. Kaia’s the reason.

           He breaks eye contact first, exhaling as he remembers that Shira’s mad at him for asking Kaia to stay when she was there. He couldn’t help it. She’s . . .nice. She cares about him. And he may have made things worse at the hotel that night. He dropped hints that the girl’s big brain decoded instantly. Not even Rosco, the boy who was born three days before him, knows that he’s suicidal. Not his best and over protective bud, Shira. But in minutes, Kaia had him all figured out. The brat. The beautiful, beautiful brat.

           “Shira, you can’t avoid me forever.” Bren leans by Shira’s locker after class while she rummages through it.

           “I’m not avoiding you.” She pushes her cat-eye glasses up her face. Her nails are green this week. That’s her angry colour. She was probably still salty when she got them doe. And she still is, hence the existence of the colour.

           “Do you want to go to Beans and Bun tonight?”

           “It’s Monday. I have work.”

           “What about Daisies and Desserts?” He tries harder.

           “Did you not hear me?”

           “You never say no to Daises and Desserts!” Bren pushes away from the locker in frustration. “Shira, what exactly are you upset about?” he picks his words one at a time.

           Shira finally slams her locker shut and looks at her best friend. “Really, Bren? You sat there caressing the hands of the girl who has taken everything away from you and you expect me to smile at you?”

           “She didn’t steal anything from me.” Bren surprises himself by saying.

           Shira seems surprised too because she huffs and her eyes widen behind her the lens of her glasses. “What?! Are you crazy, Bren? She didn’t steal anything yet she broke your most prized record easily? She’s basically what you used to be to Wintercrest. She’s the genius now. You’re just second citizen. She didn’t steal anything from you yet the Metleys have a section about her in their magazine?”

           “It’s not a section. It’s just a small part under our article. Our. The two of us.”

           “Do you like her?” Shira spits and Bren just stares. “Wow. You do like her. I was wondering why the same Bren who sent a video of her as a delivery girl just to humiliate her was suddenly acting like he was bewitched by her. I had thought for a minute that you may have some big plan under your sleeves. But I was wrong. You like her.” she shakes her pitifully. “I’m ashamed of you, Bren. You have feelings for that pauper. The one who’s stolen your crown. I’m ashamed.”

           “You have no idea how dumb you sound!” Bren calls as Shira walks away. He launches his hand into his hair and messes it up. Them smoothens it. You like her. Hearing it out loud is scarier. A lot scarier than knowing it in your heart. He has feelings for Kaia. Crap.

                                                                       ****

           “One last one. Pleaseeee!” Keanu clasps his hands together and pulls his best puppy dog eyes. It works.

           “Just this once.” Kaia rolls her eyes at her annoying little brother. I think zombies are cooler than aliens, though. She texts Adan back before picking up a cookie and tossing it over to Keanu. Like an expert, he catches it with his mouth. How he neatly fits the cookie into his mouth without missing or using his hands is still beyond Kaia. Even when she throws badly, he never misses.

           “Yeah, baby!” Keanu pounds his chest, victorious.

           “Okay, caveman. Time for bed.”

           Keanu grumbles and folds his arms, staying rooted on the couch.

           “I’d pick you up if I have to. You know I’d do it.”

           “I don’t want to sleep yet!” He whines and their Dad joins them in the living room after his shower.

           “What’s going on?”

           “Keanu’s being stubborn,” Kaia says the same time her brother reports, “Kaia’s being forceful.”

           “Forceful?” she chuckles. “I blame myself for giving you too many cookies. You should be in bed. It’s 9pm already.”

           “Let him be.” Big K pats his son’s shoulders. “I was gonna talk to you two anyway.” At the sound of that, Keanu sticks his tongue out at his sister and makes noise with his cheeks as he does. Kaia hurls a sofa pillow at him.

           Big K chuckles. “Okay, toddlers. Can I have your attention?” they stop making faces at each other and face their Dad. His expression becomes grim and serious. Uh-oh.

           “Uhm, Dad,” Kaia starts softly. “Is something wrong with the business?”

           “Yeah,” Keanu matches her tone. “Are you sick?”

           Big K laughs in such a stiff manner. “I have the most thoughtful toddlers in the world, don’t I? Well no. I’m not sick, and nothing is wrong with the business.” Kaia and Keanu release visible breaths of relief.

           “Good. So what’s up?”

           “I spoke to your mother,” Big K finally says, not looking at any of them.

           Kaia sees red immediately. “Who?”

           “Kaia.” Big K warns. He knows how she gets. “She called me, and she claims she sent us stuff some weeks back. She delivered them to the restaurant’s address since she doesn’t know the house address. Why didn’t we get them?” He looks at Kaia now.

           “We got them. I threw them out.” Kaia states blankly.

           “Kaia!” Keanu screeches. “Why would you do that?”

           “She doesn’t want us, little K! Keeping the stupid gifts she sends would do nothing but bring you pain. How many times do I have to tell you that?!”

           “Kaia!” Big K bellows and the two children flinch. Their father is not a man who raises his voice. But when he does, it means he’s grossly upset. “You cannot say things like that to him! He’s a 12-year-old for Christ’s sakes. How can you say that his mother doesn’t want him?”

           “It’s the truth,” she says through gritted teeth. “I’m not going to lie to him like you do. I’m not going to let him think he has a mother out there. She’s dead.”

           “Kaia!” his voice climbs.

           “Stop it, Dad!” she practically screams. “You were especially in pain for years. How can you even talk to her? Why are you making me feel like the bad person when she’s the witch?”

           Big K wipes Keanu’s cheeks dry. “You’re going to see her. Soon. The both of you.”

           “I’d rather jump in front of a moving train.” Kaia laughs painfully.

           “It’s important that I tell you, so one of you is stunned when she shows up.”

           “I’m not going to see her.” Kaia repeats herself.  “She left already, so she can stay out.”

           “It’s not a negotiation. It’s final.”

           Final? What nonsense! Kaia is trembling all over as she grabs the motorcycle keys from the center table. Big K always parks the delivery motorcycle downstairs of their apartment.

           “Kaia!” Big K bellows but Kaia rushes out the door and into the elevator before he can get to her. The chill October air bites at the skin of her forearms. In her frenzy, she didn’t even think about picking a coat. But that doesn’t matter right now. All she wants to do is leave this place. Her phone beeps with a reply from Adan and without reading it, she hits, Ttyl. I’m in a foul mood right now. She silences the phone, shoves it into her pyjama pocket, puts on the helmet and zooms off, her heart beating louder than the revving of the motorcycle.

                                                                       ****

           All of Shira’s conversation move through Ben’s head as he takes a run. He hasn’t spoken to his Dad since that day at their bedroom when he declared his hatred for Jacob Kang. His sweet mother, of course he’s speaking too. Sadly, she’s not on his side with this one. They both want him to be a doctor. Something he’s 200% sure he has no singular interest in. He wipes sweat off his forehead with his sleeves and takes a bend. He’s blindsided by a motorcycle that knocks him onto the ground. Everything fades to black.      

           Okay, Bren is just being plain dramatic. The motorcycle doesn’t knock him down. But the stupid driver almost does. He was smart enough to brake so hard before their collision.

           “Dude! Are you crazy? What the heck are you speeding for on such a narrow road?” He squints. “And turn down that darn headlight.”

           The driver takes of his helmet and the scene seems all too familiar. The driver is a her. A small, honey braided, wide hipped, dimpled girl walks towards him. Jogs, actually.

           “Oh, my goodness. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking and I—Bren?”

           “Yes, Bren. Are you trying to kill me?”

           She groans and buries her head in her hands. Bren uses that opportunity to take in her outfit. She’s driving a motorcycle at almost 10pm in pyjamas. And she’s not delivering food. That doesn’t look normal. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t being careful and I know I should have. Are you hurt?” she grabs his forearm and turns him 360, inspecting every inch of him. His heart rate picks up.

           He clears his throat and frees himself of her scrutiny, praying his face isn’t tomato red right now. “I’m pressing charges.”

           “Oh please don’t. If you send me to jail, how’s Wintercrest going to survive?”

           They gaze into each other’s eyes and burst out laughing. Bren feels the wight in his chest shift aside briefly. It doesn’t go away. Just makes space for him to feel some happiness.

           “You’re dumb,” Bren says amidst laughter.

           “I know,” she replies, her eyes glinting with laughter. “You have to be stalking me. How did you end up running on the same path I was driving along?”

           Oh, she had no idea who was really stalking her. “I always run on this route. You’re the stranger here.”

           Kaia nods. “Fair enough.”

           Bren kicks at the ground absently. “Where were you . . .I mean like, it’s late. Why are you out? In pyjamas?”

           “I ran away.”

           “No s**t,” he laughs. “That’s way better than being kicked out, though. Trust me. I’m parched. Since you hit me, take me for a drink.”

           Kaia blinks in shock, opens her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.

           “Do you want me to press charges?” he arcs his brows.

           “Oh, shut up. Where do you wanna go?”

           “Daisies and Desserts,” he says, putting on the other helmet and getting on the bike. “They have a cool rooftop space.”

           Kaia shakes her head, puts on her helmet and drives them there. Bren orders a drink, but she refuses anything. They sit in silence as he downs his drink while she just stares at the stars above. The rooftop space is cozy and simple. There are small chairs and sofas around tables arranged in twos and threes. The stars and a few decorative lights brighten up like lights on a Christmas tree. There are about 6 other people there too.

           “Shouldn’t you go home? It’s almost 11.” Bren rotates his glass in his palm.

           “I said I ran away. Ran away.”

           “You’re not the type to run away.”

           She faces him. “What do you know about me?”

           “Enough to know that you’re not the type that runs away. People run away from home when they’ve taken in so much bullshit and have no more tolerance left. You haven’t had any bullshit at all.”

           She eyeballs him for a moment. “So that makes you the type to get kicked out?”

           Bren considers the question. Rolls it in his head. “I don’t know how to answer that,” he says truthfully.

           Kaia hums. “You got kicked out because of the whole pre-med thing?”

           He glares at her. “Dude, are you a witch or something?”

           That makes her laugh. “It’s not difficult to figure out, you know.”

           “Why do you wanna be pre-med? Why do you want to be a doctor? What’s the reason behind the passion?” Bren swerves the topic in her direction.

           “No reason.”

           Bren sits up straighter. “No reason?” she nods. “That’s ridiculous.”

           “I know. What I mean is, I don’t have any mind blowing, moment defining reason. Some people go ahead to become doctors because they had lost a loved one to an illness or something like that. But . . .not me. I want to be a doctor because that’s what I see myself doing or the next 50 years of my life. Because I love the idea of relating with patients and following them through their journey to wellness. That’s it.”

           Bren is . . .truly amazed. And she said this isn’t mind blowing. “I’m jealous of you.”

           “Why?”

           “Because . . .you’re certain. You know what you want. And you know how to get it. Nobody is sticking it down your throat. You just . . .know.”

           Kaia heaves and stares at the stars again. “I told you before, that may change. I may decide that I don’t want medical school anymore. Look, Bren. No pressure. Think about what you want to do. You don’t have to know it right away. You have time. You’d be fine.”

           Bren notices the mole on her cupid’s bow. The shape of her nose, the wisdom in her voice. He wants to reach out to give her a hug. Wait, what? Stop it, Bren! He slaps himself internally. “Why did you run away from home?”

           She tsks. “I didn’t run away. I’d go back. And I don’t want to talk about it. Or think about it.”

           Bren nods, respecting her decisions. He wants to say something when—

           “Kaia!” Adan rushes in, his hair mussed and his coat unbuttoned. When he sees Kaia, he charges towards her. “Are you okay?” he asks, breathless.

           “I’m­—I’m fine. What happened?” A surprised Kaia rises.

           “Your text. You said you were in a foul mood and after that, I couldn’t reach you anymore. I was—worried.” And truly, his eyes hold so much concern.

           Kaia pulls out her phone. “Aww, Adan. I am so sorry. I just, I was in a mood. I didn’t want to just leave you hanging so I had to let you know what’s up.”

           He nods. “I called Astrid and she tried to reach you too.”

           “I’m so sorry, Adan.”

           Adan finally registers Bren’s presence and his facial features seem to harden a bit. Bren does the same.

           “We ran into each other.”

           “Literally,” Bren shrugs.

           “Shouldn’t you be at home?” Adan gestures to Bren.

           “No, Dad.”

           Adan ignores him. “Let’s get you home, little K.”

           “I came with the motorcycle.”

           “That’s fine. You can ride on that and I’d just drive behind you till you get home. You can explain everything tomorrow.” He takes off his coat and puts it on her gently.

           Kaia smiles and settles into him for a hug. He waits a moment before hugging back. “Thank you, Adan. You’re God’s gift to me”

           “You should go home too. Did you drive?” he asks Bren.

           “I already texted my driver,” Bren answers and Adan’s attention goes back to Kaia.

           “Goodnight, Bren,” she says and he gives her a single wave. When they’re out the door, Bren finally gives ear to the pinching sensation in his chest. They’re like a lock and key; Adan and Kaia. Perfect friends, perfect more than friends, maybe? Crap! The pinching sensation in his chest makes sense now. Jealousy.