"I'm home!" Evie kicked open the door to the apartment with a shout and a flourish.
A loud snore coming from the couch was her only answer.
Evie threw her backpack at the man sleeping on the couch. It landed perfectly on his face and Evie dive-bombed onto his legs.
"Mfphr!" Kai threw off the backpack, swatted away the fingers jabbing into his side, and kicked Evie onto the floor.
"Guess what~!?" Evie chirruped from her sprawl on the floor and then hopped back onto the couch, practically vibrating with energy.
"What." Kai sat up properly and ran his hands over his face.
"His name's Karok and he's just so cute and his eyes are perfect, seriously they're so green like emeralds, and he smiled and laughed at me today and didn't mind when I scared away the birds and—"
Kai slapped his hand oven Evie's mouth.
Though muffled, she kept on talking.
Kai groaned and took his hand off once he could feel spit starting to accumulate.
"—and he reads the same comics as Lann and Fiona now has someone to practice soccer with!" Evie inhaled air for about ten seconds straight and then slumped to the side, sprawling onto her older brother like some lazy squid.
"You have a problem." Kai stared at her like she'd just grown an extra head.
"It's not a problem, it's LOVE!" Evie laughed. "I think he likes me back, too!"
"…Didn't you just meet him yesterday?"
"He's a transfer student and the same age as Fiona! He came from Crescent Moon Island! I've never met anyone else from that place before!"
"So?"
Evie sighed dramatically. "He smiled at me. Smiled. S-M-I-L-E-D! He's the one for me, I know it!"
"…I'm getting my shotgun." Kai stared at her some more, his expression changing from 'What The Fuck' to 'Goddess Give Me Strength.' He promptly stood up and stalked towards his bedroom.
"What? No! He's decent! He's not going to do anything to me that I wouldn't like!"
"…Where did I put my Titan again?"
"Kai, no!"
Three months later…
"Hey Karok, can you help me take out the trash bins? I'll get the cardboard pile, since Fiona and Lann's collecting and sorting the painting stuff. The disposal site is just behind the cafeteria."
With a nod and a quick smile, Karok picked up the overflowing bins as if they weighed virtually nothing and ran off.
"Evie, you're amazing! You're not scared of him at all!" One of her classmates was picking up some bits and pieces of crumpled craft paper off the floor.
"Yeah, how'd you do it? Anyone else and it's like trying to be nice to a jaguar or a tiger." One of the other boys also helping out – mostly by putting away boxes of cleaned paint brushes – sidled up to her with an impressed look on his face.
"I'm not doing anything but being myself!" Evie hurriedly picked up the stack of unusable cardboard and zipped out of the classroom before anyone could see the hint of red staining her cheeks.
Karok had just about finished tossing all of the bags of trash into the disposal container when Evie arrived lugging her stacks of cardboard.
"Here, let me." Karok easily picked up the stacks and threw them into the recycling container. He brushed his hands clean with a grin.
While they were walking back to the classroom, Evie blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "We're watching Captain Solair: The First Superhero on after school today, do you want to come?"
Karok's eyes widened in surprise before he shrugged a shoulder. "I'd like to, but I don't have any money."
"I can pay for your ticket and snacks. You'd be doing me a favor – with just Fiona and Lann, I usually end up as the third wheel. You know how many times I turn around and I'm suddenly in a first-row seat to them making out?"
"Yeah, it's like they never stop, do they?" Karok laughed. "I'll keep you company, then."
"Great! Let's get this darn project over with before five-thirty and we'll get to the next showing on time!" Evie grabbed Karok's arm and started walking faster.
Evie missed the blush that spread over Karok's face when she'd grabbed his arm.
Just as predicted, one hour into the movie and Fiona and Lann were already going at it. Luckily they were all sitting all the way in the back, so there weren't any people to give them evil stink eyes when Evie stuck her tongue out at them and stole all of their popcorn.
"Hey." Karok's massive elbow nudged her arm quite gently.
"Yeah?" Evie stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth, like a squirrel.
"Wanna kiss?"
"Y-yes, please." Evie's brain short-circuited.
A small package of chocolate Kisses dropped into her lap. "Tieve gave them to me this morning. I thought you'd like them, since I don't really eat chocolate all too much."
"O-oh. Thanks." Evie hoped that the her blush wasn't visible and she sprang out of her seat. "I'll be right back, I've gotta go to the ladies room."
Evie fast-walked to the ladies room, and it thankfully was empty except for an old woman refilling the paper towel dispenser. She went into the farthest stall, put the seat cover down, sat down, and then pulled out her cell phone from her purse.
One ring…
Two rings…
Three rings…
"You're lucky I'm on break right now, or I would've missed your call."
Tinny music and thumping bass. Someone flushing.
"Ew, are you in the bathroom right now? With all the drugs?"
"It's a club, what do you expect."
"…Hegavemeakiss."
"…You want to repeat that?"
"He gave me a kiss. A chocolate kiss. I thought he was going to kiss me! Why are boys so mean!"
Silence.
Then, a hyena-like laugh that lasted for an entire minute.
"Hey! Stop laughing at me! Kai!"
"Evie." Kai abruptly stopped laughing. "If he's doing that, I'm 99.9% sure that he really likes you. Get off your ass and kiss him. I've got to get back to the bar now, so don't call me unless he does something incredibly stupid."
The call cut and Evie shoved her phone back into her purse. Bursting out from the stall, she ran over to the sink and made sure she look presentable before sprinting out of the restroom.
When she'd returned to the theater room, Fiona and Lann were still going at it and Karok looked vaguely ill from what she could see whenever the lights flickered. Evie plopped back into her seat and beamed at Karok.
"Hey."
"Hey yourself." Karok smiled back and didn't look as uncomfortable anymore.
"Wanna kiss?"
"Sure?" She could see it now – there definitely was a flush spreading across those dark cheeks and a nervous smile pulled at his lips.
Grinning, Evie pounced.
