Blah, blah, blah, blah, Kai, blah blah, Kai, blah blah Kai, oh damn it you stupid brain, can't you, just for one friggin day, pay attention? This here is the pathetic state my mind resides to whenever I'm in class. The 'blah blah blah', is the non-stop blabber I hear coming from the front of the class. As for the Kai part…well I find myself concentrating even less with my ever so irresistible, scrumptious boyfriend sitting next to me. (Yes, he's my boyfriend, I don't give a damn what Edwards says) Just the scent from his jacket sends my hormones into overdrive and I have a hard enough time trying to restrain myself from jumping him. I thought I'd be able to wait until Friday night. But today is Thursday, I'm in the middle of the most boring class ever, and I don't know how much longer I can survive without the feeling of his warm hugs and his tasty, addictive lips… Friggin hell I need to get a grip before I go completely insane.
"Oi, Nikki, class is over."
Eh? I look around and sure enough, everyone is leaving the classroom. Wow…so much for a boring lesson. There isn't any homework is there? When I see the teacher leave, I figure I may as well start heading to my next class. But I barely move forward a step before I find myself on my back (and on my desk), and someone's mouth crashing desperately onto mine. If this were some random, horny perv, I would've sent him flying into next year. But luckily for him, I recognise my sweet Kai's scent immediately and I feel myself relax underneath him. Now this is what I'm talking about. Wait…aren't we still at school?
I gasp and shove him away from me. He stares at me in confusion but respectively backs away. "What's wrong?"
I push myself up so that I'm sitting on my desk. "I won't lie. That was incredible; the last thing I wanted to do was stop."
He urges me to continue. "But…?"
"But we're in school! Someone…might see us." The more I keep up these petty excuses, the more I realize just how unreasonable I'm being. I've made my choice. I had made my choice the moment I had decided to meet Kai in the park Tuesday night. And now what was I doing? Trying to stop the best thing that has happened in the last two days? I was desperate to the point of a break down, and I push him away? What in the hell is wrong with you, you stupid girl!
"Uh…Nikki are you ok? You seem extremely agitated."
My eyes dart to him. "Huh? Oh sorry…my mind likes to wander off."
He grins. "So I've noticed." His smile then disappears and he sighs. "I understand how you feel, but we're in the furthest room away from the main grounds, and everyone has gone to break. What are the chances of us getting caught? I wouldn't have kissed you like that if I had known someone might find us."
I would love to agree with him, but one little tiny flaw is nagging the back of my head. "Edwards is smarter than you give him credit for."
He tilts his head. Aw so cute! "How do you mean?"
"He'll notice that neither of us is at the main grounds. He'll grow suspicious of our absence and think we're up to something."
A cheeky grin appears on his face. "But we are up to something."
I roll my eyes and playfully swat the side of his head. "But we don't want him thinking that! Come on we better go. My sister most likely knows and will want juicy details."
He doesn't seem ready to let me go just yet, since I find myself trapped with his arms leaning on the desk on either side of me. "One last kiss before you go?"
Well I'm hardly able to say no being encased the way I am. But how can anyone refuse those puppy dog eyes? I oblige to his request and give him a loving, brush of the lips. I then slip my legs up from underneath him and spin around to escape the other way.
He gawks at me. "Hey, that was uncalled for!"
I grin and blow a kiss at him. "Don't complain! You got what you wanted!" I can hear my laugh echoing as I leave the room. My good mood doesn't last when I notice movement from the corner of my eye. My eyes dart to the wall in time to see someone hurry down the dark side of the corridor. I race to beat the figure before they could escape out the other end. Once I reach the end, I crouch behind the wall and wait. I can hear the footsteps gradually becoming louder. At the last moment, my hand shoots out and I grab the back of someone's shirt. I yank them back and slam them up against the wall. What the? Who is this guy?
I glare at him. "Who are you? And why were you spying on me?
This sneaky spy squirms under my grasp. "You'll have to do better than that do get me to squeal!"
Oh you want more? Ok you asked for it. I punch my fist into the wall, centimetres away from his head, showing a huge dent in the solid cement. And now he's starting to sweat. Doesn't take much does it?
I press my gravel-covered knuckles against his throat. "Unless you want that same damage done to your young, pretty boy face. I suggest you TALK!"
He's now trying to push away my hand that has him trapped. "Ok! Ok I give up! I'm working for Darren Edwards!"
Frigging hell…why am I not surprised? "Ah I see what this is…and what were you about to tell him before I found you?"
I harden my glare so that he doesn't clam up on me again. "That you and…Rodgericks were making out in an empty classroom."
I had a feeling that Edwards had hired spies, but to actually discover one was something else. But I think I may be able to use this to my advantage.
"Answer me this…does Edwards pay you for the trouble he's putting you through? He is making you snoop into other peoples privacy."
He answers quickly. "He gives me fifty bucks after school every day."
I can't help but laugh. Oh yeah, I should let him go; I think he's willing to listen. I remove my hand and he falls to the ground, rubbing his neck. "Listen kid, why don't you start working for me instead, and do a little double agent work? You do this and I can definitely make it worth your while."
He looks at me with interest. "How much are we talking?"
Gotcha. "How about we start off those daily prices with around…let's say, oh I dunno… two hundred?" Whoop! There go those wide eyes! I have his attention now. "And if Edwards ever attempts to top those stakes, well I'll be there to constantly raise it even higher." This isn't an issue…I don't give half a crap about my money. I could stand to drop some of it anyway. Even ask Lacus, she agrees with me.
The young kid however is overly eager to accept my terms. "You have a deal! What would you like me to do first?"
May as well get him started. I dig my hands into my pocket and pull out a hundred dollar note. "Well for starters, Edwards will most likely be wondering where you are. So if you want this, you need to find him and feed him whatever lie comes into you brain." I bend down and glare at him. "If you so much as squeak a word of this to him…I will know about it. So I suggest you keep your end of the bargain…understood?"
"Y…y…yes ma'am."
"Good, now you better hurry along if you want this precious money of yours."
Seems he doesn't need to be told twice. He darts off into the grounds in search of Edwards. I should really follow him, just to make sure he isn't a lying little pest. I walk into the grounds and easily spot him and Edwards talking near the entrance. I quietly move closer so I can hear what they're saying. Once I'm in earshot, I quickly hide myself from view.
"Well…you were away a while. Did you find anything?"
"Well yeah but nothing that important."
"What do you mean?"
"I saw them in the classroom, but they were only studying. From the sounds of it, she was tutoring him."
There's silence for a few seconds. "What did she sound like when she was speaking to him?"
Oh hell…he better come up with something good.
"Like they were total strangers. When he tried to sway even a little off topic, she would snap at him. She seemed pretty strict."
I have to hand it to him; I couldn't have put that better myself.
"Excellent. It's good to know that she's behaving herself. Keep up the outstanding work."
"Yes sir."
Well it seems Edwards has believed the fairytale. My little helper has definitely earned his reward.
I peek around the corner to see the spy making his way back to where I first found him. I should really find out what his name is. I walk back the way I came to go meet him. And sure enough, there he is. Bouncing on the balls of his feet like a little toddler waiting for Santa Clause. These people are just so eager for money aren't they?
He doesn't seem to notice I'm coming. I stop when I'm only a couple of metres away. "That was a pretty impressive lie."
I can't help but chuckle when he jumps in fright. "Ma'am! Y-you startled me!"
This 'Ma'am' business was starting to get on my nerves. "First of all Mister…the names Nikki…second of all…you never told me your name."
The boy fidgeted with his fingers. "Benjamin Garrison…but my friends just call me Ben."
I nod as I once again pull out the hundred-dollar note. Only this time, I hold it out for him to take. "Well Ben, you delivered as promised. Here is my end of the bargain."
He cautiously takes the money out of my hand. Honestly dude, it's not glass. It isn't going to break.
"Is there anything else you'd like me to do? I want to honestly earn the rest of the money for the day."
I nod. "Alright then. As I mentioned before, I'll need you to do some double-agency. I want you to continue to appear to everyone on the outside that you're working for Edwards. But if there is anything I need to know, find me in a place you know nobody else will find us. I will be informing Kai of this arrangement as well, so if you see us together there'll be no need for you to panic."
He shrugs. "I wasn't worried about him in the first place. From what I saw earlier, you two seem joined at the hip anyway. You look like you're going through torture if you're away from him for more than five minutes."
Sneaky, observant, little bugger. "That…Ben…is none of your beeswax." Good, made him flinch. He shouldn't be sticking his head into my private love life. "Now why don't you run along and dig up some dirt for me? You want that two hundred don't you?"
His eyes flash with hunger and he bolts away with a cloud dust behind him. I wave my hand to get rid of the flying particles that were in my face. That kid…just like the friggin Road Runner.
Well since I can't go back to see Kai…ah! Let's see what Echo's doing! Haven't seen her around lately. I look around in search for my best friend. Oh there she is. What is she doing? Oh no…is she bribing again? Better pull her out before she goes mad. As I walk closer, the crowd that's around her is moving further away. At first I think it's because I'm coming, but when I look over Echo's shoulder…Oh what in the hell is that? My best friend here is capable of inventing anything. She could find some scrap metal off the streets and turn it into something futuristic that can forever change the history of our country. She has yet to accomplish this but I'd be willing to bet that she'll have a huge breakthrough one of these days. Fame is just waiting for you, isn't it Echo?
And I'm not even sure what I'm staring at right now. But gathering from her expression, I'm guessing it's something very destructive. How did she sneak it into school?
"Uh…Echo?"
She turns her bright, shining eyes towards me and I find myself retreating back a few steps.
"Nikki! I have made a discovery. This could be my greatest invention yet! Now… you see this? This is an odometer for this, which controls this system here, which connects to this circuit down here and… Oh it's just so beautiful!"
I stare blankly at her. What in the hell is she blabbering on about? When she does 'normal' alterations on things like my car, I can usually understand what she's saying. But with randomly built gizmos like this thing…it's like she's discovered a piece of technology from another friggin planet. It's times like these I wonder if Echo is an alien life form herself. No wonder she scared her own customers off.
"Echo!"
She looks at me again with her scary, smile. Heaven help me.
"Listen, I know you're excited about your…discovery. But if you want to attract people into buying inventions from you, then you need to advertise more…normal merchandise."
Her amethyst eyes leer at me. "And what would you call…normal?"
I count my fingers off. "Well let's see. You can earn simple money by doing maintenance on homes and vehicles. Or you can build and improve devices that people would use on a day-to-day basis. Just simple steps like that, and before you know it you'll be overloaded with customers."
Her eyes seem really glittery now. Well done Nikki, you've made your best friend scarier than usual. Well her main focus is to earn money.
"Nikki you're a genius! But…but…"
No…she can't be deflating already!
"What about my new inventions?"
I look down at the mysteriously lit up gadget that she's holding. "Well uh…I'm not sure what that one is for…I'll let you figure it out. But if you decide to make anything else like it, why not build something that's beneficial for yourself? Aren't you looking for more work around that…constantly growing mansion of yours?"
It's true that Echo grows wealthier with each day that passes by. But she is extremely modest. She has nowhere near the amount of money that my family possesses, but I make sure to tell her every day that I am more than willing to help her business by contributing a fair portion of my finances.
**For those that have read this far and would like to know the extent of Nikki's wealth, she is a 'many times over, multi-billionaire.' She took over the title as head of the family when her father died. It was officially written in his will that she be his successor. Before she inherited this honour however, she endured a lifetime of a family filled with power-hungry relatives. She saw how this greed turned people against each other and has hated her wealth ever since. But being the generous person that she is, she split her shares and gave half of everything to her sister. Anyway, sorry about the blabber…let's continue on with the story. **
Echo's eyes are now way too bright for my liking. What have I done?
"You're so brilliant! I knew there was a reason you're my best friend!" She grabs my arms and spins me around in a circle. I laugh at her hyper ness. She can be a handful sometimes, but I'll admit that she's hell fun to be around. Can't help but love the girl.
"Echo! Getting a little dizzy here!"
This is the fun part. She rapidly lets go of me, which causes me to stumble backwards. She rushes forward to help me but I laugh and wave her off.
"It's fine, I'm all right. That was actually pretty fun."
Ah seems she's realized I pulled a small prank on her.
"You did that on purpose, you sneaky devil!"
I grin and give a small bow. "Thank you, thank you I'm here all week."
Her expression suddenly turns curious. "How're things going between you and lover boy over there?" She turns her gaze to stare at something behind me. I shift to the side to glance at the corner of my eye to see none other than my beloved Kai, sitting by himself underneath a tree. I can't help my lips from spreading into a soft smile.
It seems Echo saw my lovesick expression. "You have it real bad for Mr. Perfect don't ya?"
I whip back around to glare at her. "Shut up. And why don't you just call him Kai?"
She grins. "That wouldn't be any fun now would it."
I roll my eyes. Typical Echo. "Well I'm going back over there, see you round. And be careful with those mice of yours."
I'm met with an innocent smile… Oh hell, please do not use those mice. She has these, highly, explosive bombs that appear to everyone else as little wind up mouse toys. Oh if only they were simply just toys. I still feel shivers whenever I remember the last encounter I had with them. I had made the stupid mistake of trying to surprise her when I was fourteen years old. We hadn't seen each other in several months, and I was desperate to see my best friend again. I managed to escape all of her security traps (she should really program them so they only attack real break ins) and climbed the side of her house towards her balcony. Once I was inside her bedroom, I had unfortunately let my guard down. Next instant, the lights were on and those deadly mice were flung at me from all directions. All I remember is the throbbing all through my body, and the smell of smoke. I vaguely heard Echo crying apologies at me, and saying that she missed me. But after that it pretty much goes blank. Stupid mice. But I can't really blame her; she honestly did think that I was a thug trying to break in.
I shake my head at the memory. I can safely say that I've learnt my lesson. I just wished I didn't have to learn the hard and painful way. I need to make sure people know about that extremely guarded home she has before they just go waltzing in there. They won't ever come back alive with that suicidal idea. Yes, being Echo's best friend definitely keeps me on my toes. But I wouldn't have it any other way.
Well let's see what everyone else is up to. Athrun and Cagalli? Sharing a private moment that is clearly wearing a sign screaming, 'DO NOT DISTURB'. My boyfriend? Has fallen asleep under the same tree. I really wish I could join him. Jason and Jenny? Seriously! Get a room guys! Sheesh. Moving on! Kira and Lacus…and a screaming Allster? Hello…this seems entertaining. From this distance she sounds too much like a banshee for me to understand her. Let's see if I can help with this situation.
"I don't believe this! You're just going to throw two wonderful years away for some random pink haired bimbo? Do I mean NOTHING to you Kira?"
Ok let's figure this sentence out. She's shouting at Kira, so I'm guessing he's in the middle of dumping her. And she once again has the nerve to insult my sister, which means he must've told her he's in love with Lacus. So the boy finally became a man eh? Good for you Kira.
"SHUT UP, FLAY!"
Holy crap…was that Kira I just heard? Never in my life have I heard him yell that way. He doesn't seem like the type to lose his temper. But I guess Allsters' annoying persistence finally made him snap. And it seems she's just as stunned as I am. Her mouth opens and closes like a codfish, making her look even more ridiculous. Close it, girly. You've already embarrassed yourself enough. Meanwhile, I want to hear what Kira has to say.
I watch in awe as his body shakes with rage. "For the last two years, I've stood back and let you insult the girl I love the most. But this ends NOW! In all this time…Nikki has been the only person to stand up to you and your pathetic excuse for a cheerleading team!"
Ouch…that one had to sting. She looks like she's just been slapped. And why'd you have to go and bring me into it huh?
"I've had it up to here with your selfish meddling! You think I didn't know that your only reason for being with me…was to seduce me before graduation?"
Wow…he's really letting her have it isn't he? I think it's time someone calms him down. And as if she read my mind, Lacus lays a gentle hand on his shoulder. When it seems he's relaxed, she turns and nods in my direction. Well…that's my cue. As Lacus steers her angry boyfriend away, I slowly stride up to the trembling redhead, whose feet seem rooted to the spot.
"Allster…"
Her terrified eyes turn to look at me.
"This will probably be the nicest thing you'll ever hear from me, so listen closely." I pause for a moment until I was certain I had her attention.
"Most of the reason I've despised you for so long, is mainly because you've continued to treat my sister like dirt since the day we met. And no matter how many times I tried to threaten or scare you away, you always came back determined to ruin Lacus' life. But no matter how many times you pissed me off…I never had, or will I ever, have any real intention of physically harming you or your friends. I might've stepped over those boundaries a little earlier, but seeing someone handle Lacus in such a way has always pushed me over the edge. Trust me…compared to some people, you were lucky to walk away conscious."
Her eyes widen in shock. "What did you do to…the other people?"
"They were disgusting thugs from the street that decided they wanted to…play with my sister. They needed a few ambulances by the time I was finished with them."
I think it's finally sunk into her brain that I'm one of the last people on earth she wants to mess with. "I…uh…I'm not sure what I should say."
"You don't need to say anything. But promise me something. Your life will be miserable if you continue down the path that you're on. I know that somewhere past the mean popular cheerleader I've been seeing for the past two years, there is a caring sweet girl that is fighting to come out. If I had met her two years ago, I would've gladly made friends with her."
I turn and leave her to think about everything I've said. I have Lacus to thank for this; she was the one that taught me to believe that even the cruellest person on earth has goodness buried deep within them. And I am willing to believe that Allster has some good in her as well. But I will respect whatever decision she makes, even if she chooses to stay as she is.
"Clyne…wait."
I stop walking and look back at her. She walks a few cautious steps towards me. Oh come on Allster…I'm not that scary.
"I guess you've already figured out that all three of us are after certain guys, right?"
I raise my eyebrow at her. Where was this going? "Yes I'm aware, what about it?"
She looks around for before leaning in to whisper. "I think you ought to know that Gwen is after Rodgericks."
My eyes widen a little. But my face remains as passive as possible. "Really? That's interesting."
She rolls her eyes. Oh hell…she knows doesn't she? "Don't bother trying to hide it. It's so obvious you two are sneaking around behind Edwards back."
I put my hands up. "Alright, fine. You caught me…but wait. If you knew, you had every chance of telling Edwards everything and blowing my cover."
She shrugs. "I might've been mean to your sister, but that man is something else. There's something not right about him. I do my best to stay out of his way. I'm surprised you went out with him in the first place."
I snort. "You and me both. But you're right. He was nothing like this a year ago…something, or someone has drastically changed him."
Ok, two things are going through my head right now. One, I am having a civil conversation with Flay Allster…has hell officially frozen over? I guess she's not that bad when you get to know her, she just needed a nice swift kick up the rear. Two; I have this nagging feeling that Edwards older brother Liam might have something to do with his rather sudden switch of personality. I felt a disturbing vibe coming from him the day I met him, so I'm afraid to say that he's placed some creepy influence on his little brother. But this is just a theory; I could be completely off track.
"Uh…Cl-…Nikki?"
Well that's super freaky, Allster calling me by my first name.
"Yes?"
"Gwen is making her move."
My head whips around and I see Wilkinson sitting next to my boyfriend and doing her best attempt at battering her eyelashes at him. Wow…I think I'm going to be sick. I am unfortunately unable to do anything about it; this is all happening in clear view for everybody to watch so I am forced to stay put and watch. The redhead next to me however seems to think otherwise.
She goes behind me and pushes me in the back. "What are you waiting for? Don't let her get away with it! Stop her! He's your boyfriend, not hers!"
I stubbornly dig my heels into the ground. "I can't…Edwards will see."
She continues to try and shove me forward. "To hell with Edwards! He's going to find out eventually anyway! Are you just going to stand by while she throws herself all over him?"
For days now my mind and heart have been in conflict with each other. And it seems today is the day the final showdown takes place and I need to make my decision. My eyes dart to where Darren is standing before reverting back to see Gwen leaning dangerously close to Kai's face. My eyebrow twitches and something inside of me snaps as all doubts of being caught suddenly vanish from my mind. I stomp loudly over to them and yank her roughly by the ponytail. Kai, who had been frantically trying to push her away, is startled by my sudden appearance.
"What in the hell do you think you're doing Wilkinson?"
She scratches at my hand that has a tight hold of her hair. "Let me go Clyne! Mind your own friggin business!"
"Yes Clyne, you really should mind your own business."
I release my hold on Wilkinson and turn around to see Edwards staring at me with a blank expression. I stand my ground and glare at him. No, this is the final straw; I'm tired of letting him do what he wants.
"Stay out of this Edwards! I'm sick of you strutting around like you own everything! Why don't you do everyone a favour and butt out!"
He snarled at me. "Watch your tongue Clyne! Or have you forgotten what the consequences will be?"
I laugh at him. Can't believe I ever felt threatened by him "Oh I haven't forgotten, but I am beyond caring at this point."
He loses his temper and his voice rises. "Shut the hell up! You are going to keep your end of the deal!"
I shout back at him. "Or else what?"
He opens his mouth to retort but immediately closes it. Oh I have you now.
"Go ahead Edwards. Why don't you tell everyone what you planned to do if I ever dared to go against you?"
A large crowd has gathered around our rather dramatic scene. All eyes are now on my ex, waiting with abated breath to see how he would answer. But it doesn't look like he's willing to spill anytime soon.
I grin smugly at him. "Well? Everyone's waiting."
He clenches his fist. "Fine! Do what you want! But mark my words Clyne! You haven't seen the last of me! Don't forget that I DID warn you!"
He turns and stalks away, shoving his way through the circle of onlookers. As I watch his figure disappear, I feel a large burden lift from my shoulders. I've done it, Edwards is finally out of my life. I am free at last, to be with the one that I love the most. Speaking of which, I swivel around to look at my boyfriend. He's on his feet and smiling wildly at me with open arms. I eagerly run towards him and throw myself into his embrace. To the side, I can see Wilkinson staring with her jaw practically hitting the floor. Ha! Serves you right for trying to hit on my man!
I ignore her and turn my attention back to Kai. We pull away from our hug only to lean back a moment later and join our mouths together in a passionate kiss, along with about half of the school cheering loudly. But I could care less; I was now free to be with the person I love the most.
The rest of the day went rather smoothly. I spent the remainder of break, and the rest of the school day, practically glued to Kai's side. Our studying in class usually (much to the annoying of the teachers) ended up with us flirting. Hey I tried to tutor the guy, but he kept nuzzling my neck, you have no idea how friggin distracting that is.
And right now? We are snuggled together on my large couch in the living room. He is lying on his back while I'm sprawled on top of his chest, my head resting on his shoulder. I feel as light as a feather, with, for the first time in weeks, absolutely nothing to worry about. Kira and Lacus are officially together, and Allster has finally decided to grow up and…actually become rather nice.
Although I wish I could say the same for her former friends, Campbell and Wilkinson. But they seem set on gripping Athrun and Kai into their evil little clutches. Thankfully I have Allster…oh all right…Flays', help to stop them from doing anything too drastic.
'Riiing!'
Stupid phone. Who the hell is calling? "Lacus! Can you answer that?"
Silence
"Lacus?"
Kai's voice sounds out from underneath me. "She doesn't appear to be home."
I sigh and roll off his chest. "She's never home anymore."
I wander into the kitchen and pick up the vibrating device. "Hello? Clyne Residence."
"Ah…is this Nikki?"
"Yeah, that's me… who is this?"
"I'm hurt…you mean you don't recognise your precious Uncle's voice?"
My face screws up. "Uncle Robert?" Why in the hell is he calling?
"Yes! It's been a long time! How is my lovely young niece doing?"
He always did have a nasty habit of beating around bush. "Cut the crap, I hardly think you called here after ten years just to simply catch up. Now what the hell do you want?"
"Well I see you're your mothers daughter all right. She also preferred to cut right to the chase. You sound just like her as well."
Urgh…fuse is reaching the end of the line buddy! "Shut up about my mother, now tell me what you want before I hang up this damn phone."
"All right fine. I've been meeting with other…certain family members about the content of your fathers will."
Oh hell…is that what this is all about? This conversation is going to bore me to tears.
"What about my fathers will?"
"It claims he left everything him and his wife owned into your care. Right down to the very…last…penny."
Greedy bastard. You're just jealous and want to steal everything. "Let me guess, you want some form of negotiation where I'll sign everything over to someone who is much older and more capable of holding onto such a large and handsome sum of money. Is that right?"
"Well that is part of why I wanted to chat yes, but we also couldn't help but notice that you forfeited half of all that your parents left you…to your younger sister. We're worried that it might not have been, in your best interest, a very wise choice."
These guys just don't know when to stop do they? "Let me make something perfectly clear to you. My father entrusted all his money and property to me, and only me. And since I have full ownership, I have the free will to use it all as I please. So quite frankly, the fact that I gave half of my inheritance to Lacus is none of your bloody business. Besides, the last thing I'll be doing is placing it into the hands of power hungry tyrants like you. So, I suggest you pull those large snoopy noses out from where they don't belong… AND LEAVE US THE BLOODY HELL ALONE!"
I slam down the phone with smoke practically bellowing from my ears. This is why I do my best to avoid relatives. They don't friggin care about my sister or me. All they want is to take away everything we have and use it on them, to the point where they'll explode with wealth. They've been badgering my parents for years, and now they have the gall to come and bother me with this nonsense. But the only thing I can do is to keep profusely rejecting their offers. Since I am technically the head of our family, their only course of action is to obey me and back down like good boys and girls. But they're like flies that like to continuously come back during the summertime, they…just…don't…leave…me…alone! Lacus is literally the only family I have that has my full, undying trust.
I must be really bothered by this, because I jump when I feel two arms snake around my waist and hug me tightly. Oh Kai…you're always there when I need you the most.
"Hey, is everything ok? I could hear you yelling from the other end of the house."
I place my hands on his. "Just my stupid rellies. They've been trying for years to get a hold of everything my parents own. My fathers line has been the wealthiest family for several generations. And people like my Uncle, who I was talking to just now, are willing to gnaw off their own limbs to take only a handful of what we have."
I feel his chest rumble as he chuckles. "They're not trying very hard if they keep backing away."
I swivel around to look at him. "That's because they take orders from me. If I say no, they have no right to do or say anything."
His eyebrows shoot into his hair. "Why is that?'
I grin. "Because money and property aren't the only things my father left me. He placed the entire business under my name, which means that I am legally the head of our entire family."
Kai's jaw drops. "Wow, you seriously can't be too many steps away from being royalty."
I roll my eyes and softly slap his chest. "Well there is some nobility in my blood somewhere, but I haven't really bothered to look up on any Genealogy."
He smiles softly. "Well I couldn't care less if you were a princess or a poor beggar from the street. I think you're perfect just the way you are, inside and out."
Aaaawww, now do you see why I've fallen for this man? He never runs out of these amazing compliments that never fail to make me melt. And now he has that soft look on his face that tells me how precious I am to him. Well of course I'm looking back at him! Kai means the world to me!
"And you are the sweetest, most charming man on the face of this planet."
All right, so my line is a hell of a lot cheesier than his was, but I wanted to say something! Ooooooh he's pulling me closer, I feel another make out fest on its way! Closer, closer…contact! My brain has now melted into a puddle of goo. It never fails to happen with each kiss that we share. I slide my hands up his shoulders, to his neck and they finally rest in his messy hair.
This is going to take a while…
(Darren's' POV)
I slam my apartment door open so hard, it almost comes off its hinges. But I was too angry to care. The nerve of him! He thinks he can just waltz into my school and steal my girlfriend? Well he has another thing coming; I'm going to make him pay for taking what is rightfully mine!
I yank my mobile out of my pocket before dialling a certain number. I bring the phone up to my ear and wait with very little patience for this person to answer. Pick up the phone, damn it!"
"Hello?"
"Yes, this is Darren Edwards."
"What can I do for you Mr. Edwards?'
"I have big cash for you and your boys, if you can have someone taken care of for me."
"It's a pleasure doing business. Who is our target?"
My mouth curls into an evil smirk.
"Kai Rodgericks."
(Seven-thirty the following night)
(Kai's POV)
I absent-mindedly make my way down the dark streets towards Nikki's house. Her and Lacus had decided to hold a nice dinner with all our friends and I am apparently the last one to arrive. But I'm not in any real panic, I'm only a couple of blocks away now, I'll be there in a few minutes.
I suddenly hear the snapping of a twig behind me. I whip around to find nobody there. Why do I have the strangest feeling that I'm being watched? I shrug to myself. I'm probably just being paranoid. I turn back just in time to see someone's fist flying towards my face. I feel a sharp pain before everything goes black.
'Nikki…'
(Nikki's POV)
I halt in my tracks when I suddenly feel my heart twisting. Oh no…something bad has happened.
Jenny, who was standing near me, looks at me in concern. "Nikki? Are you ok?"
I stare wide-eyed at her. "I'm not sure, I just got this horrible feeling. Jenny I need you to call Athrun and Kira, they're taking their sweet time getting back from the supermarket. I'll call Kai and find out what's taking him so long."
Just as I pull my phone out, my screen lights up to show Kira calling me. I press answer and place the receiver to my ear.
"Kira? Where the hell are you?"
"Never mind about that! We have a more serious problem."
"What do you mean?" Why is my heart hurting more than ever?
"It's Kai…he's been brutally attacked."
I lose grip of the phone as it slips from my grasp and smashes on the tiled floor.
End of Chapter