Rim: Oh, I finally update. What a surprise for me considering it's been forever since I actually sat down to think about this story. Right...I should finish typing up chapter 10 (9...or however you all call it). Oh and Silverm, if you're still reading along, I think I was planning to write you a note of some kind but my ADD distracted me again and I have to figure out what it was. XD
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Chapter 8
"Kenny, I heard from the guys in your gym class that Coach Parker has been on your case all week," Max peered around Tyson's head to stare at his friend who was miserably poking at the cafeteria Salisbury steak sitting in a muck of brown, chunky gravy and lumpy mashed potatoes. Rei looked up from his own meal of spaghetti to look at his despondent friend stabbing his meal. "Why's Coach P on your case so hard?"
"He has nothing better to do with his time?" Kenny voiced, continuing to jab at the slab of processed meat on the Styrofoam tray in front of him.
"I have a feeling that's not the reason he's on your case as much as I've heard," Max said, picking up his slice of cheese pizza. "I mean, you had to have done something for him to signal in on you. You're like the last person Coach P would hassle."
'Well, I suppose if anyone calls making friends with another man's love interest a reason to hassle someone, then we have the answer right here,' Kenny thought, setting aside his fork, then proceeded to push aside his tray.
"I still believe he has nothing better to do than harass unsuspecting students," Kenny voiced. He was hesitant to tell Max about his situation with Mr. Parker. Standing up from the table, Kenny picked up his tray, carrying it over to the trash can. Tossing it inside, Kenny walked back to the table, grabbing his English book. "I'm going to go ahead and get some work done for class, you guys continue eating, and I'll talk to you later."
"All right, but are you sure you want to study alone?" Rei questioned.
"Yes, I'm sure," Kenny nodded with a smile. "I should be fine."
"What if you see Coach P in the halls? He might try to hassle you again," Max stated.
"I can take care of myself," Kenny assured. "I'm going to class. I'm sure Mr. Hiwatari is already there, so he won't consider harassing me while another teacher is around."
"I guess you're right," Max thought, taking another bite out of his cheese pizza. "Oh, this afternoon, we planned on going to the arcades, you up for the go?"
"Will it involve you going insane on another DDR machine?" Kenny shuddered, remembering the last time he, Tyson, Rei, and Max headed out to Palace Point for the afternoon, and Max taking it upon himself to crown himself king of Dance Dance Revolution until he was literally dragged out of the arcades kicking and screaming. "Because, just to let you know, my dearest friend, I refuse to claim the embarrassment you handed us the last time we went out to Palace Point."
"I'm shocked they didn't ban us from Palace Point yet," Rei shook his head.
"It's not my fault DDR is where my soul lies!" Max exclaimed heatedly.
"Don't drag your soul into this," Kenny remarked. "I believe it sent a statement of concern with your claims."
"Funny," Max pouted. "Fine, I won't cut loose like last time."
"Can we get that statement in blood?" Tyson wondered.
"We can try, but I do believe his blood turned into sugar cane years ago," Rei countered. Kenny smiled softly, listening to the playful banter around the table, as he headed off. Leaving behind the chatter bouncing off the walls of the cafeteria, the brunette strolled down the sparsely empty hall, to where he knew Kai was having a light lunch in his classroom. At times, Kai had once explained, it was better to be hunted by those who cared to shove their ways into other people's lives than to have them find you so they could ruin your day. Kenny hadn't understood the comment when his English teacher explained it.
Rounding the corner into the classroom, he stopped short seeing Coach Parker sitting on Kai's desk, looking down at Kai with a wide grin. By his body posture, Kenny could tell his gym teacher was flirting with Kai. Thinking back on the phrase, Kenny felt he now was beginning to see the truth in the sentence. The annoyance coloring every answer to Kai's words were not heeded upon by the red head leaning in more, definitely invading Kai's personal space.
"How does going out with me tonight to a local bar for a beer sound to you, Kai? That way we can get to know each other a little better?" Coach Parker asked, moving his hand to stroke the back of Kai's. The frown on Kai's face dropped a few degrees, moving his hand from Michael's touch.
"I doubt that will be possible tonight, I have other arrangements this evening," Kai stated, remembering the phone call from his grandfather earlier that morning concerning the man making plans for him to attend one of his grandfather's get-togethers; or as Kai put it often when the man was in one of his moods, 'an attempt to reform him'. He had no doubt it involved his grandfather inviting acquaintances with daughters looking to marry him.
"Don't tell me you have dinner with that boy?" Michael voiced his tone filling with disgust. "I don't understand what you find interesting or attractive about a child?"
"Mister Parker, for the last time, must I tell you that my student happens to be a good friend and is nothing more than a good conversationalist. He's a very bright student, and has an aspiring future ahead of him. Refrain from such childish remarks please," Kai said, turning his attention to the doorway where Kenny stood. Noting the change of attention, Michael followed Kai's line of vision, seeing the subject topic standing in the doorway. With a growl, Michael got up from the desk.
"Pardon my intrusion, I just came to get some work done," Kenny said, moving to his desk and sat down, avoiding the fervent glare from the red head.
"Did you finish the research I gave you for Browning?" Kai questioned his student, ignoring the coach's childish glaring of his student.
"Yes sir, I finished it early this morning for class," Kenny nodded, going through his notebook for the notes he had constructed for class that day. The notes on the English poet Robert Browning was a favor Kai had asked of him the day before when class was ending. Kenny had no objections helping his friend out with obtaining some notes Kai was going to use in a handout for the other students.
"As always, a prompt student," Kai smiled, just as Michael turned around and stormed out of the room. Two pairs of eyes followed the coach's movements then shifted to meet the other's stare.
"It's not very nice of you to ignore your admirer, Mister Hiwatari," the brunette said, a smile lifting to the corners of his mouth whilst his teacher only frowned in a silent scolding manner. "You know I'm only teasing you teacher."
"Comments like that will get you extra work to do," Kai warned, walking over to the desk, staring down at the boy with a light smile. Kenny raised his eyes to his hot teacher, finding those iridescent eyes flickering with amusement.
"You would not dare give me extra work to do," Kenny stated.
"Oh, I wouldn't?" Kai raised a brow. "You seem to not know me very well, Mr. Shinoda."
"Oh really?" Meeting Kai's eyes, Kenny allowed a grin to break through. How could you take a man serious that was just that hot? It was as if he was daring the younger to make a move. Oh, Kenny's imagination could definitely conjure up a very entertaining experience to occur between them, however in their present relationship as just friends, it would not happen.
Kai stared down at the grinning boy, somewhere in the back of his subconscious, a part of him couldn't help note how adorable the smile placed on the brunette's face seemed to brighten his entire composure. It still surprised him, how anyone could possibly overlook such tempting cuteness as what sat before him. A sudden realization towards his student and his previous thoughts jolted him out of his contemplation. Shaking his thoughts clear, Kai returned the smile. "You're nothing but an imp underneath that mask, aren't you?"
"You shouldn't let my secret be known to the world," Kenny exclaimed playfully. "At least not until I graduate, then you can tell the new batch of kids about how you met a devil in disguise."
"You're a devil now, instead of an imp?" Kai laughed. "I'm finding out more and more about you Mr. Shinoda. How have you managed to fool the world for so long?"
"Practice," Kenny said simply, listening to the sound of the rich laughter coming from his teacher. It was a whimsical sound which could easily hypnotize all who heard it, at least in Kenny's opinion. He could sit there in that quiet classroom forever and listen to the sound without ever tiring of it.
"Excuse my rudeness, Mr. Hiwatari, but you have a visitor in the teacher's lounge." Kai's laughter faded as Vice Principal Balcov entered the classroom. His eyes studied the young teacher, and his closeness to the student. Kai swore that a frown settled between his brows after only a moment's observation. Stepping away from Kenny, Kai shifted his full attention towards the vice principal.
"May I ask who my visitor is?" Kai questioned, he knew for a fact that both Tala and Bryan were currently at work, so neither one of them would be visiting him. That of course left only one person that would have an infinite amount of time on their hands to visit him like this. He just hoped it wasn't that person because it was only going to end with a headache.
"Your grandfather," Vice Principal responded. "He wanted to speak with you as soon as possible concerning arrangements you had tonight."
Kai turned his attention fully to Kenny for a brief second. "Kenny, would you mind giving me the notes you've composed so I can make copies for class?"
"Of course not Mister Hiwatari," Kenny said, offering the notes to his teacher, who then turned back to the vice principal, following the man out of the classroom. Kenny had a feeling that the vice principal was expecting pretty much the same as Coach Parker was when it came to the friendship between him and Kai. It wasn't that they were really doing anything wrong besides joking around, so how did everyone around them figure that it was more serious than they knew.
Kai walked down the hall with Vice Principal Balcov, the older man not saying a word until they were down at the end of the hallway. Kai found gray eyes studying him in silent convictions. The corners of his mouth dipped down, trying to meet the vice principal's stare, however, every time he thought he successfully met it, the man turned his attention away to somewhere else.
"Is there something you would like to say to me Vice Principal Balcov?" Kai inquired, putting out the question, wondering if the man would say something.
"Why would you think that, Mister Hiwatari," Boris commented.
"Well, I am not blind to the stares I'm receiving from you," Kai replied. "I sense you are convicting me of things that I am innocent of."
"Only those who are guilty notice conviction where it is not," Boris stated. "Do you have something to hide to accuse me of such a thing, Mister Hiwatari?"
"You do not have to be guilty all the time to notice conviction," Kai corrected. "I have nothing to hide, but when you stare at me as if I've done something wrong, then it's very noticeable."
"Tell me, Mister Hiwatari, that young man in your classroom, is he one of your students?"
"Yes, he is," Kai nodded.
"Is he the one that Mister Parker suspended?" Boris raised a brow, turning his attention to the paperwork in Kai's hands. "It looks like he went through a lot of trouble to get on your good side."
"I asked him if he wouldn't mind gathering notes for me to use for class. He has an excellent grasp of literature, so I decided to that a different course of action in getting his classmates to understand the work. I believe he was thinking about being a teacher himself," Kai smiled. Stopping at the teacher's lounge, Kai shifted all this attention to the vice principal. "That young man has a promising future, as a teacher I am focusing on that and nothing more. Good afternoon, Vice Principal."
Leaving no room for the older man to say anything, Kai entered the teacher's lounge, a sigh escaping his lips as he walked over to where an older man with gray hair sat. Gray eyes met Kai's auburn ones, studying the young man with a once over before standing from his seat. If there was one thing Kai could say about his grandfather since the man learned he was gay, it was that he did not waste a minute criticizing Kai regardless of what the situation was.
"What are you wearing boy?" Voltaire frowned, looking at Kai's "professional" attire. "You are at work, not a bar."
"I wouldn't wear this to a bar, grandfather," Kai said. "You don't have to wear a suit and tie in order to work."
"That is exactly what is wrong with your generation, Kai," Voltaire stated. "You do not hold any value to how you dress around others, and only set bad examples for the next generation to follow. My teachers would never have thought about dressing like you."
"I'm sure they didn't have khakis in your time," Kai assured. "So they couldn't dress like me."
"Are you back talking me, boy?" Voltaire glared.
"No, grandfather, I'm not. I was just making a statement. May I question to discover why you've decided to show up at my job, besides to critique my work attire?" Kai asked. "My next class starts up in ten minutes, so I wanted to get these notes ran off and passed out at the beginning of class."
"I heard from your supervisor that you spend a lot of time with your students," Voltaire commented, ignoring his grandson's explanation of why he wanted to hurry up back to class.
"Grandfather don't start," Kai warned, knowing where it was leading.
"I wasn't going to start anything. I just wanted to make sure that you haven't decided to involve yourself with your students," Voltaire stated.
"That's what I'm talking about," Kai voiced. "I would never allow myself to take advantage of the children in my care. I don't know why you would think of something like that. I might be gay, but there's no way I would do something as low as what you're suggesting. You can trust me to be on my best behavior, grandfather."
"I'm going to hold you to that. I came to remind you not to be late for my dinner," Voltaire said.
"Yes, of course grandfather," Kai nodded.
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Rim: I'm finally getting around to where I'm going. I might actually get around to the fair chapter that I've been wanting to write some time soon. Yes, now moving on...I do believe there's another update I must spend forever on trying to update.
