A/N: I rewrote the entire last scene of chapter 17. It's much longer than it was when most of you read it last night. Yes, I edited again after deleting it once and reuploading it. It is necessary to reread the last scene before starting this chapter!

This Is Bizarre

In the morning, on his way to class, Tyson checks his notifs. He had taken a selfie with Hilary at the party last night, because she wanted to immortalize her first stoning experience, smiling giddily into the camera with her cheek pressed up against his. He has his tongue sticking out, one eye closed. The post is pretty popular, getting over five hundred likes, and it's all thanks to Hilary who had captioned it was her first time doing the greens. Girl didn't even know what she was talking about. But people seemed to love it. Especially some stoner gangs welcoming not just her, but him as well into their dope lifestyle.

He's about to roll his eyes when he sees the latest like. Kai Hiwatari. Secs ago.

Tyson puts his phone away. This is utterly bizarre. He has to be messing with him. There's no other explanation for this. Kai Hiwatari likes him? Him? There's no universe in which that makes sense. All of last night feels like a fever dream to him.

That conversation by the cliff some sort of erotic fantasy his horny brain conjured up.

Or may be, he did put something in that water he gave to Hilary and then shared with her after escaping from Kai, and forgot about it.

Because even that makes more logical sense to him than what happened on the cliff.

He stops at the entrance to the grand lecture hall. He's taking Professor Valkov's class this year. It's a ten credit point course for all Business majors. You can take it any year of your liking, but it's mandatory, and the lectures were held in multi-tiered domed theatres with a capacity to seat over 500 students. The hall's one of the largest in the country and in the world.

Tyson spots Hilary seated on the second floor. He climbs the golden steps running up the middle of the seating arrangement, hands on the strap of his satchel. The hall is already half full. He drops his bag into the red upholstered chair at the end of the row Hilary's sitting in.

"Hi!" she greets with a bright smile.

"Hey" Tyson lowers into the cushion, taking his notes out and getting comfortable. It's going to last two hours.

"Here" Hilary hands him a Starbucks. "I brought you coffee."

"Aw Hil, you're the best," he beams as he accept the cup from her. He sets it down next to his phone and book on the wooden prop for writing.

Students filter into the theatre, most of them half-asleep and grumpy. There are some high energy ones excitedly discussing things with their friends. The dean walks into the hall.

The students in the room rise collectively as Dr. Valkov mounts the stage. Tala's mother is a figure that commands respect. There's not a soul in this campus who doesn't fear her. Not even her son, who turns into a quiet, obedient little boy around her.

"Good morning, bright minds!" she greets, her deep voice reverberating across the hall. "The leaders of tomorrow, am I right?" Valkov quirks a regal eyebrow, smiling.

Tyson grins back.

The other students have similar reactions.

"Some of you in this hall are going to become great businessmen and businesswomen," she says, pacing across the stage, "Some of you will lead the country, build an empire, change the world in ways we haven't imagined yet. And not too far in the future," she reminds. "It is my duty to equip you with the right tools and values." Valkov pauses, looking over the faces in the audience.

Tyson takes a deep breath, feeling slightly inspired.

"Let's start while we're still fresh, shall we?" The projector turns on. Professor Valkov begins her lecture on the history of the conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway and how they rose to enormous success.

Thirty minutes later, Tyson's diligently writing in his notebook when his phone lights up next to his hand. He takes a peek at the text notification.

09:45 Dick: Look to your right

Tyson sits up straight, looking ahead. Paying attention to his periphery.

The gap between the chairs on the left side of the hall and the right is not that big. About five feet. The steps are brown and gold. And beyond the step, at the rightmost edge of his vision, he sees a figure sitting at the start of the opposite row of students. Clad in a black jacket and staring at him.

Tyson's lips thin. He rotates his pen.

He sneaks a discreet peek at the person just to make sure.

Their eyes meet.

Fuck.

He snaps his gaze back to the podium.

Tyson props his elbow on the right arm rest, using his hand to hide the side of his face from Kai.

But not too obviously. He touches the tips of his fingers to his temple, so it looks like he has a headache instead.

His note-taking has gone to shit because he cannot shield himself and write at the same time. He's not ambidextrous. He's right-handed.

Tyson sighs, pulling all of his focus on the lecture. The wise woman up front. Working hard to turn them into great people.

Not fucktards.

Hilary's writing down some great points though, her forehead creased. He could borrow hers.

Isn't the air conditioner too cold?

His phone receives another text. Oh sweet Jesus.

Tyson reads the screen.

09:47 Dick: You look so good today

His eyes go wide. What the fuck is this asshole thinking? He picks up the phone with both hands before Hilary glances over.

09:47 to Dick: Are you crazy?

09:47 to Dick: Leave me alone

09:48 Dick: I will if you go out with me

Tyson puts his phone down. Its front against the wood. There's a scream in his chest.

He sees Kai lean his head back against the seat through the corner of his eye.

Tyson's heart flutters. He can't be serious?

He picks up the phone again.

09:50 to Dick: What are you doing?

09:50 to Dick: What the hell do you want from me?

09:50 to Dick: Quit messing around. I'm serious.

Tyson tries to focus on Valkov again, but he cannot. His thoughts are flying wildly in his head.

He takes a slow deep breath. Calm down. It's nothing. It's nothing. He's just being an ass.

His phone buzzes. He turns it around.

09:57 Dick: Meet me in room 301A after class?

Tyson frowns.

09:57 to Dick: Why?

09:57 Dick: Just be there

Okay. He can do that. Find out what his real intentions are.

Why he's trying to get inside his head.

Tyson exhales. Some of the tension leaving him. He'll figure it out after the lecture. He pulls his notebook back, taking a glance at Hilary. He smiles at her warmly when he catches her eye.

She smiles back.

They listen intently to the rest of the lecture.

Room 301A is a small lecture hall from the early 80s that's mostly empty due to the availability of bigger halls these days. It's a lonely forgotten little room. With dusty benches and desks.

Tyson barges into it without preamble, his bag full of books hitting the doorjamb on his way in.

"What?" he asks as soon as he's inside and sees Kai, perching on one of the desks in the front, on his phone, waiting for him. "Why did you want to see me?"

Kai stands up, the material of the loose hooded bomber jacket shifting as he does. His expression is serious. "Can you verify this list of purchases for me?" he asks, walking up to Tyson, and holding the phone up.

"Uh" he lags, his gaze flicking across Kai's face, the collar of his black button down under the jacket, his Adam's apple. He clears his throat. "Sure" He looks at the list.

These are the items he purchased during the party, some of them more unnecessary and extravagant than others. He raises a finger to scroll through the list on the phone. "These are stuff I bought for the ball."

"All of them?" Kai prompts.

Tyson frowns at the purchases, before nodding his head. "Yeah. Why?" He looks up at Kai.

"My credit card was stolen," he tells him, sliding his phone into the back pocket of his jeans.

"I deactivated the card," Kai informs him when he sees the growing concern on Tyson's face.

"Oh" He huffs a laugh, his gaze falling away.

There's a beat.

He should go.

He should ask why he's pestering him, but right now he should go. The room is too...intimate.

Tyson turns to the door, reaching for the knob. Kai beats him to it. His palm shuts the door.

Great

Tyson turns around in the narrow space between Kai's arm and his body with his back against the door, smiling painfully.

"What?" He glances up.

Kai's eyes are on him. They're a little too close.

His hand moves from the side of Tyson's head to the lock on the door, near his waist.

Tyson waits for him to say something.

He's just staring.

When five whole seconds pass without a verbal response, Tyson asks again. "What?"

The lock clicks. "You're fucking beautiful," says Kai, his voice low, his gaze burning.

Tyson flushes. His breath arresting in his chest.

He's serious.

He really wants him. It's there. In his eyes. Tyson can see it. And it terrifies him.

Kai steps back.

Tyson fumbles with the lock. The door opens without much fuss. He ducks out of there in a stupefied state.

The hallway is filled with students rushing back and forth between classes, and he bumps into four or five of them on his way to the exit. Kai's voice echoes in his head. He floats through campus like he's caught in limbo.

It's Karaoke night. Hilary and Emily are singing their hearts out on the tenth floor of the Apex building at the heart of the city.

The entire floor is dedicated to karaoke lovers, with private booths running from one end to the other, completely equipped with TVs, mics, and a collection of wide range of music. The aesthetics are fun and flirty. A perfect place to hang out with your friends and sing your heart out without the fear of being judged by a public audience.

Michael's here with Emily. He's filming her with a huge goofy grin on his face as she puts on her best performance for him with her partner Hilary.

Tyson's sitting on one of the red couches along the booth, gazing out the window, his chin resting on his forearms on the back of the couch. Staring at the buildings around the one they're at. With billboards toward the bottom and little pockets of light above the screens.

His friends are loud, belting Taylor Swift's 'All Too Well' heavily off key and causing a racket behind him but he isn't paying any attention to them. His thoughts are elsewhere. Flying at the speed of a mile a second.

Kai likes him. He wants him. An image of Kai with Kristina flashes in his mind. His lips on her neck. His hands on her thighs. That could be him.

He can't breathe. He opens the window and throws his head out.

The cars move sluggishly on the road below.

He breathes heavily. The wind hitting his face.

"You're going to take that back, Tyson Granger." He's determined to get him. Make him go on a date with him.

Pursue him relentlessly till he does.

Tyson wants to scream.

He's not sure how long he can stay away before ending up in his clutches. And then it will be his heart bleeding on the floor. The print of Kai's boot stamped on it.

He survived Emily and Mariah, but he will not survive Kai.

"You okay?" A warm palm lands on his back. Emily combs his hair back gently. "What's going on? Are you having a panic attack?"

"Overheated" His breathing is uneven. He's panting.

"Tyson?"

Hilary's face as she glared at Kristina in the bowling alley swims into his vision.

He will be on the receiving end of that death glare if he goes out with Kai.

But unlike Kristina, he's her best friend. And Kai broke her heart.

It's fucking illegal to date the man who broke your bestie's heart.

She will hate him forever.

"Babe" Emily rubs his back. "Hil, can you get me a glass of water?" she turns around to the room to ask.

"What's wrong with him?" asks Michael's voice behind him. He feels stronger hands on his shoulders. "Buddy"

Tyson shuts his eyes, gathering himself.

"Get up," Mike pats his back. "Come on."

He pushes off the window and sinks back on the couch, brushing his hair off his forehead. Inhaling deep.

Hilary hands him some water.

He drinks.

They watch him concerned as he calms down. "I'm fine" he says, removing the cup from his mouth.

"What happened?"

"Nothing" He rubs his eyes. "Just the heat."

00:55 to Dick: I can't go out with you. Hilary will hate me forever.

00:56 Dick: That's your excuse?

Tyson hisses. Frustrated. He stares at his phone in the dark, lying on his bed. Fucking Kai.

00:57 to Dick: I don't want you! Why's that so hard to understand?

He huffs. Glaring daggers at the bubbles bouncing at the bottom of the screen.

00:57 Dick: You want me

00:57 Dick: And you'll be sleeping next to me before the end of the week.

Tyson gapes. He tosses the phone away from him.

It lands somewhere on the bed.

Before the end of the week?