Khan sat on Lian's bed, not listening to anything she said. He didn't know what she was talking about anymore, so he just sat and nodded occasionally. He could be working on his homework, playing football, or hanging out with his friends. But instead, he was stuck with Lian and her rambling. Eventually, she caught onto his unresponsiveness, and paused when Khan got out his phone to check the time.

"Khan? Are you even listening?" she asked angrily. Khan put his phone back in his pocket, surprised by her tone.

"What?" he asked.

"You're not, are you?" He blinked at her. Should I be honest? It might piss her off, he thought.

"Khan!" she shouted, snapping him out of his contemplation.

"Yes, of course I am," he replied matter-of-factly, warranting a smug look from Lian.

"Then what was I talking about?" He fell silent and tried to disguise his confusion, which only seemed to fuel her fury as time passed.

"Sorry," he apologized softly, looking away from the fuming figure across the room. She stood up from her seat on the desk and approached him, facing him with an intense glare.

"You need to learn to pay attention to me, I'm tired of wasting my time," she spat. He gulped and nodded, feared into submission by the stare of her cold blue eyes.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied in a shaky voice.
"I'm your girlfriend, can't you call me something else?"

"Will do, h-honey cakes." She giggled at that, then sat next to him on the bed.

"So, what were you talking about?" Khan asked in an attempt to mitigate the tension.

"Skye. I texted her today."

"Oh, what did she say?"

"She's really sad about not getting to see us anymore." Either Lian was lying, or Skye was lying.

"Well, I hope she knows we miss her too." Lian scoffed at that, causing Khan to give a suspicious look.

"Speak for yourself," she commented quietly.

"You wanted her to leave?" There was a pause. She looked away.

"Honestly? Yes." Khan wore a surprised expression. He knew that she and Lian didn't get along too well, but Lian wanting her to be expelled?

"I thought she was fine." Lian made eye contact with the tall man.

"If by fine, you mean a total fucking bitch, then yes, she was fine," she spat, her face wrinkled with hate.
"Woah, calm down. She wasn't that bad-"

"She was horrible, Khan!" she interrupted. She slammed her fist onto the mattress. "She was such a goddamn liar and a bitch!" Khan stared back blankly, shocked by her outburst. He remained silent as she ranted.

"Gosh, she was a terrible friend, she would always ditch us to whore herself out." She let out a chuckle, then continued.

"You know where she would always leave our table to go? To that teacher's room to fuck him like a little slut!"

"Wait, really? How did you know that?" Khan asked. Lian's face turned from seething to surprised.

"She-" Lian paused. Khan raised an eyebrow.

"S-she told me," she stuttered.

"That's weird. You would think someone like her would know not to tell-"

"You want to know what really happened, don't you?" she hissed, her irises seeming to freeze his skin with their coldness.

"Yes, of course," he replied, unsuspecting of what she was about to say.

"Fine. I saw them."

"What? No way!"

"Well, not really, I saw her go into his classroom, and I heard some things..." Suddenly, the pieces snapped together in Khan's head.

"You were a witness."

"Yes," she answered, a tinge of anxiety in her tone.

"In that case, did you tell the school?" Lian's face turned white.

"I-" Khan looked her in the eyes. Her ice blue eyes moved away from his golden ones, hesitant and scared.

"Yes."

"You directly contributed to her expulsion, then?" Khan had now moved closer to the woman, his hands brushing against her arms. Her head turned away from his face.

"Yes…" He sighed. I knew it.

"Lian, why?"

"It wasn't all me! I didn't-"

"Yes you did." Lian gave a defeated frown. Clearly, she was at fault. Khan decided to go through with scolding her. He took a deep breath.

"Lian, if you didn't do this, she would still be in school, she would have a better future. But you ruined-" he started, but was interrupted by the furious girl.
"Skye did it to herself! Skye was the one who went and messed around with that teacher! She knew it was wrong!"
"You're the one who exposed her, you didn't have to do that. Friends don't do that to each other." Her eyes started to water with tears.

"She's the one who took my boyfriend!"

"All of this is over a boy?" She let out a sob.

"He wasn't just a boy! I loved Viktor, and Skye took him away! He cheated on me with that whore!" Tears ran down her cheeks as she stood up to meet him at eye level. Khan couldn't comprehend all of the information being thrown at him, and the pressure was building.

"Clearly he didn't love you if he wasn't loyal." Khan instantly regretted this statement.

"Yes, he did! More than you ever have. More than you do. More than you ever will…" she trailed off. She flopped over on her bed and muffled her cries in a pillow. He stood up, his mouth agape and amber eyes wide with shock.

"Lian…"

"Leave!" The shout was dampened by the fluffy bedding blocking her face. Khan moved closer and put his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to console her. There was a moment where Lian's sobbing ceased and she looked up to make eye contact with him. Her pale irises were encircled by the reddish whites of her eyes, and her face was blotchy from the tears. Suddenly, her face turned from gloomy to enraged and she shoved his hand off of her.

"I said to leave!" she repeated. Khan moved his arm away slowly, baffled by her behavior.

"Why are you acting like this?"

"Shut up! Go away! I don't want you to sit here and tell me how terrible I am! I'm tired of you lecturing me and scolding me and telling me everything I do is wrong!" He slumped his shoulders, disappointed at the low blow. He couldn't believe what she was saying to him and how she was acting. He was supposed to love this woman. She was supposed to be his best friend and girlfriend. Where did I go wrong?

"I just want to help you-" Suddenly, Lian stood up in front of him and slapped him across the face. The blow was quick, but painful like a whack from a whip. Khan held the cheek where she had struck him, the skin quickly turning red and giving an irritating burning sensation. Lian crossed her arms and gave a cold stare. He realized that he could reason with her no longer, and turned his back away from her to leave. He picked up his bags, then walked out of the door, his eyes somber as he gazed at the white-haired girl one more time. Lian's demeanor changed briefly: her face softened and her arms fell down to her sides in defeat. Khan ignored this and headed next door to his house, making sure to lock the door so Lian couldn't get in.

It was still afternoon when he left his neighbor's house, so when he got home, he headed up to his room and sat down at his desk to finish homework. He worked ahead so he wouldn't need to worry about doing any homework the next day, the day of the game. After that, he had a mundane conversation with his parents over dinner and headed back upstairs to take a shower and get to bed. He changed into his pajamas and flopped into bed, his mind exhausted from the events of the day. Fernando fighting with Koga, Lian getting Skye expelled, finding out about Viktor cheating on Lian; it overwhelmed him. He realized that his friends weren't who he thought they were anymore. He was unsure how to feel, what to think. Was he overthinking, or were they really changing right before his eyes? Was he prying too much? If he had never questioned Lian, he wouldn't be in this situation. He tried not to think about it and eventually managed to fall asleep.

/

Khan watched his friend make progress on his drawing of a knight. He had finished his own work, and would have liked to add more detail, but decided the simple drawing was sufficient. Besides, even if he had enough time to improve his assignment, it was all being consumed by a distraction: he could not stop spectating his friend. The way his hand carefully gripped the pen and moved it to create thin strokes for details, the way his eyes narrowed and he leaned over his desk to get a better view, the way he bit his lip ever so slightly; it put Khan in a trance. Eventually, Fernando leaned back into his chair to stretch. Khan remained fixated on his arms. Fernando had rolled up the sleeves to his long sleeved shirt to expose his forearms, which connected to rough ink-covered hands. The hands moved up towards his face to adjust his dark brown locks, which is when he and Khan made eye contact.

"Like what you see?" Khan's face turned warm at Fernando's flirtatious tone.

"W-what?" he sputtered. Why the hell was I staring at him?

"It seems you were enjoying my good looks," he replied, adding a grin.

"I-I was thinking about some things, that's all." Khan looked away and hoped Fernando was dumb enough to believe his excuse. Even if he wanted to be honest, he didn't know what he would say.

"Ay, you're so pensive, always thinking about something." Fernando let out a chuckle and turned back to his paper. Khan exhaled in relief, then realized that Lian was glaring at him from across the table. Earlier, he noticed her cold eyes locked onto him, but thought nothing of it. However, she now grit her teeth and furrowed her brow with anger. His eyes met her harsh stare, and she looked away from him quickly. Eventually, the awkward tension between the couple was mitigated by the ring of the lunch bell.

Fernando and Khan got up from the table and walked outside to go to the lunchroom together. Both waited for Lian in the hallway, but when she walked out of the classroom, she walked past the two without looking at them and headed away from the lunchroom.

"Is something wrong between you two?" Fernando asked, giving Khan a confused look. Khan sighed.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Fernando nodded.

"What do you want to do, then?"

"I don't really care, we can sit wherever." Fernando grinned at that.

"I think I know a perfect place for us," he replied excitedly. Khan nodded, then followed Fernando, who walked him to the back of the lunchroom where they stopped at a table with some familiar faces. Khan recognized the black-haired girl from the day before, Cassie, Jenos, Buck, and Koga.

"Nice to have you back," Buck said to Fernando. A few people moved over to make room for Fernando.

"Is it okay if Khan joins us?" he asked.

"Any friend of you is a friend of ours," Buck answered. Fernando smiled and gestured for Khan to sit on the other side of him next to Koga, who gave him an irritated look. He ignored this and turned towards Cassie, the black-haired girl, and a blonde girl. The first two of the three girls noticed his presence and gave him a strange look.

"You're Khan?" Cassie asked.

"Yes." She nodded and gazed towards Fernando.

"So you're Lian's new pet," the black haired girl teased.

"Ying, stop it. He seems alright." Ying rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." She turned to chat with the blonde next to her. Khan attempted to talk to Fernando, but he was busy chatting with Buck and Jenos. When Jenos noticed him, he gave the same strange look that the girls had given him. He took this as a signal to leave them alone, so he turned to his other side, where Koga sat.

"Hey, Koga, what's up?" Koga turned to face him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Fernando dragged me along."

"Weird. He hasn't done that before."

"He just-" Khan paused. He didn't know why Fernando brought him to the table either.

"-wanted to change it up, I guess. I don't really know."

"Hope that doesn't become a regular thing." Khan blinked.

"What?" The shorter boy's face turned smug.

"You coming here." Khan paused, appalled by his lack of manners. He was a guest, so he thought Koga should treat him with courtesy. Guess I expected too much from a guy like him, he thought to himself.
"That's not very nice."

"Neither is your lover."

"What are you saying?" Koga scoffed, then looked away from Khan.

"See Ying over there?" He gestured towards the petite girl, who wore a light blue crop top and matching ribbons in her hair.

"Yeah, what about her?"

"She's not a homework slave." Khan raised an eyebrow.

"Your girlfriend likes to treat her like one," he continued. Khan couldn't disagree. He saw the way Lian spoke to the girl.

"She has a name, you know." Khan answered, trying to veer away from the topic.

"Fine. Tell Lian to back off of her." He glanced at Ying one more time, then faced back to Khan.

"Why should I?" Koga rolled his eyes.

"It's the right thing to do," he protested.

"Can I trust you?"

"Why not?" Khan paused to contemplate the situation. He knew Koga could be shady, but at that moment, he seemed genuine. Maybe he only wanted to protect Ying, not stir conflict with Khan. Khan then remembered how the boy acted with Fernando. His flirty tone, the way they fought, his teasing; all massive red flags to Khan. He continued skeptically.

"Well, judging by the way you act with Fernando, I wouldn't trust you," Khan suggested quietly, crossing his arms.

"Don't start this again."

"I'm just saying I don't like the way you play with him." Koga laughed.

"Play, huh? Is that an innuendo?" Khan rolled his eyes in frustration at his immaturity.

"You fight him, you tease him- you're trying to get to his head, I know it." Khan glared into Koga's silver eyes. His face was still smug.

"And you know this how?" Khan paused. He didn't know what to say, for he had no evidence to back up his claim besides a gut feeling.

"Sounds like someone is a bit jealous," Koga quipped. Khan's face turned beet red. What is this kid thinking?

"What? No way!"

"Then why do you care about what we do so much?"

"I-"

"You want what I have with Fernando. I know it," he interrupted. Deep down, Khan knew it to be true. He huffed in defeat.

"I don't want you to hurt him," Khan replied silently, looking away.

"I get it. I don't want people to hurt Ying, either," he answered, his tone casual and his face soft. The white-haired boy looked in her direction again. Khan thought he saw his face turn pink.

"So, will you do it?" Koga asked, snapping back to face Khan.

"Do what?"
"Get Lian to stop being a bitch?" Khan chuckled.

"I can't make any promises, but I'll try," Khan answered. Koga gave a genuine smile.

"Thank you." Khan nodded, and Koga faced away to talk with another person at the table. Khan sat in silence, wondering about the conversation he just had. His face was still warm from Koga's accusation. Do I want to be closer to him? He turned to face Fernando, who was in his element chatting and laughing with Buck and Jenos. Khan admired his charisma and cherished his friendship, but did he want anything more than just that?]

Shortly after the exchange, the bell rang, marking the end of the lunch period. Khan, Koga, Fernando, and Buck all headed to the locker room to get ready for gym class after saying goodbye to the rest of the friend group. As soon as they arrived, Khan went to a bench and changed out of his school clothes quickly. He occasionally glanced towards Fernando, who lingered to chat with Koga. He faced his locker and eavesdropped on the banter he and Koga were having, instead.

"I saw you talking to Khan. What'd you think of him?" he asked. Khan perked up.

"Eh." Khan turned around to see Koga picking at his skin in the mirror.

"Oh, come on, he's nice," Fernando argued.

"Speak for yourself. He's kind of boring. Besides, Lian's made him into a total c-"

"Ay ay ay, don't even get started on her, she's such a headache. But I swear, he's actually a pretty cool guy if you ignore that."

"Whatever."

"You should give him a chance." Koga scoffed.

"You're really set on this new dude, huh?" Khan stood up to go to his locker, which is when Koga noticed Khan.

"Well, I-" Koga smirked, then moved up to Fernando's ear and whispered something that clearly bothered Fernando, evident by his blushing.

"Koga!" He shoved the smaller boy away from him.

"It's true, isn't it?" Koga quipped through a chuckle.

"No, of course not!" Koga continued to laugh as Fernando became more flustered. Fernando lightly socked him on the arm, triggering Koga to grab his hand. Khan, both curious about what Koga had said as well as wanting to stop any fight, decided to step in. He walked closer and noted Koga's menacing expression as he pulled Fernando's arm, causing him to lose balance and fall onto the ground.

"Calm down guys." Fernando pushed himself onto his feet and Koga faced Khan.

"Lo siento," he apologized, still slightly shaken up from being thrown to the ground.

"What was all that about, anyways?"

"Nothing," Fernando stuttered, fixing his hair frantically. His face was a deep red, and he was still shirtless. Khan struggled to keep his eyes to his face. What the hell is wrong with me? He cleared his throat, his anxiety seemed to choke him and try to pull him away from the confrontation.

"Is that so?" Khan continued, fidgeting with the string on his shorts.

"Yes. You're not involved in this, go away," Koga butted in. The short boy's silver eyes pierced into Khan.

"Koga, it's fine, leave him alone," Fernando defended, his expression softening.

"He's being nosy," Koga started, "you wouldn't want him to find out what I said, would you?" Fernando chuckled nervously. Khan couldn't help but question their secretive nature.

"Why are you guys acting so weird?"

"W-what are you on about?" Fernando protested, his voice shaky. Khan raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know, you're just being really sketchy right now," Khan continued, causing Koga to groan.

"You need to mind your own business." Koga had moved closer to Khan by then, and was glaring daggers into him. He realized he wouldn't get any information out of either of them, so he just nodded quickly and anxiously walked towards his locker to change into his gym clothes. Koga and Fernando continued to chat, but Khan didn't bother to listen out of fear that he would hear something he didn't want to hear. Maybe he's right, I am being kind of nosy, he thought to himself as he finished changing. After that, Khan left along with the other students.

As he participated in the mundane activities of gym class, he noted the zeal in some of his teammates, specifically Fernando. Sure, he always had energy, but today, it was focused. Maybe it was because of their awkward encounter, but he barely chatted with anyone that period, which went against his usual gregarious nature. He only expressed his excitement for the game in a brief conversation they had, and then returned to his task. Khan, inspired by the Spaniard's diligence, also mentally prepared himself for the game and focused on the physical activity.