Senorita 2: Thank you Mangachick: I apologise if it inconvenienced you, but wouldn't it be better to sign up to ? LilAngel12558: Thank for the reviews, but because I'm still slightly jet-lagged, I'm feeling very lazy to respond to all of them. Sorry. 8 Months? o.0
Anyways, here's your update!
Chapter Seven
A hand swiped up a card from the neatly preserved deck in the centre of the table, as two crimson eyes scrutinised it with avid interest, before placing the chosen one among the cards that lay hidden in his other palm. He then discarded another card into a separate pile of cards, where they lay face up for all to see.
Another pair of reddish eyes analysed the move carefully, a small smirk playing over his features as he realised that he was still in with a chance. He picked up another card from the hidden deck and checked the suit only to screw up his face as he realised it wasn't the card he needed and placed it upon the visible deck. Nonetheless, a third hand instantly picked up the card that had currently been discarded, seeing his chance, and immediately added it to his hand, before discarding an unwanted one, smiling victoriously.
"Read 'em and weep, boys!" Kevin said, as he placed his cards face up on the table.
There was a chorus of groans.
"I'm never playing Gin Rummy with you again," Ian moaned.
Kevin smirked.
"Well, you shouldn't have challenged me in the first place. Now pay up!"
Kai sighed and placed his cards together before fiddling about in his pockets and pulling out the two packets of crisps that he'd wagered, dumping it on the table along with the many other food stuffs that had been promised by other players.
He had to admit the past few days hadn't been so bad. He'd spent most of his time by himself or with Ian and his boys for lack of better company and it had proved to be quite interesting. After all, it had been through them that he had learnt who had connections with who and who to avoid.
Nonetheless, it seemed guys tended to be just as gossipy as the common girl, so there was never a dull moment hanging with them. And then there was every morning waking up to the petty, but small disputes between Tyson and Max. It was only a matter of time before that blew out of proportion.
Kai smirked.
The devious character had guessed by now that Tala and Bryan had gotten the message and he was certain that everybody else had as well. So phase one of his plan was complete.
"Anyone for another round?" Kevin offered, innocently.
It wasn't long before the whole table of people suddenly diminished, the men mumbling their excuses before disappearing. All that remained were Kevin, Ian and Kai.
"Sore losers!" Kevin mumbled is he gathered all the cards and began to reshuffle. "So what'll it be?"
"Err…I'll catch you guys later," Ian said, distantly, as he left the table also.
The move was quite out of the ordinary for Ian, but Kai soon realised that having your loyalties tied between old friends had to be difficult, and that's just what he'd demonstrated.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ian heading towards his redheaded ex, who was, casually, leant against the opening of his dorm. They were soon immersed in conversation and though he was curious to what they were up to, he had other things to worry about, such as phase two.
"So Kai? You game?"
The stoic individual looked up.
"I'll pass," Came the reply, as the aforementioned caught a glimpse of something of interest. "But I was wondering if you could tell me about that guy."
Kevin followed his associate's gaze.
"You mean Rei?"
Kai nodded.
"Well there's nothing really much to tell. Just that he and Lee are quite close to one another"
"So are they…going out?"
Kevin's startled expression was worth a million on Kai's part. He wasn't sure whether it was because of the question or because it had come from he himself.
"Nah! They're just good friends that's all? Why?"
"No reason!" And in normal Kai fashion, he withdrew from his seating position and sauntered down the hall.
He could feel Kevin's baffled gaze on the back of his neck and he couldn't help but smirk, because if Kevin was the way that Ian had portrayed him to be, then it would only be a matter of time before the contents of their small conversation were narrated to other ears. That was what he was counting on.
Oof!
"Hey, watch where you're going?"
Upon making contact, Kai turned to see angry pale eyes staring back at him, the same fury in those eyes matching the texture of his spiky red hair. He didn't know who he was, but he knew that this would be the first of many problems that he'd come across with this individual. Nonetheless, Kai glared the guy down and turned on his heel, walking away before the character could voice his odium.
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Tyson smirked as he saw Johnny pass him, mumbling viciously, after having witnessed the tiny concussion that had occurred just then. He had to admit, that Kai was one smooth character. He got under everybody's skin once in a while, but he knew how to keep his cool. Most guys would have had a brawl right then – especially when your adversary was Johnny Macgregor - but not Kai.
When he'd first arrived, almost everyone had been eager to get to know him, but after finding out he was just as cagey as Bryan was, they had learnt to back off. It didn't stop them from being curious however and Tyson had to admit he was among the vast majority, but trying to talk to Kai was often like trying to pry your hands out of steel chains. It just wasn't possible.
The blunette soon let his mind wander to other pressing matters, such as when dinner would be ready. He glanced at a nearby clock and soon registered the time as 2.56pm. He groaned. It had been two hours since lunch, he had nothing to chew on and it had been two weeks since he'd been short of change for the tuck shop. What was the world coming to?
After yawning from his seated position, he looked up to catch a glimpse of blond hair exiting his dorm opposite and he smiled at his effeminate boyfriend as they locked eyes. But as they did so, the reply Tyson received was not that of what he expected. Instead of being greeted with soft inviting blues and the cuteness of the freckles that framed his nasal region, Max seemed to stare back with distinct emptiness, a half-hearted smile plastered across his now paling features.
Tyson made to stand up, but before he could even attempt to call out, Max had scurried off down the hall and was soon out of sight.
I don't get it. What's his problem, Tyson thought to himself, but soon shook it off, sighing, before talking a stroll down the wide corridors, soon deciding upon entering through the doors, which lead to the library. He wasn't big on books, but he had a friend who had literally made the place his home and this was as good a time as any to pay him a visit, as he seemed so scarce elsewhere.
Entering the small abode, he smirked as his oblivious comrade was sat at the table, his back towards him, engaged into the only computer that the prison had thought to give them.
As always, the library was empty. One or two people sat in the corners, their heads buried in books, but in general, not many people seemed to be interested in its quarters and Tyson reckoned that was part of the reason why his friend hang around there so much.
"Yo Kenny!"
He saw the ginger hair on his friend's head, stand up briefly, before recognising just who it was.
"Tyson, keep it down. This is a library," Kenny hissed.
The eyes of the other library users looked up briefly, illustrating their contempt as Tyson grinned repentantly, a hand moving to the back of his head.
"Whoa! The weeks have not been kind to you," Tyson smirked, as he noticed the ginger beard that was rough, but eminent on his friend's face.
"What do you want?" Kenny whispered, adjusting his abnormally large glasses.
Now Kenny had previously been a qualified hacker to which he had gotten caught and punished even more so by being transferred to Stanheld Prison. He wasn't a very sociable person in a sense that he had seen so much over his years that it had traumatised him, thus leading him to spend most of his days in the library at the computer when he could. It was his way of shutting himself from the outside world and avoiding any unnecessary conflict, but Tyson being Tyson had befriended him anyway and this had lead them to develop an understanding.
Tyson was the only person Kenny would have a reasonable conversation with aside from those online and he was the only person to which Kenny would retort so vigorously. Anyone else would have Kenny running for cover. The goggle-head was the paranoid sort.
"Nothing. Can't I just come down to visit my buddy every now and then,"
"You're either bored or hungry and there's no one else for you to annoy," Kenny replied, vacantly, his mind and his fingers elsewhere, typing at the keyboard.
Tyson huffed.
"You know me too well. Care to read my mind again?"
"Oh yes! And you're relationship with Max is a shambles," Kenny remarked, absentmindedly.
"A shambles? What has he been saying to you?" Tyson spoke, a little too loudly, in which the entire library shushed him ardently.
"Nothing! He didn't need too! I can tell just by looking at him,"
"So you're saying this is my fault?"
The library shushed him again.
"Tyson, keep it down!" Kenny hissed again.
"Well…answer me then!" Came Tyson's retort.
Kenny hesitated. He wasn't much of a stirrer either.
"…No I'm not. It's just that…well…people have been talking,"
"About?"
"They've just been saying that…you're a bit inconsiderate that's all,"
"Inconsiderate?"
"Well you've been flirting with Miss Hillary, so I don't blame them,"
Tyson grimaced.
"I HAVE NOT BEEN FLIRTING…
"Tyson! If you do not be quiet, you will have to leave the library," The warning had come from one of the officers this time, who had casually stepped into the room.
"Yes, Miss!" His reply was filled with contempt.
"What I suggest you do is talk to him?" Kenny voiced, when the officer had departed.
"Why should I, if I'm such a bad person?"
"Now you're just being childish," Kenny grumbled, then sighed and returned to the computer. "Approach Max calmly. The last thing you want to do is scare him off. You know, sometimes admitting you're wrong can be a good thing"
"So you agree with them? You think I'm in the wrong?"
"As a matter of fact, I do," Came the inattentive reply.
The sizzling sensation of boiling fury bubbled in the blunette's stomach. It wasn't the fact that he was being half heartedly ignored, but the fact that when his absentminded friend was like this, it only meant one thing. He was speaking his mind. And though it was rare, he was usually right.
TBC…