Let Me Prove You Wrong

Kai

Fear of stepping foot near the squadron had turned into fear of showing my face. I'd insulted the leader of the squadron… The boy defied all opinions I had about the Sky Knights. He was kind, charming, and, though reserve, quite friendly. He looked past my little slip-up, his opinion of me seemingly unchanged. Had he known I'd judged all squadrons on the actions of one prior to my accusation? Maybe he sensed I judged a book by his cover to begin with?

I shut the refrigerator door and turned to leave the kitchen, crashing into a familiar face.

"Dad!" I yelped, dropping my glass of juice.

His passive mood laughed at the mess of broken glass, stepping over it to engulf me in his arms. "Hey, kiddo. How are you holding up?"

"Great!" I giggled. "I finally finished that Skimmer you left for me! It's up and running now."

"Hm." He looked around. "I see the house is clean."

I looked at my feet. A job well done was never done well enough for him… With a sigh, I forced a smile. "Yeah! I know how OCD you are…"

"Thank God you kept it clean because we have a guest."

Glancing past Father, I couldn't see the aforementioned guest. I rocked on my feet to the other side, hoping to get a better view, but still nothing. "Oh, really?" I muttered. "I… should really get back to—"

"Aerrow, Kai; Kai, Aerrow," he held out a hand, ushering the 'guest' toward me from directly behind him.

My face flushed white as I heard the name. He did say Aerrow, right? My socks suddenly became aware of the spilled juice, and in an attempt to avoid the Sky Knight as he held out a hand for me to shake, I squatted down and began to profusely clean up the glass.

"I'm sorry, I… I really can't… This is terrible…"

Coming down to my level, Aerrow reached out for a piece of glass and began helping. "I don't blame you for being embarrassed," he whispered. "I know it's not formal attire, but pajamas are comfortable."

I groaned. He really thought I was worried about my appearance? Sure, I wasn't wearing anything suitable for company, my hair was still tangled from last night's sleep, and I looked a bit tired, but that's what he thought I was embarrassed about?

I sliced my finger open on a small piece of glass. Lifting the finger closer to my gaze, I saw the glass was still lodged in my skin.

Father chuckled, stepping around us into the kitchen. "Kai? What are you making for dinner tonight?"

After fussing over the injury for a moment, Aerrow reached out. "Hold still," he grumbled, grasping my hand. With precision, he grasped the piece of glass between his fingers and gently pulled it out. "I'd soak that in Epsom salt if I were you…"

I examined my finger and looked away from the boy, continuing to clean up the glass though my finger continued to bleed.

"So, you're not even going to talk to me? I am the guest," he said playfully.

I cradled the pile of glass in my hands and stood up quickly, rushing to the nearest trashcan—Aerrow not too far behind.

"No, I'm not. -- Oh, okay Kai. I understand. No big deal." With a sigh, he lifted the lid of the can and aided me in disposing of the glass. "At least say hi. I feel like the biggest asshole in the world right now."

"Is that because you ego won't allow you to be ignored, or you truly are nice and you feel like being ignored is the cause of doing something wrong?"

He smiled. "Hey, at least I got you to talk…"

I turned and rushed into the living room, propping up all the couch pillows.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is with me, but at least give me the chance to prove you wrong."

I removed the blanket I had used to keep warm the night before and hid it in a secret storage container in the ottoman. "I really don't think I should be parading around with a stranger."

"…Your father knows me, the town respects me, as much as they'd respect a kid, as the leader of the Storm Hawks… I'd hardly call myself a stranger."

"They may call you 'friend' but you're still a stranger to me."

"You have a point," he hummed.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" I growled.

"I'm fixing up this boy's sky ride, along with the rest of his team," Father grumbled, walking out of the kitchen with a large portion of what was supposed to be my dinner for the night. Upon seeing that, my heart instantly sank. Father's weekly visit home had become more of a chore than something I waited for.

"Thanks to Louis—your father," he corrected himself, "we won't have to worry about maintenance for a while."

With a laugh, my father added, "If the Condor wasn't docked so far out, I'd fix that up too. But if you guys need that fixed up, you'll have to come back to my shop."

Now that the boys were talking, I had a chance to escape. I ran to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. Sitting on the counter behind closed doors, I had no reason to hold back tears anymore. Silently crying, I mourned the loss of my mother. Though that was when I was much younger, if she was still alive, Father wouldn't be gone the entire week and I wouldn't be by myself, forced to care for everything alone.

Knock, knock, knock. "Kai…"

My gaze shot to the door and I immediately wiped the tears from my eyes, clearing my throat. " What? I'm busy."

The boy laughed quietly behind the door. "No, you're not. That wasn't an 'I gotta go' kind of run. Now why don't you come out so I can explain myself."

"Why should I?" I folded my arms across my chest.

"Because you have nothing to do today."

Damn you, Father. "… Aren't you busy collecting supplies for your next mission?"

"I'm free until our rides are fixed." That meant until they left. "Kai, just give me today to show you that you're wrong about me. I'm borrowing an old friend's Skimmer for today. I… I can show you around my favorite places."

"What good will that do?" I growled.

"It won't hurt to find out, will it?"

I closed my eyes. Pushing myself off the counter, I glanced in the mirror before opening the door. I hadn't been crying long enough for my face to grow red and puffy. I thanked God for that.

With a smile, the boy knew he'd worn me down enough to go, even if I didn't like the idea. "Come on. Are you hungry?" he asked, angling his arm at his side for me to take it. Rejecting his invitation, I walked onward.

"Not entirely."

"Great. I have the perfect place we can eat."