aerie (bakugo katsuki x oc)

chapter 18: what the hell are you hiding, idiot

When I sit down at the lunch table, I notice something kinda... weird. Kai's hair is covering most of her face, and she seems quiet, which is pretty out of character for her.

"Hey," I say, "Are you good?"

For some reason, she turns her whole body away from me.

Not in the mood to talk, I guess. For once. Maybe she's just hungover. I look her way for a moment before Kirishima sits down across from us.

"Hey, guys!" he says. "Are you excited about the camping trip this weekend?"

I nudge my head towards Kai, who now has her head on the table, and he shakes his head.

"I hear we're all getting our own tent," he says excitedly. "Hopefully we aren't attacked by villains though."

Kai lifts her head up, hair still covering most of her face. "Yeah, hopefully," she mumbles.

"What's wrong with you?" I ask. I try to catch a glimpse of her, but she moves out of the way.

What the hell is she hiding?

"Hopefully there's pro-heroes around to protect us," says Kirishima, fidgeting with his chopsticks.

"You think there's gonna be pro-heroes?" mutters Kai.

"Of course," he chuckles. "I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing was a trap for the League of Villains. I mean, this is the first year they're doing this camping trip."

"Yeah, that makes sense," I say, "Baiting them in using us singled out in tents, then having the pros come in and capture them all. It's smart, just seems risky."

We all nod our heads.

"Well, I can't wait to be bait," mutters Kai, sarcastically. When she says that, her hair moves for a second and I catch a glimpse of the rest of her face, which looks black and blue. She quickly covers it again.

"Whoa," says Kirishima. "What the heck happened to your face, Kai?"

"Nothing," she grumbles.

"You expect us to believe that, dumbass?" I say.

Kirishima rushes around the table and sits on the other side of her, gingerly tucking her hair behind her ear to get a better look.

   When her hair is finally out of the way, we see just how fucked up her face really is. She has two black eyes, a gash on both her cheekbone and the bridge of her nose, and a busted lip.

"Woah," I say, "Someone totally kicked your ass."

She looks around nervously. "It's nothing, guys. Just a bruise."

"Who did that to you?" asks Kirishima, obviously very concerned.

"It's seriously no big deal, so stop," she snaps.

I furrow my brow. "You need to go see Recovery Girl," I say.

She nods. "Yeah, I guess I should."

After lunch, Kai hurries down the hallway to the nurses office, the opposite way of me and Kirishima.

   "What the hell do you think happened to her face?" I ask as we walk back to class.

He furrows his brow. "Do you think something happened on her walk home?"

I shake my head. "If that's what happened, I don't know why she wouldn't tell us. It probably happened at home."

His eyes widen slightly. "Like, her parents hit her or something 'cause she came home so drunk?"

I shrug. "I mean, maybe. She did mention that her family would kill us if they saw us. Maybe she pissed them off and paid the price."

   "That's so messed up," he says, shaking his head.

   "Yeah, I don't know though. I'm just guessing."

   "Well whatever it is, I'm super worried about her. She's not acting like herself at all."

   I roll my eyes. "I'm sure she'll get back to her usual annoying self eventually."

   He sighs. "I sure hope so."