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Kai continued walking, and I followed closely behind him. He abruptly stopped, causing me to collide with his well-built back. Ouch, my nose hurt. He had a strong, tough physique, which made it hard to keep up with him.
He turned around to face me, his glare intense. I was about to shoot one back at him, but then I heard Ray's voice calling out, "Aanya? Kai? Where?" Ray was running towards us, looking confused. I tried to explain that we needed to talk, but Kai interrupted with a dismissive tone, "Talk about something private, any problem with you?"
Ray raised an eyebrow, smirking. I had no idea what was going on, but before I could respond, Kai interjected again, "No, it's a matter between the leader and the manager." I yelped in frustration, caught in the middle of whatever game they were playing. Ray seemed to be relishing in the situation, teasing Kai.
I silently eyed Ray to leave us alone, and he seemed to understand, winking at me before running off, calling, "See you later!"
I tried to chase after Kai, but my terrible sense of direction made it difficult to catch up. Finally, I yelled at him to stop, grabbing his arm to get his attention. He was still fuming, and I was unafraid.
"Mind explaining yourself? What was that with Ray?" I demanded, folding my arms across my chest. Kai continued to glare at me, saying nothing. Fine, we could communicate through silence. I shook my head and decided to steer the conversation towards the actual issue at hand.
But my mind couldn't help but wander, wondering about Kai and Ray's interactions. They had been sitting together at times, and...
Wait, was there something more between them?
I quickly shook off that thought and refocused on the matter at hand.
"I needed you to suggest a training place like in China; we need a ton of practice before the Tournament," I explained, waiting for his response. But Kai remained silent. Typical.
Just as I was about to turn away, he spoke with a smooth, taunting voice, "So you finally need my help, huh?" I turned back to face him, squinting my eyes. He wore a smirk on his face and locked eyes with me.
"Weren't you saying that you could manage all these things by yourself?" He continued, pretending to think. "Or... you just need my attention?" He raised an eyebrow, still smirking.
I couldn't help but find this whole situation cringe-worthy. "That was sooooo cringe, okay?! How did this even come to your minds? Besides, I have very high standards, and you don't even touch the bottom," I retorted, scrunching my nose. He glared at me, clearly annoyed.
"And Ray does?" He growled, gritting his teeth. His muscles tensed, and his veins bulged.
In an instant, I punched the wall beside him, trapping him between my arms and glaring right back at him. But before I could say anything, he retaliated, pinning me against the wall this time. His heavy breaths revealed his anger.
"Wait, is it true... that... YOU LIKE RAY?!" I exclaimed with excitement. Kai's eyes widened in surprise. "YOU DO?!" I repeated gleefully.
"WHAT?!" We heard a voice, and we both turned to see Ray, who appeared shocked and upset. "KAI LIKES RAY!!!!" Tyson yelled, jumping up and down with excitement. Max giggled, and Kenny just stood there awkwardly. Judy and Emily were nowhere to be seen.
"YOU MEAN KAI IS GAYYYYYYY!!!!" Tyson continued to jump around in celebration.
"Is that why there's tension between both of you?" Tyson asked cheekily as Ray maintained a straight face.
"Oh, and now I understand why Ray was upset when he saw Kai pinning me—" I began to say, but Kai quickly covered my mouth with his hand. I tried to slap it away, but he removed it himself and then looked at the others who were now standing there, clearly confused.
"You could have told me; I would've given you time with Ray—" I leaned in to whisper in Kai's ear, but he cleared his throat and yelled, "I WILL SAY THIS ONLY ONCE! I DON'T LIKE RAY, AND I AM NOT GAY!" He emphasized each word, practically shouting. Then, he forcefully pulled himself away from me and the wall.
I blinked in surprise and glanced at Ray, who stated, "Yeah, we don't like each other like that." He folded his arms across his chest.
"Oh, alright, my bad," I shrugged, apologizing to them both. Tyson seemed eager to continue, but I quickly threw my arm around his shoulders and hushed him. Just then, Judy and Emily appeared, inquiring about the commotion.
Ray and I quickly downplayed the situation, and Judy suggested we head to the cafeteria since we must be hungry. We agreed, and as we walked, Kai shot me a sharp glare, which only made me grin wider. He rolled his eyes, and we all proceeded to the cafeteria.
