The layers of Kaid Isherwood (The 1st book in the 'Layers' series)

Chapter 11

Kaid's POV 

I made the trip to the store quickly, as if the whole world was closing in around me. The urgency of it wasn't just about the spices—though, let's be honest, the kitchen had been begging for more flavor—it was because I had other errands to run. You know, the ones that involved avoiding people and dealing with the fact that I was essentially forced into participating in the general public's activities today. Don't get me wrong—I'm not a monster. I just prefer the solace of my dorm. But apparently, the universe didn't agree.

I got the spices and ingredients they needed. There was even leftover money for the essentials, because I'm a charitable guy like that. I dropped it all off outside their door, knocked like a responsible person, and then ran. I didn't want to be caught in the crossfire of awkward conversation. I also left a note because apparently that's the polite thing to do.

"Here are some things you needed. Have fun."

Mr. SCP~

Not exactly Shakespeare, but hey, I was on a mission. I had other things to do. Things that didn't involve making eye contact with the people I was avoiding, or worse, actually talking to them. I showed up to lunch, and that should count for the next month. I have been to class, I've eaten lunch. That should be enough social interaction to get me through the week.

Of course, that's probably not going to happen. Ever since Lucan showed up, it's like my life's been gradually turning to ash, bit by bit. Like that kid in the neighborhood who sets the woods on fire, but it inevitably ends up at your doorstep. Everyone hates that kid, right? Apparently, I'm the only one who dislikes Lucan. And I do mean dislike. I wouldn't call it "hatred" exactly... okay, maybe I would, but that's beside the point.

So, naturally, I took refuge in my closet. A place of peace, of solitude. I could lock it up, seal myself away from the world, and pretend like everything was fine. My hobbies? Absolutely none of your business. Touch my stuff? Don't even think about it.

I sat down with my sketchpad, because that's what you do when you need to de-stress, right? I don't draw often, only when the pressure gets to be too much. It's like a therapy session for my brain. Except, instead of paying someone to listen to my problems, I just draw random doodles and let them fend for themselves. It works, okay?

I didn't even pay attention to what I was sketching. I just put pencil to paper and let my mind wander. When I finally looked down at the page, I froze. The ink stared back at me, like a bad joke that wasn't funny. There, on the page, was Lucan Ashworth. But not just him. No, it was worse. It was Lucan, smiling at me from what looked like the perfect little world he had in his half of the dorm.

I'm sorry, but what the hell? Why was I drawing him? I wasn't planning this. I had no intention of memorializing him in my art. But somehow, there he was, invading my thoughts like a virus. No. Not today. Not in my personal space.

I ripped the page out, balled it up, and threw it across the room. I didn't even want to give it the dignity of the trash can. The trash can was too good for that nonsense.

Just as I was about to regain some semblance of peace, the door opened. Guess who? Yeah, it was Lucan. My least favorite person of the moment. And of course, he knocked. As if that would make me magically not be hiding in my closet.

"Kaid, you can't spend all of your time in that closet." His voice came from behind the door, too casual, like he was asking me to come out and play or something.

I stared at the door, internally seething. "Yes, I can, and yes, I will. I won't come out there." I folded my arms, the ultimate act of defiance. No one—especially not Lucan—was going to drag me out of my sanctuary.

"Well, I bought you some Cherry Kool-Aid," he said. Cherry Kool-Aid. The one thing that had been taunting me for days. I had run out, and I had no intention of going to the store for more. But Lucan? Of course, he knew that.

I froze. He was playing dirty. I knew it was a trap, but the Kool-Aid was too tempting. Slowly, I unlocked the door. When I opened it, there he was, grinning like a cat who'd just eaten the canary. And, naturally, he was holding the juice pouches.

"Dirty trick," I muttered, as I snatched the pack from his hands. "I was all out of Kool-Aid."

"Well, you came out for it, didn't you?" he said, all smugness and smirking.

I grabbed one of the pouches and tore into it. "You know," I said, avoiding eye contact, "I met your oldest brother today."

"Yeah?" he asked, eyes narrowing.

"Yeah," I said, throwing the Kool-Aid pouch into my mouth. "He thinks I'm a good person for some reason. He's nuts."

Lucan raised an eyebrow. "Well, you keep contradicting yourself. You said you weren't coming out of the closet, but here you are. You said you weren't going to class, but you did. You contradict yourself all the time."

I groaned. "You carried me to class on the first day. That doesn't count as contradicting myself. I didn't go to class willingly."

"Whatever," Lucan shrugged. "So how was your first lunch in the cafeteria?"

"It was fine," I said, not bothering to look at him. "I left as soon as possible, but the food was decent. I admit that."

Lucan nodded. "Yeah, it's not bad. Not as good as your omelets though."

Okay, so he wasn't a total monster. The omelet comment was borderline compliment-worthy. But still, I wasn't about to admit it. He didn't deserve to know how much I appreciated his casual praise.

"Well, thanks for the Kool-Aid," I said, walking back toward my closet.

I swear I heard a small chuckle from behind me. No, I wasn't imagining it. Lucan was laughing at me. But I wasn't about to deal with it. Not today.

I sat down in my closet, locked it up, and sighed in relief. Glasses on (I'm partially blind, okay?), I grabbed the remaining juice pouch. But, what I saw inside the box was nothing short of infuriating.

The juice pouches? Made of paper. The only real juice pouch was the one Lucan had taken, leaving me with nothing but a cruel, empty cardboard shell. My blood boiled.

There was a note at the bottom of the box:

"I win the first round."

I crumpled it up and threw it across the room like I was trying to kill a fly with a shotgun. That's it. That was the last straw. I couldn't handle this anymore.

Without a second thought, I unlocked every lock on my closet, stepped outside, and marched straight for him.

"You do not win the first round," I growled. "That's the dirtiest trick you could've pulled. Carrying me to class? Microscopic compared to this."

Lucan smirked. "I got you out of the closet, didn't I?"

Jonah was in the room, looking back and forth between us like we were about to start a cage match. I didn't care though. Lucan's smirk just made me more pissed off.

"You know that Kool-Aid means a lot to me," I said, low and dangerous. "If you ever pull a stunt like this again, you better start shopping for a casket. I'll end you with my bare hands."

Lucan yawned. "Blah blah blah. I won't do it again. Geez. And hey, I didn't know you wore glasses."

Yeah, okay. He's getting more annoying. But you know what? I'll get him back. He won the first round, but I'll win the war. Just you wait, Lucan.

I slammed the door to my closet again and locked everything up like it was Fort Knox. I glared at the empty Kool-Aid box like I could will the contents back into existence. Spoiler alert: It didn't work. But the war? That's far from over.