Circles

2.

Morning has long since come and gone, and she waits now for Kai to walk home together.Lilly stands in front of the schoolyard waiting for Kai to appear. She gets out earlier than he does, but she stays behind every day to wait for him. She gazes around the sea of students that rush of the building, no doubt, eager to leave. When she first catches sight of him, it feels to her like a switch clicks. Almost as if her mind is telling her it's okay to be happy now.

"Lilly!" He yells at the top of his lungs, he's undoubtedly caught sight of her too. Although it wouldn't be too hard to find a female in a sea of almost all males, especially not when they're scarce. She waves him over to her as she knows she can't leave the spot without being stampeded. When he finally comes over to her, they begin to walk in the same direction, aimlessly at first.

"Will your parents let you come over to my house?" he asks her. He knows they'll likely say no, but it's worth a try. Lilly whips out her phone and calls her household. She asks the voice on the other end of the phone if she would be allowed, and to both her shock and confusion, the voice allows it. She ends the conversation as quickly and politely as possible, in case they decide to change their mind.

"They said yes. My parents said yes," she tells Kai, in a way that seems almost as if she was questioning it herself. She knows that's unlike her parents, but she's surely not going to question something that benefits her. She and Kai walk alongside each other the whole way, passing by many onlookers on the street, she realizes how strange they must look. They do not look strange together because they're different races, they do not look strange because there's a height difference, they look strange because to see a female around Lilly's age is a truly rare sight. In the small town they reside in, the population is small enough as is, the population of females make up less than ten percent of that. Most of the women they'd pass by or see in the street were around Lilly's mother's age, or older. This was the reason why most younger females were promised in marriage to those their parents deemed as suitable mates, Lilly included.

Being stared at bothered Lilly when she was younger, but now, it became just another daily occurrence for her. Perhaps it's due to her gradually becoming numb to everything around her. However, she can't help but wonder if it bothers Kai. She turns to him the with the intent to ask him, only to notice he's distracted fiddling with one of the strings on his sweater.

"I hate when one side goes into the sweater, ya' know," He rhetorically asks her, paying not even the slightest attention. Now she knows he isn't the least bit fazed by the incessant gazes of people.

The walk from the school to Kai's house isn't long at all, in fact he lives closer to the school than she does. As they approach Kai's house, he takes out his keys to unlock the door. Halfway as he's about to unlock it, the door opens from the inside, revealing Kai's older brother Eli. Eli's not much older than Kai though, about a year and a half older. Yet he's taken on all the responsibilities of the oldest, contributing to why he worries about Kai so much.

"I'm glad I caught you!" Eli makes known as he rushes to put on a jacket. "Adelai needs me to pick her up from school. Can you cook for us today?" Kai smiles back and nods.

"No problem." Kai enters the house as Eli makes his way past him and takes off in a hurry. He ushers Lilly in, like the gentleman that he is, or rather tries to be. The two take off their shoes by the door, and Kai rushes to the kitchen with Lilly following not too far behind. Kai is the one often left to cook for him and his family. Though Eli always gives him the illusion that he has a choice in that matter. He never used to be good at it, but naturally, he got better as time passed. He washes his hands, and quickly gets started. Lilly back leans against the counter, watching his every move as his hands move swiftly between the ingredients, seasonings and cooking utensils. She stand there in silence for a bit before she looks up at his face, and notices the concentration lacing his facial features as his eyebrows furrow with each of his movements.

"Hey Kai," she utters, "what are you making?" He looks up from the countertop and stares her directly in the eye.

"I have no idea," he states with a smile then goes right back to seasoning. So much for a conversation start. Lilly adjusts her position on the counter, leaning on her elbow this time. She places her face in her hands and looks away from him.

"Hey Kai," she states again, a bit more serious this time, "have you ever thought about leaving this place?" He gives her a side glance she can't see, he knows where this is going but decides to play along with her anyway.

"What do you mean?" He asks.