I can tell

Yol-tul

I quickly picked up the small piece of paper, unfolding it with care. My eyes widened at the message on it.

'I'm sorry if I scared you, but it startled me too. You should call me and we can talk about it, if you want to. XXX-XXXX'

"He wants me to call or text him," I said, looking up at Jess.

_______

Kai's POV

The beautiful boy in front of my sister, he almost seemed to glow. His eyes, a dazzling emerald color, glanced around the table. He struck my interest, I am not sure why though. I've never really been attracted to anyone, especially not a boy.  

Our eyes met. I couldn't look away; I couldn't move. He stared back at me, he didn't look away. 

He seemed to mouth words at me, but I didn't catch any of them before he looked away. 

I don't know what I feel.

______

Jess POV

I heard another set of foot steps echoing down the hallway, a heart pounding to the beat of a steady drum. 

^I can't breathe.^

It was Kai.

I stood up running to the door and swinging it open to find Kai running at me, his big eyes brimming with tears. I engulfed with in a large hug. Realizing the reason, I hugged even tighter.

"Come," I said, picking him up and bringing him in my room then closing the door. 

He sat in my arms crying, not saying a word, taking deep grasps for air. 

"Everything is okay. No one hates you and no one ever could. Please don't cry," I soothed, holding him close to my chest.

"Of course everyone could hate me," Kai screamed at me as tears fell down his face at a steady rate.

"Listen to me, Kai," I said, holding his cheeks with my hands. "No one hates you. You are just figuring out who you are. Nothing is wrong with that," I finished.

He looked at me, his eyes red from the tears that fell down his face like a waterfall. "Why does it feel like the world hates me," he asked, his voice becoming robotic and his face becoming pale.

"The world does not hate you. Everyone has to go through a rough patch in order to grow up. Otherwise we would all be young and inexperienced. We all have different things we have to go through, some people get the harder things to deal with and it's kind of like they are being tested," I explained, my face managing to hold a little smile.

"Tested for what," he asked, looking around the room. 

"Tested to see who the strongest people are, the ones that make it through."

"What is your test," he asked.

"Well, I think I have had a couple more than some people, but some people have had more than me. You know how I hear what people say?" I looked at him, awaiting a response.  

He nodded, indicating that he understood.

"Well people don't always say kind things about others or me. Also 'dad' hasn't been here when we need him, he hasn't been a father figure. People have died in front of me, too," I finished, realizing that tears were now falling down my face.

He hugged me tightly. "So everyone has a different test that they have to pass," he questioned.

I nodded. "But you know at the end of each test you get a reward. Like me, I have wonderful friends and of course I have you. I couldn't ask for a better little brother or family," I paused, wiping my tears away. "Believe it or not, even if you feel like you can't go on, you have all of these people around you that love you so much," I finished. 

"I love a boy, Jess," he said confidently, holding his head up high.

____

I'm so so sorry to everyone reading, I don't mean to not update. I will try to update even more, so please don't give up on the book. Thanks!!