Smoke Fight Ride

Chapter 9

It is the first instance where she uses his proper surname, the steady pace of his heart increases at this for some unknown reason liking the way she said his name.

A minute silence teases the Pop Culture participants with severe anticipation. Despite himself he couldn't find a reason to decline. Sure she was a brat but she had qualities that he couldn't help but admire.

"All is forgotten, on one condition." He holds up a finger, adding confidently, "I'll play you for it, random game, random platform, random console." She contemplates the proposal mustering an evil snide.

"Deal, Cho Yum Fat."

*

"Holy shit she's a master look at her go!"
"Come on Billie, I got a tenner wager that says you'll smash it!"
"Am I the only one supporting Kit?"
"Looks like it, bro, he's fighting a losing battle."

Five consecutive failed rounds of Mortal Kombat Armeggedon later and Kit finally decides to forfeit following a final blow from another miraculous PS2 control combo. "Get wrecked!" Billie says reeling in the attention from her recently converted followers.

That's impossible! The cheat sheet for this game is so hard to find, how did she do that? Damn, it's over.

"You got me, alright, I'll forget what happened, are we good now?" It feels like every member of their club was on her side now and he thought they might never return to his even if she fell off the face of the Earth.

Billie licks her teeth in a seductive manner, contemplating his words, Kit's Adam's apple bobs against his forceful constraint feeling uncomfortable under her penetrative stare. "I guess we are, Bruce Lee."

"Come on, I'm not even Chinese or Japanese or Cantonese so will you quit calling me those names—"

"Don't forget Korean," She adds, to which he displays his best death glare returned by a mischievous grin, "otherwise I might call you Kim Jong Un." If Billie was a guy Kit would punch him without a second thought.

"Have you got a problem with everyone in the world or are you naturally this..." There is nothing worse than being so angry you can't form proper sentences.

"Charismatic."

"No—"

"Attractive."

"No--"

"Don't be shy, spit it out."

"I'm not shy." The heated argument drew his focus elsewhere of his hunched posture which —to its own accord— leans closer with each syllable to emphasise his statement, their bare knees brush through torn jean holes.

Kit pulls back, shrinking like the delicate flower bud he is but will never admit being. "Don't worry 'bout it, you got plenty of time to emerge from your crystallis, Kithlish." His head whips around triggering a hearty and most likely unhealthy crack in the nape area.

If his heartbeat wasn't skyrocketing beyond humanly possible he might be concerned by her withdrawal of a weed stash which she shares among the Redfern twins.

"I knew it!" Jesse declares, snapping his fingers accusingly. Kit starts sweating bullets. She can't know, that is not possible, his biological name isn't even printed on the official birth certificate. How can—

"Congrats, Sherlock, wanna smoke?" A cautious Jesse weighs out the pros and cons of the offer, deciding against it using his dignitaries refusal line, "Sorry, I'm allergic to plants."

"Yeah well, my bullshit detector says otherwise but I won't force you." She combs a lazy hand through effortless styled hair.

Thank God no one acknowledged her reveal of his real name he perceived as the most mortifying part of his Thai identity. No man wants a common female birth name that stands out like a proud gay in the midst of a communist party civilisation.

You know what, that is possibly the worst analogy Kit can manage. Maybe Billie attracting their attention can prove useful in the future.

If she takes the heat for all her unnecessary antics based on poor anger management, the lesser crimes worthy of notice will slide undetected and then Kit can finally feel alive while serving out his final sentence of secondary schooling.

He chokes on asphyxiating plumes of smoke that set off the tear ducts of his game strained eyes. "If I spend any longer in here I won't need the actual joint to get high." Kit doesn't think what he says is remotely funny, yet a surprising response of laughter emits around him in the makeshift weed sauna the Japanese room has become.

"Mm, before I forget..." Billie drags a massive inhale, expelling an intense smoke cloud that collides with Kits face, immediately dispersing upon contact aided by the wind of his coughs. "...I think this is yours."

A handmade leather bracelet rests loosely on her right wrist.

Hang on... that's Kit's! He swipes the vapour filled air as she retreats her hand last second to finger the lit cigarette as she exhales. "What gives, that belongs to me—"

"I'm aware and willing to return it for an exchange worth my while. Until then I'll harbour it for myself." Who does she think she is, asking him to bargain for his own property which she stole? "No way, it's mine. A gift from my dad."

"Deadbeat is he?" Not exactly.

"Don't try to understand something you don't know anything about, you'll just hurt yourself." Again, she dodges his attempts to remove the double knot strands of simple jewellery, rising to stand through her own pocket of strange smelling smoke.

"Keep being a smart-ass Kit, it's clearly working in your favour." She taunts, a playful grin pissing him off most of all.

He is approaching her wrong, she doesn't respond to his normal way of communication. Maybe he should...

"What would you like me to do?" The Pop Culture participants are torn between getting high or analysing the intriguing conversation played among Kit and Billie like a tennis match. He approaches her, slowly, head angled to accustom her lower height.

He serves mid court. "I need your intel, all Asians know each other, amirite?" This is the window Kit would take to target her senseless racism but that won't balance the scales in his favour. "Is there any breed in particular you want?" It doesn't sound like him or feel like him as he hovers close enough her weed infected breath fans his flared nostrils.

Don't. Back. Down. She cocks an angular eyebrow, standing the extra kilometre closer so every breathe meant her breasts brushed against his ribcage making something in his gut tighten. "Whatever tickles your fancy, once you find out where and what Peat Huang's father does for business, it's as good as yours."

Her whole monologue he uses to maintain eye contact while his eyes blindly search for the bracelet. If it didn't belong to a faceless image of a man he didn't want to forget there wouldn't be need for the bribery.

"Dude, even I can do better then that and I can't even see through the woke smeed." The Redfern twins clutch their stomachs in uncontrollable laughter at the mucked up comment.

"Nice one, newbie." She steals a quick kiss on his nose, stunning him all the same as if it were on the mouth. "You're a rookie seductress in need of some serious YouTube tutorial assistance."

The words almost form into physical form, spoke while she exhales a plume that makes him want to giggle for no apparent reason despite his underlying aggravation.