All The Right Noises

good-looking

          "So, what's this about?"

          Gabe shoved his phone in front of Kai's face. The latter was busy munching on soy garlic wings to even notice what his friend was showing him the first time around.

          "Why do you need to ask?" He said with his mouth still full, "Answer's right there." He nodded his chin at the screen.

          "Lemme see!" Marco snatched Gabe's phone and covered his mouth, awe-struck.

          "Well ain't he a good-looking fella!"

          "He looks dumb as fuck!" Alex mocked after nearly spitting out his buffalo wings.

          "Don't say that!" Marco nudged the big guy, "It's worth the front cover for 'Cosmopolitan'!"

          Gabe was practically wheezing beside Kai—tapping his friend's back trying to suppress the urge to laugh louder than he was allowed to—the moment he saw Marco imitating the poster Kai was hired to model for, even going as far as exaggerating the phony smile he had.

          "Hey, what the fuck?! You're not even close to imitating it!" Kai snapped.

          Gabe was running out of breath, "Show us what it looks like, then!"

          Kai didn't disappoint his friends. He even made the effort to stand up in front of the three and replicated his pose spot on, which garnered the attention from the people around them.

          His friends couldn't believe how Kai tops off his stupidity with more stupidity.

          "Fucking hell, man!" Marco urged him to sit down because he had been standing with the same expression as the poster for more than he should.

          "Why don't you become a stand-up comedian instead?"

          "Do I pass?" Kai simpered, biting on another wing.

          Gabe playfully smacked the back of his head, "Why did you even agree to this in the first place? You're all over the place! It makes me shudder whenever I see you plastered on a lamp post!"

          "You're even on the school's bulletin board." Alex informed, to which Marco guffawed once again.

          "Seriously?!"

          "I'm not even kidding!"

          "Why are you all making fun of me? Aren't you proud your friend's famous?"

          Gabe scoffed, "Famous my ass! You haven't even answered my question yet!"

          "I got a job at the tutoring service or whatever you call it. They were willing to give me extra if I agreed to do it, anyway."

          Marco was still snickering, "Why you, though?"

          "I told you, I'm good-looking." He shot them all a smolder.

          "That's great!" Alex chirped, his pearly whites showing. "You can, like, get a glimpse of what the SATs are like."

          "Don't jump to conclusions." Kai clicked his tongue as he stood up his seat to get more mayonnaise.

          Kai's eyes rounded when he caught a glimpse of the two girls standing in front of the building, staring at the poster on the front window.

          He was hesitating to exit the place. It was impossible to avoid meeting the girls face-to-face in his situation. He thought he wouldn't regret accepting the modelling job, but he remembered only now the possibility of Alice seeing a poster one day since it was just about everywhere.

          The amount of embarrassment would kill him.

          A co-worker was about to exit when he saw Kai having a mental breakdown beside the doorway. "Kai? What are you still doing here?"

          He left the door ajar, and the two girls heard their conversation. They tried peeking in.

          "Aha-ha-ha-ha! Y–Yeah, I was just about to." He said in between gritted teeth, dragging his feet out the building.

          "See you tomorrow!" His co-worker waved him goodbye and he stiffly did likewise.

          "Kai?"

          He didn't want to turn around when he got called. He terribly wanted to run away. But then that would seem rude, and she might hate him for it later, so he had no choice.

          He turned around with all his might to greet Alice, who shot him a cute smile. Oh, how his heart flinched just a bit.

          "H–Hey!"

          Kai noticed the girl beside Alice. She looked snob and spoiled. The aura she emanated slightly hinted it.

          Tamara's brows knitted when she saw the man. She looked back at him, then at the poster, then back at him again.

          "You're that guy?!"

          Kai couldn't answer immediately. 'Was it not obvious?' was what he thought.

          "You know him?" Tamara tapped her friend's shoulder who nodded in response.

          "Kai Anderson." He reached out a hand which was ignored by Tamara. He retracted his arm back, whispering an 'Okay' to himself.

          "Sorry, but, uh . . . I have to go now." Kai forced a smile, "Let's catch up next time, yeah?"

          "How did you two meet?" She leaned closer to Alice as they watched him stride away awkwardly.

          "Long story."

          "Huh." Tamara frowned in an amused manner, "The guy looks different in person. He's quite handsome, though." She glanced at her friend, waiting for a reaction.

          Alice was quiet as she watched Kai move farther and farther away from where she was standing. Something about him seemed different—and she wasn't referring to how he might've been embarrassed to show his face to her since she might tease him with the poster, the reason why he went home immediately.

          He appeared to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

          Something might've happened lately. She was sure of it.