Salient Secret

Chapter 12

Kai washes the dishes used in the bathroom sink, and then he puts them back in the brown shoulder  bag he came with. He really shows up when I need him the most and he doesn't even know it. The door handle starts turning and Kai quickly hides in the bathroom, the nurse walks in with my medicine. 

"I see you enjoyed breakfast," she says after picking up the tray, lifting the cover and looking at the empty bowl. 

"Yes I did," I say smirking because I'm thinking about the waffles. She then sets the medication tray on my side table, there's about 6 different bottles all ready to be plugged into my drip. 

"Nancy!" My nurse looks back, her gold name tag tells me that's her name. She picks up the breakfast tray and tells me she will back while exiting the room. 

"That was a close one," Kai says emerging out of the bathroom.

"She's coming back Kai, go back." Just as he is about to go back in, he sees my medication tray and starts walking towards it.

"That's a lot of medication for appendicitis," he says staring straight into my eyes without the interruption of a single blink until the door begins to open and Kai quickly makes his way to the other side of my bed to hide, it takes about 10 minutes for the nurse to finish up with my medicine, I'm just sitting there quietly hoping she doesn't say a word about my condition. 

"Well done, not many of our patients cope so well during this process, they usually complain about being able to feel the cold medicine coursing through their veins or they squirm at the idea of a needle resting in their hand." I try to think of a response that would cut this conversation off completely or sway it in a different direction.

"What, no trophy ?" she laughs, picks up the medicine tray and leaves. 

"Well done champ," Kai says standing up, slinging his bag back over his shoulder and starts walking towards the door. 

"Kai, wait-"

"I have places to be princess." And just like that he's gone. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping he'd stick around a little while longer. I don't know what it is about him that attracts me so much, is it his perfect hair? Or his melodious laugh? Or the way he makes me laugh? Maybe it's the way I feel when his around...

I shake those thoughts out of my head because this is not the time to have a crush. I spend the rest of the day finishing off the letters, I manage to write to my mom, Chloe, Jason and Maya, at this point, I'm out of tears, but at least that's over. I put the letters in a plastic folder in my bag and an odd thought crosses my mind, 'Should I write a letter to Kai?' No Avery, why would you do that? You've known him for like 2 seconds, relax. 

Its about 4:30 pm now, and just as I'm about to text Maya to see if she's still coming, she pops her head through the door. 

"Ugh you're awake," she says with a  disappointed facial expression.

"Hello to you too."

"No it's just that I wanted to get another picture of you sleeping." 

"Another????"

"Yeah, before I woke up last time I took a picture of you, drooling and everything," she says laughing really hard. She finally catches her breath and says, "Anyways, let me tell youuuuu," I already know she's about to spill the tea, you know, tell me about the drama that's probably happening at school. 

"I'm all ears."

"So last night my mom was on the phone with my Uncle Grayson," oh so it's not school related, that's new, "She sounded so angry, she kept asking how could he lie to her and how can he use her like this, I've never heard her so mad before." That really sparks the nosey side of me especially after I found that Fly or Fall stuff.

"Did you find out what happened?"

"Not while she was on the phone but then I overheard her talking to my dad saying how she knew she shouldn't trust him again and how he is 'doing it again,' I  think it might have something to do with drugs, because she also said how she won't help him this time, he chooses this life over and over again, and that's all I heard." I decide that I want to solve this mystery but I can't tell Maya about what I know because my plan is to see Kai again and bring it up and see how he reacts, and Maya can't know about that because she will get mad that I haven't been telling her everything about him. I would tell her, it's just that I feel like Kai is showing me parts of himself he keeps hidden from everyone else, it would feel like I'm betraying his trust by telling Maya about our 'encounters'.

There's a knock at the door, Maya says come in like it's her room but whatever. 

"Hey mom, is this as late as possible?" I'm kind of annoyed, I wanted to speak to Maya a little while longer.

"It's 5 pm, I figured Maya would be here by 4, and I'd give you guys an hour, and then, I could also have an hour with you, from 5 to 6 pm." Now that I think about it, Maya did come late with no explanation, school finishes at 3 pm.

"Maya, why were you so late?" her facial expression changes to one I'm not really familiar with, it's almost like she's scrambling for answers, but since my mom is here, I don't make a big deal out of it.

"Ummmmm... I ummm...had to help someone with their homework." Come on Maya you can lie better than that.

"How sweet of you Maya, who did you help?" my mom asks, clearly buying this lie.

"Just some kid in my class who needed help with algebra." Maya is playing with her hair which she never does unless she's hiding something, I wonder what she wouldn't tell me, her very best friend. Not to mention, she takes AP mathematics, there is no kid in that class who can't do algebra with their eyes closed. "I have to go now, I told my mom I would be home in time for dinner, bye Ms Shaw, bye Ave."

"Bye Maya, I'll call you later," I say in an 'I-expect-answers' tone.

"Yeah, sure," she says leaving the room with unusual speed. 

My mom and I have a casual conversation for the next hour, I'm finding it hard to focus though because my mind is still stuck on what Maya is keeping from me. 

*****

Kai's pov

I came back to the hospital to apologize to Avery for how I left and make it up to her, starting with these sunflowers I bought for her, she doesn't seem like the typical roses kinda girl. I guess that's why I like about her.

As soon as I'm about to step into the hospital, I see Maya through the glass doors rushing out towards me, she's on the phone and she looks stressed, but nevertheless, she can't see me, so I duck behind the pillar outside the hospital. Maya comes storming out.

"I'm telling you, Avery didn't believe a word I said, she's going to call me tonight expecting answers," I couldn't hear the other side of the call, I'm just hoping Maya says whoever she's talking to's name. "You have to help me come up with a proper lie, something Avery would believe...I'm coming over right now, my mom expects me home by 6 pm."

I have 2 choices, I could go up to Avery right now and tell her what I just heard or I can follow Maya to see for myself the secret she's keeping from Avery. 

You bet your ass I'm following Maya. I make my way to my all black Ford Mustang S550 GT, throw the flowers on the passenger seat and follow Mayas uber to wherever she's going. I'm not from around here, but this area is very familiar, she finally stops at a house...oh no, please don't be what I think this is... 

"Shit."