Heroes in the Shadows

Chapter 6 Lunch Buds & Babysitting a Baker

Teens overwhelmed the large lunch room with screaming and chatting. While teachers tried to keep the ruckus in line, Kai could be seen strolling over to an empty table. He dodged the thrown fries and other pieces with ease as if it were part of a routine. His sister was busy with a Tech Club meeting, and his school friends didn't share the same lunch period. The 16 year old was on his own, and he didn't mind. Peace and quiet was something he rarely got.

"DIVE BOMB!!!" Someone shouted as they threw their burger in another student's face. The lunchroom might not have been quiet, but Kai could at least catch on some sleep. The older teen had noticable bags under his eyes, which he hated. Looking presentable was the one thing he always tried to accomplish everyday despite his busy schedule. With his tired face and frizzled hair, Kai wasn't too happy with today. He took a seat at the empty table and nearly crashed onto the hard wood. He had shoved aside his food tray and chose sleep as a better option. The loud screaming and chanting slowly grew unnoticeable to the tired teen. However, the sudden thump on his table caused the boy to stir. Kai raised his head to see another person had joined the table. It was obviously a girl, but her red hair was covered by an orange hood. She gave off a distateful look at the screaming teens behind her, while her eyes were concealed by a pair of shades.

"Trying to escape paparazzi or something?" Kai blurted. The red head raised her gaze to meet the other teen's eyes. She gave a small smirk with his remark.

"No, the group behind me are just really annoying, and I didn't exactly have the best sleep last night," The red head replied while dipping her shades to reveal tired eyes with bags as well. Kai, though, only seemed to notice the girl's sparkling, green gaze. He could feel a sudden tug at his heart before he coughed to distract himself.

"Well, that would make two of us. I wish I had the idea to wear shades though," Kai stated with a smile. The girl smiled back before turning to her food. Kai tried to think of more to say to her, so he pointed out the obvious question.
"Can I ask, why does that group annoy you? You know, beside obvious reasons," Kai asked while pointing at the group of teens who were laughing almost obnoxiously and throwing fries around.

"Cause I thought one of them was my friend, but she apparently doesn't need me around anymore," She spoke with a hint of hurt.

"Oh, sorry to hear that," Kai stated with a frown.

"It's fine, honestly what would expect from highschool?" She remarked with another smirk.

"A friend who isn't a jerk?" Kai answered her rhetorical question while letting his chin fall in his hand. The girl couldn't help but smile at his comment.
"Besides, you're not the only one who's dealt with annoying people. My sister use to get picked on by these two guys a few years ago,".

"Really?" The girl asked wanting to know more.

"Yeah, when I found out, I got into a fight with them. As you could imagine, I kicked their butts," Kai remarked proudly. The girl raised an eyebrow with a doubtful smirk. Kai noticed before deflating.
"Okay, so one of them knew karate," he admitted. The red head soon burst out laughing which made Kai's heart skip a beat.

"I would have loved to see that. Did they leave your sister alone after that?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah, I told I wasn't going to leave them alone unless they left her alone, so they gave up eventually," Kai stated. The girl's face softened at his words. She then held out her hand to him.

"I'm Skylor," She spoke, before Kai took the gesture.

"Kai," The tired boy replied as they shook hands.

RRRIIIINNNGGGG!!!!

Students started to get up one by one and walked away to their next class. Skylor stood up to go dump her tray, so Kai joined her.