chapter 14 - trust your guts
wednesday, 12/8/2020
"Holy-" Kineta clutched his stomach.
"I didn't kick you that hard," Mai huffed. Suddenly, her phone vibrated. Kineta wiped off the dirt in his shirt as Mai straightened, her eyes fixed on the screen.
Kineta sighed, disappointed but not surprised by Mai's rejection of intimacy. He still needed a lot of convincing to get her into that stage.
"Have you dated anyone before?" Mai questioned him.
Kineta furrowed his brows. "Yeah, I have."
"Then how did you manage to kill the mood?" she grumbled, flustered.
Kineta stared at her in disbelief. Mai had the tendency of being in denial and blaming him whenever she sabotaged all their moments. Sometimes, it was adorable. It still frustrated him, though.
"Can you bring me home?" she asked. "It's getting late and my sister's home."
Kineta thinned is lips. "You didn't tell me that your sister was coming-"
"She came uninvited," Mai cut him off, voice stoic. "She does this whenever she's upset."
So she was in a bad mood. Kineta concluded. He had to be mindful of her, then. Although Mai rarely showed her distress but the slight change in tone notified him.
They didn't talk halfway throughout their journey home. Mai seemed to be deep in thought so Kineta quietened in respect of it.
"I wonder what Azli did."
"Azli?"
Mai nodded. "To Rod. Something feels off. Has she always been like that?"
"Crazy? Psychotic? Impulsive?"
"Attentive," Mai corrected as she looked through the window. "She's so invested in everyone's problems. It scares me."
Kineta paused. "I can't say. She had always been unpredictable. Even when we were children."
"Unpredictable? She seemed very easy to read for me," Mai pointed out. "She's confrontational and never backs down from a challenge."
Kineta never noticed it. Kineta never regarded Azli's change. She had always considered herself to have multiple personalities. Whenever she reacted uncommonly, she'd blame it on that too.
"Azli is Azli. We let her be," he finalised. She'd still be his friend either way.
Mai's lips quirked. "You make everything sound so simple."
Kineta gave her a quick glance. "Because it is."
Azli stood on the edge of the roof, facing Lyle as she held onto Rod who was tied to a chair. Lyle could barely see her expression due to the light beams that surrounded the vicinity.
"We didn't agree to this," he panted after running up the stairs. His ears were ringing. The music was too loud. The screamings repelled him.
Take me to your best friend's house.
He hated the song. So fucking much.
Azli grinned. "We never agreed onto anything." She gripped the chair tightly. "He can't swim tied up like this," she mocked.
"I'll save you both."
Azli's brows raised. "I'd like to see you try."
She let her body fall backwards, dragging Rod along with her.
