The moonlight is beautiful tonight.
On the path leading to this housing complex, two teenage boys stand facing each other like cowboys about to have a standoff.
Kai stares at the guy, who is none other than Caleb, Daisy's childhood friend. This situation reminds him of the day he died. Back then it was the same, around seven in the evening on the housing complex street, coming home after hanging out with his girlfriend.
No way I'm gonna die at the hands of some crazy person again…
Kai gulps his spit, trying to calm himself down. He's not afraid of street fights, but the trauma of "dying" is still there. Especially since this is America, not the UK.
Not a knife anymore, but a firearm. Even though Kai has rationalized in his mind, there's no way Caleb would kill him just because he saw him hanging out with Daisy. Chloe was there too, so Caleb has no reason to suddenly "eliminate" Kai.
Besides, there's no way a 16-year-old has a gun… maybe.
"May I help you?"
Kai smiles. As Caleb walks toward him, he doesn't step back, staying still in his spot. Not because his legs are numb and can't move backward, but because Kai knows that to deal with this kind of person, he has to show a cooperative gesture even if in the end there's a big chance Caleb might act up, and if that happens, well… just throw a punch.
"…Why were you with Daisy earlier?"
"Me? Just me? Wasn't there another girl there, not just me and Daisy?"
Caleb is silent, his sharp eyes still watching Kai. Kai does the same, glancing at Caleb's lower body to check if there's any bulge from something that could turn this already awkward situation into something more tense.
"Do you like Daisy?"
"Huh?"
Kai is confused hearing Caleb's question. Out of all the possible questions, why that stupid, silly one? Somehow suddenly getting straight to the point about whether you like so-and-so. That's really dumb.
"No, my type is a girl a bit older than me, with braids or a bun, and wearing glasses." Kai says that sentence without pause or stuttering, because that really is the type of girl he likes, and seeing Caleb's response, his eyes widening with raised eyebrows. It seems Caleb didn't expect that answer either. "…Don't just stand there, this is a little awkward, you know."
"So you're not targeting Daisy?"
Dude… I AM 21 years old, at least in my "mental age" that I believe, so obviously getting involved with a 16-year-old girl is a big No.
Kai sighs before shaking his head. "No, Daisy isn't my type. Why are you asking like that? Did you follow me all this way just to ask that?"
"…"
Kai raises both his hands up, making a gesture as if to signal he has no relationship with Daisy. Until, when Kai sees Caleb's stiff body relax again, his feet no longer in a fighting stance, Kai lowers his hands.
"You believe me?"
"A little."
A little is enough when talking among boys. Kai breathes a sigh of relief before stretching and cracking his knuckles. He's a bit calmer, because Caleb seems reasonably level-headed compared to his ex "Arisa" back then. Maybe it's because he's still a teenager, not an adult, so his impulsiveness can still be controlled a bit with words.
"Want to talk more about… I don't know, maybe you need to vent?" Kai asks. He knows that because he's also a guy, their type rarely chats compared to girls, and because of "Ryan," who used to hang out a lot and had many girl friends, he certainly realizes the importance of occasionally letting out pent-up thoughts.
"I'm not trying to cook or make fun of you, and I'm not interested in being friends also if you don't wanna, since we don't know each other after all. But I don't think you must to know each other to talk."
Kai looks at Caleb, who still seems to be thinking about what he said. Accept it or not is his business, Kai is just offering. If Caleb refuses, he'll just go home.
"Okay," Caleb finally speaks in a fairly relaxed tone, his voice no longer heavy.
"I know a good place to talk. Let's go…"
Kai walks, followed by Caleb behind him. Occasionally Kai steals a glance by turning his neck to look over his shoulder, making sure Caleb is still there or not.
During the walk, neither Kai nor Caleb say anything. Silence is just the background filling their footsteps. Turning right, from the side of the housing complex, they arrive at a small park. Sitting on a park bench, Kai waits silently for Caleb to start the conversation, since he's the one who will vent here and Kai's position is just a listener.
"I like Daisy."
"…"
"She's my childhood friend, we've always been together. To me, she's a figure who's always been there for me…"
"Honestly, you're using the word 'me' too much, buddy…" Kai looks into Caleb's eyes quite intensely. "Doesn't that sound like you're talking too much about yourself? What about Daisy, do you know what she thinks about you?"
"…"
Silence. Nothing more needs to be explained. As a guy, one honest statement is enough to be reflected upon in their conscious minds.
"You know, being childhood friends is one of the toughest tropes to go through. You and her have known each other since kids, grew up together, everything is normal, but sometimes people forget… humans always change."
"I haven't changed… and neither has Daisy."
"That's a delusion claims." Kai leans back on the bench, tilting his head up to look at the full moon, which is truly beautiful on this clear night. "Liar, if you say you or her haven't changed. Everything in this world always changes."
"…"
"Maybe there's only one thing that never changes…"
"What's that?"
Kai lowers his head and looks to the side, toward Caleb, with a smile he points to his chest. "Love."
"Love…"
"As long as it hasn't turned into hatred, I think love never disappears. Love makes people blind, right? Maybe that's what you're experiencing. You've become blind and don't realize that your actions are really making Daisy uncomfortable."
"You think so?"
"What I think and say, don't swallow it raw. Not everything others say is true including me." Kai leans back again and turns his gaze forward. "But for me, nothing is wrong… it's just that maybe you could talk to Daisy about your feelings."
"…Do you think Daisy likes me?"
"I can't answer that, but I always believe that as long as the person you're after isn't wearing a ring on their left hand, anything can happen."
BZZ BZZ
Kai opens his phone vibrating in his pocket. It's from Risa, as usual, asking where he is and why he isn't home yet.
"I think I have to go home. My little sister will be more fussy if I'm not there." Kai stands up and glances toward Caleb, who is still deep in thought. "You know me now, right? Since you followed me, at least you know who I am. If you want to talk again, just come find me."
With that, Kai leaves that one "villain" to ponder what choice to make. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kai thinks maybe this is the best way, to at least make Caleb normal for Daisy's sake.
But thinking about it again, he's really messed up all the existing routes. Making up with Risa, befriending Chloe, and now it seems he's also busy building connections with Daisy and Caleb.
Only Iris is left.
He doesn't know how and still hasn't thought of a way to have a connection with her. They only meet occasionally, and the last time they met, Iris said, maybe as a joke, that she wanted to ask him out.
Haa… this is already too messy.