M.F.E.O Chapter 3:

“Phew thank goodness I caught up!” Tre said eagerly to the duo. He took a glance at Kai and then back to Yue.

“Oh hey Tre! What’s up?” Yue asked sensing it get more awkward by the second.

“Did you forget……this?” Tre said proudly while showing her a green highlighter. Yue looked at it and recognized it as the highlighter she lent him during their class together.

“So…you chased me down for a highlighter?” Yue asked with uncertainty… surely there must have been another reason.

“Yes!” Tre said proudly as he handed it back to her like a puppy that retrieved a stick successfully.

“Hahaha! You’re so weird! Thanks though!” Yue laughed taking back the highlighter.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to interrupt…” Tre said looking over at Kai who had been spectating the whole scene.

“No worries! This is Kai! He’s one of the first people I met on this campus! We were just headed to class.” Yue said introducing the brown haired boy.

“How’s it going?” Tre said extending a ringed hand towards him in a peaceful manner. Kai shook it and then felt the tight squeeze. The squeeze that basically said ‘Hey bro…I kinda got my eyes on this girl’.

“Not much…”Kai said squeezing back ‘Yeah sure…why don’t you leave already’.

Yue nervously stared at the two boys who were shaking hands for much too long now.

“Alllllllright well Kai and I don’t want to be late to class. I’ll see you around Tre and thanks again!” Yue said hurriedly as she lightly pulled at Kai’s bag coaxing him out of their handshake battle.

“Bye!” Tre said smiling and putting his shades back on. Kai gave a single wave and then walked with Yue into their class.

“Yeah so apparently I share a class with him. He sat next to me and actually apologized for earlier.” Yue explained as they chose seats and started unpacking notebooks and writing utensils.

“Well just be careful around him. I’ve heard he has a pretty rabid underground fan club. I wouldn’t want you to get tangled in anything.” Kai said looking over at Yue. She blushed at his concern and nodded.

Math was not a favorite for Yue at all. Kai on the other hand was an excellent student and took several notes. Yue took some notes down and started loosing her attention for the class.

Yue started to doodle. She was trying to draw some flowers in a vase. Kai looked over to see what his neighbor was doing and saw her focus on a small sketch on the corner of her notebook. She then felt warmth as Kai leaned in and wrote something on the corner of her notebook.

‘What is that?’ he wrote.

‘A vase with flowers’ she replied on her notebook.

There was light laughter. She snapped her head to look at him. He actually laughed at her drawing? A few people around them turned to see the disturbance and Kai stiffened up. People returned their attention to the front.

Kai looking a bit embarrassed eyed Yue and mouthed ‘Sorry’. He then kept a smile and with his pencil sketched something into the “vase”. It was so quick and effortless and when he finished he removed his hand and it accidently grazed hers as it left. Yue got goosebumps with that small amount of contact that was so soft and featherlike. She looked down to see he had drawn a beautiful rose.

It was so pretty sitting on her page and she was so impressed by his artistry. The two spent the rest of the class doodling on each others pages and sharing quiet laughter. Before they knew it the professor ended the class for the day and they started to gather their things.

“You are quite the artist.” Kai said putting his things away with a smirk.

“Yeah I am a modern day Picasso!” Yue said rolling her eyes.

“You definitely have potential.” Kai continued controlling his smile.

“Yeah yeah…..YOU seriously have great artistic skills! I am amazed with the sketches you did! Kai I could totally imagine you filling a gallery or something.” Yue said finishing up with packing her bag. He gave a short chuckle and picked up his bag getting ready to walk.

“That would be pretty cool but I like looking at art more than making it.” Kai told her leading her out the door of the their classroom.

“Is that your major? Art?” Yue asked.

“Yes, I want to be a curator.” Kai told her and Yue gave a look of surprise.

“Oh wow that’s really cool!” Yue said with admiration. She felt like she was learning more and more about Kai and couldn’t believe she made friends so easily with someone so fantastic on her first day.

Kai continued to talk and led her to the cafeteria on campus. They had a hot lunch line that had several choices and there were also a couple of small stands offering other kinds of specialized foods. There were plenty of tables and booths in the cafeteria to choose from and students were peppered among the chairs. Kai opted for some spaghetti and Yue grabbed a salad. Still carrying on their conversation they found a table together and sat down.

“So what about you? What is your major?” Kai said unwrapping his utensils.

“Journalism. I really enjoy writing and want to do feature journalism. I think it would be fun to write about people and tell their story to the world.” Yue said opening the container that held her salad.

“I bet you will get to meet lots of interesting people.” Kai said twirling his fork to pick up his noodles.

“I hope so! But I would also like to feature undiscovered people and showcase them. I think there are so many great people out there that no one really hears about and I would love for them to be recognized.” Yue smiled at the thought of her future career.

Kai grinned as he saw her go off into her own world probably thinking about her future. He saw how she snapped back into the now and laughed.

“Sorry! So while we are here maybe we can talk a bit about our project for communication class?” Yue and Kai chatted about their upcoming project over lunch. They were able to work out an outline and were confident about their success. Kai looked at his watch amazed at how time flew during their break. He wished they could’ve stayed longer chatting and enjoying each other’s company. Kai recalled from this morning that they actually shared another class in the afternoon.

I can’t wait. Kai smiled.

“Let me show you to your next class.” Kai offered as they threw their trash and started to head out. Kai led her to the building that had her history class. It was a large building that had a fountain in the front that featured some historical figure standing proudly in the middle of the water.

“Well I guess I will see you soon right? We have philosophy together. Do you want to meet up on the way?” Yue asked tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Yeah sure. My building is actually right across from yours. Why don’t we meet here by the fountain?” Kai suggested. Yue smiled and nodded her head excitedly. The new friends parted ways and Kai walked into his building.

Kai’s mind kept going as he walked into his class. It felt really lonely without a certain pink cotton candy haired girl. He always treated school as a big responsibility since his aunt and uncle provided him with the best opportunities. Kai didn’t want them to ever regret taking him in or to feel like he was a burden. That’s why he always worked very hard to please them and give his 100%. Kai wanted to make them proud and let his parent’s memory shine.

This was the first time Kai felt so distracted as his thoughts kept returning to Yue’s silly doodles. The way her face concentrated on drawing simple pictures. Her brows scrunched as she concentrated, her smile when she saw what he drew for her, the way her laugh sounded so warm and light at the same time. Kai never took the time to make friends or anything like that since he just focused on studying when it came to school. So why did he feel so bewitched today? One thing was for certain, and that was he wanted to see her again.

The science class sounded like white noise and Kai tried his best to focus and pull through. He managed to take some notes and was able to understand most of the lesson. He convinced himself that he needed to get back on track and fought to do his best for the rest of the class. The professor ended the class and Kai was quick to put his things in his backpack and head out the door.

His eyes scanned the area looking for Yue and didn’t see her yet. He made it to the fountain where they agreed to meet and leaned on the edge. He checked his phone for any messages from her and saw nothing.

There is no way that she would get lost…her building is literally across from mine. Kai continued to wait and looked towards the doors of her building.

Random people left the building but no Yue. Kai started to get nervous and began walking towards the doors. He opened the door and realized he knew her building but not her specific room. Crossing through the entrance doors it led into a large commons room that had tables and chairs. The room also had three halls that branched out from it containing the classrooms. One hall stretched out from the left, one from the right, and another one that was straight ahead. Kai walked around and saw a small group of people down the hallway to the left. He then noticed the pink hair that was in the center of that group. He made his way to the group getting a strange feeling of what was happening.

“-not sure if you are a good fit.” One voice said as Kai overheard the tail end of the conversation.

“Yeah…I think it would be best if you choose a different partner.” One girl said looking at Yue with a fake sympathetic look.

“Look…I didn’t even ask him. He asked me to be his partner.” Yue said feeling flustered by the fact she was getting attitude from these strangers.

“Hmm..yes I wonder why he chose YOU.” One of the other girls said giving Yue a look from head to toe.

Kai felt the tension in the air steadily rising and had to do something. He knew exactly what was happening and stepped through the group and grabbed Yue by the hand. She was shocked to see Kai there and felt so much relief as she was literally pulled from that problem.

The group of mean girls stared the two down as they left hand in hand. Kai led her out of the building and didn’t even bother to look back. Yue had to take more steps to match his stride as he continued past the fountain and just out of the general area they were in. Once he felt they were far enough from the scene he looked at Yue.

“Are you ok?” Kai asked looking at her, unsure of what other things the group may have been discussing before he got there.

“You saved me yet again Kai. I think it’s becoming a habit now.” Yue laughed and then looked down at their hands still clasped together. Kai looked down too and immediately let go and nervously scratched the back of his head.

“You said we would meet at the fountain after class and I didn’t see you…so I thought something might be going on.” Kai explained.

“That’s right! I’m so sorry Kai! Those girls caught me after my class and decided to talk to me then and there. I can’t believe they are that obsessed with that guy.” Yue said in disbelief.

“Yeah it seems like his fans are a bit possessive. It would be best to avoid them and be careful around Tre.” Kai warned.

“Hmm..yeah I agree.” Yue nodded and brooded over the fact that Tre was still her lab partner. Was there a way to get out of that? She definitely didn’t want to get involved in any kind of drama. Maybe she should bring it up with Tre and see what he said.

“We better start walking to our class…we are going to be late if we don’t start moving.” Kai said adjusting his backpack.

“Sound good! Lead the way!” Yue said with a smile, relieved to be in good company.

Kai lead her to the next class that they shared which was philosophy. It was a really old looking building compared to the others and it had vines creeping up the sides. Kai held the door open for Yue and she smiled at the small gesture. The two carried on a light conversation and stepped into their classroom. Kai and Yue found a seat together and continued to get settled in.

The both gave a little jump when they felt a hand on their shoulders from somebody behind them. They looked at each other and already knew. Kai and Yue slowly turned around to see who the “mystery” person was.

“What a coincidence!” Tre gave their shoulders a little pat.

“Oh jeeze….” Kai muttered.