Thank you all so much for 18K reads!! I've gotten several thousand in just the last week, that's crazy!

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Lucas' POV

It was Monday morning and I was talking with Kai and his friends, huddled in a circle in the midst of the cold, yet sunny late March weather.

I was ecstatic, we had won our second match, Kai was starting to show more and more of his personality around me, and he declared to Joon that he would always pick me over his daughter.

What more could a guy want... besides an official relationship of course. But deep down I know that isn't a possibility until Kai takes care of his loose ends.

"He looked so heavy, I don't know how you managed to pull him off," Jack was telling Kai as we all talked about our match last Friday.

Zay and Jack had been somewhere in the crowd, and I later found out my mom had brought my whole family to watch. She said she had to physically drag Kaleb, explaining how she was so worried as he looked pale the entire time.

I bet the little brat was shitting his pants after actually seeing Kai fight in person.

"It was probably the adrenaline, honestly," Kai explained. "If you told me to pull someone that big right now there's no way in hell I'd be able to do it."

Zay had a playful smirk on his face, "Adrenaline? Or fear of your little boyfriends over here getting heart?" He teased.

I chuckled at his words... if only.

"Shut the fuck up! He's not my boyfriend," Kai was acting like his normal self, stoic yet lively.

I'm not his boyfriend yet.

It seemed as though only I got to see him when he got embarrassed, and that was one of the things that sustained me in this unclear relationship we had going on.

I mean we do all the things boyfriends would do. We go on dates, we have sex, he's even been introduced to my family, although it was unexpected.

"But Kai," Zay started, "do you think you'll be able to win? Your last fight was already 10 times harder than the first."

"Don't worry about it, I didn't even give 80% of what I've got during Triple O, I'm sure that Doubles will be similar," Kai was cocky. But I will admit, it's hot when he's so confident.

"Oh right! Did I tell you guys about what happened with Ms. Graham?" Zay's eyes got wide, an excited expression appearing on the dark males face.

"That 12th grade English teacher?" I asked.

"Yeah! Apparently she got caught sleeping with a student!" Zay was a bitch for gossip.

"Wait, isn't that illegal?" Jack asked with a concerned look on his face.

"Nah, I heard the student was 18," Zay waved him off.

"But still... that's basically pedophilia cause most seniors start their year at 17, and she's like 40," Jack was grossed out at the thought.

"Okay, but get a load of who she was sleeping with," Zay was smiling ear to ear, thrilled to be sharing the information he overheard.

Zay leaned in close, motioning for all of us to move forward as he began to whisper, "It's that guy on the soccer te-"

"Kai!?" Zay was cut off by a loud shout coming from the parking lot.

We all whipped our heads around to see a short girl with strawberry blonde hair. She had tears in her eyes that looked like they would fall any second.

"K-Kai, is... is that really you?" Her voice quivered.

I turned to look at Kai, wondering if he actually knew the girl or if she was a fan.

He looked perplexed, his eyes slightly squinting and his brows creasing together, "Sarah?"

Sarah? Isn't that the name of the girl that helped Kai when he was in trouble?

"Holy shit," her words were breathless.

The girl sprinted toward Kai, rushing right past me causing me to jerk my head, following her speedy movement as she jumped into Kai's arms, wrapping her legs around his waist.

What the actual fuck?

Kai stumbled backward due to the momentum of her leap, but he quickly embraced her in a tight hug.

"Oh my gosh, it's really you!" She squealed, Kai's eyes became small, his smile consuming his entire face.

He set her down, the strawberry blond placing a hand at the bottom of her short white skirt so it didn't fly up as the rest of us stared at the two in confusion.

"Y-you moved so suddenly and I couldn't find you anywhere! I was so w-worried about you..." Sarah wiped the tears from her cheeks with her light pink sweater, her thick eyeliner starting to run.

She paused, really taking in Kai's appearance, the most loving smile appearing on her face. Sarah's cheeks were rosy and now she let her tears stream down, not attempting to wipe them away.

"Wow, look at you. You're nothing like the small boy I remember! I used to be so much taller and bigger than you... but now you look like you'd even hit your head on the top of door frames!" she giggled.

Kai pouted, "Of course I've grown, it's been eight years since you've seen me."

They both had such warm looks on their faces.

Jack turned to Zay, "Who's she?"

"Oh, yeah. Kai probably hasn't told you too many details about what happened with his dad. But if I'm right, I think that's Sarah, the girl who helped get Kai out of that hell hole."

I guess I was right, it is her. I'm glad they are getting to see each other again, they both deserved to know that the other was okay for some sense of closure.

"I just transferred here. It's kinda weird that it's the latter half of the second semester, but my dad got a job in this town so we moved. I can't believe you're here too..." she pushed a hand through her wavy hair, moving it out of her eyes.

Jack, Zay, and I stood behind the two watching the encounter take place as the bell rang, interrupting their conversation.

She glanced at the two large doors at the entrance of the school, a sense of panic and realization in her eyes, "Oh shoot! I need to go get my schedule before class starts, promise me we'll talk during lunch!" she quickly ran off in a hurry.

We all followed behind her, Kai looked so happy to have seen her again, a smile resting on his face.

If I think about it, Sarah probably means a lot to Kai. She literally saved his life and is the only reason he's here with me today, so I guess even I owe her a thank you.

When lunchtime rolled around, Sarah was sitting with the four of us at a table outside the school.

"So you're all Kai's friends?" She asked us in an excited tone.

"Yep," Zay spoke first. "I'm Zay and that's Jack. I've known Kai since middle school, he mentioned you a couple of times. But he left out the part describing you as a goddess," he winked, trying to charm the beautiful girl.

Because of her, I couldn't sit next to Kai and instead she clung onto his arm, it was strange that Kai was even letting her touch him. He usually hated that kind of thing.

I had never seen Kai smile so much before, not even when he's with me...

I took a good look at her when I knew she wouldn't notice my staring. Sarah was probably around 5'2 or 5'3, had freckles littered across her nose, and what looked like artificial blush heavily placed along her cheeks and nose. Her hair was such a unique color and it fell past her waist. She was wearing white platform shoes to go with her outfit, and even I have to admit, she has style and it really suits her.

She was stunning in her own right. Although I'm gay, I can tell that she is truly beautiful and that anyone interested in girls would probably be attracted to her.

She gave off an innocent and sweet vibe.

"And you are?" She asked me.

"Oh, I'm Lucas," I didn't mean for my tone to come out so harsh, but she seemed unbothered by my hostility.

"I'm Sarah, I was friends with Kai in elementary school," she gave a soft smile. "It's really nice to meet you all, I thought I might have to sit alone for a couple of weeks, I have a hard time making friends."

I nodded my head as she returned to her conversation with Kai.

I clenched my jaw, staring at the two. They looked like a couple with how they were sitting and with the endearing smiles.

Zay elbowed me in the ribs and smirked, "They look kinda cute together don't they?"

I glared at him hard, causing him to throw his hands up in surrender.

"Dude, why would you say that to him? You know that Lucas and Kai are..." Jack gave a knowing look while raising his eyebrows, scolding his friend.

I ignored them both, going back to staring at Sarah and Kai's interactions. They didn't look like two friends who had been separated for years. They looked like lovers in the midst of the honeymoon phase of their relationship.

For some reason, I was feeling bitter.

Here I was moping over Kai giving a girl attention. And I know that they were friends. I know how much Sarah did for Kai in the past and how important she is to him. And I know that Kai doesn't like girls... but I can't help thinking about how good they look together.

Kai hasn't even spared me so much as a glance since Sarah showed up this morning.

It shouldn't bother me, Kai's gay, He's told me that he's never been attracted to girls... but I also know that he was never attracted to guys either.

I don't understand why I'm thinking like this, Kai's done more than enough to show that he's into me. I just can't help but wonder... is he really gay?

It's only been two and a half months since that night at the party. I know I shouldn't be thinking like this, but what if Kai is still questioning his sexuality? Some people don't figure it out for years, yet he decided so fast and just slapped on a label.

"I... I want to hear more about what happened after that day," Sarah looked down, treading carefully with saddened eyes.

Kai's smile faltered, "Yeah... I think you deserve to know, especially after I disappeared without a word. But I don't really want to talk about it here," Kai looked around, noting the numerous students surrounding us and walking around.

"How about after school?" She hopefully questioned.

"After school... I have plans with Lucas," Kai looked toward me.

We were going to review our next opponents' fights. It's getting tougher which means we have to take this whole thing more seriously.

"I was actually meaning to talk about that," I interrupted them. "My mom asked me to babysit Tallie today so I can't." I regrettably told them.

Damn it, why today of all days? I don't want to leave them alone together.

I gnawed on the inside of my cheek, frustrated that there was nothing I could do about it.

I internally slapped myself. Stop it, Lucas. It's not like Kai is my boyfriend, and either way, I need to trust him. This conversation between them is something that needs to happen eventually. It has nothing to do with me so I shouldn't butt in, I should be giving them space.

"You two should catch up," I forced the words out of my mouth.

----

Kai's POV

"Lucas, do you think you could give us a ride to that cafe near my house?" I asked him.

I hadn't talked to Lucas much today, my mind was so preoccupied with Sarah. I can't believe it's really her.

The day at school passed super fast and I was walking out of my last class with Lucas right next to me.

He looked a little frustrated, but I assumed it was because he had to watch his little sister, "Sure."

Sarah was waiting near the lockers by the entrance, she was surrounded by a couple of guys I recognized as the football players that randomly started talking to me the other week.

She looked extremely uncomfortable as Ryan placed an arm against the lockers over her head, leaning forward and trapping her against the wall.

I quickly made my way over and landed a harsh grip on his shoulder, digging my fingers in and pulling him away from her.

I had a cold look on my face and he snapped his head around, "Ouch! What the fuck, who do you think you a-"

His eyes swelled to the size of saucers as he noticed my expression, "O-oh Kai... G-good to see you, man."

He placed his hand on my wrist, trying to pry my grip off as his face contorted from the pain.

"The fuck do you think you're doing right now?" I asked him, not releasing my hand.

He began to bend his knees, attempting to crouch in order to lessen my hold, "I-I was just talking to the new girl. No need to get so mad, man."

"Sarah, are you okay?" I asked as she wearily moved away and walked behind me, standing next to Lucas.

I let go of Ryan's shoulder with a hard shove.

He grabbed his shoulder as the other two guys caught him before he fell. He steadied himself and then looked at me, "Oh? So are you two," he gestured toward Sarah and I, "like a thing?"

I glared at him even more, obviously not. Who wouldn't act like this when you're pressuring a girl and making her uncomfortable. I was probably even more agitated because it was Sarah.

I turned to look at the girl behind my back, she looked scared, "Are you okay?" I asked.

She just nodded her head.

"Okay, let's go then. Lucas said he could give us a ride," We made our way to Lucas' car and I got in the back seat with Sarah so she wouldn't feel like a third wheel.

The drive was short and we made light conversation, it was weird that Lucas didn't join in at all. He was usually a pretty outgoing guy.

I kept glancing into the rearview mirror and every time I checked, Lucas had a glum appearance.

Once we got to the small cafe Sarah and I got out of the car. I walked around to Lucas' window and gestured for him to roll it down. His expression softened when he looked into my eyes.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow, yeah? You won't ditch, right?" Since I wasn't going to get to hang out with him after school, I at least wanted to be able to stare at his face instead of paying attention in class tomorrow.

What? There's nothing wrong with enjoying some eye candy. Especially in a class I don't want to be a part of in the first place, seriously, why did I even sign up for precalc? I only need algebra 1 and geometry to graduate anyway.

He stuck his hand out of the car and ruffled my hair, "Fine, but only because you asked. I'll see if someone can cover my morning shift."

"Hey! Don't mess up my hair!" I swatted his hand away and finally got a laugh out of him for the first time today.

"I'll see you tomorrow," He waved as he backed out of the spot.

After his car had disappeared I opened the door for Sarah and followed behind her, a bell chiming as we entered.

We went to the front to order, "What do you want?" I asked her.

"Hmm, that!" She pointed at a slice of strawberry cake in the display.

I chuckled, "It matches you and your outfit."

"It fits the aesthetic and tastes good," she shrugged her shoulders. "It's a win-win situation."

"Can we get a slice of the strawberry cake and chicken tenders please?" I asked the cashier as I pulled my wallet out of my front pocket.

Sarah laughed at my order.

"Sure thing," the cashier replied.

"You don't have to pay for me!" Sarah exclaimed, trying to pull my hand down before I could hand them my card.

"Don't worry about it, I make a lot of money. One piece of cake is nothing," I reassured her.

We took a seat at a booth toward the front of the store next to the window.

"Why are you getting a full meal?" Sarah questioned, "It's like 4:00 pm."

"We usually go out for lunch but we didn't because I thought it'd be easier for you if we just stayed on campus," I explained.

"Oh, I see. Sorry about that. I was wondering why none of you were eating. I got worried thinking about how you never had lunch back then," she frowned.

"A lot of things have changed, it has been eight years after all," I spoke in a soothing voice to ease her worry.

"And when you said you make a lot of money? What do you mean? Did you manage to find some rich foster parents or something?" She asked, genuinely curious about my life.

"Oh," I awkwardly scratched the back on my head. "No. It's not like that. I ditched the system back when I was a freshman... nothing seemed to work out for me there."

A waiter brought our food out, Sarah quickly digging into the pink cake.

"Then how did you do it?"

"At first I got checks from the government, but it wasn't really enough so I got a job," I told her, taking a large bite of my food as I hadn't eaten in over eight hours.

"I can't imagine supporting myself as at 14, back then I was still an angsty kid. I was always mad at my dad for making us move," she spoke light-heartedly.

"Where'd you move to?" I asked her.

"We went all the way to Wisconsin," Sarah sighed, making a grumpy face as she stabbed her food. "Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely place, but it just wasn't for me. I never really fit in there. Plus I was so worried about you but had no way to get in contact."

"Well, you're here now. That's more than enough for me."

"Seriously, I'm so happy I found you again," Sarah looked up, thinking. "What are the chances we both ended up in Silveredge?"

"Either way," I looked into Sarah's cat-like blue-green eyes trying to convey my sincerity, "I'm really happy that I got to meet you again. Now I finally get to thank you for what you did. I don't think you fully understand, but you quite literally saved my life... in more ways than one."

If it wasn't for Sarah I would have died of starvation. If it wasn't for her my dad really would have killed me.

She had a loving smile on her face and she tried to not tear up, "How could I not, I couldn't comprehend why people treated you so badly at school. And then when I got to know you, you became my best friend." She let out a little laugh and spoke with a determined voice, "And no one gets to hurt my best friend."

Her mood quickly shifted again, "Before I left, you were in the hospital and the doctors said there was a chance you'd never be able to walk again..." she glanced at my perfectly working legs.

"That? Yeah, I couldn't walk at all for about a year," I looked down at my food, recalling the not so pleasant memories. "I was paralyzed from the waist down."

Her brows were tightly knit together, "But don't worry," I shook off the sad expression on my face. "I did rehab and now I'm good as new!"

"That's good, I'm so happy that you're okay," she sighed in relief.

"Hey," Sarah started as she pulled her phone out. "Give me your number. Oh and your Instagram and Snapchat too."

"Sure, I don't have snap though," I told her my number and Instagram username.

"Woah! Why do you have over 200 thousand followers?" She was surprised. "Does it have to do with your job?"

"Yeah. Have you heard of Mad Dog?" I asked her. "Or maybe you haven't since you've been out of state for a while... but I'm somewhat popular there."

"No, I've heard of it. It's a pretty big deal over in Wisconsin too, although I never knew fighting could be so popular." She explained.

"My following is just because I fight there," I spoke nonchalantly.

"What, you mean like fight fight? As in you fight?" She was flustered.

"Yeah, I've been fighting there for almost four years now," I took a sip of my water.

"Wow... that's insane. I