My Bad Boy Neighbor (Now on Radish)

Episode 9

"Hold this," Kai instructed as he handed me the drinks. I opted for waiting in the car after he took my order and replied to a text from mom after she asked me about today's quiz.

When he returned, he had his hands full with two bags and two cups filled with drinks. "Did you rob the entire cafe?" I asked, my mouth hanging open in shock.

Kai got into his car and closed the door after him, then taking his drink from my hand. "If I did, I'd ask you to assist and at least be my getaway driver."

He opened the bag and motioned for me to take whatever was inside. I took a peek and saw it was glazed doughnuts.

"Don't be shy. We need to fatten you up a little bit because you look like your parents don't feed you," Kai said.

"It's my height," I explained. "I can eat whatever I want but I'll always look like an awkward skinny giant."

I still took one of the doughnuts and thanked him.

Kai took a sip of his drink, followed by a bite out of his doughnut, chewed, swallowed and sighed. "Ah, this is the meaning of life, Astrid."

"What is?" I asked in confusion as to how we even got to this point.

"Eating good, drinking good and being surrounded by people you don't want to kill all the time."

He gave me a purposeful look as if this was supposed to be a jab at the people I'm surrounded with. Not that I could blame him.

"Alright, come out and say it," I encouraged him. "Whatever you're hinting at."

"Your friends suck," he replied.

"Not all the time," I said.

"Most of the time," he corrected.

"What else?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You just keep letting them win. They do something to hurt you and you just brush it off. You never say anything back unless your buttons are being pushed."

"I don't like conflicts," I replied.

"Or maybe you were conditioned into thinking that because you were always silenced by those who tried to insert their authority by being loud," Kai pointed out.

I laughed. "You are really invested in my life, aren't you?"

Kai shrugged and took another doughnut. "I'm intrigued and a little bit disturbed. Why don't you ever fight back?"

"What's the point?" I asked. "None of this will matter in a few years. I'll go to college far away and probably never see them unless for those uncomfortable family reunions. I would rather focus my energy on things that really matter."

"I think you're just afraid to stand up and draw attention to yourself," he responded and stuffed his mouth with half of the doughnut he had left. I hadn't even finished the first one yet.

"Not everyone wants to be in the limelight," I stated. "We don't all want to be football superstars or popular cheerleaders. Some of us just want to exist and do our own thing, you know?"

"I know," he said quietly and nodded as if he understood. "So, how's that book you're reading? Did you finish it yet?"

We were still parked in the parking lot, just casually carrying on with our conversation. I nodded. "It was good."

"Didn't take you for a smut kind of girl," Kai said before reaching for his drink.

I froze. How did he know what kind of scenes were in that book?