Just To Be Yours

Two

Ben was escorting Cat out of the chapel to their first class when they were waylaid by a very pretty girl with tannish skin and dark eyes. Cat knew this was another confession, so he meandered further down the hall to leave Ben to it.

"I-I really like you, Ai'Ben, and, er...w-would you like to date me?" the girl squeaked, nerves getting to her.

Ben didn't notice the people behind him. He studied the girl's face for a moment. She wasn't bad looking, not at all, and was that a dimple?? Oh, good heavens, she had dimples! This was Ben's lucky day.

"I-I know, I'm not as pale as girls are supposed to be," she prattled, anxious because of his silence. "B-but I can lighten my skin. I ordered this skin bleach and it just came in yest-"

"No."

She fell silent at Ben's word. Was he rejecting her?

"No bleaching. You look beautiful just the way you are," Ben told her honestly. He smiled, instantly charming her. "How about a study date to get to know each other? Tonight at my house?"

She bounced excitedly. "Yes! Study date sounds perfect!"

"What's your name?"

"Ah, I'm so sorry. I'm Khaeg."

Ben offered his arm to her like a gentleman. "May I escort you to your first class, Ai'Khaeg?"

"Yes, you certainly may," she blushed, flustered yet pleased at the attention.

Cat gave Ben a double thumbs up, then followed the two at a reasonable distance so people wouldn't think he was stalking his own friend. What he didn't notice was a phone pointed at him from further down the hallway, the camera zoomed in on his face as his picture was taken.

Thai ducked back inside the classroom, wanting to throw his hands up in the air in victory. Finally! A decent picture of Cat! He studied the picture carefully to make sure he hadn't gotten his thumb in the photo - he'd done that in the second photo at home - or caught Cat with his face down - that was the zoomed in and cropped photo. Cat had been bent over his textbook at the time.

"Who's that girl with the Nong?"

Thai casually slipped his phone in his pocket so Em wouldn't see the picture. "Which Nong?" He hadn't noticed anyone but Cat, to be honest.

Em pointed down the hallway at Cat's tall best friend, Ben. "Him. Wasn't he dating someone else a few days ago?"

"I heard they broke up," Roan piped up from behind them, startling his friends. "And it was pretty ugly, too. I caught the end of it. They were both really upset."

"How many girlfriends has he had?" Thai was curious.

"Um...I'm not really sure. More than ten, I think. I'd have to write them all down and count them."

Em's eyes widened comically as he gaped at Roan. "More than ten?? What is he, a jaowchew??"

Roan rolled his eyes. "Some people have to date a lot of frogs before they get their happily ever after, Em." In other words, Roan was telling Em not to judge the kid before really knowing him.

Which didn't sink into Em's brain at all. He's a fucking jaowchew! That made Em furious. And he didn't understand why. But he was instantly red-hot with anger at the poor, unsuspecting Nong. He glared the kid's way before stomping to his desk.

"What's his problem?" Roan whispered, eyeing Em warily. An angry Em was a 'don't-tease-me-unless-you-want-this-moment-to-be-your-last' Em. Seriously.