Honesty

Chapter 9: Don't Pretend To Know Me

hi :) this should be interesting

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How she ended up here, Kaia had no idea. A senior house party wasn't on her agenda during the first month of college, but she wasn't about to turn it down. Hovering tightly beside Yelena, she followed the crowd of people into the house which already had music and lights blaring as they entered.

She didn't consider herself to be dressed in proper 'house party attire', with her hoodie and dancewear, but everyone else was either in sports uniform or covered in mud, so it didn't really matter. This party was very much an impromptu gathering.

Yelena and Wanda took the whole thing in their stride, chatting to a couple of football players about tactics and other things Kaia had no interest in. She smiled occasionally and tried to follow the conversation but her attention inevitably wandered elsewhere.

Her sudden shift in attention was a rookie error, and Yelena and Wanda had disappeared by the time she regained her focus. Now she was stranded.

Her eyes darted around the room, looking for a familiar face or an exit that she could escape from. But all she came across was a couch that had been pushed against a wall, so she made a beeline for it, trying not to walk into any of the human walls that were the football players.

Kaia pressed herself into the corner of the couch as much as she could, wishing she was as small as possible. Parties were something she needed to mentally prepare for before she could fully immerse herself, and a football/ soccer social night meant she was completely out of her comfort zone.

Her phone buzzed.

20% battery remaining.

She cursed to herself. There went her only form of distraction for the night. Yelena was officially nowhere to be seen, leaving Kaia torn. One part of her was happy for her best friend, taking it all in her stride. But another part wished she wasn't so extroverted so they could just go home. Kaia didn't want to leave without her.

Bodied brushed against her kneecaps as she crossed her legs over each other but no one took much notice of her. Until a tall figure stopped beside her, their black T-shirt the only thing in Kaia's eyeline.

"Is this seat taken?" A low voice spoke, and Kaia couldn't ignore him. She looked up and caught his gaze, shaking her head.

"No, it's ok, you can have it. I was just gonna leave-"

He let out a gruff laugh and sank down onto the couch. "You can stay, it's alright."

Kaia froze midway in her efforts to stand before sinking back down against the fabric, suddenly very interested in the ring on her index finger.

"Not your scene, huh?"

Kaia froze. Was he actually talking to her? "Hm?"

"I said not your scene?"

"Oh," Kaia grimaced, embarrassed that he had to repeat himself. "Yeah, I'm not much of a soccer or football girl."

"What kind of girl are you?"

She finally looked over at him, meeting his gaze before scanning his face quickly. He seemed friendly, his smile warm and inviting. Didn't look like the kind of guy looking for anything sinister.

"I'm dancer," she replied, waiting for a comment that usually followed a statement like that.

"That's cool. I'm Steve, by the way."

"I-" she stopped herself before she could say 'I know'. "I'm Kaia. Kaiiarina, but everyone calls me Kaia."

Steve smiled and Kaia swore his blue eyes lit up even more. "That's a beautiful name."