My Little Mind Reader

20. More Freshman Games

Kao's POV

Yo's turn at the Kissing Booth had been a struggle. Watching him kissing strangers when my personal preference would have been to force all those devils away from the little angel was like asking a recovering alcoholic to drink water while surrounded by rum. I was standing there sweating, and trying to keep it together.

That kid, Pha, with his obsessive crush on Yo, was even worse than I was, which was a little scary. When he saw Yo at the Kissing Booth, he wanted to kill someone, and I wasn't sure if he would kill Yo or the people lining up to kiss him.

When that particular torture was finally over, Yo went to help in the petting zoo. That was much better. The general populace on one side of a nice sturdy fence, with Yo safely on the other side, out of their reach. Afterward, Yo ran home to get a shower while his new "not-boyfriend" waited outside the bathroom, practically filling the room with drool. Pha really needed to learn to control himself.

During all this excitement, Ming was too busy focusing on some guy with a dimple named Kit than to be worried about Yo. According to Yo, Ming deserved some excitement and fun, so I couldn't fault him. As Yo walked out of his bathroom, with damp hair, a purple hoodie, and white skinny jeans, Pha's jaw dropped and his eyes popped open wide.

I'm standing right here, and I'm pretty sure that I'm not invisible, but Pha pulled Yo flush against his body, embracing him tightly, forcing me to take action.

"We better hurry if you want to get something to eat," I said, pulling Yo away from those grabby hands. Pha didn't seem to appreciate my intervention, and he pushed me bodily away from my charge.

My hands balled into fists at my sides as I stared at the idiot who dared to touch me. Who does he think he is, trying to keep me away from Yo? I moved to stand next to Yo, but Pha stood between us and said, "Don't touch my boyfriend."

"Last I heard, you weren't actually his boyfriend," I said, enjoying the flash of anger I saw in Pha's eyes. "I've been protecting him since before you knew his name. Don't get in my way."

"I'm taking care of him now," Pha said, glaring at me with his stupid little smirk. I wanted to wipe that grin off his face. There was no way that I would leave an angel with only the protection of this incompetent prick. I rubbed my knuckles, ready to use some of that knowledge that my father worked so hard to teach me.

Yo stepped between us, probably knowing I could actually kill Pha. Not that I hadn't thought about it, I was really starting to worry about the way he looked at Yo.

"It's getting late. We'd better go," Yo said, looking between us with pleading eyes. If he didn't want me to fight, I'd let Pha's attitude go this time, but I couldn't let it slide entirely. I nodded to let Yo know that I understood and he backed up.

As Yo grabbed his guitar and a white baseball cap, I leaned closer to Pha and whispered, "I'll always protect Yo. I won't hesitate to kill you to keep him safe. I won't even blink."

Before I could savor the little bit of fear in Pha's eyes, Yo pushed me out the door in front of him, and called Pha to follow us. I allowed myself to be pushed, because that was what my angel wanted. We grabbed some noodles at a small stand near the dorms. We ate on the drive to the Arts Faculty, where Yo ran to a large practice room with a stage that had been set up to look like a restaurant with live entertainment.

After signing in with his group, Yo moved to the stage and a girl about his age introduced him.

"Thanks for stopping by our cafe for the dinner hour," she started. "By popular demand, we've asked the Most Popular Moon to come play for our guests tonight. Let's hear a round of applause for Yo!"

The room exploded with noise as people screamed and whistled. Yo sat down on a stool up on the stage and smiled his shy smile. I wondered how they'd been able to talk him into this. Though Yo was the kind of person who would do anything to make others happy, he didn't generally like a lot of attention. He was so naive that he didn't even realize how many people noticed him all the time.

Yo started with his set list and I sat off to the right of the stage watching him. He played the guitar and sang, every eye on him. People whispered and ate, but mostly they listened to his sweet voice. He was really very good.

Ming and Kit came after the first song, sitting at the table with Pha, who was back to his usual ogling and heavy drooling. Forth and Beam came a few minutes later and joined them.

The Fairy Angels, including those two boys who were in Yo's vision of the future, all came together and watched Yo from their own table. For his part, Yo sang and played and smiled, only taking occasional breaks and sips of his water between songs. In no time, the room was crowded and people were standing against the walls to hear Yo. I was getting dirty looks for taking a whole table to myself, but I ignored them.

When he finished his last song and began packing his guitar, a groan went up from the crowd, followed quickly by a round of applause. The pretty girl was back on stage, thanking Yo for entertaining them, and reminding everyone to order more food and drinks before the next act came on.

I followed Yo to the table with the Fairy Angels. He stood next to them with a small frown on his face, "Montri, the next time I won't help when you ask. I didn't know I was volunteering for a Kissing Booth!"

"Sorry, Yo," Montri said, looking unapologetic. "I didn't think you'd help if I told you beforehand."

"Of course I wouldn't have," Yo said sharply, but handed over a pile of papers that he'd collected at the booth. "Be grateful I still like you."

"What are these?" Montri asked, looking over the papers. "Phone numbers? You do love me!"

"Share with everyone," Yo said, finally smiling at the group. "And don't say I never gave you anything."

Pha came over while the Fairies were fighting over the slips of paper and asked Yo if he wanted to go home. I drove back to their dorm with them and waited in the hall for Joss to come for the night shift. An order of food came and I took it inside.

"Why did you order all this food?" Yo asked Pha. "We just ate dinner."

"I thought you might be hungry," Pha said. "You're working too hard."

Yo blushed and smiled, giving Pha a look of appreciation, but he put the food away in the mini-fridge after confirming that Pha wasn't hungry either. I stepped outside again, not liking the feeling in my chest when I watched Yo with Pha.

I wasn't in love with Yo. The boy was sexy as hell and had been since the first time I met him, but I wasn't in love with him. A part of my brain knew that this wasn't jealousy, but the other part didn't know how else to classify my feelings. I didn't want Yo for myself, but without a doubt I knew that he was too good and sweet for this world.

As part of my job, I'd read the research on Pha and I talked to Forth about his past. I wasn't sure that someone like Pha would ever be good enough for an angel like Yo. I didn't like the feeling of watching Yo fall for someone. I knew he put his whole soul into everything he did, and it worried me that he was trusting his tender heart to a man who had never been constant in his affections. I knew I couldn't stop it, all I could do was watch and pray, but that didn't stop the worry I felt when I saw how they looked at each other.