twenty

My Best Friend's a Wingman
Please Subscribe to read the full chapter

 

t w e n t y ; rainy day


4 years ago, 7th grade

March 17th

The sunlight is blinding as it peeks through the spaces of the bus’s curtains. Shielding the glare with my hands, I try not to take Kai’s sour mood personally. He hasn’t been talking to me all day, which says a lot because we’re always talking to each other or talking at each other. Today, neither of those options are relevant to us. During lunch, I brought up the question that I assumed would be the cause of his silence towards me. When asked if he was mad at me, my only response was a dry shake of his head.

Our typical arrangement on bus rides is me on the window seat and him on the aisle seat.

“Want to listen to my iPod?” I offer Kai, whose hat is doing a better job of blocking away the sun than the smallness of my hand. Another curt shake of his head. His gaze remains downwards, not bothering to even look my way.

Dejectedly, I give up and decide that watching the window is more enjoyable of an activity than trying to deal with Kai’s weird lack of response. The scenery blurs, cars zoom by, and my neighborhood appears in view. This is our stop. I say “our” and not “my” stop is because Kai’s staying at my house until his eldest sister can pick him up.

I found out last year that he has two sisters: Kayla who is four years old and currently in high school, while Katie is 7 years older—a university student. A word I can describe Kai’s family with is that they are very . . . occupied. Kayla has after school clubs to go to, his Dad goes to work all the time, and Katie juggles college with her part-time job. They couldn’t bear to leave Kai at home alone without adult supervision, and my parents were very willing to watch over Kai. (My parents are busybodies, but they also adore Kai for some unknown reasons.) Therefore, ever since middle school started, Kai has made a fixture in my after school schedules. It’s been fun having him over, but I don’t think I can look forward to dealing with his sulky mood at home today.

I hop off the bus once it makes a stop near my neighborhood. Kai has his hands stuff in his hoodie and stalks the opposite direction of where we should be heading.

I chase after him. “Dude! Where are you going? My house is not that way!”

Kai hasten his strides, leaving me behind with no explanation. My dumb backpack bounces on my back, making it a hassle to keeping up with him. I call his name repeatedly, yelling at the top of my lungs for him to slow down. It’s pointless effort because he refuses to listen.

After realizing that I’m wasting my energy, it dawns to me that I can just stop trying and let him be. He could get in trouble for all I care! However, a part of me knows he has become a friend to me. I can’t leave him to run off randomly and get kidnapped or whatever scary things that happen in this scary world.

Stupid Kai!!!!!!!

He finally slows down, but it’s clear that the speed red

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter
Like this story? Give it an Upvote!
Thank you!
kaiwaiitaesu
thank u for everyone who left a comment & remembered these characters despite these 2 years. i can truly say that all of u are the kindest, most empathetic people i have encountered. i will continue to leave this story up whenever u feel like revisiting again. u are always welcome here.

Comments

You must be logged in to comment
BeatBoxer
#1
Chapter 32: Hi it's 2024 and I still go to this story :) If you still log in and read this, I hope you are doing well too.
Chilliwallie #2
Chapter 32: Thank you for creating a story that i can come back to relive this experience with Skailar. It help me to go through tough times in my life. Though i am happy to see the happy ending you have envision and it feels like a fairytale.

Hope you are happy with where you are now!
MultiStanK
#3
Chapter 32: I'm a very picky person when it comes to fanfictions on asianfanfics because of how vast this whole website is. (I think the fact that the featured section goes on for 22 or so pages says enough to prove my point.)

Descriptions need to be intriguing, characters have to be somewhat familiar and the writing needs to have the sort of charm that just can't be described by a reader or anyone for that matter. This book had all of this and more (plus the enthusiasm that I love, love seeing in authors).

It's almost 2 o'clock in the morning but I sit here writing this comment because this story has been one of the most descriptive stories I've ever come across that has actually managed to hold my interest for the sometimes intimidating length of 28 chapters.

(It also happens to be the first slow burn book that I've actually adored to what looks like no end. I usually opt for more quicker paced stories or stories where the attraction is almost oozing out from the very beginning because I'm just impatient when it comes to literature and the genre of romance.)

I get what it's like to no longer be as passionate about a project as you used to be, so even though I am upset I won't be able to read more Skailar, I completely understand why this story ended or rather I guess, didn't end the way it did.

In the end, I just wanted to say that I absolutely loved this story and the dynamics and the characters. This story has so much depth to it and I don't even know what to say so I'll just end it here.

Thank you so much for leaving this up here, and all the best for your future writing or whatever you end up doing!
ackerwoman
#4
" I have too much time on my hand" that really killed me. Automatically subscribed to this.
universal123
#5
Chapter 32: I am happy for you and wish you all the best! Time change and people change and there is nothing anyone can do. Even though this is disappointing...it is your decision at the end. Anyway thanks for leaving the story for memories!!
ikoniieyxz
#6
Chapter 32: My fav story ?, you, stay safe too, thank you!
Iefa_San
#7
Chapter 32: Well, I can't lie and say I don't feel disappointed that this story won't be finish. But I fully understand your reason and I really hope that you will find that spark again in writing stories. Thank you for this wonderful story. You are a good writer and you should be proud of your talent and gift. And I'm sure I'm going to miss Kai's terrible puns XD I hope in whatever you do, you will feel and bless everyday!
Fadelah #8
Chapter 32: I can’t help but be disappointed cuz this was one of my favorite stories ever, the plot and the characters were well written and everything is beautifully described. Nonetheless thank you for all the effort you made in this masterpiece and I don’t think I will ever forget it.
JeMerald #9
Chapter 32: awwweee i found this story thru recommendations and was really hoping for an update because i found the pace perfect for my kind of read. I really like this story. I remembering crying to it. I'm really thankful to have come across it. :) bless u dear author. I hope you're doing well too
alexajjang
#10
Chapter 32: Thank you for giving us an ending for Sky and Kai, and although I feel bad that I won't be able to read anymore about them, I'm glad that you're alright and happy :)