"Sit down," the teacher says kindly but firmly, and Kai reluctantly pulls out the chair in the front row - which happens to be right in front of you. He sits down, kicks his bag underneath the desk, and leans back in his chair, cocking his head to the side and relaxing his shoulders in an infuriatingly apathetic way. The teacher begins the regulatory induction of articulating what she teaches and how she expects you to behave. You sit there politely, waiting for her speech to finish, and distract yourself by staring at the back of Kai's head.

His hair is so fluffy. Why is it so fluffy? How does he get it perfectly messy and wild and ... adorable, in all the right ways?

You're curious about your chance meeting with him the other day. You want to ask him many questions, but dwelling on those matters now is useless, since you won't be able to ask him during class. 

You try to get your mind back on track as the teacher starts handing out textbooks. You open the thick book, the shiny laminate and hearing the soft, crackling sound of the untouched pages being turned. Your teacher starts to write things on the board, telling you this and that about the subject you're learning, so you hold your pencil at the ready and jot down notes.

You realize that, during the whole class period, Kai doesn't touch his book or write anything down.

The bell rings to signal the end of the first class, and you and your classmates shove your new book into your bags. You zip your book bag closed and wear it over your shoulder before you circle Kai's desk on your way to the exit. He's cleaning up, too, but he's moving in a slow, deliberate way that shows he isn't in any hurry to go anywhere. You stall for a moment by his desk, half wanting to say something and half wanting him to speak, before you make the decision to leave. If he's planning to say anything, he'll say it. You don't need to wait around and see.

Before you can leave, however, the teacher calls you back. You fear that somehow, in a span of an hour, you've managed to get on her bad side, but instead she asks you a few questions about your information and oh, isn't it so nice that you've managed to get into this school?

It makes you feel degraded, but you just smile and nod and hope that she'll eventually end the conversation. Thankfully, she does, and you leave the now empty class in a rush.

You have a few minutes before your class starts, so you decide to take the liberty of exploring the second floor. You're confident you won't get lost this time, since you've got a map with you (although you really should start getting familiar with the school without it). You pass by a number of unfamiliar faces, hoping that eventually, those faces will have names, and you'll have friends. This school seems very tight-knit, however. Even if they're courteous, they're also extremely clichéd; you can tell by how they look at you - not just you, but all the new people they don't recognize. They don't bother to hide the fact that they're gauging you, looking you up and down as if appearances will be the only factor that will affect their opinion of you.

Maybe, in this school, that's how it is. It would explain a lot.

The warning bell rings, and you open your folder to look at your schedule and map again when you realize ... it's not there. It's not anywhere. Panicked, you flip through the papers in the folder, thinking that maybe it's somehow gotten mixed up with some other things, but ... you don't find it. 

This is bad. You can't get lost two days in a row.

You stop in the middle of the hallway and open your book bag, looking through its contents desperately. You push things around and pull things out, tugging at pieces of paper in hopes you'll find it, but you don't. You look up and notice that the hallway has become deserted, and any second, you're going to be late to class. Irritated and frustrated, you're about to literally dump your book bag on the floor when a voice stops you.

"Looking for something?"

You whirl around and freeze when you see Kai approaching you. He only has one strap of his backpack over his shoulder, and he has taken off his tie and undone the top two buttons of his uniform. As he moves, you catch glimpses of a silver chain that rests on his collar bone. You tear your eyes away and awkwardly try to remain calm as he pauses in front of you. 

You suddenly remember that you are, in fact, looking for something. You organize the disarrayed contents of your book bag and quietly hold it against your side, unsure of your place for two reasons. First, why is he talking to you? And second, why isn't he leaving?

That's what people would normally do, especially if they're strangers. They say a comment that neither starts a conversation nor encourages it. Something that's expected, like the topic of weather. That's how it works. But Kai ... he just stands there, waiting for you to reply, so you're forced to respond. 

"I was looking for my schedule ... actually ... "

"This?" He asks, taking a folded, crumpled piece of paper from the front pocket of his backpack. He unfolds it and hands it to you, and you step forward to take it from his grasp. It's your schedule; that is, a degraded version of it. Wrinkles are scattered across the paper, and small brown scuff marks dot the edge. But it's definitely yours. It has your name on it.

"Where did you find this?" You look up at him as you attempt to straighten out the pitiful schedule.

"On the floor," he supplies. You expect him to say something else, but he doesn't, so you don't ask him anymore. He watches you fix it until you're satisfied before you tuck it into the pocket of your book bag just as the final bell rings. You jump, startled, and rush forward, brushing past him. You're going to be in trouble for being tardy, and it's only your first day at this school. 

"Where are you going?" He calls after you, as if he honestly doesn't understand why you're leaving. You pause, even if your mind screams for you to keep moving.

"I'm going to class," you say cautiously. Why? What does he want?

"You could always stay here," he comments, and slowly you turn around to face him. He shrugs, obviously bored. 

"I have a class," you repeat, rather stupidly. You could have thought of something witty to say, but you hadn't. You wince at your own incompetence before turning around, wanting to get out of here before you reveal any more of your unintelligent self.

"Alright. Later," he says rather dismissively. You think he'll walk the other way, but instead he catches up to you. He follows a foot behind you, matching your pace with his own, and not saying a word. You wonder if he's decided to go to class, as well. If so ... does he have the same class as you? Is that why he's following you? You're about to turn into your next classroom when you almost bump straight into a girl who had been on her way out. Flustered, she gives you a small nod of her head before she strides past you purposefully, obvious in the authority of her steps that she's gotten permission to temporarily leave the class. 

But when she sees Kai, whose closer to you than you had thought, she freezes. She turns on her heel and grabs your arm just as you're about to enter the class. You can see the students jotting down notes and the teacher illustrating the lesson, and all you want to do is escape, in some way, into that untouchable classroom ... but you can't. Not with this stranger - this girl - firmly grasping your arm.

"Kai," she says rather loudly. Kai looks at her with a disinterested gaze.

"Hm?"

"Who's this girl you're following around?"

Kai laughs lightly. "We have the same class. Don't get so riled up." 

So you were right. You do have the same class as Kai ... again, that is.

She glowers at you, and while you're not sure why this girl you've never met before has suddenly acquired a distaste for you, you stand still. All you can think about is that you really, really need to get to class right now. She turns back to Kai, her voice low and cutting. "Are you guys dating?"

The question shocks you. You hadn't expected it at all. To think that a stranger would assume such a thing about two people who merely have classes together is extremely immature. It only proves that this girl likes Kai, and her unwarranted question is her way of confirming her place in his life, a place she herself has established but Kai probably doesn't acknowledge. You're embarrassed, of course, and you blush, but she's not looking at you. She's looking at Kai, who is looking at you with an amused stare. He smirks suddenly, making your heart pitter patter uncontrollably.

"I don't know," he replies calmly. "Are we?"

You don't reply. Your mouth feels dry. Does he even know what he's asking? You want to jerk free of this girl's grasp and just go the the class already, for goodness sake, but you find you can't. You're not sure why. Maybe a part of you wants to rebel, if only a little. Or a part of you wants to see what will happen next. It's probably the latter. Or the former. Or both.

Kai takes a step closer, and you feel the girl tense. With a mischievous smile that lights up his eyes, he asks, "Do you want to, then?"