There was a lot going for Kavi this morning - hell, this entire weekend was booming loud for the teen. From the date he scored with Nadia Josette to waking up with a happy-go-lucky smile on his face, there was an obvious, added confidence to Kavi’s already-overflowing arrogance when he strolled through the halls of King’s Academy. Whether he was taking it upon himself to do what he did best by making the lives of the nerds hell or checking out every attractive girl that walked past him (not by cat-calling). No, Kavi took the subtle approach. He did have to contain himself, after all, with him set for a date with Nadia in less than a week.
Can’t wait for Friday.
Kavi sent that short and sweet text to Nadia, pocketing his phone. Shortly thereafter, he felt his phone buzz again. Apparently, he was popular today. Taking a moment to see who it was from, to his surprise, it was a text from Ariel.
“Huh, wonder what she wants?” Truth be told, Kavi was still salty about how she so-rudely overreacted simply because he grabbed her. He had half of a mind to ignore her. He almost did, but then he figured she probably wanted more of the Kavmeister. So he opened up the text. To his surprise, it was her asking him to meet her in the Music Room.
What an odd request, but he figured what the hell. He didn’t have anything better else to do and Jason was nowhere in sight, so Kavi casually made his way to the music building, munching on a burrito. By the time he got to the music room that Ariel specified, it was gone. Entering it casually, right off the bat he knew this was a pretty odd place to meet. She couldn’t suggest the parking lot like a normal person? Whatever. He found her near where the guitars were held.
“Got your text,” he said waving to her.
Over the weekend, Ariel had been stuck in her head. Not that that was really a surprise, she’d just rather it not happen. Diablos party hadn’t been a total waste of time. She had gotten Jason's number and had even texted him once or twice - though nothing of real importance. At least not yet. She kept replaying the night over and over in her head. The awkwardness with Mari, how much better her conversation with the Accent Dude could have gone, and, most importantly - the scene with Kavi.
If one were to ask why she was stuck on such a thing, Ari would have shrugged her shoulders and gave them some sort of response that had no substance to it off the top of her head. But deep down, she knew the reason. The reason was that she had always considered Kavi to be a friend. They had known each other for a while now, and though he was a dick to most, he made her smile more often than she would like to admit. Even after her fall out with Marisol, she and Kavi had never really changed, though her relationship with most of the others did. Besides, this was the Senior year. Time for changes, friends, mistakes and regrets. Letting this friendship wasn’t exactly a mistake that she was willing to make.
Pulling out her phone, she had written about fifteen rough drafts of a short text asking him to meet her in her safe haven. Why so many tries? Because Kavi’s ego didn’t need anymore inflating. Chances were she was making something out of nothing, and this may or may not make it worse, but the young woman had a lot to get off of her chest. She had gone back to playing her guitar until he walked in, stating his greeting.
Looking up at him like a deer in the headlights, there would be an awkward moment of silence before she actually spoke.
”Um.. yeah,” she began, sliding over to the far left of the bench while taking a deep breath.
”How about you just... Sit down first.”Kavi shrugged, taking a seat next to her. If there was anything to be said about this very moment, it was that Ariel had Kavi’s attention - which was rare. Usually, if they weren’t under him, girls didn’t have Kavi’s attention. He gazed at Ariel, making it known to her that he was sitting at least three hand lengths away.
“We wouldn’t want you to freak out that I accidentally touched you, would we?” Even though he laughed, there was a slight seriousness to his voice.
The young woman waited until she was putting the guitar back in the case before rolling her eyes.
”I guess I deserve that,” she said quietly, a slight harshness in her tone. Crossing her legs and turning to look at him, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves.
”That’s actually why I texted you, Kav. To apologize for the other night. The way I reacted had next to nothing to do with you, and it wasn’t cool of me to act that way towards you. So drop the jokes now. Please?”And to that, Kavi sighed, though as he gazed at Ariel for a short moment, he couldn’t help but feel surprised. Of all people to apologize to, no one ever wanted to do that when talking to Kavi Antonio Salvador. If anything, it was the other way around. For how Kavi often acted, he was always expected to apologize, but like a lot of people in his life, he disappointed them. So, imagine his genuine shock when he heard that’s what exactly Ariel wanted to do.
”Fine, whatever,” he said, nodding.
“So, then out with it. What’s the whole deal with that overreaction? I barely touched you and you acted as I punched you in your lady parts.”Now was the moment that she had dreaded. Was she to make up another lie, or tell Kavi the actual truth? Either way was risky. But the truth was the better way; the way that wouldn’t ruin their friendship like a lie would. The way that would get everything off her chest. Out of all of the gut-wrenching scenarios she had ever played out in her mind, Ariel never imagined Kavi in any of them. Oh well. Senior year. Time for taking chances and all of that other stuff you could find on inspirational flyers. Stomach in a knot and hands folded in her lap as all the color drained from her face, the young woman would avert her gaze, becoming suddenly interested in her shoes.
”Despite what most people think… my f-father isn’t exactly the best guy around. M-my childhood wasn’t all that great... So, when you just sort of… g-grabbed me like that, it sent me back to a not so great place in my mind. It’s not your fault and I’m sorry.”So that’s what it was.
He didn’t really know who her father was. The only thing he knew was the rumors about her father, Trillian Grey, the famed criminal defense lawyer. The rumors weren’t really anything that Kavi could remember off the top of his head, but hearing Ariel talk made him feel somewhat awkward and, honestly, he was just confused.
“So, how exactly was me touching you, which was even that hard of a grab, make you think about your childhood?” Kavi asked her.
”He used to hit me, Kav. A lot,” she said rather bluntly, her voice quiet as she tried not to cry.
”And he used to grab me just like that. Like I was an object he could just… use.” While talking, she had taken her left hand in her right, starting to rub her palm with her thumb. It was a somewhat strange habit, but it helped sometimes.
When Kavi answered her text, he expected an apology. What he didn’t expect to hear was this tragic tale of a scumbag in the form of a father. To make things worse, which also doubled at forcing Kavi to feel guilty for how he acted. It was rare for him to feel this way when it came to what he did. Usually, Kavi just went about his day, never questioning his actions, yet here he was sitting next to Ariel, and actually starting to feel shitty.
“You’ve known me for a bit, so you’ve got me at a loss here, Ari,” Kavi admitted, looking at her.
“No man can call himself a man if he has to hit his children, but, uh, shit, how do I put it? I don’t hit women unless it’s their thing.” As he said that, Kavi was remembering some of the kinky chicks he went out with who got off by him smacking them.
Brushing her hair behind her ear, Ariel would take a brief moment before responding. She could completely understand his confusion. Now she was really starting to regret ever trying to apologize. Here she was again, making something out of nothing. At his last remark, she smiled slightly.
”I get that. And I’m not saying you do,” she responded, finally looking him in the eye once more.
”It’s just… I’m trying to explain, and I’m doing a fantastically shitty job, so I’m sorry for that too. I wanted to try and make you understand, but all this really comes down to is me overreacting. So like I said - I’m sorry.”Kavi shrugged.
“You’re not doing as bad of a job as you think you’re doing,” he assured her, stretching out his arms, cracking the joints. He kept his eyes on her as he found himself cracking a smile at her.
“Just try to remember that not every guy who may or may not touch you is a scumbag like dear old dad,” he told her, knowing full well that it was the truth even if she wasn’t willing to admit it out loud.
“You’re hot, Ari, so there’ll be guys who might want to have fun with you. I’m not saying you should be afraid of them. I mean, your dad did a number on you for sure. I get it could cause some shit up there in your mind, but he’s literally the lowest of the low. And this is coming from someone who often gets the stink eye.” In another rare moment, Kavi showed a genuine, if not a small amount, of compassion. If anything, it was him trying to bring this conversation between them to a lighter note.
At his comment about her being hot, Ariel blushed, her face turning a very dark shade of red. She laughed and averted her eyes once more. Did he seriously not have
any idea about how she felt about him?
”You’re right,” she said, hoping that her words wouldn’t further inflate his ego.
”I’m still really sorry though. I swear I wasn’t trying to cause a scene or anything the other night, but I felt like an apology was needed. I’ve always considered you a friend. You know that. I just didn’t want things to get awkward between us.”“You really don’t need to say sorry again, but I’m not going to stop you,” he said rather simply.
“I don’t know how or why things would get awkward between us, though. We barely have spoken since the end of our 10th year.””That’s fair. I guess you could say we’ve both changed a bit.”“I suppose that’s true,” Kavi admitted.
“I mean, you’re a lot cuter than you were in 10th grade,” he said, turning his smile into a half-smirk.
”Same could be said for you, ya know?”“Yes, I do know, actually,” he vainly said,
“but it’s always nice to hear other people think so, too.””A gentleman as always,” Ariel said, laughing wholeheartedly now.
“Always. It’s why I’m so popular with the ladies, don’t ya know.” Kavi was telling the truth, though what he didn’t say was how unfriendly some of them were after he finished dating them.
Yes, Kavi. Everyone knows, she thought. Crossing her legs, a thought crossed her mind.
”While I have your attention… maybe we could go back to actually being friends again? Like, I know we still kinda sorta are, but you’re right. We haven’t really talked that much lately.”There was some truth to what she said, but was Kavi really to blame for that? Maybe but he wouldn’t say that openly. Even still, maybe he let himself get too involved in his other things such as sports and playing with the nerds, but that never meant they weren’t friends - just a little more distant from each other than they have been. “What made you think we weren’t friends?” Kavi decided to ask.
”It’s not that I don’t think we aren’t. It’s just we drifted apart - which I take full responsibility for - and I’d like to change that.”Wait,
she felt responsible? Well, if that’s what she wanted to do, who was Kavi to disagree with her? Better her than him. “Well, you know it’s customary for friends to celebrate their reunion with a kiss.” Kavi was of course joking, but maybe Ariel didn’t know that.
At that, Ariels face would turn red once more. She knew he was joking, but she couldn’t help her reaction. Blushing was the side effect of your crush calling you hot and then requesting a kiss - even playfully - all in a matter of five minutes.
”Are you sure about that?” she asked, trying to keep her tone casual.
”Seems a little strange to just go around kissing random people. We could just celebrate with a movie like normal people.” There it was, ladies and gentlemen. More proof that Ariel Gray had almost no filter for the thoughts in her head. Would Kavi take that as an invitation for a date? She hadn’t meant it that way. Not really. There was also the chance he would just laugh at her with that sideways grin of his. Either way, she still couldn’t believe what she had just said.
“But you’re not a random person, are you Ariel Grey?” Kavi joked, shooting her a smirk.
“Last I checked, we’re friends!”If it was possible, Ariels face had just turned an even darker shade of red.
”I… I mean, if you’re serious…”As he looked at her, Kavi kept confidently smirking at Ariel, he couldn’t help but find her sudden blushing kind of cute.
“You’re the one who asked me. Why don’t you tell me if you’re serious?” He managed to turn the focus back on her quite successfully.
Fine, Mr. Salvador. Two can play that game, she thought, leaning forward to press her lip against his.
Well, that was a surprise. He welcomed it, of course, but still, it came as a shock for Kavi given how against touching she was. Nonetheless, Kavi took advantage and returned it in full and when it broke he let the moment linger in silence for a few moments.
“Guess this means we’re friends again!” Kavi said somewhat excited, though one could easily hear the presence of sarcasm in his tone.
”Uh.. That’s good,” Ariel said with a small laugh.
”Thanks for coming though. I really didn’t think you would show.”Kavi certainly was enjoying the sight of seeing the post-kiss Ariel blush like a tomato and her awkward, nerve-high laugh simply added to the visage of her cuteness that he was looking at.
“I almost didn’t, but I was curious about what you wanted to say to me. I’m glad I ended up taking you up on the offer,” he admitted, smiling.
”Yeah, me too. Though I was kinda serious about that movie offer. I mean, if you're interested.”Was his answer when she originally asked not clear enough?
“I said yes, didn’t I?” Kavi stated, a confident, almost sly-like smirk on his face. Perhaps that will make it clear enough for her.
Ariel thought over the last few minutes in her mind. When she had brought up the movie, Kavi had requested a kiss. Then again, knowing Kavi, that was indeed probably a yes.
”I… yeah,” she said with a nervous laugh.
”I'll text you later and we can work out the details or whatever?” “I look forward to hearing from you,” Kavi said, stealing a cheek kiss as he then waved at her as he had given her a departing smile. The teen had then left the music room and had the prospect of getting one of those tasty rib sandwiches he spotted earlier. Hopefully, they weren’t all gone. Kavi wouldn’t be in a good mood if they were. And if anyone needed to see why Kavi being in a bad mood wouldn’t be preferred, just ask Elijah Abrams. He has seen Kavi on good days and on not-so-good days.
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