Kiki paced back and forth in front of the cafeteria. Everyone else was busy with extracurricular activities, while she tried to psych herself up to talk to Kwan like Sabrina had asked.

She nibbled on the tip of her index fingernail, causing the nail polish to flake off, which she wiped on her pants. "Hi, Kwan, um, I know we don't know each other that well -" she cut herself off and shook her head. 

"Kwan, hey, I heard you heard from others -" She cut herself off again and ran her fingers through her hair. "Now I sound like a total stalker." she mumbled under her breath, stopping in her tracks.

She took a deep breath and pressed her hands together in front of her. "Kwan, want to go to my favorite bodega to hang out?" she asked, her tone seemingly peppy. "Or does that make me sound desperate?" 

She sighed softly, rubbing her arm as she came up with other ways to start. "I don't think I'll get anything better." her hand went to the beads on her necklace as she twisted them between her fingers. 

"Kwan, I was stopping by my favorite bodega on my way home -" She cut herself off with a small groan, face palming. "That makes me sound like I'm inviting him to my house afterward, and my parents would kill me if I invited a boy home without their permission-”

"Kiki, where is Sabrina?" Will's voice shouted from down the hall as he quickly approached the dark-haired girl, cutting off her ramblings to herself. His arms crossed over his chest, and an unpleasant expression on his face was uncle.

Kiki looked up with raised eyebrows, her eyes searching for the blonde boy's actions. "Uh, why?" She asked, dumbfounded that Will had approached her with the expression and the tone he had. 

Will tapped his foot rapidly on the floor as he listened to her reply. "Sabrina took a little surprise visit to Stephoné while she was watching me practice. She left before I was done, and my sister was in tears, so I needed to know where she was." He shortly replied to her, his tone turning icy.

Kiki pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Goodness, I-I didn't know. I'm sorry, Will, I am." She apologized, feeling extremely guilty while she nibbled on her pastel necklace. She knew Sabrina played dirty, but what could she have said to make Stephoné cry. 

Will's foot rapidly tapping on the floor betrayed the intensity of his thoughts, his frustration palpable as he listened to Kiki's response. “I need to know where she is,” He spoke firmly, his voice carrying an icy edge.  

Kiki was taken aback by Will's icy tone, her eyes widening slightly as she realized the gravity of the situation. "She's at cheer practice. They started late, and Lacy was texting me complaining -" She cut herself off when she realized she was beginning to ramble. "They're sharing the space with the lacrosse team."

"Of course she is. Show off." The contempt on Will's voice matched the deep frown on his lips and his narrowed eyes. "Why aren't you at cheer practice?”

Kiki furrowed her brows at his question and hummed shortly before answering. "I'm not a cheerleader. Never have been. That is Lacy and Sabrina's whole world, not mine. I don't belong on the cheer team, I'm not flexible, and I'm not coordinated like that, and I'm not cheerleader material." She replied, itching her scalp under the high half bun on her head.

Will hadn't paid much attention to Kiki. She tended to fade into the background around Sabrina and Lacy. Even on her own, she was there, but you wouldn't notice. "Oh, right, well, um, thanks, Kiki." He sent her a nod. "You know, you're too good of a person to be friends with Sabrina."

Kiki felt her heartstrings get tugged at his words. "Thanks for reminding me," She whispered, crossing her arms over her chest while looking down at her shoes. "Go defend your sister. She's lucky to have a brother like you." She softly smiled as she gave a small wave.

"Thanks, I'm lucky to have her. She's the best sister in the world." Will meant every word he said, considering the smile on his face confirmed that. He pivoted on his heels, walking down the hall towards the lacrosse field.

Kiki turned around only to come face to face with Kwan. "Uh . . . hi," She gasped, a mix of surprise and embarrassment laced in her voice and displayed on her face. "Kwan," She added his name with wide eyes and a sheepish tone.

"Sure," Kwan agreed, holding two cartons of strawberry milk that he drank from the straws at the same time. He flashed a charming smile, his eyes sparkling as he took another sip from both milk cartons.

"Sure?" Kiki echoed, dumbfounded and momentarily confused on what he was agreeing to. "Sure… what?" She hesitantly asked, furrowing her brows and looking like a confused puppy.

Kwan nodded, taking in her expression and answering her question. "To go grab a bite to eat." He explained, taking a sip of his milk. "I could never turn down an opportunity for food, and the cafeteria food tastes like disappointment."

Kiki blinked a few times, doing a double take at his words. "Y-you would?" She asked, dumbfounded that he had agreed without hesitation. 'I did not expect that reaction.' She thought, the gears in her head stopped working

Kwan chuckled at her reaction. 'She's kinda cute when she's flustered.' He thought to himself, taking another long sip of his strawberry milk. "Yes. I've got nothing else to do, and Vincent dropped us off this time, so I didn't drive -"

"Vincent?" Kiki blurted out the inquiry while tilting her head to the side. She wracked her brain to come to a logical conclusion on who Vincent was. She didn't know whether he was their personal driver or something else entirely. 

Kwan’s eyes widened, and he chuckled, a smile growing on his lips, slightly from embarrassment and the other from cluelessness. "Oh, I should have gone with Mr. Cunningham. I'm on a first name basis with Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham, long story,  kinda boring."

"Oh," Kiki nodded slowly as her lips formed an 'O' as her eyes widened slightly. "That's cool. The only person I am on a first name basis is Stephoné's Mom, Lillian. She's super nice and works at the diner I like to go to. It's on her little name tag, so, uh, yeah, that's why I call her by her first name, you know." She held her index finger and thumb an inch from each over and pulled them diagonally across her chest. 

Kwan chuckled, finding her nervousness too cute, and little gestures charismatic. "I've heard good things about that dinner. I ought to try it one of these days. Oh, you could join me and show me all the good things to try if you wanted."

'He wants to hang out with me?' Kiki asked herself, guilt knowing up in her stomach again. 'But if he knew the real reason I wanted to hang out with him . . . he wouldn't want to hang out with me. . .' Her thoughts trailed off as she swallowed a lump in her throat. 

Kwan sipped a few more times on his milk until "You okay?" He asked, noticing the small change in her demeanor. He observed her, his keen eyes picking up her nervous swallowing and her brief moment of silence. "You look like you're stuck in your own head." He stated the observation blatantly, the words almost sounding more like a fact than a question.

Kiki snapped her head up, and her eyes widened at his blatantly observation. "Oh, yes, I am fine," She quickly reassured him, a flat-out lie, but she wasn't going to admit the real reason. "Come on, let's get to that bodega, I'm a little hungry,"

She led him out into the parking lot and towards her car. She held her clicker in her hand and gave the unlock button a few clips. A beep-beep came from a little pearl white Volkswagen bug, a notable red, white, and blue racing stripe from the hood to the bumper of the car. On the front luggage compartment lid, doors, and engine lid, a white circle with black outline and the number 53 on the side.

"Is that Herbie?" Kwan inquired, walking up to the beetle and walking around it, inspecting its pristine condition. "Wow," He added, his tone turning joyful, like a kid getting a present.

"Not the actual car, just a replica. I'm pretty proud of it." Kiki then frowned and sighed heavily, crossing her arms. "Sabrina would never let me drive it around with her or Lacy as passengers in my car. They said it's too basic and they'd rather die than be caught in something this small and retro. Lacy likes her big old pink Benz, and Sabrina likes her big old red Caddy."

Kwan hovered his hand over the hood, walking around the car with admiration sparkling in his eyes. "A replica? How did you get to do this? It must've cost a lot." He let out a whistle, stopping at the license plate and giving an amused huff. "And the license plate... 'Not the real Herbie'? That's a clever touch."

Kiki picked up her necklace and twisted the beads between her fingers. "Oh, um, thanks, I actually did it myself. My dad brought the car, though, after I gave him the money for it from my bank account I saved up over the years. I had to fix it up and give it its paint job to look like the loveable Love Bug."

Kwan chuckled and turned back to Kiki. "That’s impressive, I have to say," he said, running his hands along the hood affectionately. He glanced up at Kiki with a sly smile. "You’re really talented, you know that?"  

Kiki shrugged modestly, but her cheeks turned a slight pink from the compliment. "Thanks, it was a labor of love," she said, her voice warm and soft. "My dad said that if I wanted a car of my own, I ought to know how to do everything for it, including giving it a paint job and being able to fix it up when broken."

Kwan chuckled and leaned against the bug, one hand against the cool metal hood. "Smart man," he said, studying Kiki's face, her rosy cheeks. He looked down to her hands and noticed that she was twisting her necklace, her fingers fidgeting with the beads. "Impressive, though. I never would've thought that'd be something you were interested in."

Kiki was taken aback. Impressive. He called it impressive. No, he thought she was impressive. It seemed almost foreign to her
 "You think it's impressive?" She furrowed her brows. The words coming off her lips felt almost too good.

Kwan’s smile widened. "Absolutely. Not many people who own cars know how to do those things themselves. You just casually mention you built this beauty all by yourself, like it’s no big deal," he replied, gesturing towards the car. It’s clear you have a passion for this. You have talent." 

Kiki’s cheeks flush a deeper shade of red, almost matching the paint job on her car. She didn’t quite know how to respond. So, instead, she smiled, bashfully looking away. "That's true, Lacy and Sabrina pay people for that, I can handle it myself. One time, Sabrina's Caddy got a flat, and it wasn't a hard fix, just a flat tire, and she had a spare."

Kwan chuckled, shaking his head. "Of course, they don't do it themselves." he pushed himself off the car and turned to fully look at Kiki. "You're quite different from your friends. How did you ever become friends with them? You're so nice and genuine."

Kiki's eyes widened slightly, and her mouth opened, just slightly to show her bewilderment. "You really think I’m-" Nice? Genuine? The words were foreign to her. She wasn’t used to hearing it. Her friends certainly didn’t say that to her, and no one besides her parents had ever said that about her. 

Kwan could see the surprise in her eyes, and he smiled gently. "Of course, I'm kind of impressed you're even friends with them at all. They don't really seem like your type, if you don't mind me saying that." Kwan paused for a moment, "You don't mind that, right?"

Kiki shook her head slowly, her mind still reeling from the words Kwan just said. "No, no, you’re right about that," she said slowly. "I'm not the best at making friends, I'm really awkward. We only became friends because it's what our parents wanted, and they both did approach me first, so I kinda just went along with whatever they did. Then we sorta became friends, and I've just stayed by their side this whole time."

Kwan raised his eyebrows in surprise, but his expression soon softened into one of understanding. "Ah, now I see. A little like opposites attract, I guess." he nodded, resting his hand back on the hood of the bug. 

"Opposites attract, yeah." Kiki repeated, looking away. Her gaze turned to the car. "They say I'm too nice, too easy, too basic, too weak... too much of a pushover, too much of a doormat, a doormat that can be stepped on, so Sabrina felt obligated to protect and toughen me up."

Kwan's eyebrows furrowed together slightly, a hint of concern on his face. "Too much of a pushover? You? I can't see it. You don't look weak at all, and I would never think you were a doormat. You don't give off any of those vibes, maybe too nice you do, but that's not a bad thing."

Kiki leaned back against the bug next to Kwan, fiddling with her necklace again. "They do make it seem like it’s a bad thing," She mumbles. "They say I’m too nice because sometimes I’ll go out of my way for others, and they don’t think I have any self-respect."

Kwan nods slowly, frowning as he listens to Kiki's words. "That's not what I'm getting from you. It sounds more like they're just taking advantage of your kindness, really." He looked at her and gently nudged her shoulder. "And having no self-respect, pfft, come on."

"Lacy likes to say that I’m gullible, and naive, and desperate for approval," Kiki continued, her voice becoming bitter. "But truthfully, I think that's just her reflecting herself onto me, uh, the desperate for approval that is, not the naive or gullible, which I'm neither, by the way."

Kwan couldn't help but sigh in frustration at how they talked about Kiki. "That's completely false. You're not any of those things. You just have a big heart." He leaned closer to her, putting his hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her. "And they shouldn't say those things about you. You don't deserve that. You know that, right?"

Kiki gave a bitter laugh, looking down at her feet. "I know." Her voice sounded weak. She sighed and pushed off the car. Walking over, she opened the door and slipped into the driver's seat. "Come on, I'll show you my favorite bodega,"

Kwan stood there, frowning as she walked away and got into the car. He followed, reluctantly climbing into the passenger side and quietly shutting the door behind him. He grabbed the seat belt, pulled it over his chest, clicking it in the seat belt buckle.

Kiki placed her hand on the steering wheel and looked out the window, her fingers idly running through the beads on her necklace. She was quiet, clearly lost in thought. The silence was heavy, and tension filled the air in the car. She turned the keys in the ignition, and the bug came to life, purring with power.

Kwan fidgeted uncomfortably in the seat, watching Kiki stare out the window. He wanted to say something, break the silence, but he wasn't quite sure what to say. He took a quiet breath before speaking up about ten minutes later. "So, uh... Your favorite bodega…"

Kiki snapped out of her thoughts at Kwan's words, and her tense expression loosened slightly. She looked over to him and offered a small smile. "Yeah," She said, her voice a bit soft, "I came across it walking back from school one day and got caught in the downpour when I was in ninth grade. The lady who runs it, Mrs. Torres is really nice. She gave me a towel to dry off, she gave me a warm meal and let me call my dad to pick me up. Ever since then, I've been a faithful customer."

Kwan nodded, a genuine smile spread across his face. "That's really sweet. It's nice to have a place like that, a safe haven." He paused, thinking for a moment, then said, "What's their specialty?"

Kiki looked over at Kwan, noticing his smile. "Oh, they're known for their tamales, enchiladas, and Mexican pastries, besides your average convenience store items to be sold." She said warmly. "Oh, and she recently started selling some Asian snacks too, I think she did that for me."

Kwan chuckled, his smile widening. "Now that sounds like my kind of place." He then jokingly added, "I do have a bit of a sweet tooth, you know."

Kiki gave a small laugh at his remark, "I can tell by the two strawberry milk cartons you were drinking at the same time." She said with an amused tone. 

Kwan chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck slightly embarrassed. "Yeah, I couldn't resist. Those cartons were calling my name." He turned his attention out the window, watching as they turned the corner. 

She looked back out the window once again, staring at the passing buildings. The silence returned, but it was no longer as tense or heavy. It felt comfortable. 

〰️♛〰♛〰♛〰♛〰♛〰♛〰

A/N: 
Sorry for the long wait. I've been busy, and a lot has been going on. But, I am working steadfastly to bring you as many, many chapters as I can. It's a slow process, but I'm getting there! I haven't forgotten about this book!

Chapter Talk:
So, you get to know more about Kiki, and I gotta say, she's one of my favorite characters. She's so sweet, and she and Kwan are just too cute. 

Originally this and the next chapter were one full chapter but that was too long and I couldn't wrap up what I wanted without it being over 3k words, and I'm trying to keep each chapter around there for your guy's sake on watty.

Thanks for reading!