"I'm sorry, Kai, but I can't tell you. He doesn't want me to," I whimper as I'm seated on top of a toilet seat. His brown eyes meet mine, and he holds my hand gently in his. I never noticed that my hand was so small. You can't even see it in his hand. I look in my lap, shame written in my face, and Kai uses his free hand to make me stare at him.

"I don't know who hurt you. I don't know what happened that night, but I want you to know, to understand this: Harriet and I are here for you if you ever need someone to talk to," he says softly. His eyes are filling up with tears, and my own eyes do the same. Some hidden duct decided to work today. His lips are chapped but soft as they plant a kiss on my forehead. Kai brushes some hair from my face, and I stand up shakily.

His arm holds me up from my armpits as he leads me to the cafeteria, where Luca Richards is waiting for me to return. So are my friends, although I push them away to protect them. Harriet and Kai are real friends, and I don't deserve them. The salty tears burn my scabby, dry lips as they make their way down my cheeks. My throat is parched from throwing up my meal yet again.

Before we enter the room where everyone evaluates you as a friend, enemy, or loser, Kai lifts my face again. His lips touch mine, and shocks-sparks-shoot up my spine. My ears burn as I stand there, perfectly paralyzed. My cheeks turn red as Kai breaks the kiss. His cheeks are a deep red, and his ears have become a scarlet color.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time, Mickey," he mutters before leading me into the vast room. Nobody looks up at our return, and I shakily walk to the table, where Luca glares at me. I sit down, keeping my head down. His words of hatred and insults are drowned out by my heartbeat pounding in my head. It's a good thing he doesn't know about the kiss.