My eyes widen from disbelief and anger. I contemplate standing up and leaving with Jean, but I'd rather hear what Kai has to say for randomly leaving me alone in a completely new universe.
"Wait," I say to Jean, holding up a hand. I cross my arms despite Kai's blindness, but I'm sure he can tell what I'm feeling anyways. "What's your fucking excuse this time?" I say in a low voice.
Kaiholo sighs heavily, causing Jean to sit back down curiously.
"I have my reasons, but I can't tell you them right now. Just know that Tyler didn't choose that building's garage randomly, okay?"
He fidgets his thumbs, turning in Jean's direction.
"Same with the forest, I…" He pauses, running a hand through his hair. "I made sure Yuki and Celia would find you."
He looks down shamefully, whispering his next words.
"I couldn't be with you the whole time, but I couldn't leave you alone."
I stiffen, eyes flickering to Jean as I realize I lied to him before about what I remembered. There's no way he'll forgive me for that. Maybe he didn't notice? No, he had to. I never mentioned a Yuki or a Celia.
I look back to Kai, going back and forth between feeling guilty for yelling at him and angry for his secrets. "I appreciate that, I do, but it still doesn't make up for the fact that I am still just as confused as before," I mutter, the edge in my voice slowly dissolving. I take another sip of my drink.
Jean exchanges glances with you and Kaiholo, his expression unreadable.
"Who is he talking about, Jenny?" He mutters, eyeing the man suspiciously.
Kaiholo continued, ignoring Jean.
"I had to keep you in the dark because you couldn't handle the truth the way I thought you could."
"I'll explain to you later, Jean, I promise," I say, then turn my head back to Kai. "You said that last time. Now why are you here and how did you know where to find us?" I demand, wanting to go home and watch T.V. or something distracting.
Jean turns to you, noticing your growing agitation towards Kaiholo.
"Should we leave, Jenny?" He mutters, walking over to stand next to you on Kaiholo's side.
Kaiholo sighed, exasperated. "It's not a matter of I know, it's-" He shook his head, looking down as he rubs his head.
"It's not a matter of I know, it's-" Kai says, troubled.
I ignore Jean, my expression turning into fear - or intrigue. I suddenly lean in and whisper, "Is it her?"
Kaiholo turned his head away from you, nodding ever so slightly that you almost didn't notice. He was fidgeting, too. He shifted his weight onto the other foot, running his hands through his hair.
"We can't talk about her too often, but…" He exhales heavily. "Yes, I've been using her."
I nod, trying to wrap my mind around his words. Technically, she was making him use her. I blink a few times as if that would help me process anything.
"So why are you here?" I ask, hoping to get a somewhat good answer.
Kaiholo goes quiet for a moment, causing Jean to look at you with deep concern. You look back at Kaiholo and…is he blushing?
"I just wanted to check up on you. I got worried." His words were gentle and soft, as if he was saying more than what he spoke.
"I just wanted to check up on you. I got worried," he says, which s w o o ns ya girl and now she forgives the poor boy.
I touch his arms to comfort him. "I'm fine. Jean's been taking care of me. Are you okay? I take it you won't tell me where you've been this whole time?"
Kaiholo shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head disappointedly.
"I'm sorry, I don't want her to know."
He whispers, turning to Jean.
"Please take care of her, and stay out of trouble." He turns back to you and gives you a solemn nod.
"I have to go again, I'll see you soon, Jen." He pauses, as if he was going to say something else, but proceeded to turn and walk away, causing you to notice Tyler was standing just within earshot, leaning against a wall and smoking a cigarette. He was watching you and Jean the whole time.
I wave him goodbye, sort of confused because technically, she already knows. He and Tyler head somewhere else, disappearing once again. I stand up and pick up my drink, facing Jean now. "Let's go, for real this time." We go back to the parking lot, but Jean decides to pull a cigarette out of his pocket. I raise my eyebrows, already thinking about coughing. "Um, could you… not?"
Jean pauses with his eyes fixated on you, his expression unreadable and the lighter sitting in front of the cigarette in his mouth. The slow realization in his eyes communicated quite a few emotions as he furrowed his brow at you.
"Yeah, you're going to have to get used to this. Plus, can you blame me, after whatever that shit was? I thought you lost your fucking memory." He muttered the last part under his breath as he flicked the lighter on, holding it above the cigarette until it lit. He leans against the wall of the building, looking away from you as he exhaled the smoke.
I take a step back, rolling my eyes. The smell irritates my nose after he exhales a puff. I take another step back.
"To be fair, I did lose my memory. I just lied about when I really woke up. But, I doubt you'd believe me. It'd just sound like some stupid story I made up anyway," I scoff, realizing how ridiculous switching universes sounds. And he believes in free-will, so my story won't make any sense to him. Jean will only think I'm crazy. I cross my arms, waiting for him to finish his smoke.
Jean eventually finishes, the rest of the smoke being silent, as he drops the cigarette on the ground and crushes it with his foot.
"Let's go."
He mutters, heading to the car. As he gets in, he starts the car, but turns to you.
"Was that Kai? What's his deal?" He asks, looking at you instead of backing out of his parking space. It was evident he wasn't going anywhere until you answered him.
I flinch when he says Kai, even though I know he doesn't know Kai's full name. I flicker my eyes to Jean for a split second, but proceed to keep my gaze at the car in front of us. He watches me expectantly.
"I told you already. He was apparently my friend or something in the past, I don't know. If it wasn't clear enough, he likes to hide everything from me. Can we please go?" I snap, exhaustion creeping up on me once again.
Jean gazes at you for a few moments, completely still before turning back to the wheel and backing out.
-
The drive home was quiet, but as the time went on, it grew to be a comfortable quiet. The tension in the air from the parking lot stayed at the parking lot and by the time you two got home, your moods had improved. As you walk into the house, you notice that Anubis is home, playing with Prince. He turns to you and Jean.
I snicker, smiling to Jean. "If pampering me with clothes is killing me then consider me dead. Would you like to see Jean's new sweater?" I suggest. I hold up the bag, pulling the stupid little cat sweater out and showcasing it to Anubis.
His expression makes me laugh. "Jean? Wearing something other than his infamous blue piece of shit? You've changed," Anubis teases.
Jean rolled his eyes at the both of you, Anubis standing from the seat in front of the piano. Hmmmm wonder what he was playing ',:).
"And what about you, Ms. GG? What did you get?"
He grinned, his sly eyes rolling back up to Jean as Jean's face grew red, despite his efforts to hide it.
My eyes widen at the tease. Oh OO K oOH oko aa Y ok oh ok oyeah ok . ok.
"Um, well," I stutter. I pull out my clothes from the bag, but sort of fail due to being overly flustered. I hold up each item. "Jean picked it. Can you believe it? He has a sense of style!" I gasp, getting yet another eye roll from Jean. "Sorry we didn't get you anything, but I assume that Jean's shit fits you too."
"ya im wearing his underwear rn"