a/n
i'm so sorry i haven't updated in forever🥺. i haven't had a lot of inspo for this book bc i feel like no ones reading it and i've been working on my other kai fic. (it's called Void. shameless plug🤪)

you might have to skim through the previous two chapters to kinda refresh ur memory on what's happening if it's been a while since u first read.

enjoy! and thank u for waiting💖😌

CHAPTER THREE
[3]

song: everybody wants to rule the world by tears for fears

THE CAFETERIA is a cacophony of loud chatter, each table a cosseted huddle of people raising their voices to be heard above the din. The food is secondary to the information that is exchanged here. Over the over-salted fries alliances are formed and gossip traded like poker chips.

As Daisy stands in the queue for her plate of nothing fresh, she casts her eyes about as if in a wandering daydream, but really she's taking note of who's associating with who these days.

After getting her tray she heads outside to meet Jen at the outdoor tables. Sitting at the outdoor tables was something only the upperclassmen got to do— it wasn't a written rule, but the freshman and sophomores knew the shit they'd get in if they tried to sit outside.

Daisy sits her tray down beside Jen and huffs. "I did not miss this food." She spoke, preparing herself to eat.

"Here." Jen scoots her cup of fresh fruit that her mom packed her toward Daisy. Daisy smiles softly at Jen before popping a grape in her mouth and looking around to observe. "She just thinks she's so cute, doesn't she?" Jen says sarcastically.

Daisy follows Jen's gaze towards Carol and the rest of the cheer team, who were all propped up on one of the tables. "Carol gave me the nastiest look in my first period today." Daisy says.

"She's just jealous that Tommy's obsessed with you and not her." Jen scoffs. "You should rejoin the cheer team again just to spite her."

Daisy shakes her head and turns back to her food. "That's not my thing anymore." When she gets no response, she looks up to see Jen's wide eyed gaze focused on something behind Daisy.

"Hey, Jen." A familiar voice spoke.

Daisy hesitantly turned around to see Tommy standing behind her. She felt her heart practically sink into her ass as his eyes met hers. "Hendrix." He spoke with a smile.

"Hi." Daisy responded.

"You going to the game Friday?" Tommy asks.

Daisy glances at Jen— and back to Tommy. "Uh— yes. Yeah."

Tommy smiles faintly. "Good." He said. "Wait up for me afterwards." He lingered a bit— before sending them both another smile and walking back off to the football table. Carol's gaze burned into Daisy's skin as she turned back around to face Jen.

"Oh my god what am I so awkward for?" Daisy swallowed harshly.

"I've seen worse." Jen reassured her. "You're actually going to the game, right?"

Daisy shrugged. "I don't know that's—"

"—not really my thing?" Jen finished her sentence. "Stop being edgy for one night because you might have the chance to hook up with Tommy Joseph."

"Woah who said anything about hooking up?!" Daisy's eyes widened. "He probably just wants to talk for a bit. Or— take a picture— because our moms are friends— or—"

"Or he wants to take you to the party afterwards." Jen shrugs, forking a strawberry and shoving it in her mouth.

Daisy sighs, subtly turning around to catch another glance at Tommy. He was your typical jock— tall and muscular with a little more pride than you would want in a boy, but that was expected for someone who was so good at his sport.

As Daisy turned back, she caught a glance at Kai, who was sat across from his sister. He was reading a book with his headphones off while his sister awkwardly fumbled with her hands.

Daisy frowned a bit and turned back to Jen. "I gave her her tour this morning." Jen nods towards Josette. "Seems nice. I feel bad for her though— her brother seems like a total dickweed."

"Yeah, they moved in next door." Daisy says.

"Wait— I overheard my mom talking to yours about them—" Jen says, connecting the dots. "Apparently they move around literally all the time and it's always because of some freak disaster." Jen glances at them and back to Daisy. "They also have like five sets of twins in the family. Super weird."

Daisy turns back to examine Kai. His stature— the way he pays no mind to his sister's obvious discomfort, or the fact that people are spewing footballs over his head and he doesn't even flinch.

"We should ask her to sit with us tomorrow." Jen says. Daisy turns back to face her. "I feel bad."

Daisy shrugs. "Sure."

—

Metal scraping against metal filled Daisy's ears as George cut the steak on his plate. She tapped her foot anxiously as the sound made her want to scream.

Daisy, Allison, Susan, George, and George's son, Michael, sat around the dining room table for their nightly family dinner. Daisy wished Susan would stop calling it that, because George and Michael were most definitely not her family.

"So, how was school Daisy?" George asks with a full mouth, breaking the silence.

Daisy takes a deep breath. "Fine." She shrugs. "Just went over the rubrics and stuff."

"Cool, cool." George nods happily, trailing off. "I got a call today about a missing dog, so." He shrugs. "That was my day." He struggled to make conversation. "Dinner's great, Susan."

Susan smiled. "Thank you, honey." She smiled sweetly towards George.

"Did you show Josette Parker around the school? Help her feel comfortable?" Susan asked Daisy. "I cant even imagine how scary it must be to go to a whole new school your senior year. If I were her parents I would just—"

"Jen did." Daisy interrupts her to keep her from going off on a tangent. "Jen's a student ambassador."

"Oh." Susan nods. "Why don't you do that? Allison was a student ambassador."

Daisy clenches her jaw and glances at Allison and back to her mother. "Because I have better things to do."

"Like what?" Allison scoffs. "Smoke in the bathrooms?"
Daisy snaps her head back towards Allison with an angry look on her face.

"Daisy Hendrix!" Susan says sternly. "Do you smoke? On school property?"

"No." Daisy responds.

"Tell that you your stash of weed in your bra drawer." Allison mutters.

"Are you going through my fucking stuff?" Daisy yells.

"Language." George says quietly.

"You're smoking weed?!" Susan widens her eyes.

"I told you to stay out of my room you prick!" Daisy shouts at Allison.

"What's a prick?" Michael mutters to his father quietly.

"I was looking for my clothes that you stole!" Allison says, proud of the trouble she'd gotten Daisy in. "Hide it better next time maybe."

"Where did you even get it?!" Susan flails her arms out frustratedly.

Daisy turns from Allison to her mother. "May I be excused?" She asks sarcastically.

"Absolutely not." Susan shakes her head.

Daisy stands up from the table, her chair makes a loud squeaking sound as she pushes it out from behind her and walks out of the dining room.

"Daisy!" Susan yells, watching her daughter head upstairs. "Daisy Elizabeth!"

Daisy trudges up the stairs and up to her room, shutting and locking her door behind her. She walks over to her dresser and pulls out her tin of blunts from her bra drawer.

She walks over to her desk, that was sat under a window, and pulls out a thick book from one of the drawers. Opening it to the section of pages that she'd carved a hole in to hide stuff.

She moves her little bags of pills she'd gotten this summer, but never taken. She was told it was a mixture of acid tabs and molly, but she didn't really know, and was too nervous to try them. She kept them if she ever needed to make some extra cash.

Daisy places the tin in the book and shuts it, hiding it back in her drawer.

She glances up out the window, only to see Kai looking out his window which was directly across from hers. She stiffened immediately as her gaze met his.

Kai smirked, and Daisy flipped him off, shutting her blinds in his face.