She's weird

The morning of the next day. The teacher enters the classroom saying: "Good morning, guys. Oh... I'm glad to see you all came for today's test." She surveys the class, seeing an empty desk. "Almost everyone..." She corrects herself and looks at some papers on the desk, then continues talking. "Do you know why Howard is absent? Of all days just today... Usually she’s a very diligent student..." A buzz rises in the classroom, until someone says:

"She wrote to me just now saying she has a cold."

"Who's Howard? Wait, it's Barbara?" Ken asks Will softly.

"Yes, it's her." Will doesn't correct Ken's mistake of confusing his classmate's name because he thinks it's funny.

"If it's just a cold, she'll have to make up for her check tomorrow. You know I'll be leaving shortly. Who can deliver these to her this afternoon?" The teacher shows some papers.

What if she was really hurt yesterday? Was I wrong to leave her alone? I should have at least walked her home... Seeing a couple of girls raise their hand, he does the same.

"Me!!" He waves his arm.

After a couple of seconds of amazement, the teacher accepts. "Since Douglas wants to do it so much, let's have him do it." The class giggles. It's unusual for Ken to actively volunteer to do something in class so she's glad he wants to do something nice for a classmate she's never seen him socialize with.

* * *

After classes, Will and Ken are waiting for Briar who’s gone to the bathroom.

"Why did you offer to do a favor for a girl whose name you don't even know?" Will asks him.

"Isn't her name Rosanna? No, it begins with 'b', right? Was it Bethany?"

"Do you have a problem with long names or something?"

"Maybe?" Briar comes out of the bathroom.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting." The three continue walking towards the exit, where the others should be waiting.

"You know..." Ken doesn't finish the sentence.

"No, I don't know."

"...It could have been guilt that made me do it."

"Do you even know where she lives?" Ken doesn't answer, realizing he doesn't know. Briar bursts out laughing.

"I can help with that." They say after the uproarious laughter.

"Do you know where she lives?" Ken asks raising an eyebrow. "Are you friends?"

"Huh? No. I'll ask someone who knows everything about everyone." They show them their phone and message someone.

"Isn't that illegal?"

"I don't think so? Anyway. I sent you the location." Ken and Will exchange a look.

"Oh, it's not very far on foot." Ken comments after opening the position. "I can get there now."

"And your brothers?"

"I'll tell mom I have to do the teacher a favor so she'll have to go get them." He smiles satisfied with his 'excuse'.

"Until tomorrow!" The three friends say their goodbyes before Ken passes them.

At the exit he finds Ghalen and Brayton talking to each other and Nora not far away drinking from the fountain. He greets them quickly and when they ask why he's in a hurry, he replies that Will and Briar would explain everything. Following the directions it takes about 25-30 minutes to reach his destination, only because he got stuck in pedestrian traffic. His school is located not far from the city center, as is his home, but her house is right in the city center. In fact, he's not surprised when he arrives at a building taller than his home that contains an apartment complex.

I don't know what floor her apartment is on and it's not humanly possible I can control them all. Without thinking twice, he takes the phone and calls Briar asking for the information he needs.

5th floor? It's very high. At least there's an elevator he can safely use. It seems strange to him that in a large building like this he hasn't seen a single person, having lived all his life in an area full of warm and welcoming neighbors. Once he finds the apartment with her surname, which he had asked Briar to tell him during the phone call, he rings the bell. After waiting a couple of minutes with no answer, he rings again. He gets no response this time either.

Is she not at home? He thinks, texting Briar asking for her phone number. They joke about how she will become his next target before sending him her contact. Ken doesn't think twice before calling her; he went to the trouble of going to her house and in one way or another he was going to give her those papers. He hears a phone ring just behind the door, and a thud follows. A few seconds of silence before the door is opened barely revealing Rebecca's face and even less of the rest of her body.

"S-sorry for keeping you waiting, I was sleeping..." She avoids his gaze, keeping her eyes at his feet.

"Don't worry. You're sick after all. The teacher asked to bring you these and said you need to make up for today's test as soon as possible." He opens his backpack, taking and handing over the packet of papers given to him by the teacher.

"Ah...! The test! I forgot about it." Her brow furrows as she takes the papers and their fingers touch by accident. Rebecca doesn't seem to notice, while Ken almost shivers at how cold the hand that touched him is. He looks at her closer and notices dark circles under her eyes and her shiny skin. She’s sweating despite being in a tank top and shorts. She notices his gaze on her and hides behind the door again, while Ken looks at the spot on her knee where the bruise should be to find a Band-Aid.

"T-thanks. See you tomorrow then..." She grabs the doorknob to close it but Ken speaks before she can.

"Did you ate?"

"W-what...?"

"I'll cook you something."

"You don't have to! M-my parents are coming back... uh..." She starts sweating more.

"Then I'll wait for them, is it okay for you?"

"Uh... uhm..." She's visibly in trouble and Ken lets out a small laugh but realizes he was being rude and quickly clears his throat.

"Just kidding. I don't want to make you any more uncomfortable than you already are..." He chuckles nervously. She staggers slightly and he opens his arms to catch her in case she loses her balance, which she does. She rests her head on his shoulder, he reflexively grabs her shoulders and pulls her away to look at her face. He stares into her narrowed bright green eyes.

"Are you sure you're all right? Are you sure you don’t have a fever?"

"W-well... maybe I'm not so well... huh..."

"Can I come in?"

"N-no?"

"Excuse me!" Still holding her by the shoulders, he spins her around and gently pushes her into the apartment, closing the door behind him with his foot.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Where is your room?"

"H-huh?!"

"You have to rest if you want to recover and regain the energy needed to kick me out. You’re so weak that if I had been a stranger I could have easily kidnapped you."

"After you put me to bed what will you do?!"

"I'll make you lunch!"

"D-don't talk about it!" With a sharp movement she takes her hands off his shoulders and turns to face him; her angry expression changes to a slightly anxious one.

"I-I mean... do as you wish..." She sighs as he lets out a big smile and starts pushing her again.

"But I'll be in the kitchen with you…"

"Alright!" She leads him to her kitchen, where he forces her to sit down and looks around studying it.

"Ah, I forgot to wash the dishes yesterday. Let me-"

"I'm used to seeing a little clutter. And don't worry about the utensils, I'll make a simple soup so I'll only need a pot and some cutlery. Excuse me for making myself at home." He opens the fridge to look for vegetables for the broth.

"I'm not even a great cook, I only know how to prepare a little something because I'm the only one who can help mom."

"Mh..."

"You don't like to talk, huh?"

"N-no, uh, I mean..."

"That's fine! I like to talk. And I need someone to listen."

"...Okay." Rebecca wouldn't have said anything anyway because she doesn't like the 'family' talk.

"You know, I have four younger brothers so when they get sick I always make them soup or something warm. I could say it's one of the few foods I can prepare with my eyes closed. Dad was very old and he left us a few years ago so mom has to take care of our family..." He takes a sip of the soup to make sure it's ready, puts it on a plate and sets it in front of her along with a spoon.

"Eat while it's still hot... or would you rather be fed~?" She doesn't answer but quickly takes a spoonful of soup and brings it to her mouth, swallowing immediately because the soup is burning her mouth. He chuckles to her carelessness. She continues to eat heartily.

"Slow down, the soup doesn't go anywhere." She gradually begins to slow down the pace.

"Good girl. Eat it all."

A few minutes after Ken watches her eat the soup, he notices how hard it is for her to keep her eyes open. She's kind of like a puppy, he thinks.

"I-it's getting late! You have to go!" She gets up from her chair waiting for him to do the same to escort him to the door.

"It's barely four in the afternoon." As soon as he gets up, she pushes him on his back towards the exit.

"Exactly, it's late. Thanks for the papers and the meal. See you tomorrow." She opens the door and invites him out.

"See you tomorrow-" She gives a fake smile and closes the door.

She's weird too.