"Well, Koi, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Koi knew he was going to sound like a dork, but he couldn't think of any better excuse.
'"My mommy taught me that spell?" Koi said, still looking up at the ceiling.
Ethan snorted a laugh. Adam rolled his eyes and sat back in the chair. Diaz let loose a frustrated sigh.
"I see," He didn't sound much convinced, but the tone of his voice kind of indicated he was ready to drop it.
"The only problem I have," Professor Diaz continued. "Is this isn't the first incident I've had between you, Koi, and Adam Kirage. It seems like at the beginning of the semester, the two of you were having trouble getting along. And now the two of you, along with Ethan here, nearly destroyed the school's tennis court."
Koi had almost nothing to do with the battle on the tennis courts. It was Adam and Ethns fight. Koi tried to help them out, really, because Carrot urged him to. He couldn't care less if these two destroyed each other.
And it's not that he didn't like Adam; he liked the sophomore very much, in fact. It's just that Adam didn't seem to like him much. Koi knew he outta not to be so sensitive to the boy, since Adam didn't like much of anybody. But he couldn't help it. The boy's rude comments and crude behavior unnerved him…and now was not the time for Koi to get "Unnerved".
It was sad, though, because Adam was actually the first person Koi had met when he came to Menzai. He had just walked off the plane that had brought him to the tiny island from Japan. He was to be picked up promptly at 2:00 by staff people from Menzai Academy. When he got to the terminal, he found who he would come to know as Chief Eads of the Advanced Science Department awaiting him. Chief Eads was a tall, very built black man with a bald head and peculiar eyes that were two different colors. One eye was a bright, almost golden-colored hazel; the other eye was a dark brown that looked almost black. Accompanying him that day to the airport was his most favorite, most headstrong student. A young mech pilot named Adam Kirage.
Koi thought he was a little white boy at first. He had brown hair that was cut short and neat. Big brown eyes, strange, cut tight and almondy. His smile was a boyish, mischievous type of smile.
It shocked Koi when Adam spoke to him in Japanese. Adams hinted exotic features came from the fact that he was, in fact, a mixture of a Caucasian mother and a Japanese father.
Apparently, Menzai Academy had forgotten to tell the duo that Koi spoke English just fine, and Koi sat confused as Eads would say a phrase and have Adam translate it. It was funny, though, how Adam would begin the translations by saying in Japanese, "The bald jackass would like to know if you had an enjoyable trip?" or "This son of a farting Kangaroo would like to know what part of Japan you're from?" Koi would laugh and play along by answering in Japanese. A couple of times, Adam would completely change the message. Like when Eads asked if Koi would like some McDonald's, Adam translated it into Japanese to mean "The man with the water tank head wants to know if you'd like to lick his toes for good luck in Menzai."
Koi couldn't contain his laughter. Chief Eads suspected Adam had said something he shouldn't have and began play-fighting with him when he stopped at the red light. Koi finally told them that he spoke English just fine, and the whole car was lit up in laughter. Adam continued to interview him as Chief Eads talked to the administration on his cellphone.
Koi told him he had been taught English since childhood by his parents. Likewise, he found out Adams' father had hired a tutor to teach Adam Japanese when he was younger. Adam asked who's hot and who's not on the Tokyo music circuit. Koi couldn't really answer because he hadn't been "Exposed" to much of that while he was back home. Adam had no idea what he meant since what teenager hasn't been "Exposed" to the music of the times, at least to some degree? Koi didn't even know what rap music was. It had been 3 years since Adam himself had visited Japan. Koi noticed Adam didn't seem all that saddened by that.
When they reached the Academy, all Koi could think was that he was alone in some nightmareish circus. But Adam had stuck with him the whole day. Koi knew he couldn't have gotten a more knowledgeable tour guide. With only a semester under his belt, Kirage had began as the worst, most headstrong student in Chief Eads' division, to leading it as R-poc. An R-poc, Koi learned, is a sort of student general who was responsible for leading the division under Eads' discretion.
"You should have seen me when I first got here." Adams' voice was firm but young. He was almost two years Koi's Junior.
As they walked along the outside gate of the Mech field, Koi asked him what he meant by that. He didn't really answer but just said, "I was pretty fucked up, that's the best I can explain it."
Koi shrugged and kicked a stone. Adam apparently didn't want to talk much more about it, and Koi had had enough of this new world to digest for that day.
That day had been nearly a year ago. The very Monday after Koi's arrival, everything had changed. Slowly but surely, Adam broke away, ignored Koi, and excluded him from his life. Perhaps Koi had been naive to think they were bosom buddies or something just because Adam had shown him around the school, but it still seemed pretty harsh to him. It was sad, since Koi did feel some familiarity with him and a sense of safety. But now Adams' "Other" friends were also in the picture, and they apparently didn't think Koi was cool at all.
The friends were a group of delinquents who called themselves "Special ED". The ironic twist was that the group's supposed leader was a teen named Eddie Morn. In the very beginning, Koi had spent his lunches in the library, in awe of all the books on sorcery, witchcraft, and any subject you can imagine on the occult. One day, while visiting, he found Special Ed seated at a nearby table, laughing loudly and being extremely obnoxious.
The Librarian must've been out to lunch or something, because Adam, Buck, Eddie, and Charles were loudly making crude jokes and talking about girls, TV shows, and wrestling. Eddie, the bald-headed menace dressed in army fatigues, drinking a cola, took a break from competing with Buck, his best friend, in a belching contest, to finally notice Koi.
Adam was still laughing when Eddie's wild blue eyes landed on Koi.
"Yo…" Eddie's frigid stare didn't break; Koi didn't dare look over in his direction.
"What…in the blue hell…is that?"
Adams' face tightened, but he said nothing. Koi was suddenly aware that he had eight eyes on him.
Crap.
"It's a…it's a…" Charles started
"Is it a guy or a girl?" Eddie asked.
"It's a gay homosexual." Buck spat.
"How can a homosexual…be more gay?" Eddie asked.
"It's a transsexual transvestite."
"That's like saying someone's a…" Charles was still blanking out.
Buck was laughing wildly.
"It's a homosexual, hermaphrodite." Buck continued.
"It's a sick little fairy that needs prayer." Adam completed.
Everyone at the table was laughing now. Eddie and Adam calmed themselves down enough to put their hands together and bow their heads as if actually praying for Koi's soul.
Koi shut his eyes, not wanting to remember what happened next because Dark Koi had come out to play at that moment. The Koi who did very, bad things...borderline SICK things.