Suddenly, Victor stopped walking, and Kota and Silas paused to wait for him.
In the split second after they stopped, Victor lunged forward as Sang crashed into him. He stumbled a half step. His face turned bright red. She backed up, quickly covering her mouth a little with her fingers.
“Christ, you scared me. I was just wondering where you’d gone.” He touched the back of his neck, raising an eyebrow and looking very confused.
Silas wasn’t really sure what happened, since Kota had been in the way. How bad did she crash into him? Did she accidentally bite him or something?
“Sorry,” Sang said. “I didn’t mean to be following you so closely.”
“You shouldn’t be walking behind us,” Kota said.
Silas agreed with him. They were supposed to be showing her a good time, and they were walking off without her. “Yeah,” he said. “Come on. Walk with us up here.”
He reached out, taking her wrist to urge her to walk next to them.
She winced, but he had barely touched her. He thought again that maybe he was scaring her... until he noticed the bandage at her wrist.
Silas reconsidered why she was here. The bandage... and why Kota was being so mysterious about her. “Who did this to you?” Silas asked. With the things they did in the Academy, he fully expected the worst answer.
Her eyes widened just a little, like she didn’t want to say.
“It was Max,” Kota said. “He jumped on her, and she didn’t expect it.”
Kota answering for her reminded him that he wasn’t supposed to be asking too many questions.
If it was the dog... so what? What was the big deal?
But Max would have never jumped on someone without Kota requesting it. If the Max part was true, it seemed likely Kota was the one to ask Max to jump on her.
Since her face was turning red, Silas put the questions aside. “I’m sorry if I hurt you,” he said.
“I’m fine,” she said, although she avoided looking at him.
He wanted to express some sympathy for whatever she was going through. Whatever was going on, she could trust them. Only she didn’t know it. Yet.
So maybe that was what this was about. Show her a good time, build some trust.
This time, Silas reached for her elbow. He barely touched it and simply urged her to stand next to him.
She did so, and seemed a little relieved after. Victor and Kota stood on his other side. When Kota started moving again, they all walked together.
They followed the concourse. Silas wondered why he was the one reaching for Sang and getting her to stand next to him. It wasn’t like Kota and Victor were socially inept. Now Silas wasn’t sure about the interest level of Kota or Victor for her. Maybe this was simply a case of them helping her out.
He looked at her when she was distracted. Was she not their type? She was pretty. He knew not to try to get involved with a girl if she was in trouble. It was sometimes problematic. But somehow, it felt like the guys had zero interest in her at all, just by the way they were behaving.
“Where are we going?” Sang asked after they passed by a few more shops.
“We’re going to get fitted for some new suits,” Victor said casually.
Silas held back a grunt. It wasn’t exactly a normal thing to do. Or maybe it didn’t feel normal because he knew the real reason they needed to do this today.
She glanced at them. “All of you?”
Silas bit his tongue, and when Kota and Victor nodded, he did the same. He was hoping she wouldn’t read too much into it.
“Are these school clothes?” She scratched a little at the bandage on her wrist.
Now Silas wished they had warned him about her before coming over. How much had they told her about the Academy, if at all? Did they tell her it was a school, so she assumed that was what the suits were for?
Or was she talking about the public school they’d be going to? Since she lived in Kota’s neighborhood, she was most likely enrolled there.
Silas shoved his hands into his pockets. He wasn’t going to answer. He couldn’t tell her the real reason they needed them. He left it up to Victor and Kota.
“Sort of,” Kota said. “Just for the nicer events. We thought it’d be easier to get it done now instead of when all those formal dances start happening.”
Silas shot a look at Kota and at Victor. Their eyes were wide. They were not the best liars. No one should believe that.
Still, she didn’t say anything. She didn’t seem happy with the answer either. Silas didn’t blame her.
The men’s clothing store was opened as they approached. There were wide glass displays out front, with dark mannequins posing against a white backdrop. They wore variations of different suits.
The store was a sea of displays and racks of men’s suits, mannequins and neatly folded shirts, ties and pants. Dark colors dominated.
Kota sought out an attendant and approached him to check in for their appointment.
Silas and Victor lingered behind with Sang.
Silas stepped in front of her to get her attention and dug his hands into his pockets. “Did you want to go look around somewhere else?” Maybe they should’ve just canceled this appointment.
“Have her stay,” Victor said. Silas looked at him, but Victor was looking purposefully at Sang. “There’s usually a couch or something around here.”
That didn’t sound like a good time. “I don’t want her to get bored,” Silas said.
“She won’t be bored.” Victor stepped closer to her, his eyes widening. “Do you have a phone on you?”
She shook her head, and then her cheeks turned pink again.
Silas wanted to comment that she didn’t have to be embarrassed for not having a cell phone. He hadn’t even had one until a year ago. Victor was the one that insisted he carry one around. There was no way to really word the comment, though, without possibly embarrassing her more, so he didn’t say anything.
Victor reached into his back pocket. “See, Silas? If she walked off, we would have to hunt her down. I don’t want to lose her.”
Lose her in a mall? It didn’t seem like a great reason for her to have to stick around. However, when Sang didn’t say anything to the contrary, Silas dropped it. Maybe she wanted to stay close.
Victor passed her his cell phone. “Play some Angry Birds. Download whatever app you want. We won’t be long.”
She took his iPhone into her hands carefully and press the phone to her chest.
Victor’s phone probably had a few Academy things inside. How could he trust her with it? Silas clamped his mouth shut.
The more he thought about this whole thing, the more confused he was about it. He wasn’t sure how to talk about this with Kota or Victor. However, he did need a lot of clarification.
If they were going to be around her, and they had to be careful around her, he needed to know what he could say and what he couldn’t.
3
Silas trailed behind Victor and Kota as the attendant led them to the back of the store and into a hallway. Along the left side was a line of dressing rooms with oak-framed, frosted glass doors. The lights were off behind most of them, and they appeared empty. It was highly possible they were the first ones in, as Kota wanted.
Further down, the last dressing room was bigger in size. They entered, and Silas flinched at first when spotting the surrounding mirrors and themselves reflected an infinite number of times. One paneled wall close to the door was the only plain wall, and that had hooks for clothing.
The attendant wore dark slacks and a black top. There was no name badge, but his face looked familiar. It was very possible Silas had been here before. Gabriel liked to work with the same people.
“So,” the attendant said, “shall we do this one at a time, or all at once?”
“All at once is fine,” Kota said.
“Right,” the attendant said and looked down at his clipboard. “I already have sizes here. But do you want me to double check th
e accuracy?”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Kota said. “Those measurements were from six months back.”
The attendant partially lifted his head to respond when he stopped and refocused on his clipboard. “You already have suits picked out?”
“Yes, there should be one for each of us. Untailored, but that’s why we’re here. So this shouldn’t take too long.”
The attendant probably had a spiel about brands that were on sale and was ready to make suggestions. However, the cost of the suits Gabriel selected weren’t cheap, so there was little to complain about. They were pretty much a guaranteed sale.
“Sounds good.” The attendant put his clipboard under his arm and nodded to Kota and then the rest of them. “I can run and get those suits. If you don’t mind, if you’re wearing anything bulky, remove it. I’ll be right back.”
The attendant left the room. Silas always found it amusing when adults—in this case, the attendant seemed to be at least thirty years old—did what Kota said, since Kota appeared to be no more than sixteen. It might be his job, but he had every reason to believe they were just horsing around, especially without a parent or someone around who could afford the expense of the suits... as they’d all be put on the same bill.
And that was probably why Gabriel liked using this guy. He didn’t ask questions.
Silas patted at his hips, indicating his jeans. “Are these considered bulky?”
“Most likely,” Kota said. “Usually in the crotch area.”
Victor snorted a laugh.
Silas grinned but then remembered he hadn’t worn underwear that day. He’d forgotten with Theo lurking in the hallway. “I may just need to get measured instead of trying something on,” he said. “Whatever Gabriel picked out is fine.”
“If you want,” Victor said. He removed his white shirt and stuck it on a hook. “I trust Gabriel’s judgment, but I still want to see what he’s picked out. Sometimes it can be a little too over the top.”
Silas wasn’t sure what would be over the top about a suit. He glanced at Kota. “So, about Sang...”
“What about her?” Kota asked, although as he said it, his cheeks turned a little red. He also avoided looking at Silas.
Silas raised an eyebrow. “Are those bandages really from Max?”
“Yes.”
“... So was it an accident?”
Kota frowned and slightly lowered his head. “Not exactly, but she doesn’t know that. She thinks it was an accident. Don’t mention anything about Max.”
“I don’t get it,” Silas said. He ran his fingers along his jawline. “What’s going on?”
Victor walked toward the corner of the mirror, peering into the long line of Victors staring back. “Kota thinks she’s in trouble. We need to get her to trust us.”
“What kind of trouble?” Silas asked. Then he paused. “I just can’t picture what getting your dog to jump on her would do if she were in trouble.”
“You would have done it, too, if you had been there.” Kota was still looking away, but his hands turned into fists.
Silas hesitated, unsure if he was angry about the situation or just determined. “Why?” Silas asked. “I don’t understand.”
“She was going to run off. Not from me, but just run off... From home.” Kota turned to him. “It’s a long story. I don’t think we have enough time to explain it here. Just please go along with it for now. Be friendly with her. We’re trying to get her to trust us so she’ll tell us what’s going on, like why she wanted to run away.”
Sang tried to run away from home, had a dog jump on her, now she was at the mall with strangers, and she was left alone with one cell phone in a men’s clothing store. Silas scratched at his head just behind his ear. “How do you know she’s not going to run off now?”
“She won’t.”
“Are you sure?” Silas asked.
“It’s okay,” Victor said. “I gave her my cell phone. If she goes anywhere, we can track her.”
“If she takes it with her,” Silas said. “She was trying to run away from home before, right? We just gave her a ride and several miles of a head start. Are you sure she’s not going to just take off now?”
Victor and Kota exchanged glances. Before anybody could say anything else, the attendant returned. He carried three suits and hung them on the hooks next to the door. “This is a very fine set of suits,” he said.
“Yeah,” Kota said, and he blinked a few times. It wasn’t his usual elegant way of speaking.
Kota insisted on being the first one to get measured and then quickly put his suit on. His actually looked really good, and there was little the attendant suggested for tailoring.
The attendant stepped back a little to check it out on Kota’s body. “The black on black look. It doesn’t often look so nice. Depends on the body type and the suit maker. This is a good look for you, though.”
“Let me go check in with my girlfriend,” he said. “She’s waiting outside. She’ll have an opinion. I’ll be right back.”
Girlfriend? He was okay that Kota wanted to go check up on Sang, but what if the attendant went out there and repeated back something about her being Kota’s girlfriend? Would Sang be weirded out by that?
Kota didn’t seem to be thinking clearly today. Not calling off this appointment, not spending more time with Sang, and that seemed imperative.
Kota left. Victor was next in line to get measured. He held up his arms like a scarecrow and waited for the attendant to take all the measurements he needed.
“So...” Silas said. “Did he get any sleep last night?” He couldn’t continue to ask about Sang right now, but he wanted to know.
“Not sure,” Victor said quietly.
“Kota... just seems off.”
Victor looked over his shoulder. “He was up late. And when I got to his house, he was already up and dressed. I’ve got a feeling he was up before Erica.”
Kota’s mother worked strange shifts, so she could be up fairly early.
It wasn’t often that they were up late and then up early again. It didn’t seem to bother Kota with his thinking. Today, something just didn’t feel right.
And from Victor’s concerned expression, Silas was pretty sure he felt the same.
4
Silas and Victor were almost finished by the time Kota returned. Silas had gotten measured, but he insisted he didn’t need to try on the suit. He wasn’t in the mood anyway. He did hold it up against his body and absently approved of the look.
The attendant wasn’t happy with that, but he took down notes and didn’t pursue it any further.
Silas became quiet as Victor spoke with the attendant and finished up his requests for changes to the suit. Silas cross his arms over his chest, a move that Kota often criticized him over. He said it made him look intimidating. At the moment, he just wanted the appointment to be over.
The only injury Silas could see was the bandaged wrist. Bruises weren’t necessary to prove abuse. Not with them, and not with the Academy. However, while physical was obvious, the non-physical... more complicated to determine.
There was always the hope that Kota was wrong and she wasn’t in trouble, but he knew from the Academy that runaways, especially girls, were rare. Most, even while abused, stayed home. Not knowing where to get help, or not having someone to trust was usually the issue.
That alone made Sang unusual. If it was bad at home, she had her head on right to know to get away as a defensive measure.
Victor eventually was done and took off the suit, and Silas lingered behind with him. Kota left with the attendant, going over the checklist and figuring out the timeline when the suits would be delivered and to where.
“So,” Silas said. Something else was bugging him. Like why Kota didn’t call in the Academy for Sang? There had to be a reason he hadn’t immediately called in for help. “Does Kota like Sang?”
Victor sputtered. His eyes widened. “Did he tell you that?”
Silas rai
sed an eyebrow. “I wasn’t sure. I just got the feeling.”
“He just met her last night. Although, I get the feeling they aren’t a match.”
Silas chuckled. “If you just met her, how do you know?”
Victor shrugged. “Just a feeling.” He looked down as he dressed, avoiding looking at Silas.
This might get a little complicated. Kota was often blasé about girls. But if he met her first, there was a lingering guy code to at least give him a chance to figure it out.
But Victor’s weird phrasing and avoiding looking at Silas made him think Victor didn’t want to follow the guy code. “Do you think she is your type?” Silas asked.
Victor absently touched the back of his neck. “I don’t know what to think about her yet.”
This was different. Where Kota never talked about girls, Victor was always quick to dismiss them. He never got flustered about a girl. There had been many times, right in front of Silas, when a girl approached him. It was usually because they knew Victor. They knew he was rich, or they knew he was a famous piano player.
Victor often said it was because they knew of him, and not about him. The moment they talked about his family or his music without prompting, he knew. And with most girls, he was super careful. Victor rarely took compliments well. He never seemed to care about the attention. He’d say no when asked for his phone number. He knew several ways to shut a girl down if she asked for anything.
Sang didn’t give Victor doe eyes like other girls. Maybe she had enough of her own problems. She treated him no differently than Kota, distant, but with a shy curiosity.
Silas wasn’t sure what he thought about her either. “If you’re going to help her, we should all try to get to know her. We should let her connect with anyone, whoever she seems to trust faster.”
Victor reached for his own clothes, putting on his pants first. “That might be Kota. She met him first. Spent the night at his house.”
“That doesn’t mean anything. You can’t help feelings. She may have met Kota first, but she may feel connected to somebody else. Could be you or me, or maybe... I don’t know. Could be another girl. If you don’t want a runaway to run off, then she needs a strong reason to stay, a strong emotional connection to someone, right?”