> "They say 'all is fair in love and war.' They forgot to mention that sometimes the enemy is six-foot-two, smells like expensive gasoline, and has the audacity to be charming. I don't want peace. I want to slash his tires."
> — Maria's Notes, Entry #77
>
Part 1: The Ghost of Rejection Past
It has been three days since I confessed my undying, lesbian love to my best friend in a dusty library archive.
Three days since she "bro-zoned" me.
Three days since I found out about The Boyfriend.
You'd think things would be awkward. You'd think we would avoid eye contact (well, she would avoid it; I avoid it naturally). You'd think the friendship would wither and die like a houseplant in a basement.
But no. Yu-ri is... Yu-ri.
"And then," she says, her mouth full of a pork bun, "Grandma threw a slipper at the cat. But she missed and hit the TV. Now the screen has a crack in it that looks like a lightning bolt. It's aesthetic."
We are sitting on a bench outside the school gates. The autumn wind is biting.
I am eating a red bean bun. I hate red bean. But Yu-ri bought it for me, so I am eating it out of spite and devotion.
"YOUR GRANDMA IS A MENACE," I type.
"She's a national treasure," Yu-ri corrects. "Anyway, what are you doing this weekend? Kaito wants to go to the beach. He says the winter ocean is 'manly.' Do you want to come? You can hold the towels."
Kaito.
There it is. The name. The syllable that ruins my digestion.
Every time she says it, my stomach does a little flip. Not a good flip. A flip like I just swallowed a live goldfish.
"I DON'T WANT TO HOLD TOWELS FOR YOUR BOYFRIEND."
"He's not just a boyfriend," she sighs dreamily. "He's a partner. He fixed my toaster yesterday. It used to burn everything. Now it only burns the edges. That's love, Maria."
I roll my eyes behind my sunglasses.
I have constructed a mental image of this "Kaito." Based on Yu-ri's description, he is a mechanic. So, I assume he is greasy. He probably has dirt under his fingernails. He probably grunts instead of speaking. He probably thinks books are just heavy paperweights.
I hate him. I hate him with the fire of a thousand suns.
"HE SOUNDS LIKE A PRIMATE," I type.
Yu-ri laughs. "He is. But he's a cute primate. Like a gorilla that learned sign language."
Suddenly, the air changes.
A low rumble starts in the distance. It's not a car. It's deeper. More aggressive. It sounds like a mechanical beast gargling rocks.
VROOOOOOM.
The sound gets louder. It vibrates in the pavement. I can feel it in the soles of my shoes.
"Speak of the devil," Yu-ri says. Her voice changes pitch. It goes up. It gets... breathy.
Oh god. Don't tell me.
The noise stops right in front of us. The engine cuts, but the heat radiating from the machine hits my face.
And then, the smell.
It's not just grease. It's leather. It's high-octane fuel. It's a sharp, musky cologne that smells like sandalwood and trouble.
It smells... expensive.
"Yo," a voice says.
My brain stutters.
I expected a grunt. I expected a nasal whine.
This voice is deep. It's a baritone that you can feel in your chest cavity. It's smooth, like velvet wrapped around a brick.
Damn it.
He sounds hot.
Part 2: The Titan Arrives
I sit there, clutching my half-eaten bun. I refuse to look impressed. I am a statue of indifference.
"Kaito!" Yu-ri squeaks.
Squeaks?
The girl who punched a Vice Principal squeaks?
I hear the scuffle of boots on pavement. Heavy boots. Then, the sound of fabric rustling.
"I've been calling you," the Deep Voice says. "For twenty minutes. Where's your phone?"
"In my bag," Yu-ri stammers. "I didn't hear it! We were eating buns!"
"Buns?"
I feel the air shift. He is moving closer. He is standing right in front of us. He is blocking the wind. That means he is big. Wide. A wall of a human.
"You're ignoring me for a bean bun?" he asks. There's a teasing lilt to his voice, but underneath it, there's something else. Something possessive.
Suddenly, I hear a gasp.
"Kai-kun! Put me down!"
"No."
He picked her up. He literally just picked her up off the bench. I hear her feet dangling.
"You didn't answer," he says calmly. "So I came to collect."
"I'm not a package!" Yu-ri protests, but she's laughing. She's giggling. It's a disgusting sound. It sounds like happiness.
I sit there, the third wheel. The spare tire. The unwanted accessory.
I take a bite of my bun aggressively.
"Put her down," I say.
I don't use the tablet. I use my voice. My scratchy, rusty voice.
Silence.
The rustling stops.
"Oh?" The Deep Voice turns toward me. "So the ghost speaks."
I feel him step closer to me. I don't flinch. I stare straight ahead at where I assume his belt buckle is (based on his height).
"You must be Maria," he says.
"AND YOU MUST BE THE IDIOT," I type quickly.
Yu-ri gasps. "Maria! Be nice!"
"Hah!" Kaito laughs. It's a loud, booming sound. "I like her. She's got teeth."
I hear him set Yu-ri down. Then, the bench dips next to me. He sits down.
He is radiating heat like a furnace. He takes up too much space. His knee bumps mine. I pull my leg back.
"So," he says, leaning in. I can smell the sandalwood. It's intoxicating. I hate it. "I've heard a lot about you. Yu-ri doesn't shut up about you. 'Maria did this,' 'Maria is so smart,' 'Maria scared the piss out of the class rep.' I was starting to get jealous."
"GOOD."
"Jealous?" Yu-ri laughs nervously. "Don't be stupid, Kai. She's my best friend."
"Friend, huh?"
Kaito's voice drops. He leans closer to me. I can feel his breath on my ear.
"You know," he whispers, so only I can hear. "I know what you did in the library."
My blood runs cold.
He knows.
Did Yu-ri tell him? No, she wouldn't. She's loyal.
"She didn't tell me," he continues, reading my mind. "But I know. I can tell. You look at her the way I look at my bike."
He pulls back.
"But here's the thing, Shorty."
He reaches out. His hand is huge. He wraps an arm around Yu-ri's waist and pulls her against him. I hear the thump of her body hitting his.
"Yu-ri is mine."
He says it with a smile in his voice, but the steel is there.
"I'm not sharing. Not with a guy. Not with a girl. Not with a ghost."
Part 3: The Challenge
I sit there. Stunned.
This is not the "nice guy" Yu-ri described. This is not the "idiot mechanic."
This is an Alpha. A territorial, arrogant, charismatic Alpha.
And the worst part?
Yu-ri is melting.
I can hear her heartbeat. It's racing. She's not fighting him. She's leaning into him. She's making a small, contented noise in her throat.
Traitor.
I feel a surge of something hot in my chest. It's not just jealousy. It's competition.
He thinks he can just mark his territory? He thinks he can intimidate me with his leather jacket and his deep voice and his ability to fix toasters?
I turn my head toward him. I take off my glasses.
I give him the "Dead Eyes."
"IS THAT A CHALLENGE?" I type.
Kaito pauses. He looks at my eyes. Most people look away. They get uncomfortable.
Kaito doesn't flinch.
"Yeah," he says. "It's a challenge. You think you can take her from me? Good luck. I've been working on this for two years. I fixed her grandma's roof. I won the old lady over. You have no chance."
"I HAVE SENIORITY. I AM THE DEFECT SQUAD LEADER."
"Defect Squad?" He snorts. "Cute name. We're 'Team Bad Decisions'. We have jackets."
"Kai-kun, stop antagonizing her," Yu-ri slaps his chest playfully. "Maria, he's joking. He's just a big puppy."
"A puppy that bites," Kaito growls playfully, nipping at Yu-ri's neck.
"Eep!" Yu-ri squeals.
I feel like I'm going to vomit. This is public display of affection. This is gross. This is...
Hot.
God, I hate myself.
He is objectively attractive. Even blind, I can tell. He has that magnetic pull. The kind of guy who walks into a room and the gravity shifts.
And he's claiming her.
I grip my cane.
"YOU ARE ANNOYING," I type.
"And you're stubborn," Kaito shoots back. "I like that. We're gonna get along great."
He stands up, pulling Yu-ri with him.
"Alright, enough chit-chat. I'm hungry. Yu-ri, get on the bike. We're going to get Ramen."
"But Maria..." Yu-ri starts.
"She can come," Kaito says. "I have a sidecar."
A sidecar?
"I AM NOT RIDING IN A SIDECAR LIKE A DOG."
"It's a cool sidecar," Kaito insists. "It's painted black with flames. You'll look badass."
"NO."
"Suit yourself. I'll walk you to the station then."
He doesn't ask. He just starts walking. Yu-ri is clinging to his arm like a koala.
I tap my cane, following them.
I listen to them.
Kaito: "Did you eat lunch? You feel light."
Yu-ri: "I ate a sandwich!"
Kaito: "Liar. You ate chips. I'm buying you extra pork."
He is taking care of her. He is rude, loud, and arrogant. But he is checking her nutrition. He is walking slowly so I can keep up.
He is... acceptable.
And that makes me hate him even more.
If he was a jerk, I could destroy him. I could poison his mind. I could make Yu-ri hate him.
But he's a good jerk. The worst kind.
We reach the station.
"Alright, Ghost Girl," Kaito says. "This is your stop. Don't haunt anyone on the way home."
"DIE IN A FIRE, KAITO."
"Love you too," he grins. I can hear the grin.
He turns to Yu-ri. He cups her face.
"Helmet on," he orders softly.
"Yes, Mom," Yu-ri mocks him.
"Shut up."
He kisses her.
It's not a peck. It's a kiss. I hear the silence. I hear the lack of breathing.
I turn away. I tap my cane against the tile floor. Clack. Clack. Clack.
I walk through the ticket gate. I don't look back.
I hear the motorcycle start up in the distance. ROAR. And then it fades away.
I stand on the platform. The wind blows my hair.
I am alone.
Yu-ri is with him.
I touch my chest. The rumba rhythm is gone. It's just a heavy thud.
But then, a new feeling rises.
He challenged me.
Yu-ri is mine.
Oh, Kaito. You poor, sweet idiot.
You think you've won? You think because you have a motorcycle and testosterone, you own her?
I am Maria.
I survived the darkness. I survived the archives. I survived Sato.
I pull out my tablet. I open a new note file.
Title: OPERATION: THIRD WHEEL.
Objective: Become the most annoying, omnipresent, unshakeable presence in their relationship. If I can't have her, I will be the chaos in their romance.
I will attend their dates.
I will critique his driving.
I will eat his food.
I smirk.
"GAME ON, MECHANIC."
Part 4: The Aftershocks
I get home. The house is quiet.
"Maria?" Mother calls. "Dinner is ready."
"NOT HUNGRY."
I go to my room. I flop onto my bed.
I grab the Muscular Pikachu keychain. I squeeze it.
I think about Kaito's voice. Yu-ri is mine.
I think about Yu-ri's giggle.
It hurts. It really hurts. It feels like envy and desire mixed into a cocktail of battery acid.
But then I remember his other words.
I like her. She's got teeth.
He respects me. He sees me as a threat.
That is the first time a man has ever seen me as a threat. Usually, I am a pity object. To him, I am a rival.
I like that.
I roll over. I pull the blanket up to my nose.
I'm going to make his life a living hell. It's going to be so much fun.
I text Yu-ri.
ME: Hey.
YU-RI: (Replies instantly) Hey! Did you get home safe? Kaito drove like a maniac. I think I swallowed a bug.
ME: Good. Listen. About the beach this weekend.
YU-RI: Yeah? You don't have to go if you don't want to.
ME: I'm coming.
YU-RI: Really?!
ME: Yes. And tell Kaito I require the front seat. He can ride in the sidecar.
YU-RI: LOL. I'll tell him. He says "bring it on."
I smile in the dark.
The war has begun.
> End of Chapter 7
>