The Bad Boy's Dirty Little Secret BL Chapter 95: The Concerns of A Friend

Landon’s P.O.V

When Devon and I got to the venue, there was already a significant number of people in the audience. In fact, the auditorium was already almost full, with a small crowd gathering at the sides, which were probably people who had been unable to get their tickets.

Scanning the area, we took our respective seats along with our other friends, Cole, Josh, Tanya and Trey. The air was buzzing with excitement and anticipation. Everywhere I looked, there were people holding magazines, flipping through the pages and pointing enthusiastically at the pictures.

The lights on the stage were blinding and there was a hum of chatter echoing off the high ceilings. People were leaning forward in their seats, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the stage that seemed like it was made for an international contest rather than a school-wide pageant. A long runway extended from the center toward the audience, and in the background, a large LED screen displayed an audiovisual presentation detailing the candidates’ preparations and behind-the-scenes of the previous photoshoots.

“How has Night been?” Devon asked suddenly. “Have you or any of his other friends heard from him in the past couple days?”

I shook my head at him regretfully. “Night has gone completely radio silent, unfortunately.” I sighed. “What about Kai?”

I wasn’t surprised when Devon shook his head as well. “It’s the same with Kai,” he said. “I tried checking on him a couple of times, but he just wouldn’t pick up any calls. I don’t even know if he’s here today.”

“I even went to their apartment in hopes of seeing him and getting the chance to talk to him, but no one would answer,” Cole said, leaning forward in his seat. “Took me a while to realize that it was completely vacant. No one was staying there anymore. And when I went to his parents’ house, they told me Kai refused to come out of his room.”

Needless to say, we were all worried about our friends and how this was going to affect the contest. Honestly, I tried my best to be excited about the Campus Hotshots pageant because the organizers and candidates have been working their asses off for this, but with everything that happened prior to this day, it was difficult to keep my spirits up.

But then, a ray of hope appeared.

Trey was the first to spot them; Kai’s family entered the hall and scanned the place to look for their respective seat. Cole and Devon stood eagerly, waving at them to grab their attention. Kia noticed them immediately and tapped her parents on the shoulder before gesturing to them. They exchanged a few words before they headed towards their seats before someone else took it.

However, Kia came over to greet us at our seats. “Nice to see you guys here,” she smiled at us, her kind eyes putting us all at ease immediately. “It’s really crowded. I think there’s even more people here than last year.”

“Has Kai arrived already?” I asked, unable to keep the rising worry from my voice.

Kia’s smile morphed into something more along the lines of gratitude as her eyes softened. “Don’t worry,” she said. “Kai had arrive at the University almost three hours ago. He wanted to oversee the final preparations as well as get ready for the show.”

Of course, this came as a surprise to all of us. Why hadn’t Kai contacted any of us if he was already here? Surely he saw all of our missed calls and bombarded texts. And surely his family told him about our failed visits?

Kia must have noticed our surprise and confusion because she raised a hand. “Have patience with my little brother,” she told us. “He might have his burdens to bear right now, but as far as I know him—and I know him pretty well—he is not a quitter. They’ll eventually sort this out. Just have faith in them.”

I couldn't deny the truth of her words. ‘Kai’ and ‘giving up’ never fit in the same sentence. He was the type of person who kept trying and trying until he succeeded. The only thing that could stop him was that if the situation was just Sisyphus-level impossible.

However, just as Kia was about to get comfortable and settle down in her own seat, five people suddenly entered the hall. People came and went here all the time, so it should not have been so attention-demanding, especially in a room that was already quite packed.

But what had us all surprised was the fact that these people were being escorted by the University Principal himself. And he was guiding them to the seats right at the front row, the ones reserved for the VIP guests.

Kia whistled. “And who might those people be?” she asked nobody in particular.

I squinted my eyes to get a better look at them across the distance. What familiar faces; they looked just like… just like… Holy shit!

My eyes widened in realization. “Are two of those VIP guests Night’s parents?” I asked, trying to control the volume of my voice. The room was noisy enough that it wouldn’t reach them, but I was still worried as I clutched onto Devon’s hand, his fingers tightening around mine in a form of comfort.

Trey frowned. “Isn’t that, like, almost impossible?” he asked. “I mean, Night’s parents have never really attended any of his shows or performances. So why would they start now? I mean…it looks like them, right? Seriously…what the hell!”

“Who are those other people, the ones who sat next to Night’s parents?” Devon asked. “And who’s that girl? I don’t think she’s from our Uni.”

“If it really is Night’s parents, then there is only one person I can think of that would fit her description: Rosalie Clearwater, Night’s fiancée,” I said conspiratorially. “And if I’m correct, then that leaves her parents as the other two people.”

“Then… if they’re all here, doesn’t that mean that Night has arrived as well?” Kia asked, but it seemed that she was speaking to herself only. “So they both showed up today.”

“Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?” Tanya, who’d been silently observing all this time, finally spoke up. “I mean, that means Kai and Night have a chance to talk, right? To sort things out?”

I noticed that none of us really seemed taken aback when I mentioned Rosalie, Night’s fiancée. Which meant that Night or Kai had already filled them in on the details just like they had with me and Devon.

But Kia shook her head. “I’m worried… worried about what this means for the two of them.” She pointed towards the front row. “Because the reason Night broke up with Kai, is right there.”

Fuck!