three: the prince's squires

DARREN

"Kaizong's back on his bullshit."

Liancheng didn't look up from his textbook. How he could study after getting wasted two nights in a row would always be a mystery.

"He enrolled in the same high school, college, and art class to stalk the poor girl. There were a million girls in middle and high school he wouldn't give the time of day too, but he chooses the poor one?" Darren said.

Since middle school, he had been confused about what went on between those two. He thought Kaizong would've given up after high school ended and started looking for "the one." His parents, all of their parents, were pressuring them to find a girl with marriage potential.

"I don't want any of those sluts you sleep with," Darren's mom told him. "Find a girl you can bring to parties." Too bad for her she hadn't specified what kind of parties.

Liancheng just shook his head and continued memorizing his German vocabulary. "Face it, we'll never understand what goes on between them. And it's not as if he'll marry her anyway."

Darren almost dropped his weight and laughed.

"As if his parents will let her. Even Vivi wasn't good enough for them, and her family's as nouveau riche as they come."

Vivi-Kaizong-Mei. The trio continued to be the bane and main source of entertainment in Darren's life. They had a complicated history he couldn't bother untangling but the consequences of every action one of them took always shook the stagnant pond that was their circle. Darren was almost envious of Kaizong. If he could meet someone to chase after so fervently one day, he would be lucky. Even if it was just for the fun of it. For the game, Kaizong said.

Kaizong had a lot of games. And if you could pass enough of them, you became his friends, like Darren and Liancheng. If you couldn't, you faded into obscurity.

"What is going on with Vivi now?" Darren asked. "Last I heard, she was hooking up with some shipping guy in Sweden."

"They broke up and she's still touring Europe with Mina. But she'll be back in two months."

Darren set down the weights and stretched, looking around Kaizong's apartment. It was overkill as usual, equipped with a new kitchen he would never use, a gym, and a living room that had furniture expensive enough to pay for tuition ten times over. He opened the fridge and smiled when he saw rows of his favorite protein drink. Kaizong may be an asshole and leave a trail of drama around, but he was surprisingly considerate. But maybe that was easier when you had maids who came in twice a week to give orders to.

He tried annoying Liancheng into playing video games with him and was annoyed back into doing his homework. Darren's dad was very serious about his son actually learning the trade and had threatened to leave him penniless if he tried taking any shortcuts in college. It was a big source of pride for him even though Darren knew they already had plenty of shortcuts. What did you call the connections they had to officials, pharmaceuticals, doctors, and the boards of hospitals if they weren't shortcuts? When he had a kid, he wouldn't keep pretending "they worked hard to earn their money." He'd tell him, "We work hard to earn more money, not to lose it."

The door clicked open and Mochi shot like a rocket to the hallway. She barked welcome and trailed after Kaizong as he walked in. Liancheng took one look at his face and sighed.

"What did you do to her this time?"

Kaizong's grin widened and he shrugged in the same way he had since they were seven.

"What makes you think I did anything?"

Darren scoffed. "You not doing anything to Mei is like me not walking into a room and getting five numbers at least."

Liancheng's eyes rolled so hard they should've fallen out. "Both of you are idiots."

"She tried dropping out of art class but found the other classes surprisingly filled," Kaizong said. He filled Mochi's bowl with food and sat next to Liancheng.

"What? You think I did something else?" He dramatically placed his hand over his heart. "I would never."

Darren and Liancheng started guessing. Followed her to all her other classes and sat next to her in every one? Filled her room with flowers? Filled her room with stink bombs? Showed up at her dorm in a naked apron? Serenaded her?

"You guys have no imagination," Kaizong admonished. "I actually did nothing. She'll come to me of her own accord."

"To continue the game," Liancheng finished.

"The game you guys have been playing since middle school. Why don't you just admit you like her and ask her out?" Darren asked, continuing as Kaizong opened his mouth to reply. "Really ask her out. Not joking, but seriously. Either you or her will get tired and end it eventually. It already happened once in senior year."

Kaizong's face darkened. "If I ask her out, she'll become like all the others. And it won't last anyway. The family won't approve."

Liancheng and Darren exchanged looks. After all these years, Kaizong had finally admitted a little of what they already knew; that he was serious about Mei, but was too afraid of his family to commit. Darren didn't blame him. There was no way Kaizong's family would accept a lower-class girl and pursuing a serious relationship with her would only hurt Mei. But Kaizong couldn't give up on her either. The one time Darren had suggested he did, that the only relationship he could have with her was if she was his mistress, he had regretted it.

Kaizong didn't get angry easily. Even when he did, he hid it under the smiles he learned from his family and brushed it off. Until he got his revenge days, maybe months later. He was the snake that hid in the grounds, so similar in coloring to the non-venomous ones that you would think he was harmless and pick him up without qualms.

Liancheng tried changing the subject to something just as unpleasant but not as depressing. "Did you hear about Vivi?"

"She should've stayed with the guy. I told Mina to kick her off the tour," Kaizong said. He rubbed Mochi's stomach.

More than anything else, Kaizong loved Mochi. The wolfhound was huge and Darren and Liancheng had been surprised to see the puppy when they went to his house one day, but immediately understood why he kept her when Kaizong told them Mei had given her to him. Since then, Mochi and Kaizong had been inseparable and Mochi had been part of the family. Darren scratched under Mochi's chin.

"Vivi is a talented dancer," Liancheng noted. "And Mina's too stubborn to kick her off."

"More like she wants to piss me off," Kaizong retorted. "She's been trying to set me up with Vivi since we were babies."

They laughed and began recounting the horrible times Mina had tried matchmaking Vivi and Kaizong. As they did, Darren couldn't help thinking about how long they would be laughing.