Chapter 52.1

  "Alina?" Ken repeated. He was lying on his back but used his hands to pick himself up from the ground when he heard Alina swear under her breath, confirming his suspicions.

"Who?" Alina asked gruffly, her voice masked by a voice modulator. Her eyes swam around before she thought of Jason's pseudonym. "I'm . . . I'm . . . Garmr."

Garmr? Are you kidding me?! Ken gawked at Alina with disbelief as his mouth hung open to the point where it almost dislocated. Alina fidgeted when she noticed him staring nonstop at her, her cheeks slightly pink, but Ken was too busy to notice.

"Did you think I wouldn't recognize you because you're wearing a face shield?" Ken asked incredulously. "Alina, I watch you every day, I'd know those eyes - and I'd recognize those curls - anywhere!"

Alina stood there stunned for a moment before her upper cheeks and forehead turned a bright shade of red and she blushed profusely. Quickly, she pulled her hood back on to cover her face. At the same time, she pulled back from Ken before crossing her arms.

"Gross," Alina said, using one word to emphasize how she felt about his statement. She shuddered slightly as she further added, "And creepy."

"I - I . . . that came out wrong. It sounded better in my head," Ken stuttered as he realized what he said and how offensive it sounded. "I only meant that I see you every day in class, as your classmate -"

"Uh-huh."

"And not as a stalker. I mean, I do stare at you -"

"Oh?"

"Just . . . not . . . in a . . . creepy way. I'm not helping my case, am I?"

"Nope."

"I'm gonna shut up now," Ken muttered while Alina sent him a disapproving glance.

Well, boys will be boys no matter where you go, Alina thought. Complete and utter perverts. And creeps. Perverted creeps!

"What exactly were you doing?" Alina brushed aside her thoughts and focused on Ken before asking him in admonishment.

"What am I doing? What are you doing dressed as a female Winter Soldier?!" Ken shot back while gesturing at her outfit.

"I am not dressed like - I wasn't the one trying to buy a gun!" Alina looked down at herself and retorted instantaneously before shooting back at a distracted Ken.

"I - ca-can you -? It's very, very, distracting," Ken gestured as her face helplessly, bothered by the fact that she was still using a voice modulator to sound gruffer and Alina deactivated it with a push of a button before yanking the mask off as it folded in on itself.

"You gonna tell me why you were trying to buy a gun?" Alina asked as she placed the compressed mask into her pocket.

"You going to tell me why you're cosplaying and beating up drug dealers?" Ken asked back while gesturing at the groaning men who were scattered about.

The two stared down at each other, neither wanting to compromise first when the distant sound of sirens interrupted them. Alina heard it first and turned her head towards the sirens, trying her best to measure the distance and how close the police were with her ears.

"We need to leave," Alina turned back to Ken and said quietly.

"Right, let's do - thaaaaat!" Ken started screaming as Alina grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and ran up a building.

After jumping onto the rooftop, she didn't stop or hesitate and ran off the ledge and onto another rooftop. Only when they were two blocks away did Alina pause and let go of Ken, who scrambled to a corner and almost threw everything he had eaten for a week while Alina watched.

Serves him right, Alina thought without a shred of sympathy. That'd teach him not to argue with me.

"So, you ready to tell me everything?" Alina asked Ken.

Ken, who was breathing heavily in an attempt to divert his oncoming retching, paused and seemed to consider it for a whole five seconds before shaking his head and saying, "No."

Right after his reply, he went back to practicing his lung exercise while patting his chest.

"Well, then. I guess we need to run over a few more buildings, eh?" Alina had an evil grin on her face as Ken held his mouth and turned to look at her in horror.

"Yo-you did that on purpose?!" Ken asked as he swallowed back the bile that almost erupted again.

"Maybe," Alina answered with a smirk as she took a step forward towards him as he fell back.

Ken's stomach churned again at the thought of experiencing such a harrowing moment once more and he quickly shook his head while raising a hand in surrender.

"Alright, alright, I give - urmph!" Ken covered his mouth and Alina pulled back with a pleased smile.

"Good," she replied in satisfaction before wrinkling her nose underneath her mask as she saw his strained face. "Let's head down and find a bathroom. You clean up and . . . do whatever you gotta do and I'll go get you some mints. Oh, and no running away while I'm gone. Or else . . ."

"Got it, understood, yes ma'am," Ken answered hastily while sighing in relief. If he did retch in front of Alina, he would've just jumped from the building than live with the shame.

After finding a public restroom, Ken went in to freshen himself while Alina went to buy him a drink and some mints. At the same time, she used her holo-lenses to access a virtual delivery app and order some food.

Even though I just ate with Kate and Selena I'm still famished, Alina thought as she ordered five quarter-pound burgers before rubbing her growling stomach.

By the time she had finished ordering and purchasing what she needed, Ken walked out of the restroom. Noticing him, Alina tossed a pack of mints to him and Ken hurriedly downed half a dozen in one mouthful. Halfway through his chewing though, he paused and looked at the mints carefully.

"Alina?"

"Hm?"

"These are Tums."

"Oh, right," Alina clicked her fingers as she recalled her shopping experience. "They didn't have mints so I went for the closest thing to it."

Uh . . . Tums isn't anything like mints, Ken thought before choosing his next words carefully. ". . . Couldn't you have gotten some gum instead?"

Alina froze, her face completely blank for over a minute before a lightbulb clicked in her head and she nodded. "Oh, yeah. I could've bought that instead. Huh."

You just realized that now?! Ken thought with exasperation but wisely remained silent. When someone as strong as Jason was stumped by this girl's weird taste in food, what could Ken possibly do?