18

Kai walked the same route he had taken for the past few nights, listening to the birds squawking and shuffling inside the bushes. This time he was alone, but people still crossed the road to avoid him.

'They aren't wrong to do so,' he thought.

A kid he recognised from school was out walking his dog. When he saw Kai coming, he quickly looked down, as if desperate not to be noticed.

Kai looked down at the kid's dog—a sleek and dainty-looking whippet. It was a cool dog.

The poor kid looked like he was about to crap his pants when the dog stopped to sniff Kai's hand.

"Good dog," Kai said, giving it a gentle pat.

Its grateful eyes and soft fur made him want a dog. Dogs were loyal... unlike people.

He couldn't help but be annoyed with his mates. Deep down he understood why they were unwilling to carry on, and he was happy to let think they had won.

But they hadn't.

Kai told them he was going to force her to do his coursework to make his defeat more believable.

Without a care in the world