LIFE CHEATS YOU ANYWAYS.

there was little that kavinsky would not do to cause a little mayhem, some people might have called crossing paths with lynn fate or perhaps luck, whether good or bad would be decided that night but for now kavinsky was enjoying the idea of a little revenge made on those who really didn’t deserve what they had.

“yeah, i don’t need it.” he said with flippant ease, money had never been a problem for him. not the way that it was for so many other people, and he swung his leg forwards and back absently as he kept his eye out for the mark. “seeing the guy get conned’ll be payment enough.” he laughed, glancing back at the bar as the tender presented her with her drink.

“nothing better than seeing guys like him brought down a peg.”

dollar signs made their currency, outdoing integrity or any other virtue that cannot translate into numbers. lynn has learned that early in her life when a divorce almost drove her poor father bankrupt. her poor father, still clutching onto honesty when others wear pearls. her poor father, who would never understand her reasons and methods.

there she is, asking for help from someone with no care for money. that’s what rich people say, she holds the thought behind pursed lips, washing it down with the bubbly gin tonic in hand. kavinsky has dirt with her mark, and that motivation permits her trust. hate is a very powerful thing.

“ it won’t hurt his bank, ” she notes. there isn’t a scheme big enough to drain people on the pyramid top. “ but it will hurt his pride. ”

     kavinsky whistled in feign of a cartoonish snore when she made her order known but settled easily once he’d waved the bartender closer to make their orders. he drummed his fingers against the bar surface, excitable and impatient,  “ you  sure  do  know  how  to  have  fun,  don’t  you? ”  kavinsky said, a grin on his lips as he twisted around – the swivel bar stool made the entire action far more graceful than it would have been otherwise and he leaned both his elbows back against the bar as he surveyed the room.

           “ relax.  he’ll  be  here  soon. ”

she returns a pursed smile in regards of his treat and rhetorical question. her father would disapprove of their intersecting paths if he never knew of the business they share, and that is exactly why dear father must remain clueless. a mere whiff of party on her would have disgusted his poor heart.

kavinsky promises the target’s soon arrival and she takes his word.

In fact, they ARGUED for about five minutes who should walk whom home before Lynn gave in for the sake of practicality. ( Lynn INSISTED -- still does -- she did not need an escort. She never attracted attention other than awkward glances at her height, and she was certain TAE YOUNG needed the walk more. )

She snorts, arms crossed in front of her chest and hands tucked in between her ribs and inner elbows just to stay warm. She didn’t know it would get so late when Tae Young suggested a night out.

               “I think I had enough of clubs,” her accent takes off the edge of her snark, but only by a fraction. To be fair, Tae Young’s friends may not even welcome Lynn on any further excursions -- they wasted enough time trying to convince the bouncer to let her in despite her severely under-dressed self. 

Guilt settled into the pit of his stomach, something that always manifested whenever Jiang felt as if he had disappointed someone or simply not held up to expectations. He watched as Lynn visibly appeared to compose herself and relax but he still felt the gnawing urge to somehow make up for not doing the work.

“It’s not that I’m busy, exactly,” Jiang admitted honestly as he leaned forward in his seat and popped open the book he had meant to do the reading for, “I just get distracted really easily or I’ll be trying to read it and then end up day dreaming for like an hour without realizing.”

Jiang had always had trouble with his academics and he always felt as if he had to work a hundred times harder than others just to get a quarter of the work done. He glanced up when Lynn assured that she wasn’t angry with him and visibly relaxed.

“You’re really not mad?”

The Jiangs are kind people and Lynn likes working with them. Max Jiang, the boy half a decade younger than Lynn, is a talented sportsman but his mother, June, hopes to make sure he doesn’t fall behind in academics. It’s a sentiment common amongst the parents, especially those from Asian descents.

Jiang explains his situation and Lynn simply listens. She doesn’t nod, doesn’t hum, doesn’t make any sign of acknowledgement at all. She has met many sharing the same obstacle as Jiang, but only a few who would try to work against it fundamentally. ( She needs to stop thinking about it as something to overcome. Work around it. Accept it. )

She shakes her head. “This is just how I look. I have what you call a ‘bitch face’.” She purses her lips to offer her best smile. She isn’t good at making people feel at ease but she doesn’t want this to deter her student.