Chapter 19
KAI
Whatever was bothering Diana back at the arena hasn’t gone away.
I shouldn’t care so much, yet I can’t stop the question from hurtling out of my mouth when we get to the Yaletown Docks.
“Are you sure you’re okay to do the project today? You just seem really on edge.”
Diana hesitates as she hitches the other end of her mask back onto her face.
For a second, I don’t think she can hear me until she leans in to whisper back, “My father hasn’t said anything about Gregory, and I can’t stop thinking about why.
It’s never this calm after a scandal. There’s always a scolding, a speech about protecting our reputations.
Now? Nothing. It’s never good when the men in my family go quiet. ”
My blood runs cold.
This is why you need to stay away from her and the Huangs. Whatever is happening to Sasha Vellair can happen to you.
The dread churning in my gut calms a bit when we reach the giant sign spelling out ‘aquabus’ in rainbow block letters.
The fresh air sours into an earthy, fishy stench.
Seagulls cry out and swoop over the boats anchored in the water.
Gentle waves ripple against the boards as we walk down the bridge towards the ferries.
There’s a familiar brunette standing at the ticket booth in a DHU sweatshirt.
Emilie’s gaze turns wary when she notices me. “Hey, Kai. I didn’t think I’d see you out today.”
Why is she acting so weird around me?
I fake a smile. “Yeah, my partner and I are trying to get a project out of the way.”
She shrugs and hands us our tickets. “Well, it’s good you’re keeping busy in the middle of all the stuff coming out about you.”
The air tenses. I can barely feel the words on my tongue. “What do you mean?”
Diana softly grabs my shoulder. “Maybe we should go—”
“People all over Instagram and Threads are talking about you,” Emilie says, “Something about you doping again because you kept screwing up during practice on Friday.”
The bridge suddenly feels like it’s shaking under my feet. My hands twitch at my side, itching to brace onto something.
“He was trying to cooperate with a frustrating partner he had to work with,” Diana assures, “Kai was just stressed. That’s all.”
Her wrist slightly brushes mine, and it anchors me back into focus.
Emilie is already over this as she picks up her phone and waves us off. “Well, good luck out there.”
Panic circles my thoughts throughout the entire ride to Granville Island, and I think if the ferry had capsized, I wouldn’t have noticed.
Diana tugs on my sleeve.
I look over to see her leaning into me. “I’m sorry about messing up your practice on Friday.”
“It’s okay.” I swallow hard. My shaking hands knot together in my lap. “I shouldn’t have let the whole thing get to me in the first place.”
“It’s not your—”
The engine quiets down. The ferry slowly bobs toward the Granville Island public market. People walk out carrying bags of fruit and fresh seafood wrapped in butcher paper.
Diana and I hop onto the wooden deck, making the seagulls flinch and trot away. The fresh air and the rhythmic clanging of construction nearby distract my mind from spinning into a dread I can’t claw my way out of.
We walk past the public market to get to the arts district. Rows of art galleries, cozy little bookshops, comedy clubs, and theaters surround us.
Diana suddenly stops at a black wall that’s cluttered with fliers advertising one-woman shows, fringe festivals, and art exhibitions.
She laughs softly. “I’ve loved this board since the first day I saw it. There’s just something about seeing all these artists fight for their art. How bold and courageous they are about owning the space they take up.”
I arch a brow. Imagining Diana Huang stepping into this wooden, cement-crafted place out of her own free will reveals a piece of her that pulls me to her even more.
“You’ve been here before?”
She nods. “In second year, I was writing a feature story about an Anishinaabe artist who was putting on a one-woman show about the different faces of motherhood.” Diana laughs and wrinkles her nose.
“I remember I kept sneezing while I was interviewing her in her dressing room. There was so much hairspray and powder that night.”
She smooths down a piece of tape that flails off a flier before she keeps on walking. I hurry after her with a thought in mind.
“I don’t get how you grew up with Gregory, Jonathan, and Sophia, but you’re nothing like them.”
“That’s because I clung close to my grandmother whenever she came to visit.
” Diana’s smile weakens. Her eyes drop to the path, and my heart aches when I see them well with tears.
“She used to be an actress before she had to marry my grandfather. She gave up so much, yet she stayed gentle. My grandmother was the strongest woman I’ve ever known.
” Diana sniffs and blinks up at me. “Do you have anyone like that in your life?”
The weight on my chest lightens up at the person that pops into my head. “Yeah. It’s my Uncle Manu.” I crack a small smile. “I chose the number seventy-eight for my jersey to honor him because he’s the one who got me into hockey. He’s the only person in my family who really understands me.”
“So, your parents aren’t involved in your hockey career at all?”
I lick my lips as the words fumble out, “They’ve been cooperating with Uncle Manu for years to pay for gear and stuff.
But the catch is I have until graduation to get signed to a team.
If I don’t, I’m off the ice, and I have to help them take over the family business.
” The pressure comes back. It pushes down on me even harder, winding around my heart like a drawstring.
“That deal is what…what brought on the anxiety. Either get signed or trap yourself in a career that bleeds you dry.”
Panic rears its head at the thought. I rub a hand over the uneven stutter in my heart.
Diana gently touches my arm, making my steps grind to a halt.
“We can stop for a while if you need to?” She glances behind her. “We’re here anyways.”
I peek over her head and realize that we’re standing in front of the Granville Giants. Against the backdrop of construction, the seventy feet tall silos are painted to look like six unfazed giants in colorful, rumpled pants and floral shirts.
Before we can start working, my phone rings. I look down to see Nirah’s name flashing on the screen.
My hands start to shake.
“I’m sorry. I gotta take this.”
Diana nods before I turn to answer the call. “Hello?”
“Kai, is this a good time?”
My anxiety breaks loose like a live wire combusting. That’s how Nirah begins every call if there’s bad news.
“What’s wrong?”
“People are slandering you online.”
All sound and color drain from my senses as Nirah rehashes the meeting the Pacific Observer’s internship team had about me this morning.
“Look, I trust you, Kai, but the others don’t.
” Nirah sighs. “They want me to drop you as an intern because of the bad publicity. I won’t listen to them, though.
I know you’ve done some great work so far, but I need your presentation with the team to be the best you’ve ever delivered. Can you promise me that?”
The words constrict all the air in my throat; I can barely get a word out. “I promise.”
“Looking forward to it.” I can sense the nervous smile in her voice. “Good luck!”
The call ends.
A broken, breathy laugh breaks out of me.
This is so fucked up.
“Kai?” Diana’s voice is so soft against the all-consuming storm in my mind. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. It’s something I have to do for my internship.” Heavy exhaustion piles on top of the anxiety from having to pull my weight into something that gives nothing back.
I just need to get out of here and handle it as fast as I can. “We should hurry and get what we need here for Mellonbaum’s project.”
My hands twitch at my sides, my heart pounding harder and harder as I fight to keep myself from spiraling and breaking.