Trevor began to ignore him, which continued over the course of the entire week. At first, it wasn't that big a deal, but Kinson began to feel on edge as Trevor's scowl deepened day by day. The atmosphere in the apartment was extremely heavy the day before the competition, even without their usual conversation. As they lay in bed that night, Kinson took a deep breath and stared at the bottom of the bed above him.
"Hey, you want to talk?"
"..." Trevor shifted loudly but made no response.
Kinson's brow furrowed. "I'm sorry for whatever I did. Could you at least talk to me?"
"... fine. What do you want to say?" Trevor growled.
He chose his words carefully, drawing from his communications class. Who knew it would come in handy? "I just feel like you're angry at me right now, Would you please help me understand why?"
"Angry? I'm not angry at you. Why would you assume that?"
Kinson rubbed his eyes, feeling tired. "Oh, okay. You've just been acting a bit different towards me, like scowling and shouting and stuff. Did something happen in the last week?"
"Whatever." Then, Trevor's tone softened a bit, and he said, "I guess I have been feeling kind of frustrated this week. Maybe it's just stress for the competition."
"Are you ready for that? It's tomorrow, right?" Kinson asked.
Trevor shifted about again. "Uh-huh. Honestly, I've been questioning some of my teammates recently. As we talked about before, they have some methods I wouldn't normally use, but they seem like good ideas whenever they bring them up."
Kinson's ears perked up. "Really? Sounds like it might be a little manipulation."
Trevor was silent for a while. Then, he let out a long sigh. "It might be. I've been considering it but using abilities outside of designated areas and approved projects aren't allowed, especially on other students."
"Yeah, but your behavior has been really erratic recently. Do you know the other students that well? Would they do something like that?"
"Of course not! We've been friends for literally ever! Ever since… since…." Trevor trailed off.
Chills traced their way down Kinson's spine, sending erratic shivers through his body. "Trevor, that's serious. We need to tell someone."
"No, we can't!" Trevor shouted. "I mean, uh, we can't or we'll be disqualified."
"But if someone really is manipulating you psionically, they might have some really nefarious methods. The rewards of the competition aren't that great to risk expulsion or jail time, are they?"
"Not for most people, as it's just free tuition for the next year."
Kinson's eyes widened. "That's huge!"
Trevor chuckled softly. "Maybe for your family, but most students here are from families in the upper echelon of the alliance. A simple tuition fee can be paid without even approval from the chief financial officer of most families."
It was Kinson's turn to go silent. Was the gap really that big? There was no way his family could afford it if he wasn't sponsored by the Alliance as reparations.
"Let's just report it after the competition," Trevor said softly.
"Okay, if you're sure. But I'm going after, whether you want me to or not," Kinson threatened firmly.
"Fine, fine, whatever. Now, excuse me, but I've got to get some rest. Tomorrow's the big day, after all."
Kinson lay in bed for a while after, unable to shake the feeling in his gut. It was probably just some disobedient student, but recent events had him on high alert. What if it was the pirates? What would have caused Trevor to feel so much negativity and anger? Unanswered questions spun around his head before exhaustion finally pushed him over the brink.
The next day, Kinson was shocked to see Trevor had already left the apartment. An hour later, he left to join Griffon for his daily training. Although he had requested a day off from Andres, he wouldn't dare skip training with the powerful psionic. On the Autoway, he had a brilliant idea.
"So, you're inviting me to come to the university competition?" Griffon raised an eyebrow.
Kinson gave him his best salesman smile. "Yup! It's a great chance to see the ability of the upcoming generation, don't you think?"
Griffon snorted. "If they're anything like you, I have great cause for concern. A whole week of shooting, and you still can't hit a target at 100 paces."
"Hey!" Kinson complained, "I'm using a pistol! I'll let you know that a pistol's optimal range is within 25 yards."
"Heh. Someone did a bit of research. Guess those study skills from school aren't totally useless."
"That's right. Besides, if I'm within the optimal range, I bet I could cluster 7 out of ten rounds within 3 inches." Kinson smiled confidently. The bait was set.
"Oh really? With your ability, I'd bet against 5. Tell you what, get 6 out of ten, and I'll join you for your little competition. Hope you didn't invite Kael, because I hate being a third wheel," Griffon smirked.
"Hey!" Kinson complained, but inwardly cackled like a witch.
An hour later, Kinson left the depths of the BPI with Griffon in tow. Sweat still collected on his back. Fortunately, Griffon had lowered it to six, because that hadn't happened till the tenth shot. As they boarded the autoways, Kinson soothed the uncomfortable feeling in his gut. Hopefully, with Griffon present, nothing would go wrong.
"Hey, I was wondering if you'd let me carry during the competition. You know, just in case," Kinson asked for extra insurance.
"Hmmm, planning on sabotaging some of your friend's competitors?"
"What? Of course not. I'd never be so petty. I'm just a little worried about something going wrong, to be honest." Kinson admitted, head lowered.
"Just don't leave my side. You remember our discussions about firearm usage, right?" Griffon suddenly proffered a handgun, which rested inside a concealed carry holster.
"Really? Thanks!" Kinson quickly strapped it under his jacket before any other passengers noticed. Recalling Griffon's last words, he suddenly shivered. That was not a good day. "How could I forget?"
"Good. If you start a school shooting, I promise you'll be the only one shot," Griffon chuckled. His smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Yes sir," Kinson said meekly.