"Let's go".
The four of them rushed out of the room and went to the climbing net. They all carefully descended the net, and while they did that, they noticed another team ascending the net; they didn't get a proper look at them; they just saw people climbing up. This time, there were no slip-ups, and everyone got down safely. Akari didn't need any help from Jason. They all ran to the car; Malakai was leant back in his seat with his head resting on the headrest, so he saw them immediately. He turned the car on and waited for them to get in. His teammates all got in the car,
"Have you finished crying?" Luna teased, looking at Malakai, who was avoiding all eye contact and biting his bottom lip to stop himself from smiling.
"Yeah, about a minute ago", Malakai sarcastically replied. "I'm sorry, by the way", he apologised, as he didn't before.
"It's fine, just drive", Nina ushered him, putting her seatbelt on.
"Aryt aryt. Don't act like that the next time I do it then", Malakai smiled. He reversed and turned back toward the road. "Where we going?" Malakai asked looking at Luna.
"We got another map", she replied, trying to sort herself out. "Give me a second to figure it out. Drive slowly", Luna told him, as the road ahead was straight. Luna looked at the map and followed the road with her finger. "Okay, I got it. It's quite far", Luna said after following the map.
"Malakai, please don't be stupid", Jason tiredly told him from the back seat.
"Yeah, don't worry. Everything's under control", Malakai replied. Surprisingly, Malakai kept to his word. His highest speed was 80 mph, and no one had any issues in the car. The vibes were positive; first place looked inevitable. After a while of driving,
"This is the last turn", Luna said. Malakai didn't reply; he just continued and took the right turn. They continued to drive until they reached a road that opened up and led to a big circular area.
"Look, there's something over there", Akari said, looking through the windscreen.
"I can get out of the car for this location, right?" Malakai asked for clarification.
"Yeah, you can", Jason answered him. The road ended, and there were six parking spaces.
"Aryt lemme park", Malakai said, forward parking into a space. Malakai parked the car and turned the car off. Everyone quickly got out of the car and went onto the pavement. They all saw the six safes on the stands in front of them. All of them ran to the safes except Malakai, who walked with his hands in his pockets.
"We got code 1, so we use it on safe 1", Luna said, looking at the labelled safes. They gathered around the safe, with the number 1 painted on top.
"86479," Jason said while entering the code. He successfully entered the code and opened the safe. The four of them eagerly looked into the box, wanting to see what was in it.
"What's in the safe?" Malakai asked, finally reaching them after walking.
"Medals and a piece of paper with the number one on it", Luna replied, turning around to show him.
"There's something on the back", Nina pointed out.
Luna turned the paper over and saw, "We have to write our names and classes at the back to show we came first", she told them. Akari gave Luna the pen she had missed in the safe to write everyone's name.
Malakai weaved past them and got the remaining medal in the box. "This medals kinda sick", he said lifting it up and looking at it. The medal was gold, not actual gold, but it was painted gold with metallic paint. However, the medal's design was cool; it had the academy's logo on it. Malakai put his medal on, "Now what?" He said, looking around and not seeing anyone in sight.
"CONGRATULATIONS YOUR TEAM CAME FIRST!" A voice from a speaker spoke out, and everyone flinched. "UNFORTUNATELY, YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR ALL THE TEAMS TO FINISH BEFORE THE CHALLENGE ENDS. SO YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT HERE", The voice finished.
"Here? There's nothing here", Jason said, looking around; even the cameramen weren't there. The only thing there was a drone recording from above and a few steps to sit on.
"Should we go back to the car?" Nina suggested.
"NO, YOU CANNOT GO BACK TO THE CAR. ALL TEAMS HAVE TO WAIT IN THIS AREA!" The voice let them know.
"Damn, well, we might as well get to know each other better", Malakai said, taking a seat on a step.
"Sure, why not?" Nina replied, taking a seat nearby. Shortly, the rest followed. The five of them waited for a while, talking about each other, telling stories about how they came to this academy and what had happened in each of their classes. After some time, the second team arrived, opened their safe, collected what was inside, and minded their business. However, the next team to arrive would cause a scene. They got what they needed from their safe, and then,
"Who's team 4?" One of them asked everyone in the area.
The five of them were sitting together, "Here", Luna replied, raising her hand.
"Who was the driver?" She continued to ask while walking towards her.
"Me", Malakai said, looking up at her.
"Of course, it was you", she said calmly; she took a deep breath and, "WHAT'S YOUR FUCKING PROBLEM?!" The girl shouted.
Malakai was taken aback; his eyes widened. He smiled and gave a look towards his teammates. "What did I do?" he replied like he was innocent.
The girls came closer, "YOU KNOW WHAT YOU FUCKING DID. YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!" She continued to shout. Malakai stood up so he wasn't being towered by her.
"I don't know what you're on about," Malakai said with a cheeky smile.
"YOU BRAKE CHECKED US! SOMEONE COULD'VE SERIOUSLY GOT HURT!" She shouted with pure aggression in her voice.
Malakai got a proper look at the girl—a short, dark-skinned girl with curly black hair and glasses.
"I know you. You're Ryan's fan girl," Malakai giggled. "I forgot your name, though", he said, stroking his chin. The fan girl he was talking about was Melody; he remembered her being next to Ryan when Ryan first approached him (from Chapter 12 - Celebrity).
"SHUT UP!" Melody shouted, offended by his comment.
Malakai put his hands over his ears and whinced as a joke, "Why's everyone shouting today?".
"What's your problem? Is there something wrong with your head?" Melody snapped back, lowering her tone and getting closer to Malakai.
"Hehehehe. Don't worry; one day, I'll save you", Malakai laughed.
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID?! Brake checking is illegal!" Melody replied, getting angrier as Malakai laughed.
"Is it?" Malakai looked at his teammates; this was the first time he had heard it was illegal. "Who cares? Fuck the law", Malakai giggled.
"STOP LAUGHING! You could've killed someone. Do you realise what you did!" Another girl approached Malakai, looking angrier than Melody.
Malakai looked at her, "Yo, you got braces", he smiled, pointing at her.
"Yeah, so what? You're going to make fun of me!" She said, taking offence.
"Na. I think braces are cute", Malakai replied, smiling with his teeth showing.
The girl stumbled on her words; she couldn't think of anything to say.
"I'll never understand how he can joke and flirt in a serious situation," Luna said, watching this unfold in front of her. It was entertaining for everyone. The team that came second had no clue what was happening, but they were curious. No one wanted to intervene to stop because it was interesting. This wasn't the end, though. A guy came charging forward and moved the girls out of the way so he could be face-to-face with Malakai.
"Why did you do that?" The guy asked Malakai straight up.
Malakai looked at him. He was a guy with brown skin, long, wavy hair on top, held back with a headband, and short hair on the sides. He looked average height but strong—not Jason strong, but you could tell he lifts weights.
"Do what?" Malakai laughed at the guys entranced.
The guy looked away and took a deep breath. "Don't take the piss, dude", he slowly said, not wanting to deal with Malakai's trolling.
"Why don't we introduce each other first?" Malakai said with a smile that could set anyone off. "I don't want us to get off on the wrong foot," he provocatively said.
The guy couldn't hold back anymore. He grabbed Malakai and lifted him up a little, the same way Dillon, Johan, and a second year held him up. The list only got longer; people really loved to grab Malakai for some reason.
"Shouldn't we help him?" Nina questioned, standing up, thinking it was getting a bit too much now.
"Nope. Actions come with consequences. You would act the same way they are if you were in their shoes", Jason replied before Nina could take another step.
"I'm sure he can handle himself", Luna added. "He knew this was coming. I've only known Malakai for a few hours, but I already know who he is. He's an idiot, but he's not an idiot", Luna said, watching on.
"Why does everyone like grabbing me?" Malakai giggled while looking at the audience that was watching.
"Why did you do it?!" the guy asked more aggressively this time. He wasn't shouting, but his tone was louder and harsher.
"Bro, it's the game. No one got hurt. Why are you crying?" Malakai continued to giggle at his pissed expression. The guy was playing into Malakai's hands by reacting this way; no matter the outcome, Malakai won by getting this reaction.
The guy tightened his grip, "No one got hurt? IMAGINE IF I DIDN'T BREAK IN TIME!" The guy shouted in Malakai's face.
"Bro, it didn't matter if you stopped in time. Even if you didn't stop, you wouldn't have hit me", Malakai answered in a slightly condescending way. "Think about it this way. If you think it was a near-death experience, then at least you can say you had a near-death experience. Think of it as a story you can tell your kids", Malakai laughed.
"WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS LAUGHING?! ARE YOU A FUCKING HYENA!?" The guy screamed while bringing Malakai closer; their noses were almost touching.
Malakai giggled at that comment, "Hyena. That's a cold name. You can all call me hyena if you want", he said, looking at the camera, which was focusing on them. The camera crew were filming the whole thing; they started when Melody was screaming at Malakai, so everyone watching the livestream was watching Malakai get grabbed. Hearing Malakai take the piss angered the guy even more. He released his right hand from his grip so only his left hand held Malakai, and he raised it up like he was about to punch Malakai. Malakai noticed and pushed the guy away before he could swing. The push made the guy let go of Malakai, as his left hand wasn't that strong alone. Malakai escaped his grasp with that push.
"Hehehehe. You can grab me, but you can't punch me", Malakai said, smiling at him and pointing at him like a dog being told to sit.
Seeing red, the guy lost control like a bull and went straight for Malakai. He swung a reckless right hook towards Malakai's face, but Malakai dodged by stepping back. He swung a left hook towards Malakai's face again, and Malakai dodged by ducking. He swung a right hook again at Malakai's face; Malakai slipped the punch and went around the punch. He was now behind the guy. Malakai was laughing and giggling the whole time. After ever punch Malakai dodged he laughed. The laughing set the guy off more; imagine being laughed at while fighting. That would piss anyone off. Even now, Malakai was still laughing while he was walking backwards,
"Hehehehehehe oh," he bumped into Luna. "Yo," he said, looking at Luna. "Ow," Malakai said, holding the back of his head. Luna slapped him—not too hard, but not lightly. It might've stung Malakai, but that's it.
"I've hit him, so you don't need to", Luna said to the guy. "He knows he's done wrong; let's all be happy no one got hurt", she tried to calm the situation down.
The guy didn't care. He continued charging at Malakai,
"FABIO CALM DOWN!" Two other guys held him back and stopped him from advancing. "Let's go. Forget about him. No point in wasting your time", he told Fabio. The two guys holding him back were on Fabio's team. After being held back, Fabio gave up. This whole performance would be embarrassing if he continued.
"You're not safe", Fabio threatened Malakai. The three of them walked away, all glaring at Malakai.
"Why'd you hit me?" Malakai asked, still holding his head.
"I had to. You needed it", Luna said, looking at him like a mom telling off her child. "You had this crazy look in your eyes".
"Malakai, can you come over here!" A voice shouted from behind. Malakai turned around to see a cameraman waving towards him.
"Come with me", Malakai said to Luna.
"You're the superstar", Luna replied, pushing him towards the cameraman
Malakai scoffed and walked towards the camera. Now, in front of the camera, he smiled and said,
"Yo"
"It seemed like you got into a fight. What happened there?" The cameraman asked, getting straight into it.
"I don't know. They're angry about something. I don't get it, though ", Malakai said with a smile, looking at Fabio and the others who were still eyeing him.
"Anyways, congratulations on coming first. How does that feel?"
"Pretty good. I barely did anything; I was the driver. You should've interviewed one of my teammates", Malakai replied, pointing towards them. "Lemme call one. YO RAPUZEL, COME HERE!" He shouted. The camera panned to Luna; she froze awkwardly as the camera focused on her. Luna felt embarrassed, but she came towards Malakai anyway. She came into the frame,
"Hi", she greeted to the camera. She stood next to Malakai and rested her arm on his shoulder as she was taller. A small gesture to take the piss out of him after he's taken the piss out of her the whole day.
"The height difference is crazy," Benjamin laughed, his hand covering his mouth as he chewed something. Luna, being 5'10 and Malakai being 5'6.
"It's weird, Mally's making friends and enemies", Lucas said.
"He nearly killed five people. I think that's enough to make people hate you", Tanisha replied, still unimpressed by Malakai.
"Killed is a bit much; I don't think they would've died", Lucas replied, defending his friend.
"Can Malakai fight?" Maria asked the guys, as he was almost caught up in one. All of them turned to Maria and thought about the question. It was a good question.
"I'm not sure. We've never seen him fight", William answered, looking at the ceiling.
"He dodged and slipped those punches nicely", David said, recalling back.
"Maybe he can, but I don't think he'd be strong because of his build", William said, thinking about it.
"Do you think you could beat him, Will?" Delilah questioned, trying to instigate.
"Yeah, hundred per cent", he confidently replied.
"No chance", David, Lucas and Benjamin said simultaneously.
"What?" William couldn't believe it, he turned to Ray. "Surely you believe in me".
Ryan looked down, "Sorry Will".
William stood up and went to the kitchen to get a drink,
"All of you are haters".
It was the end of the challenge, and all the teams gathered together, with Mr Miller standing in front of them.
"Congratulations on completing the challenge", he started off with. "All of you know what position your team got. I'm sure some of you are disappointed with where you placed, but don't worry. This is only the second challenge. There is much more to come," he said with a reassuring smile. "Your points will be given to you at the end of the week when everyone else has completed the challenge. Once again, congratulations to everyone for completing the challenge despite where you placed. This first day was a successful one. You can now rest for the rest of the week," he completed his speech.
"That's all for today. You can now get on the bus!" Mr. White shouted so everyone would get on the bus. Everyone made their way to the bus and took their seats. For some reason, there was tension in the air. I wonder why.
"When did they get so close?" Malakai asked, looking towards the back of the bus and seeing Akari and Jason sitting next to each other, happily talking.
"I don't know. Jason helped Akari climb the net at location C, and they went to the same house to find the key. Maybe something happened", Luna replied, who was sitting next to him.
"Do you think they had sex?" Malakai joked.
"What's wrong with you?" Nina replied with a disturbed face.
"Aryt, sorry. It was a joke. Why can't girls handle a joke?" Malakai said with his hands raised.
"That was just weird", Nina told him.
Malakai smiled and shook his head. "Nina, I thought we had a bit of chemistry", he said.
"Here's the thing, I'm weird, but you are on a different level", Nina replied, making it clear they aren't similar.
"Aryt fuck you then; I'm talking to Luna", Malakai said, facing away from Nina but putting his middle finger at her. Nina laughed at his response and didn't bother replying. The whole act amused Luna.
"Malakai", a voice called from behind. Malakai looked over his chair to see who was behind him; it was Chris.
"I got a question", Chris said.
"Yeah?" Malakai was sitting on his seat, using his knees to see over his seat.
"Would you have brake-checked us?" Chris asked for both him and Christina
"Na, I checked the number of the car before I did it", Malakai replied. "You were number 3, and Christina was number 5".
"Did you?" Christina asked in shock. "I thought you did it because they were catching up to you".
"Na, you can ask Luna", Malakai said.
"He's not lying. He said something like I got the green light. At the time, I didn't understand, but now it makes sense", Luna supported Malakai's claims.
The twins were stunned into silence. Malakai actually thought about them, even though they had become friends a few hours before. This guy was weird but in a good way.
"I told you, both of you are younger siblings. My twins", He joked before sitting back in his seat normally.
Malakai pulled out his phone to check if he got any new notifications, but it didn't look like he did; then suddenly,
"If you're making them your younger siblings, then I'm your older sister", Luna randomly said, embarrassingly, looking away.
"Wha?" Malakai was surprised by what she said. It took him a few seconds to process what was happening. "Aryt, go on. A friend in 1-A sounds pretty good", he smiled with his fist out. It looks like his weirdness rubbed on Luna.
Luna smiled and fist-bumped him. She knew it was a weird thing to say, but Malakai said it to other people, so Luna wanted to be involved in the joke.
"So, now I've got younger siblings, an older sister, a twin and a student", Malakai said, listing them on his fingers. "I just need a wife". He paused and looked over at Nina. "Nina".
"No!" Nina cut him off before he could finish.
"You don't even know what I'm going to say", Malakai laughed.
"No".
Nina was looking out of her window, smiling at the joke, but didn't want to show him. Malakai and Luna laughed together. A start a new friendship.