While out in her little corner of the world, Quinn wondered about the luau later that night. 'Is everyone going? I wonder if Kye is...' Kye was one of her best friends here. They didn't hang out much due to him being busy with something, but Quinn thinks sometimes that he is avoiding her. She is older than he is, and that might just put him off. "Well, text him and find out!" She did just that. Unlocking her phone, she opened up a text to Kye.
'Hey, what are you doing right now? Wanna hang out before the luau tonight? :D' Hopefully, he wouldn't take too long to reply.
...
Kye looked around on the beach with a smile before waving to the guys. He needed to head back to Keo's house if he didn't want to miss his cousin. "Aloha everyone," Kye calls as he waves to them, jogging towards the steps leading towards Keo's house. He passed a haole on his wave, giving a slight wave to be friendly as he went.
The following hours he helped and hung out with Keo. Changing to the black and white for the party, Kye worse his white swim trunks and a black tanktop. He was working on getting face paint on in a familiar pattern from Hawaii when his phone buzzed drawing his attention away from the mirror in the bathroom. Using his pinky finger, Kye unlocked his phone to look at the text.
'Hey, what are you doing right now? Wanna hang out before the luau tonight? :D' read a text from Quinn. Kye backed up as he thought about what he just read. He sat down on the toilet, ignoring Keo, though he wasn't sure if Keo was even talking to him at the moment. Quinn wanted to hang out with him. He needed to be cool, he just needed to be cool. Simple? For some people, not including Kye.
Taking a deep breath, he wiped the glow in the dark white paint off his fingers on a towel. He sat back again, smiling as he texted back, 'Just finished with painting my face for the luau. I gotta pick up some stuff for the party tonight, I'll pick you up and drive you to it if you want.'
Kye had to pick up some food for the house and for the party, volunteering to bring food to help his friends from school celebrate. He grabbed his phone and walked out if the bathroom, calling to Keo as he headed down the stairs, "I'm going to go pick up the stuff for the party. Meet you there," Kye finished as he grabbed his keys of the counter and headed outside to the jeep.
...
When Kye texted her back, Quinn was delighted. It means he wasn't too overly busy like he normally is. Quickly opening up the message and reading it made her even more happy. She wouldn't be alone at the luau and be stuck with Keo or her brother. Even more exciting was that Kye was offering her a ride to the luau, meaning he would be there. 'That's really awesome and I would totally love a ride. You're the best, Kye!' After that, she ran home, getting a shower and figuring out what to wear. This would be the first time Quinn was going to a party since she met Keo. Quinn glanced at the time. "He'll be here soon..." Her parents were just getting home. "Hey! Nate and I are going to a luau tonight. We'll be home late. I have someone picking me up in a few minutes." Quinn called to them. Hearing her father's normal grunt and her mother's sigh of acceptance made her squeal a bit. As she was finishing her makeup, she heard a car pull into the driveway.
...
Pulling out, he paused just before going on the road. It was Quinn again. 'That's really awesome and I would totally love a ride. You're the best, Kye!' Kye smiled at the text, sending her back a quick text, 'Thanks, see you soon.' Kye tucked his phone away and pulled out, heading into town and the store. He grabbed a pack of waters and some other groceries that weren't refrigerated and dumped them in the back of his jeep.
If he left for Quinn's place now, he would have plenty of time to pick her up and get to the party in time, or around when it would get fun.
He drove towards her house almost leisurely as he went. He wanted to seem cool if anyone he knew saw him, needed to make them think he wasn't nervous.
Kye pulled onto Quinn's street, seeing her parents' car in the drive way. He looked stupid and probably reckless to most adults, but if her parents knew him at all, they would know he was probably the most harmless of the natives she hung out with. He parked, for out, and walked to the front door. Knocking, he wondered whether she would answer, or her parents, and wasn't quite sure which was better... Or worse.
When Quinn's father showed up at the door, Kye felt the eyes watching him with a small smile. He knew Quinn's father and Quinn's father knew him, slightly less well. "Hi, Mr. Berlin, I'm taking Quinn to the luau," Kye explains with a smile as he stands there easily. He knew he probably looked ridiculous with the face paint, but didn't really know what he could do what with the issues of taking it off.
...
As Quinn was finishing up, she heard her father let Kye in and they exchanged greetings. Her father seemed to like Kye, but didn't show it well enough. Better save Kye from the impending doom that is my dad. She headed down the stairs and as soon as she came into view, her father stopped talking and just kind of sat down. "Hey, Ma-...Quinn." That's right, her father still wasn't happy about people calling her Quinn, but that's the way the world turns. She hugged her father, and nodded in response to Kye's question.
"Thanks again for the ride, Kye. I really didn't want to be stuck with Nate."
"Of course, not a problem," Kye responds with the ever present smile as he gives her father a nod of goodbye. Kye waves back to the house at Quinn's parents as he walks down the driveway with her. He grabs the bag of work clothes from the passenger seat and tosses it in the back to clear a way for Quinn. Once she was seated, he quickly jumped into the driver's seat and started the car. Kye pulled out carefully and drove down the road, looking at a Quinn every few seconds. "So, psyched about the luau tonight?" Kye asks with a smile as he looks at the red light easily. People walked by that he recognized, so he waved to them.
As they were going to the luau, Kye attempted to make small talk by asking about the luau. "I'm honestly a little scared by it, but I'm also hyped about it. The last party I went to was two years ago. I'm awful, aren't I?" She chuckled at herself. She knew Kye would be excited for it, considering the paint on his face.
"Hey, Kye? You seem really tired lately. Are you alright?" Today, for once, Kye seemed okay. But there have been a couple of times when Kye has crashed at her house from whatever he does that keeps him out late. Her home tends to be the closest to the city part of Maui. "It's okay if you don't want to answer me, I understand it's your personal life." Plus, I'm not the easiest person to talk to.
...
Kye was chuckling at Quinn's claim while he listened to her question. His shoulders tensed slightly though he shrugged, not letting the stress stay. "I'm just beat from all the finals and stuff. Now that schools out I'll be able to get a bit more relief. I'm actually working towards a certain job right now," He says with a hopeful smile. He wanted to quit his old one and get one teaching surfing somewhere, but none of the places paid more than the restaurant and tips, which allowed just barely enough money. He didn't want to tell Quinn the whole truth, that work was getting longer and worse with the haole and that he was wishing his mom would and would not come back, but he didn't want to lie, so telling a truth wasn't lying, just not all the truth.
As the two pulled up, Kye smiled over at Quinn as he jumped out and headed to the other side of the car to open her door before going to get the stuff out of the back of the jeep.
Music went on in the building and Kye could see the beach not too far away. "Hey, I'm just gonna drop this off inside. If you want to head down to the beach that's cool," Kye says motioning with a hand to the fire the others had built. Kye went inside, arms full and headed to the bar. He smiled at the familiar faces, giving them a bright hello as he passed them the stuff. On his way out however, he was pushed into someone and slipped. Looking up, he saw a haole he didn't recognize. The guy wore a blue shirt and khakis and seemed to tower over Kye. "Sorry man, didn't see you there," Kye says as he stands with the help of a friend who pats him on the back before disappearing in the crowd. "Enjoy the party as much as you can," Kye says as he gives a slight wave and heads towards the beach.
As he approaches, he smiles at the people, giving a wave to them and greeting them all in general. "Aloha," he declares with a smile and wide arms.
...
Kye was such a sweetheart. He opened up the door for Quinn before she could even get out of her seat belt. Seeing as he was busy, Quinn entered the party with a cautious feeling emanating from her. Kye passed her with a whole bunch of stuff for the party. He told her to head down to the beach if she would like. She headed over to the fire, and it flickered in response to her presence. It seemed everyone was there, but spread out. She wasn't really sure what to do, so she just took a chair near the bonfire. Everything seemed fine, and she saw Kye coming over from across the way.
As Kye approaches the fire, he nods to the few non natives that were around, curious about their presence but not pushing it as he goes to take a seat by Quinn. He looked over at her and smiled as he moved to sit on the sand right next to her instead of the chair, not wanting to sit in the chair.
Quinn snickered a bit at him. "You're an odd one, Kye Kealoha." As soon as she looked over at him, however, she knew he wasn't handling the people's emotions around them very well. She made him get up. "Go over by yourself. When you're ready to come back, I'll be right here. Don't worry about me, okay?"