Playing For Keeps

18. And The Grand Prize Goes To...

Kit, Phana, and Beam all three sat in front of Kit's laptop, staring openmouthed. After a few moments, both Beam and Phana slowly backed away from the desk.

"...Kit?" Phana asked tentatively. When Kit didn't answer, Phana creeped back over and slowly closed the laptop. Kit still didn't move.

"Kit...are you okay?"

"Me? Of course I'm okay." He responded in a strained voice. "Why wouldn't I be okay?" 

Phana watched him carefully.

"Because you just found out that you and N'Ming won the entire competition and are now the most famous couple on campus?" Beam responded.

Phana shoved his elbow into Beam's ribs and Beam doubled over in pain then glared at him.

'Not helping!' Phana mouthed the words to him. Beam shrugged. What else was he supposed to say?

"What?" Beam rubbed his ribs. "At least he'll get a free vacation."

Phana rolled his eyes and turned back to Kit.

"Maybe there's been a mistake or something. Didn't you say that Ming said he was going to handle it?" Phana asked with a hint of hope in his voice.

Kit hadn't spoken to Ming since Friday when he had gone to see him at the engineering building. A part of him wanted to apologize to Ming for how he had treated him then. Scooting away from him? Seriously? How childish could he be!

But Ming had assured him that he would take care of it because he knew how much this was bothering Kit. Yet just a moment ago,  he had been staring at his own face, and Ming's, plastered all over Facebook as the winners of the University's Favorite Couple competition. They now truly were the 'Campus Moon Couple'. Kit slowly got up from his desk chair and walked over to his bed where his phone had been tossed.

"Have you heard from Ming?" Phana asked him.

Kit shook his head as he checked his phone. Where was Ming anyway?

Phana thought for a moment before speaking again. "He's actually probably really busy. He just won two competitions. He's going to be swamped with activities to fulfill and people trying to talk to him."

Kit hadn't even thought about that. He knew Ming was used to attention but this definitely had to be stressful, even for Ming.

"Last year when I won, I barely got any sleep the first month after the pageant because I always had places to be. In addition to class and homework, my schedule was packed."

Kit definitely remembered that because any moments Phana was able to spend with Kit and Beam, he spent every second complaining about how tired he was. 

"Ming just won two. If he hasn't gone into hiding for his own sanity, he's probably just busy." Phana finished.

Guilt began to creep its way up Kit's spine as realization set in. He had been absolutely selfish. Sure he was dreading all of this attention, and no, he and Ming were not really dating. But he was easily forgettable in the grand scheme of things. Because even if Ming hadn't been a part of the Campus Moon Couple, he would still be a Moon and his social life would still be hectic. Yet, Kit was practically guilt tripping Ming into fixing everything for him. And to make Kit feel even worse, Ming had done it all willingly.

"I'm such an idiot." Kit said quietly to himself as he rushed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Beam asked as he watched his friend hurry away, but Kit didn't answer.

"Ai'Kit?" Phana called out too but he was met with the slam of the door.

In the hallway, Kit paced for a while before finally dialing Ming's number and calling him. On the third ring, Kit began to panic.