He doesn’t even look at me when he barks for me to get in. I get in, shutting the door quietly and buckling my seatbelt. “Did I do something, Kai? Are you mad at me?”
“It’s just... It’s nothing, let it go.” He grips the steering wheel tightly. So tight that all the color drains from his hands.
I turn on the radio and he quickly shuts it off. Okay…he doesn’t want to talk, and he doesn’t want to listen to music. Maybe he needs peace and quiet.
I lay my head back against the seat, trying to think of anything but Kai and the millions of questions I have about him.
Kai doesn’t say anything when I get out of his car. I won’t have to talk to him again until Wednesday after school. I doubt I will even see him again until then, well I take that back…my stuff is in his locker, good thing I know the combination, so I can get my stuff out easily.
My mom is already sleeping soundl
y in her room. I peeked in on her, feeling guilty about how things are between us, but that is what she always does. She does something wrong, and I end up being the one to apologize for something I didn’t do.
Surprisingly, Kai is waiting for me the next morning when I walk out my front door. “I finished painting for you.”
“Um, thanks,” I say, shrugging past him. I don’t want to ride with him and deal with his mood swings today. “See you at lunch,” I call over my shoulder to him as he goes to get in his car.
He starts his car and creeps slowly down the road next to me as I walk along the cracked sidewalk in the cold. The passenger window rolls halfway down. “Get in the car.”
“No,” I snap at him.
This continues for another block—him telling me to get in and me telling him to piss off.
I think he has given up and decided to leave me be, but he jerks the car sideways in front of me on the sidewalk. He’s gone mad. He could’ve hit me. Further down the street, I see Penny and Becks eyeing our direction and decide I’d rather get in with cranky pants than face the two of them.
The passenger door swings open. “Get in, I’m not taking no for an answer, Katie.” He has an angry scowl on his face, which only makes him look cute because I can see his dimples.
I get in and close the door softly.
“Listen, I’m sorry about how I acted last night. My brother and me, it’s complicated and I don’t like to talk about it. But just promise me, when he is around, you’ll stay away from him. He’s not good. If he comes home while you are there, and Khloe is asleep, go to my room and wait for me. Just don’t go around him.”
“Why?” I demand. If his brother is so horrible, he needs to tell me why.
“I can’t tell you. I just need you to trust me.”
“Fine,” I growl, conceding, being left with more questions than answers. This seems to be a reoccurring theme with Kai Cooper.
As we pass by Becks and Penny, Kai revs his engine loudly, making Becks jump and I giggle-snort.
“Did you just snort?” Kai flashes his dimples my way.
“No,” I deny it though I know he heard it. We get parked and again, Kai takes my hand in his.
“You totally snorted,” he says as we walk into school.
“Whatever,” I grumble at him, and he squeezes my hand with a laugh.
Raven is waiting at Kai’s locker. “I need to steal you away. Girl talk.” She gives me a hard look.
I hope she isn’t mad that Kai is still driving me to school and letting me share his locker.
Raven hooks her arm through mine. Penny and Becks are at her locker. Becks gives me a sad half smile, and Penny sneers and calls us whores as we pass by them. Raven stops walking, jerking me to a stop too. She marches over to Penny with her brown eyes turning almost black. “You got a problem, princess?”
“No, I didn’t…” Penny trails off trying to lie.
“That’s what I thought. I may not have said shit to you when you used to spread your lies about me, but I won’t stand by while you do the same to Katie,” she screeches in warning.
“Why? Are Kai, Katie, and you a threesome now?” Penny teases. Becks is looking at the ground, embarrassed.