Bracing herself, not giving any indication that this was hard for her, she gathered the girl close and let her hand smooth the long black hair. A few seconds was all that was needed, and Kayla pulled back. “So, you really don’t mind. I’ll be home in time to make supper, I promise. And you’re sure that Angie can spend the night?”
“For the seventeenth time, no problem.” Charli teasingly rolled her eyes, dropped her chin to her chest and sighed loudly. When she peeked up to see Kayla’s brightness, she changed the subject. “First of all, I’m ordering pizza for a treat. And second, tell me more about your friend.”
“I already told you most of what I know. She lives in that residential area, can’t remember the name, it’s on the other side of the school, with her sick mom and a stepdad. Her older brother and sister left last year because of him… couldn’t stand being around him, I guess. If the look in her eyes when she talks about him is any indication and her calling him a sick, slimy bastard helps, I’m pretty sure she hates him, too.”
“Poor kid.”
“I know, and I thought I had it bad. She hasn’t said much more about him but her eyes speak for themselves. He must be horrible.” Kayla hesitated, but then continued, “She kinda dresses like a middle finger against tradition too. She told me her hair used to be down to her hips last year but she cut it all off and changed her look. Piercings and her hair is wild, all uneven and colored often pink or purple.
“She has a lot of tight clothes torn in strategic places, like some of the stuff you see in the stores today. But my belief is they’re just old and too small on her, so she covers that up by ripping them.
“One thing is for sure, she’s smart, more so than me, and as you know, I’m no slouch. She challenged me on a math test, and I figured ninety-eight percent would trump her, but she got a hundred. Shocked the math teacher, you know the stickler I told you about, Mrs. Moore, who rides her all the time, says she’s wasting her potential. Well, she proved it that day.”
Charli was intrigued. Now she looked forward to meeting this girl even more.