6
SELENA
FLASHBACK
I had just moved to LA, and fitting in felt impossible. People told me I was beautiful, that I could be popular if I wanted to be, but even back then my inner voice disagreed. Loudly. Relentlessly. I never believed it. I was sixteen. Awkward. Invisible.
It was day four in our new house. Morning light spilled across the porch while inside my parents were already fighting. Dad's voice sharp, Mum's defensive, something about Sabrina wearing a crop top to go shopping. Sabrina was eighteen, already graduated, already living her own life. She didn't need to hear their fights anymore. She could just leave. I couldn't.
I slipped outside with my book, planning to disappear into a fantasy world where things made sense and people were kind. It was a beautiful day. Warm. Quiet. Safe.
Then the neighbor's car pulled into their driveway. I already knew Aunt Martha. She smiled and waved when she stepped out, and I waved back shyly, clutching my book to my chest like a shield. And then he stepped out of the car.
Kai.
I swear, even at seventeen, he moved like someone who knew exactly what he was. Dark eyes that missed nothing. Hair that fell effortlessly, like he'd just rolled out of bed and still looked like that. A silver hoop in his nose caught the sunlight. Rings glinted on his fingers, heavy, silver, the kind that left marks when he touched you. And the smell. God, the smell. Even from across the driveway, with the warm California air between us, I caught it. Something warm and dark, tobacco and vanilla and something wild underneath. It clung to him like smoke, like leather, like late nights and secrets. It was the kind of smell that found you before he did, that lingered in rooms long after he left, that made you turn your head without knowing why.
He had earphones in, completely unaware of me. Like I didn't exist at all. And yet, somehow, he became my crush in that exact moment.
Over the next few weeks at school, I saw him everywhere. He was a year older, a senior, already untouchable. The most popular guy. Talking back to teachers. Skipping class. Laughing too loud. Flirting with girls who already knew they were wanted. I was invisible. But I watched him. I couldn't help it. I watched the way he moved through hallways like he owned them. The way girls leaned toward him without realizing. The way his rings caught the light when he gestured. The way that smell lingered in the air long after he passed.
One day, a girl named Amanda caught me staring at him for a little too long. "He's going to be at my party," she said casually, like she wasn't changing my entire world. "You should come."
So I did. Of course I did. I told myself it was because I wanted friends. Because I was lonely. Because I wanted to belong somewhere, to talk about clothes and boys instead of books and silence. Sabrina had her own life now, her own friends, her own world I couldn't follow her into. So I went.
Amanda's parents left early. The house filled fast, loud music, alcohol, snacks everywhere. People were already making out on couches like it was nothing. It wasn't my scene. After an hour of standing alone, pretending to check my phone, I decided to leave. I grabbed my bag, ready to text Mum.
That's when I saw him.
Kai walked in with two girls hanging off his arms, both of them giggling, blushing. He wore a vest, and I saw the tattoo curling up from his collar, dark ink spreading like smoke. Neck tattoos. He was only seventeen, but they made him look older. Dangerous. Untouchable.
I wanted to talk to him. I really did. But every time I worked up the courage, another girl appeared beside him. So I gave up.
Then someone shouted, "Seven minutes in heaven!"
My stomach dropped. They formed a circle. The bottle appeared. I wanted to go home, wanted to disappear, and then Kai looked straight at me. Right into my eyes.
"You in?" he asked.
And just like that, I melted. I nodded. I sat down while he spun the bottle. I told myself this was how it always happened in movies. The shy girl kisses the hot guy. First kiss. Magic. Destiny. I was nervous. I had never kissed anyone before. My hands were shaking.
Four turns passed. Then it was my turn. I spun the bottle, closed my eyes, crossed my fingers, silently begging the universe to let it land on Kai.
I heard laughter. When I opened my eyes, my heart sank. It landed on Craig, the plumpest guy there. The girls burst out laughing. My face burned. I wanted to cry, to run, but I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I never did. So I did what I always did. I went into the closet.
"What's your name?" I asked quietly.
"Craig," he said. "Yours?"
"Selena."
The next thing I knew, he grabbed me. His lips crushed against mine, wet and forceful, his tongue shoved into my mouth. It was awful. Wrong. I wanted to cry. This wasn't how my first kiss was supposed to be.
When the door opened, people cheered.
"Selena kissed me," Craig announced. "She tried to undo my pants."
I froze. "What? No! He's lying!" I shouted, horrified.
"Oh please," Craig laughed. "She wanted me so bad."
They believed him. They laughed. Called me slutty Sel. The word cut deeper than anything I'd ever felt. My chest tightened, and suddenly I was crying, trying to push through the crowd.
I ran straight into someone.
Kai.
He wasn't laughing. He wrapped his arms around me, solid, protective, like a wall between me and the world. His rings pressed cool against my back. And that smell, tobacco and vanilla and wild, dark him, wrapped around me like a second skin. For a moment, I couldn't breathe. Not from fear. From safety.
"Selena is my neighbor," he said calmly. "And she's my friend."
He looked straight at Craig.
"So if you're lying," Kai continued, voice low and steady, "you better come clean right now. Or I will personally whip your ass."
The room went silent.
"I—I'm sorry," Craig stammered. "I was joking. She didn't. She didn't do anything."
And just like that, the laughter died. Kai didn't say anything else. He just kept his arms around me, firm and grounding, until my shaking slowed.
That day, Kai became my hero. And I became his almost.