Chapter Six
Emmie
I wait ages after my last lesson, scrolling through my phone, pretending not to care that Ava is late. Again. But when she finally appears, she’s not alone. She’s with Kai. And they’re laughing.
I blink. Rub my eyes. Blink again. Nope. Still there. Kai Banks. Laughing with Ava like they’re friends. Like he hasn’t spent years barely acknowledging she exists.
My stomach twists.
Ava catches my eye first, and there’s this flicker, guilt, maybe? She nudges Kai and says something I can’t hear. He looks up. His grin falters when he sees me.
I straighten up, schooling my face into something neutral. Or I hope it’s neutral.
“Hey,” Ava says as they reach me. “Sorry I’m late. We were-”
“Plotting the geek revolution,” Kai cuts in, giving me a crooked smile. “She’s letting me sit with her now.”
Ava rolls her eyes. “Temporarily.”
I force a smile. “Wow. Didn’t realise we were recruiting.”
Kai chuckles like I’m joking, but Ava shoots me a look. A don’t-be-weird kind of look.
He nudges her shoulder, “I’ll wait for you,” he says, heading off toward the carpark.
“Kai’s giving us a lift,” she tells me casually like it’s no big deal.
I stop walking. “What?”
“He offered.”
I glance ahead, and sure enough, Kai’s unlocking his car. “He offered?” I repeat.
Ava nudges me. “He’s being nice, Em. Like, actually nice. You can scowl all you want, but he made me laugh today. Me. You know how rare that is.”
“I laugh with you all the time.”
“That’s different. We share a brain.” She hooks her arm through mine. “Come on. Consider it an anthropological experiment. Let’s observe the wild hot boy in his natural habitat.”
I sigh but let her drag me toward the car.
Kai looks up as we approach and opens the passenger door. “Shotgun’s yours, Ava.”
She beams. “Nah, let Emmie take it. She gets carsick.”
I don’t, but it’s not worth the argument. I slide in, the seat oddly warm, like he was just sitting here. He climbs in next to me, the space suddenly feeling too small.
“Ready?” he asks. I nod, avoiding his eyes.
The engine starts, and music trickles through the speakers, a song I almost recognise. Not what I expected him to play. Ava immediately launches into nervous chatter about teachers and homework. And anytime silence falls, she fills it with something else equally as unimportant.
Kai side-eyes me, “You okay?”
I nod, keeping my eyes focussed on the road. He drives carefully, like he’s carrying precious cargo. I assumed he’d be a boy racer type.
By the time we pull up outside my house, I can’t remember anything from the drive except how the light caught his profile and the weird weight sitting behind my ribs.
“Thanks for the ride,” I say, grabbing the door handle.
“No problem.”
Ava leans forward. “Can he drive us again tomorrow?” she asks brightly. I don’t answer. I’m already out of the car, trying to breathe.
By the time we’re upstairs in my room, Ava’s still buzzing. She kicks off her shoes and flops backwards onto my bed like we just got back from a concert. “Okay. I was wrong about him.”
I raise a brow as I pull off my jumper. “You’re never wrong about anyone.”
“Except this time.” She grins up at the ceiling. “But he’s . . . different. Like, genuinely trying. It’s kind of nice to see him being a human instead of whatever robot version of hot-guy arrogance he was before.”
I sit on the edge of the bed, unzipping my bag slowly. “So now you’re on the Kai Banks fan club committee?”
She throws a pillow at me. “Don’t be snarky. I’m just saying people can surprise you. He sat with me at lunch, Em. Me. I’ve literally spent years being invisible to guys like him.”
I don’t know what to say to that. Because I get it. And because I’ve felt more seen by him, behind a screen, than I ever expected to feel in real life.
Ava props herself up on her elbows. “Come on, don’t act like you didn’t notice. He looked at you about a hundred times in the car. And not in a mean way.”
My stomach twists. “Maybe he just wanted to make sure I wasn’t about to throw up.”
“You didn’t even look his way once.” I shrug, avoiding her eyes. Ava sits up properly, her voice softening. “You know, it wouldn’t be the worst thing if you gave him a chance.”
I let that hang in the air. Because she doesn’t know. Not the whole truth. She doesn’t know that I am giving him a chance.Just not in the way either of us expected.
Kai
Dad looks up from his black coffee. There’s guilt in his expression, just like always.
But I ignore it because I’m in a surprisingly good mood.
I grab a can of Coke from the fridge and head for the door.
“Wait,” he says firmly, his voice throaty from too much whiskey and whatever else he threw down his throat last night.
“College okay?” I roll my eyes in irritation and take a few more steps.
“Kai,” he calls, getting to his feet. “Look, I’m sorry.
I messed up. Again. What can I say? It’s been a tough week. ”
I avoid his eye but give a stiff nod. It’s what he expects. And honestly, what’s the point in talking about it again? He doesn’t listen.
I head up the stairs, and this time, he lets me. I throw my bag to the floor and place my can on the side before pulling out my phone and dropping down on my bed.
Me: Okay, I hate to admit it, but you were right. I made a new friend today.
It’s a few minutes before her reply pops up and I grin.
Little Rebel: Yay for you. Should I polish a medal?
Me: Bad day, dear?
Little Rebel: I refuse to praise you for doing the humane thing and giving someone less fortunate than you, a chance.
Me: Less fortunate? Who said they’re less fortunate?
Little Rebel: A wild guess!
Me: I took your advice, and it paid off. I was just letting you know.
I throw my phone on the side. I thought she’d be pleased, especially knowing she was right.
A minute later, my phone buzzes again, and I can’t help it, I snatch it up like I haven’t been staring at it for the past five minutes.
Little Rebel: Okay, fine. I am right. Always am. It’s exhausting, really.
I smile. Why am I so relieved she’s not pissed at me?
Me: So you are proud of me?
She types for a while. Then stops. Then starts again.
Little Rebel: Let’s not get carried away. You made one decent decision. That doesn’t make you Gandhi.
Me: Gandhi’s got nothing on me. I gave someone the front seat of my car. That’s basically sainthood. Besides, I might have made two friends. Her bff is a tough one to crack, but I think she’s warming to me.
I picture Emmie and my heart jitters in my chest. I’m not sure what it is about her, but I find myself trying harder to get her approval every time I see her. It’s the same with Little Rebel. Between them, they’re making me want to be better.
Little Rebel: Maybe she sees through your bullshit.
I pause. My fingers hover over the screen. Emmie definitely sees right through me. And I hate that.
Me: Maybe. But with your help, I’ll be a changed man in no time.
There’s a delay this time. Longer than usual.
Little Rebel: Keep surprising people, Banks. You might actually turn out okay.
I stare at the screen for a second. Then type:
Me: You’re the only person I want to surprise.
But I don’t send it.
Instead, I toss the phone aside again and lie back on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
Because as much as I’m starting to like the girl behind the screen, I’m also beginning to really like the girl sitting next to me in the car too. And what if they aren’t the same person?