Chapter 13 Kai
I don’t know why my parents asked me where I wanted to eat tonight. I said pizza, but we’re at the Jasmine Garden Chinese Restaurant. Granted, it’s one of the best restaurants in town, but still. It’s not pizza.
Over moo shu pork, szechuan chicken, and too many dumplings, my parents continually reminded me it’s still ten days before I get my license. It’s not enough that every day they ask about my stitches and if I’ve wrecked any. I mean, please, by now I know how to look after freaking stitches.
“You know, we’ll still take the car away after your birthday,“ Dad lectures. “Just because you get your license, doesn’t mean you get to be stupid.”
I plant my hand over my chest. “Stupid? Me?”
“I can’t handle the idea of a careless accident,” Mom chimes in, “when you don’t have your father or I next to you. This is scary stuff, Kai.”
I groan. “Mom, I said I was sorry about the stop sign. I braked as soon as I realized.”
“A moment too soon,” Dad reminds.
“But I did it,” I defend my case.
Mom holds her thumb and index finger half an inch apart. “I’m this close to taking the car away. I should’ve already done it.”
Dad chuckles to himself. “Yeah. We can give the car to Milo instead.”
Milo revolts beside me, dropping his chopsticks. “I don’t want it. A microscope, Dad. That’s what you promised me for my birthday. A microscope. Not a car. I don’t want a car.”
Mom sniggers. “Yes, honey, we get it.”
“Look, guys, I’m sorry,” I say bluntly. “The stop sign was a mistake, and I own it. I won’t do anything else dumb. And when I get my car, I’ll never wreck it.”
“Don’t hold him to it,” Milo blurts.
I punch him in the arm.
Milo recoils, holding the tender spot. “Ouch! You jerk!”
“Malakai,“ Mom warns in a low whisper, avoiding a public scene. “Apologize to your brother.”
I lift my hands. “Sorry, but not sorry. You should have faith in me, not like he says.”
“We can do that,” Dad says, “without you punching your brother.”
“Well, he should keep his mouth shut,” I double down.
Mom points at Milo. “Apologize to him properly.”
I groan and roll my eyes. “Sorry, Milo, that you’re such a delicate flower.”
“Mala—“
“Sorry,” I blurt, cutting off another full-naming. I face Milo and nod. “I’m sorry.’
Milo releases his arm and fixes his glasses, shifting in his seat. “It’s fine. Forget about it.”
I turn to my parents with a satisfied smirk. “Happy?”
Dad fights to suppress a chuckle, and Mom can’t shake her unimpressed expression. The other half of my name is still on the tip of her tongue. Man, it’s like a swear word when she uses it. Freezes me up every time.
“No, you said we should have faith in you,” Mom responds, “but your father watched you pass that stop sign.”
“Then I’ll do extra driver’s ed lessons. Anything to prove myself.”
“So be it.” Mom sighs and gestures at the remaining food. “Come on. Let’s clear these plates. It’s getting late.”
I scoot my chair back, leaving the table on a win. “I’m heading to the bathroom.”
It’s almost an effort to walk across the expansive restaurant. This place sure knows how to stuff you full of food. As I weave around the large circular tables, I eye the red lanterns hanging above and appreciate the joyful vibe.
When I leave the bathroom, the women’s bathroom door opens at the same time.
Oh, you’ve got to be kidding.
Tabitha Jones holds my stare. “Oh, umm, hi.”
“Hi?”
She looks so different tonight. I’m used to her in the Ashworth Academy uniform, but tonight she’s dressed up.
She wears a silky lilac top that hangs from spaghetti straps, skinny black jeans, and silver pumps.
Her glittery eyeshadow matches her top. When her lips quirk with an incoming sentence, I notice how dark she’s painted them.
“So,” she starts. “Bit of a bonus we got out of chem today, huh?”
I comb my fingers through my cropped hair, forcing my gaze away from the glitter behind her eyelashes. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Don’t tell me you missed me,” she teases.
I snort. “Not in the slightest.”
Tabitha moves away from the bathroom alcove and asks, “Are you here with your family?”
“Yeah, you?”
“Yeah.”
Phew. I couldn’t stand the cackling if she were here with those two witches.
“My family loves this place,” Tabitha continues, and I can’t help noticing her lashes look extra long tonight. “We come here a lot after Freddy’s football games.”
“Oh, yeah. Doesn’t he go with that Amber girl? This is her family’s place, right?”
Tabitha nods. “Mm-hmm. Her grandfather started it. Although Freddy says he’s not going with Amber.”
“Uh-huh.” Does Amber know that? She seems so possessive of him in the school halls.
“It’s almost a shame we didn’t have chemistry today,” she continues. “It sounded like you had a good idea for the assignment.”
“Yeah, well, anything that involves us not working closely together seems like a good idea.”
“Agreed. If we don’t have to see each other outside of class, I’m all for it.”
“I guess we’ll just use the portal app to discuss the assignment.”
She gives me a wry smile. “Kai Nelson, weren’t you paying attention to the assembly?”
I smirk. “No.”
“We can’t access the school portal over the weekend,” she explains. “They’re doing maintenance on it.”
“Oh.”
She sighs, looking off to the side. “How their upgrades are gonna stop cyber bullying is beyond me.”
Bullying?
For a moment, I forget how to blink and my breath chokes in my throat. I cough roughly and ask, “That’s what the assembly was about?”
Her eyebrows lift. “You really didn’t pay attention at all? Wow, and you call me the airhead.”
“I just think it’s rich. You were paying attention to an anti-bullying talk.”
Her chin drops, and she takes a step back. “What? Umm… No, I…”
I tilt my head and fold my arms. “You what?”
She bites her bottom lip and then whispers, “Do we have to fight?”
The softness of her tone makes me pause. I drop my arms to my sides and exhaling slowly. “You think I want to?”
“You’re starting it again.”
My hands ball into fists as I resist the urge to cross my arms again. My jaw strains under the pressure, and I blurt, “Look, if you’d stop bullying my best friend, I wouldn’t hate you so much.”
A gasp shoots out of her and she takes another two steps backward. Her hands clasp over her chest. “You hate me?”
I blink my confusion at her. “I… I…”
She sniffs hard, and I notice something wet along her lash line. Man, those long lashes. “Look,” she whimpers. “I don’t hate your friend. I… I… My friends are… Uh, what does it matter? You don’t care. You hate me.”
I take two steps forward. “Why do you care if I hate you? I thought it was obvious. I thought you hated me back.”
“I don’t hate anyone.” She sniffs hard and hooks a finger to dab at her lash line. “Except, maybe, myself.”
I frown at the stabbing pain in my chest. “Man, don’t say you hate yourself.”
She turns away. “What do you care?”
I gently grab her shoulder and swing her back around. “I care if someone’s ragging on themselves. That’s not cool.”
Her gaze dips to my hand on her, and I swiftly remove it. She watches me awkwardly shift my weight, fidgeting my hands into my pockets.
Why did I touch her?
She sniffs hard and then exhales hard. “I don’t hate your friend.”
I wait for more, but it doesn’t come. “Okay?”
Her bottom lip quivers, and she steadies it by looking off to the side. “I don’t mean for the things I say to come out. It’s just…”
Again, I wait for the excuse, but it doesn’t come. “It’s just, what?”
Her throat pulsates with a slow swallow. She looks up at me and there’s something different in her eyes. Determination? Authenticity? Whatever it is, it sends a lightning bolt through me. Whatever it is, there’s something deep inside me insisting this will be important.
“I… I…” she hesitates. “I’m bullied.”
The shock of it makes me blow out a hard breath. “What?”
She cups her hands around her bouncing curls. “I don’t know what else to do.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
She shakes her head, and I notice the red lines framing her eyes. “I don’t know what to do. I’m not safe with them.”
My eyes narrow as I take her in. “Not safe with who?”
She drops her hands and steps back. “What am I doing? No, no, no. Forget this. I didn’t say anything, okay?”
I step forward and grab her wrist. Man, she’s shaking like a leaf. “Tabitha,” I coo. “Who’s hurting you?”
My words stun her. Her chin drops and her pouty lips form an o. She blinks at me, and there’s a softness to her gaze.
“Tell me,” I whisper.
She swallows and takes a beat before murmuring, “My friends.”
My brow lifts with surprise. “Your friends bully you?”
She gives a subtle nod, like she’s too afraid to confirm it.
“How?” it’s all I can think to ask.
“Like we do to Jamie,” she utters. “I pass it on.”
I drop her wrist, taking a step back to give myself breathing room. The need to curse is on the tip of my tongue.
She sighs. “Forget it. I know it’s not an excuse.”
I brace myself. “They really do mean things to you?”
She picks at the shiny pink gloss on her fingernails. “It just feels safer to be their friend. Although, nowadays, it feels like I keep becoming the closest target.”
“Does this happen every day?”
“Yeah. I try so hard to make Camila happy, but something always sets her off. That’s why I pivot her toward other girls. I need to save my sanity by giving her a new target.” Tabitha exhales a shaky breath and cups the sides of her face. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m so ashamed.”
“Hey, don’t beat yourself up. I had no idea. You three girls always seem in perfect sync. An evil sync.”
Her head lowers as she watches her shoes. “I don’t want to be evil. It hurts.”
I take a step forward. “Then stop.”
“I can’t.”
I grab her elbows and tilt them upwards, forcing her to hold her head up. “Why not?”
Her eyes jitter as she holds my stare. “They won’t let me.”
“Bull.”
“Ugh.” She reefs herself out of my grip. “You have no idea. You’ve obviously never been singled out.”
“You bully Jamie, and she doesn’t take it out on anyone else.”