Chapter 25 Kai
I finally got to kiss her.
And it was better than I’ve been imagining.
Touching her bra was a happy accident. Scout’s honor, it was an honest mistake. But, what can I say? I’m an adventurous guy.
Tabby texted Drew to find out if he was at home or not. She’d usually call Freddy, but he’d already be warming up at the football field for tonight’s game. She didn’t expect Drew to get back to her, considering their dad had taken away his driving privileges.
Drew told her to meet outside the strip mall near Cynthia’s Boutique. Unable to help it, we walk there hand-in-hand. Seriously, I can’t get enough of this girl. If it weren’t super awkward, I’d walk while hugging her against me.
Once we make it around to the boutique side of the mall, we spy Drew ahead and drop hands. I can tell by the way he tilts his head that he caught us.
“Whoa.” Tabitha gasps, pointing at the parking lot. “Why is Freddy’s car here?”
Drew catches the keys in the air. “He’s not using it right now.”
“Dad’s going to freak out on you.”
“Oh, please,” he replies snidely. “Dad’s finishing up at the hospital and then booking it to the game. He’s not gonna notice.”
“You wanna hope not.”
Drew’s eyes grow circular, and he grabs the underside of Tabby’s chin. “What happened to your face?” His concern heightens as he touches Tabby’s cheek. His fiery eyes swiftly lock my way. “Did someone hurt you?”
Tabby pushes him away. “Kai sure as heck didn’t.”
Drew turns back to his sister. “But someone did?”
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“I want a name.”
Her eyebrows lift as she clicks her tongue. “I’ll give you one guess.”
Drew bares his teeth. “That witch Garcia is getting what’s coming to her.”
“Pfft," I mutter. “That’s stating the obvious.”
Drew folds his arms. “You knew Camila hit Tabitha?”
“Yeah, I found her at school after it happened.”
Tabby gently touches her brother’s forearm. “Kai’s my friend. He helped me.”
Drew unravels his arms and questions, “I thought you two hated each other?”
Tabby sniggers, sending a wink my way. “Gosh, Drew you are so behind the times.”
“I asked you if he was your boyfriend,” Drew says, “and you said no.”
“Well, he wasn’t then,” Tabby says in an airy voice. She then giggles, eyeing me nervously. “And we still don’t have a label.”
Dang it. I feel my face heat.
“Man, you’ve got it bad,” Drew says, giving me a once-over.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I blurt, “I don’t hate your sister.”
Drew smirks. “Cool.”
Tabby nudges her brother. “Stop staring him down. Can you give us a ride home?”
“He’s coming home with us?” Drew questions.
“No,” Tabby and I say at once.
Tabby giggles and continues with, “Can you give Kai a ride to his house and then drop me at home?”
Drew shrugs, jingling Freddy’s keys. “Smart. Dad’s not his biggest fan.”
Understatement.
We walk over to Freddy’s car and I take the seat behind Drew, and Tabby sits in the front passenger seat. When the car pulls onto the road, I cross my fingers that this doesn’t turn into an interrogation.
“So, I caught the hand holding,” Drew comments, and I want to bury myself alive. “How long has the cutesy stuff been going on?”
Tabby cups her hand over her mouth, too bashful to answer.
Drew watches me in the rearview mirror. “Well?”
I shrug. “Today?”
He doesn’t buy it. “Just today?”
“Well, the texting’s been a week,” I add, as my stomach spasms with distress. Does he know I carried her home? I really don’t want to admit to this guy that his little sister was in my arms. I’d like to keep my head attached to my neck.
“Uh-huh,” he drawls, still fixed to the rearview mirror.
Tabby huffs, lowering her hand. “Watch the road, Drew. Or is your goal to have Dad find out you’re driving?”
“I’m not gonna have an accident.”
She points at the road ahead. “Prove it then.”
“Dang, you’re so touchy,” Drew teases.
I lean forward. “So why’d your old man ban you from driving?”
Tabby sucks in a breath, like she wishes I hadn’t asked that. When Drew’s shoulders broaden and flex, I kinda wish I hadn’t either.
Through the mirror, I notice Drew’s jaw rock and then the hint of a wry smile. “Might’ve had something to do with damaging Jeff Anderson’s car.”
Tabby turns to me, nodding, when I need confirmation on the connection. “Yep. Yvie’s brother. He and Drew hate each other.”
“Isn’t that awkward?” I ask. “When you and Yvette are friends?”
Tabby nudges her shoulder toward Drew. “You try telling him that.”
Drew shrugs. “Like it matters anyway. Jeff’s parents brought him a new truck.”
“Hardly the point,” Tabby mutters.
I lean forward, having to know. “What did you do?”
“It wasn’t my fault the paint splattered across the hood or that there were all those scratch marks across the side,” Drew says, shifting his seat.
Tabby rolls her eyes, asking me, “Ever hear the crowbar rumor about him?”
“That’s where it started?”
“Pfft.“ Drew brushes it off. “That rumor is Yvette’s handiwork. I don’t do crowbars.”
“It’s not like you don’t carry around other things you can use as weapons,” Tabby argues with him.
Drew claps his hand shut in front of her. “Zip it.”
Yay. This isn’t awkward at all.
Drew stops the car outside my house, and I linger. There’s a stirring in my belly, wanting to ask Tabitha to come inside. But then I catch Drew’s hardened stare. My mom would freak if he walked inside. I don’t want her judging Tabitha based on this guy’s rotten first impression.
“I’ll text you, Tabby.”
She nods, grinning. “Hopefully, see you tonight.”
“Tonight?” Drew looks between us. “Are you coming to Freddy’s game?”
“Umm… I…” Should I say yes? Would that impress Tabitha?
“Drew, just drive us home,” Tabitha says, fidgeting awkwardly.
Drew grins, giving me a wave. “See ya later, loverboy.”
They drive away and my muscles are tense.
Something about the way Drew was looking at me and his tone makes me cringe at the thought of being in the same restaurant as her family.
Her dad despises me, and her brothers ask too many questions.
Am I crazy to think this could work? My mom certainly won’t want to take the heat from Dr. Jones again.
And will she even be able to stand Tabitha’s mother?
Ugh. It’s official. This is crazy.
How did I think I could just walk into my house and ask my parents to go out to dinner and, somehow, I’d be able to run off with Tabitha?
When I walk inside the house, Mom is passing through the living room. “Hi hon. Your friends are upstairs.”
I stop in my tracks. “What was that?”
“Your friends,“ Mom drags out the second word. “They’re upstairs.”
Granted, it’s not surprising. But tonight, it’s less than ideal.
I take the stairs two at a time and find the four of them gathered around the couch and armchairs as they yell at the TV screen.
Moving over to my regular armchair, I bonk Tyler on the back of the head and say, “Hey guys. Been here long?”
“Yeah,” Tyler says, moving over to squeeze in next to Jamie and Lewis on the couch. “Where the heck have you been?”
“I figured you guys were still at the café.” I avoid the question. “James, were you let out early?”
Jamie shrugs, tapping on her controller. “It wasn’t busy. Maddy was dying to go out with Mr. Stuffy, so she closed up early.”
“Soooo,“ Parker drags out the word as he smashes controller buttons. “What ya been up to, Kai?”
This is it. This is where I tell them. I admit to my friend I’m into Tabitha Jones. That I spent the afternoon with her. That we’ve been texting like crazy. That we made out today.
“Nowhere.” I plonk down on the armchair like a coward.
Locking lips with Tabby plays over in my mind. I feel like such a sap to admit it. Okay, I’ll just ease in. I’ll just say I’ve been hanging out with Tabitha. Test the waters.
“When you didn’t come by, we figured you were here,” Tyler says, smirking.
“Why are you guys looking at me like there’s some big story to unravel?”
“Because you’re usually with us, telling us what to do,” Lewis replies with a laugh.
“Well, I’m sorry you guys can’t function without me.” Ugh, what am I doing? Just tell them. Spit it out, you big baby.
“It’s just odd that your mom said nothing about you guys going to the mall,” Jamie says, narrowing her eyes at me.
It takes all my willpower not to gulp. Keeping my face stony, I shrug. “Yeah, I didn’t go with her.”
Jamie’s lips twist. “But you were at the mall?”
I suck in a breath, nodding. Okay, I’ll tell them. I’ll just flat-out say I was with Tabitha. I can dodge questions like I dodge other players on the soccer field.
“Kai!” Milo calls out from the bottom of the stairs. “Mom wants you!”
“So?” I call back.
When there’s no response, I grumble my way out of the chair and head downstairs.
I could just blurt it out and then hightail it downstairs, but I know my friends.
They’d pause the game and chase after me with a million questions.
Then we’d be in the kitchen, leaving my mom wide open for more questions.
No, thank you.
When I make my way into the kitchen, Mom asks, “Are your friends staying for dinner?”
“How should I know? I just got here.”
“If they’re staying, I’ll order some pizzas.”
Unintentionally, I clap. “Let’s go out for pizza.”
Mom frowns. “No way. I’m not taking all your loud-mouth friends out to a restaurant.”
“Why not? It’s the same difference.”
“No, it’s not. Besides, we’ll never get a table to seat all of us. Fridays are packed out.”
“Sure, we will,” I argue. “They have those long family-style tables. It’ll be easy.”
“Kai, not happening. Now, go upstairs and find out what type of pizzas everyone wants.”
On my way back to the staircase, I pull out my phone to text Tabitha, and it buzzes in my hand.
I look down and find a new text from her.
"Sorry, it’s a bust on pizza. Like I said, my parents are very set in their ways on game days."
"No problem. My mom’s refusing to go out tonight. All my friends are here, and we’re ordering in."
"Your friends are there? Did they ask where you were?"