Chapter 25 Kai #3
“You having a soft spot for Tabitha is making me ill.” Jamie backs away toward the staircase. “You’re sure you didn’t suffer a head injury today?”
“Seriously,” I say, standing from the couch. “You’re being the worst. I didn’t get a head injury. I was with Tabitha.”
Her mouth falls open, and her gasp sounds like someone turned the vacuum on.
I take another step forward. “She’s not a bad person.”
“The fact you even said those words to me is such a betrayal,” Jamie says in a low, almost unsteady tone.
Jamie’s about to say something else, but my mom’s voice interrupts her.
“Jamie!” Mom calls from downstairs. “Your aunt has just pulled up.”
Jamie hugs her middle, shaking her head at me. “Perfect timing to get me out of this twilight zone.”
I huff and take another step forward, even though she’s on the first step down the staircase. “I don’t want you to leave when we’re in the middle of a fight.”
Her jaw rocks from side to side, and I glance at her hand because I wouldn’t put it past her to sock me one. “Why are we fighting?”
“Look, I didn’t realize bringing up Tabitha would be so painful.”
“And I didn’t realize you’re such a dumbass.”
It’s like a knife in my gut, and I take a step back. “Really? That’s your takeaway?”
“Look,” she says, taking another step down the staircase. “I can’t stay for the entirety of your soccer game tomorrow. Maddy will need me back at the cafe.”
Some of my muscle cramps ease. “But you will be at my game?”
“Yes, Kai. If strange thoughts going through your head were a deal breaker for our friendship, I would’ve ditched you in middle school when you told everyone the Egyptian pharaohs wore big hats to hide their alien-shaped heads.”
I smile at the glimmer of the light-hearted version of Jamie, who usually has my back. “Hey, no one has disproven that yet.”
Jamie smirks. “You’re ridiculous. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Sure thing. Is your game at seven?”
She hisses. “Yeah, so early.”
“I’ll be on the sidelines.”
She nods and keeps moving down the stairs. “Bye, Kai.”
“Bye, Jamie.”
I meander back to the couch and flop backwards onto it. Dang it. What a mess.
I rub my thumb in a circle between my eyebrows. She called me a dumbass. She called me that because I like Tabitha. A wave of nausea surges from my stomach, through my throat, and crashes onto the back of my tongue.
Gross.
I sit up, swallowing hard. Is this it? If Tabitha and I are for real, are Jamie and I toast?
I grit my teeth as my jaw rocks, and I stare pensively at the staircase.
Jamie was livid, but she cooled down enough to say she’d still watch my game tomorrow.
That’s what they call hope, isn’t it? Maybe this discussion, although heated, is a chance for Jamie to warm up to the idea of seeing Tabitha in a positive light.
Although, she should’ve already been doing that. Tabitha put herself in the firing line, to the point her so-called friend accused her of having an eating disorder. And what? Jamie just wiped it from her memory?
Ugh. I can’t think about Jamie anymore. It hurts my head.
Instead, I pick up my phone and text Tabitha. "I need to see you."
"Right now?"
It makes me silently chuckle. "Tomorrow, definitely."
"When are you free?"
"Right now, I’d skip my game to see you."
"Whoa. Soccer is your whole deal. What’s up?"
I wince and tap the phone against my forehead, contemplating if I should divulge what happened with Jamie. When I lower the phone, my heart wins.
"Kinda had an argument with Jamie. Didn’t think it’d blow up like it did."
She texts back, "Did you argue with her over me?"
“Yes,” I say it aloud because I don’t want to tell her.
Dang, but I do want to talk to her.
I click the phone icon and start calling her phone. After three rings, Tabitha answers with a tentative, “Hello?”
“Hi.” I sigh. “Just wanted to hear your voice.”
“You sound off,” she comments. “Is this because…”
“I tried to tell her,” I blurt, hoping to put her at ease. “It didn’t go well.”
“Oh.” She pauses for a few moments, and I hear the patter of her breath through the line. “Does she know we kissed?”
“No. She shut me down any time I tried to point out any of your good qualities.”
“Well, she hates me.”
“She doesn’t hate you.”
“She sure as heck doesn’t like me.”
“She doesn’t know you. Ah, man. It’s infuriating. She didn’t even give you credit for diverting Camila’s attacks onto yourself. Ugh. Jamie made me so mad tonight.”
Tabby sniffles. “Your friendship is not over, is it?”
“No, no. We made up. Well, kind of. We might’ve just swept everything under the rug. But I’ll see her tomorrow at the soccer field. Maybe I just need to diffuse the tension before bringing you up again.”
“Look, she doesn’t have to know. If it’s easier.”
“I’m not keeping you a secret.”
“Are you sure?”
“Jamie knows I like you. I went in to bat for you.”
“And what about your other friends? Did you tell any of them about me?”
“They didn’t stick around for very long. Only James stayed for dinner.”
“Maybe it’s for the best?”
“Don’t say that. It’s going to work out.”
“You can’t even tell your best friend about me. What hope do we have?”
“That’s not fair. Jamie is the hardest one to tell. You and she don’t have the best history.”
“So she does hate me?”
“Ugh. My head hurts.”
“We don’t need to talk about this.”
Say something, Kai. Don’t let her end this call. “I found out my grandparents aren’t coming this weekend.”
Smooth.
“Oh, that sucks. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, they just got held up. They’ll be here next weekend.”
“At least that’s something good to look forward to.”
“Tabby, I mean it. I want to see you.”
“Dang it,” she breathes. “It gets me every time my name comes out of your mouth.”
Unable to help it, my cockiness shines through. “Tabby.”
She sighs. “Okay. What do you wanna do tomorrow?”
“Make out with you.”
She laughs. “Wow, that was blunt.”
“It’s the truth.”
“You’re so naughty, Malakai.”
“Whoa,” it breathes out of me.
“What?”
“My name,” I utter. “My full name. It didn’t…”
When I pause, she whispers, “It didn’t, what?”
An easy laugh pours out of me. “It didn’t sound like a swear.”
She giggles. “I’d hope not.”
“I only hear it from my mom when I’m in trouble. But from you… Man, that was sweet.”
“Well, I am sweet, Malakai. Too sweet for a naughty guy like you.”
I smirk, remembering the feel of her bra under her shirt. “I’m just a guy who knows what he wants.”
“Okay, I’ll hold you to that.”
“I’m going to make you wonder why you never got with me sooner.”
“Someone’s sure of himself.”
“Mm-hmm. You won’t regret being with me, Tabitha Jones.”
“I look forward to you proving it.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t quit.” I sit up on the couch and fold my arm across my middle. “Tabby, I’ve never been one to chicken out. On anything. I’ll make Jamie see why accepting you is so important.”
“You don’t…”
I cut her off. “Tabby, I like you so much. I don’t want anyone to ruin what we have. No one’s taking you away from me.”
“Oh, wow, I… Wow.”
“Maybe I never really cared about anything else before,” I think aloud. “Screw it. I’ll just text Jamie and the guys, and they can deal with it.”
“No!” she blurts. “Don’t tell them in a text. That’s the worst.”
“But they’d know.”
“Geez, Kai, don’t text them about me.”
I sigh, sinking into the couch. “You sure?”
“It’s so permanent. There's no taking it back, especially if the wording isn’t right. Yes, don’t text them.”
“Okay. I won’t, for you.”
She giggles. “Okay.”
“Girl, that giggle. Gets me every time.”
She giggles again, and my heart zings.
“I’ll remember that,” she says breathily.
“I really like you, Tabby.”
“I really like you too.”
“See you tomorrow?”
“Absolutely.”
I swear my smile takes up half my face. “Okay, cool. Good night, beautiful.”
She mumbles a nervous laugh. “Good night, Kai.”