Chapter 36 Tabitha
The next day in the cafeteria, Kai and I move with our trays toward his lunch table. Ahead of us, Yvette shimmies her hips in search of Zane.
“My friends will be drooling right now,” Kai says under his breath. “They all have crushes on her.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Parker and Lewis are practically betting on which one of them will get to her first.”
“Well, Parker was putting the moves on her the other night.”
“Too bad she’s already taken.”
I smirk. “She’s always taken. The girl doesn’t know how to be single.”
“Maybe once she breaks up with Zane, Parker or Lewis will be next in line.”
I lean into him. “You should want better for your friends than to be with a girl like Yvie.”
“She won’t magically change into a dream girl, like you did?”
Jokingly, I flick out my curls. “I’ve always been a dream girl.”
He pecks my cheek. “Yeah, but I didn’t always see it.”
“Hmm. Maybe without Camila around, Yvie could be better girlfriend material.”
Kai snaps his fingers. “So we just gotta get Camila out of the picture.”
“I think her mom is working on it. There’s a For Sale sign outside their house.”
“Don’t toy with me.”
“Since Camila’s dad bought that monstrosity of a house that overlooks their house, she’s been talking a lot about moving out of town. But I doubt it’ll happen.”
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s another ploy for attention. Mr. Garcia would hate it if his ex moved Camila away from him.”
Kai winks. “I’m still keeping my fingers crossed.”
We land at the table just as the boys groan. I follow Parker and Lewis’s sightline and find them staring at Yvie, smacking lips with Zane.
“What did you think was gonna happen?” Tyler says bluntly. “That girl is never single. You guys have gotta stop pining.”
“Whatever,” the boys mumble as they slump in their seats.
“Hi guys,” Kai says, swinging my hand. “Is it okay if Tabby joins us?”
“Sure,” Tyler says, kicking out an empty seat. “Hi Tabby.”
Kai pulls out another seat. It’s next to Jamie, who’s been eyeballing me ever since we approached the table.
I clear my throat and take the other seat next to Kai. “Hi everyone. Thanks for letting me hang out.”
Kai hooks his arm around my shoulders and turns to Jamie. “How was class?”
“Umm…” Jamie stumbles over her words. Oh gosh, it’s like I can feel the hate steaming off her.
Kai’s fingers strum across my shoulder. “James? You okay?”
She clears her throat and fakes a laugh. “Umm, yeah, bro. I mean, I was just thinking about how much of a dumb question that was. How was class? How do you think?”
I blow out a breath and try to look interested. Kai laughs, and I wonder if we’re brushing off the fact she needs to increase her grade average.
“Ah, Jamie?” My tone comes out quiet and timid, and I push for something more confident sounding. “Like, aren’t you failing? I thought you were supposed to be paying attention in classes?”
Jamie’s mouth falls open as she blinks at me. “I…”
Kai hugs his arm around me snugly as he says, “As if she’s gonna do a one-eighty and suddenly love school.”
Jamie eases into a smirk, and yes, they’re brushing it under the rug.
I just can’t help myself. “But I thought she was being kicked out of school?”
“Whoa.” Parker cuts in. “I didn’t know it was that serious.”
“They’re not…” Jamie stutters her words, staring at Parker. “Umm, uhhh, no. I’m not get, ah, getting kick, kicked out of school.”
Lewis tilts his head, taking her in. “What’s with you?”
“Duh.“ Tyler gestures at Jamie. “She’s nervous because it’s her last week at this school.”
Kai splutters a laugh. “Where’d you get that info from? It’s not her last week, and she’s not getting kicked out. It’s her scholarship she has to fight for because her aunt can’t afford the school fees.”
Kai’s words hit me deep in my chest. The ache sends a sizzle of strained air out of me. “Dang. I couldn’t imagine struggling because my family doesn’t have money. I don’t know how you do it, Jamie.”
Jamie’s jaw flexes and her hands clench into fists, but she still struggles to get words out. Seriously, how am I supposed to have a conversation with this girl if she can’t string a sentence together? Even her friends think she’s acting weird.
Kai shifts in his seat and mumbles. “It’s not like she chose to be poor.”
Shocked hurt flashes across Jamie’s face, and my blood runs cold. Okay, maybe Kai was onto something with brushing it under the rug. If she can’t handle talking about school fees and homework, I’ll just change the subject.
I look around at the guys and remember how easy it was to talk to them at the skatepark. Granted, Jamie wasn’t there, but there’s still interest in their eyes.
“So, how come you guys are always drooling over Yvette?” I ask, stifling a laugh.
Tyler points a finger at Parker and Lewis. “Just these two losers. Don’t rope me in on that.”
“Tyler’s blind,” Parker cuts in. “I mean, you’ve seen Yvette, right? She’s like a Scandinavian princess.”
“Princess?” I snigger.
“Yeah,” Lewis says and then points a thumb at his chest. “A princess who’ll end up with her prince.”
“Prince of denial, maybe,” Parker says, jutting his elbow against Lewis’s ribs.
Before Lewis can make his rebuttal, Jamie launches off her seat, startling all of us.
“Whoa,” Kai blurts, jerking away from her and closer to me. “What’s with you?”
“I totally forgot about something for my next class,” Jamie says in a rush. “I just texted Milo for help.”
Kai shifts in his seat, making an uncomfortable face. “You’re leaving to hang with Milo?”
Jamie rolls her eyes at him. “Ugh. It’s not like that, and you know it. I need to keep doing my homework if I want my teachers to bump up my grades.”
My heart bounces to a happier beat. Jamie’s chatting again. Full sentences. And she wants to make her schoolwork the best it can be. I’m so happy for her.
I lean into Kai and stroke his hair. “Lay off her. You know the poor girl needs every bit of help she can get.”
When Jamie’s arms cross and she taps a foot against the floor, Kai sighs.
“Fine.” Kai waves her off. “Go be part of the brainwashed masses and spew out the dribble these teachers expect us to learn.”
Jamie backs away, and I can’t help noticing the way her teeth grit when she says, “Thanks.”
I watch her leave from over Kai’s shoulder. I massage the back of his head, hoping he calms down. His friend needs his support. Yeah, they’re not hanging out as much right now, but it’ll be worth it in the long run. She’ll get to stay at this school. And, heck, he has me now.
I smile at Jamie, and she grimaces in return.
My heart drops to the pit of my stomach, and I turn back around to face the boys.
“Well, that was weird,” Tyler remarks.
“She’s just in a mood,” Kai brushes it off. “You know Maddy’s leaving town.”
“Yeah, Hawaii,” Lewis replies. “Sounds pretty sweet.”
“Bad timing though,” Kai comments.
“For sure,” Tyler agrees. “Right after a letter that says she’s getting kicked out.”
Kai groans and stares up at the ceiling. “She’s not getting kicked out.”
I massage Kai’s shoulder, coaxing his head back into its correct position. “That’s right. She won’t. She just has to study right now.”
Kai frowns. “Right.”
Parker bursts into laughter. “With your brother. She must hate that.”
Kai grunts. “She just voluntarily left to hang out with him. What’s with that?”
“Who cares,” Lewis blurts. “We have Tabitha now.”
“She’s not replacing Jamie,” Tyler says bluntly.
“No one said she was,” Kai says defensively, adding pressure to his grip on me.
“Don’t get mad at me,” Tyler replies, “just because you’re jealous about Jamie hanging out with your brother.”
Jealous?
There’s a sharp pain in my gut.
Tyler thinks Kai is jealous that Jamie left to be with Milo. Is that because he suspects there’s something more going on between them?
I watch Kai’s side profile for clues.
Is there something more?
“I’m not jealous,” Kai mutters. “I’m annoyed.”
“About what?” I whisper.
He turns to me. “That she’s changed.”
“Don’t you want her to keep her scholarship?”
He shrugs. “I just wish it weren’t an issue.”
“But it is. She needs to study.” I lean into him, hoping to cheer him up. “Besides, when we started studying, it turned out to be the best thing ever.”
“True. We wouldn’t have had any reason to talk otherwise.”
I shrug. “Except for the times you yelled at me.”
He kisses the top of my head. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Ooooh,“ the boys mock, watching Kai’s tender act.
Kai grabs some fries from his plate and hurls them at his friends. “Shut up.”