Chapter 39
It’s Friday and I’m psyching myself up to go to the football game tonight.
Obviously, I want to stick it to Dr. Jones.
Who does he think he is, demanding Tabby and I don’t see each other anymore?
Okay, yeah, her father. The dude who can ground her and make up a zillion arbitrary rules.
But he only sees one side of me. “The menace,” as he likes to put it.
Hasn’t he questioned why Tabby likes me?
Doesn’t his scientific brain prompt him to take a deeper look? That there might be more to me?
This afternoon, I try chilling out with the guys at the skatepark, but it doesn’t work.
The prospect of proving myself to Dr. Jones is wigging me out.
With every rail I ride, or flip of my board, I get angry.
How am I supposed to appear as some goody-goody in front of Tabby’s dad?
The guy despises me, and I’m supposed to be going into tonight with a game plan.
Would Dr. Jones prefer it if I acted more like Milo?
Ugh. Jamie bailed on us again to hang out with Milo.
Plus, they have an extra-credit assignment to work on together over the weekend.
What the actual hell? First, Jamie says she’s catching up on schoolwork.
Now, she’s actively getting more. What has happened to my friend?
And why is she voluntarily spending more time with my brother?
I call it quits at the skatepark and drive home. After spending some time with my grandparents, who ask a buttload of questions about my girlfriend, I go upstairs to change. It’s nice thinking only about Tabitha for a few minutes, and not the fact that her dad thinks I’m a stain on society.
“You!” I yell, standing in the doorway of my bedroom.
Alfred the cat, with his long ginger fur, is curled up on my bed.
“What the hell, cat?” I stomp toward my bed. “What makes you think you can come in here?”
I stomp extra hard, making Alfred recoil, meow, and bolt out of the bedroom.
“That’s what I thought,” I mumble at the empty bed. “Ugh, you’re kidding.”
Covered in ginger fur, my black beanie is crumpled on my bed cover. I pick it up and shake off the fur. “This isn’t your bed, Alfred.”
I slip the beanie on, change into a dark pair of jeans, which surprisingly have no rips. Over a fresh T-shirt, I pull on a navy crewneck sweater, and cover it with the black jacket Mom bought me at the start of winter.
I slip past my family on my way to the garage.
I haven’t told them where I’m going. If I said I’m watching the football game, they’d assume I’m lying and going to hang out at Dead Left Cliff in the mountains.
Actually, not a bad cover for if Dr. Jones pummels me for standing two-feet from his daughter.
Tabby texted me where she’s waiting near the bleachers.
I find her in a lilac coat, wearing a stylishly high ponytail, and large hoop earrings that are extra sexy.
As I get closer, the glitter on her eyelids has my heart zinging before I’m smiling at the heart painted on her cheek.
It’s half royal blue, and half navy. Our school colors.
“Wow, you look incredible,” I say, scooping her into a hug.
“Thanks,” she says, tightening her arms around me. “You look so handsome.”
I chuckle into the nape of her neck. “I do?”
“All but the beanie,” she kids.
I pull out of the hug, savoring her floral perfume. “But does the rest pass the style queen’s approval?”
“Yes.” She knocks on my chest. “Official seal of approval.”
“Excellent. I never wear these clothes and figured I’d be safe from tears and stains.”
“Good call. My parents like sharp dressers.”
“Where are they, by the way? Have they ditched or something?”
“If only,” she sniggers. “No, they’re down on the sideline with the coach.
They want to talk to Freddy before the game.
” The team is moving toward their coach after finishing a pre-game warmup.
“We just got here, but Freddy’s been here since after school.
Dad expects nothing less than one-hundred percent dedication. ”
“I can understand getting obsessed with your sport.”
“But does your dad force you to stay on the field and train?”
“Ah, no. My dad tells me to get a life.”
“Maybe your dedication will impress my dad. You could lead with it if he approaches you.”
“Just blurt out that I’m obsessed with soccer?”
She giggles. “Okay. That might come off as weird. But if he sees you as someone with dedication, he’ll like you.”
“I doubt it’s that easy. He’s aware I play soccer. I’ve come into the ER with dislocations before.”
Tabby winces. “This is gonna go bad, huh?”
I latch onto her hand. “We don’t want to break up, right?”
She squeezes my hand. “I don’t want that.”
“Then we’ll prove we’re better together.” I add a wary look. “Is your mom cool with me? With us?”
Tabby shrugs, uncertain. “She was weird when she met you. I didn’t expect the several dinner invitations.”
I gulp. “Do you think she’ll rope me into dinner with your family tonight?”
“Maybe, but I can’t see Dad agreeing to that.”
I peck her cheek. “Maybe if he does, we’ve won.”
“This is bringing out your competitive streak.”
“I always win when I put my mind to something.”
“And what if you lose?”
I shake my head. “Not an option.”
“Tabitha?” Mrs. Jones’s voice calls out.
We turn toward the field and find Tabby’s parents walking toward us.
“Hi, Mom and Dad,” Tabby stammers awkwardly. “You remember Kai?”
“Of course,” Mrs. Jones cheers. “So good to see you again.”
I open my mouth to respond, but Dr. Jones cuts in. “What are you doing here, Nelson?”
“Dad,“ Tabby scolds.
Dr. Jones stares at our linked hands. “I thought I told you not to see this boy outside of school.”
“It’s a free country,” I blurt. “And besides, this is a school activity.”
Dr. Jones’s nostrils flare and his teeth grit.
Tabby rolls her eyes, and her hand grows clammy inside mine. “It’s not like his presence will make the team lose.”
Dr. Jones is steamed. “Why on earth would you say that?”
Mrs. Jones chuckles. “Tabby, you can’t be flippant like that. You know how superstitious your father is on game days.”
“I thought you were a man of science,” I say, looking the doctor up and down. “Being superstitious doesn’t sound like it should be one of your defining traits.”
Tabby sends me a petrified look. Perhaps I stepped too far over the line?
“Boy,” Dr. Jones seethes. “You’d better get far away from me.”
I gulp. No comeback on my tongue.
“Dad,” Tabby says softly, stepping in front of me. “He’s just curious.”
“Tabitha, you’re joining us in the bleachers,” her father orders. “Yes, it is a free country, Kai. So you can stay here if you wish. But I’ll be damned if you’re joining my family.”
“Dad!” Tabby whines.
“Andrew,” Mrs. Jones says soothingly, rubbing Dr. Jones’s arm. “Do you need to be so harsh?”
“Did you not see what he did to our daughter’s hands?” Dr. Jones questions his wife.
“Kai didn’t do that,” she replies. “It was Tabitha’s clumsiness. She’s not exactly graceful.”
My chest puffs out at Mrs. Jones’s mocking tone. I want to give her a piece of my mind for speaking about Tabitha like that, but the parents are still going at it.
“She wouldn’t have been in the situation if it weren’t for this boy.”
“She’s always been uncoordinated. She’s no Yvette Andersen. Now there’s a girl a mother can be proud of.”
“What?” it gasps out of Tabitha as she clutches the space over her heart. “You’re not proud of me?”
Instinctively, I wrap an arm around her and turn her away from her parents.
“That’s not what your mother was saying,” Dr. Jones rushes.
“Yes, it is,” Tabby sniffles, slouching against me. “I’m not the daughter she wants.”
“Tabby,” Mrs. Jones says in a shattered tone. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...”
But I’m no longer listening. I walk Tabitha away from her parents, and I’m stunned neither of them tries to stop me.
“I’ll never be enough for her.” Tabby’s fists curl and her jaw hardens. “The only good thing I’ve done is bring you around, because then she has another boy to fuss over. She can’t stand me because I’m another version of her.”
“Are you saying your mother is jealous of you?”
“It’s a messed-up concept, and she’s a messed-up parent.”
I wrap my arms around her and kiss the side of her head. “Sorry, Tabby.”
“Don’t be. You’re the only good part in this whole mess.”
I pull out of the hug and lift her chin. I smile at the two-toned heart on her cheek. “Since when did you get so fanatical? I didn’t take you for a school-spirit girl.”
“It’s nothing compared to Corbin’s face. It’s entirely blue. One half navy, the other royal blue.”
“Whoa. That’s intense.”
Tabby sighs, scratching at the painted heart. “Mom talked me into it. She kept saying, ‘all the girls paint their faces, why don’t you?’ I didn’t have the energy to argue that those are the girls trying to date the footballers.”
I nod at the formation of cheerleaders, revving up the crowd. “Like that pack of airheads?”
“Precisely.”
“You never tried out for the cheer squad?”
“Umm, I’m barely coordinated at dance class. I don’t think my mother could stomach the humiliation.”
“Did she make cracks at you when you went back to dance class?”
She shakes her head. “Barely. She’s too preoccupied, making sure I know my place for the upcoming society meeting.”
“Seriously? But that meeting is at Jamie’s cafe. That place is the opposite of snooty.”
“Not one of Mom’s considerations.”
When the game officially starts, I hold Tabitha’s hand and slouch against the fence with her. “You need a distraction from talking about your mom.”
“But then I’m stuck thinking about how my dad wants us to break up.”