Chapter Seven
Emmie
“Emmie,” Mum calls up the stairs.
“I said I’m coming!” I yell back, grabbing my bag and stomping out of my room.
I’m halfway down the stairs when I freeze. Kai Banks is in my kitchen. Talking to my mum. Smiling like he belongs there. I stare, wondering what his game is.
They both turn when I enter.“Morning,” Kai says, all bright and breezy. I just blink at him, waiting for him to explain why he’s here.
Mum clears her throat. “Kai said he’s giving you a ride to college.” My eyes narrow. “That’s nice, isn’t it?” she adds, way too cheerfully.
I huff and push past them, heading straight for the door. He’s hot on my heels. “Ava’s sick,” he says.
I spin around, and he nearly crashes into me. He stops just short, too close. His scent hits me. Spicy. Unfairly good. I clench my fists, resisting the urge to inhale.
“She tried to call you, but you didn’t answer,” he adds, shrugging. I glance at my phone and see the missed call. “And so I said I’d swing by and offer you a lift.”
“Why?”
He frowns. “Why?” he repeats.
“Why are you suddenly being nice? Is this part of the bet that your boys had? You couldn’t screw Ava over, so you chose me?”
He gives a laugh, then realises I’m serious, so it fades. “No, of course not. I just . . . I thought I’d be nice.”
“Where’s your friends?”
He straightens up, looking uncomfortable. “They didn’t like what I put online.” He groans. “Actually, I didn’t put it.” His honesty intrigues me, it’s unexpected, so I wait for him to continue. “Remember my phone was taken?” I nod. “Well, the person that has it, did that.”
“And now you’re taking all the credit.”
He scoffs. “Credit or blame, depending who’s side you’re on. Austin and the lads are pissed.”
“They shouldn’t have done what they did to Ava.”
He nods in agreement. “Exactly. And Ava’s alright,” he says with a slow smile. “She was nice to me at lunch yesterday, even though I didn’t deserve it.”
I feel another of my chinks melt away. “Fine, I’ll take the lift, but this doesn’t mean we’re friends.”
He grins, pulling out his keys. “Understood.”
Kai unlocks his car with a beep, and I slide into the passenger seat without a word. He starts the engine, glancing at me sideways. “Seatbelt,” he says.
I click it in place without looking at him. A few minutes pass in silence, just the hum of the engine. “So,” he finally says, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. “What kind of music do you like?”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’re seriously trying to small talk me right now?”
He grins. “I’m trying to be nice.”
“Well, don’t hurt yourself.”
He laughs like I’ve made a joke. “Okay, hostile silence it is,” he says, turning the volume up slightly on the radio. Indie rock. Figures .
I sigh. “I like musicals.”
“Like Hamilton or, like High School Musical ?”
I side-eye him. “ Hamilton , obviously.”
“Respect,” he says, nodding like I’ve just told him something profound. “Never got into it. Too many words.”
“You can always listen to it, they actually do it on audio, unless you’re too busy checking yourself out in the mirror.”
He fakes a gasp. “Ouch. That was savage.”
“Not as savage as you calling Ava’s trainers ‘charity shop chic’ last week.”
He winces. “Okay, fair. That was a low blow.”
I turn to him, surprised. “Did you just admit to being wrong?”
He shrugs, eyes on the road. “I’m evolving.”
I snort. “Like a Pokémon.”
He grins. “Exactly. I used to be Kai, now I’m Kai two-point O.
Slightly less of a dick.” There’s a pause.
The corners of my mouth twitch, and I look away before he can see.
“Anyway,” he says casually, “we’ve got ten more minutes of this ride.
You can either keep roasting me or tell me something I don’t know about you. ”
I cross my arms. “Fine. I collect pressed flowers.”
He glances at me, eyebrows raised. “Seriously?”
“Deadly serious.”
“That’s kind of cool, actually.”
I shrug. “And I like to read.” He grins, and for once, I don’t instantly want to punch it off his face. “What about you?”
He taps the steering wheel some more. “I’m not great at reading,” he announces, like it’s been weighing heavy on his chest. “Or spelling.”
I glance over, but he stares straight ahead. “Oh.”
He laughs, but I know he doesn’t find it funny. “Yeah, who would have thought it.”
I shrug like it’s no big deal. “Loads of adults struggle to read.”
“Not how my dad sees it,” he mutters, with a hint of bitterness in his words.
“No?”
He takes a breath, then glances over before forcing a brighter smile, one that he thinks hides his pain. “And obviously, football.”
“Sports have never really been my thing,” I admit. “Too much energy.”
He grins, “I probably wouldn’t play so much if Dad hadn’t have wanted it.”
“If he loves it so much, why doesn’t he play?”
“He did. For a while. Almost made it professional and then Mum had me and then he . . .” he trails off. “Never mind. Anyway, he thought it would be good for me, yah know, if I was struggling academically.”
Kai pulls into the college car park and slides into a spot like he owns the place. Which, he does, socially speaking.
I’m halfway out the door when I hear it. “ Kaaaai! ” Bella’s voice. High-pitched, sugary, and laced with venom.
I freeze, but it’s too late. She’s already spotted us.
She and Luna are strutting over like they’re on a runway.
Bella’s eyes flick from Kai to me, narrowing just slightly before she plasters on a wide smile.
“Well, this is unexpected,” she says, tossing her shiny blonde hair over one shoulder. “Morning, Kai.”
“Hey,” he says, cool and casual, like he hasn’t just delivered me to the gates of social hell.
Luna snickers behind her hand. I pretend not to notice. Bella turns her smile on me, and it feels like staring directly into the sun, blinding and probably dangerous. “Hi, Emmie,” she says sweetly. “Didn’t know you and Kai were . . . friends.”
“We’re not,” I mutter, adjusting my bag strap.
“She needed a ride,” Kai says simply. “Ava’s sick.”
Bella’s eyes flash. “Ohhh. That makes sense.” She gives a little laugh, like everything's fallen neatly into place in her head. “So generous of you, Kai. Honestly, not many people would go out of their way for . . .” She trails off, smiling at me again. “Well. Anyway.” I bite my tongue so hard I taste blood. “So,” Bella continues, linking her arm with Kai’s, “we’re thinking of going to that new bubble tea place after school.
You should totally come. Both of you.” Her eyes flick back to me, clearly hoping I’ll say no.
“I can’t,” I say flatly. “I have actual plans.”
Bella blinks, caught off guard. Probably unable to understand why I’d turn down her golden gift of hanging out with her for an hour.
Kai glances at me, amused. “Yeah, and I’ve got training.”
“Oh,” Bella says, her voice a little too tight. “Shame.” She lets her arm slide off his. “Well, maybe next time.” Then, with one final sugar-coated smile, she adds, “I’ll stop by practise before we go. I haven’t watched you play for ages.”
He grins, “You saw me last Thursday.”
She laughs. “Exactly, ages.” The, she turns on her heel, and Luna follows like a shadow.
I release a long breath. Kai lifts an eyebrow. “You okay?”
I shrug. “Imagine being that obsessed with yourself.”
He grins. “You’re kind of savage. I like it.”
I roll my eyes, but my cheeks are warm. I tell myself it’s from the walk to class. Definitely not from the way he said I like it.
Kai
At lunchtime, I scan the cafeteria automatically, and that’s when I see her. Emmie.
She’s sitting alone near the window, picking at a sandwich like it personally offended her.
Her book lies open, and her back is curled in that invisible-don’t-talk-to-me way.
I hesitate. But we’re good now, I’m certain she won’t mind me joining her.
I head over, trying not to over think it, when I’m stopped in my tracks.
“Kai.” Bella appears out of nowhere, voice sweet enough to rot teeth. She grabs my arm like we’re starring in some teen rom-com and beams at me. “There you are,” she says. “Come sit with us. We saved you a seat.”
Luna’s behind her, tray in her hand, eyes flicking between me and Emmie like she already knows what’s going on and plans to report back in detail.
I glance past Bella. Emmie’s still looking down, pulling the crust off her sandwich like she’s dissecting it.
Her shoulders are stiff. She knows I saw her.
Knows I stopped. I hate that I’m standing still.
“Come on,” Bella says, tugging my sleeve.
“We’re talking about Friday’s party. You have to be there. ”
She bats her lashes. It’s a performance, she’s not even subtle. And I should probably care more. About the party. About what she thinks. About the fact that half the room’s probably watching this interaction right now.
But all I can think about is that second, that moment , when I saw Emmie alone, and she saw me notice her. And then I didn’t walk over. “Yeah,” I say, forcing a smile. “Sure.” Bella squeals like she’s won a prize and practically drags me toward her table.
I glance back one last time.
Emmie doesn’t look up.
I lean against my car, arms folded, watching the doors. It’s been ten minutes since the final bell. Most people are long gone. But I’m still here. Waiting for her.
I spot Emmie finally as she exits the building. Her head is down, headphones in, and her bag slung high like a shield. She walks right past me without even a glance. “Emmie.” She doesn’t stop. I push off the car and catch up in three strides. “Emmie,” I say again, louder this time.
She finally stops and yanks out one earbud. “What?” Her tone’s flat, like I’m a stranger asking for spare change. No trace of the girl who made fun of my music taste this morning.
“I’m giving you a ride.”
“I don’t need a ride,” she says, turning like that’s the end of it.
I step in front of her. “You’re getting in the car.”
Her eyes flash. “Excuse me?”
“Come on,” I say, voice low but firm. “It’s gonna rain in ten minutes, and your house is out of the way. I’m already here.”
She folds her arms. “I didn’t ask you to be.”
“Too bad,” I say, stepping around her and opening the passenger door. “Get in.”
With a frustrated sigh, she climbs in. It’s a minor victory, but I’ll take it.
I slide behind the wheel and pull out of the carpark in silence. She’s staring straight ahead like I don’t exist. “Are you mad about lunch?” I ask after a beat.
“Nope.”
“Right,” I mutter. “Because ignoring me like I insulted your grandma is just your normal vibe.”
She scoffs. “I told you this morning, we’re not friends.” It lands harder than it should. I glance over, but she’s still looking out the window.
“She grabbed my arm,” I say, choosing to address the root of the problem. “I didn’t exactly plan to go to her.”
“Yet you did.”
More silence settles between us. “I saw you and I was coming over, but then she grabbed me and-”
“It really doesn’t matter.”
“But it does .”
She turns, her eyes narrow. “Why? You’ve barely spoken to me in years, and now I’m supposed to care that you almost did the decent thing?”
I exhale loudly. “I’m trying, Em, it’s just hard to break away.”
She doesn’t reply.
We pull up to her house just as the first drops of rain hit the windscreen. Before she can grab the handle, the front door opens, and her mum steps out, smiling like it’s Christmas morning.
“Kai!” she calls. “Come in for a minute.”
Emmie groans under her breath. “Mum . . .”
But I’m already out of the car. “I’d love to,” I say, grinning at her mum like the golden boy I can be when I want to.
Emmie glares at me as we walk to the door. “You’re such a suck-up.”
“Yep,” I whisper back. “And now you’ve got to put up with me for longer.”
Inside smells like cinnamon and laundry detergent. Homey. The kind of place you can breathe in. Her mum disappears into the kitchen with a cheerful, “Make yourselves comfortable!”
Emmie heads for the stairs, but I catch her wrist gently. “Wait,” I say. “You can’t leave me down here.”
“I didn’t invite you in.”
I groan, “Come on, Em, I’m really trying here.”
She sighs heavily. “Fine.” And then she leads the way upstairs to her room.
I don’t know what I expected, maybe piles of books, a dark corner with skull-shaped candles or something moody. But it’s nothing like that. It’s quiet. Soft.
The walls are pale blue, the kind that feels like the sky before a storm.
There’s a bookshelf by the window, not just stacked but overloaded with novels, all with cracked spines.
There are little plants everywhere, and a photo of her and Ava taped to the shelf like it belongs there more than any frame.
Pressed flowers hang in simple glass frames along one wall, delicate, like she’s frozen little moments in time.
I walk over and look closer. Pale violets. Buttercups. One I think might be a dandelion, though it’s hard to tell now. All of them labelled in that slanted handwriting girls seem to master by age twelve.
Her desk is cluttered but organised. Sticky notes on the wall, a cracked mug full of pens, a notebook left open. It all feels like her. Beautifully chaotic .
I turn and find her watching me, arms crossed, standing by the door like she’s not sure whether to kick me out or dare me to say something.
“This is . . .” I pause, looking around again. “Very you.”
She snorts. “What does that mean?”
I shrug. “Kinda weird. Kinda beautiful.”
That catches her off guard. I see it, just for a second, before she folds into herself again, like she’s not sure what to do with a compliment that isn’t coated in sarcasm.
I drop onto the edge of her bed without asking, bouncing a little on the mattress. “Decent,” I say. “Way comfier than mine.”
“Get off.”
“Nope.”
She groans, but there’s a hint of a smile as she comes over and snatches a pillow, whacking me with it lightly. I catch it before she can swing again. “That all you got?”
“You want to see what I’ve really got?”
I grin. “Maybe.” And for the first time all day, she actually laughs. Quiet. Real .
Yeah. I’m definitely staying as long as I can.