Chapter Nine
Emmie
I glow under his praise. Sitting taller as he wraps his strong arms around my waist and rests his chin on my shoulder.
“Savage,” he whispers. “Little Rebel.” I freeze, unsure if it’s a pure coincidence or if he actually knows.
His fingers trace lazy circles across my stomach, so I choose to ignore his comment and pray it’s a fluke.
I tune back into the group, “Dare,” says Austin.
Henry grins, “Take Luna upstairs for half an hour.”
“Not in my bedroom,” snaps Bella. “Use the spare room.”
Austin is already up with his hand out ready for Luna, and they rush off together. Bella sighs heavily. “Well, guess that’s the end of that game.”
“Aww, you’re the only one that didn’t get anything from it,” says Henry, “I could dare you to kiss me.”
She groans, pushing to her feet. “No thanks.” And she saunters off. Henry waits a beat before running after her.
I twist in Kai’s arms. “We kissed,” I say, still not believing it.
His eyes burn into mine and he cups my face again. He tilts his head as he presses his lips to mine. He takes his time, exploring my mouth until my toes are curling. He pulls back, “And now I can’t seem to stop.”
“You and Bella,” I say, my voice lower.
“A long time ago. We weren’t even a thing, not really.”
I roll my eyes, a glimpse of his Casanova turning my stomach. “Is it likely to happen again?” I instantly regret the words. When did I become so damn needy.
He shakes his head, rubbing his nose against mine as a smile pulls on his lips. “No.”
“Walk me home?” I ask, knowing it’s at least thirty minutes from here, and I want to spend half of that kissing.
He stands, slipping his hand in mine. “Lead the way.”
By the time we reach mine, my lips are swollen from kisses. And just as I reach up to give him one final one, I hear yelling. We pause to listen before we realise it’s coming from inside my house.
I shove the key in the lock, freezing when I see broken plates across the kitchen floor. Kai pushes me behind him, stepping into the kitchen. Joel is red-faced and swaying, and mum is crying in the corner.
“What the fuc-” I begin before rushing to Mum and pulling her into my arms. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she whispers, nodding fast. “I’m fine.”
I glance back to where Kai is wrestling with his dad, trying to lead him to the door.
Joel is openly sobbing, apologising over and over.
Kai catches my eye, and shame washes over him.
He doesn’t say anything as he guides Joel out and I follow, my arms crossed.
They step outside and Kai orders an Uber.
“I’m really sorry,” he eventually mutters.
“Will you be okay?” I ask, my eyes lingering on Joel as he sways back and forth.
“Yeah. Fine. Go look after your mum.” I nod, taking a step back and closing the door.
Mum is already clearing the broken dishes, and I grab a brush to help. “What happened?”
“He just had a little too much to drink,” she shrugs.
I frown, not liking how she’s brushing this off like it’s normal. “Has it happened before?”
She stiffens and then continues cleaning. “He’s a nice guy,” she mutters. “When he’s sober.”
“And how often does he drink?” I ask firmly.
“His wife left and . . . I guess he isn’t coping well,” she adds, like that explains it, or worse, excuses it.
“You know you can’t see him again, Mum.”
She glances away. “I know.”
I step closer until she’s forced to look at me. “Mum, I’m serious. You can’t see him again. He’s dangerous.”
I recheck my phone. Still nothing.
The message I sent last night, “Are you okay?” just sits there, read but unanswered. Not even a thumbs-up. Exactly like the two I sent before that.
Ava’s talking beside me, something about her biology teacher being a sadist, but her voice fades out as I stare at Kai’s name. He kissed me like he meant it. He held me like I was real. And now I feel like an idiot for believing any of it.
Ava nudges me. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I lie, zipping up my hoodie against the chill. “He said he’d pick us up, right?”
She nods. “Yep. You sure he didn’t message?”
I shake my head, shoving my phone in my pocket. “Guess he forgot.”
But he didn’t forget. He’s ignoring me like it was my mum who smashed his house up. I didn’t even tell Ava. His dad is his business, and besides, Mum is carrying on like nothing happened.
I did, however, tell Ava all about the party, including the kissing part.
We end up walking to college, sharing headphones and complaining about the wind. My stomach twists the whole way, half dreading seeing him, half hoping he’ll be waiting with some kind of excuse.
He isn’t.
He’s leaning against the school steps with Austin and Henry, laughing at something like nothing in the world could touch him. He’s got his signature smirk back on, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a can of Monster. And Bella’s tucked into his side, too close to be casual.
He sees me. I know he sees me. Because his eyes flick over, fast, but instead of smiling or even acknowledging me, he looks right past me like I’m not there.
Like I never was.
Ava slows beside me. “Are you okay?”
I swallow the lump in my throat and nod. “Fine.” But I’m not.
Not even a little.
The rest of Monday feels like a bad dream.
In first period, Kai walks in late, eyes scanning the room, then he chooses a seat on the other side, even though the one beside me is empty. He laughs too loudly at something Austin says, never once glancing my way.
By break, he’s still glued to his group, acting like Saturday night never happened. Bella hangs off him like it’s her full-time job, and when she brushes her hand against his chest, he lets her.
At lunch, he sits with them, our table now apparently off-limits. I sit with Ava, trying to eat while my stomach’s churning. Whenever I look up, he’s mid-conversation, surrounded by people, acting like I’m invisible. Again.
And that kiss?
That night?
The way he looked at me?
It’s like it never existed.
The final bell rings and I rush out like I’ve got somewhere to be, even though I don’t. Ava keeps pace beside me, chattering about plans I barely hear until she suddenly grips my arm. “Look,” she says, grinning. “By the car.”
I follow her gaze. Kai. He’s leaning against the driver’s door, his arms folded, looking straight at us. My heart stutters.
“See,” Ava beams, nudging me. “He’s not ignoring you. He probably felt weird after Saturday, but he’s waiting now. For you. ”
I want to believe it. God, I almost do. Until we get closer. And I see them.
Bella and Luna are sitting inside his car, lipstick-stained Starbucks cups in the holders, Bella with her legs tucked up on the passenger seat like she owns the place.
Kai doesn’t move. Doesn’t smile. Just watches me approach. It reminds me of how he used to be, before.
He pushes off the car and steps closer, lowering his voice so only I can hear. “I’ll swing by tonight,” he says. “To get my phone.” My sharp intake of breath gives me away. “Little Rebel.”
My mouth dries. He knew. This whole time. And he said nothing. He steps back, cool and detached, like none of this matters. Like I don’t matter.
Then he gets in the car.
And drives away.
Kai
I slam the front door harder than I need to. It rattles in the frame, but I don’t care.
Joel’s on the sofa, half-passed out, beer balanced on his chest like he’s proud of it.
“Nice,” I mutter, tossing my bag down. “It’s barely four. You even make it to work today?”
He blinks at me, squinting like the lights are too loud. “You watch your tone, boy.”
“I’ll use whatever tone I want,” I snap. “Especially after the crap you pulled on Saturday.”
His face twists into something ugly. “It was one night. I apologised.”
“To me. You apologised to me. But not to Emmie. And not to her mum.”
He sits up, beer clinking onto the coffee table. “You don’t get it. You’re just a kid-”
“No,” I cut in, stepping forward. “I’m not. You want to ruin your life, fine. But you don’t get to drag hers down with it. Stay away from them.”
He stares at me, blinking slowly. Then shrugs. “Didn’t realise you were so attached to the girl.”
I freeze. My jaw locks. Because I am . And I hate that he can see it. “Just leave Maxine alone. She doesn’t deserve to be put through this hell.” I storm upstairs before I punch a wall.
I release a long breath the second I get to my room.
Resting against the door as I try to calm down.
Every time I close my eyes, I see Emmie.
And that hurt expression. Damn it. Walking past her like she means nothing is the hardest thing I’ve done in a long time.
But now she knows, she’s seen the truth, and I can’t let her in.
And that’s what she’ll want. To save me. I won’t let him ruin her.
I sit outside her house trying to pluck up the courage to face her. To be cold and heartless when all I want to do is run into her arms and never let her go. Her mum’s car isn’t in the driveway. I’m relieved. I can’t face Maxine, too.
I glance at the house again. The light’s on upstairs, and I watch her room for a minute, wondering what she’s doing and if she’s thinking about me.
I don’t even want my phone back. I said it so I had an excuse to see her outside college. Just one last time before I cut her off completely. The second she stiffened on Saturday after I called her little rebel, I knew it was her.
I kill the engine and get out, slamming the door with a little too much force. My legs carry me to the front step before my brain can talk me out of it. I raise my hand to knock, pausing for a moment before finally letting my knuckles tap against it.
The door opens slower than I expect. And then she’s there. Her hair is piled on her head in a messy knot, and she’s wearing a loose-fit T-shirt and nothing else. I like it.
She leans against the doorway, waiting for me to speak even though she knows why I’m here. I shift uncomfortably. “My phone,” I mutter, arching a brow.
“Right.” Her voice is sharp, clipped. She turns without another word, leaving the door hanging open.
I step inside, shutting it behind me. The house is too quiet. No TV. No background noise, just tension rolling between us and suffocating me.
She disappears into the kitchen, and I follow her like I’m entering enemy territory. She stops by a cabinet, reaches into a drawer, and pulls it out. She holds it in my general direction but doesn’t look at me.
I take it from her slowly, making sure my fingers brush hers. She snatches her hand back like I’ve burned her, holding it to her chest and eyeing me with pain in her expression.
I run a hand through my hair. “Look, I-”
“You don’t have to explain,” she cuts in, finally meeting my eyes. Her voice is flat, emotionless. “It’s fine. You got your phone. You can go.”
Her words hit harder than I expect. She turns to walk away again, and something inside me snaps. “You had it all along,” I say accusingly, and she turns back to face me.
She arches a brow. “And you knew all along and never said anything.”
“You gave yourself away when you stiffened after I called you little rebel.” I look away, “I liked our messages,” I mutter, my voice low. “I didn’t want them to stop.”
“Well, I’m glad I made you a better man for at least a nano-second. It’s a shame it can’t last. But as they say, all good things must come to an end.”
“I was ashamed,” I say suddenly, the second her words end. “After Saturday . . . and my dad . . .” I shrug. “I was ashamed.”
“And you thought the best way to deal with that was to cut me off. Ignore me like I mean nothing.”
I shift uncomfortably. “It sounds stupid when you say it out loud.”
“Just go, Kai. I’m so over it.”
“You’re the only thing that feels real lately,” I admit.
Her arms fold over her chest like armour. “Then why treat me like your embarrassing little secret?”
I don’t have an answer that won’t make me look like a complete coward, so I go with the truth. “Because I was scared.” She blinks. “Scared you’d figure out I’m not good enough for you. That I’ll mess up the second I feel anything real.”
She’s staring at me now. Her eyes burning into me. And for a second, I think she might cry. But she doesn’t, she just whispers, “You already did.”