Almost Perfect

by Doyle, Dawn

  “And they don’t belong to you, either,” Cash said. “Kaia’s mom bought these for her for Christmas.”

  Bobby tipped the contents out of a small cardboard box and handed it to me. “For her stuff.” He glanced at Anton, then back to me. “I’m sure we’ll need it.”

  And we did. Anton followed the guys around while I watched, enjoying his frantic movements as he attempted to stop my friends from searching through his dorm. I looked in the box and picked out the books to see what they were. My jaw ground when I saw they were the same ones Kaia was studying from in the library. The asshole knew she needed these, yet he kept them anyway.

  The necklace was something else. A long silver chain with a small iridescent jewel hanging from it. I recognized the teardrop shape right away; she’d worn it the night we met… In the dark after she’d burst through the door to escape Channing’s idiotic game of blackout, and we’d made out. I remembered how her lips felt against mine, how her body curled into me, her fingers in my hair, pulling me closer… Then, when she realized who I was, she’d looked at me like she’d made the worst mistake of her life.

  “Dude, is this everything?” Jonah asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

  “Tell us, Anton,” I demanded. “Because if we find out you’ve held out on us, we’ll have to come back, and we won’t be as nice.”

  “Nice?” Anton yelled. “You’ve turned my dorm upside down!”

  I made a show of taking in every little thing in there. “Yep, pretty much. That’s what happens when you hide shit everywhere instead of keeping it all together.” It was as though he had no intention of giving it back. As I scanned the destruction, my eyes landed on the spine of a book sticking out from between the armrest of the sofa, and the seat. I handed the box off to Cash. “What’s this?”

  “No, that’s mine!” Anton ran toward me, his arm out ready to snatch the book from me. I raised my arm out of his reach. “Give it back, Maddoc.”

  “I don’t think so,” I said, calmly. I pressed my hand to his chest and gave him a little shove backward. His calves hit the wooden coffee table and he fell back, slamming down on the low surface. He blew out a sharp breath with the impact, then groaned in pain.

  What the fuck is this?

  The guys continued to throw whatever Cash told them were Kaia’s into the box, while Anton rolled over and fell to the floor, clutching his back.

  “That’s private property,” he croaked.

  I sat on the sofa and rested my ankle across my knee, and relaxed back. “Yeah? Well, you didn’t mind keeping Kaia’s property from her, did you? Now I’m keeping yours from you.” I opened the dark-brown cover and turned the first page. “Looks like it’s story time.”

  My blood boiled in my veins at what I read just in the first few pages, the dates, times, and fucking schedules the asshole kept, right down to the fucking minute.

  “Done,” Cash said. “Let’s go.”

  I held up a finger and turned the page with my other hand. “Hang on, I’m just getting to the good stuff,” I said, keeping my eyes on the scrawls across each page. “Fascinating read here, Anton.” I lifted my eyes from the book and stared at him, doing my best to keep my shit together so I wouldn’t kick the crap out of him. “Tell me, how long ago did you and Kaia break up?”

  “Screw you,” he spat as he pulled himself into a seated position. He shoved the beer bottles away from him, as well as the black cushions from the sofa that Channing had thrown.

  “Nah, I’d rather not,” I replied. The guys gathered together by the door, waiting for me, watching me, but not saying a word. “Answer the fucking question.”

  “None of your business.”

  “While I have this book in my hand, it is.” I flicked another page, then let my eyes drop to the entries. My head followed, then I leaned forward, concentrating on what he’d written. “Three months ago,” I spat. “She dumped you three months ago, you piece of shit.” I snapped the journal closed, unable to read more. Three fucking months—I’d had no idea it’d been that long—and he’d harassed her non-stop since then while still screwing around with his fuck buddies. I kneeled down, and Anton flinched when I moved closer. I glared at the waste of space, and although I used all my strength to keep my hands to myself, I couldn’t stop the snarl curling my lips, or my quickening breaths. “If you ever go near Kaia again, I’ll personally see to it that you find it hard to breathe for the next few months, do you understand?”

  “But I—”

  “Do you fucking understand!” I bellowed, my face and neck heating with the rage fighting its way out. Anton jumped back at my outburst. “Answer me!”

  “Yes!” he burst out, nodding quickly. Tears lined his eyes as he shuffled backward away from me.

  I could hear the guys’ whispers, but I didn’t give a shit what they were saying.

  “Then we won’t have a problem,” I bit out. I stood and walked backward toward my friends, only turning when I reached the door, making sure my T-shirt was in place.

  Once outside, Jonah slammed it behind us. “What the fuck was that?” he asked as though confused.

  All eyes were on me, I knew that. I grinned and placed a hand over my heart. “I chose the wrong career, I swear.” Like fuck I had.

  “That deserved a damn Oscar,” Cash said, moving closer to me, then slung his arm around my shoulder while he held onto the box with the other, and the rest of the guys laughed their asses off.

  “What did he have in that book anyway?” Channing asked as he took out his phone. “You didn’t look happy.”

  I shrugged, slightly tipping my head to the side as though it were nothing. “Let’s just say, he plans out his entire fucking life in that thing.” But, for the next few weeks, his schedule would need to change because what he’d planned for Kaia wasn’t fucking happening.

  Ever.

  Kaia

  “You did what?” I squealed with joy while I clutched a cardboard box in my hands. Tears welled in my eyes. “Cash, this is… Thank you so much!” I glanced down again at my belongings that had been retrieved from Anton’s dorm. Everything was in there, as well as a few items that weren’t mine. “You didn’t have to do this for me, you could’ve gotten into so much trouble.” I wouldn’t have put it past Anton to complain to the faculty, but as nothing had happened so far, I guessed he’d decided it wasn’t worth it.

  Daria beamed, unaware of my shock, and cuddled into him. “Thank you, baby, she’s been trying to get that back for months.”

  “Not just me,” he said, then kissed her head. “The guys, too.”

  I froze, and swallowed nervously. “The guys?”

  Cash nodded. “Yeah, Maddoc, Jonah, Bobby, and Chan.” His eyes narrowed the second my expression slipped. “What’s the problem?” he asked, confusion furrowing his brow.

  “Maddoc,” I replied, and looked down into the box again. “He’s gonna hold this over me, I just know it.” My gut sank at the realization that he now had something to torment me with. “I won’t hear the end of it.” I worried my lip between my teeth as I began pacing, wondering what he was going to say now I owed him.

  Cash reared back. “Whoa, Kai, Maddoc’s not like that. He doesn’t want anything in return, none of us do.”

  Daria rubbed his arm, and as she looked at me, her brows lifted in the middle, her lips pursed, and her dark eyes could barely stay on me. “Babe, they did a nice thing for you.”

  I placed the box down on the dining table and held my hands up. “I know, and I’m grateful, I really am, but you don’t understand.” I huffed out a sharp incredulous breath. “You’ve seen how he is with me. I don’t have to do anything but show my face for him to pester me.”

  Cash’s eyes narrowed and his mouth opened in disbelief. “Hey, I know you and Maddoc have issues, and to be honest, I don’t understand why, but he was there to protect you from facing Anton by yourself, like we all were, and I’d appreciate it if you stopped assuming my best friend is out to get you.�
�

  He was right, and the truth had cut into my chest like a dull knife, hacking away at my heart. I was a horrible person, and overly sensitive, especially when it came to a certain blond male. I turned into a mean girl whenever he was there, and I hated it, but it was like my heart had an automatic self-defense system that kicked in as soon as he was near… Or mentioned.

  “Baby, I think you should go,” Daria said softly when Cash shook his head in disappointment.

  “Me too,” he replied. “I’ve put up with her bad mouthing my friend for too long, Dar. He’s done nothing, fucking nothing wrong but help her out here, but she still assumes the worst in him.”

  “He’s not exactly innocent,” she shot back. “You know he purposely annoys her.”

  “You’re siding with her?” he argued, his voice raising, his hand jabbing toward me, and all I could do was watch with scorching tears rolling down my face. “He likes to joke around, yeah, and he can get a bit OTT but, Kaia,” he turned to me, “you act like it’s a personal attack on you. He’s like that with everyone, so get over your fucking self.” He kissed Daria, then stormed past me, and I jumped when he slammed the door on his way out.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered through my sobs. “I didn’t mean for you to get into an argument over this.”

  Daria folded her arms over her chest and leaned back a little while shaking her head. “If you don’t want to tell me why you and Maddoc have had problems from day one, you don’t have to, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bring your grudge between me and Cash.” She blew out a long breath, then chewed on her lip. “You’re my best friend, and Maddoc’s his. If you want Cash to choose between you and him, you know there won’t be any contest, and I certainly won’t fight him over it.” She released a hand and rubbed her forehead. “You’ve got a serious issue, Kai, and if you let it continue to eat away at you, I think it’ll come between us, too.”

  “Dar—”

  “No,” she cut in. “You need to sort this shit out before it gets completely out of control. When you’re in the same room together, you can practically feel the tension in the air between you. It’s suffocating!”

  She was right—they both were. I was a fucking mess and I had to sort it out before I sank so low that I drowned completely.

  ***

  Churning continued to roll in my gut, the bitter taste of guilt still tainting my tongue, interrupting the focus I needed for class. The bright room was illuminated by the light streaming in through the large square windows to the left, shining down on the few students that had arrived before me. Their mumbled voices carried around the room, their conversations mixing together. I stared down at the wooden bench-style desk in front of me, paying attention to my text book that I’d gotten back.

  Daria was right, I had serious issues with Maddoc Dass, and I had to face them before I let them take over me. The only problem with that was, there was no way I could. I couldn’t blurt out my reasons for snapping at the guy, or about him, or the frustrations of him just being in the same room as me. Ridiculous was the first word that came to mind, weird, was the next, and unnecessary was the third.

  My thoughts were interrupted by the vibrations coming from my bag. I picked up my galaxy-patterned rucksack from the floor beside me, and reached into the front zip pocket.

  I smiled when I saw the name on the screen. “Hey, Daryl, what’s up?”

  “Hey, baby sister!” he boomed. I had to pull the phone away from my ear at the sheer volume of his overly happy voice. “How’s it going?”

  I’m sliding down into a pit of despair, my friend is pissed at me, her boyfriend is too, and the guy I broke up with three months ago is still trying to get me to take him back even though he’s still seeing the girl I caught him with.

  “I’m fine,” I said instead of reeling off my pitiful inner ramblings. God, I was feeling sorry for myself. Monthly mood swings were a bitch, and they were hitting hard this time. “Just keeping my head above water here.”

  “You don’t sound fine,” Daryl replied, his chipper tone replaced with his usual low tone of concern. “What’s wrong?”

  I blew out a long sigh, my shoulders sagging as my lungs deflated. “Nothing, honestly,” I lied. “I’m in class and the professor’s just walked through the door.” Another lie, but once Daryl thought I was upset, he’d poke and poke until he wore me down to confess. “English sucks ass, and I’m pretty sure I’ve tanked my last project.”

  A deep chuckle reverberated through the earpiece. “I doubt it, Kaia. You’ve got this, ice princess.”

  I blew out a long, annoyed breath. “Seriously, Daryl?”

  “Hey, just because you don’t skate like the rest of us, doesn’t mean you don’t have ice deep down in your heart.” He laughed again, this time louder. The distinct sound of my other interfering brother sounded in the background.

  “Funny,” I drew out, and laughed. “You should do a segment at the comedy club.” Sarcasm had always been my companion, and this was no exception.

  There was a rustling sound, then another voice. “Hey, Kai, you still coming home this weekend?”

  “Yeah, why?” I asked hesitantly. Neither of them ever double-checked with me. If I said I was going, then I was. My parents knew that; they knew that.

  “We’ve got you seats for the game—”

  “No,” I cut in. “Definitely not, Sean. You know I don’t—”

  “But it’s us!” he whined. “We barely see you because of training, and when we get a game close to home, you’re still not going to come watch?”

  “Don’t be an asshole, sis,” Daryl bit out. “Fuck, Kaia, it’d be nice every once in a while that you showed some support for your big brothers.”

  I listened while the pair ranted about how I hadn’t been to a game since I was in high school; that my lack of interest in their sport hurt their precious feelings. Okay, they didn’t say ‘precious,’ but that’s how they made it sound. A pair of whining, over inflated jerk-offs that didn’t care about anything but themselves.

  “You know why I don’t go to your games,” I said, way louder than I intended, which had the entire room silencing and turning all attention to me. “You want me to support you in your athletic fabulousness, and yet you manage to embarrass me every time. I never wanted to be up for public scrutiny, but you make sure I’m front and center whenever you get the chance. Not to mention you’ve never fucking supported me. I’ve only ever asked for two things from the pair of you, and all I got was you laughing at me.”

  “Remind me what they were again?” Sean asked.

  “Yeah, cos my memory’s a little fuzzy,” Daryl added.

  “You’ve been hit in the head a few times.”

  Daryl snorted. “True, bro. I still have the scars from Peterson’s blade when he tried to—”

  “Oh, my God, can you stop?” I hissed. “I asked for help with my English assignments because you’d aced yours when you were my age, but you were too busy fucking around, literally, and I got a D.” Their laughter quietened at that. They were naturally smart, and I struggled with something they didn’t have to try for. “Instead of giving me just a little help where I needed it, you decided partying and hooking up was more important.” My heart raced as resentment flowed easily through my veins. “I wanted to go on the date with Christopher Watkins at the end of sophomore year, had my outfit all picked out, and waited for over an hour at Reece’s cafe before I found out he’d stood me up. Oh, yeah, because you two dickheads scared him off.”

  “He was on the football team,” Sean fired back. “And a sleaze.”

  “He would’ve moved on as soon as he got what he wanted,” Daryl said. “And we knew what he had planned for you that night. No way were we letting him anywhere near you.”

  “You knew he wasn’t coming, and you still let me leave the house to wait, alone, where I was humiliated!” I gritted my teeth as I fought to keep my composure. “I told you, I’ve got my own damn mind. I just wanted you to
respect that I have my own life and don’t need or want either of you to make decisions for me!”

  “No fucking way,” Sean growled. “We warned you about players, Kaia, and you know what’ll happen to any of those fuckers who try to lay a hand on you. You’re our little sister, and we’re gonna protect you from guys like that.”

  “Yeah, we know what these guys are like, Kai,” Daryl added. “I don’t know how many times we have to say the same shit. They’re no good for you, and if we have to break a few bones to make sure you don’t get hurt, then that’s what we’ll do. Stick to guys who can be there to support you, the ones who won’t take off when they think they’re gonna make it, because they will.”

  Guys like you.

  “And if that makes us assholes for wanting the best for our sister, then so be it, even if you don’t agree,” Sean finished.

  I dropped my head back and closed my eyes. I knew what’d happen; they’d told me in great detail, and I’d seen it up close, on the ice, in full view of the spectators. Lex Carter couldn’t play for four months after my brothers had teamed up to take him down for grabbing my ass as he walked by before their game. He’d been a Lion, just like Maddoc and Cash, and the main reason I couldn’t go anywhere near another one of them. If they found out about Maddoc, he’d be in trouble, no matter how long ago the kiss happened. But, they were my brothers and I loved them, just not how they went about upholding their overprotective big-brother status.

  “So, the game?” Daryl asked.

  “Are you kidding?”

  “We’ll tell Mom and Dad about your tattoo,” Sean sing-songed, flipping the conversation back with ease.

  “Don’t you fucking dare,” I whisper-shouted.

  “So, two tickets for the game next weekend. Catch you at home, sis, can’t wait to see you,” Daryl said, his tone filled with amusement. Then, the three beeps sounded before the phone silenced.

  “Assholes.”

  “Who is?”

  I jumped at the sound of the voice next to me, and I spun to face them. “Maddoc, what the hell?”