by Marika Ray
I could feel a frown taking over my face at this news. "Did he say anything else?"
"No, man. That was it. I thought maybe he was doing the Care Dare that Surf City High does, but he looked too old to still be in high school."
I grunted and thanked him for his help. I continued up the sand to my tower, waving off the replacement lifeguard, letting him know I was ready to hold my position again. All afternoon I tossed the words around in my head. Could my last two saves be about this Care Dare thing? Was it coincidence? Sounded like I'd be paying a visit to Hessa's school again soon.
Wednesday rolled around and I found myself rushing to finish my shift so I'd have time to shower before I headed to the high school and then to Chocolate Dreams for our weekly meet-up. I told myself I was just washing off the salt water, but I was spending a ridiculous amount of time getting my hair to lay flat with some new gel I just bought. Disgusted with myself, I washed my hands and grabbed my keys, forcing my current hair to be good enough.
I probably wouldn't even see Hessa.
I entered the school office ten minutes before classes got out. I asked for the teacher coordinating the Care Dare program while flashing my lifeguard information and was told to head to room 207. I'd done some research the last two days and learned what the program was all about. It sounded ridiculously dangerous and unnecessary. Challenging hormonal teens to do things they were scared to do? What purpose did that serve except to give me job security rescuing them?
A loud bell rang and all the doors on the second floor flung open, spitting out hordes of kids as they rushed to get off campus as quickly as possible. I waited until the door to room 207 closed again and no further students exited. I thought I should knock, but then thought better of it. Who knocks politely at a high school?
I whipped the door open, ready to reason with the teacher behind this asinine program. What I actually did was take a step into the classroom and drop my jaw on the floor.
Bent over, hands in a bottom drawer of the desk at the front of the room, was the most delectable ass I'd ever seen. A grey skirt was pulled tight over a round bottom, hips my hands itched to hold onto, and a pair of legs on display from the skirt's slit up the back. Black stilettos topped off the porn-star pose. All thoughts of why I was here drained from my head, leaving me horny and confused.
Then the person attached to said ass, straightened up and spun around, hearing my audible gulp.
"Heavens to Betsy! Wha-- What are you doing here?" Hessa's voice came out breathless, from between plump lips defined by red lipstick. Her hand lay over her chest, highlighting the rapid rise and fall of her breasts from behind yet another sweater set, this time in royal blue.
Her glasses were sliding down her nose again and I took a step forward to push them up for her. She straightened up, pushing her shoulders back. Her movement stopped mine in my tracks.
That's right. I wasn't here to touch her. Or oggle her delicious body. I was here about Care Dare.
I took a deep breath, elongating the exhale, hoping to clear my dangerous thoughts and stay focused on the task at hand. When I felt like I was at least partly under control, I took the final steps to put me in front of her, a safe distance kept between us.
"I'm sorry to have startled you, Hessa. I'm here to speak to the teacher in charge of the senior Care Dare program." There. That came out perfectly calm.
"You're speaking to her." Hessa spun around her desk and had a seat in her chair, crossing one leg over the other, causing her skirt to climb a few inches shorter. Did she wear these clothes in front of hormonal teenagers?
She motioned for me to have a seat in the first student desk before her. I sat, though I preferred to stay standing where I could see her legs from behind the desk. The deciding factor was the uncomfortable tightness of my shorts. I didn't need her to see that if this conversation were to stay strictly business.
"What is it you want to know?" she asked when I was seated.
"Could you tell me about the program? Why the dares? What kind of dares? Who oversees the dares?" I kept my tone friendly. I'd learned early on to remain calm. Getting angry only put the other person on guard and kept you from seeing eye-to-eye.
She tilted her head and looked down her nose at me, making me wonder if that was the face her students saw on a daily basis. "I'd be happy to answer your questions if you would first tell me why the sudden interest in my program."
I studied her face, trying to decide if I should tell her what was happening on my beach, or remain vague and hope she still talked to me. What I saw of her at Career Day convinced me to be straight with her. She genuinely cared for her students, I'd bet my life on it.
I leaned forward, resting my forearms on the small piece of wood that was supposed to be a desk surface attached to my metal chair. "I've pulled two people out of the ocean in the last week. Both of them referenced a 'dare' that made them do stupid stunts. I want to know if these incidences could have anything to do with your Care Dare program."
Her eyes widened as I spoke. "Absolutely not, Kai." She leaned forward on her desk too, close enough now I could drown in her golden brown eyes. Eyes that looked like they'd lived lifetimes already and were five steps ahead of me. "As you may have noticed, it's called a Care Dare. Meaning lots of time, supervision, and care go into these dares. Never do we allow a child to be harmed. These dares are less about stunts, and more about personal growth, in whatever form that would help the child the most. I'm sorry you've had to rescue two people this week who were doing things they shouldn't have, but that has nothing to do with my program."
I leaned forward as far as I could. "Two people are in the hospital, Hessa."
She jumped up, anger spotting her cheeks, those brown eyes flashing. "And I'm sorry about that. But show me the evidence. How are they connected to my program?"
I sat back, unable to provide that for her, realizing this conversation had gone way off course. I'd guessed she was devoted to her students, but I underestimated her passion.
She crossed her arms over her chest. "I see. You have no evidence. Then I can't help you. I wish you luck, and I hope no more foolishness requires your aid."
And with that, I was thoroughly dismissed.
I stood slowly, if only to irritate her further. I stood directly in front of her, my face only inches from hers. I liked her passion. I didn't like that she clammed up on me, or chose to argue with me, but her passion excited me on a fundamental level. What is life without passion?
"Do all your male students have crushes on you, Ms. Woodland?"
She gasped and I smiled, picturing her clutching a pearl necklace had she been wearing one, so great was her indignation.
"I didn't take you for a blackguard, Mr. Kāne."
I shook my head, refusing to be distracted by her fancy words. "When you're ready to talk to me about this without shutting me down immediately, you know where to find me. I don't wish to accuse you. I came here today to understand it." In parting, I traced my finger down her arm, wanting a feel of that soft skin again, getting an even better reaction when I saw her shiver.
I smiled and walked out.
I'd never had such a wonderful time at high school before.
Hessa
I'd never been so happy to see someone leave my classroom. One, because he was accusatory and I didn't appreciate that. Two, because he was purposely trying to rile me up with that comment and that touching. Three, because I got to admire his backside as he walked away from me. And what a backside it was.
Once my heart rate had returned to normal, I sat back down and grabbed the file out of my drawer. The one I'd been digging for when he came in my classroom. In it, I had all the current Care Dares my seniors had submitted. I flipped through each one as I sat there, looking for any dare that might involve the ocean. So far, only two had anything to do with water and the dares had only been submitted. They hadn't been approved by me, nor had the students acted on them, to the best of my knowledge.
&n
bsp; I wrote the two names on a Post-it and made a note to talk to them tomorrow. I wanted to make sure they hadn't taken the dares into their own hands. I scoffed at the idea, but if there was even a small doubt in my mind, I wanted to lay it to rest.
I didn't recall Kai telling me what the ages were of the two people he'd rescued. Damn. I should have asked him. But I could hardly be expected to think of appropriate questions when he was in the room. Or talking to me. Or looking at me like that with those mesmerizing hazel eyes.
And now I was supposed to meet Esa and Bailey at Chocolate Dreams. What if Kai showed up? We'd just had an argument, for cripes’ sake! How awkward would that be?
Aha! I'd just run in, grab a hot chocolate and go. Tell Esa all about it later.
I jumped up, grabbed my bag loaded down with papers to grade and headed out.
“Hessa!" Esa shouted my name when I walked through her door, bringing everyone's eyes in my direction.
Welp, there went my idea of just running in and back out without anyone noticing me. I waved to her over at a table with a crew of lifeguards and walked in the other direction to the counter to place my order.
Before I could figure out what I wanted, Esa hollered over to me again. "Hessa, wait! Come over here and try my newest flavor before you order." I grimaced before pasting a smile on my face and turning around. She was only trying to be helpful by coming up with a way for me to join their little group. Kai was two seats over from her, skewering me with his stare. I resolutely ignored him and sauntered over to their group like I had all the time in the world and all the reason to be there.
"Jax, give up your seat, would ya'? Everyone, this is my friend Hessa." Esa practically pushed poor Jax off his chair, which was of course, situated right next to Kai. I gave Esa a quick hug and then maneuvered my way to the now empty chair. The spacing was tight and I had to shimmy between the chairs, putting my ample ass in Kai's face to get the job done. I begged the gods to keep the blush from my cheeks for as long as it took to get out of this situation.
The lifeguards around the table all said their hellos and I caught a few names but didn't retain any of them. Too much testosterone in one place, along with the feel of Kai's stare burning into my skin, scrambled my brain.
"Hessa." Kai merely said my name and the trembling in my body started. "Lovely to see you again."
In slow motion, I turned my head in his direction, almost jumping when I realized my thigh was practically sitting on his lap. Could the chairs be any closer? Or my thigh be any wider?
"Kai." I gave my well-practiced head nod and looked away. I managed one word, maybe I could go for two next time.
"Here, girlie. Try this new one I made today. It's chocolate praline." Esa interrupted my silent treatment by shoving her cup at me. I took the lifeline she offered and tipped the cup to my lips. The flavor was dark and nutty. I couldn't hold back a soft moan from escaping as I set her cup down on the table.
Kai reached across me, presenting his own cup. "Try this one. It's macadamia nut chocolate." His eyes were piercing green and laser focused on my lips. I kept my gaze on his face, intrigued by his focus. I took a quick sip, catching a drip of hot chocolate out the side of my mouth with my tongue.
Before I could let him know what I thought of the taste, he'd shoved his chair back. He reached down and pulled me up by my arm, dragging me over to the counter.
"Kai!" I was about to lose my footing in these damn heels and I didn't particularly like to be dragged anywhere.
He didn't stop, instead throwing me an intense look over his shoulder that shut me up. I didn't know what he was so mad about, but we were going to have words. Starting with a rule about no dragging, which shouldn't need to be stated.
When we reached the counter, he spun me around and backed me up till I had nowhere to go. His chest was brushing up against mine and I lost my train of thought. His hands landed on my hips and for one brief dream-like moment, he pulled my hips into contact with his. My breath lodged in my throat and I could have sworn I felt more than just two hip bones pressing into my belly.
Then he was spinning me around again, speaking to the clerk behind the counter. "She'll take the macadamia hot chocolate. Whip, Ono?" He whispered that last part in my ear. Only one part of my body still touched his. I was thankful, maybe for the first time, for my impressive derriere.
"Ono?" I squeaked out the word, too befuddled to process what he meant by that.
"It means 'delicious'. Did you want whipped cream, Hessa?" He pushed off the counter and headed back to the table, leaving me cold, confused and more than a little turned on.
The clerk was still looking at me, cup and marker in hand, waiting to see if I wanted whipped cream, I suppose. Her eyes were on Kai's back, however.
"No whip, please," I whispered.
"That was hot..." she whispered back, still not bothering to look my direction.
5
Hessa
I was relishing sleeping in on Saturday morning, knowing I had stacks of papers to grade, but enjoying just a moment longer in bed. My sheets were warm and cozy, my pillow inviting me to stay a little longer. But my brain was focused on replaying my encounters with Kai. All my awkwardness, his hot and cold treatment, his pet name for me. Ono, meaning delicious? Did that mean he thought I was tasty? Or he wanted to taste me? Or was he just teasing me? Call the fat girl delicious as she orders more sugary chocolate?
I tossed my sheets back and climbed out of bed in a huff. There was no use second-guessing things. I wasn't fat by any means. I was a size twelve for God's sake. That was smaller than the average American female. I wasn't overly self-conscious about my body and I wasn't going to let some muscled-up, tattoo-bearing, hazel-eyed lifeguard make me start doubting myself. So there.
With my attitude readjusted, I threw on some workout clothes and put my hair up in my standard ponytail. My doorbell went off, making me whip my head up from tying my tennis shoes. My pony whacked me in the eye and I hopped, one foot in a shoe, one barefoot, one eye squeezed shut and the other darting around. By some small miracle, I made it down the stairs and swung the door open.
My stinging eye became the least of my problems when I saw who'd darkened my door.
"Hessa."
"Rainna."
My sister. My twin sister. My twin sister who I hadn't spoken to in two years.
"May I come in?" She didn't smile and neither did I. But I did back up to let her step through the doorway.
You give her an inch, she'll take a mile, just like always. She waltzed right into my private space and helped herself to a seat on my couch.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, dear sister?" I sat down on the chair next to the couch and crossed my arms over my chest. I couldn't imagine why she was here. We'd said all we needed to say two years ago when I'd loaned her money yet again, correct as usual that she'd piss it away with nothing to show for it. The break had been a peaceful one, even though I'd find myself about to call her and putting the phone back down again, heart dropping at the loss.
We'd been close growing up, until we'd hit puberty. I hadn't changed much but Rainna became a wild child. She cut her hair super short, dyed it crazy colors and body piercings started showing up in random locations. I resented these changes as I took them as a personal offense. She didn't want to look like me anymore and that hurt. Things got worse after high school when I went off to college and Rainna jumped from minimum wage job to minimum wage job, all while only contacting me when she needed financial help from the responsible sister. I'd grumble, I'd give lectures, but I'd always give her the money.
Until two years ago. For whatever reason, I'd snapped, refusing to give her a damn penny and kicking her out of my house. When I was done, I was done.
She was following in the footsteps of our father, completely abandoning responsibility and letting everyone else pick up the slack. I hadn't had a choice when I was just a kid. He'd left us with our mother, traveling in his van all over the coun
try, never remembering to write us on our birthday or send child support checks. When we did see him, he'd laugh off our concerns, saying we needed to "chill". I hated everything about his hippie lifestyle and now as an adult, I had no intention of being involved with anyone like that again.
Now we sat, staring at each other, cataloguing the differences that two years can make. Rainna's hair was longer than mine and dark brown now. She looked thinner but in a healthy, fit way. A few more tattoos decorated her arms and several facial piercings were noticeably missing.
"You look good, Hessa."
I snorted in response. Her eyes dropped and I watched her square her shoulders to try again.
"It's been two years." She looked up at me and I thought I saw a confidence and clarity in her gaze that had never been there before.
"It has. How's life been?" I did want to know what she'd been up to since I saw her last. I may not approve of how she was living her life, or how she was trying to use me, but that didn't mean I'd stopped caring. She was my twin; I'd never stop caring.
Her eyes softened at my question and I felt like we were eight years old again, sharing secrets in our indoor tent made of blankets draped over chair backs.
"I've been really good, Hess. I'm part owner of a tattoo shop north of L.A. I'm saving for a down payment for a small house up there." She stopped and the corners of her mouth turned down. "But I miss you."
I closed my eyes, savoring her words. My heart melted and I wanted to believe her so badly. But part of me still wondered if she was buttering me up for an outrageous request. I hated that I expected that from her, but years of similar treatment trained me to think like that.
"I miss you too, Rain." That was honest and I could give her that.
"But you won't forgive me, is that it?" The hardness was back in her eyes, dousing the hope that flared.
