He leans back, seeming satisfied. “Now say you’ll show me your art.”
I nod, catching my breath. “I’ll show you whatever you want just as long as you stop tickling me.”
He misses a beat, a strange look crossing his face. It takes me a second to process what I just said, but before I can get too mortified, he starts talking again.
“Okay, no more tickling,” he says right as his phone vibrates again. He sighs, glancing at the screen. “And now it’s reminding me to do my pre-Cal paper.”
I draw a heart with an arrow going through it on the fogged up window. “Are you sure you don’t need to take me home?”
“I said you were fine, and I meant it.” He watches me add a thorny pattern around the heart like it’s the most fascinating thing on the planet. “So, is that what you’re going to college for? Art?”
My fingers fall from the window as a realization crashes down on me.
“I haven’t thought much about it.” Mostly because my family never really talked about it. College questions were always for Hannah. Me, I was just supposed to sit and listen. Listen and not be heard—those were the rules.
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” he says. “You still have time.”
“Yeah, I know.” On the inside, I’m freaking out. Art school sounds awesome, but isn’t stuff like that expensive? Where would I get the money?
Suddenly, that job Lily suggested I apply for sounds like a good idea.
I remain stuck in my own head as Kyler starts the car and drives out onto the street.
“So, what’s next on the distraction to-do list? We could go to the theater and watch a movie,” he says as he cruises down Main Street. “One more game before we go hang out at your grandma’s house? Whatever you want, name it, and it’s done.”
“Isn’t it too dark to play basketball?” I stir the melted ice cream as I peer up at the dusty gray sky. A handful of stars are sprinkled across it, and the moon is shining brightly.
“Yeah, it might be.” He flips on the brights. “I could always leave these bad boys on. I think the park has lights, too.”
As awesome as Kyler has been, the events of today are gradually sinking in. I’m tired and worried, not just about what Lynn and my dad will do to me, but my future. I desperately need to talk to Indigo and Grandma Stephy, the two people who have pretty much been the only family I ever had. Besides, Kyler has other places to be. I heard him make plans to meet up with his friends at some party later tonight after hanging out with me.
“Kyler, I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but it’s been such an intense day.” I set down my empty cup of ice cream, crossing my fingers that I don’t sound rude. “I kind of just want to go to my grandma’s if that’s okay.”
He dims the car lights for a vehicle driving in the opposite direction. “Yeah, no. I totally understand. It’s been a really hard day for you. You should probably relax.” He pulls off to the side of the road and flips a U-turn, heading toward Sunnyvale Bay Community. “You want to stop somewhere and grab something to eat first? I was thinking maybe we could watch a movie or something when we get to your grandma’s.”
“What about that party your friends were talking about? I don’t want to make you miss it. And you have those papers for school you need to work on. I feel like I’m stealing all your time.”
“The party and homework can wait. I honestly don’t feel like going out and partying tonight, anyway. I have to get up early for training and then spend the evening writing that paper.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with staying? Because I’ll be fine at my grandma’s if you want to just drop me off.”
“Isa, I’m sure, so stop arguing.” His voice is firm, but his eyes sparkle. “Besides, I was thinking maybe we could watch one of those zombie movies you love.”
I perk up, lean back, and prop my feet up on the dash. “You like zombie movies?”
Shame crosses his face. “I actually haven’t ever watched one.”
“Ever?” What the hell of all apocalypses is happening right now?
He shrugs, looking like a kid who just got told he wasn’t cool. “It’s just never really been my thing. I’m more into sports movies and stuff. Is there, like, a sports zombie movie?”
“I don’t think so. But I promise that, after tonight, you’ll no longer be a zombie movie virgin.” Oh, my God, I can’t believe I just said something unintentionally dirty like that. Again.
My cheeks flame like the goddamn sun. Fortunately, it’s dark enough in the cab of the car, so I don’t think he can see it. But I do notice his lips twitching, as if he’s struggling not to laugh.
When he speaks, his voice sounds gruffer than normal. “That sounds really interesting.”
I laugh to breeze over the situation, but I sound breathless. To stop myself from saying something else embarrassing, I focus on deciding what movie to ease him into his soon-to-be developing zombie obsession.
As I’m mentally going through my favorite list of zombie movies, his phone vibrates again. He collects it from out of the console, glances at the screen, and then grimaces before pressing talk.
“What’s up?” he says into the phone. He momentarily remains quiet then says a lot of yeah and no several times and one maybe before glancing in my direction. “I’m actually kind of busy right now. Can it wait until a little bit later?” He frowns, seeming tense and kind of irritated. “Fine. I’ll do it.” He hangs up and tosses the phone into the console. “Isa, I hate to do this to you, but I need to bail out a little early. That was one of my friends on the phone. They did something pretty stupid and need my help fixing the mess.”
“It’s fine.” I lower my feet to the floor and sit up. “I’m kind of tired, anyway. I’ll probably end up falling asleep the second I sit down.”
“Still, I feel like a jerk for leaving you alone … I’ll make this up to you. I promise.” He pauses. “How about a zombie movie marathon and dinner next weekend?”
“You don’t have to do that. I understand. Really—”
He places two fingers over my lips. “I know I don’t have to, but I want to.”
My breath falters as his touch sends the strangest tingling sensations throughout my body. His gaze briefly flicks to my lips then goes to the road again.
I will my voice to come out evenly. “How about we compromise? One zombie movie and one sports movie. That way, I don’t scare you off. Zombie movie virgins need to be eased into the blood and gore.”
He smiles, moving his fingers away from my mouth. He lets his fingertip trail downward to my chin, neck, and collarbone before returning his hand to the steering wheel. “Just as long as you let me pay for dinner.”
My pulse throbs as I nod. “Sounds like you’ve got yourself a date.” I instantly want to take back my bold comment, wondering if I’m being too forward. But Kyler smiles, seeming pretty content, so I decide to just own it.
We don’t say much for the rest of the drive, and before I know it, we’re turning into the apartment complex.
He’s parking the car in front of my grandma Stephy’s building when I receive a text message.
As I’m rummaging for my phone inside my jacket pocket, Kyler warily eyeballs the building in front of us. “I really hate the idea of leaving you here by yourself.”
Most of the lights are off in all the apartments except for a few porch lights. It’s only seven o’clock on a Saturday, but it’s like everyone’s in bed already. I’d chalk it up to old people time, but after meeting some of my grandma Stephy’s crazy friends while we were in Europe, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them were out clubbing or something.
“I’ll be fine. I promise. But I do have pretty good fighting skills, just in case.” I make fists and laugh before swiping my finger across the screen of my phone.
“Mad fighting skills or not, I’d still feel a little bit better if I weren’t leaving you here completely alone.” He keeps his eyes fixed on the building, as if
waiting for something terrible to do down.
Indigo: I got yours and Grandma Stephy’s messages! I’m home right now! Where the heck r u?
“I actually won’t be here alone. My cousin’s here.” I stuff the phone into my pocket and open the door. “Thanks for everything, Kyler. I had a lot of fun. If it weren’t for you, I probably would’ve spent all day stressing out and eating my weight in cookies.”
A soft laugh escapes his lips. “While I think you could probably handle eating your weight in cookies and then some, I’m glad you had fun.” He reaches forward, and his palm molds around my cheek. “And thanks for playing football with me. I know it bored you to death, but you actually kicked some ass at the end.”
“It didn’t bore me to death. It just …” I trail off as he leans forward and places the gentlest kiss on the corner of my mouth, causing me to nearly choke on my nerves.
But I force myself to remain composed and focus on the kiss, the way he tastes, like cookie dough and strawberry ice cream, and his breath smells like gummy worms. So yummy.
My stomach briefly goes kerplunk, like I’m on a rollercoaster, but the feeling fades into a soft lull, leaving me wanting more.
“Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” He shifts back in his seat with a slightly confused yet somewhat pleased look on his face. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
I nod then grab my bags and climb out of the car. He waits for me to get inside the apartment before he backs out of the parking space, which I greatly appreciate considering the whole thing with the blue car.
Through the window, I watch him drive away, only turning away when he disappears down the road.
“Holy crap, I can’t believe that just happened,” I say to myself, slumping against the wall. I try to sort my thoughts. While the kiss was amazing, it wasn’t the firework show I’d been expecting. But then again, it only lasted maybe a half a second.
“What just happened?” Indigo asks as she walks out of the hallway, wearing a pair of plaid pajama bottom shorts and an oversized T-shirt, running a brush through her damp, auburn hair.
I let my arms go limp, my bags sliding off and dropping to the floor. “Kyler just kissed me. Well, kind of kissed me. It was on the corner of the mouth, so I’m not sure if it counts.” I expect her to get all giddy, but she simply stands there, combing her hair. “That’s a good thing,” I feel the need to tell her. I flop down on the sofa, slip the elastic out of my hair, and run my fingers through my tangled hair, feeling as though I’m floating on clouds of marshmallows. “I’ve been dreaming of it happening forever.”
“I know you have.” She sets the brush down on the kitchen counter then sits down in the chair across from me, tucking her legs underneath her. “It’s kind of bad timing, though.”
“There’s no such thing as bad timing when it comes to getting kissed by Kyler Meyers.”
“Isa … You basically just got kicked out of your house, found out your mom is … Grandma Stephy told me what happened today. I hate to say it, because I’m all for kissing, but considering your emotional state, I don’t think any guy should be kissing you right now.”
“I’m not that emotionally unstable.” When I say it, though, I feel a tremor inside me, bottled up pain trying to explode. I swallow it down, knowing once I let it out, it’ll be yesterday all over again. “Really, I’m not.”
She gives me a look. “No, you’re just trying to live in the land of denial.”
“I’m not living in the land of denial. If anything, I’m living in the land of who-the-hell-am-I?” I bite down on my lip until I taste blood. “Look, I’m just afraid that, once I let it all out, I won’t be able to turn it off. Yesterday … When Lynn said my mom was dead … I nearly lost it.” Hot tears pool in my eyes, and I attempt to blink them away. “If Kai didn’t find me before I took off … I don’t know what would’ve happened.”
“Kai found you?” Her head angles to the side as her brows dip. “Where? When? And how the heck did you end up with Kyler, instead?”
Sighing, I sit up and give her a brief rundown of everything that happened over the last twenty-four hours, including the creepy car that kept showing up everywhere I went.
“You think it was your parents?” she asks after I finish. “Or Lynn and your dad, anyway … I’m sorry. I’m not sure what to call them anymore.”
I pick at my nail polish. “Me, either.”
She drums her fingers against her knee. “How about those douchey assholes we used to know?” The small smile that touches my lips encourages her to go on. “Or we could just refer to your dad as the sperm donor, ’cause that’s kind of what he is. And Lynn can be the Botox bitch, and Hannah—”
“How about the half-sister from Hell.”
“More like the she-devil from Hell. She doesn’t even deserve the title of half-sister. She may be related to you by blood, but that bitch has never acted like an older sister. None of your family has ever really acted like your family.”
“I know.” But, God, do I wish I didn’t know.
I coil a strand of my hair around my finger, thinking about Big Doug and how I haven’t heard anything from him yet. “I wish I could find out more about my mom … even if she’s …” I suck back the tears. “Even if she’s dead like Lynn says, I still want to find out more about her. I mean, what about her parents? Maybe they’re still alive. And what if she has kids? What if I have, like, a half-brother or sister somewhere I don’t even know about? And what if they’re, like, nice or something? What if there are people out there I can call family?” By the time I’m finished rambling, I’m out of breath, and Indigo’s eyes are wide.
She blinks a few times, shaking her head. “Okay, first of all, you do have a family: me and Grandma Stephy. We’re always here for you. You’re not alone in any of this.” I open my mouth to tell her I know that, but she talks over me. “And second, we’re going to get to the bottom of this whole mystery of your mom. We just need to come up with a plan.”
I pick at my thumbnail. “Actually, I have a guy looking into it already.”
She looks taken aback. “Who?”
I shrug. “Just some guy Kai knows.”
Suspicion fills her eyes. “And how does Kai know this guy?”
“It’s just a friend of his.”
“A friend who does what exactly?”
“I don’t know. Looks stuff up on the computer, maybe. I’m not really sure. I didn’t really ask too many questions when I met him.” I scratch at my arms, squirming under her unwavering gaze. “Why are you acting so weird? It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Did you pay this guy?”
“No.”
“So, let me get this straight. Kai introduced you to some random guy with a computer, who supposedly is going to look up stuff about your mom and do it all for free? Because let me tell you that sounds sketchy and like, eventually, you’re going to have to pay for it.”
“It’s not sketchy,” I argue, not bothering to mention I met Big Doug in a pool house with some really expensive-looking computer equipment and that I’m pretty sure he’s a hacker. “He’s Kai’s friend. I’m sure that’s why he’s doing it for free.”
“Hmmm.” She doesn’t seem too convinced. “I think I want to talk to Kai about this.”
I’m about to tell her that’s not necessary—after everything Kai’s done for me, the last thing I want is for Indigo to give him the third degree—but then my phone goes crazy, an unknown number flashing across the screen, and I hesitate. I haven’t heard anything from the unknown caller in the last two days. What if it’s them? What if they’ve decided to start harassing me through calls now?
“Who is it?” Indigo wonders, braiding her hair.
My finger hovers over the talk button. “I don’t recognize the number.”
We sit there in silence as the phone rings three more times before it switches to voicemail.
I balance the phone on my knee. “I’m so afraid the cops are going to show up and drag m
e outta here. Every noise and out of place thing has me jumping out of my skin.”
“Grandma Stephy took care of the whole police thing, and she wouldn’t have told you she did unless she really has the situation handled.”
“I know … but I can’t shake the feeling that Lynn has something else up her sleeve, and she’s just waiting for the right moment.”
Silence stretches between us as we both sit on my declaration. Then my stomach lets out a loud grumble, breaking the tension.
We both erupt in giggles.
“Have you eaten at all today?” she asks after our laughter dies down.
I drape my arm across my starving belly. “I had some ice cream. That’s about it, though.”
“I’ll find us something to eat.” Instead of heading for the kitchen, she walks over and gives me a hug. “I’m so sorry this is happening to you. And I’m so sorry I haven’t really been there for you over the last couple of weeks. I’ve been a really shitty friend.”
“You don’t have to apologize.” I hug her back. Sometimes, it still feels so strange getting hugs. Growing up in a household where no one really liked me, I rarely—if ever—got them. “You’ve been busy with work and stuff.”
“I know, but still … I should’ve made time for us to hang out more, especially with everything you’ve been going through.” She steps back. “You know what? Tomorrow, I’m going to blow off work, and you and I are going to drive into the city and go shopping.”
“You don’t have to do that. I promise I’m f—”
“Don’t you dare say you’re fine. You have a bad habit of doing that sometimes.”
“Doing what?”
“Acting like you’re fine even when you’re not.”
“I don’t do that,” I protest. “I mean, look at what I did yesterday. I totally lost it. Like, crying until I had no tears kind of lost it.”
“Probably because you held it in all those years in that house,” she says. “You dealt with all that shit and hardly ever complained about it once. If I were you, I would’ve lost it a long time ago.”
The Year Falling in Love (Alternative Version) (Sunnyvale Alternative Series Book 2) Page 9
