Finding Kia

by Airicka Phoenix

  “Yeah, let’s go for something a little low key,” I offered. “I want to be in and out.”

  “We can go shopping!” Her excited gasp made me cringe in fear.

  “Or not.”

  Nessie pouted. “Why not? You need a costume.”

  “I have sheets. I’ll go as—”

  The disgust on her face would have been priceless if it wasn’t insulting. “Don’t say a ghost. That is so lame. What are you, like four?”

  I shrugged. “No one will know it’s me.”

  “You are going to one of the most exclusive parties ever and you want to go as Casper. Really?”

  When said like that, anything sounded stupid. “Well, what then?”

  Nessie smiled. “We’ll check my closet. I’m sure we can find something.”

  Why didn’t I just go shopping? Why did I always make things complicated? Nothing in Nessie’s closet was going to fit me. Her dresses were shirts on me. Her skirts, headbands. It was like dressing a Rottweiler in Chihuahua clothes. Also, even if we were the same size, her clothes were bright and wild and bold. With her personality and adorable features, she could pull it off. I was more of the subdued hues, leaning towards grays and blacks and dark blues. Being flashy wasn’t my thing.

  “Maybe I can wear one of my dad’s old tuxes and go as a mortician,” I offered as we walked to her house after school. It was meant as a joke.

  “I’m going to pretend you did not just say that.”

  Way to shut a girl down.

  We arrived at her two story Victorian home and climbed the steps to the door. I waited as she slipped her key into the lock and let us in. The foyer yawned in three separate directions. Left was a sitting area, right was a dining area, and straight ahead was the kitchen and the stairway to the second floor. Every piece of wood in sight was crafted from beautiful mahogany to match the walls and floors. I always envied Nessie for living in such a cool place. It had been in her family for generations and it was full of secret passages and old hideaways. I would have given anything to explore the place from top to bottom. But apparently it was bad manners to wander about another person’s house, moving pictures and tugging on light posts.

  Instead, I followed Nessie through the foyer to the kitchen. She dumped her bag and jacket unceremoniously on the stairs in passing and continued on. I kept my stuff on, not because I didn’t trust her, but I was uneasy about being in another person’s house. Leaving my stuff all over just didn’t sit right with me.

  “You want to study in here?” she asked over her shoulder, gesturing to the table absently while moving to the fridge. “It’ll save us time running all the way down for snacks.”

  “Yeah, sure.” I made my way over and sat my things down.

  She brought us each a bottle of water and a giant bowl of chips. I didn’t touch mine, but she guzzled half of hers before taking the seat next to me.

  I eyed her and the empty place in front of her. “You kind of need your books for studying.”

  Groaning and slamming her head down on the table with a force that made me wince, Nessie wailed. “Don’t make me!”

  I elbowed her. “Go!”

  Whining, she slipped out of her seat and shuffled back to the stairway. I could hear her stomping the whole way there and the whole way back before she slumped into her chair once more.

  “Happy?” She dumped her bag onto the table with a resounding crack.

  I wisely kept my mouth shut while I opened my own books and got organized.

  “I hate Algebra,” Nessie muttered three hours later, slamming her pencil down. “When in life will we ever use it?”

  Snickering, I glanced up from my Chemistry notes at her disgruntled tone. “Never, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t learn it.”

  Flashing blue eyes snapped in my direction. “You’re such a teacher’s pet!”

  I was appalled. It so was not my fault teachers liked me. “I am—”

  It was the sound of clipped footsteps cutting into the wood floors that jarred us into silence. We both glanced up as a shadow draped across the hardwood a second before the figure darkened the doorway. I’d only been to the Chaves’ residence a handful of times in the past month, but I had yet to greet any of the other occupants. Nessie claimed to have a mother and father, as well as an older brother, but I’d never seen hide-nor-hair of any of them. Part of me had wondered if they were imaginary. Low and behold, my curiosity was sated when a boy of seventeen, or eighteen marched into the room looking ready to dominate the world in his crisp Vina’s uniform, and my world screeched to a halt.

  No. F’ing. Way! Man, the cosmos had a sick sense of humor. Was it too late to crawl under the table?

  “Hey loser,” Nessie said, propping a cheek against the heel of her hand and her elbow on the table.

  He was astonishingly tall, pushing six-three easy, which was quite impressive, with a lean quarterback frame draped in black slacks and a white dress shirt. His wavy cap of black locks was neatly clipped short and shone with a tinge of blue peeking from amongst thick strands of ebony. He had the same sun kissed complexion as his sister and intense blue eyes that danced with some silent joke that only he was privy to. No amount of slumping made me invisible as those blue eyes swept over his sister and honed in on me as if there were a giant neon sign pointing at me, flashing, look. Look!

  Double damn!

  “Hey!” he said, looking almost … pleased? To see me. “You again.”

  Nessie perked. “Again? You two met? How? When?” Her face scrunched in what I could only construe as disgust. “Why?”

  I wasn’t sure how to take that last question. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to be insulting or just curious. Instead, I managed a twist of my lips in what I hoped was a dazzling smile but no doubt looked painful. I dropped my gaze to the table and the pen anxiously twisted between my fingers. Something about the way he was studying me made me nervous, made me want to crawl under the table and hide. He scared the crap out of me.

  “You work at that taco place, right?” But he looked uncertain, like he wasn’t sure. I could totally have played it off like the loser from yesterday hadn’t been me. Nooo. This Kia Valentines was cool and suave and … who was I kidding.

  I started to nod, but Nessie beat me to it. “Oh! Supper last night. Totally spaced. Yeah, this is my friend, Kia Valentines. Kia, my loser brother, Adam. Adam goes to Vina.”

  “Hey,” I muttered … to my books, because I was too much of a coward to meet his gaze.

  “What are you girls working on?” he asked, moving closer. Couldn’t he just stay there and ask? Why did he need to get closer? I slumped lower in my seat, practically eyelevel with the table.

  “Algebra,” Nessie muttered, rolling her eyes. “So stupid.” She shoved her books back like the sight of them offended her.

  Adam snickered as he stopped on the other side of the table. He planted his hands on the glossy surface and leaned over to see his sister’s work. “I learned this stuff in fourth grade.” He ducked the eraser she pitched at his head a second later.

  “Go lick a wall!” Nessie muttered, folding her arms and scowling.

  Adam hissed through his teeth. “Ouch. With retorts like that, it’s a wonder you’re not a rocket scientist.” He nimbly dodged the pencil case she aimed for his head next. It struck the hardwood with a noisy clutter and hit the bottom of the island. Still snickering, he turned those gorgeous eyes on me and I wanted to combust on the spot, to vaporize and escape. “You okay over there, Kia?”

  My name had never been that interesting to me, but on his lips it sounded beautiful and sexy. Boy had some serious talent.

  I wiggled a little higher in my chair, trying to give the illusion of being in control of myself. “Yure.”

  Silence. Utter and complete silence … on the outside. Inside my brain was screaming WTF? W. T. F, Kia!

  “What the hell’s a yure?” Nessie was kind enough to ask, because it would have just been too hard to pretend like
I hadn’t spoken.

  I cleared my throat. “The love-child of yes and sure?”

  Adam released a deep, husky sound that rolled through the kitchen in a magnetic wave of rich laughter. It skated down the length of my spine in tendrils of velvet and silk. I sighed without thinking and quickly glanced at Nessie to see if she’d caught it. She had. She stared at me with a look that said very plainly, what is wrong with you?

  “Nice! High five!” He leaned over the table, arm extended, palm out to me in an age old gesture I was not altogether sure who invented, but it must have been a guy eons ago. I think it stemmed from the caveman days when they used to beat each other with clubs. Over the millennia, it simmered down to just smacking hands instead of faces when they were celebrating. Was I overthinking a high five? Maybe. But it was better than sitting here, watching him like a deer in headlights as he got closer.

  Then something happened that I was sure had never happened in human history. My knees popped. One minute, I was sitting there, petrified, the next, invisible springs manifested where my kneecaps should have been and I shot out of my seat with enough force to knock my seat to the ground with a loud crash. The sound echoed mockingly around the silent room like a gunshot.

  “Oh my God!” I cried, frantically swooping down to grab the chair, only to slam the table with my hip, upend Nessie’s water-bottle onto her open binder, soaking all the work we’d done in the last three hours.

  Nessie yelped. Then, the room was torn by the screech of her chair being shoved back from the table as water poured over the edge into her lap, soaking into her jeans. Chair forgotten, I lunged for the bottle, knocking my tower of textbooks to the ground in an avalanche.

  “Crap!” Leaving Nessie to salvage her papers, I darted under the table to recover my fallen books before they were drenched by the steady trickle of water cascading from the table top.

  Desperately gathering each book against my chest, I didn’t notice the dark figure crouching down next to me until I turned to grab the last one and nearly jumped out of my skin at Adam’s unexpected appearance. The table collided with the top of my head, sending sparks flashing across my vision and my teeth snapping sharply together, catching my tongue. The taste of copper filled my mouth as the books scattered a second time across the floor. I tumbled backwards. Pain spiked up my elbows as I land with a crash against the hardwood.

  “Are you all right?” He didn’t laugh, but it was in his eyes, in the curve of those delicious lips.

  “The floor looked like it needed a hug.” I winced, realizing just how one sided that joke was. He’d never get it. I started to explain while readjusting my glasses on my nose, but he laughed, to my amazement. He shook his head as if it was the lamest thing he’d ever heard, but he laughed.

  He darted an amused glance in my slack-jawed direction before he nimbly gathered the books and got to his feet. Huddled under the table, my face blazed in mortification. I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed that if the ground was ever going to spontaneously split open, now would be the perfect time. Of course, that would have been too easy.

  “What the hell was all that?” Nessie squealed. “I’ve never seen such chaos!”

  I groaned and forced my limbs to nudge my way out from beneath the table to face my nightmares. “I’m so sorry—”

  Waving aside my apology, Nessie dumped her books into the sink and shook her head. “I don’t think I could have found a better excuse not to finish my homework.”

  Wishing Adam would just leave so I could salvage the remainder of my tattered dignity, I got to my feet. “I’ll finish it for you.”

  Nessie snorted. “Don’t bother, it’s not like I care.”

  “Vanessa!” Adam’s voice was no longer playful.

  Nessie shrugged and released an exasperated sigh. “Fine! Whatever.”

  “I think I should go,” I murmured as I hurriedly gathered my things and stuffed them into my backpack. “Mom probably has supper ready.”

  Nessie pouted. “Why don’t you stay for supper? Mom and Dad are at some conference thing in Toronto. It’s just me and Adam.”

  Because I’ve embarrassed myself enough for one lifetime, thank you very much!

  “I couldn’t—”

  Determined, Nessie grabbed my arm, ceasing my hasty attempts at escape. “Yes, you can. Call your mom and tell her you’re having supper at our house and we’ll drop you off later.”

  Dashing the length of the kitchen with me in tow, Nessie grabbed the cordless phone and shoved it into my hand. Then she just stood there and watched me, evidently not leaving until I’d done the deed.

  I sighed and punched in my home number, praying with all my might that Mom and Joanne were too busy to answer. I don’t know why I even bothered. With the way my luck had been going, I was lucky to be alive.

  Mom answered on the second ring and said very cheerfully, “Of course you can stay for supper!” when I explained the situation.

  Damn it!

  Whooping in elation, Nessie ran off, shouting something about changing. I was left abandoned in the middle of the kitchen.

  “Crap,” I muttered, clicking off the phone.

  So much for small favors.

  “She doesn’t like being told no.”

  Yelping in fright at the sudden voice, I dropped the phone to the floor with a loud clutter as I spun to face the smirking figure behind me.

  “Oh … uh …” I stuttered ever so eloquently. My face exploded with heat.

  How the hell did I forget he was there? Strike that. How did I not realize I was completely alone with him? Left entirely to my own demise with a guy who made me babble like an idiot. What I wouldn’t have given to be more like Nessie; cool, confident, bold. In the single month since transferring to Margaretson High, Nessie had dated at least eight guys, been asked out by a dozen more and still managed to break hearts without trying. I couldn’t even formulate a coherent string of words.

  “So you go to school with Van?”

  “Uh … Yeah …” I grimaced and dropped my gaze to my feet. Great. He thinks I’m a complete idiot.

  “She’s talked about you, but she never warned me how dangerous you were.”

  Somehow, I really doubted he meant in a Charlie’s Angels, sexy in tights kind of way. “I am not dangerous!”

  His brow lifted as his gaze darted to the binder drip drying in the sink. “Could have fooled me.”

  This was so not the way I wanted him to remember me, like some clumsy whack job with balance issues. “Those were accidents.”

  “And the restaurant?”

  “Accident!” I was sticking to that story if it killed me.

  The corner of his lips twitched. “Sure thing, nena.”

  “Kia,” I corrected him. “My name—”

  “I know,” he said. “I haven’t forgotten.”

  Right. “You just called me Nena.” Yeah, I was so not impressed.

  He rolled a pink tongue over his teeth. “It’s Spanish.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “For another girl’s name?”

  He laughed, shaking his head. “For baby.”

  Baby? He called me baby? Wait, what kind of baby? The hot, seductive sort or the, you need a diaper change and bottle sort?

  He snickered. “Do you always think so hard?”

  “Yes,” I said automatically. “I think. I’m a thinker.”

  “Interesting.”

  I frowned. “Why?” Better yet … “How?”

  “I’m a doer.” Ignoring my scowl, he strolled offhandedly towards me, his hands tucked casually in his pockets. “And it’s my experience that only guilty people, or nervous people have that many … accidents. So, either you robbed a bank, or you like me.”

  A thick carpet of fire roared up into my face. “That’s crazy! I don’t know you.” I declared, and took a daring step forward, fully prepared to show him that I totally could function without destroying something.

  The receiver I’d dropped crunched under my heel, sendin
g my feet sliding out from beneath me. A mortifying squeak escaped me as I was flung backwards. Gravity hooked cold fingers into me, and dragged me down to what was sure to be a very painful collision with the floor. But I never made contact.

  “How on earth did you manage to survive this long without killing yourself?” a voice from above me asked as the arms looped around my middle hauled me upright onto my feet.

  Eyes I had no recollection of closing, popped open and I found myself staring into Adam’s somber expression. Of course he’d be the one I would grab. Of course I would completely humiliate myself in front of him … again. I’d grabbed his lapel in my haste to remain upright and now clung to him like a monkey to a banana.

  I quickly let go, grimacing at the ugly creases in his uniform shirt. “I’m sorry!” I hastily attempted to smooth out the wrinkles and fought to ignore the warm, taut skin beneath the thin material. “I’ll pay for that … and the phone.”

  Dark eyebrows scrunched together. “It’s only a shirt. How are you? Did you hurt yourself?”

  In my moment of horror, I hadn't even stopped to consider my own wellbeing. “Oh …” I did a quick inventory. “No, I think I’m all right.”

  “You’re going to kill yourself one of these days,” he decided evenly.

  “I’m not usually like this!”

  One brow arched skeptically. “And today is special because …?”

  Because you make me nervous! I thought miserably.

  “I don’t know,” I lied.

  I felt the slow compression of his embrace crush me deeper into the cage of his arms as his minty breath tickled my cheeks. “Could it be that I make you nervous, nena?” His drilling gaze raked over my upturned face and settled on my lips. The traitorous things parted, practically begging him to do something I was too scared to think about. “Not that I’m complaining. It’s quite flattering, having a beautiful girl falling all over herself for me.”

  I couldn’t decide whether to be excited that he thought I was beautiful or insulted that he thought I was tripping all over myself for him, which I guess I was.

  Thankfully, Nessie ran into the room then and saved me from responding. “I’m back!” Her smile vanished as she took us in. “What’s going on?”