Page 18 of Chaos at Westbrook High

“But not you,” I point out. “Why?”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

“I like that,” I whisper in her ear, moving my fingers around to the warm skin beneath her navel. “That even though you are a little bit, you’re still brave enough to act like I don’t scare the shit out of you.”

“Kai, let me go.”

I remove my hands from her body and take a full step back, catching the flash of surprise on her face before she masks it. I can tell she didn’t expect me to obey, which both amuses me and makes me feel like shit at the same time. I don’t like her thinking of me like that, like there's a chance I’d keep going if she told me to stop.

“It’s okay,” I say when she doesn’t move, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jeans, slowly walking backward to ensure she knows I’m serious. “See you later, beautiful.”

She walks away, anxiously adjusting the ball cap on her head as she heads toward the exit. She does that a lot, the hat thing, and I think I know why. I saw the look in her eyes just now when everyone was staring at her, saw her panic over being the center of attention.

She doesn’t like to be seen.

I don’t know the reason for that, but I’m adding it to my list of things to find out about the only girl who’s ever managed to fuck me up this way.

“Kai.”

“What?” I turn my head to find Levi and the rest of my family standing beside me.

“You ready to go or you just gonna keep staring after her like an abandoned puppy?”

“How many years did you spend pining for Wren?” I fire back. “You can’t say shit, asshole.”

He shakes his head at me with a smile, sharing a look with Wren and the others as the five of us make our way down the hall. I’m acting a fool and we all know it, but they don’t call me out. Good thing too, because I couldn’t explain what’s going on with me if I wanted to. I can’t explain what she’s done to me or why I’m this hung up on her. I just…am.

When we round the corner, Madison’s snickering with her friends, and Hailey’s crouched near the main doors leading outside, helping the librarian’s assistant pick up a bunch of books that I’m assuming Madison knocked out of her hands. She looks a little flustered, but my girl makes it all better, helping her stack them up neatly on her arms. The assistant thanks her repeatedly, and Hailey hits her with that sweet as fuck smile she’s never given me, waiting for her to enter the library safely before she walks out through the doors. Madison raises a brow at me as if to say, Really? You want her? I pay her no attention, going after Hailey without thinking too much into it. Everything she does and everything I learn about her make me want her even more, drawing me in even closer. It feels like there’s an invisible collar around my neck, and she keeps yanking on the leash.

I’m just about to call her name, but I don’t get the chance before she suddenly stops right in front of me. I run into her back and grab her sides, stopping her from falling down the wide set of steps in front of us.

“Hailey, what?—”

“Kai.”

I stop talking at the sound of Damon’s voice, looking left to find him glaring at something straight ahead. Grabbing Callie’s waist, he yanks her back to his chest just as Wren and Levi step up beside him on his left. I frown at the solid line they’ve formed next to us, confused as to what their problem is, but then I follow their gazes.

Derek.

It’s fucking Derek.

He’s leaning against the hood of the Aston Martin he loves so much, lifting a lit cigarette to his mouth to take a drag. He looks the same but thinner, paler, his dark hair longer and a little messier than it used to be, his eyes lined with dark circles, a few scars on his nose and the left side of his jaw. Those weren’t there before, meaning they’re probably the aftermath of Damon’s temper, left there the night Derek kidnapped Callie and almost raped her.

My hands flex at the memory, and it’s only now I realize I’m still holding Hailey’s waist, my fingers digging into her flesh through the fabric of her shirt. She startles at my touch, but I don’t let go. I don’t take my eyes off my cousin, almost laughing at the sleazy little grin on his face as he takes another drag.

This motherfucker can’t be serious.

He tips his head at me as if to say, Come here, and I do laugh this time—maniacally—ignoring Damon when he inches a little closer to me.

“Kai…” It sounds like a warning, but I don’t stop.

Just as I’m about to walk down there and shove my fist into Derek’s face for daring to show it, for daring to taunt me, Hailey manages to stop me with a single, deadly look over her shoulder. She looks furious and…defensive? Protective? I don’t understand it, and I’m even more confused when she yanks herself out of my grip.

“Hailey, wait?—”

“Let her go,” Damon orders darkly, and I swallow.

She descends the steps, and I pull my brows in, unsure what the fuck I’m seeing, stuck where I stand as she makes her way toward the enemy.

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