Page 57 of The Kat Bunglar

Gabriel nodded tersely. “Yes, that makes sense.”

Laila shrank into her corner of the town car, subdued by his lack of enthusiasm. Her mind drifted back to all the times she had excitedly shared something with Jay, only to be met with indifference.

Maybe it was her. Maybe she bored men. Maybe she wasn’t meant to be with a man at all.

As Laila stared out the window, Gabriel shifted beside her. She felt him clear his throat, a quiet but deliberate sound, like he had rehearsed what he was about to say.

“I just wanted to clarify—I am not in love with you.”

The words landed heavy between them.

All at once, she felt foolish. Foolish for the flutter in her chest every time he looked at her. Foolish for thinking, even for a second, that this—whateverthiswas—could be anything more. She pressed her nails into her palm, willing herself to stay composed.

“All I want is to make sure you don’t get hurt on this trip,” Gabriel continued, his voice careful but firm. “After that, we can both go our separate ways.”

Laila swallowed hard, her throat tight. Her vision blurred, but she refused to blink, refused to let even a single tear fall.

Of course, he wasn’t in love with her.

She inhaled slowly, nodded, then forced her voice to sound even. “Yes, of course. That makes perfect sense.”

She could feel him looking at her, waiting, but she kept her gaze locked on the passing streets, watching the city blur past like something she could never quite hold onto.

July 20

Los Angeles

Kat Kar

The morning was a blur, and her outfit did not make sense. Kat blew out a breath in exasperation—she had an hour to get herself together. Scrolling through Laila’s Instagram feed, Kat stared at the mirror with a scowl. She wanted to look chic and effortless. But the tennis skirt with a cardigan felt too preppy, while the leggings and sweatshirt felt too casual.

Turning up the music in her headphones, she studied her wardrobe as Bhad Bhabie blasted in her ears:

Yeah, I’ll hit a bitch

‘Cause I got nothin’ to lose

Bought it all cash, I got somethin’ to prove

And I’m just fuckin’ with ‘em, I got nothin’ to do

Runnin’ through these checks

Like the ones on my shoes

That’s right. Kat Kar was a bad bitch. Coming to LA with only $500 in her pocket. She had made friends, found a place to live. Was it perfect? No. Had she built it herself? Damn right, she had. Foraging through her closet, she pulled out a mini grey pin-striped dress with white lapels, pairing that with an imitation pearl necklace and sneakers, she felt ready to take on the world. Lip-syncing the words, she grooved to the music and began to iron, only to be interrupted by a tap on her shoulder.

Startled, she almost dropped the iron before taking out her earbud. “Kat,” Christian shouted, “Where’s your money from yesterday? We didn’t hear you come in last night.”

Kat nodded, prepared with an answer, immediately summoning a few tears. “I didn’t know how to tell you guys. But you were right. I was walking to another pawn shop when these two guys came out of nowhere and stole the duffel bags.”

“What?” Christian said, shocked. “Sit down, tell me everything.”

“I would, but I have to go,” Kat swallowed. “I have a job interview.”

Christian eyed the FashionNova dress. “Okay, what did the guys look like? Were they Black? Hispanic? Maybe we can anonymously report them.”

Kat’s eyes went wide, realizing Christian wasn’t about to let this go. Stalling for time, she stammered, “Oh wow, Christian. Really? You’re just going to assume their race like that? A little unconscious bias, much?”

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