Page 34 of The Wrong Side of Kai
Maddie slots Kai’s folder back into the bottom drawer and then straightens up, her gaze meeting mine. Her smile is fragile, her eyes wet with tears. “You know, I never really liked you all that much. I’m sorry.”
“The feeling’s mutual,” I say, and we both crack into quiet laughter, finally taking notice of one another for the first time. At the end of the day, we’re just two girls who have been screwed over by Harrison Boyd. Weshouldbe friends.
Kai gets up from Mrs. Delaney’s chair and walks over, his stride as smooth as ever, eyes on Maddie. “It seems Harrison messes with everyone, so don’t take it personally. Think of it as a lesson learned. You’ll meet someone who does actually like you for yourself,” he tells her, offering his own reassurance to cheer her up. “Perhaps someone who’s overly confident and charming, like me. But I doubt you’d be that lucky.” He winks at her and slings an arm around her shoulders.
Maddie laughs and rests her head on his chest for a moment. “Thanks, new kid.”
How does he do that? How does he just do everythingright, even when he’s doing the wrong thing? He’s so effortlessly charming, his sarcasm and wit so easily delivered, but he’s also genuinelynicewhen he needs to be.
As the three of us leave the office block, the dynamic has changed, and I trail behind, struggling not to daydream of Kai’s lips against my own.
13
“Oh, yeah, for sure the criminal justice system is corrupt. How do those cops sleep at night knowing they’ve tampered with evidence and thrown two innocent people in jail? It’s so messed up,” Kai says, staring thoughtfully out my windshield. He’s become deeply invested in telling me all about his thoughts on the conspiracy theories involved in some crime documentary on Netflix. Also, he believes that Avril Lavigne died and was replaced by a lookalike.Riiiiight.
“Any theories on aliens?”
Kai looks over at me. “They exist. There’s definitely a UFO at Area 51.”
I roll my eyes and toss a chip into my mouth, scouring the parking lot. We’re in the Green McRusty, parked beneath a row of trees outside Bob Evans. Harrison and his dad are already inside. We can see them from here, sitting in a booth by the window, eating burgers. Meanwhile, Kai and I are outside in the SUV with the heating up full, milkshakes in the cup holders, and a selection of snacks spread out between us. It’s like live entertainment, lying in wait for these “casual encounters” to turn up at eight. Still ten minutes to go.
It’s fun just listening to Kai talk. The minutes are ticking by too fast. He’s so enthusiastic, his hands moving as he talks, and although I’m not completely sold on his conspiracy theories, hearinghimtalk about different subjects has made it the most interesting conversation I’ve had in forever. It’s so refreshing, for once, to actually be talking about something other than who hooked up with who, and did you see what so-and-so wore to school?
I pull my legs up onto my seat and cross them, bumping my knees against my steering wheel. “Okay, new conspiracy: Harrison Boyd is actually the devil in disguise, and he acts like your typical sweet, popular kid with good grades in order to screw with girls.”
“That’s not a conspiracy,” Kai says. “That’s a fact.”
I laugh and reach for my strawberry milkshake, sipping it while I scan the parking lot once more. It’s a cold night outside, but it feels warm and cozy inside the car. Kai leans back in my passenger seat and kicks his feet up onto my dashboard where his phone sits propped up by CD cases. He’s streaming a recap of Monday’s NFL game, though he hasn’t been paying much attention to it.
The Green McRusty has temporarily turned into our own personal campsite.
“All this surveillance work is tiring,” Kai says. He reclines the passenger seat all the way back until he’s practically staring at the roof of the car. He grabs the bag of chips from between us and plants them in his lap. “Have you ever done anything like this before? All the sneaking around?”
“No,” I admit, “but it’s kind of fun.”
“That’s because you’re with me,” he says, turning his head to face me. He wiggles his eyebrows and shoves a handful of chips into his mouth. All I can hear is the crunching of potato chips and the drone of the football commentary.
I stare back at him. “Yeah, it is.”
“OH!” Kai leaps up from the seat, nearly spilling the chips all over the floor, and taps frantically at the window. “I recognize her from the app. That’s Samantha, I think. The ‘attractive older woman’. Ohhhh, man, this should be good.” He gets comfortable with his milkshake, loudly slurping the remnants.
Talk about another ruined moment. It’s like the universe is conspiring against me.
I rest my chin on the steering wheel and squint out the windshield at the dark parking lot. There’s a voluptuous figure making for the door of Bob Evans, her walk confident and full of anticipation. Yep, Samantha. No doubt about it. My breath catches in my throat as she walks through the door – it’s like watching an impending train wreck.
“Maybe Chyna’s right,” I whisper in the silence. “Maybe we shouldn’t have dragged innocent people into this.”
Kai casts a quick glance over at me. He puts his hand on my knee and leaves it there. “I mean, you’re right. But we can’t do anything about it now.”
I stare at his hand on my body. My jeans are ripped at the knees, so I can feel his skin against my own. I feel like I’m twelve years old and my crush has just held my hand for the first time. I try to play it cool, try to focus on Samantha inside the restaurant, but all I can’t think about is that I want to grab Kai’s hand and pull him closer.
“Look!” Kai says, taking his hand back. He presses up so close against the window that his breath steams up the glass.
Inside the restaurant, Samantha has made a move toward the booth, which Harrison and his father are occupying. Although distant, we can see the scene unfold through the restaurant windows – Samantha stopping at the booth, leaning over it, while Harrison and his father turn their heads up to look at her. It would be sweet if we could hear the words being exchanged, but it’s not hard to guess what’s being said in there. Harrison starts making frantic movements with his hands, his father rising up from the booth. Samantha glances around, confused, reminding me yet again that I’m an awful person. Finally, she storms out of the restaurant and unlocks a car at the other side of the lot, before speeding off. No doubt completely pissed off.
“Can we, like, pay these dates for their troubles?” I ask Kai.
Kai relaxes back in the passenger seat and furrows his brows at me. “You wanna pay people off?” I shrug, and the smile he gives me is gentle. “Okay, Nessie. I’ll message them later and apologize, but I don’t think we need to give them a peace offering. . . Hey, look, I think that’s another one!”
