Page 11 of The Wrong Side of Kai
“Just transferred from Central. It’s my first day,” he says, lips curving into a smile that reveals his immaculate teeth. My heart is still pumping fast, but it feels like it’s for a different reason now. “I was just curious about something,” he goes on. “It’s Harrison Boyd in that video, right? He leaked it?”
“Yeah, and he can go to hell for all I care.”
“If it makes you feel any better, you’re not the only person he’s screwed over.” The guy stands and takes a step closer to me, and I rack my brain for his name. I remember Harrison telling me it. . . but my memory is hazy. I’m quiet as I wait, staring up at him. He towers over me, suddenly all ominous and mysterious. “I’ve got a lot of things to say about that guy, and they aren’t nice.”
I have no idea what he’s talking about. “Do you have some weird football rivalry with him?” I ask, lamely.
“It’s more personal than that,” he says, his tone ambiguous. His eyes darken as he looks down at the floor, the smile wiped from his face, his jaw clenched tight.
I’m not exactly sure why this guy is talking to me right now, let alone telling me about his beef with Harrison, but I’m strangely glad to see him again. I figured he would just be one of those gorgeous guys you encounter once and then never cross paths with again, but here he is – standing inmyschool office, telling me that he hates Harrison Boyd too.
“Are you going to elaborate?” I ask. My skin’s tingling, but I’m also trying not to sound like I’m being coy.
“Nope,” he says, popping his lips. He glances around the office, but everyone has yet to return to their desks. “Just wanted to let you know that you aren’t alone. I know the kind of guy Harrison is, and trust me, I probably despise him more than you do.”
This is all pretty mysterious. Harrison can be a macho jock at times, but he’s generally well-liked. He’s on the school football team, gets good grades and plenty of girls see him as a bit of a sweetheart – oh, how wrong I was about that. But now it seems I’m not the only person Harrison has messed with, because the guy standing in front of me appears to have his own personal grudge against him. I’m not sure why, but itisnice to know there’s someone else out there who isn’t falling for Harrison’s Mr. Nice Guy charade.
“I’d so love to mess up his life,” I say, deciding that he doesn’t deserve to have things easy. “Revenge would be sweet.”
The guy tilts his head to one side, and those blue eyes smolder at me. “Revenge,” he echoes, and he lets the word hang in the air for a while. He furrows his brows, his gaze never leaving mine. I’m feeling an intense presence around him. “That’s not a bad idea, you know.”
“I was kidding,” I say, though I definitely wasn’t.
But he ignores me. “Just think about it for a second. You’re pissed at Harrison Boyd; I’m pissed at Harrison Boyd. We really could screw with him,” he says, as though he’s voicing his thoughts out loud. He looks off into the distance as though the gears in his mind are shifting. “A good old taste of his own medicine. It could be fun. We could help each other.”
My pulse begins hammering in my head. Put like that, it’s an enticing suggestion. He’s right: maybe toying with Harrisoncouldbe fun, especially if I don’t have to do it alone. This morning’s been grim and it’s not going away anytime soon. Harrison deserves to suffer too.
The guy’s gaze finds mine again and all I can do is look blankly back at him.Goddamn, whatis his name?“I’m not sure we’ve been properly introduced,” I say stiffly, as if we’re at a business meeting.
“Well, I know you’re Vanessa,” he teases me, extending his hand. The smile he gives me is mischievous, a little bit devious, but somehow still entirely charming. “What do you say? Partners?”
I stare at his hand for a moment. This could be interesting. It feels like the final shreds of my dignity were abandoned at Maddie’s party, so what is there to lose? I slip my hand into his and he squeezes mine firmly back, his skin smooth and warm, his touch sending a bolt of electricity all the way from the tips of my fingers to the base of my spine. “Partners, I guess.”
I hear a door swing open, and Mrs. Delaney’s voice bounces around the office. “Kai Washington? Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No problem,” he tells her, looking over my shoulder.
My hand is still in his and he grabs it, turns my palm toward him, pulling a Sharpie out from the pocket of his jeans. It tickles as he scrawls his phone number on my skin, and I can’t help but stare at the way my hand fits into his.Kai Washington, I think, repeating his name in my head.
“Call me,” he murmurs, then steps around me and heads off into Mrs. Delaney’s office with her.
I stare after him, bewildered. My body tingles as a thrill runs down my spine. There’s something enchanting about his calm, cool presence. And I know it should be the opposite – I should know that this guy means trouble and I should run a mile in the opposite direction, but I can’t help feeling drawn to him the same way I did at the party.
My eyes drop to my hand and I roll my eyes at what Kai has written there. I pull out my phone and add the number to my contacts.
I save it as:Kai Washington (Partner).
4
“So you meet up with this weirdo from the school office who you knownothingabout, and he lures you out of town, kills you, then dumps your body in a ditch behind some trees. Which song would you like played at your funeral?”
I glare Chyna down. We should be at school, but instead we’re sitting in Rollies eating a second helping of ice cream. We’re both on good old chocolate chip. “He’s not a weirdo,” I say with disapproval. “He’s from Central, remember?”
“Oh, evenworse,” Chyna groans, slamming her head down toward the table. I love it when she goes all dramatic on me. It makes me laugh, and I could really use some of her humor today.
“Honestly, he seemed. . . intriguing,” I say, stifling a laugh as I reach for Chyna’s arms and pull her up from the table. I stick my tongue out at her before I scoop up another mouthful of ice cream, and I can’t help but replay my interaction with Kai in my head all over again. I have such a damn soft spot for tall pretty boys, especially when they have blue eyes and an exuberance of confidence.Oomf. He’s been a welcome distraction in the mess of today. “And he’s smoking hot too,” I tell her.
Chyna snaps her fingers in front of my face. “So, is this about getting revenge on Harrison, or is this about you meeting a new hot guy?”
