Page 71 of Until We Burn
“It’s not possible, anyways,” she blurts out. Her blushing pink wrap dress is the only soft thing about her, because the face that blinks up at me is utterly icy and dismissive. “I only reserved a table for four people. Looks like you’ll have to handle dinner on your own.”
That’s not the only thing I’ve handled on my own.
“Well, another time, then.” I back away with my smile falling from my face. “Have a good night, everyone.”
I can feel their stares trail my every step. Everyone watches me, whispering and accusing.
Psycho. Manipulator. Snake.
Hurt and betrayal sink like claws into my skin.
I’ve always known that Gregory and Jonathan would never feel like brothers to me. But Sophia—right before she turned twelve and bàba began priming her to take over the HMG— was the little sister I always reached for. I hate the thought of having to put her in the line of fire with Jonathan. With everything she’s done to me, it’s frustrating how I still see her as the little sister who watched Gilmore Girls with me and snuck down to the kitchen to eat sweet garlic bread at midnight. I need to get it through my head that it’s a waste of time to wait for a little sister who might never come back.
Sophia will never protect me the same way I protect her.
My jaw trembling, I dab at the tears spotting my eyes. I pause near a secluded corner by the pick-up area and take out my phone. I enter CatchCo’s website and start drafting a request to their office. Every word I type fuels the anger writhing inside of me.
I was framed and I want everyone to know who did it.
CHAPTER 30
KAI
“What the hell is this?”
I delete another word in my presentation for the Pacific Observer, except every other word I choose after that makes even less sense. How do you exhaust nearly all the words in the English language just for nothing to sound right?
I bite my lip and rake my hands through my hair.
Maybe I’m overthinking this.
But with the threat of getting sacked from the internship lingering over my head, Ihaveto overthink this.
I shut my eyes and breathe out, fighting to keep my thoughts from spiraling.
This is what the rest of my Saturday has been looking like. Just when I think it can’t get any worse, my parents video call me five minutes later.
“Ia Orana, mon cœur!”
“Ia Orana.”
Sunlight streaks across mama’s face, as she sits in the passenger seat of papa’s car. I keep my own camera turned off because Diana’s coming in fifteen minutes, and I don’t want mama to see her in case she gets here earlier.
But generally, I’m glad I made that decision because they can’t see how irritated I get when papa starts talking about setting me up with another girl.
“Lori Kauahi is a great girl, you know. She just got her degree for business creation and management at the University of French Polynesia.”
I shut my eyes. I’m already exhausted from the fight I know I’ll have to put up to make them back down from this.
“In that case, tell Lori I’m happy for her.”
“You can tell her that yourself when you come back home for the summer,” Mama chimes in.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “For the last time, you don’t need to set me up with girls.”
“I think Lori would be good for you, Kainoa. She’s a respectable girl who is connected to our culture,” Mama reasons. “What other girl could you possibly want?”
The door cracks open.
