from a lot of people.
It’s me, Evelyn. From the coffee shop? Brown-hair, gray eyes, probably wearing an ugly flannel?
There’s another pause, and then an answer.
Where are you now?
I give her the address, and she says to wait, and that she’ll be there in an hour. I sip my soda and jiggle my leg nervously. I owe her one, for sure. She’s coming across state lines to help someone out she barely knows. She’s a much better person than anyone I know - including myself. Especially myself. After what happened tonight with my own family, it’s confirmed I’m pretty much the biggest shithead alive. I just ruined my relationship with my Dad and my future school funding, all in one fell swoop.
As I contemplate just how much I’ve screwed myself over for the next few years slash possibly forever, I hear the roar of a motorcycle engine outside. Someone’s getting drive-thru, maybe. But at this hour? It’s not Dad, he drives a tacky convertible.
I look up and see someone walk in, their leather jacket reflecting the florescent lights dully. Jet-black hair falls in his eyes - uneven eyes. Two-toned eyes.
“You!” I stand up. Kai sees me, rubbing his hands to warm them as he saunters over.
“Hey.”
My heart is beating triple-time, now. “How did you -”
“I think there might’ve been a mix-up,” He says. “Someone gave you my number.”
“Hayley,” I insist. “She - she gave me your number?”
“I guess.” He shrugs.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. That girl is all kinds of crafty - who knows what she was thinking.”
There’s an awkward pause as we both don’t look at each other. The lady at the cashier watches us with interest.
“I’m sorry -”
“I’m really sorry -”
We both blurt it at the same time. I clear my throat.
“You go first.”
“I was going to say I’m sorry for that kiss,” He looks up at me with a crooked grin. “But I just realized I’m not sorry at all. And if I said I’m sorry, I’d be lying. I think you deserve better than a lie.”
I’m so incredulous and flooded with adrenaline and hopelessness I just start to laugh.
“You’re a piece of fucking work, Kai Jackson.”
“A masterpiece of fucking work,” He insists, and steals one of my french fries. “Were you gonna apologize for decking me?”
I nod and swat his hand away from another fry. He laughs.
“Well, don’t. I deserved it.”
“I hit you hard,” I insist. “It sounded like it hurt.”
“Oh, it did. But it definitely wasn’t my first slap from an angry woman. I’ll live, unfortunately.”
“Living’s not so bad,” I say. “Unless you piss off your immediate family forever and they stop paying for your tuition.”
“Is that what happened?” Kai asks. It might be the exhaustion, or my newfound ‘fuck it’ attitude, but I tell Kai everything that went down tonight. He listens patiently, watching me so intently with his two-tone gaze I have to look away to break the heat building under my face. When it’s over, he whistles.
“Damn, lioness. Good for you.”
“Totally. Good for me, having to drop out of college very shortly and all.”
“They’re assholes. Your Dad is a bonafide jerkoff, and your stepmom sounds like a she-bat straight from hell. Forget them, lioness. You did the right thing.”
“Yeah, but -”
“No matter what happens, you stood up for yourself,” Kai insists. “Things tend to turn out alright when you let people know you aren’t to be fucked with.”
There’s a silence as I eat my fries. Kai stares out the window at the silky midnight sky, his hair the same color.
“What about you?” I ask. “You knew it was me when I texted you. Why come all the way out here?”
His smile gets even more crooked. “Why would a guy drive out in the middle of the night to pick up a girl who slapped him and definitely hates him? Good question.”
My heart lodges in my throat. Kai laughs lightly and stands, stretching his arms over each other.
“Let’s
It’s me, Evelyn. From the coffee shop? Brown-hair, gray eyes, probably wearing an ugly flannel?
There’s another pause, and then an answer.
Where are you now?
I give her the address, and she says to wait, and that she’ll be there in an hour. I sip my soda and jiggle my leg nervously. I owe her one, for sure. She’s coming across state lines to help someone out she barely knows. She’s a much better person than anyone I know - including myself. Especially myself. After what happened tonight with my own family, it’s confirmed I’m pretty much the biggest shithead alive. I just ruined my relationship with my Dad and my future school funding, all in one fell swoop.
As I contemplate just how much I’ve screwed myself over for the next few years slash possibly forever, I hear the roar of a motorcycle engine outside. Someone’s getting drive-thru, maybe. But at this hour? It’s not Dad, he drives a tacky convertible.
I look up and see someone walk in, their leather jacket reflecting the florescent lights dully. Jet-black hair falls in his eyes - uneven eyes. Two-toned eyes.
“You!” I stand up. Kai sees me, rubbing his hands to warm them as he saunters over.
“Hey.”
My heart is beating triple-time, now. “How did you -”
“I think there might’ve been a mix-up,” He says. “Someone gave you my number.”
“Hayley,” I insist. “She - she gave me your number?”
“I guess.” He shrugs.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. That girl is all kinds of crafty - who knows what she was thinking.”
There’s an awkward pause as we both don’t look at each other. The lady at the cashier watches us with interest.
“I’m sorry -”
“I’m really sorry -”
We both blurt it at the same time. I clear my throat.
“You go first.”
“I was going to say I’m sorry for that kiss,” He looks up at me with a crooked grin. “But I just realized I’m not sorry at all. And if I said I’m sorry, I’d be lying. I think you deserve better than a lie.”
I’m so incredulous and flooded with adrenaline and hopelessness I just start to laugh.
“You’re a piece of fucking work, Kai Jackson.”
“A masterpiece of fucking work,” He insists, and steals one of my french fries. “Were you gonna apologize for decking me?”
I nod and swat his hand away from another fry. He laughs.
“Well, don’t. I deserved it.”
“I hit you hard,” I insist. “It sounded like it hurt.”
“Oh, it did. But it definitely wasn’t my first slap from an angry woman. I’ll live, unfortunately.”
“Living’s not so bad,” I say. “Unless you piss off your immediate family forever and they stop paying for your tuition.”
“Is that what happened?” Kai asks. It might be the exhaustion, or my newfound ‘fuck it’ attitude, but I tell Kai everything that went down tonight. He listens patiently, watching me so intently with his two-tone gaze I have to look away to break the heat building under my face. When it’s over, he whistles.
“Damn, lioness. Good for you.”
“Totally. Good for me, having to drop out of college very shortly and all.”
“They’re assholes. Your Dad is a bonafide jerkoff, and your stepmom sounds like a she-bat straight from hell. Forget them, lioness. You did the right thing.”
“Yeah, but -”
“No matter what happens, you stood up for yourself,” Kai insists. “Things tend to turn out alright when you let people know you aren’t to be fucked with.”
There’s a silence as I eat my fries. Kai stares out the window at the silky midnight sky, his hair the same color.
“What about you?” I ask. “You knew it was me when I texted you. Why come all the way out here?”
His smile gets even more crooked. “Why would a guy drive out in the middle of the night to pick up a girl who slapped him and definitely hates him? Good question.”
My heart lodges in my throat. Kai laughs lightly and stands, stretching his arms over each other.
“Let’s
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