He smiles at me, a smile that reaches his eyes. I can’t help but smile back and probably look as goofy as Goofy himself.
“Thanks,” I tell him with more confidence.
His lips part, but Kai cuts him off.
“Your gym bag’s in the car,” he says coldly. “You left it there after practice, and Mom blamed it on me. I have no fucking clue why it’s my responsibility to take care of your shit.”
“She probably thought it was your bag,” Kyler tells him, ripping his attention off me. “You always leave yours in there and it stinks up the car.”
“I haven’t had a gym bag in almost a year.” Kai reclines against the counter with his arms folded.
“I thought you were going to try to get back on the team this year?” Kyler asks Kai, using his lean arms to reach up and open one of the top cupboards.
Kai shakes his head with annoyance flaring in his eyes. “That’s Mom’s wishful thinking. I’m not going to try out for the team. I have better things to do with my time.”
“Like what?” Kyler grabs a box of protein bars before shutting the cupboard. “Get high and watch television?”
Okay, things are really starting to get awkward and uncomfortable. I’m deciding whether I should back out of the room and bail, when Kyler turns to me.
“Sorry about that,” he says to me. “We shouldn’t be arguing like this in front of you.”
Kai scowls at Kyler. “Why? She hears us all the time when she’s out on her balcony, listening to us.”
“Hey.” I shoot Kai a dirty look. “Way to throw me under the bus.”
Kai looks a tab bit remorseful. “Sorry. But he already knows you do it.”
“It’s okay,” Kyler says to me, tucking the box under his arm. “I always thought it was kind of cute the way you watched us.”
He may be trying to make me feel better, but I feel like a class-A freak right now.
“I have to get to practice.” Kyler grabs a bottle of water out of the fridge then backs toward the washroom. “Isa?”
I gradually turn around to look at him. “Yeah?”
“You should come watch one of my games sometime.” He flashes me a dimpled grin. “You could come cheer me on and bring me good luck. Like you did with my free shots.”
I internally gag. Football. So gross and soooo boring. Seriously, I’ve been in the room while my dad’s watching games, and it’s a yawn fest. I’d way rather spend my time reading, drawing, going to Comic-Con, getting my favorite books signed, or blogging. Hell, I’d take running to the paint store in my underwear over watching a bunch of dudes throw a ball around and tackle each other.
But I’m not about to tell Kyler any of this. Not when he just invited me to go see him play. And in public. Not just when we’re at one of our houses, where no one can see us.
I plaster on the fakest smile. “Sounds like super fun!” Okay, I might have gone a little overboard with the super.
Kyler grins, seeming oblivious to the fact I’m faking my enthusiasm. “Awesome. There’s one next Friday. Let me know if you need a ride.” He winks at me like Kai does all the time.
I keep on smiling until he leaves the house then my head slumps forward and my mouth falls open. “Holy shit.”
Kai snorts a laugh. “Watching you try to sound happy about watching him play was seriously the most entertaining thing I’ve ever seen.”
I sweep loose strands of my rain-kissed hair out of my face then turn to face him. “I hate football, okay. Honestly, I’m not a fan of watching any sport, period.”
“But you play them.” He opens the fridge and takes out two cans of Coke. “I remember you winning some sort of free shot contest or something.”
“Playing sports and watching them are two totally different things.” I catch a can of Coke as he tosses one to me. “I have a short attention span unless it involves books, writing, or drawing.”
“I know you do,” he says simply while popping the tab of the can open.
“How could you possibly know that about me?” I ask, opening my soda. “No one, except maybe my Grandma, knows that about me.”
He thrums his finger against his bottom lip. “Hmmm . . . let me think. How on Earth did I find out all that stuff about you . . . ?” An impish grin plays at his lips. “There has to be some sort of online place where I read all about your interests. Oh yeah, I remember now. There was this page that had all these thoughts of yours on it. There were also some pretty cool pictures of your trip that I didn’t see on your phone.”
I feel like I’ve entered the Twilight Zone. “You were on my blog?!” Shit. Has he read my last entry? If so, then he knows about my mom.
He shrugs, like it’s no biggie. “It’s kind of interesting, and you’re kind of funny.”
“Gee, thanks,” I say sarcastically. “And you’re kind of nice.”
“Why, thank you,” he replies with over exaggerated happiness.
I resist an eye roll then try to get a vibe from him. See if maybe he knows about my mom. Is there pity in his eyes? No, not really. If anything, he appears amused.
“When’s the last time you’ve been on it?” I ask. “My blog, I mean.”
“I don’t know, like four or five days ago.”
I exhale in relief. I made the post yesterday.
He winds around the kitchen island and heads for the doorway that leads to the living room. “Come on. I need to grab some stuff before I go to the party.”
“I never said I was going.” It’s not like I don’t want to go to a party. I just worry that people from my school will be there, which means I’ll end up spending the entire night avoiding their stares, probably hiding out in the bathroom.
He spins around, grinning. “Oh, come on. You know you want to go.” His grin expands. “It’ll be super fun!”
I flip him the middle finger, and he laughs.
“Besides, if you go, I can introduce you to some people from our school. Getting to know people is the first step to friendship.” He grins.
“You would really do that for me?” I’m oddly touched.
He waves me off, like it’s no big deal. “I have excellent people skills. Stick with me and you will too.”
Then he grabs my arm and pulls me with him, leaving me no choice but to go.
“I HAVE TO change before we leave,” I announce to Kai after he walks out of his bedroom, wearing different clothes.
He’s now sporting a long-sleeved grey Henley, black jeans, and boots. He also has on a grey knit cap and a collection of leather bands on his wrist, including the one I gave him. I won’t ever admit it to him aloud, but he looks dangerously sexy.
He evaluates me from head to toe while shoving up the sleeves of his shirt. “Why? You look fine.” He tugs on the bottom of my still-damp tank top. “And I think a lot of people will probably appreciate the wet t-shirt look.”
I fold my arms over my chest, mentally cursing myself when my cheeks go all melted chocolate warm.
Please don’t notice I’m blushing. Please don’t notice I’m blushing.
His lips spread to a grin. “The blush would be an added bonus too. Between the t-shirt and that, you might be able to get free drinks all night.”
I square my shoulders, scrounging up the little dignity I have left. “Bradon charges people for drinks at his parties? Really?”
“Not all the time, but sometimes.” Kai nonchalantly shrugs. “He’s an entrepreneur.”
I run my hands over the front of my shirt. “As much as I’d love free drinks for the night, I think I’d rather wear some clean, more weather appropriate clothes, and just pay if I drink.”
“If you drink?” Kai questions with amusement. “You’re a virgin drinker, aren’t you?”
“Oh, please. You think I spent three months overseas and didn’t touch a drink?” I scoff with a roll of my eyes. “I’ve drank a ton.”