Branded for Ruin

5. BAD LOVE

July 8th Summer Vacation

KAI

"Kai.. this is.."

  "Hot? Captivating?"

  "Wrong." Spencer slipped past him swiftly tugging at the hems of her hoodie sleeves. He stood there in shock, completely surprised by her move she had just made.
"I forgive you but no. I don't know if this is a game for you, but do not start doing that."
Kai's mouth hung open, un sure of what to say to her. For once, she had left Kai Ashford speechless.

"Graves.. that's no-"

"How you operate isn't a mystery okay? We aren't friends, and I've never had a boyfriend before. So please just don't Kai."

  Spencer stood a few feet from him all that her face told him was that she was frustrated. She didn't know how to react to any of this, and it didn't help that he sucked at communicating.
  There was nothing he wanted to do more than to hold her in his arms. He wanted to fix everything in that moment, tell her it's okay to just breathe. He couldn't believe the words that came out of her mouth.
   Kai never would have thought that Spencer had never had a boyfriend before. There was no way? Surely someone was able to cherish her, even for a bit. How could he have missed that detail in her? Her nervousness, cluelessness, all of it was starting to make sense.
   "Spencer, just be here for a moment. People say I'm bad to be around but.." Kai trailed off.

  She scoffed at him while rolling her eyes, "Can anyone let me make the decision on that?" Her hands were fixated on her sleeves tugging at them as she talked.
   She was trying so hard to be confident, strong willed. They stood for a minute just staring at each other for what felt like forever. Every minute they spend next to each other the more hard this got for Kai. Every time he saw her, his feelings grew even more. It was killing him being so close, yet so far. Kai was having to live with the consequences of his actions.

   "I noticed you that first day you know?"

  Spencer looked at him with an intense look as she cocked her head to the side, as if she was trying to figure what he was saying. She kept it up for a minute before it hitting her, reading so visibly on her face.
   "Oh come on, now you're just being mean."

   "I swear it. You had the pink streaks in your hair."

     He chuckled looking back on his first day at Kentwood high.

*FLASHBACK*

His mood was in the worst it had ever been, moving across the country wasn't exactly his choice. It being half way through the year meant he had a lot of catching up to do which was tampering his mood even more.
    It was right before second bell, everyone was socializing in the hallways among themselves loudly but when he walked out of the principals office it was like he was on display.
   Everyone, literally everyone.. was looking at him. Staring, gawking even, the whispers began to fill the hallways. In that moment he wasn't anything but the shiny new toy. No one knew anything about him and they didn't seem to want to.

   "Robin ! Give me my phone!" His head turned into the direction of the loudest voice he heard. When doing so he saw a tall tan skinny dude with slicked backed hair holding a phone up past his head while a much shorter girl was jumping up in the air.
  "Say it then Spence!" he spoke as he laughed only holding it further up. The girl groaned in frustration, she set her backpack down next to the lockers as she tried even harder to get her belonging back.
 
   "No! This has been embarrassing enough!" It was like a sudden switch, something switched. In that moment an idea had clicked in her head. She suddenly kneed him in the balls as she quickly grabbed her phone.
   "Ha!" She laughed as she gave him the middle finger. "That's so cheating..." the guy managed to grunt out. He looked like he was in serious pain.
   She seemed like the type of girl not to take much shit from anyone. She seemed challenging, interesting even. Her hair flowed down past her shoulders, peak streaks that frame her face magnificently.

    A girl who looked absolutely stunning without even having to try much. A girl like that would be ruined by a guy like me. I could never get a girl like that, let alone be who she would need me to be.

SPENCER

"Oh come on, now you're just being mean."

   "I swear it. You had the pink streaks in your hair."

  Standing there, facing him, she wasn't sure why she was still hanging around. Maybe it was that she did not want to be pushed out of the space she was in first, or maybe it was because he has grown on her tremendously.
His words lingered in her head, he couldn't be lying. She did in fact have pink streak in her hair at the time, now the streaks were almost gone. This was another moment that was going to leave her flustered and confused.

  "I want to be a better person, but I'm not sure if I am capable." Kai suddenly said as he kicked around a rock in the dirt.
     She stared at him in surprise, she would not have expected Kai Ashford to ever admit something like that. She has had a weird infatuation with him ever since he moved here, and he has been nothing but just a bully. It's only the summer and he is looking for change? How was she supposed to believe that?

   "Everyone is capable of being a better person. No one is perfect Kai." was the only thing she could form in a way that could put him at some ease, but even that his face didn't move.
  His face said he was uncomfortable, uneasy, not okay in any form with what we were talking about.
   "You are so damn wish washy at times. I can't ever catch up."
   Kai stared at her, he seemed to be doing that a lot this night. He crossed his arms, groaned and walked over to the swing sets, of course making Spencer follow him. They sat down on the swings slowly swinging back and forth.

  The two of them stayed silent for a minute, only a minute. A minute that felt like years. Spencer never feared Kai like everyone else, but he has always made her nervous.
   "I have no excuses for that honestly." Was the only thing that he said. Her head began to reel, he is being so honest yet so detached.
   "You act like such a hard ass towards everyone.. you've slept with plenty of girls at school and you have zero excuses for why you act the way you do."

What the fuck Spencer? She immediately recoiled at her words. That's what she chose to say? To carry on the conversation? Why does she keep pushing his buttons?
  "You would only get hurt in the end Spencer. Thats why I'm so cold towards you."

He paused for a second, as if he was looking what to say next. Trying to find the exact right words, not to step on toes too much with his words.
   "I'd be lying if I said you weren't beautiful but..I..it just wouldn't go well."

  Beautiful? He really thinks I'm beautiful? Kai Ashford, the most hard ass, stubborn mother fucker out there who has been getting on her last nerve since he came here, thinks that? She punched him in the nose and he thinks that? God, she would sound crazy.
  She had to find a way to show she wasn't going insane in her thoughts right now. But he is right, it wouldn't and not only but that she wanted nothing to do with how he operated.

   "Like I said, I'm not just going to be another girl."

  "I don't want you to be in all honestly. That's why you need to stay away."

  She rolled my eyes, "I'm gonna pretend I'm not offended for a second and ignore that." He went to speak but she hushed him placing a finger onto his lips then quickly removing it.
   "You need to let me decide who to stay away from okay? Also, you have no worries. I have no interest in you." Kai popped a single eyebrow up, but didn't say anything. Neither of them said anything, but she made sure to have the look on my face that said, "Drop it."

   "It's almost Ten o clock Graves."

   "And? If you want to go home, then go."

  Kai sighed, "It's getting late, and you shouldn't be out after dark by yourself."

She kept swinging in the swing trying not to pay attention to him as she felt his gaze burning into her. 
   "Seriously, I'll walk you home."

  "And you say I'm stubborn?"

She giggled and stopped on the swing, "It's very easy to frustrate you."
   He stopped as well and smirked at her, "And you seem to be the only one who came get away with it."

  "Aren't I special?"