Kai rolled down the window and smiled pleasantly at Tommy, who looked like he might spontaneously combust with the force of his jealousy and annoyance. His face had reddened slightly, and I noticed with satisfaction that it wasn't a particularly good look on him. I couldn't help it; amusement kicked the corners of my lips upwards. They'd already been poised to smile, had been fixed into some approximation of it since I'd climbed beside Kai in the car.
But if I found Kai—or, mostly, my own jokes—funny, it was nothing compared to the hilarity that could be found in Tommy's angry, bloodshot eyes.
Tommy looked as if he was teetering on the precipice of a rage-induced fit. He wasn't a particularly angry guy, in my experience. Slightly insecure perhaps, a little jealous maybe—in the way that all guys who cheated tended to be—but not angry.
"Hey, Aster, what can I do for you?" asked Kai with false consideration, leaning his arm against the window and drumming his fingers casually against the sill.
The sound of Kai's fingers was an aggravating, lilting tune. It punctuated that smile that was still settled on his face; pleasant, focussed, with an edge that was downright wicked, like he knew the expression was a weapon that could puncture vicious holes in Tommy's self-control. It was an impressive display. Tommy knew exactly what Kai was attempting; tired eyes clocking the antagonistic tilt to Kai's smile. That was the only thing leashing his jealousy.
It didn't seem as if it would be difficult for the emotion to slip its leash. His words were a guttural snarl. "What are you doing with her?" When his gaze flitted to me, it was hurt, beseeching, and a tad pathetic. Then he was back to glaring at Kai.
Kai feigned surprise. "With Little V?" he said, hitching a thumb at me. He looked over at me with a small wink. I smothered my giggle with a cough. "Oh, we're just hanging," he continued, his voice still even and casual. "I thought I'd offer her a lift to school."
"You're just hanging out with her to get back at me. You're such a dick. You shouldn't just use her like this."
I resisted the urge to say I'm hanging out with him to get back at you, asshole. It would ruin all of our carefully constructed plans.
Behind Tommy, trails of our classmates wandered past, chattering happily about their weekends and kicking at stray pebbles on the path. There wasn't long before we were all supposed to be in class, and many of them were walking with pace as they made their way through the main gate and finding the relevant building.
Some of them glanced over with a small frown. It was no secret that Tommy and Kai didn't particularly like each other. And seeing me in the passenger seat of Kai's car likely did little to assuage their curiosity.
"Arrogant of you to assume that I think about you enough to make plans around annoying you," said Kai nonchalantly. "You might be shocked to discover that I don't actually spend my time thinking about you."
Tommy's jaw worked impatiently.
"I'm hanging out with Little Valerie because she's a blast, not for some half-baked plan." That wasn't quite true, but Tommy didn't have to know that. And the look on Tommy's face suggested that he almost believed Kai.
"I don't believe you," said Tommy uneasily.
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Whack whack. Nice to know your high opinion of me."
"Very harsh of you to suggest that no one would hang out with her unless they had ulterior motives. Surely you know that she's a good time, Tommy?" Then Kai frowned. "I guess not. If you knew how great she was, you probably wouldn't have risked your relationship by sleeping with her best friend."
I nodded solemnly. "Oh, that's actually true."
Tommy placed his hands over the sill of the window, his knuckles bleached white as he clenched them. "Valerie knows exactly what I think about her. How much I think she's worth; she's worth everything. I've spent two years telling her that."
A small smile reached his lips then, a victorious smile. I stared back at him with wide eyes. Did he really think—? Surely not. Did he think I was the kind of girl who could be moved by a small and sappy speech?
Watching Tommy, I suddenly got the sense that this boy was small and pathetic. Inferior to me in every way. The car door that separated us, and the foot or so of height that Kai's large car afforded me, made me feel distant from Tommy. Irrevocably separate. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but absence from Tommy Aster has done nothing except make my heart shake him off like a winter coat. Sydney would be harder to shake, but I didn't need this boy anymore. He was just extra baggage from a season long passed.
"I know what you think of me, and how much you think I'm worth," I said softly. His eyes on me were gentle, expectant. Waiting for me to crack and run back into his arms. "You think I'm worth just a little bit less than one night with my best friend."
Kai's hand came to rest over my leg, a touch that was equal parts reassuring and congratulatory. The tips of his fingers were rough; only slightly, but just enough to feel the graze of callouses as he ran his fingertips over the soft skin of my leg.
His smile turned from wicked to gleeful. In that moment, I knew exactly why Kai had agreed to my scheme. Knew that I didn't have to offer any repayment, any deal. This moment, right here, was compensation enough for his help.
The look on my ex-boyfriend's face, which was equal parts horror and despair, and the triumphant set to my spine, was exactly why Kai had done this.
"He's using you," Tommy said abruptly, his eyes fixed on the contact between my leg and Kai's hand. "He's only being nice to you because he knows I would hate it."
I nodded sagely. "I'm just making friends, honey. Don't worry, the fact that you hate it is only an added bonus."
Kai leaned towards Tommy conspiratorially. "It's just a really great bonus."
I could practically hear the cogs in Tommy's mind turning as he considered his options. Weighed the benefits of making a scene, of stomping and raging, versus the quiet pleading.
I knew his mind, knew by the set of his shoulders what he'd decided. Kai and I were a united front. We'd planned this, and my complete apathy to his anger was something that Tommy hadn't anticipated. I knew this boy—I'd loved this boy—and he was hardly the type to take something lying down. But he also wasn't the type to make rash decisions, affair with Syd notwithstanding.
Through gritted teeth, he snarled, "I hope you know what you're doing, Ally. I hope this is some kind of elaborate revenge. Because if you're deciding to replace Sydney and me with Kai Delaney of all people, you're as much of an idiot as me."
"Kai Delaney hasn't fucked my friend."
"No," said Tommy darkly. "He's just fucked everyone else."
Kai's shoulders tensed, but he didn't say anything. I could feel his hand tighten on my thigh, barely perceptible, but just enough for me to know that Tommy had hit a nerve.
I said it for him. "Strangely enough, I don't think that's even half as bad. But I sure hope your mum enjoyed it."
I gave him a simpering wave, before leaning across Kai to press the button for the window, rolling it up directly in front of Tommy's face, effectively cutting off his response. Tommy slapped his hands against the glass with an ugly twist to his features. The group of girls walking past looked over, startled, but Tommy waved them off impatiently, without taking his gaze off me.
I just pouted affectedly at him and traced a line down my cheek in a mocking imitation of tear.
Tommy rolled his eyes. I could hear his voice in my head. That's childish, Valerie. You're better than that.
As it turned out, I wasn't.
I pretended to blubber, until Tommy threw his hands in the air with frustration and stalked off. His head was turned downward, as if the concrete had personally offended him and he was exacting revenge. Tommy's steps were long, and I saw him snap at someone who tried to pat him on the back. Tragic.
Kai dissolved into a fit of laughter. "Little V, I had no idea that you could be so vicious. I can't believe I ever thought you were quiet."
I shrugged, grinning smugly. "I've been told that I have an attitude problem."
"I'll say." When his eyes fell on me again, there was a spark of admiration behind them. "I'm starting to get the feeling that you'll be an excellent fake girlfriend." He peered over the steering wheel. "Do you think you made him cry?"
"You shouldn't sound so pleased by the thought."
"Why?" said Kai, opening the car door. "Isn't the whole point of our venture revenge?"
As I stepped out into the pleasant morning, allowing the sun to beat down into my face and wind to batter my hair, I couldn't help but think Kai was right. "Okay, fine. I hope he's bawling. I can't believe the look on his face."
"I can't believe I don't remember sleeping with his mum."
And, for the millionth time that day, I couldn't help but laugh.
Kai grabbed the backpack from my hands as I rounded to his side of the car, and slung it over his back. He was so tall, and when he draped his arm over my shoulders, he had to lean lightly on me to bridge the gap.
I looked up at him. From this angle, so close, I could see the little details of Kai that I hadn't noticed before. The light dusting of freckles across his nose—so small that you couldn't see them unless you really looked—evidence of days spent under the sun. I could feel the lean muscles of his arm over my shoulders, see that his eyes were a blue-green that reminded me of the ocean.
"Is this weird for you?" Kai asked me softly, fiddling with the ends of my strawberry-blonde hair. "I know it's been a long time since you've done any of this with someone that wasn't Tommy."
I'd never done much of anything with someone that wasn't Tommy.
"It's okay," I said. "This isn't real."
Kai wound the lock of my hair around his finger. "Doesn't mean that you can't feel weird about it."
I... didn't feel weird about it, I realised. Yes, the weight of his arm was unfamiliar. His height was something I was not yet accustomed to. His hair was wavy, and darker than Tommy's curls. His skin was bronze, and Tommy's hadn't been. But playing pretend with Kai felt safe in a way that wasn't dissimilar to the feeling of comfort around Tommy.
"It's... different," I said. "But not weird."
Kai nodded his acceptance. "That's good."
"I mean, hey, you're just fucking Tommy's mother and not my best friend, so I would say that's a positive upspin to my dating life."
Kai tugged lightly on the piece of my wound around his hand, grinning.
I looked down at my phone to note the time. 8:41AM. "Shit, Kai. We're going to be late for class if we keep dawdling."
Kai shrugged. "And?"
Sometimes, it was easy to forget Kai's apathy towards general rules and customs.
I whacked his arm. "C'mon, we have to hurry."
He didn't protest. Instead, Kai sighed, but he still indulgently followed my insistent pulls towards the school. The teachers wouldn't care if we were five or so minutes late to homeroom, but any longer and I'd be marked absent. Mum probably wouldn't mind, but she would worry when the school notified her.
"You care a lot about getting to class on time," Kai noted, fascinated, and I dragged him with alacrity towards the classrooms for our year.
I gritted my teeth. "Nope, I just care more than you."
"Not hard."
We had only just made our way through the glass doors and into the building that held our classrooms. Before we could step any further, Cora was in front of us. Blonde hair was tied in a neat plait behind her back, and her hands fluttering at her sides. Her small face was taut with anxiety. "Kai? Valerie? Um, what the fuck?"
Kai patted me on the back. "Oh, shoot, couldn't be late for class. Well, have fun."
Then he was off, whistling jauntily as he made his way to his next class. Wow. I can't believe I stopped, for a moment, realising that Kai Delaney was an epic dick. Just before he slipped through the classroom door, he waved cheekily.
I turned back to Cora, whose eyes were bouncing between the closed door that Kai had just vanished through, and me. "Valerie?"
Well, have fun.
***
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