After half a page, I drop the pen when I hear Kai’s door opening and footsteps moving across the upstairs living room. “Kai?”
He grumbles and his footsteps near the bedroom. “Yeah?” he asks, slumping against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets.
“You lost,” I say, matter-of-factly.
He huffs and pulls out a hand to wipe it across his brow. “Yeah. I was off my game today. Worse of all, Tabby was there to see it.”
“Oof. You don’t think...?”
He scrutinizes me. “What?”
I can barely contain my smirk. “That she’s a bad luck charm. You know you should’ve won against that team.”
Offense covers Kai’s face. “How could you say that?”
I shrug, sitting cross-legged on the bed. “I dunno. Just a thought.”
“She’s my girlfriend, Jamie. I’m nuts about her, and you call her a bad luck charm?”
There’s an ache in my heart. “How am I supposed to know how much you like her? You never talked about her before you made out with her on your birthday.”
Kai pulls off the doorframe and folds his arms. “How could I talk to you about my crush? You couldn’t give me tips on how to approach her or find out if she liked me back. You can’t even talk to girls.”
It’s like being hit in the chest with a baseball bat. I pant for breath as he watches me with dismissive eyes.
“Come on.” Kai shrugs. “It’s not like I’m wrong. You’re not exactly a girl’s girl. When I need help to find something fun to do, or someone who can challenge my soccer game, then I turn to you.”
I slide my legs off the bed and sit on the edge. “You didn’t think I’d be cool with you dating Tabitha?”
Kai walks into the room, stopping a foot away from the bed. “Am I wrong? You haven’t exactly been taking it well.”
“Because you hid it from me. And now she’s at our lunch table. It was a shock.”
Kai sighs. “I get that. I should’ve given you a head’s up. My bad.”
I nod. “I’m sorry I wasn’t at your game. Coach Anders told me to miss my game to focus on this baby project and my other assignments. To be honest, I slept most of my time here.”
Kai grins, sitting on the bed beside me. “That baby really kept you up all night?”
“It was torture. I was losing it so much I cried.”
Kai bursts into laughter. “What? Ha! Classic. James cried like a baby.”
I nudge him. “Hey! It wasn’t funny.”
“Yeah, it’s hilarious. You never cry.”
I click my tongue. “At least your brother was supportive.”
“Ugh.” Kai grimaces. “You two are getting way too close. It’s gross.”
I slide across the bed, getting space between me and Kai. “Gross?”
“It’s like seeing a lion and a gazelle hanging out,” Kai replies. “Shouldn’t one be killing the other?”
“So, I should kill Milo instead of letting him help me with my homework?”
Kai rests his arms behind him as he looks up at the ceiling. “All I’m saying is, it’s weird you two are hanging out when it’s not studying.”
