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Her shoulders sag in relief and her eyes lift up and land on mine. “I have had a crush on him since eighth grade, but he doesn’t know, obviously. He doesn’t look at me like that.”
I glance over to where the guys are talking, but we are too far away to hear what they are saying. Ky is facing away from me, and Tyler isn’t looking this way and is blocking Chris so he can’t see us.
“Ignore him.”
“What?”
I have caught Tyler checking her out before. He likes her physically and is always polite to her, but he doesn’t see her that way. He won’t make a move because she is always bubbly and all smiles in front of everyone. He sees her as cute Abby. He knows she is off-limits, and if anyone saw him checking her out and thinking about her in a sexual way, they will point it out and tell her brother.
Observing Tyler with girls at school and at the party, I notice that if a girl is all over him, he loses interest. Tyler likes a challenge. Something he can’t have. In this case, Abby is the perfect challenge.
“Ignore him. Don’t smile when he looks over. Don’t go up to him at school and make it a point to say hi. If he looks at you, look away. Stop giving him all of your attention. Don’t make it easy on the person you really like to get your attention.”
“Oh.” She scoots next to me on the bench and my head lowers as she says above a whisper, “Is that how you got Ky to like you?”
My head lifts and I turn to look at her. “He doesn’t like me. He hates me. There is nothing about me that he likes except to see me suffer.”
“Then why does he stare at you all the time? The expression in his eyes looks different when you are around. I don’t think he even realizes that he does it. When you two were in a stare off a minute ago, it was like he was communicating with you in a language only the two of you know. It is like you two share a big secret.”
“He doesn’t seem thrilled,” I deadpan.
She snorts. “He doesn’t stare at the girls he sleeps with. He is cold. Distant.” She gives me a side glance. “Except with you. To be honest, it is hot and sexy the way he looks at you.”
“What do you think people are saying when he looks at me?”
I know it isn’t true, but I want to know what she thinks because if she thinks this way, maybe it is what other people assume. People like Jen and Nicole.
My eyes find Ky and he is staring at me again. Tyler and Chris are on the other side of the gym. Ky is waiting behind the instructor giving the younger kids their lesson. It is like he is trying to see if we are talking about him, but I know we are too far away, and it’s impossible from where we are sitting with all the noise from the gym.
“It’s like you already belonged to him before you came here, and if someone touches you, he will beat them like he did to that punching bag.”
Giving her a wry smile, I know what she just said is impossible, “Crazy because we both know he doesn’t. He only thinks I’m a threat to Tyler.”
She waves her hand in a way that tells me she thinks that is bullshit. “I don’t think you are a threat to Tyler. I think the opposite. I think you are just what Tyler needs in his life. A sister.”
I wish that were true, Abby. A girl like me doesn’t have it easy.
The instructor comes up to Ky and says something to him that has him stepping forward. He instructs the kids in position, and I can’t help but notice the way his back muscles ripple with each movement he makes. When one of the boys is off balance, he walks over and instructs him on how to position his body. Some of the other kids start laughing. Surprisingly, Ky tells them to stop and to kneel. He tells them that making fun of someone else will not be tolerated.
So he’s okay with not bullying in certain circumstances then…interesting. This is the side of Ky I remember seeing when we were kids. The side that would never allow another kid to make fun of someone else. The side that is gentle when he explains something to make sure you get it right. He tells the ones kneeling to apologize. The boys stand and walk over to the kid they were making fun of.
He must apologize because they shake hands, and all is back to normal. Ky stands in front of the group of kids in the same pose and begins to shadow punch with each count. Every kid follows in sync with each punch, showing them how to defend themselves. He isn’t showing them how to hurt someone. I pick up a few of the words as he explains the movements, and he always uses the word defend. He is showing them that defending yourself with your fist is the last resort, and that you shouldn’t make fun of others who are learning something important.
When Ky is finished with the group of students, he turns to face Chris and Tyler as they walk over.
“Come on,” Chris says, motioning to Abby.
She gets up and smiles, and then Tyler does the same, motioning me with his finger. “You, too”
I pinch my brows, confused as to why he wants me to walk over to them on the mat. When Abby and I both face them, Ky walks up.
“Come here,” Ky says, nudging his head over to the punching bags hanging to the side.
I hesitate and look at Abby, but I already see her walking away, trailing Tyler and Chris to the other side by the mirrors and leaving me alone with Ky. Shit.
When I turn around, Ky is waiting for me by the black punching bag. “I’m not going to hurt you, so you can stop being afraid,” he says. I walk over to stand in front of the bag facing him, and he moves behind me and whispers, “Yet. But this lesson isn’t about me and you. This lesson is about someone else hurting you, cornering you against the wall or in a bathroom.”
My heart begins to hammer in my chest. He listened. He remembers what I said in the bathroom at the party. I turn my head and my nostrils flare from the scent of his sweat mixed with his cologne. He doesn’t smell bad but good. I can feel the heat of his skin and imagine how it would feel against mine with nothing between us.
