The Year I Became Isabella Anders (Sunnyvale, #1)(53)

“That’s very sexist of you, Isa.” He tsks, waving his finger at me. “I’m so disappointed.”

I shake my head, but a smile tickles at my lips. “Jesus, you’re a handful.”

“I know.” He sighs tiredly. “If only I were like Kyler, then life would be so much easier for me and everyone around me.”

My muscles ravel into knots as I stiffen, sensing a drunken talk coming. You know the kind, where you yammer and pour your heart out with someone then when you sober up you have an oh-God-what-have-I-done moment.

“Kai, you’re a good guy, no matter what you think.”

“Yeah, tell that to my parents. Or my grandparents. Everyone in the entire Meyers family.”

“Parents can suck, but that doesn’t mean you have to believe everything they try to stick in your head. You’re free to think whatever you want about yourself. Trust me.”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew everything I did. I’m not a good person. I’ve done so much fucked up stuff.”

“Everyone’s done fucked up stuff,” I say, shutting my eyes. I wonder what he’s done. Why he thinks he’s so bad. “It doesn’t make you a bad person. You just need to forgive yourself.”

“Easier said than done.” He yawns, sinking to the ground and clumsily pulling me with him.

I trip over his feet and his fingers delve into my skin as he tries to stop me from falling. But we end up going down hard and landing in the grass in a tangle of legs and arms.

“Kai, you’re the clumsiest drunk ever!” I laugh, trying to push him off me.

“Don’t lie. I’m the funniest drunk ever.” He laughs . . . well, more like drunkenly giggles, as he rolls off me and onto his back. “And you’re the cutest drunk ever.”

“I so am not.” I lie down with him so our heads, arms, and legs are touching. I look up at the stars twinkling in the sky, like handfuls of magic pixie dust. “And you wouldn’t be saying that if you saw some of the stuff I did when I was in Scotland.”

“Enlighten me then.” He tucks his arm under his head then looks at me.

“No way.” I keep my eyes on the stars.

“Come on, just one tiny thing, and then I’ll let it go.”

“Yeah, right. I’m learning you’re the kind of person who doesn’t just let things go.”

“That does kind of sound like me,” he agrees then reaches over and tickles my side.

“Kai!” I erupt in a fit of giggles. “Stop with the tickling!”

“No way.” His hands travel downward to the bottom of my shirt and his sneaky little fingers dip under the fabric. He tickles me on my bare stomach, which feels ten times worse, yet somehow ten times better. “It’s too much fun watching you laugh.”

“You’re evil!”

“I know. You’re the hero and I’m the villain, right?”

“Yep! But you’ll never win.” I flip onto my stomach, ungracefully push to my feet, and skitter away from him.

He stands up too, although it takes him a few attempts to get his feet under him. Then he moves for me with his hands up, but grinds to a halt as a group of older guys stroll across the grass toward us.

“Hey, Kai, how’s it going, man?” one guy asks, and not in a friendly kind of way.

Kai tenses by my side. “T, what’s up? I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

“Of course I’d be here. There’s no way I was going to miss a chance to pay a visit to my friend.” He says friend like it’s a foul word.

I squint through the dark, trying to see what the guy looks like, but I’ve got my drunk beer goggles on.

“Who’s this?” T asks Kai, smiling in my direction.

Kai grabs my arm and pulls me behind him. “What do you want?”

“I just wanted to pay you a visit,” T says. “Make sure you haven’t forgotten the deal.”

“I haven’t,” Kai replies through gritted teeth.

Before anyone can say anything else, a car stops in the middle of the road and beeps the horn several times. I’m so relieved to see her. Not just because I missed her, but because this T guy is giving me the heebie-jeebies.

“That’s Indigo.” I grab Kai’s hand before I step off the curb, mostly because I’m worried he’s going to fall.

“I’ll be in touch,” T calls out to Kai as I open the back door of the car.

“Who was that?” I ask as I help Kai get into the backseat.

“Just some dude who thinks he’s the shit,” he says tightly.

I know there’s more to the story, but now’s not the time to press him, especially with T still watching us.

I shut the door and slide into the passenger seat.

“Having fun?” Indigo asks with an insinuating smirk. She has on her pajamas, her hair is braided back, and she’s wearing her square-framed reading glasses.

I buckle my seatbelt and tell Kai to put on his. “It was just a party. No biggie.”

“Sure it wasn’t.” Indigo shifts the car and drives forward, glancing in the rearview mirror at the backseat. “So you’re Kai, huh?”

Kai, who seems to have gotten a second burst of energy, scoots forward in the seat and rests his arms on the console. “Yep, the one and only. But the question is how did you know that?” He eyes her over suspiciously.