The Wrong Side of Kai

by Estelle Maskame

I flash Kai a beaming smile over my shoulder, but he only groans.

  “Can’t you climb in there and then open a door for me?” he says, unconvinced by my plan.

  “You’re not going to get stuck, Captain Washington,” I tease, rolling my eyes. Quickly, I pull off my coat to make my body slimmer and slide in through the window feet-first. I even give Kai a sweet little wave before I disappear fully inside the basement. It’s dark in here, but I turn back around and stare at him through the window, the moonlight illuminating him. “Are you joining me or what?”

  “Fine,” Kai huffs. He tears off his jacket, gets down onto his back, and slides through the window with total ease. When he lands inside, his body bumps into mine, but we quickly step apart. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I say nonchalantly, but I’m just relieved it’s dark in here so that he can’t see the blush flooding my cheeks.

  We look around the basement in silence as our eyes adjust to the darkness, and I use the furniture to guide me toward the stairs that lead into the house. I find a light switch on the wall and turn it on, bathing the basement in an orange glow. It’s really more of an extra lounge than a basement – there’s a flatscreen TV mounted to the wall, a plush couch, a bookcase that’s over-stacked, and even a small bar. It feels so long ago now, those times I spent with Harrison right here in this basement.

  “So this is how the other half lives,” Kai says as he walks around. He plucks a trophy off a shelf on the wall, reading the engraving. He puts it back, grabs another.

  How many times has Sierra Jennings been in this basement? I wonder. Hell, I’m pretty sure she was here on Monday while we were outside slashing Harrison’s truck tires. At least that’s what those text messages suggested.

  “Kai,” I say, my back to him. I walk to the bar and run my fingers over the bottles of liquor. I keep my head down and take a deep breath, then quietly ask, “Really think about it. Are you still secretly in love with Sierra?”

  The air in the basement thickens as silence crowds in the two of us. My gaze is burning holes in a bottle of vodka as my heart thumps in my chest, waiting for Kai to say something, and finally he answers, “No.”

  I spin around to look at him, surprised. He stares back at me from ten feet away. “You’re not?” He shakes his head while I try to process this fact. If he isn’t in love with Sierra, then why did he seem so desperate to get away from me last night after I kissed him?

  “Why would I still be in love with a girl who broke my heart?”

  “Oh,” is all I can say. The way he talks about her . . . God, he must have really fallen hard. I believe that he was in love with her, but I also now believe that he no longer is. I sit down on one of the bar stools and frown. “It’s not because you’re still in love with your ex then,” I mumble to myself.

  “What?” Kai says.

  “You obviously just don’t like me.”

  “Nessie, speak up,” he says, walking over. He stops a foot away, frowning at me. “What are you talking about?”

  “Last night!” I blurt in frustration, then hide my head behind my hands. I’m too mortified to look at him, the guy who doesn’t like me back. It’s so embarrassing. “You didn’t want to kiss me.”

  We’ve been around each other all day, yet neither of us has brought up last night’s kiss until right now. We’ve been carefully tiptoeing around the subject, and I know it’s hardly the time or the place for this chat, but I can’t take it anymore. I need to know why Kai doesn’t like me. I thought we’d been hitting it off this week. We’ve been laughing and having fun and joking around, and I guess I read the signals wrong. Perhaps that’s just what friendship feels like.

  Kai is laughing now. A full, hearty laugh that he tries his hardest to suppress. “Trust me, I did. I do,” he says, reaching for my hands. He pulls them away from my face and looks down at me, his blue eyes locking on mine. His smile is gorgeous, inviting, but it always is. “I just didn’t expect it. I haven’t even looked at anyone since Sierra. You took me by surprise, that’s all.”

  I stare into his eyes, trying to let his reassurances sink in. A jolt of electricity fires up through my body, spreading all the way out to my fingertips where Kai’s hands are still holding mine. “What?”

  “Truth is,” he murmurs, “I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment I first saw you riding my bike down the street.”

  My heart thumps in my chest at what he’s saying. “Why that moment?”

  His smile only grows wider. “Because any girl who’ll ride around late at night on bikes with me is a girl I want to know.”

  As soon as the words leave his lips, his mouth is against mine. He kisses me deeply, and it’s so much more intense than last night; it’s a kiss full of passion and desire. He moves his hands to my face and skims his thumbs over my cold cheeks. I’m numb from shock for the first few seconds, frozen under Kai’s touch, but then I break out of it. I kiss him back, my mouth moving easily in sync with his, blissfully allowing him to take the lead. I slide off the bar stool and get to my feet, pressing one hand to Kai’s chest and the other to the nape of his neck. We stumble around the basement, only the sound of my heart pounding in my ears, our adrenaline fusing together. He’s such a good kisser.

  The kiss only breaks when Kai moves his mouth to plant a sweet row of kisses down my neck. It leaves me utterly weak at the knees. I lock my arms around his neck for support and fight the embarrassing gasp that’s rising in my throat. I guide Kai’s mouth back to my own.

  We fall back against the wall, Kai holding me tight. We can’t get enough of one another.

  But suddenly there’s a tremendous clatter and we are torn from the moment.

  Kai and I abruptly pull out of the kiss. On the ground lies a pile of trophies that we’ve knocked off their shelves.

  “Shit,” Kai breathes.

  We both turn to look at the stairs to the house, listening. We’re both frozen in place, our hands still on one another. We’re silent for several long seconds until we hear them: footsteps above our heads.

  Immediately, we let go of one another. There’s no time to attempt to lift ourselves back out the window. Kai dives behind the bar while I dash over to the couch and drop to the ground behind it. We both remain crouched in position, out of view but not from each other. Kai’s eyes are on me as we listen in silence to the footsteps. They move across the floor above us, then my heart stops when I hear the door to the basement being wrenched open.

  It dawns on me then that we’ve left the basement light on.

  “Who’s down here?” a deep voice bellows from the top of the staircase. It’s not Harrison’s voice – it must be his father.

  Kai stares wide-eyed at me from his hiding spot behind the bar. We didn’t prepare for this. We didn’t even consider that we could get caught, because we’ve been too wrapped up in the thrill of it. But now I realize how stupid we are, and I’m absolutely terrified.

  “WHO’S DOWN HERE?” the voice repeats, more aggressive this time. The staircase creaks as Harrison’s father apprehensively makes his way down into the basement. “Show yourself. I’m armed!”

  Fuck.

  Screw Ohio and its rather lax gun regulations. Kai’s expression pales and I realize that Harrison’s father is much more likely to react badly against Kai suddenly popping into view than he will against me – a tall, muscular guy? Definitely a burglar. But a terrified, scrawny girl? Harmless.

  That’s why I slowly stand up from behind the couch, not making any sudden movements and with my hands held up.

  Harrison’s father is standing at the foot of the stairs, shirtless but wearing sweatpants. He’s pointing a handgun in my direction, but instantly lowers it when he realizes I’m just some teenage girl.

  “I’m . . . I’m a friend of Harrison’s,” I squeak, unable to get my words out. I step out from around the couch despite the ice in my limbs. None of this feels remotely like a game anymore.

  “What are you doing in here
?” Harrison’s father looks me up and down, displeased now. Then his shoulders sink and he runs a hand frustratedly through his fading blond hair. “Jesus. Harrison, are you down here too?”

  Oh, the complete irony of Harrison’s father suspecting me of fooling around with his son in his basement the one time I’m not. If I wasn’t frozen in fear right now, I think I might have actually laughed.

  “Harrison isn’t here,” I manage to say. My words feel like sandpaper in my throat.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Kai slowly rising up from behind the bar. He reveals himself slowly and with his hands visible, but it doesn’t stop Harrison’s father from jabbing the gun in his direction, taken aback by the second intruder.

  “Hey, hey,” Kai says. He doesn’t move an inch. “We’re just here to see Harrison.”

  Kai and I exchange a look. We are in silent agreement that the best way to get out of this situation is to play it cool, to lie. I do steal a glance at the open window though and wonder just how swiftly I’d be able make a run for it, but I don’t have the courage to even try. Kai and I stay firmly rooted where we are.

  “Who are you?” Harrison’s father demands, his eyes flitting between Kai and me.

  “Vanessa and Kai,” I splutter, and it is the most inappropriate time in the world to think of how nice our names sound together. “I’m sorry, Mr. Boyd. We’re not trying to disturb you. Please get Harrison. We’re his friends.”

  I’m planning our escape route – Mr. Boyd will head upstairs to get Harrison while Kai and I throw ourselves out that window at full speed before we take off running down the street. We’ll jump on our bikes and pedal like we’ve never pedaled before.

  But Harrison’s father doesn’t budge. He lays down the gun on a shelf, his hand still hovering over it, as he turns to the stairs and yells, “Harrison! Get downstairs!”

  A minute of intense silence ensues. Kai and I are like statues, unmoving and unblinking, while Mr. Boyd stares us down. He’s either angry because he knows we’re lying, or he’s angry that Harrison is letting friends sneak over late at night. It’s after midnight by now.

  We hear more footsteps – this time faster as they cross whatever room is above us, then rush down the staircase. “What, Dad?” Harrison asks, the agitation evident in his voice. He appears before us and stops dead in his tracks halfway down the stairs. He’s wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, his blond hair tousled. “What the hell?”

  “Are these your friends?” his father demands.

  Harrison stares straight past his father to me. He blinks, as though he can’t believe I’m really standing here in his basement at midnight, then slowly he narrows his eyes into a glower. I give him a pathetic smile.

  “I’ve got this,” he says, but his father tries to argue with him. “Dad! I’ve got this,” he repeats, more firmly this time. “And put that thing away.”

  Reluctantly, Mr. Boyd lowers his handgun and huffs and puffs his way back upstairs. We all wait until his footsteps disappear out of hearing range, then Harrison sets his fierce blue eyes on me.

  “What the fuck, Vanessa?!” he hisses through gritted teeth. “Was slashing my tires not enough for you? Are you here to set my house on fire next?” He marches toward me, stopping a foot away, then shifts his gaze over to Kai, only for him to go totally silent. Recognition flashes in his eyes. “And what the actual hell are you doing here?”

  “Dropped by to see how your truck was doing. Total bummer about those tires, huh?” Kai taunts, stepping away from his position by the bar. He calmly walks over and stands by my side, facing Harrison. The smirk he gives him is full of hatred.

  “That was you?” Harrison says stiffly, as it dawns on him now that I haven’t been doing all of this on my own – I’ve had an accomplice the entire time. Kai Washington, to be exact, the ex-boyfriend of the girl who Harrison made sure to steal. Kai is no stranger to him.

  Kai dares to take another step forward. He lowers his voice and says, “Yup. I hope Sierra is worth it.” Suddenly, he tenses up and shoves Harrison backward. It’s the first time I’ve seen Kai look so furious, his eyes glistening with loathing, like he’s waited months for this moment.

  Before Harrison can lunge forward to hit him back, I jump between the two of them. The testosterone in this basement right now is overwhelming – the two of them are glowering at one another, fighting the urge not to wrestle each other to the ground.

  “Don’t,” I warn, looking between them both. As much as I’d love to see Kai slam his fist straight into Harrison’s smug little face, I know it won’t help our cause. We need to get the hell out of here unscathed. My nerves are shot from Harrison’s father pulling out that gun. I’ve suddenly realized that what Kai and I are doing is serious. We’re out here causing real trouble, and trouble has consequences.

  “Get the fuck out of my house!” Harrison orders, exasperated now. He looks helpless, as though he doesn’t quite know how to handle the situation. He has two people who hate him standing in his basement, and he knows we’re out to screw with him. He slowly backs away.

  Kai holds up his hands in surrender. “Alright, we’re out of here.”

  I seize the opportunity for escape and spin around on my heels, scrambling over to the small window that we climbed in through. From the inside, the window is eye-level. I use my elbows – and adrenaline – to haul myself up, then pull myself outside on my stomach onto the snow. I turn back to offer out a hand to Kai, but he’s already swiftly pulling himself up with total ease. He joins me outside in the cool, fresh air and then lowers his head back to the window.

  “Bye, bye, Harrison,” he sneers, just as Harrison grabs the window and slams it shut. We hear him lock it too.

  We grab our coats and stand up, our breathing rapid, and look at one another. Talk about a wild ride. We know it now – we’ve taken things a step too far. My pulse races at a million miles an hour and my throat feels tight, and, judging by the unfamiliar, stunned expression on Kai’s face, he feels the same way. It’s like I’ve left our fantasy world and come back to reality with a thud, because now I realize we were lucky to get caught when we did. If we’d followed through with our plan, we’d have ended up in much bigger trouble. Harrison’s parents would have called the cops if they woke up to the scene of someone having ransacked their home during the night. And my and Kai’s fingerprints would have been all over that place.

  How come it’s so easy to throw all caution to the wind?

  “C’mon,” Kai breathes, and he slips his hand into mine.

  We run from Harrison’s house, dashing past the cars on the driveway again to make a speedy getaway. Kai pulls me along behind him, both of us watching our footing on the snow so that we don’t break an ankle, and we stumble all the way back down the street until we reach our bikes that we abandoned by a tree. Of course, they haven’t been stolen – this neighborhood is too nice for petty theft.

  “That was insane!” I say, letting go of Kai’s hand so that I can run my fingers through my hair. I’m shaking from the rush and fear of it all and I can’t stay still, too hopped up on adrenaline. I bounce from one foot to the other while repeatedly glancing back over my shoulder as though Harrison and his father are going to come bounding after us, all guns blazing. Literally.

  “I know,” Kai agrees. He leans back against the tree and kicks at his bike tire as his adrenaline begins to fade and the true danger of our actions sinks in. “Thanks for standing up first, by the way. I was going to, but I didn’t wanna get shot,” he mumbles, looking at the ground. His cheeks flare. “I feel like an ass. So much for my chivalry.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I say, waving away his apologies. I definitely don’t mind covering for Kai when he needed me to. When the chill of the night hits me, I begin pulling on my coat and it occurs to me that we didn’t achieve what we set out to do. “Damn. We broke into his house and had a gun pointed at us for nothing.”

  “For nothing, huh?” Kai says. He straightens
up and steps around the bikes to join me, a coy smile playing on his lips. We’re standing in the snow on the sidewalk in the middle of a residential street, everything around us quiet and still at such a late hour. Kai stops in front of me, his gaze intoxicating as his lips part slightly. He places a hand on my hip. “Maybe the best revenge,” he whispers, “is kissing you.”

  And, as we stand there together in the midnight cold, Kai’s mouth finds mine.

  17

  For the first time this week, I think I may actually arrive to first period on time. Chyna and I are walking from the student parking lot toward school still with five whole minutes until the first bell is scheduled to ring. The campus is an ice rink – it hasn’t snowed again since Wednesday night, so the snow has now fully hardened into a sheet of ice that makes everyone look like Bambi as we skate toward the main entrance.

  “He actually pointed a gun?” Chyna whispers under her breath. She looks sideways at me, her mouth an “O,” shocked. Thank God I have a best friend who listens to my daily updates on the drama in my life. Chyna doesn’t need reality TV when she has me for entertainment.

  “Yeah! Like, sure, we were breaking in, but still,” I say. “It totally freaked me out.”

  Just then, several people skid past us, scrambling in the opposite direction from the school entrance. There’s lots of excited murmuring, mostly from young freshmen, as they skate off. I glance over my shoulder, back toward the student parking lot, and notice even more people heading back that way.

  I catch a glimpse of Hailey Wilson among the crowd as she passes us, and I reach out and grab her arm. Last week, we were friends. She used to love talking to me, but just like everyone else, she has totally avoided me this week. This is now the first time I’ve spoken to anyone else in my circle of friends since that video was leaked. “What’s going on?”

  Hailey stares at my hand on her arm like it’s a gross imposition, then mumbles, “I think there’s a fight or something,” before she continues sliding her way across the ice.