The Year I Became Isabella Anders (Alternative Edition) (Sunnyvale Alternative Series Book 1)

by Jessica Sorensen

  I roll out of bed, grab my leather jacket from the floor, and dig out my phone. I have one new message, and tensing, I open it.

  T: U better pay up soon or u r going to get fucked up. Don’t make me remind u what we did to DG.

  I reread the message again then realize I have Kai’s phone. I have no clue how I ended up with his.

  I pick up my jacket again and fumble through my pockets until I find my phone. They look almost identical.

  I set his phone on the nightstand and plug mine in since the battery is dead.

  What I read in Kai’s message haunts my thoughts as my phone boots up. Who’s T? And why is he threatening Kai? And what the hell did he do to this DG guy? It has me really worried about him and what he’s done to piss off people who are sketchy enough to threaten him.

  Once I get my phone on, I plant my ass down on my bed and send Indigo a message.

  Me: I can’t believe u did all of that while I was sleeping. It’s beautiful. Thanks so much!

  Indigo: U R welcome! After last night, I thought u could use some cheering up.

  Me: I totally could :) U r the best.

  Indigo: I know. And FYI, u sleep like a rock. Seriously, I thought the fumes would wake u up, but nope.

  Me: I was really hungover.

  Indigo: I figured as much. Speaking of hangovers, how’s your cute friend doing?

  Me: I’m guessing u mean Kai.

  Indigo: He’s such a sweetie, Isa. Screw this Kyler dude. U should totally b going out with Kai.

  Me: U haven’t even met Kyler, so how can u say that?

  Indigo: I don’t have to meet Kyler. The way u and Kai were together was enough.

  Me: I’m not going for either brother.

  Indigo: Liar. U still have your sights set on Kyler. I can tell.

  Me: He did ask me to go to his game yesterday.

  I get hyped up and excited just thinking about it.

  Indigo: Holy shit! Why didn’t u text me?

  Me: I got sidetracked with Kai and the party, but I was gonna tell u.

  Indigo: Got distracted with Kai and the party. Interesting …

  Me: And on that note, I have to go.

  Indigo: Liar! U r just running from the truth about u and Kai!

  Me: There’s no truth to me and Kai, because there’s no me and Kai. We r just FRIENDS!

  Indigo: That’s how all true loves start.

  Me: TTYL, matchmaker. I have to go take care of some stuff.

  I put down my phone, feeling flustered over all the stuff she said. Kai may be cute and charming—and yeah, we shared that drunken kiss last night that made my body tingle in ways I don’t understand—but I’ve never thought of him in the way Indigo was implying until she implied it. Now my mind is all overloaded with thoughts of me and Kai doing more than just kissing. It makes me really confused about myself, what I want, and what the hell I’m doing.

  “Dammit, Indigo.” I climb out of bed, grab a black shirt, a white skirt, and my gladiator sandals, and then head to the bathroom to take a shower and hopefully clear my mind.

  By the time I’m all showered and cleaned up, I feel much better. But as I make it downstairs, my good mood goes kerplunk.

  Hannah is in the kitchen, and she’s not alone. With her are Val, one of her friends from high school, and a beefy guy I’ve never met before.

  “Oh, look, it’s Isabella Smellera,” Hannah sneers as she slams the fridge door.

  Val giggles as she collects a plastic cup from off the countertop. “Nice one, Hannah.”

  “You know that nickname doesn’t bother me anymore,” I say to her as I cross the kitchen and head for the back door

  “Keep telling yourself that.” Hannah removes the plastic off a vegetable tray and opens a cup of ranch dip.

  I note all the alcohol bottles on the kitchen table and the shiny pink shoes and glittery black dress she’s wearing. “Are you having a party?”

  “Yep. Sure am. And you’re not invited.” Hannah readjusts her boobs, and Beefy Dude grins as he watches. “So you better find someplace else to sleep.”

  “You can’t kick me out of my own house,” I say, grabbing the doorknob.

  “I can’t, huh? How about I just text Mom and Dad and find out how they feel?” She laughs snidely when I remain silent. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. So get your shit and get out of here.”

  I fight every damn urge in my body to go back and ninja kick the crap out of her.

  Don’t let her get to you. Just walk away, Isa.

  I yank open the door and step outside, her laughter hitting my back, shoving all thoughts of Hannah aside as I head over to the Meyers’ to return Kai’s phone to him.

  As I hike up the driveway, Indigo’s texts ring through my head and nerves bubble in my stomach.

  “You don’t like Kai like that,” I mutter to myself as I march up the porch stairs to the back door. “You’re just friends. You’re just friends.” I knock on the door, and when it swings open, Kyler is standing in the doorway.

  He’s wearing dark jeans and a red T-shirt that brings out the color in his eyes. His hair is all crazy, like he’s been stressed out and pulling on the roots. He looks so sexy right now that I can’t stop ogling him.

  “Hey, Isa.” He places his hand on his head and flattens down the crazy hair.

  Hearing him say my name makes my heart thud deafeningly inside my chest, and blood roars in my eardrums at the sight of him.

  “Is Kai here?” I want to jump up and down that my voice came out steady.

  “You actually just missed him.” He braces his palms on the doorframe, and I try not to gawk at his flexed arm muscles. “What’d you need him for? Maybe I can help.”

  My fingers tremble slightly as I stuff my hand into my jacket pocket and grab Kai’s phone. “I’m not sure how it happened, but somehow during the mass confusion that was last night, I ended up with his phone.”

  He takes the phone from me, his forehead creasing. “You guys hung out last night?”

  “Yeah, we went to a party one of his friends had.” And then kissed in the driveway.

  He glances up from the phone, his confusion deepening. “You went to one of his friends’ parties?” he asks, and I nod, puzzled because … well, he’s puzzled. “Isa, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but I don’t think you should hang out with Kai’s friends. They’ll get you in trouble.”

  I don’t know whether I’m touched that he’s looking out for me or annoyed that he thinks I’m too naive to take care of myself.

  “It was just one party. I don’t really hang out with them.”

  “Okay, it’s just that …” He massages the back of his neck. “You’ve never really hung out with Kai up until recently, so I just wanted to warn you that he hasn’t been making the best choices lately.”

  “Thanks for the warning.” I start back down the stairs, surprisingly relieved to be getting away from the uncomfortable conversation.

  “Hey, what are you doing for the next couple of hours?” he asks before I can make my escape.

  I stop on the bottom step and turn around. “I was actually going to head home and blog for a little while. Then I probably have to find a way to get over to my grandma’s, so I can crash there for the night.”

  “How come you need a place to crash?” he asks, glancing over at my house.

  “Hannah’s having a party, and I’m not allowed there while she has one.” I shrug, wondering if he’s going to act all offish now since I brought up Hannah.

  He pats the doorframe a couple of times. “If you want to wait for me to get done baking, I can give you a ride.”

  “Really?” Tap dances and fist pumps all around. “That’d actually be super great.”

  Face-palm. Seriously? What the hell is with all the “supers” every time I’m around him?

  He motions for me to come inside as he steps back into the washroom.

  I jog up the steps, squeeze by him into the house, and take a whiff o
f the air. “What are you baking?”

  He shuts the door then moves past me and into the kitchen. “Chocolate chip cookies.” When I start to grin, he adds, “Don’t get too excited. I’ve never done this before, so I’m not sure how they’re going to turn out.” He stops in front of the island that’s covered with bowls, spoons, eggshells, and layers of flour. “Maybe you could help me out. I know how much you like sweet stuff. Every time you used to come over here, you always ate all the cookies.”

  I’m surprised he remembers that.

  “I don’t think I’ll be any help,” I tell him apologetically. “I like to eat them, not bake them.”

  He picks up a spoon and looks over a page of a cookbook. “I’m sure the two of us can figure it out if we put our heads together.”

  “Okay, we can try that.” I stand beside him, recollecting all the times Lynn baked cookies and how she did it. Since she never let me help her, though, I lack great knowledge on baking. “Where are you in the recipe?”

  “I’m not sure.” He licks batter off the spoon then gags. “God, that’s disgusting.”

  “That’s because you basically just ate eggs and flour.” I peer into one of the mixing bowls then cover my mouth, trying not to laugh at the bubbling goo inside.

  “Is it that bad?” he asks, setting the spoon down.

  I shake my head, laughter choking me to death. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t laugh.”

  “No, you really should.” He laughs with me. “This is such a disaster.”

  I get my laughter under control. “Why are you even trying to bake?”

  “It’s for my mom. She does this fundraiser bake sale every year for the school, and she always takes on too much, so I usually help her out.” He pulls a face at the mess on the counter. “Usually, she supervises.”

  “Disaster or not, it was really nice of you to try.”

  “Yeah, I just hope she has time to fix the mess.” He picks up the bowl and puts it in the sink, giving up.

  I get an idea right as he starts to clean up.

  “I might know someone who can help us.”

  “Really?” He perks up as he turns on the sink to rinse the bowl out. “Who?”

  “My grandma. She’s not the greatest cook, but she can make a mean batch of cookies.”

  “You think she’d help?”

  “I can text her and find out.” I slide my phone out of my pocket. “I need to tell her I’m spending the night there, anyway.”

  “Thanks, Isa.” His lips tip up into an adorable half-grin. “That’s really awesome of you.”

  “It’s not a big deal.” I’m such a liar. It’s such a big deal to me that my hands shake as I text Grandma Stephy.

  Me: Hey, can I stay the night there? Hannah kicked me out.

  “It is a big deal,” Kyler insists. “You’re always so nice and always willing to help people, even when they haven’t treated you as nicely as they should.”

  My brows furrow. “Are you talking about you?”

  He nods, cleaning a glob of yolk off the counter with a paper towel. “I haven’t always treated you as nicely as I should. I never even thanked you for making my free throw skills awesome.”

  I shrug. “Like I said, it’s not—”

  “Don’t say it isn’t a big deal,” he cuts me off. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, mainly when things with your sister went south, and I realized I can come off as an arrogant dick sometimes.”

  “Why did things going south with my sister make you realize that?” I don’t know why I ask. I just have this overwhelming urge to know.

  “I kissed her,” he says almost guiltily. “And I never should’ve because I didn’t like her that way. But the fact of the matter is I kissed her, she took it the wrong way, and it made me feel like such a douche. And then I started thinking about how many times I acted like a douche, and it started to drive me crazy.”

  “Hannah’s ego can take it. I promise.”

  “I know.” He steadily carries my gaze. “But there are other people who might—who shouldn’t have to put up with my shit.”

  I shrug. “You never really did anything to me. And you’ve always stuck up for me when other people were acting like douches.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” He tosses the paper towel into the trash then scratches his forehead. “You know, you’re so easy to talk to. I don’t know how, but I somehow forgot you were like that.”

  “You’re not the only guy who’s told me that.”

  “Really?” He seems intrigued. “I guess I’ll have to think of a better compliment then.”

  “I guess you will.” The light, flirty tone of my voice shocks the crap out of me. I honestly feel kind of silly for even attempting to flirt.

  Fortunately, my phone buzzes.

  “Hold on a sec,” I tell Kyler. “My grandma just texted me back.”

  Grandma Stephy: Goddamn that child. She’s such a pain in the ass. Of course u can stay, but does your father know about this?

  Me: We should just keep this between us. If I text him about Hannah kicking me out, it’s just going to start more drama, and there’s way too much of that already.

  Grandma Stephy: Okay, sweetie. I’ll come pick u up.

  Me: I actually have a ride. I need to ask u for another favor. I have a friend who has a baking crisis and needs help making a few batches of chocolate chip cookies. I love eating me some cookies, but u know I suck at actually making them, so I thought maybe u could help us out?

  Grandma Stephy: So, u want me to bake for u? Jesus, aren’t u needy? ;)

  Me: I know. It’s your fault, though, for giving me everything I want. ;)

  Grandma Stephy: Glad to c u haven’t lost your sense of humor.

  Me: That’ll never happen, no matter how bad things get.

  Grandma Stephy: You’re a strong girl, Isa. U really r. And I love u to death. I’ll bake for u, but only if u tell me who this friend is.

  Me: Um … Kyler Meyers, a guy who lives next-door to me.

  Grandma Stephy: Is that the boy u and Indigo were always whispering about?

  Me: Maybe

  Grandma Stephy: Interesting.

  Me: Please don’t say anything weird while we’re there.

  Grandma Stephy: I’ll try my best, but no promises.

  “So, what’d she say?” Kyler asks. “Will she help us out?”

  I glance from the screen to find him standing in front of me, close enough I can smell his cologne. “She said she’s down.”

  “Really? That’s so fucking awesome. Thanks, Isa.” He hugs me. Actually freaking hugs me, with both arms and everything. “I owe you big time. And not just for the cookies, but for teaching me how to kick ass at free throws, too.”

  “I am pretty awesome,” I joke, daring to wrap an arm around him and hug him back.

  “You’re more than awesome. You’re like the awesomest of awesomeness.”

  I smile at his sentence. It sounds like something I would say.

  “Okay, who died?” Kai says, sounding like he’s right next to us.

  “Huh?” Kyler pulls away from me, and his gaze cuts to his brother. “What are you talking about? No one died.”

  He might be wrong. I’m pretty sure my heart stopped beating for a second or two there.

  Kai gives me a condemning look as he drops his jacket onto the table. “I don’t know. Isa might have.”

  My lips do a great Elvis impression as Kai and I stare each other down. Surprisingly, Kai is the one to give in first and whisks by me to grab a package of Oreos from the cupboard.

  “Well, it looks like you two are having a fan-fucking-tastic time,” Kai says dryly. “I’ll leave you guys to your awkward hugging.”

  “I actually came here to bring you your phone,” I call out after him as he turns to leave the room. “I somehow ended up with it last night.”

  He turns around, facing me again. “I was wondering where that went. I was worried I lost it at Bradon’s, and he’d alrea
dy hocked it.”

  I notice a red mark on the side of his cheek and wonder if it’s from where his dad slapped him upside the head last night.

  You need to make sure everything’s okay.

  “He sounds like a great friend,” Kyler remarks as he puts the eggs back into the fridge.

  “Yep, the best,” Kai quips, peeling apart an Oreo to lick off the frosting. Then he fixes his eyes on me. “Did you bring my phone with you? I’ve been expecting a few texts.”

  Kyler chucks it at him before I can answer.

  Luckily, Kai has the reflexes of a ninja and effortlessly catches it. “Thanks.” He smiles at Kyler, but it’s not friendly. “Have fun with your new friend, Isa.” He winks at me, trying to get under my skin, then turns to leave, scrolling through his messages.

  I hurry after him as he walks toward the stairway. “Who’s this T guy?”

  He glances down at me, not looking very happy. “You know who he is. He’s the dude who talked to us last night.”

  “But who is he exactly?”

  “Just some dude.”

  “Don’t lie to me, Kai. I read one of your messages from him.” I shift my weight as he glares at me. “It wasn’t on purpose. I thought it was my phone.”

  “You should probably just forget what you read.” He punches a few buttons then stuffs his phone into the back pocket of his worn jeans.

  “Are you in trouble?” I ask. “Because that message … it sounds like you’re in trouble.”

  “I’m always in trouble,” he replies simply then stuffs a cookie into his mouth and licks his lips.

  His tongue.

  Those lips.

  That kiss.

  “Kai, about last night and what happened in the driveway—”

  “Relax,” he cuts me off. “I kiss almost everyone when I’m drunk.”

  “I wasn’t actually going to say anything about the kiss, but thanks for the info on your kissing routine,” I say, and he stares at me, unimpressed. “I just want to make sure you’re okay … with what happened with your dad.” I suck in an inhale, mustering up the courage. “And to give you this.” I wrap my arms around him and give him a quick hug that lasts just long enough for me to notice he smells like vanilla frosting. “You looked like you needed this last night, but I didn’t want to make your parents madder, so I thought I’d wait until today.”