Fumbling Perfect (Raymere Grove Series Book 1)

by Nikki Kwiatkowski

  She was certain that Alice would have scolded her for her response, but it’s not like Kyler was flirting with her, not like Simon, which, in the last few days, had happened twice already.

  Kyler: I guess that means you’re not coming to the game?

  Lilah: I don’t go to home games, what makes you think I’d go an hour away?

  Kyler: To support me.

  Lilah: Hence the text in the first place.

  Kyler: Thank you. Have a good weekend.

  And that is what Lilah hated about texting. She scrolled back through the message wondering if she had offended him. Gradually he was becoming more confusing.

  “Hello, Lilah,” Alice nearly screamed.

  Lilah finally looked up from her phone.

  “Is everything okay,” Jolee asked, clear concern crossing her face.

  “Yeah, it’s fine.”

  “Well then, can you,” Alice asked. Though the confused look on Lilah’s face made her repeat a much earlier question. “We wanted to go for lunch and ice cream downtown tomorrow, then maybe a movie. Are you in?”

  Lilah thought for a moment and disappointment hit. “I can’t. I’m sorry. I signed up to do volunteer hours for the honor society tomorrow.”

  “That sucks,” Jolee groaned. “What do you have to do?”

  “Just hang out at the hospital gift shop. They might make me do other odds and ends if they think it’s something a teenager won’t mess up.”

  The lunch bell rang shortly after and the girls went their separate ways until Monday.

  Chapter 8

  Exhaustion.

  Kyler was utterly exhausted by Saturday morning when he got to the hospital for his shift at seven. By the time the bus got back from the consolation dinner, if fast food could be called as such, it was already after eleven. He barely got six hours of sleep, which wouldn’t have been the end of the world, but he took one or two good hits the night before and his body was feeling it.

  “I’ve got your cart all set up,” Hal informed him as soon as he punched in. “I see you’re doing twelve hours today.”

  “Yeah,” Kyler yawned.

  Hal patted Kyler on the shoulder, which was quite difficult considering that he was barely over five feet. “I’m sure your mother is grateful for the help.”

  Kyler didn’t know about that. His mother begged him to enjoy his senior year, to focus on football and academics. She didn’t want him to have to work; however, after certain things were brought to light, there was no way that he was going to spend all his free time hanging out with his friends.

  “Why don’t you take the café?”

  Kyler eyed Hal suspiciously. Hal must have sensed that he was struggling with the morning. The café at seven in the morning was usually the easiest place to clean, as it didn’t receive much traffic overnight.

  Normally he would have argued with Hal, but he was the head janitor, whatever he said was the final word, and right now, Kyler wasn’t complaining with starting off slow.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  “We’re just waiting on your partner to show up,” the volunteer coordinator informed Lilah as she scribbled something down on her clipboard. “Are you comfortable with working the register or should I do another example?”

  “No. I think I’ve got it.”

  Lilah jerked her head up as soon as she heard footsteps from the entrance and her heart stopped. There was no way that she was making it through the day.

  “Mr. Campbell, right on time,” the woman exclaimed, checking his name from some list. “Alright, so, I’ve already informed Miss McCallister on how to operate the register. She’ll pass that information along. Saturdays are usually our busiest days for visitors, so if either of you feel overwhelmed, call the general help number listed on the phone and someone will be here momentarily. We’ll also send an adult volunteer in sometime around noon to give you a lunch. Any other questions?”

  “I’m good,” Simon said rather casually.

  Lilah, however, felt very overwhelmed already. She had a hard enough time talking to Simon in school around other students, but now she was going to be alone with him for eight hours.

  As soon as the woman left, Lilah realized that she should have asked if the gift shop had an adjustable thermostat. Suddenly the normally cold hospital felt exceedingly warm.

  “I guess we’re both here until four,” Simon began.

  “Looks like it.”

  Lilah hated the arrangement of the smaller stuffed animals and busied herself with tidying them into rows while Simon took a seat behind the register. Once she was done with the rows, she then rearranged them so that they were color coded. After that, she went on to the candy rack. Thankfully it was a complete mess and would take a great deal of time to get in order.

  “Do you have any other big plans for the weekend,” Simon asked, interrupting her thought process of stacking.

  “No.” Lilah felt horrible that she wasn’t giving him more, but she absolutely did not know what to say.

  “I might go hiking outside of Raymere. Do you hike?”

  “No.”

  “Not much for conversation either I see,” Simon chuckled.

  “I’ll probably catch up on some reading.” There. Lilah felt as though she could let out a breath. She was able to form an actual sentence.

  “Well, if you’d like to try out hiking, let me know.”

  “I’m not much for sports, or the outdoors,” Lilah admitted.

  “Oh, that’s cool. Would you be up for something else?”

  Lilah was a bit surprised by his boldness. “Maybe. I’d have to see.”

  Simon leaned forward over the counter, full of confidence. “How about lunch, say in three to four hours, hospital café,” he asked with the cutest boyish grin.

  Lilah laughed. “Yeah, okay. I can do that.”

  Slowly her nerves faded and the time that once seemed stuck on the minute hand soon passed faster than she would have liked.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Kyler felt the blood drain from his body as soon as he and Hal walked into the café.

  What was she doing here?

  He looked at the person next to her making her laugh. Simon Campbell. He had to assume her friend was right after all. Simon looked very much into both Lilah and the conversation.

  “Alright, I’ll bite,” Hal announced through a mouthful of his sandwich.

  “What are you talking about?” Kyler was eating as fast as possible. Not only had he missed breakfast, but seeing Lilah made him remember that he had brought along his work for his criminal justice paper that he was hoping to get some time on during his lunch break.

  Hal gestured to a table near the center of the café. “The cute couple. You know them?”

  Kyler clenched his teeth. “Just some kids from school.”

  “Ah, I see,” Hal sang out.

  Kyler glared at him. “What do you see?”

  “You’ve been in a foul mood ever since we walked in here and you saw them. It’s the girl isn’t it?”

  “I don’t know what you’re getting at,” Kyler scoffed, turning his attention away from Lilah and Simon.

  “So, there’s nothing going on with her?”

  Kyler appeared offended, nearly choking on his sports drink. “No way. She’s just my tutor. Definitely not my type.”

  “So beautiful isn’t your type?”

  Kyler laughed. “Lots of girls are beautiful.”

  “She’s wearing a volunteer badge. Caring isn’t your type?”

  Kyler laughed even harder. Caring would not have been a word that he or anyone would have used to describe Lilah. At least in the past that wasn’t true. Now he wasn’t so sure, but he wasn’t going to tell Hal that. “She doesn’t care. She’s just here for honor society volunteer hours. They have to have so many a month.”

  “So, she’s your tutor and in the honor society. Smart isn’t your type?”

  Kyler tossed his trash in a nearby can. “Are you going to keep doin
g that?”

  “Maybe,” Hal teased.

  “I still have thirty-five minutes left,” Kyler began, changing the subject. “I have some schoolwork I need to get started on. I’ll be in the courtyard if you need me before then.”

  Hal gave a deep and hearty laugh, a raspy undertone coming through with each breath, having been a former smoker. “Alright, but this conversation isn’t over.”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Simon must have noticed Kyler exit the café into the courtyard just as soon as Lilah had.

  “I wonder what he’s doing here.” He then scoffed. “Clearly he’s not in the honor society.”

  Lilah broke her attention from the glass encasing the courtyard and shot a glare at Simon which he didn’t notice. It sounded exactly like a comment she would have made, but something about it rubbed her the wrong way.

  “Ready to get back,” he asked, dismissing any further discussion about Kyler.

  “Umm, yeah. Actually, why don’t you go ahead? I have to go to the restroom and make a quick call to check in with my parents,” Lilah lied.

  Simon shrugged but thankfully took their trash away and left the café. Lilah, on the other hand, headed to the doors leading out to the courtyard.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Kyler took a deep and frustrated breath as soon as he felt someone sit on the opposite end of the bench. Before she managed to greet him, he somehow already knew it was her.

  “Hey,” Lilah began meekly, quite unlike her.

  Kyler tried not to pay her much attention. “Hi.”

  She fumbled with one of her perfectly painted nails until she felt it beginning to chip.

  “What do you want,” Kyler huffed. He wasn’t in a mood to deal with Lilah. He also didn’t want to explain his situation. His own friends didn’t know everything, why should she?

  “I just saw you and I thought I’d come say hi,” Lilah responded with a hint of growing agitation.

  “Yeah? Well you’ve already done that. You should probably get back to volunteering.”

  Kyler flipped a page in a book beside him on the bench. He wasn’t accustomed to being so cold and Lilah hadn’t done anything to deserve it, but this seemed easier than flatly telling her to go away and mind her own business.

  “I see you’re working on your paper,” she began.

  She glanced over at the pictures throughout his book, recognizing his chosen person of interest. Kyler still hadn’t even looked up at her, and for a moment she had to wonder if she had somehow upset him. She even went out of her way to text him before his game the previous day.

  What was she thinking? Two weeks ago, she dreaded the idea of working with this guy, and now she was sitting here wondering if he was mad at her?

  “Look, I’m a little busy,” Kyler told her, attempting to brush her off once more.

  Lilah reached over and slammed his book shut.

  “I was writing a quote from–”

  She had already snapped. As she rose from the bench, her hands on her hips, “What is your problem?!”

  Without thinking, “You’re annoying me. Just go get your stupid credit and leave me alone.”

  As soon as he said those words, he swore he saw a flash of hurt in Lilah’s enraged eyes.

  Her small frame stood over him, barely shielding him from the sun. A breeze blew lightly around him, and he was certain that despite all the brightly colored flowers in the area, it was her that he could smell with each breath he inhaled. He hated it. He hated whatever she had put on that morning. He hated how sweet, soft, and subtle it was. It was a barely there scent that made him want to breathe in as deeply as he could so that he could get just a bit more of it. He hated that with a passion.

  “You are a complete jerk right now,” she screamed, her voice rising with each word. “No, not even right now. You’re just a jerk, period.” She turned to leave, but quickly spun around and started jabbing at the notebook on Kyler’s lap where he had been attempting his rough draft. “And just so you know,” she began, a jab with each word. “Gary Ridgway’s name doesn’t have an e! Even your stupid book could tell you that much. Considering he’s your whole paper, you’d think you could spell his name right.”

  She then stormed off; however, came to a swift stop at the doors. Kyler couldn’t help but make eye contact with her. There was nothing there. Her features were as cold as ice and her eyes didn’t have the same glimmer in them that he had seen when she was at lunch with Simon. He couldn’t imagine that she’d possibly have anything left to say, but then she surprised him.

  Through gritted teeth, “By the way, you were on page 137.”

  Then, just like that, she was gone.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  “It’s fine. You don’t have to say anything,” Hal said, finally breaking the silence as they made their way to the elevators.

  “Nothing to say,” Kyler managed to reply.

  Hal pressed the button to go up and their wait began. “Well, with your attitude today, no wonder she’s with the other fellow.” He watched Kyler from the corner of his eye. If Kyler didn’t want to talk, he’d find a way of breaking him.

  “Well, good for her then. They’re perfect for each other,” Kyler grumbled.

  “You know something, I’ve always hated that word. Perfect. No such thing. Seems like an undefinable word to me.”

  Kyler rolled his eyes. He was all too used to Hal’s old wisdom. “Last time I checked, it’s in the dictionary. Not that I care about either of them, but they’re perfect for each other,” he repeated, his voice dripping with a little more disdain than before. “Both are insanely rich, and smart, and–”

  “Let me stop you right there, boy. It takes more than money to make you rich, and more than books to make you smart. You’ll go a lot further if you just remember that,” Hal interrupted.

  At that moment, more than just the bell on the elevator went off.

  Chapter 9

  “I wasn’t sure if you were coming,” Kyler said once Lilah entered their usual area in the school library.

  She was late. The last bell had rung more than twenty minutes ago. Usually Kyler was running late from eighth period practice and his shower, but today it was Lilah. The calculating look on her face told him it was intentional, and he was aware that he probably deserved it.

  “I was busy. I got your texts.”

  He had text her three times that Monday, once even at lunch, but she was nearly certain that she could feel his eyes burning into her from across the crowded lunch room, and she had dared not to check it until after she was out of his sight.

  “Yeah, but you didn’t respond,” he pointed out.

  Lilah tossed her bag down and withdrew her notebook and a multiple-choice assignment packet.

  “So, this is the last week for Hamlet. You should have all your assignments in. I overheard that Mr. Hughes is going to announce tomorrow that–”

  “I’m sorry, okay,” Kyler interrupted.

  At least that had gotten her to stop speaking, and she finally brought her attention to him, and not all the work on the table separating them.

  For the first time, her eyes were disarming. They were so big, and so green; the light streaming from the window behind Kyler somehow made them appear that much brighter, and for a second, he felt almost hypnotized.

  Lilah crossed her arms and leaned into the table. “Yeah? For what?”

  Kyler should have assumed that she wouldn’t make it easy. She wasn’t the type of girl to just laugh it off and tell him that it wasn’t a problem. “I’m sorry for Saturday.” He meant for his words to come out more sincerely, but realized how forced they were.

  Lilah shrugged. “You’re not sorry. That’s just how you are.”

  “Look, I’m trying to apologize…”

  “You don’t need to. You can be a jerk all you want. I get it. That’s how you are,” Lilah said unemotionally as she twirled a pen at him. “I agreed to do this, and I intend to see it through. At no point was there a
ny mention of the two of us being friends,” she concluded. She then changed the subject back, completely dismissing his apology. “Now, as I was saying, there’s a rumor that Mr. Hughes is going to move the huge Hamlet test from Friday to next Monday, possibly Tuesday. That would really work out in your favor considering that the teachers have to have all their grades put in by Sunday at noon.”

  Kyler was skeptical. “How sure are you?”

  “Nearly very.”

  Kyler laughed. He noted the way Lilah watched him, but he still couldn’t figure her out. Something about her just made him want to be sharp and almost cruel, but gradually there was something else that she was bringing out, and it was very unsettling.

  It wasn’t until the lights in the very back of the library shut off that Lilah bothered at glancing at her phone. It was 4:50. The school library would be closing for the day. They had managed to finish any and all missing and late assignments, as well as start on the multiple-choice packet that wasn’t due until the end of the week. There was no need for them to continue to the public library.

  “Oh, I have a favor to ask,” Kyler cautiously began, knowing that, at the moment, he was in no position to be asking for such. Lilah didn’t really respond, only made a barely audible noise that he took as a means to continue. “Friday is another away game, but it’s a little farther.”

  Lilah wasn’t stupid. “So, the football team will be missing their afternoon classes?”

  “Yeah, and I have–”

  “Hughes’ English class in the afternoon.”

  He stopped packing his bag and narrowed his eyes in her direction. She looked up and innocently met his.

  “You were wondering if you could borrow my notes,” she continued, before he could find a way to ask.

  “Yes,” he sighed, hoping for the best but anticipating the worst.

  Kyler was surprised when she gave a single word response back and nothing else.

  “Fine.”

  Kyler had one more other thing he wanted to run by Lilah, but figured that in person was probably not the way to do it. He didn’t care for her to laugh in his face, and he was still debating about Dawson’s suggestion from lunch earlier that day. The best way to bring it up was like any normal teenager, through text.