Page 81 of Rival for Rent
AMIR
Hey, how’s Kai holding up
You know?
Mason, people who had no idea who Kai was two days ago know about him now. I’d have to be living under a rock not to know what happened
Is it really that bad?
I mean, it’s not great. It’ll blow over eventually, but I know Kai’s gotta be freaking out right now. Hence me texting you
Why not text him?
Because he’s freaking out right now. I’m not trying to make it worse
So how is he? Holding it together? Anything I can do?
He’s been in his office all day. Doing damage control, I guess. I’ve been trying to give him space
I didn’t add that there were other reasons for the space too.
I’ll let him know you texted and offered to help
He’ll probably say he doesn’t need anything, but you’ve got my number, if you think of anything I can do
Got it
At least he has you
That last line hit like a gut punch. Whatever Amir thought I was to Kai, I wasn’t. Not really. Not anymore. But once I finished talking to him, all I could think about was Kai. So I decided to check in.
I padded upstairs and knocked lightly on Kai’s door. No answer. I probably should’ve left it alone, but I needed to make sure he was okay. So I pushed the door open a few inches and said, “Just checking in.”
Kai sat at his desk, cell phone pressed to his ear. He looked up at me—exhausted, wrecked—and something in my chest twisted painfully. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.
“Yeah. I understand. Yeah. Right. Yeah. I appreciate it. Thanks. Bye.”
Kai tossed his phone down onto the leather desk mat and slumped forward, burying his face in his hands. I walked over to him. Every part of me ached to pull him into a hug, to tell him it would all be okay. But I’d done that last night, and look where it got us.
So instead, I pulled up a second rolling chair and sat beside him. I didn’t say anything at first. Just gave him the space to sit in it, whatever ‘it’ was. Eventually, I asked, “How are things at work?”
“Fucked,” he said, not looking up. “Completely and totally fucked. The board of directors at the Butterfly Center wants to cut ties with me. Apparently I’m unfit to sponsor a center for queer teens. A bad role model. Wardrobes for the Win in Denver and Houston are denouncing me on social media.”
“Shit.”
“Amber from DC is still being nice, but it’s only a matter of time. And the worst part is, I can’t even blame them. They’re right. I’mnota good role model. Ishouldn’tbe associated with them.”
“Kai, you were practically a kid yourself when you made that video—”
“I was an adult, Mason. A full human adult, in charge of his own actions. I wasn’t tricked into making the video. I wasn’t blackmailed. I did it of my own volition, and now I’m paying the price.”
“I still think people are overreacting. Anyway, you’re the main backer for the Butterfly Center. They can’t cut ties with you, can they?”
“Financially? Not for a few months,” he said. “But they still want me to make another statement saying I’m no longer affiliated with them. The Center’s controversial enough as it is. They can’t afford negative press.”
“So they want to take your money, but they want you to lie about it?” I said, pissed. “That’s bullshit.”
“No, it’s common sense,” he replied. “And I understand why they’re asking.”
