Page 156 of We Shouldn't Be Together
Kai claps at them. “Very original, girls. Now, why don’t you take a hike?”
“Or what?” Cammy taunts. “What will you do to us?”
“Me?” Kai pushes back his seat to stand over her. “How can you say that after what you did to Tabitha?”
Cammy’s mouth falls open as she plants a hand on her chest. “Me? What are you getting at?”
Kai doesn’t back down. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“Kai,” I yelp. “Don’t.”
“Tabby?” Camila questions, flicking her hair off her shoulder. “What is he talking about?”
The hair flick. Her signal when she’s playing the good girl.
“I…” I stammer, avoiding Kai’s stare. “I don’t know.”
I stare at her hand, still playing with her hair, and notice the bandage. It makes me shudder, and I replay the slap from yesterday.
“Tabby,” he breathes, filtered through disappointment. “Don’t do this.”
Cammy moves over to me and gently pats my shoulder. The bandage is way too close for comfort. “You know, I’d take you away from this guy if I could, but Daddy will be here soon.”
Yvie steps away, eyeing Kai warily. “Tabby, you can come with me and Zane.”
“I…” I gulp for air and notice the tremble in my hands. “I don’t want to get away from him.” I finally get the courage to look up and meet Kai’s downcast eyes. “I… I want to be with him.”
A laugh coated in surprise snorts out of Cammy. “What? Why?”
Kai edges closer. “Because I’ll protect her.”
Cammy’s hand leaves my shoulder, and she creates distance between us. “Is that so?”
I look up, watching their dynamic, and smile. Oh, yeah. I forgot Camila’s afraid of Kai.
I sit taller and reach out a hand to Kai, which he swiftly takes. “Sorry, girls. Can you let us get back to our date?”
Yvie gasps again. “I don’t know whether it’s cute or deranged.”
“The second one,” Camila mutters. “Geez, Tabby. I’m actually glad you’ve been ghosting my texts. You’ve gone totally off the rails.” She lifts the hand with the bandage in a phone motion. “Call me when you’ve regained your senses. I expect grovelling.”
“Get out of here before another word gets you deeper into trouble,” Kai warns her.
“There he goes, threatening us again,” Yvie yammers, grabbing Camila’s hand and guiding her away from us. “Come on, Cammy, let’s get out of here. You don’t need to be hurt again.”
When the girls move away, further along the sidewalk, Kai steps in closer and crouches beside me. “Are you okay?”
I squeeze his hand. “Yeah. It’s not so scary with you around.”
His jaw rocks and he can’t shake his frown. “Then why did you let it slide? Why did you pretend she didn’t hit you?”
“Kai… I…”
“It’s not okay.”
“I know, but…”
“But what?”
