Page 205 of We Shouldn't Be Together
“Tyler’s blind,” Parker cuts in. “I mean, you’ve seen Yvette, right? She’s like a Scandinavian princess.”
“Princess?” I snigger.
“Yeah,” Lewis says and then points a thumb at his chest. “A princess who’ll end up with her prince.”
“Prince of denial, maybe,” Parker says, jutting his elbow against Lewis’s ribs.
Before Lewis can make his rebuttal, Jamie launches off her seat, startling all of us.
“Whoa,” Kai blurts, jerking away from her and closer to me. “What’s with you?”
“I totally forgot about something for my next class,” Jamie says in a rush. “I just texted Milo for help.”
Kai shifts in his seat, making an uncomfortable face. “You’re leaving to hang with Milo?”
Jamie rolls her eyes at him. “Ugh. It’s not like that, and you know it. I need to keep doing my homework if I want my teachers to bump up my grades.”
My heart bounces to a happier beat. Jamie’s chatting again. Full sentences. And she wants to make her schoolwork the best it can be. I’m so happy for her.
I lean into Kai and stroke his hair. “Lay off her. You know the poor girl needs every bit of help she can get.”
When Jamie’s arms cross and she taps a foot against the floor, Kai sighs.
“Fine.” Kai waves her off. “Go be part of the brainwashed masses and spew out the dribble these teachers expect us to learn.”
Jamie backs away, and I can’t help noticing the way her teeth grit when she says, “Thanks.”
I watch her leave from over Kai’s shoulder. I massage the back of his head, hoping he calms down. His friend needs his support. Yeah, they’re not hanging out as much right now, but it’ll be worth it in the long run. She’ll get to stay at this school. And, heck, he has me now.
I smile at Jamie, and she grimaces in return.
My heart drops to the pit of my stomach, and I turn back around to face the boys.
“Well, that was weird,” Tyler remarks.
“She’s just in a mood,” Kai brushes it off. “You know Maddy’s leaving town.”
“Yeah, Hawaii,” Lewis replies. “Sounds pretty sweet.”
“Bad timing though,” Kai comments.
“For sure,” Tyler agrees. “Right after a letter that says she’s getting kicked out.”
Kai groans and stares up at the ceiling. “She’s not getting kicked out.”
I massage Kai’s shoulder, coaxing his head back into its correct position. “That’s right. She won’t. She just has to study right now.”
Kai frowns. “Right.”
Parker bursts into laughter. “With your brother. She must hate that.”
Kai grunts. “She just voluntarily left to hang out with him. What’s with that?”
“Who cares,” Lewis blurts. “We have Tabitha now.”
“She’s not replacing Jamie,” Tyler says bluntly.
“No one said she was,” Kai says defensively, adding pressure to his grip on me.
