I don’t know what to do to help her. All I know is that I wish I could take her pain away.
I’ve always had a soft spot for Isa, ever since seventh grade, way before her girlie makeover. I fucked that friendship up by being a pussy and not standing up to my friends. I’m not like that anymore, though, haven’t been for a while.
Over the last year, I tried to become friends with Isa again, but every time I opened my mouth, she got pissed off. She’s the only girl that’s ever called me out on my bullshit, who’s cared enough about me to ask if I’m okay, and one of the few girls who hasn’t tried to use me to get to Kyler.
It pisses me off that he’s trying to date her now. He didn’t even give her the time of day until a few weeks ago. He still has no clue what makes Isa so amazingly different from everyone else.
God, what I’d give to kiss her again. Only this time, we’d both be sober. I almost did it while we were in the tree, but I chickened out because I saw her hesitate. I know what that hesitation means. It means she didn’t want to kiss me. More than likely, she was thinking of Kyler.
Fucking story of my life.
“Kai, I think my mom’s dead,” Isa whispers. She’s repeated that a few times now.
Her face is still pressed to my chest, which hurts like a bitch. I’m pretty sure T broke a rib when he punched me earlier today. The punch was just the start of things if I can’t come up with the money I owe him. Or that Bradon owes him, anyway.
Somehow, I got caught up in this fucking mess after stupidly vouching for Bradon, even though I knew I shouldn’t. And now I’m the one T’s coming after.
“Why do you think she’s dead?” I rub up and down Isa’s back. My touch seems to soothe her.
“Lynn just told me she was.” Her voice is hoarse. “She said she was a bad person, and that she is rotting in her grave now.”
I shake my head. Fucking Lynn. That woman is a bitch, just like her mini-me clone of a daughter.
“Isa, you know Lynn could be lying to you, right? She’s not a reliable source.”
“Yeah, I know.” She sniffles into my shirt. “But what if she’s not lying? What if she’s telling the truth?”
I think about the papers I tucked away in my back pocket about an hour ago, the papers Big Doug gave me from all the information he dug up on Isa’s mom.
“But she might not be.” I want to tell her what I know, but I’m worried she’ll completely break apart if I do it right now.
Isa’s a strong girl. She’s had to be with all the shit she’s put up with at home. But this is big. If I wait a few days, she’ll be able to handle the news better, and that might give me enough time to get some more information on why her mom’s in jail in Virginia.
The papers say it’s for murder charges, though there’s not a lot of details. I’m not buying the story yet. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last couple of months, it’s never assume things are what they appear to be.
“Why do your stomach muscles keep tightening?” she asks, pulling back to look at me. Her eyes are swollen, and she’s got the whole raccoon look going on. She still looks beautiful, though. “Am I hugging you too hard?”
I snort a laugh. “Yeah, your tiny, little arms are giving me boo-boos.”
That gets her to smile. Then she instantly frowns as her eyes well up again.
“Hey, I have an idea.” I drape my arm over her shoulders and steer her toward my house. “How about we go inside, get you some chocolate, and watch Zombieland?” I know she won’t refuse. Sugar and zombies are the keys to her heart.
“Thanks, Kai. You’re such a good friend,” she says, wiping her eyes with her sleeves. “Seriously, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
My lip twitches at the “friend” reference. I remind myself that it’s for the best, at least until I get this shit with T sorted out. The last thing I want to do is drag her into that mess. After that, though, all bets are off. That kiss in the tree will happen … when she’s ready.
She may think she likes Kyler, that he’s the one for her, but she’s wrong. Kyler doesn’t get her like I do. He doesn’t know how to make her laugh, doesn’t know how to talk comic book and superhero crazy talk with her like I do.
I just hope one day she realizes that.