Chapter 6

“I don’t need a babysitter. Go back to class.” Dane sits opposite me in the waiting space outside the principal's office. He’s stretched out, legs across the floor between us and lounging casually with his head back against the wall behind, as though this is no big deal. He is infuriatingly cool despite his mess of a face and his dad being in there trying to save his ass. The school nurse has seen him, and it’s nothing but minor cuts and bruises, which now sports some sterile strips. What I thought was a burst-out piercing was instead a little cut after it broke out. His eyebrow is swelling, but his piercing is still there.

I can’t believe I worried about this moron and waited with a nervous breath for him to come out and look absolutely fine. He has some bruising around his jaw and eye, but it’s barely anything compared to the mess Greg was in when he left. He had blood all over his collar and shirt. Dane’s bloody nose was gone after he blew it.

“Your dad asked me to sit here while he talks this out in case you need medical attention. He’s worried you have a concussion or some hidden injuries.…. Do you know how close you are to being suspended?” I eyeroll and then raise a haughty brow at him before returning to flicking through my biology textbook that I’m making notes in. Trying my hardest to blank him out.

“You know that won’t happen. He’ll do what he always does: flash cash, promise donations, and perks, and I’ll get a week of detention.” He exhales heavily, sliding further down in his seat, so his feet cage either side of mine in the small space, and I pull my knees together to avoid touching. Tutting at him for invading my space.

He’s rumpled as usual and slouching. He sounds annoyed that his dad has become so proficient in clearing up his son's bullshit that this has become a nothing scenario. I wish, for once, he would tuck in his shirt, button it up properly and tighten his tie so it didn’t sit in the middle of his chest. He’s so scruffy in a boy band, idol kind of way. His wrists are littered with leather bands, skateboard-Esque bracelets, and a chunky watch he wears on his right.

“You’re lucky it was him they called and not my mom, or this would be going a whole different way. She wouldn't get you out of anything and make you take whatever punishment was owed. What is wrong with you?” Sitting with him gets on my nerves when I feel more uptight about what’s going on in there than he is.

“Nothing is wrong with me… Greg attacked me. I merely defended myself.” He closes his eyes as though to zone me out, and I grit my teeth, scowling and narrowing my eyes at him. My temper riled at his nonchalance.

“You were sleeping with his fiancée….. I think it’s understandable that he might want to beat your ass.”

“He should have done a better job of it then, shouldn’t he?…. Maybe then I would be the one in the ER getting my head stitched and not sitting here listening to you.” He blows out more air, shifts in his seat, and buries his hands in his blazer jacket pockets, still not opening his eyes. His whole aura is saying, ‘go away and leave me be,’ but like it or not, I’ve been appointed watchdog. His dad doesn’t trust him to sit here alone.

“You have no regrets about what you’ve done? Destroying their relationship? Getting into a fight in school and trashing the foyer?” My tone gets sharp, that inner swirling chaos he always triggers in me making me tense all over and have the urge to pound his head into the smooth surface behind him. I don’t know why he always makes me feel this way.

He’s despicable.

Dane sighs as though I’m an irritation in his day and sits bolt upright, pulling his feet back and perches forward to stare me right in the eye. Seemingly deciding that taking me head-on will be the fastest way to shut me up.

“Why should I? Was I dating Greg? Not my relationship to destroy. I owed him no loyalty, and I don’t have a girlfriend or a fiancee….we were not even friends. If he can’t satisfy his woman and she strays, that’s on him… It would have been some other guy if it wasn’t me. Renee’s the one you should be lecturing, little Miss moral high ground. I didn't start the fight, and I didn’t trash the foyer alone. But carry on like always, blaming me for everything…. you’re so like your mom.”

“It’s never anything on you, right? It’s always everyone else and because of other people.” I snort in disgust, hearing only his refusal to accept blame for this. Despising him more for the grossness of what this is all about. Cheating, hurting people. He has no soul.

“That’s not what I said. As usual, you only hear what you wanna hear.” He sighs, tilts his head back, and stares again at the ceiling. He sneers and sits back, seemingly irritated with me as much as I am at him, and we both fall into silence before a distant ringing distracts his attention. He tilts to the side to listen to the receptionist taking a call in the other room.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I lean sideways to haul it out from my lower pocket, my heart beating a little harder with hope as I fish it out. My stomach somersaults with a flash of excitement that finally, my dad has texted me back. I know he’s been working hard and busy. I have been waiting to hear back from him for a few days about spending the break with him in New York.

I swipe my screen, and my mood dissipates again, like the sinking of a rock in a pond, as Elisa’s name appears at the top of my inbox. I try and hold my expression blank, but pain swells in my chest.

I have taken class notes for you. Hope everything is okay? Xxx

I stare at it for a second, gripping my emotions internally to calm them and slow my rapid heartbeat, and then scroll down to my last texts to my dad. Unread, unresponded to, and it’s been almost forty-eight hours since he read my last one, which too had no reply. My stomach sinks, pushing it out of my head because I don’t want to blame him or be hurt by this, and I slowly switch off the screen and slide it away. Breathing slowly and carefully to curb the instinct to cry.

“What’s gotten you looking so tragic?” Dane’s voice pulls me back to him to see he’s now staring my way, not the ceiling tiles. I breathe out with heavy irritation.

“Nothing,” I reply blankly. “None of your business.”

“Boy you like rejecting you?” He smirks, and I have the urge to kick him. “Realized that would be a life of torture.”

“I have more sense than to chase after a boy. No one in this school is worthy of that attention. Unlike you, I am not interested in dating anyone.” I snap at him, aiming my venom at him directly.

“You know, I have a theory that maybe if you got laid, you wouldn’t be such a cranky bitch all the time. You might learn how to smile.” He winks, slides his hands behind his head, and stretches out again so his feet are back at mine. I know he’s trying to goad me, so I bite my lip to curb a reaction.

“Maybe if you got laid less, you wouldn’t be such an arrogant walking creep.” I snort, but the little gleam and widening smirk tell me he heard me. He’s a sicko who loves our bickering when insults get thrown.

“Daddy still ignoring you?” he slides his legs to one side of mine, crosses his feet at the ankles, and gets comfy, propping his head forward to watch me with glee. I turn slightly away, cross mine, and pretend I am disinterested.

“Get lost.” I pick up my textbook again to try and ignore him, hating how he always seems to be able to dig into my head and figure out the small things. From a look…

For someone who seems oblivious in life, he always catches on real quick to what’s happening around us. It’s annoying. He’s either super observant or can mind-read.

“Did I hit a nerve? Ouch…… you know….” He grins at me, and I know something hurtful or cutting is coming, and when it comes to my father, my heart is a fragile mess.

“Don’t okay?... Just don’t.” My tone is clipped with an edge of pleading that I didn’t intend. A light waver to my words, and my eyes mist over. I don’t need a big finger pointing at my insecurity over whether my dad even loves me. Especially not from Dane.

I don’t need anyone to tell me that he never seems to care about what is happening with me. He rarely calls, I see him once a year at most, and I feel like I'm the one who forever chases him even to get any interaction. I know better than anyone that I became something irrelevant to his new life from the second they divorced.

I wait for the nasty shooting words I know Dane will wield as a weapon and lower my eyes to the blurry text in my book because my eyes won’t focus. There’s a silent pause as I brace myself for whatever is coming. Steeling myself not to react and show him he has something he can twist.

“It’s his loss, Kayla. Fuck him. Stop chasing him……he doesn’t deserve your attention. In time, you’ll stop caring as much.”

Not what I expected, and I flicker a glance up at him, frowning as I try to find the malice in it. Knowing that could not have been a form of nice veiled in attitude from the great Dane Masterson. He catches my dubious look, shrugs at me, and returns to leaning his head back with a sigh.

“Just because you love him doesn’t mean you have to excuse his neglect. Or take his bullshit.” He closes his eyes, back to that casual slouch as though the world doesn’t phase him. His tone is less smug and hints at bitterness, and I wonder if he is projecting his skewed view of his own dad. It’s not even remotely the same thing, but in Dane’s head, who knows?

“How…..” my heart is bleeding a little because his words cut to the bone, yet I’m interrupted by his cell blasting into tune as someone calls him and breaks off my sentence. Not a shock to hear his ring tone is some rock band screaming like banshees.

Dane shifts and hauls it out of his jacket, opening one eye to check the screen and ‘ughhhs’ loudly before cursing under his breath. He blows out air and rotates his shoulder as though readying for something physical before straightening up. He gets up, presses the screen, and pushes it to his ear before walking off towards the hallway to take it alone.

“Hello, mom…. guess you got a call, right?” He adopts a very mannerly and precise tone. The only person in the world he shows love and respect to is his mom, and it makes me bristle, and my spine tightens that he is capable yet doesn’t give a shit about anyone else. If she knew half the things he got up to, she would go crazy and haul him to London, but his father tells her nothing. So desperate to keep his loser son with him. I bet the office called her from his contacts list.

His voice fades off as he opens the glass divider door and puts himself on the other side so I hear nothing more. I turn my attention to my book and side-eye my cell, which is sitting on the chair beside me, my heart sinking again as I think bout what Dane said.

We have never spoken about my dad. He must have picked up on the problems with my dad on his own, and I wonder if he has overheard my mom or me, or me and Elisa talking about it. God knows I would never speak to Dane about anything in my life, and the only time we have any kind of conversation is when we argue. I hate that he’s such a know-it-all while being an absolute loser.

“Kayla, thanks for waiting.” Bryan appears on my right as the principal's door finally opens, and I stand to meet him, smiling brightly and pushing all other thoughts aside.

“Did he get expelled?.... Umm, he’s on the phone with his mom.” I add in haste as I see his eyes scanning the empty room with alarm. I nod towards the hall, and he visibly relaxes. There’s a slight eye twitch at knowing Dane’s mom has called, and I can tell he will call her back and smooth whatever over that he has to before she flips out. This is half the reason Dane is such a rebellious asshole who does what he wants. The one parent he cares about disappointing gets lied to and kept in the dark by his own father. He has become a hundred times worse in what he does since she moved to the UK.

“No… but he does have two days home to recover from his injuries and some time to reflect. I hate to do this, but…. He shouldn’t drive his bike. I’ll have it picked up. Can you take him home and stay with him this afternoon until I can finish some things? I think he needs someone to watch him. School agreed.”

“I…” I start to protest indignantly, but Bryan’s warm harm comes to rest and cups my shoulder, and his pleading eyes root me to the spot and silence. His sweet and friendly paternal energy oozing over me.

“Please. I know he’s a lot and you two…. but he took a lot of knocks to the head, and school won’t let him stay today. I would feel a hundred times better knowing you were home with him. I trust you.”

He knows how to harpoon me in the heart and cull me with one stroke. Even though our live-in housekeeper is home, Monique works hard, and being a babysitter is not her job.

“Fine, but I’m not running after him. He’s fine… he can….” I’m ready to lay down the ground rules, but Dane’s voice cuts in, signaling his return. He sounds as happy about this as I am.

“Leaving her at home with me is a surefire way to make me suffer… is this my punishment? Cozy home time being bossed around by the virgin.”

“Hey!” I turn and slap him in the upper arm for saying that in front of his dad, and Bryan is quick to retort too.

“Watch your mouth, young man. Kayla is your sister and is very much a part of our family. Show her some respect, at least. She’s taking you home because she cares.”

That is not entirely true, though. I say nothing and press my lips together.

“Whatever…..I’m bored. Come on, mosquito, if I have to suffer you, then let's make it not here. I’m hungry and tired.” Dane tugs my ponytail, so I step back with a head dip at the pressure and slap him for the second time in retaliation. This time getting his peck because he has moved. It makes my fingers sting, and I glare at him.

“Keep your hands off me,” I warn with edginess.

“I bet you say that to all the boys.” He winks, smirking and dodging the one I aim at his head with a chuckle as his dad stares at him with a show of mild anger. Dane loves nothing more than making me hate him.

“Have a little class, son.” He sighs and then motions for us to go ahead as he picks up Dane’s discarded bag from the seat where he had been sitting.

“Come on, loser.” I snort at Dane under my breath so Bryan doesn’t quite catch it. I take the bag from Bryan and thump it into Dane’s chest aggressively, so he automatically grabs it before waltzing past him with my nose in the air and sway to my bitch walk. Commanding the way and done with being here. The Sooner we are home, the sooner I can get away from him.

“Dad, mom says to call her asap…. She wants to know what’s happening.” Dane shrugs it off, and I know that means he got her off the phone pronto with probably an excuse about being in the school office. He’s so transparent about hiding things from his mom. He knows his dad will come up with some plausible untruth, so he never has to lie to her directly.

I am so not going to let him get to me. I have work I could be doing before I head to the animal shelter tonight for my shift. The lack of class this afternoon gives me time to add extra words to an essay I have to hand in tomorrow to utilize this time wisely.

It's a win-win, and the cherry on top is that this pig-headed thug is in pain and suffering from the beating he took. It feels like it might be a nice afternoon.