He whirled around to face her and backed away.
“What kind of game are you playing?” he hissed. “Isn’t it enough for you that I’m on probation after your little stunt at the dance? It was all I could do to talk them out of firing me.”
“Hey, don’t look at me, I’m the victim here,” Kaia countered. “According to Mr. Hemp, at least.” Kaia had been reprimanded for her “flagrant disregard of Mr. Powell’s personal space” and had been sentenced to six weeks’ worth of meetings with the school psychologist, who, she suspected, had received his pseudo degree off the Internet, if not purchased it at Shrinks “R” Us. She would have preferred a prison term.
“Victim?” He snorted. “I’m warning you, Kaia, if you’re trying to spread some kind of-if you think you can set me up-”
“Chill out, Jack.” She flashed an insouciant grin. “I think you got my message. This time I come in peace. I want to call a truce.”
“A truce?” he repeated dubiously. “So this means you’re going to stop throwing yourself at me and end this apparent quest to get me fired?”
“Provisional yes to the latter, definite no to the former.” She leaned forward to give him a quick peck on the lips, but he twisted his face away, and instead her lips brushed his coarse stubble. Good enough. “You want me, Mr. Powell. You just don’t know it yet. But you will.”
“I want you to get out of here,” he said coldly, “and make sure that no one sees you go. And then I want you to drop French and do me the favor of pretending I don’t exist. Or at least letting me pretend that about you. Let’s start now.”
He sat down at the desk and began shuffling through a stack of papers, pointedly refusing to look at her.
Kaia stood before him, hands on her hips, shaking her head and clucking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, like a mother reprimanding her young.
“Mr. Powell, I thought we’d already established that if I want to, I can make life here very unpleasant for you. You said it yourself-I can be trouble. You’re right. I don’t think you want to be rude to me.”
Silence. And more paper shuffling.
“Okay,” Kaia agreed, heading for the door. “You’re lucky I’m in a ‘make love, not war’ mood… for now.”
After escaping the SAT session, Beth and Adam treated themselves to an impromptu picnic in Dwyer Park (complete with brownish tufts of grass, brownish decaying picket fence, and brownish pond-as desert oases went, it ranked somewhere between Palm Springs and a garbage dump). Once they’d gotten everything set up, Adam ran off to grab them some soda from the nearby drugstore. Beth’s phone rang as soon as he was gone.
It was Kane. She’d left a message for him just after leaving the school, so she wasn’t surprised to see his name pop up on her caller ID. Still, it was strange-he’d never called her before. And if he had, she probably wouldn’t have picked up the phone.
They only spoke for a few minutes, just enough time to agree on the tutoring and pick a time for their first meeting. But the conversation wasn’t nearly as awkward as she’d feared-and weirdly, Beth found herself almost looking forward to their first encounter.
She put the phone away with a quizzical frown. Kane had seemed so genuine, so earnest, so pleasant, so… totally un-Kane-like. He’d limited himself to only two sarcastic comments and one sexual innuendo. For a five- minute conversation, it had to be a personal best. And even stranger-he actually seemed to want her help. He seemed to want to do well, whatever it would take.
Kane? Working? Had she walked out of the school this morning and into some alternate universe?
The Kane she knew-though, granted, she didn’t know him very well and had never wanted to change that- thought hard work meant applying a little extra torque when opening a stuck bottle lid. And even that was only worth it if the bottle contained some kind of alcoholic beverage or was handed to him by a weak and soon to be very grateful cheerleader. Back before she and Adam had gotten together, Kane had chased after her, as he did every girl-for about a day. She’d blown him off, and he’d disappeared. Kane didn’t believe in making an effort.
She shook her head. This time he really must be desperate.
“Who was on the phone?” Adam asked, sitting down on the worn quilt that served as their picnic blanket and passing her a deliciously cool bottle of Coke.
“Your best friend, actually.” Searching for a relief from the searing, dry heat of the afternoon, she pressed the bottle against her forehead, enjoying the icy chill that ran down her spine.
“Harper?” he asked, confused.
Beth flinched. She respected Adam’s friendship with the beautiful girl next door, but she didn’t have to like it.
“No, your other best friend-you remember Kane, don’t you?”
Adam shook his head in disgust. “What, is he trying to track me down? Dude, I never should have told him I was going out with you today.”
“Actually, he was looking for me,” Beth said, smacking him lightly with an annoyance that was only half for show.
“You? Why would he be calling you?”
“People have been known to want to talk to me,” she informed him, irritation mounting.
“I know, I know,” Adam murmured, kissing her on the forehead. “You’re in high demand. In fact,” he added, kissing his way down her nose and landing on her lips, “I want you right now.”
“He wants my help,” Beth explained, somewhat mollified. “With studying for the SATs.”
“Kane? Studying?” Adam burst into laughter. “I don’t think so. Seriously, what did he want?”
“I know, I thought it was weird too,” Beth admitted. “But he seems to really want a tutor.”
“And he asked
“Why wouldn’t he ask me?”
“I just meant-whatever,” Adam stopped himself. “So he’s had a personality overhaul and wants a tutor for the SATs. You’re not going to do it, are you?”
“Of course I am-he’s my friend,” she reminded him. “Well… he’s your friend. And he needs my help. Why wouldn’t I do it?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because these days you’re too busy to eat or sleep, not to mention see your boyfriend?” He kept his voice level and light, but Beth could feel the dangerous tension bubbling beneath the surface. There just didn’t seem to be much she could do about it-and she couldn’t stop herself from egging him on.
“Not all of us want to spend our lives lying around watching TV and drinking beer,” she snapped, hating herself for it the moment she heard the words slip out of her mouth. “At least Kane cares about something and is willing to work hard to get it. How could I say no to that?”
“Fine,” he grunted.
“Fine.” And, after a moment, “we’re starting tomorrow.”
“What?” he yelped. “We’ve got plans for tomorrow!”
“I know,” she said in a gentler voice. “I’m sorry-it’s just, he wanted to get started right away, and he seemed so desperate…”
“You see? This is exactly what I’m talking about! How hard was it to find some time together this weekend, and now you’re just…?” He threw up his arms in disgust.
“Adam, stop.” Beth took his hands in hers and clasped them to his chest. “I’m here, with you, now. Can’t we just enjoy this?”
He didn’t respond, but he left his hands in hers, and she felt a gentle pressure squeezing back. Beth looked around-the park was mostly empty, and they were partially hidden from view by a cluster of decrepit trees.
She brought his hands to her lips and kissed them softly, then released them. He grazed his fingers across her cheekbones and cradled her face.
“How about if we stop talking about Kane for a while?” she suggested, lying back on the quilt and pulling him down beside her. He stroked her hair, and she breathed in the nearness of him, the familiar scent that somehow evoked both a cozy kitchen of fresh baked bread and the wide expanse of a bright summer morning. “Why don’t we just-”
“Stop talking
Beth sighed, feeling her tension slip away. It sounded like a plan.
