But Raven’s face lights up at the mention of Khloe. “You met Khloe?”
“Yeah, she sorta barked at me,” I tell her, and she goes into telling me all about Khloe. It is kind of strange how obsessed she is with Kai’s baby sister, but I guess since they have some weird off and on again relationship, it makes sense that she would be attached.
Kai loosens up some by the end of lunch, and I find that I really liked sitting with them today. I didn’t miss Becks or Penny at all, which is unusual.
In P.E., I partner up with Raven again for stretches and she picks me for her partner for birdie. She invites me to go with her and some friends to watch Kai and his band play about an hour away this weekend. I didn’t know he was in a band. Seems there is a lot I don’t know about him. I have to tell her no though. I am babysitting for the Miller family, and I can’t afford not to do it. She says that I must go next time and she isn’t taking no for an answer.
Why would she invite me to go with her to watch Kai if she thinks he has a thing for me? I cannot stop thinking about it, and I find myself watching his every move in art class. His brow is crinkled as he concentrates intently on his portrait. He really is trying to do a good job. I took him for the type to just sling paint at the canvas and call it a day.
He pushes his hair back from his eyes, and I notice he smears black paint across his forehead. A giggle much louder than I intended slips from my lips and the whole class turns to stare at me, including Kai. I motion to his forehead. He touches the wet paint, looks at his fingers then looks back to me with a chuckle and a nod.
After class, Kai stops me in the hall and thanks me for telling him about the paint. I tease him, telling him not to worry, that I won’t tell any of his stoner pals that he actually puts forth an effort in class. He looks wounded by my comment, but I don’t have time to apologize as my attention is averted to Penny and Aaron fighting at her locker.
Her face is red and puffy. It looks like she has been crying. I want to check on her, but Becks pops up, tugs on my hand, and shakes his head, pulling me toward my chemistry class. “Don’t get involved Katie. I overheard him and his friends in my math class. I came in late after my dental appointment. You know that party he is throwing this weekend?” I nod, so he continues to elaborate. “Well, he was bragging about how he was going to get Penny to give him a blowjob. I might have told her what he was saying. I hope she breaks up with him.”
I don’t say anything, and I go to class. Becks shouldn’t have done that. Aaron will pound him for that and Penny will stay with him even though she knows it is wrong. What a mess!
After school, Penny says the fight with Aaron was just a misunderstanding…of course it was.
Chapter 5
My Friday nights used to consist of going to choir and watching old westerns with Deloris. I called her Mrs. Jennings earlier when I told her I wasn’t able to watch movies with her and she got mad, telling me to hush with my fancy talk. We always pig out on pizza for dinner, and I stay with her until the movie is over. She always gets a little weepy when Paul Newman gets shot. Now, he was a handsome man who could act. So, I have a crush on a dead guy who is three times my age. Paul Newman was sexy.
I stopped going to choir when Aaron started harassing me again. He was always trying to offer me a ride home even though I only live a few blocks away from the church. I will never touch that boy ever again. Once was enough. Once was one time too many.
Father Wright came to see me a few weeks ago, asking why I dropped from choir, and I told him it was for my babysitting job, which was mostly true. I just left out the details about Aaron, the golden boy being a colossal dick.
My mom just dropped me off at the Miller’s home so I can babysit Chase. I am actually the only one here right now. Mrs. Miller’s mom is dropping Chase off after his karate class. Penny keeps sending me iMessages with different photos of outfits for Aaron’s party tomorrow. I don’t want any part of her big bright idea to finally do the deed with him at the party. I think she is making a mistake, but it’s her life. I do my best friend duty, scroll through her choices, and tell her to go with the red sweater and black leggings. She always looks great in red.
She offers to come over and hang with me while I watch Chase, but I don’t know how they would feel about my having a friend over. I tell her no, pop my ear buds in, and read until Chase gets here.
When he gets in, he is hungry so I let him decide the toppings for our pizza. There is a twenty stuck on the refrigerator for us to have one delivered. The kid has such weird taste for a four-year-old. We end up gett
ing mushrooms, double cheese and Canadian bacon, with pineapple on his half. I hope he doesn’t get sick, but he orders weird combinations all the time.
I send him up to his room to change clothes while I get Chutes & Ladders ready for us to play. It is his favorite, and I don’t mind it much because he is so sweet. He never gives me any trouble. He comes running down the stairs, flips over the back of the couch, and screams, “highya” in my ear.
“I’ll get you, you little monkey,” I call out, chasing him around the coffee table.
“Never, I am the super, duperest, fastest boy in the world.” He laughs and starts running faster. If he keeps this pace up, he will be out before the pizza gets here.
After he gets winded, he flops down on the couch in his Superman pajamas.
“You all right there, speedy?”
“Fine,” he puffs out, breathing hard.
I go into the kitchen to fix him a cup of juice and the doorbell rings. Must be the pizza.
When I get to the door, Chase has already beat me to answering it. “Chase, buddy you can’t go opening the door without me saying so, okay? Never know who is on the other side.”
“Sorry, Katie,” he says with a frown.
“It’s okay, this one time. Okay.” I scruff up the top of his hair and go to pay the pizza guy—Kai.
I didn’t know he was delivering pizza. I shrug and reach him the twenty.
“Hey, Chase,” Kai greets him, giving him a high five with his free hand.