More Than This
Page 24

   Dad saw some termites in the garage and has workmen here fixing it. They need to fumigate the garage and the storage room above it, possibly having to fix some of the structural damage, so we have to stay away from there. I’ve seen how some of the workers eye Kayla when she leaves in the morning to take Julie to school. One guy gawks so much, it takes everything in me to not punch him in the face.
   I jog up the driveway after finishing my workout and see Dad talking to the gawker. Dad sees me coming, shakes hands with him, and walks over to me. My eyes don’t leave Gawker’s—he knows what I’m thinking, because the asshole has the decency to smirk at me.
   We walk into the house together. Everyone has taken the day off because of graduation. I knock on my door. No one answers, so I jump in the shower. On my way downstairs, I stop when I hear music and laughter coming from Julie’s room. Julie squeals Kayla’s name in the middle of a laugh. I smile and knock on her door.
   No one answers—the music is too loud. I open the door slightly and peek in. They’ve pushed all the furniture aside and made a makeshift dance floor in the middle of the room. They’re playing “Low” by Flo Rida so loud that the walls are shaking.
   Julie is showing Kayla some dance moves, and Kayla’s watching intently. Their backs are to me, so they can’t see that I’m here. Julie goes to the stereo to replay the song, and they start the routine from the beginning. My sister’s good at dancing for an eight-year-old, but goddamn, Kayla is good. There’s a line in the song that is totally inappropriate for JuJu, but the move Kayla does . . . It’s almost too much to watch.
   Near the end of the song, they do some spinning dance move and see me standing in the doorway. I smile and clap at their performance.
   “Jacarb!” Julie yells and turns off the stereo. “Don’t sneak up on us like that!”
   I’m staring at Kayla. She has a sheen of sweat on her body, and she’s breathing heavily. She’s in yoga pants and a tight-fitting tank, her body on full display. She catches me checking her out, bites her bottom lip, and shyly looks away. Hot as hell.
   “Jake!” Julie yells again, snapping me out of perv mode.
   “What’s up, JuJu? That was really good!” I high-five her, and she beams.
   Mom and Dad come into the room. “What’s with all the yelling in here?” Mom asks, concerned.
   “Oh, good,” Julie says. “You’re all here. Watch our routine! Micky’s been practicing with me.”
   “Oh, no,” Kayla says. She’s embarrassed in front of my parents. “Maybe wait till it’s finished, Julie?” she asks hopefully.
   “No! Come on, Micky, please?”
   Kayla looks at Julie then at me. A huge smile slowly spreads across her face. “I’ll do it if Jacarb does it, too.”
   “Okay, then!” Julie cries and pulls me by the arm into the middle of the dance floor. My parents sit on the bed to watch.
   I stand next to Kayla and put my hand on the small of her back, placing my thumb just under the hem of her tank and rubbing gently. Goose bumps break out across her skin. I bend down and whisper in her ear, “You are in so much trouble, missy.” She closes her eyes and shivers slightly.
   I try to keep up with the dance routine, but I’m a jock, not a dancer. I suck and end up falling in a tangle of arms and legs. Kayla stands over me, laughing so hard she has to hold her stomach. I grab her legs and yank them out from under her. She falls on top of me, and Julie jumps on top of both of us, complaining that we’re not taking it seriously.
   “Take this seriously!” Kayla mimics her. She starts tickling her, and I join in. My parents, laughing, leave the room.
   It’s at this moment that I know. I don’t just think it anymore—I know it. I love this girl. I’m in love with this girl.
MIKAYLA
   The sexual tension between Jake and me is off the charts. I’m scared I might actually combust at any second—no joke. It doesn’t help that we’re around each other almost 24/7, always finding ways to not-so-innocently touch each other. It’s at that stage where we’re pushing each other a little further and further to see how much we can take until one of us cracks. I’m about two seconds from cracking, and if I don’t get release soon, I will cut a bitch.
   Jake’s graduation later in the afternoon went smoothly. I met some of his other friends, including guys on his team, and I stayed the hell away from Casey. I saw the way she looked at me and joked that I should probably start packing heat. Jake didn’t find it so funny.
   We’re now at a graduation party held at a field near the school. Jake had declined the invitation, but I told him I thought we should go—it would be good for us to get out and socialize with the general population. We’re gathered around a bonfire, and I am, of course, sitting on Jake’s lap. His usual friends are here as well as a few others.
   I’m wearing one of Heidi’s dresses. I still don’t have the courage to go back to my house. I asked Mandy to pack up my room and all the personal stuff, like photo albums and jewelry, next weekend while we’re at Aunt Lisa’s wedding, and hired professional movers to take care of the rest. I rented a storage container for whatever isn’t damaged. The stuff can stay there until I work out what I’m going to do at UNC. Everything else can go.
   Heidi’s a size smaller than I am, but she only brought one outfit with her when she came over, so she told me to suck it up and deal with it. It’s a navy-blue dress that’s tight from the waist down with a looser top that hangs off one shoulder. It’s more like something Megan would wear—who, by the way, still hasn’t called me. According to Facebook, Meg and James are “in a relationship.” I should care, but I don’t. Right now, sitting here with Jake, I’m, like . . . James? James effing who?
   “Hey, look, Jake. Casey’s coming over here,” I whisper in his ear.
   He tightens his hold on me and ducks his head, like he’s trying to hide.
   “I was just kidding, Jake. Jesus Christ!” I say, laughing.
   “That’s not funny, Kayla. I’m not kidding—don’t do that.” He holds his hand to his heart.
   I giggle and take a look around. I only see a couple of kids from my school out of the hundreds who are here. “Does everyone go to your school, or is this party also for other schools in the area?” I ask.
   “I think it’s just ours,” Logan says. He’s taking a breather from making out with the redhead on his lap. Taking a sip of his beer, he asks, “Why? Are you scared that asshole ex of yours is going to show up?”
   I shrug. “Not really. Even if he does, I’m sure Jake will just punch him again.”
   Logan and Cam spit out their beer simultaneously, and Dylan cusses. Logan glares at me, bug-eyed. “He punched that asshole?”