Steal My Soul

26 | ken

Ken

A wild, untamed fury was still kindling within me and I winced, squirming in my seat when Bobbi sat beside me with our food. She scoots away from me, noticing my discomfort, and sighs.

"Everything okay?" She whispers.

I nod, sipping on my iced Coca-Cola. The cold crispness of cinnamon and vanilla danced on my tongue. I was in season and shouldn't be eating or drinking any of this but I didn't care.

Not only did things not go my way last night with Alastair missing his opening to beat up Darius, I learned that there was still actually a small chance that Asia could be into me. How could I have not noticed before?

I let myself get distracted by that freak when I should have realized I had the upper hand this entire time. I was Asia's first kiss, first crush, the guy she grew up with. All I had to do was remind her that and she would fall for me.

I take a bite of my burger, nothing that Asia has been staring at me this entire time. She tilts her head, biting her lower lip. She was so cute. I'd do anything to kiss her right now.

Asia leans over the table, stealing one of my fries from the basket and popping into her mouth. "What do you know about Alastair Caine?" She asked me.

I choke on my soda, spraying it all over the table.

"You know who that is? Didn't know you were into metal," I deadpanned

I rip my straw out of the plastic cup, crushing it between my fingers under the table. I ignore the worried glances that Bobbi throws my way.

She waves her hand at me, disregarding my comment. "Vaguely, the minute I got back into town our classmates were more than happy to give me the rundown of what I have missed from my time away. Crazy to think he was vaping and throwing condoms across the classroom in the seventh grade and now he's become this," She says quickly, a flash of fear and curiosity in her glimmering brown eyes.

I shrug, scowling. "No I don't," I lied. "Why would you think that?" I snapped.

She flinches a bit and I want to reach over and console her but she quickly recovers, rolling her eyes at me and offering a small smile.

She twists her hair with her manicured finger. "Well you know everyone in this town and I just wanted to see what I would be dealing with," she says, huffing.

Bobbi elbows me hard in the side but I ignore her, rising from my seat. "What do you mean dealing with? Is he messing with you?"

She shakes her head, laughing at me. I relax a little when she places her hand on top of mine. Her skin is soft and warm and her voice warps around my heart like swirling fumes.

"I'm fine. He's not messing with me. I was just wondering," she chirps.

I nod, sitting back down. Bobbi has her hand on my thigh. I don't try to move it.

"If he is...Alastair will have to deal with me," I growled.

She stares at me, sinking in her teeth. "Look who gets all fired up. You seem tense these days. Is getting tangled up with Bobbi, not a good relaxer for you these days?" She teases, a smirk plastered on her lips.

Bobbi goes rigid, gripping my thigh with brute strength. I stare at her blinking. Asia laughs, doubling over and clutching her chest.

"You should see the look on your guy's faces," she says in between breaths. "I was just kidding," she purrs, drawing circles on my hand.

I pulled my hand away from the table, swallowing.

Bobbi raises an eyebrow at her. "That's your idea of a joke?" She says. "Didn't take you for a sadist," she says, her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Damn, you guys need to chill. I deleted the video, shoved your proof, and apologized right?" She says, taking a long slurp of her strawberry milkshake.

"We know but still..." Bobbi says, the words falling from her tongue.

She didn't finish the sentence but I knew what she meant. The Asia we knew would have never reacted that way. It was a side of her that we had never seen.

"Even the idea of it was just uncalled for. I mean what if that had gotten into the wrong hands?" I say.

Asia sighs. "I know. I said I was sorry. I wasn't thinking okay? I was just angry and I wanted you guys to hurt the way you had made me hurt." She rolls her eyes at her, a playful grin on her face. "Besides the both of you are filthy rich, your parents would just make it all go away," she states.

"Unbelievable," Bobbi mutters.

I furrowed my eyebrows together, sucking in a breath. "Hey Asia, are you okay?"

She smiles, her eyes bright. "Yes, Ken. I'm just trying to make light of a horrible thing I did,"

"But it's almost like you don't care," Bobbi whispers. "Like we don't even know you at all,"

"I do care," Asia counters. "It's just if I keep apologizing if I keep dragging my tail in between my feet, the guilt will consume me. And I'm tired of feeling guilty for the mistakes I made. I promise the next time things get heated, I'll take a moment to reflect," she finishes.

Asia stands and wraps her arms around Bobbi and me, crushing us into a hug.

"You're lucky we love you," Bobbi says into her ear. "Besides, the crazy jealous friend is my role remember?" She teases.

Asia smiled, and I noticed that her cheeks were covered in tears. She sniffles, burying her head into our skin one more time. "I do feel bad," she says.

"We know," Bobbi and I say at the same time.

I smile at her and Asia groans, pulling away from us. "I'm happy for the both of you but seriously that's going to get annoying,"

Bobbi strokes my chin with her finger, making it a point to kiss me slowly along my jaw. "You know Darius didn't have to sit all the way over there like a stranger!" She yells loud enough for the whole diner to hear.

"Why is he even here?" I muttered, sulking down into my seat.

If Darius joining the group was going to become an everyday thing I don't know how long I'd be able to keep this rampage of fury contained. There was something off about that guy.

"We'll all get together soon," Asia says. "I needed to hash this out between the three of us,"

Asia waves, pulling on her black trench coat. She walks down the aisle, locking hands with Darius. I stare at them as they leave the restaurant get into his beat up Ford Escape and drive away.

Bobbi squeezes my hand and my eyes snap back towards her.

"Did you say something?" I ask.

Bobbi already has her coat on. She carries a huge wad of napkins in her left hand.

She laughs, wiping off something sticky between my fingertips. "I said let's go home minutes ago but you were too busy crushing your drink between your hands and staring off into space," she says.

I get up, slipping my hand across her waist. "Sorry, I just...thinking."

She kisses me on the cheek. "I know,"

-•-

My dad's two thousand dollar black oak wood desk cut into my lower back, digging into my skin as Bobbi's body crashes into mine, her breath hot. I kiss her hard our lips and tongues in sync.

She grasped my shirt, her other hand tugging on my hair. I pulled away from her, my hand caressing her breast and my mouth grazing her bare neck. She melts into me, pushing forward and knocking down a stack of papers to the floor.

We both turned, our breaths hitched, panting, staring at a document that neither of us should have seen.

"Is that?" Bobbi breathes, her fingers still deeply entangled with my hair.

I slowly peeled myself away from her body and moved towards the floor, barely able to breathe. I bend down and pick the document up. It's a death certificate for my mom and it labels her death as a suicide, a gunshot to the head that happened in this very room.