Page 2 of Exile
Tall, Dark and Pumpkin Spiced: Thursday it is. I’ll pick you up at 7. Just send me your address.
Me: Looking forward to it, Pumpkin. ;)
I grin at the nickname I dub him with, then I put my phone away and grab my backpack, ready to head to my psychology class. Marie tosses me a wave as I head towards the front door and gives me a singsong, “You’re welcome!” in parting while the door closes behind me.
I head to class with a lightness in my chest I haven’t felt in years. Not since Mom’s accident left her unable to work, forcing me to be the primary caretaker for the both of us. Maybe things are finally looking up for me. I allow myself to get lost in daydreams of meet cutes and first dates as I walk to class, still not entirely believing my luck that a man as drop dead gorgeous as Dominick Reeves wants to take me out.
CHAPTER TWO
SERENA
“You want to grab some lunch?” my friend Kai asks, bumping my shoulder with his as we pack away our psychology books. As if on cue, my stomach lets out a mortifyingly loud rumble in response. Kai chuckles as my cheeks flush with embarrassment.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“I’m good; I’ve got this.” I pull out my sad PB&J I packed at 4:30 a.m. before heading into work. Kai lifts his eyebrows skeptically and shakes his head, rejecting my excuse.
“I know you’ve been up for six hours now and probably haven’t eaten more than a muffin and chugged some coffee at work. That PB&J isn’t going to be enough to stop your stomach from embarrassing you during stats class. Come on ReRe—I’m buying.” Kai hooks his arm around my shoulders and leads me out of the classroom, guiding us towards the dining hall on campus. He steers us toward the tantalizing aromas of greasy cheeseburgers and French fries.
Kai knows my situation better than anyone, having been there when I got the news of my parents’ car accident that fateful night two years ago. He and I had been cramming for finals at my place, just weeks away from graduation, when the police knocked on my front door and turned my world upside down.
“Hello, are you Serena Malcolm?”
The voice that greets me when I open the door is gruff, but softened by something that sounds a lot like remorse. His face is half-hidden in shadows, sporadically lit up by the blue and red lights of his police cruiser parked in our driveway, but when I catch glimpses of his eyes, I can tell he hates this part of his job.
“Y-yes,” I manage to stammer out. I feel the heat of Kai’s body at my back as he places a protective hand on my shoulder.
“I’m Officer Jones, and I’m sorry to tell you, but there has been an accident involving your parents.” I feel my legs threaten to buckle, and Kai immediately pulls me into his side. He wraps me up in a tight hug, keeping me from collapsing onto the ground.
“Are…are they…okay?” is all I manage to eke out in a whisper as my vision begins to tunnel and my chest constricts from the pressure of the impending panic attack building inside of me. I know the answer before he says anything. Of course, they’re not okay. He wouldn’t be here if they were.
“Your mother has been rushed to Birch Falls Memorial in critical condition. They were hit head on by a drunk driver, driving on the wrong side of the highway, and?—”
A jagged sob escapes my chest as my knees finally give way completely. Kai goes with me as we collapse in a heap on the floor, him cradling me against his chest while my tears soak his BF High Class of 2012 t-shirt.
“What about her dad?” I hear his voice, even though it’s muffled by his arms wrapped so completely around my head.
The long silence before the officer's response is answer enough, but the words that follow break me completely. “Unfortunately, he didn’t make it.”
“Hey, ReRe, where did you go?” Kai gives my shoulders a tight squeeze, bringing me back to the present. We walk through the doors of the dining hall, the scent of greasy fried food hitting us as soon as we enter. Kai immediately guides me to Grease Pit, the term we affectionately call the fast-food section of the cafeteria. More often than not, one or both of us will wind up regretting eating there but the smash burgers are so legendary, a little upset stomach is worth it.
Kai and I have been best friends since our freshman year of high school when his family moved in next door. His parents relocated from the other side of the country to give their kids a quieter life away from L.A. Kai’s sister isn’t around much—she was a high school senior when they moved and is now going to college for nursing a few hours away. Kai and I bonded immediately on the bus our first day as freshmen at Birch Falls High, and he’s been my rock since my parents’ accident. He can usually tell when I’m up in my feelings and missing Dad.
“Just thinking about Dad. His birthday is in three days…”
We grab our trays and load up on burgers, fries and two large Cherry Cokes, our mutual favorite. Kai pays, because he always does, even when I protest. He is very good at developing selective hearing when it comes time to pick up our tab.
“Do you wanna do something? I can pick up some pizzas, and we can have a movie night to keep your mind off of things.” Kai’s offer sooths some of the melancholy that had begun to creep in. It’s on the tip of my tongue to accept his offer but I remember Thursday is in three days, and I have a date.
“Can I have a rain check? I, um, have plans?” My response comes out more like a question, and Kai lifts one of his dark brows as he stares, waiting for me to elaborate.
Sometimes looking at him is like looking in a mirror. His hair mirrors mine in the sense it often resembles a fluffy cloud of curls, and he conveys most of his emotions through quirked eyebrows and dubious stares. The main difference being our complexions. His is a sepia brown while mine is a lighter tawny color due to my mom being a fair Irish woman with freckles. We can have an entire conversation with just a look. It’s probably why we hit it off so well in the first place. Our silent form of communication has served us well in the past, especially when trying to come up with a cover story when my parents would catch us sneaking back from late night parties in high school.
“It’s a date. I have a date Thursday night.” A flicker of something passes over Kai’s face, an expression I don’t think I’ve ever seen from him, but it’s gone before I can place it and he begins his interrogation.
“A date? With who? When? Where? What does he do? How’d you meet him?”
I take a large bite of my burger, chewing slowly before I answer his barrage of questions. Growing impatient with my stall tactics, he nudges me with his elbow.