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  “Mom, please,” he pleaded. “I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t know who your little tramp is, but get her and your stuff off my property right now!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

  She reached down and grabbed Kai by the hair, pulling him out of the shed and throwing him to the ground outside. She whirled around and snatched his easel, which still held his most recent painting, and hurled it through the door. He raised his arms to shield himself, but the easel hit him in the head and gashed it open. Blood poured down into his eyes.

  Horrified, I watched the scene unfold. I was unable to move or speak. I finally managed to move toward the door, and on the ground, I finally saw Kai’s painting. It was a small boy wrapped in his mother’s arms, and they were both looking at each other and smiling happily. It broke my heart.

  In an instant, I grabbed Kai’s painting and tucked it under one arm. Then I took his hand and pulled him to his feet. I shot a warning glance at Kai’s mother, daring her to interfere. She just stood and watched as I pulled Kai toward the garage. We got into his car and drove away.

  “What am I going to do?” Kai cried. “I have nowhere to go!”

  “Nonsense,” I said. “You’re coming home with me.”

  “Won’t your mother mind?” he asked, his eyes wide.

  “I don’t think so,” I told him. “I guess we’ll find out.”

  Day was breaking when we got to my house, but my mother was still awake. She was lying on the couch in the parlor reading, and she jumped up when she saw us. She eyed Kai up and down, and then she noticed the gash on his head. She gasped aloud in spite of herself.

  “His mother threw him out,” I explained.

  Without another word of explanation needed, my mother raised her hand to stop me.

  “He will stay here, of course,” Mother said.

  “Oh, thank you, Mother!” I cried.

  “Kai, it’s nice to meet you,” my mother told him. “I’m sorry it’s under such circumstances.”

  “Thank you, ma’am,” he said, bowing his head to her a little.

  “Come,” my mother said. “Let’s see what we can do about your head.”

  My mother and I took Kai to the hall bathroom. She got the first aid kit while I cleaned the wound with a washcloth. He winced when I touched it, and I tried to be as gentle as I could. I couldn’t stand causing him any more pain.

  My mother returned with the first aid kit, and we had Kai bandaged up a few minutes later. My mother told him he could sleep in the room across the hall from me if we promised to be good.

  “No, Mother,” I said facetiously. “We’re going to make violent love to each other the moment you go to sleep.”

  My mother chuckled, noting my reference to the movie It’s a Wonderful Life in which Mary yells to her nosy mother, “He’s making violent love to me, Mother!”

  I led Kai upstairs and showed him his room. I found him a pair of my brother’s pajamas that he’d outgrown. Kai was taller than him, but they fit pretty well. My mother insisted I stay home from school to get some rest. I hadn’t had more than a fleeting few moments of sleep in going on three days.

  “I’ll be right across the hall if you need me,” I told him.

  He grabbed my arm before I could leave and twirled me around. He caught me in his arms and pressed his lips against mine. This time, his kiss was gentler than it ever had been.

  He squeezed me tightly, and then he let me go. He climbed into bed, and I walked over to his bedside and pulled the covers up around him and tucked him in. I brushed his hair away from his face and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

  “I love you,” I whispered.

  “I love you, too,” he said, smiling up at me.

  I went to my room and changed into my nightshirt, and then I settled down into my soft, cozy bed and fell into a deep sleep.

  Chapter Seven

  Terror

  A few hours later, I awoke with a start and saw Kai standing over me. His face was pale, he was sweating, and he appeared to be trembling. I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Alice, I can’t sleep,” he said. “Nightmares.”

  I pulled down the covers on the other side of the bed so he could climb in with me. He slid in beside me, and I wrapped my arms around his trembling body. A few moments later, he was asleep. I soon joined him in dreamland.

  Around six o’clock, my mother walked in. The sight of the two of us in bed together either did not faze her, or at least she did not let it show.

  “Hey, you two,” she said. “It’s time for dinner.”

  We all had a pleasant meal together, and I got the idea that Kai was not used to family pleasantries. He hardly said a word all throughout dinner, but he smiled a lot, and he always responded when spoken to. My mother was trying very hard to make him feel welcome.

  Kai fell into life with my family pretty smoothly. He still missed his mother terribly, and he drove by her house every night to be sure her car was in the driveway. He was terrified she would get herself killed by driving while intoxicated. Other than that, he seemed to adjust well.

  I adjusted surprisingly well, too. I was shocked that none of us had attempted to rip into his jugular. In fact, I hardly ever felt hungry around him at all.

  My brother and I had gone to the store with Kai after school on Thursday and helped Kai shop for some clothes and other essentials. He was too afraid to go to his mother’s house to pick up any of his stuff, and truthfully, I didn’t want him around that insufferable bitch, either.

  While we were out, we passed by an art supply store, and I asked my brother if we could go. I insisted that Kai let us buy him a new easel and some paint and brushes and other supplies. He tried to refuse. He didn’t like feeling like a charity case. But I wanted him to have something to do when I wasn’t around. So while I was at school, Kai painted.

  I still hadn’t told Kai I had plans for Sunday afternoon. I was hoping he would come with me, but something told me he wasn’t going to be receptive to spending time around a bunch of people he didn’t know after everything he’d been through lately. It was Saturday night before I managed to tell him.

  “You’re going out tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I answered. “Just bowling with some people from school. It’s no big deal. I’d love it if you would come with me.”

  “No,” he refused. “I don’t think I could deal with being around people right now.”

  “I figured you’d feel that way,” I admitted.

  “But you’re still going?” he asked quietly.

  “Yes,” I replied. “I told them I would.”

  He bowed his head and looked hurt.

  “I won’t be gone long,” I said gently. “Maybe three or four hours, tops.”

  “That long?” he whined.

  I felt horrible. Part of me wanted to just cancel bowling, but I’d told Jamie and Max I would go. I didn’t want to go breaking promises this early in the year. I was trying to fit in as much as possible. I certainly didn’t want to call attention to myself. But I also knew Kai really needed me.

  “Are you sure you won’t come with me?” I pleaded.

  He refused. He just wasn’t ready to deal with people. It was hard enough being around my mother and my brother every day, and he spent most of his time hiding in his room and painting.

  When Sunday rolled around, Kai was a wreck. He kept saying he had a bad feeling about the day, and he was trying everything he could think of to get me to stay home short of actually outright asking me not to go.

  He was making me so anxious. He paced back and forth in the hallway outside my room the entire time I was getting ready, and every time he saw me, he threw his arms around me and squeezed tightly. It was as if he thought he would never see me again.

  Will dropped me off a Bowl-a-Rama at two o’clock, and Jamie was waiting outside. She was chewing her fingernails when we pulled up, so I think she was worried Max
and I wouldn’t show up. She actually smiled a little when I got out of the car.

  “Hey, Jamie,” I said.

  “Hey,” she replied.

  “I guess Max isn’t here, yet?” I commented.

  “Nope,” Jamie answered.

  “Should we wait out here for him?” I asked her.

  Jamie just shrugged. She seemed really nervous. She kept staring at her shoes and chewing her fingernails. I got the impression she wasn’t used to being around people much. She seemed extremely shy.

  About twenty minutes after I arrived, Max finally showed up. He pulled up in a shiny black sports car, and I was shocked when he stepped out. He looked startlingly handsome – even more so than normal. His black shirt clung tightly to his wide chest, and his black jeans were tucked into black combat boots. The whole ensemble was topped off by a long, black trench coat that billowed around him as he walked toward us. He was breathtaking.

  He looked at Jamie first, smiling. “You ready to bowl?” he asked her.

  She nodded, avoiding eye contact.

  “How about you?” he asked. “Ready to go in?”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “What took you so long?”

  “Oh, sorry about that,” Max said. “My car wouldn’t start, so I had to borrow my cousin’s.”

  “It’s okay,” I said.

  Max grasped the door handle and pulled, stepping aside to allow Jamie and me to walk through. He bowed low and motioned toward the entrance with his hand in one elegant, sweeping motion. We could hear the music blaring before we ever made it through the door.

  We were instantly overwhelmed by the pleasant scents emanating from the snack bar, and Jamie turned her head toward it. I could tell she wanted something to eat, but I was guessing she’d never dare to eat in front of us. I, on the other hand, was starving. I hadn’t eaten breakfast because Kai was so clingy, and I didn’t think I could bowl without a snack, especially around a bunch of humans.

  “I’m going to…” I started to say.

  “Does anyone want anything to eat or drink before we get started?” Max asked.

  I laughed. “I was just about to say I needed something to eat,” I said.

  “Jamie?” he asked.

  Jamie shook her head silently, gnawing her nails as always.

  We walked over to the concession stand, and Max started staring at the menu.

  He turned to Jamie and me and said, “Why don’t you ladies take a seat? I can bring you whatever you want.”

  Jamie immediately went to take a seat in one of the benches that lined the short wall between the concession stand and the lanes, and I reached into my purse, fumbling for my wallet so I could give Max some money for my food.

  “I’ll take a hot dog, French fries, and a medium Diet Coke,” I said, handing Max a ten-dollar bill.

  He pushed my hand away.

  “I’ll get it,” he said, smiling with a quaint crooked smile.

  “No, no,” I argued, trying to hand him the money once more.

  “I insist,” Max said, glowering down at me.

  He really was shockingly tall.

  “Alright,” I agreed, shoving the money back into my purse.

  I went to join Jamie in the booth, sitting beside her so Max would have the other side to himself. I didn’t think he’d want the uncomfortable choice of which one of us to sit beside.

  Max came over to the table with two large trays of food balanced precariously in his hands. I jumped up and grabbed one of them, placing it on the table. I noticed there were three drinks, and there seemed to be a lot of food for two people.

  Max placed one of the drinks in from of Jamie. “I bought you a diet soda, because you shouldn’t get dehydrated when you’re bowling.”

  She looked up at him and meekly said, “Thanks.”

  I helped Max take all of the food off the trays, and he took a seat across from us. He stacked the trays on top of each other and placed them upright behind the napkin dispenser so we could have more room.

  Max eyed the food in front of him while I squirted ketchup all over my fries.

  “Man, what was I thinking?” he mused. “I guess my eyes were much bigger than my stomach. I’ll never be able to eat all of this. Seems a shame to waste it.”

  I could tell Jamie was staring at his food from behind the hair that fell in front of her face as she looked down at the table. He’d loaded up with two slices of pepperoni pizza, an order of onion rings, and a pickle.

  “Jamie, please help me out,” Max pleaded. “Can you take a slice of this pizza so I don’t waste all this food?”

  “Well…” she started to say very quietly.

  “Thanks!” Max said, a huge grin spreading across his face.

  Max shoved a plate of pizza toward Jamie, and then he took a huge bite out of the remaining slice. Jamie stared at the pizza, but didn’t make a move to eat it.

  “Come on, Jamie,” Max said. “Eat up! We’re going to burn a ton of calories today, so we need the energy.”

  Jamie slowly picked up the pizza and took a very tiny bite. Then she placed the slice down on the plate and began to chew behind her hair.

  “Anyone want to try one of my fries?” I asked.

  “I’ll take one,” Max offered, snagging a fry from my basket.

  “Jamie?” I questioned.

  “No thanks,” Jamie answered.

  I shrugged.

  “Can I try an onion ring?” I asked Max.

  “Help yourself,” Max replied, pushing his basket of onion rings a little closer to me.

  I snagged an onion ring and slopped it around in the ketchup that liberally doused my fries. Then I shoved the whole onion ring in my mouth. I glanced at Max, who was now staring at me with an amused grin on his face.

  “What?” I muttered through a mouthful of onion ring.

  “Nothing,” Max said, still grinning.

  “What?” I asked again, this time more forcefully.

  “You sure like ketchup, don’t you?” he grinned.

  “Oh,” I said. “Yeah.”

  I picked up the ketchup bottle and completely covered my hot dog with it. It was nearly impossible to see any of the wiener through the thick sheath of ketchup. Then I took a huge bite. Max was grinning again.

  “Will you stop that?” I demanded, glaring at him with my mouth still full.

  “Stop what?” he snickered.

  “Stop staring at me while I eat!” I insisted.

  “Why?” he asked, flashing me a crooked smile.

  “It’s rude!” I hissed.

  “It’s not rude,” he said. “I just like the way you eat.”

  “What do you mean ‘the way I eat?’” I questioned.

  “I like the way you slather everything in twenty pounds of ketchup and take such huge bites,” he clarified.

  I glared at him stormily. Thrusting my chin in the air, I picked up my plate and my basket of fries and – before he had a chance to say a word – I quickly hopped over to the trashcan and hurled them inside.

  “What did you…” Max started to say, looking rather hurt.

  “I’m not giving you any more entertainment with my eating,” I snarled.

  “I was just picking on you,” he said, his face sullen.

  “Whatever,” I snapped.

  I snatched my Diet Coke off the table and whirled around in a huff, hastily departing toward the arcade.

  “Hey, wait!” Max shouted.

  I ignored him and kept walking, my nose still stuck defiantly in the air. I felt a firm grip on my shoulder, and he pulled on my arm to get me to face him.

  “Alice!” he begged.

  Max’s face was very solemn. His dark, brooding eyes caught mine and refused to let go. I tried to look away, but his gaze held me completely transfixed.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to insult you.”

  “You didn’t,” I snapped. “I just don’t like rude people.”

  “Alice,” he breathed. “Forgive
me.”

  I searched my brain for something witty to come back with, but my mind was a blank. He was standing so close to me I could feel his breath warm on my face, and his eyes pleaded with sincerity.

  “Fine,” I sighed, rolling my eyes.

  “I think Jamie’s finished with her pizza,” he told me, still holding my elbow. “Let’s go bowl.”

  I nodded, and he finally loosened his grip. I did notice, however, that he did not let go of my elbow entirely. I brushed past him, rushing off toward Jamie so he’d be forced to let me go.

  Jamie had indeed finished her pizza, and the three of us got in line to get shoes and reserve a lane. As Jamie had said, the place was almost empty, so we didn’t have to wait long. The man behind the counter handed me a pair of size seven shoes at my request. As I was sitting on the bench to change my shoes, my phone rang. I finished tying my first shoe, and then took my phone out of my purse.

  “Hello?” I answered it.

  “Alice?” I heard a shaky voice say.

  “Kai?” I questioned.

  “Yeah, it’s me,” he admitted.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned. “Are you okay?”

  “I…” he stammered. “I’m fine, but…”

  His voice trailed off, and I asked, “Kai, what’s wrong?”

  “I miss you,” he sighed wistfully. “When will you be home?”

  “Kai, I just got here,” I groaned.

  “I know, I’m just wondering when you’ll be home,” he stated.

  “Probably around seven,” I answered.

  “Okay,” he said.

  “Is that all?” I asked him.

  “I… yeah, I guess so,” he answered after a brief pause.

  “Okay, bye,” I said.

  “Alice!” he shouted.

  “What is it?” I sighed.

  “Alice, I love you,” he told me.

  “I love you, too,” I replied, hanging up the phone.

  I immediately regretting being so terse with him, but I was frustrated. I was beginning to grow quite annoyed with his clinginess and his helplessness. I felt a tremendous weight of guilt on my shoulders, because he was truly a sweet and wonderful guy.

  I should have known I’d have trouble with someone so vulnerable. I’d only ever been attracted to strong, domineering guys – not that I’d ever been around any, but I’d seen plenty in moves. Kai was exactly the opposite. But he needed me. How could I just abandon him – especially after I promised I never would?