Chapter Three If you would have told Zyla this morning that not only would she have a full-blown conversation with Kai Johnson, but that he''d flirt with her and ask her out within a sixty-minute time span, she would have told you to lay off the bath salts. But he did flirt with her, at least that was what it seemed like with the way he''d stared so deeply into her eyes, like he''d been trying to solve the puzzle that was her mind. And he''d definitely been gearing up to ask her out before she''d cut him off. She watched as his Jeep pulled out of the parking lot, and she held her backpack to her chest, mystified. Like . it was Kai Johnson . He''d dated at least a quarter of the girls in her year at St. Catherine''s, and on Cedar High''s game days, girls showed up with his number painted on their cheeks even though he didn''t even go to their school! Okay, so a quarter of the girls was a bit of an exaggeration.
But nevertheless, it was absolutely bonkers, and Zyla had thought her classmates were delusional. But she had to be honest, she understood it now. Kai Johnson was disarming. It wasn''t just that he was handsome with his smooth brown skin and bright white teeth (what, was he like a model or something in a former life?) but from the way Kai strutted around Sailor Joe''s all summer, and from the stories she''d heard from her classmates and coworkers, Zyla had expected him to be a bit of a jerk or stuck up. The kind of boy who commanded attention and was annoyed when he didn''t receive it. But he seemed . normal? Whatever that meant. He was chill.
More than that, he was kind of funny. And flirtatious, but that wasn''t surprising. She''d completely embarrassed herself, blabbering on about how Aunt Ida paid for her to go to St. Catherine''s. She didn''t want Kai thinking she was a spoiled and rich private-school girl like so many of her classmates. She''d felt a buzz in her gut when he''d looked at her so closely and asked for her last name. There''d been some kind of gravitational pull that had made her move closer to him, but thankfully Jamal had appeared and broken the spell. Zyla meant what she said.
Nothing was going to happen between her and Kai. It wasn''t because he''d recently been dumped by Camille Vaughn--the most popular, most beautiful, and meanest girl at Sailor Joe''s--and it was kind of sketchy that he was moving on so quickly. It wasn''t that he and Camille had a big blow-up scene that eventually landed him in Games (yeah, she''d heard about that incident even though she''d pretended otherwise). And it wasn''t that Kai had dated way too many of her mutuals or was a known player. Zyla just didn''t date, period. Now she and Kai would be working together, and they''d agreed to be friends . Go figure. At least it would make the rest of her summer more interesting.
She couldn''t wait to call her best friend, Beatrice, and tell her about this later. She would have preferred to tell her in person, but Beatrice was spending the summer in Paris with her dad. The whole Kai Johnson thing had Zyla in a daze for a good fifteen minutes before a school bus pulled up directly in front of her and she was almost trampled by a summer camp stampede. She darted aside, almost tripping over a kid in the process, and pulled out her phone. No response from her mom, who should have been here to pick her up by now. Typical. Antonio wasn''t surprised to see Zyla when she walked into his office unannounced. He was sitting at his desk, working on a Sudoku puzzle, an unlit cigarette hanging out the side of his mouth.
He glanced up at Zyla and raised an eyebrow. "She''s late," Zyla explained, pulling out the chair across from him and plopping down. "Ah." He held up his puzzle book. "You finished yesterday''s in almost ten minutes. Want to try a harder one?" "No thanks." Instead, she retrieved her magazine and flipped through the pages she''d marked today, the editorials that she''d return to for inspiration when necessary. She was itching to get home and work on her portfolio.
Or maybe finish the black denim jumper she''d started two weeks ago. Her free time was already limited as it was, between her job, and looking after Jade, and taking care of Aunt Ida, and doing things most seventeen-year-olds didn''t have to be bothered with. She wished for a few spare minutes to look over her designs before she had to help with dinner. Why couldn''t her mom just be on time for once? It wouldn''t be like this forever, though. By this time next year, she''d be gone. Gone , gone. Like in a different country, on a different continent, completely separate from everyone in her life, and able to live on her own terms. It was the only thing she wanted.
"How did Hezekiah do today?" Zyla pulled her attention away from the Gap ad she''d marked earlier of a Black girl with cornrows wearing an oversized bomber jacket and looked up at Antonio. "Who?" "Sorry, I mean Kai. I''ve known him since he was a kid, you see. When he first moved in his with uncle. That''s why I call him Hezekiah." "Oh." She pictured Kai''s warm brown eyes and the way he''d smiled at her right before he almost invited her to the movies. Ugh, get ahold of yourself.
She cleared her throat. "He was fine, I guess. Not much action happens at Balloon Darts, you know. It''s not like he had to talk to any customers." "I placed him with you for a reason, Zyla. I did. It was strategic , it was." Antonio moved his hands around as if he were speaking about particles in the atmosphere.
"I believe that you''re an exceptional young lady, Zyla, and I see lots of potential in you. I see potential in Hezekiah too. He''s just so easily distracted. My hope is that maybe some of your ability to be focused, with the exception of your magazine reading, will rub off on him." "Oh," she said again. Kai was easily distracted? By what? The second she began to ask, her phone vibrated loudly on Antonio''s desk. It was a text from her mom. I''m here.
She sighed and stood up. "My mom''s outside. Thanks for letting me hang out here. Again." Antonio nodded at her. "Tell your aunt Ida I said hello. And remember to leave the magazine at home tomorrow, please." Zyla smiled and saluted Antonio, who only shook his head.
They both knew she''d return with a new magazine, or possibly her sketchbook. "Got it, boss," she said. Zyla''s mom was in the middle of wiping her eyes when Zyla opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. "I''m sorry, baby," her mom said, using the review mirror to fix her eyeliner, which had smeared. "Keith and I got into a big argument." Sniffle, cough, sniffle. "I got a little caught up." "Okay.
" Zyla buckled her seat belt as her mom pulled out of the parking lot and into traffic. Zyla stared at the license plate of the car in front of them and waited. Her mom didn''t need much prompting to continue talking. She rarely did. "He broke up with me," her mom said. "Can you believe that? After three months, all he had to say was, ''It''s just not working.'' Apparently, he didn''t see himself getting married to me." Zyla sighed inwardly and remained silent.
Her mom reached forward and turned up the radio. Whitney Houston''s "Heartbreak Hotel" blared through the speakers, and her mom began to sing along, loudly and off key. Through it all, Zyla continued to stare straight ahead. She''d read once that dolphins stopped behaving badly when their trainers ignored said bad behavior. Her mom wasn''t a dolphin, but Zyla was desperate enough to try anything. They reached a stoplight, and the song changed to "Back at One," by Brian McKnight. "Keith loves this song," her mom mumbled, lips trembling. Then she finally lost it.
In a loud whimper, she began crying. Ugly crying. Snot dripping, mascara running, blotchy-cheeks-type crying. All while Brian McKnight sang about his girl who was a dream come true. Zyla''s resolve began to waver. Her heart squeezed watching her mom like this. "Mommy ." "I just don''t get it.
" Her mom leaned her forehead against the steering wheel, and her shoulders shook as she sobbed. "What''s wrong with me?" "Nothing. They''re idiots. You know that." Zyla reached forward and rubbed her mom''s back in small circles. "Forget Keith. He doesn''t deserve you." "But I love him.
I really, really do." Zyla closed her eyes and tried not to think of the other times her mom had said these same words to her about previous partners. "You''ll get over him, Mom. You''re strong and you can do better." The car behind them honked as the light turned green. Zyla''s mom didn''t make a move to put her foot on the gas. Her head remained leaning against the wheel. The car honked even longer.
"Mom, it''s a green light." "I can''t drive like this," she groaned. "I can''t." The drivers around them were becoming more insistent with their honking. Zyla was pretty sure she''d heard someone shout at them just now. Calmly, she said, "Mom, just pull over and we''ll switch, okay? I''ll drive home, and you can sit in the passenger seat and relax. How''s that sound?" Her mom sniffled. "That sounds good.
" "I think it sounds good too. Just pull over up ahead." Zyla coaxed her mom to sit up and drive until she was able to pull off to the side of the road. Then she got out of the car and walked around the front while her mom crawled across the center console until she was curled up in a ball in the passenger seat. Her orange sundress pooled around her feet. As Zyla drove the rest of the way, her mom continued to cry quietly. Her cheeks and nose were bright red now. Zyla''.