God, that was a huge problem.
I needed to seriously end this. I needed to get her to stay away from Dee, and I needed to stay away from her.
I knew what I had to do.
Stepping off the porch the next morning on the way to school, I stopped as I heard the engine of Kat’s car groaning as it turned over without starting up. The sound was familiar. Battery was dead. Knowing her, she probably left a light on or something.
The hood popped as she unlocked it from the inside. Kat threw open the driver’s door and walked around to the front of her car. The faded denim jeans she was wearing should be illegal.
Reaching down to wrap her fingers around the edges, she tensed and then looked over in my direction.
Smirking, I lifted my hand and wiggled my fingers at her.
Her eyes narrowed. “What?”
“Nothing.”
She stared at me a moment longer and then turned back to her car, lifting the hood and hooking it into place. Then she stepped back, put her hands on her hips and stared at the engine.
My grin spread.
She reached into the engine and wiggled wires like that was going to do something beneficial, her ponytail bouncing with the effort. Sort of cute. Desperate. But cute. She then clasped her fingers around the hood and leaned in. The cast on her arm was a huge freaking eyesore.
Of course my gaze zeroed right in on a certain asset of hers.
I managed to pull my gaze away before I gave myself a damn eyestrain. Walking toward my car, I opened the passenger door and tossed my books on the seat. I closed the door and then walked across the small patch of grass and onto her driveway.
Kat stiffened but ignored me as I walked up the side of the car. “I don’t think wiggling wires is going to help.”
Letting go of the hood, she glared in my direction with stormy eyes. “Are you a mechanic or something? A special hidden car talent I know nothing about?”
I laughed under my breath. “You actually don’t know anything about me.”
Her lips pursed. “I count that as a blessing.”
“I bet you do,” I murmured as I stepped closer to the front of her car, forcing her to take a step back.
She sighed. “Hello. I was standing there.”
I winked at her. “You’re not standing there anymore.” Using my body to shield what I was doing, I ran the tips of my fingers along the battery, sending a jolt of high-powered energy into it. “Anyway, can you try turning it on one more time?”
“Why?”
“Because.”
“It’s not going to work.”
Turning to her, I smiled tightly. “Just try it, Kitten.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Don’t call me that.”
“I wouldn’t call you that if you were sitting in your car, turning it on,” I replied reasonably.
“Oh my God,” she griped and then pivoted. She stomped around to the driver’s side. “Whatever.”
I arched a brow as she all but threw herself into the car and turned the ignition. The battery sparked to life and the engine turned over, starting the car. Too bad the hood blocked the windshield, because I would’ve paid good money to see her face. That being said, I really didn’t have time for this crap. This was not part of “the plan” I’d devised last night to push her even further away.
I sighed and lowered the bar, closed the hood, and locked it into place.
Kat was staring out the windshield, lips parted.
“See you at school.” I paused, unable to resist adding, “Kitten.”
I grinned as I heard her shriek.
When I moseyed on into trig later that morning, the first thing I noticed was that her hair was down where it had been up earlier that morning, and the fact that I noticed the change didn’t even register on the screwed-up scale. I liked her hair down. It was long and a little wild-looking, like her hair was constantly in a state of rebellion.
I really needed to stop thinking of her hair as if it had a personality.
Kat was whispering with the two girls—Carissa, and the curly-haired one was Lesa. Yeah, those were their names. Their mouths clamped shut, all three of them, the moment they saw me.
Interesting.
Kat bit down on her lip as she sank into her chair.
Even more interesting.
I made my way past her and the girls, taking my seat right behind Kat. Carissa spun around, facing the front, while Lesa kept peeking over her shoulder.
Hmm.
I had a plan when it came to dealing with Kat. I needed to stick to said plan.
Pulling the pen out of my notebook, I poked Kat in the back. She stiffened, but didn’t turn around, so I poked her again, this time with a little more effort. She whipped around, her long dark hair flying out around her. “What?”
I smiled at the irritation in her tone. Behind her, I could see that everyone was watching us. They were probably worried she was going to whip out another plate of food, maybe syrupy pancakes this time, and dump it on my head.
Tipping my chin down, I lowered my gaze. “You owe me a new shirt.”