It’s been a little more than a week since Max and Kat’s blowout. Max has been a complete pain in the ass to live with ever since. He’s pouting around the house like a kid who just found out Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny aren’t real. When he isn’t pouting, he’s lashing out at everyone. I’m ready to lock the two of them in a closet until they work this shit out. Either that, or I’m sending him back to live with our parents. He can pout to mommy instead.
I slump down in my seat when I see Kat enter the room. Because she’s pissed at my idiot brother, she’s making my life hell too. She says I’m the one who taught him his asshole ways and I deserve to suffer too. Unfortunately for both of us, we have a project to turn in and need to decide on a topic, then work out who’s going to do what.
She drops into her seat, with a huff, just before the professor starts today’s discussion, which happens to be on fifties rock. It’s something I’m not that into, so I pretend not to let it bother me that she continues to act like I don’t exist. As “Charlie” drones on about the likes of Bill Haley and Chuck Berry, I lean over so my mouth is right next to her ear, tucking a strand of her hair behind it, and causing her to jump.
“You can’t ignore me forever, Kitty Kat.” My voice comes out sounding like I’ve been chewing on gravel. I clear my throat but keep my position, even though the cotton candy scent of her perfume filled my nostrils. I feel the need to adjust my hardening cock, something I can’t do here in class. Kat would probably tell Charlie I flashed her.
Kat sits straight up, stiff as a board, her eyes locked on the professor like she’s afraid he’s going to call on her. It’s only our fourth class, but I can already tell her he likes hearing himself speak way too much to ask us anything. I hate being ignored, so I continue to taunt her. “C’mon Kat, you know you wanna talk to me.” She looks at me out of the corner of her eye, and I know I’m getting to her. I lean even closer so my breath tickles her ear when I say, “Don’t you want to know how Max is doing?”
As soon as I mention my brother’s name, she jerks away from me, making so much noise in her haste the professor stops talking to search for the source of the noise. When he sees me leaning toward Kat while she’s trying to get as far from me as possible, his eyes narrow.
“Mister,” he pauses to look down at a paper on the podium, “Mitchell, is there something I can help you with?”
Kat coughs, covering up her laughter. I move away from her, slouching down in my seat and attempting to appear nonchalant. “Nah, Chuck. I’m good.” The students sitting around us laugh, and I smirk at the professor. He stands at the front of the room, narrowed eyes focused on me. “I’m just trying to pin my project partner down on a time to meet so we can discuss what we’re going to do,” I tell him in a sudden burst of inspiration. Man, I’m a good bullshitter. I should give lessons.
Charlie clears his throat as he shuffles some papers on the podium. “Well, Mr. Mitchell, please try to coordinate meetings at the beginning or end of class instead of during the lecture.”
“Yes sir,” I say with a salute, cocky smile still on my lips. Kat shakes her head in annoyance, but she doesn’t speak. In fact, she doesn’t so much as look at me for the rest of class.
As soon as the professor says he’ll see us Friday, Kat starts packing her things. Knowing I need to get her attention before she tries to get away from me, I put a hand on her arm. “Hang on a second.” She ignores me, and I hurry to say, “Please?”
“What is it, Clay?” she asks, not bothering to look up from where she’s carefully placing her pen and highlighters in her bag. She’s so OCD.
“I wasn’t bullshitting when I said we need to set a time to get together. Contrary to popular belief, I do want to graduate in a few months. Failing a class isn’t going to give me the credits I need, and I damn sure don’t want to be stuck in this hellhole longer than I have to.” Yeah, I could have played it off, given her a smartass answer or made a joke, but then she’d just blow me off. I do need the credits this class will give me if I want to graduate. I may hate the idea of working for my father, but it’s not like I can avoid it forever. Failing a class like History of Rock will only get me a lecture on responsibility and disappoint both my parents.
My honesty prompts Kat to stop concentrating so hard on the placement of books in her bag and look over at me. “Fine,” she says with a long-suffering sigh. “When do you want to meet?”
I’m a little surprised she gave in so easily. I expected more of a fight. It throws me off a little, and I say the first thing that enters my head. “How ‘bout right now? We can brainstorm over an early dinner.” Kat’s face scrunches into a frown, and I know she’s about to turn me down. “C’mon,” I cajole, “I’ll buy.”
She agrees once I offer to pay for dinner. I’ve now sunken so low, I have to pay a girl to spend time with me. I must be losing my touch, although with Kat I’m not sure I’ve ever had one. I don’t even know why I’m trying to get her to spend time with me. I should just let her do the project on her own and take half the credit. It’s what I’d normally do. Something tells me Kat will never go for that, and there’s no way I can charm her into it. She’s immune to the huge … amount of game I have.
We walk out of the classroom to find Max waiting for us at my car. Kat sighs and mutters under her breath. “Well, hello, deja vu.” Max waits for us to walk over to him and then smiles at Kat.
“Hey babe,” he greets her, bending to kiss her cheek. She moves back, leaving him to kiss air. I snicker at the shocked look on his face. Wow, He really expected her to let him touch her. Idiot.
Her step backward brings her close enough for me to feel her body heat. There’s barely an inch between us, and again, I react to her. Kat Fletcher is not a girl I should be reacting to on any kind of sexual level. She’s the exact opposite of the girls I like. I like easy to please and ready to play, not difficult and commitment-ready.
“I’m not your babe, Max. My name is Kat. Not babe, not honey, not sweetie. I’m not some disposable girl you can just cast aside when you want to get laid and then pick up when you’re finished.” She has her hands on her hips as she glares at Max and we both stare at her in shock. This is a side of Kat I’ve only ever seen directed at me. Kat’s usually all sweetness and light when it comes to dealing with my brother. It’s good to see her not only standing up to him, but him seeing that she’s not going to sit back and let him treat her like shit. I almost tell her “good job,” but I’m afraid she’ll turn on me. Her claim that his actions are somehow my fault have begun to work their way into my subconscious. Until the other night at my parents’ house, I’d never given much thought to how both of my younger brothers might respond to my actions. If I’m the reason he thinks it’s okay to treat her this way, I sorta want to apologize to them.
Max steps forward, holding his hand out to her. He looks contrite, his eyes downcast, and a frown pulling at the side of his mouth. “Kat, come on—“
She cuts him off. “Come on what, Max? I told you the other day. I don’t want to stop being friends, but I need some space. You need to let me be angry, and showing up out of the blue like this only proves how little you care about what I want. You’re always blowing me off, and I’m always quick to forgive you.” She pokes herself in the chest, prompting both of us to look at her tits. “I’m tired of being your back up plan.”
She has a nice rack.
“I deserve better than this, better than you,” she tells him.
Ouch. That had to hurt.
Max stares at her; his mouth dropped open and his eyes comically wide. I take a step around Kat to get to my car and stop in front of him, standing so he can still see Kat and she him. With one finger, I close his mouth. “You’re gonna catch flies little brother.“
Kat groans in disgust before she pushes by both of us to get in my car. “If you two are done, let’s go, Clay. I’m hungry, and you promised me dinner.” She takes a seat in the car and slams the door hard enough that both Max and I flinch.
Placing one hand on Max’s shoulder in commiseration, I squeeze hard. “See ya later, little bro. You heard the lady.” I walk around the car to the driver’s side, shaking my head at his stupidity. He should have just apologized. If Max had brought her flowers or some shit and said he was sorry, she probably would’ve forgiven him, but instead, she’s leaving with me. Hell, maybe he’ll clue in if he thinks he’s in danger of losing her to me. That thought doesn’t sit well with me, but I don’t know why.
Kat studiously avoids looking out the window at where Max watches us forlornly. As I put the car in reverse, I raise a hand and wave at him before putting my arm around the back of Kat’s seat, turning to watch the road as I back out. When I turn back, Max is gone, and Kat is holding herself even more rigidly in the seat. I sigh. Dinner’s going to be so much fun.