Barbie World (Baby Doll Series) (17 page)

“Katie, I really didn’t know,” I try to explain.

“You know what? I don’t care if you knew or not, you are a slut and always will be!” And with that she opens her car and gets in. She squeals her tires out of the parking spot, almost hitting me with the nose of the car and scaring the shit out of poor Mrs. Berry who is walking behind her. She flips me off and floors the gas.

“Sooo… what did she say? When are y’all going to go get your nails done? Can I come?” Roxie smiles.

“Shut up.” I walk up to her and take the open package of Oreos from her hand then grab a handful.

“Gasp. You mean she didn’t want to be best friends? I am shocked.” Roxie holds her hand to her chest with an evil grin on her face.

“She practically backed over me and she gave me the finger,” I say, sending Roxie into a fit of giggles. “Not helping!”

“Sorry.” She tries to smother her laughs with her hand.

“Did you know that Dylan broke up with her?” I say, tossing random items in the cart too irritated to bother to look at the list.

“Awe, really? I thought that they would get married and have little tight ass, stuck up babies together. It explains why he has been following you around like a lost puppy, though. he wants to be with you.”

###

The more I think about how Dylan didn’t tell me he broke up with Katie, the angrier I get. I am fully ready to confront him, but of course, Dylan is nowhere around when I get home. I toss the groceries in the fridge and stomp around the house for the next hour, coming up with really good lines I will use to tell him off.

After the time ticks away, so does my anger. I go upstairs and pull out a box of old clothes that I salvaged from the donation pile that Mrs. Knight keeps. I lay each piece of clothing on the bed and stare at the pieces. I managed to get my hands on a few of Dylan’s old t-shirts, most with holes, a pair of jeans that are going to be too short on me, and a leather jacket that used to belong to Mr. Knight, who had reluctantly put it in the giveaway pile upon Mrs. Knights direction. I grab a pair of scissors and a needle and thread then getting to work. Soon, I am deep in scrap pieces of fabric.

A new feeling fills me like one I have not felt before, a high as I look in the mirror at my new creation. I wear one of Dylan’s shirts that I turned into a dress, slicing off the arms and neck and paring it with a black studded belt I have. I took a pair of black tights, shredding them, and a pair
of black ballet flats that Mrs. Knight was getting rid of. I want to show off my new creation, so I line my eyes in the mirror and braid my hair in two braids down my back before heading out the door.

Chapter 23.
Dylan

I sit on a lounge chair, sipping on a sweet tea in Third’s back yard. “Four,” he shouts, hitting a yellow golf ball against his mom’s shed. The rusty metal shed is full of dings from a game we used to play when we were bored. Whoever left the most dings, was the winner, and the loser had to drink whatever concoction the winner could come up with.

When I was thirteen, I hit a golf ball so hard, it bounced off the shed and broke his mother’s antique stained glass window. I think that is where her annoyance with me began.

“I can’t believe you got off the hook so easy, I thought for sure the Katie would go all Storm on your ass.”

I ignore his X-Man reference. “Dude, some of us act our age. How old are you, like fifteen?” I stand up, take the golf club from him and line up the ball to the top of the shed.

“So, what did Barbie say when you told her?” He plops down in the beach chair, it bows under his weight.

“I didn’t.” I hit the ball and it bounces of the center of the shed and into the concrete bird bath that sits in the middle of the yard.

“Dude, you have to tell her! If she knows that you are single, that definitely changes the game. Besides, you need to swoop in there before rocker boy takes her back to his ultra-cool rocker lair and you lose her forever.”

I shake my head. “Man, what are you talking about? Besides, I don’t think there is any competition between us. I made sure of that a few nights ago.” I think about how if I had let things go further, they would have. I sit down next to Third. “I can’t say anything yet, Katie and I did not officially break up and you know how girls are; they want everything official and crap.”

“If you say so, but I am not so sure that dude is out of the picture. Rox told me B got her and Kai another job with some catering thing.” He tosses a golf ball at the shed from his seat.

“What?” I sit up. “I heard my mom say something about getting her a job; not getting her, queen dead and the douche a job.” I thought that was a onetime deal and doesn’t he make like a lot of dough with his rock jig?”

“I dono, I don’t think he is doing it for the money.” He puts quotation marks around money. “what the hell!”

“Yeah tell me about it, and they are headed to Peck Lake right now as we speak to hang out.”He makes quotation marks again around hang out that has me jumping to my feet.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I can feel anger burning in me, thinking about Barbie in a bathing suit and Kai looking at her, possibly touching her. The urge to punch something is pulsing through me.

“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “It didn’t sound like we were invited.” He sounds unsure of himself.

“Dude, the girls-our girls-are going swimming at Peck Lake in bikinis with that douche bag ogling them and you didn’t think that was something to share? Of course we are invited.”

“Bikini? Do you think Roxie is wearing a bikini?” Third starts to understand my anger. “Does Barbie even own a Bikini?”
What the hell? I don’t think so
. I don’t wait to see if he follows, I am running towards my truck.

We speed down the dirt road, red rooster tails spit out behind us. Peck Lake is not really a lake; it is more of a muddy pond that sits out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by ancient oak trees. We park next to the tool’s red Nova and I swing my door open, nearly missing the side of his car. Damn, I parked too far away. I slam the door shut and start to jog up to the lake. I can hear the girls laughing and the muffled, deeper voice of Kai’s. I cannot make out what he is saying; all I know is that he is making her laugh. That is my girl and my laugh!

“Come on, could you walk any slower?” I complain to Third, taking out my anger on him.

“I want to see girls in bikinis just as bad as you, but while you are only lugging around a six pack, I have a whole keg to get up this hill,” he says and despite my anger I smile before I tug him in for a hug around the neck. “I wonder what color bikini Roxie is wearing?” He smiles. “Does she even own anything that is not black?”

Roxie is wearing a black bathing suit. It is not a bikini, but one of those old fashioned bathing suits that look like it came from the fifties. I stand at the top of the hill as Third barrels down towards the girls and a shocked Kai. I stand there like an idiot, staring at Barbie. I think I might even have drool dripping off my chin.

She is wearing a floral print bikini, one with a little, ruffled skirt that makes her ass look incredible. The top is one of those tube tops that ties in a bow. Her hair is in two braids. She is wearing my braids for him. I wipe the drool off my chin; the anger is back as I turn to Kai, wh
o is glaring right back at me.
Shit
, I do have competition. He is lounged out on a towel in black shorts, looking like Mr. G-Cool with that stupid flipping lip ring and a tattoo that runs down his shoulder.

Third reaches the girls. I can see that they are pissed off that we came by the way their hands are on their hips and by the way Roxie’s head snaps back and forth at Third. Third begins to beat on his chest and howls like an animal, and then, in one quick motion he scoops up both girls and gallops into the water with them.

By the time I get to the water’s edge, a wet, very unhappy Roxie is gasping for air and her short hair is pasted to her head. I can’t help pointing and laughing. She looks like a drowned rat. Barbie and Third emerge and see me laughing, therefore they start to laugh.

“Not everyone looks great wet.” She pouts and stomps out of the water. “Ain’t that the tru-” I start, but don’t finish because I am a horny teenage boy and right now, a very wet, very sexy Barbie is climbing out of the water and walking towards me. She stops only a few feet away from my grasp, picks up a towel and wraps herself in it.

“Hi. What are you guys doing here?” she asks, a little breathlessly.

“Well, it is a hot summer day in Alabama, what else is there to do? I didn’t even know you guys were here, with douche bag.” I smile and she makes a face at me, though a smile plays on her lips.

“His name is Kai.” She pulls the towel that is falling down, tighter, looking up at me with a smile on her face.
I am in like sin. Let the games begin.

“Well, we haven’t been properly introduced.” I drape my arm over her shoulders. She doesn’t shrug it off, but leads me towards Kai, who is looking straight ahead, pouting. One point for me.

“Kai, this is Dylan. Dylan, this is Kai,” she introduces us.

I cheese it really big, keeping Barbie at my side. I hold out my hand for him to shake while she stays under my arm and I feel like I might have the girl I first fell for back. He shakes my hand, squeezing it a little tighter than necessary and I squeeze it back, a smile still plastered on my face.

“Okay,” Barbie says, feeling the flow of testosterone between us. She walks out of my protective arm and now I kind of feel stupid. 0 points for me.

Kai stands up, stretching, trying to intimidate me with his height; the dude is seriously tall. Well, two can play at this. I pull off my shirt, letting my abs do the talking for themselves.
Yes, you are welcome girls
. Ever since summer started, I have been doing crunches and push-ups like a mad man in my bedroom. Anytime my thoughts start to wander towards Barbie, I would get out of bed, do a few push-ups, a couple of crunches and soon, before I knew it, I had a six pack. 2 points for me.

Chapter 24.
Barbie

“Is this your car?” Third goes up to Kai’s car, running his hands over it

“Yeah.” Kai sounds annoyed.

“Wow, what is it?” He continues to walk around the car.
Hmmm, I never knew that he was so into cars
. “It is a ‘69 Impala.”

“An Impala, huh, never heard of that before. Can I look inside?” He walks over to the driver’s side and opens the door before Kai can answer. “Wow! What does thi
s have? Does this baby have a V3 in it?”

Kai rolls his eyes. “
It is a V8; they don’t make V3.”

“Really, I co
uld have sworn my Grams had a V3 in her Caddy.” He climbs into the driver’s seat and, like a little boy starts to make engine noises as he jerks the wheel back and forth. I look at Roxie for an explanation yet she just shrugs.

“Hey do think I can this puppy for a swing?” he asks.

“Umm. No,” Kai replies.

“Oh… Well then, you don’t mind giving me a ride in it, do you?” Third looks at Kai with his big, watery blue eyes. You have to be heartless to say no to that face.

Kai scrubs his hand down his face. “Yeah… I guess I-”

“Great!” Third hops out of the car and grabs Roxie’s hand and pulls her towards the back seat of the car. “You could drop us off at my house. It is on the way,”

“But-”

“You take Barbie home, Dylan, since you know, y’all live together and all.”

“I… But… I… “ Kai gives up, defeated, as Third yanks Roxie into the back seat, shutting the door behind him. He looks so happy, bouncing up and down in the back seat while Kai looks extremely annoyed. I stifle a laugh because Third is fooling no one with what he is trying to do. I glance over my shoulder at Dylan who shrugs as he leans against the front of his truck with that aggravating smirk he has been wearing a lot lately.

Kai walks up to me. “Yeah, well, I guess I better get him home before he breaks something.” He nods towards Third who is grinning at me and mouthing something through the window. I cannot make it out. He points feverishly towards Dylan, waggling his brows. I shake my head. I can feel Dylan’s eyes burning protectively into my back.

I turn to Kai. “Thanks. I had fun today. I am sorry about them crashing.” I place my hand on his shoulder. I should feel bad and protest riding home with Dylan, but I am not. My stomach is in excited knots that continue to loosen and retie themselves at the thought of being so close to Dylan.

“It’s cool. Can I see you tonight?” he asks.

I bite at my bottom lip nervously. I am hoping to see where today will go with Dylan, though I know I shouldn’t. It is so hard having the forbidden fruit dangled so close in front of me. For once, I just want to be seventeen and not think about the consequences of my actions. “Maybe.”

He takes my hesitation as flirting and before I know it, he pulls me into his arms, picking me up into a hug. I stiffen. but it is quickly over; he sets me down on my feet and kisses me on the cheek. “I will call you.” He says. “Later, bro,” he says to Dylan. I watch him jog over to the driver’s seat of his car. I am afraid to turn around and see Dylan, I know he is seething; I can feel it.

I watch the car drive slowly away before turning back to Dylan. He is pissed. He is standing rod straight, his fists clenched at his sides. His bare chest heaves as he watches the car drive away.

“Fuck!” he growls, gripping the front of his truck, bracing himself. He is different from the Dylan who tutored me last year; more grown up. “God, I can’t stand it when he touches you,” he says to the hood of his truck.

“Well, you really don’t have a say in the matter.” It might be a bitchy thing to say, but it is the truth. I am not sure what I am going to do about Dylan or Kai.

He pushes off the truck and stalks forward. I take a step back nervously, I can see the fever in his eyes and it has been there all day, watching me. I want to see where this will go, but I am scared as hell that I will lose more than myself this time. Before I can linger on it for too long, I am in his arms.

“I want to have a say. I want to be jealous of other guys looking at you, yet be able to know that they can look all they want because it doesn’t matter, you are mine. It is driving me crazy, you not being mine,” he says into my hair. “What are we doing?” I don’t know what we are doing. I can’t think when he is this close, his skin searing mine.

I pull away from him. “We are just friends, remember?” I say more to myself.

“Friends,” he sighs, lacing his hands behind his head. He walks forward, staring at the tree line.

“What are you doing?” I ask, his erratic behavior is making me uneasy.

“I am trying to think about something else other than my ‘friend’ in a skimpy bikini,” he says.

“Oh, sorry.” I pull his t-shirt out of his front seat and pull it over my head since my bag is in the trunk of Kai’s car. His shirt smells deliciously like him. “All covered.” He turns around, taking me in.

“Not helping! I think you might look sexier in my shirt then that bathing suit.” He smiles, causing my cheeks to flush with the heat only he can cause in me.

###

I have been back to see my mother twice, each time is the same. I ask her about my grandmother and she avoids my questions. I don’t believe that my grandmother never wanted to see her or us. If she just new about me and Everett maybe things would be different. I leave the jail today feeling even more defeated. It is not until Mrs. Knight talk of her upcoming cruise sets a plan in my head in motion. I am going to find my grandmother myself. If she just meets me… But first I need a little help with my plan. If it is going to work Dylan needs to be left completely in the dark.

I lay on Roxie’s bed, twirling a piece of my hair around my finger. “Roxie I need you to do me a favor.” She puts down her issue of Seventeen magazine and looks up at me.

“Of course,” she says without hesitation. I let out a sigh of relief. I am so glad that this girl came into my life. She is dependably stable. “What is it?” I take a deep breath. “Can you cover for me next weekend? Tell Mrs. Knight I am staying with you while they are out of town.” I have not told Roxie about my plan on finding my grandmother with Kai. I had wanted to leave her out of this as much as possible, but I quickly realize with my sneaking out stunts, I am going to need an alibi.

“Yeah, okay,” she says. “Can you tell me why I am covering for you?”

“Umm… I just have something’s I need to take care of.” Her eyebrows go up in question. I sigh. I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy with her. “I found a picture of my grandmother. I am going to see if I can track her down.” I sit up, tucking my knees under me. Roxie takes the same position on the floor and we face each other.

“Wow, your grandmother.” My stomach fills with butterflies at the thought that I might have a grandmother. like a real grandmother.

I fill Roxie in how my grandmother ran out on my momma when she was a little girl, leaving her with a drunken father and a nasty step-momma.

“Wow,” Roxie says again when I am finished. “So how do you suppose you are going to track her down?”

I take the picture out of my purse and hand it to her; she examines it as I finger the small, gold chain with the music note charm around my neck.” I put it on after the night I found it and have not taken it off since. “What do you think? I Googled Wink Theatre and three came up; one in Dalton, Georgia; one in New Orleans and the other in China. I tried Googling the name Josephine Star, but nothing came up beside a few obituaries.” I look down at Roxie who is still examining the picture. “So where are we going first?” She looks up at me, smiling.

I should insist that she should stay. I do not want to get her in any trouble, but I am selfishly happy she is coming.

###

I can tell Kai is anything except happy that Roxie will be joining us on this trip from the look on his face. I know he was hoping that it would help make up my mind on how I feel about him, that maybe I would be able to define what is going on between us.

“So I need to tell you something,” Roxie says as soon as she pulls open the door.

“You better not be telling me you changed your mind.”

She shakes her head. “No, it’s just that-” The low roar of Kai’s Impala signals his arrival. I smile and turn to watch him pull up.

A tall, dressed all in black figure, emerges from the cherry red car. He leans against the door and smiles up at me. His beautiful blue eyes shining at the sight of me. I jog over to him and give him a hug. “Please tell me she is not bringing all of that,” he says against my neck, sending a shiver down my back. I look over my shoulder. Roxie has three large suitcases piled up at the bottom of the steps and is dropping another duffle bag on the ground next to the rest.

“Oh. She was trying to tell me something before you pulled up. That must be it.” I laugh. “Really Roxie it is four nights at the most.” I walk over and pick up one of her suitcases. Kai picks up the other two.

“What do you have in here, dead bodies?” Kai grunts.

“NO! But watch it or I will replace the contents with a very tall, annoying, dead emo boy. Barbie, sorry my clothes are not the size of a bathing suit.” She stomps ahead, throwing her makeup bag in the trunk with a loud clunk. I roll me eyes and follow her. We finish up packing the car with Roxie’s bags and my back pack. Kai has to push the trunk to get it to close.

“Let’s go,” Kai says, annoyed.

“Wait, I forgot something.” Roxie runs back into her house.

“What? There is no room for anything else.” Kai calls to Roxie, but the door is already closing behind her.

“I am sorry about her and her luggage issues.” I smile up at him, he smiles back and my stomach does a little flip.

“It is worth it, getting to spend time with you.” He takes my hand and pulls me to him. He brings his face close to mine and lingers there. I take a deep breath and breathe in the smell of him; his spicy cologne mixed with his mint gum. This is right. Being with him is right; he gets me. There is no hurt in our past. We can start fresh and new. I deserve that.

Kai bites gently at his lip ring and I find myself leaning in closer to those lips.

The sound of another vehicle on the gravel driveway breaks our gaze on each other. Shit. Dylan’s truck is creeping up the driveway. His eyes are locked on mine, a dark storm swarms in them.

“Oh, um… “ Roxie is back by my side.

I step out of Kai’s embrace. “What do you mean, oh, um?” I say through gritted teeth.

“Um…” Roxie says again nervously.

“What did you do, Roxie?” I ask her, but it is Third who answers, jumping out of the truck, his fist pumping the air.

“Road trip, woot, woot.”

“What?” Roxie asks innocently, ignoring my mouth that is now on the ground.

“You told them!” I go after her.

“No, I told Third, who told your boy wonder,” she says over her shoulder.

“Roxie.” She turns to me and gives me a small smile

“What?” she says again like she has no clue what mess she has just created. No way is Dylan going to let me go quietly now.

“Road trip, B.” Third holds out his fist for me to hit.

I step around him and go straight for Dylan. “You are not coming!” This is not about him. This is about me needing to get answers.

“Of course I am not coming.” His lip curls up in disgust.

“And neither are you,” he says.

“Go home or-” He wears a look of derision.

“Or what?” he mocks me.

I clench my fists together. Kai materializes by my side, “is there a problem here?” He has a good foot on Dylan, whose lip curls up more.

“No problem, bro. I just came to take Barbie home, as in my home, where she lives with me,” Dylan says

“Dylan was just coming to say goodbye,” I say.

“She is lying. Do you know she is good at that? Lying,” he says. Now I am really pissed. What right does he have to talk about me like that?

“Go home now, Dylan,” I say in a low, warning tone.

“No, I don’t think so. There is no way in hell I am letting you go anywhere with this douchebag.” Dylan’s eyes remain on Kai.

“Look, bro, she said to leave,” Kai says in a low gravely warning.

“And I said she is not going anywhere with you, bro” Dylan takes a step around me so he is chest to chest with Kai. My heart begins to do laps around my chest. “Or else, what?” Kai mocks, asking for a fight. Shit. Shit. Shit. Dylan has never been in a fight, he doesn’t stand a chance. I know, Kai has been in his fair share.

“Or else, I call my mom,” Dylan holds up his phone, “and she will make you go home.” How dare he threaten me with his mom!

“I cannot believe you just threatened me with your mom!” My mouth drops open. He did not just do that.

“Nice move, dickhead, calling your mommy.” Kai shoves Dylan. “You can’t call your mommy if your fingers are broken.” Dylan pushes back, sending Kai stumbling backwards. Things are getting out of hand.

“Stop!” I grab onto Dylan’s arm. He shrugs me off, his shoulders squared at Kai. He is ready for a fight. Maybe he has not been in a fight before, but I’m not sure if he wouldn’t be able to hold his own in a fare fight. Anger and testosterone rolls off of Dylan. I have never seen this side of him before. “Dylan!” He glances at me and I cut through his defenses, I see his face soften. “Kai, can I please talk to Dylan alone?”