“Have you seen Kai? I haven’t seen him since yesterday.”
“No,” he says with a blank stare.
His expression tell me he knows, doesn’t want to say, or doesn’t care.
“He’s probably out.”
“No shit, Kevin. But where? He’s never done this before.” It’s New Year’s Day—or night, I should say. Kai went out on New Year’s Eve and never came home. His phone has been dead, or off, since last night, and I haven’t heard from him in a whole day. There wasn’t much hope left in me of him not going out for New Year's when he went out for Christmas. Still, though, he always comes home. This is the first time he’s nevernotcome home. His usual time to come home is four in the morning. When that time passed last night, I was fuming even more than I was the second he left the apartment. This worries me more knowing he always came home. My anger subsided with each passing hour. Now I’m praying nothing happened to him.
“He’s where he should be.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I ask.
He leans against the couch and spreads both of his arms out on both sides of the couch. “He’s eighteen years old. He should be out having fun.”
My mouth drops open. “And I’m supposed to be here taking care of Amari by myself?”
“No. Neither of you should be taking care of a baby. You guys are too young.”
“Too late for that.”
The creak of the bedroom door makes me focus my gaze on the hallway. Soft padding of footsteps as a girl emerges from the hallway.
“Who’s this, Kevin?” The girl looks from me over to Kevin.
Kevin sighs. “My brother’s girlfriend.”
“It better be.”
“Can you give us a minute?” He crushes his beer can in his hand.
She looks at us both again, turns around, and walks out of sight.
This is a weird sight to see. Kevin isn’t one to date. He’s probably trying to get laid. Which is also weird because he sleeps around at the parties he goes to. With the way Kai has been, it makes me question if he is cheating on me. Especially now that he’s pulling this.
“I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair for me to say that,” he says rubbing his hand down his chin.
“You can be a real asshole sometimes.”
Ignoring my comment, he says, “Kai has been struggling. I’ve tried to talk to him about it, but he won’t say much. He was closer to my dad than I was, and he’s taking it harder than he lets on.” Kevin shakes his head. “He’s numbing his pain with alcohol. I know that isn’t good for him since alcoholism runs in the family.” He narrows his eyes at me. “He says that you’re fine with him going out. Is that not true?”
I let out a sigh. “No. Maybe every once in a while, but not as much as he has been.”
“When I ask him how you guys are, he says you guys are good. Is that also not true?”
My head shakes. He’s unbelievable. I wonder what other lies he’s told.
“So what’s really been going on?”
“Some months he’s good; he doesn’t party, and he helps me with Amari. Then others, he’s out all weekend and during the weekday he’s not present with us at home.” Kevin’s eyes widen as if he had no idea. “He won’t talk to me. I don’t know how hefeels or what he’s going through. I don’t know how to help him.” I take a seat next to Kevin and hang my head. “Have you guys not been partying together? I assumed you were together when he goes out.”
He shakes his head. “I haven’t partied with him in months. Like I said, he won’t talk to me.”
That makes no sense. If he’s not with Kevin, who does he party with?
He lets out a groan. “I might know where he is at.”
A few minutes later, I’m sitting in the passenger seat of Kevin’s Honda. “You just left that girl all alone?” I ask. I’m not sure what he said to her, but when we were walking out the front door, she came into the living room, yelling his name.
