I grabbed his hand and squeezed.
“It’s so fucked up, Kenzie.” His voice faltered.
“Is he…will he…” I stammered, unsure of what I was even asking.
“I can’t…” Kyle sighed heavily. “I just… I don’t want to talk about it now. I’m just trying to get from one day to the next.”
He looked so lost. Instinctively I knew he needed strength and direction. “Well, the first thing you need to do is take care of yourself. You’re no good to Jake if you’re falling apart yourself. You need to eat. And then you need to shower. Maybe put on some clean clothes. And then we can get some fresh air and just talk. Okay?”
“Yeah. Okay.”
He picked up the chicken wrap on his tray and shoved half of it in his mouth. My eyes widened in surprise, wondering how guys did that. My brothers were the same way. They inhaled food. I always thought of them like dogs, swiping and swallowing their food before anyone had a chance to snatch it away from them. Kyle spent the next minute chewing, when he could have taken smaller bites and still been in the same place he was now.
Once he had finished his first wrap and was tearing through a bag of chips, I went back up and bought him a second one, which was also devoured in minutes.
“Damn, Kyle, when was the last time you ate?”
“I don’t know. I just snack here and there. I’ve been eating lots of Jell-O and pudding cups.”
“Well, I guess it beats mollusks.”
“Oh, god, don’t remind me. That was the worst.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “But the best too. I had the time of my life on that island, with you and the rest of the Dork Quad.”
“Me too. It was a great time, wasn’t it?” Kyle said, with a far-off look in his eye. “It was like a fucked-up summer camp.”
I laughed. “That it was. Have you been watching?”
“I saw the first few episodes, but then everything happened, and I just couldn’t really concentrate.”
“So you have no idea how popular you are, then?”
“Really?” Kyle grinned, seeming surprised. “Why? Was it my crab scene?”
“It was everything. People love you, Kyle. You just come across so real and genuine. I was actually looking pretty good too, until… well, you know. And now everyone hates me.”
“For kicking me off?”
“Yes.”
Kyle actually laughed. “Serves you right.”
“Yes, it does,” I agreed wholeheartedly. I deserved all the scorn heaped on me. Still, his words soothed me. It felt good to laugh about it. Kyle seemed not to hold a grudge, and that spoke volumes to the type of person he was.
“Dale’s been really worried about you. You haven’t been returning his texts.”
“I know. I haven’t been up to talking to anyone. Can you let him know I’m okay?”
“You can tell him yourself on Wednesday.”
Kyle looked confused by my words.
“The finale? You’re going to the taping, right?”
“Wait – what day is it today?”
“Monday. The taping is in two days. Didn’t anyone tell you?”
