“I brought you a slice of carrot cake,” she added with a sweet smile. “On the house. I made it myself. It’s not my best, but it’s better than anything else you’ll find around here.”
Her modesty—or lack thereof—made me chuckle, but I accepted the cake with a nod. I looked around and noticed there was hardly anyone else there. “You feel like sitting down for a second?”
She thought it over briefly and then took a chair. “What are you doing up so early on a Saturday?” she asked.
You were in my head, I wanted to say, but instead I responded, “I don’t know, I just had trouble sleeping.” I stared down into my cup.
“You went out pretty late last night…”
“Are you spying on me, Kamila?” I asked, looking up at her. She blushed, and I couldn’t help but grin.
“My desk faces your house. It’s not hard to see what’s going on there.”
“Right.” I didn’t care. I liked that she was watching me.
“Where’d you go?” she asked.
Ugh. This was slippery terrain. I just stared at her, making it clear that I wouldn’t answer that question.
“Not like I care,” she continued, “I’m just asking because if you know a cool place to hang out at that hour in this sleepy town…”
How about my bedroom?I thought.No, focus, Thiago. “I feel like the kids at school are always throwing parties. Isn’t that enough for you?” I took a sip of coffee and tried a bit of the cake.Damn, that’s good.
“You like it?” she asked.
“It’s dry,” I lied, wanting to get under her skin.
“You wish. My cakes win prizes every year at the county fair.”
“I guess the competition’s not that stiff.” I took another bite.
“You know, one day you could try just giving me a regular compliment without being mean.”
“Fine,” I said. “I’ve never seen anything as spectacular as you.” I realized I should have thought about the consequences of my words a little longer. In the ensuing silence, she blinked, and her breathing sped up. I wished I could kiss her on the neck, just where I could see her jugular throbbing. I knew my words had excited her, and they were true: I’d never seen a more beautiful girl in my life.
“Now,” I added, “was that compliment enough, or does the queen still need more?” I joked to break the tension.
Kam leaned back and grinned. “I’m not sure I’m the queen anymore,” she said.
“That’s right, they did knock you off your pedestal, didn’t they?” Maybe I shouldn’t have made light of it. It was messed up how everyone had Kam in their sights. They’d all admired her and loved her, and now they were watching with envy as someone tried to take her down.
“I prefer to say I’ve retired. I never wanted to be the center of attention,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
I noticed the silver earring dangling from her earlobe and imagined sucking on it. Trying to ignore the image, I said, “Yeah, but that’s what makes you deserve it. I’ve got to admit, though, it’s funny watching you try to be a regular mortal.”
“I don’t know why you’re trying to act like I’ve always been some kind of diva,” she said, irritated. “I was just the head of the stupid cheerleading squad.”
“Don’t forget you were going out with the captain of the basketball team…and when he got the axe, you started going out with the new captain.” That stung me again, thinking of her with my brother. “You’re a cliché, you know that, right?”
Now red in the face, she asked, “Do you really think I’d go out with a guy just because he’s captain of a stupid sports team I don’t give a shit about?”
“Hey! Careful. Don’t bad-mouth basketball, Kamila.”
She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I’m happy for Kate. I hope she enjoys it. Me, I’m doing exactly what I need to be doing right now.”
Liar. “Yeah, you must love riding a bike to school and studying in whatever time you can find between serving people coffee so your grades don’t suffer.”
“If people only liked me because my family had money and I was the head cheerleader and I drove to school in an Audi convertible, then yes, I am happy that’s all gone because it means whoever’s left actually cares about the real me.”
