King & Kaiser

•Nine•

King kept a smile on his face as he walked over to me and picked up my drink and took a sip.

He got to me and placed his hand around my forearm as everybody watched in awe.

"Damn Kai this yo mans?" Reggie smirked.

All my friends knew who King was, but no one else knew how I knew him.

"Reggie, shut up." I gritted.

"We out." King nodded to everyone and led us out of the kitchen.

Everyone stared as he put his arm around me and walked out the house.

"Who is that with Kai?"

"Girl I don't know but he fine as hell!"

"She probably be acting stuck up cause she only fuck wit him"

"No wonder she don't date nobody round here"

"What the hell he doing wit her?!"

I ignored the whispers as we got to King's car which was parked on the front lawn.

He opened the door for me and I hesitated looking for all possible options to run away.

"Don't." He clenched his jaw.

I slowly got into the car and he closed the door behind me.

He walked over to the other side and got in the drivers seat.

He started the car and we drove off.

"I-" I tried to talk but he held his hand up.

"Quiet. The least you could do for me right now is just be quiet." He shook his head.

I took this time to study him. The veins in his neck and forehead were buldging. His grip on the steering wheel was tight because his knuckles were light. His jaw was clenched.

He was mad.

We drove for a while until I noticed we were driving a ways from home.

"Where are we going?" I questioned looking at the side of his face.

He stayed silent.

"Can you at least tell me where you taking me?" I sighed.

"What did I say?." He snapped.

We drove in silence for a while and then he pulled into this secluded area.

It was a cliff surrounded by trees and a view of the beach down below. The moon was bright over the water and the trees swayed with the wind.

"What are we doing here?" I looked at him as he turned the car off.

"Where were you supposed to be tonight Kai?" He countered catching me off guard.

King usually didn't lecture me or ask questions. He usually just picked me up and took me to Malcolm.

"I-at home." I answered.

"So why when you sposed to be at home, it's a coincidence that I found you right where I knew you was gon be. I could've sworn Malcolm said you wasn't allowed to go to that party." He continued talking.

I didn't know what to say. Usually, I had a comeback, an excuse, something. Maybe even a lil attitude. But sitting here with King I just didn't know what to say.

"You ain't got none to say fa yaself?" He looked at me for the first time tonight.

"I-I dont know what you want me to say."

"Be truthful. For once just be truthful. I don't know why you be doing all this shit running round and acting like nothing bothers you. Shit bothers you. I just don't know what." He spoke.

"Why are you being so caring, King? Why not just take me to Malcolm and let him deal with me? I'm not your responsibility." I shook my head.

"It ain't about me being caring. It ain't about shit like that. Look Kai, Malcolm look at you and he see his lil ass sister who making all the wrong choices. I look at you and I see something else." He looked me in the eye.

I just let out a little nervous laugh.

I didn't know what King meant. But I knew he wasn't bullshitting me. For once in my life somebody wasn't bullshitting me. Somebody saw me. Somebody was listening.

"Kai? You straight?" He searched my eyes.

"King where is all of this coming from? Like you always clown me and talk about how I'm hard headed and how I never listen to Malcolm. What do you gain from any of this? What do you get for taking me here and having this talk?" I frowned.

"That's yo problem. You always thinking about what somebody tryna gain from you. I can't gain shit from this Kai. You doing the shit you doing ain't working for you. What you gon keep sneaking out and skipping school until what? What you gon do when its time to grow up? What's yo endgame?" He quizzed.

What he was saying was really making sense. I do a lot of shit and most of the time I just do it because someone told me not to or someone told me I couldn't. That isn't  the way I want to live all the time. I want to do good, I want to be better. But I know how I can be.

"I don't know. I just feel like I always have to prove that I'm not a kid or I'm not this little girl who always does what Malcolm wants me to. I know it's wrong to say that but I just feel like he doesn't understand most of the shit going through my head half the time." I sighed.

"Explain that to him. Cause you running around doing all this sneaking out and shit ain't it. I'm tired of babysitting yo ass." He shrieked making me laugh.

"You know King I don't actually hate you." I spoke after my laughter settled.

"Hm. I guess that's a compliment?" He gave me the side eye.

"Yeah it is. I don't like a lot of people but you, your on the list of ones I do for now." I rolled my eyes.

"For now? What that mean?" He looked at me.

"Piss me off and see." I smiled.

"Oh she smiles! That's interesting." King chuckled.

"Nigga I smile!" I grinned.

"I never seen you smile before." He looked at me closely now.

"I'm smiling now aren't I?"

We both just stared at each other. Studied each other.

I think he was trying to talk himself out of what ever was happening but before we knew it we were leaning in closer and closer until our lips were centimeters apart. He put his hand under my chin and brought me closer.

Our lips connected and danced together is soft clouds of chap stick and lip gloss. We kissed like this for a few minutes and then his phone went off. It was mesmerizing. I had never felt like this while kissing someone. It felt real.

"Fuck! What?!" He exclaimed into the phone.

"Shit man yeah uhm- I just took her out to get some food we in the way back now." He lied.

He hung up the phone and took a deep breath.

"That was Malc. I gotta get you home." He spoke lowly.

He started the car and back away from the cliff.