Fumbling Perfect (Raymere Grove Series Book 1) Page 5

  When her nose crinkled a little too much for his liking, “Do you not like cupcakes?”

  “I just don’t eat them,” Lilah admitted.

  “What?!”

  Lilah glared at him. He was looking at her like she was a monster. “My mother doesn’t keep any sweets in the house. I guess I’ve gotten accustomed to the food she has prepared, and I generally don’t eat sweets,” she admitted, as though it were completely normal for a seventeen-year-old to not eat cupcakes.

  “Prepared,” Kyler asked, drawing out the word.

  He watched as red crept to her cheeks and he couldn’t help but feel a little bad for her.

  “Someone prepares most of–”

  He cut her off. “Your family has a private chef.”

  “You don’t have to say it like that,” she spat.

  He didn’t mean to offend her but the whole notion was a little outrageous. Then he remembered where they lived, and when it came to Raymere Grove, the McCallister’s might as well own the town. They probably could if they wanted.

  “If you don’t want it, just throw it away,” he carelessly told her.

  “No,” she gasped. “I want it…but…I don’t understand.”

  Kyler had lost track of what he was supposed to say. He was taken off-guard by the fact that she didn’t eat sweets and had a chef.

  “Right. It’s a thank you.”

  Lilah looked at him in shock and softly repeated the words to herself.

  “Yeah, like, thanks for tutoring me this week. Also, thanks for whatever you said to Coach. He’s letting me play tonight.”

  The faintest drop of excitement ran through Lilah. She didn’t know squat about football. Her father never had time to waste on three hours’ worth of commercials as he called it. All she did know was that it was a big deal for most of Raymere’s citizens. She just didn’t understand what about it made the players at the school seemingly gods in everyone’s eyes. It’s not like any of them would find a cure for a rare disease in their lifetime.

  Trying not to be bitter after receiving a gift, “That’s great.” Sensing a growing awkwardness, Lilah figured that she needed to be leaving. “Well, thanks for this,” she said, delicately holding up the box. “You didn’t have to.”

  Just as she turned to leave, Kyler stopped her.

  “Actually, that’s not it,” he sheepishly admitted.

  Lilah turned back to meet him. A guilty look was plastered across his face. He rubbed the back of his neck in frustration, failing to make eye contact with her.

  “I was wondering if you could help me through the season, like originally planned.”

  Lilah thought she might faint. Never in a million years did she see that one coming. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words.

  “It wouldn’t have to be every day now that I’m kind of caught up. Maybe just two or three times a week,” he continued.

  She couldn’t believe it. “You’re serious?”

  He groaned and rolled his eyes. This felt like the low point of his senior year, practically begging Lilah McCallister to be his tutor. “Yes. I was in Hughes’ class this morning, and…You explain everything really well. I guess I hadn’t realized that until I truly paid attention.” Admitting that felt like swallowing vomit.

  Something about her changed. He watched as her cheeks lit up a rosy pink and she bit down on her lip in contemplation. For the briefest of seconds, he thought it was cute. He shook the idea immediately, but had to ask himself one question. Had he just complimented her? Most girls wouldn’t take that statement as meaning a whole lot, but maybe in Lilah’s world it did.

  “I’ll think about it,” she finally said.

  She didn’t want to appear eager. She wasn’t. She was the one giving up her time for no reason at all, aside from the fact that Principal Willis had asked and that she’d get a few letters out of it all. That was it.

  “Sounds fair.”

  Lilah then turned to leave again. She didn’t expect Kyler to leave with her. He wouldn’t want to be seen with her, nor she with him. They were in completely different social circles, and it would forever stay that way.

  “Hey,” he called out, stopping her one last time.

  She didn’t fully turn, only enough to make eye contact with him. With the distance between them, he couldn’t have much left to say.

  “Are you and your friends coming to the game?”

  If he expected any change in Lilah, he got his answer soon enough with the sinister, snarky, snobbish laugh that fell from her lips.

  “Not a chance!”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  “Whoa,” Alice gasped as she leaned over the table to investigate the box. “I haven’t had a Petal Pastries cupcake in forever. What made your dad send that today?”

  “I don’t know. I guess he feels bad. He’s been working a lot more than usual lately,” Lilah partially lied.

  Lilah stared down at the contents in the box. It was almost too beautiful to eat. It was obviously a chocolate cupcake. Lilah couldn’t remember the last time she had chocolate cake. It was topped with a red rose made of buttercream. Lilah didn’t know that’s what it was made of, but apparently Alice did. Then, just to add something more to it, there were bits of gold sprinkles all over.

  “Well! Are you going to stare at it or eat it?!”

  Lilah momentarily glanced up, hoping that Kyler wasn’t watching. He wasn’t. He and his friends were preoccupied with Sarah, Britt, and Abby. The cheer trio from hell.

  Lilah was surprised and reached for a napkin as soon as she bit into the monstrosity.

  “What kind of filling,” Alice quickly asked.

  “Your obsession over a cupcake is bordering on manic,” Jolee pointed out.

  “Strawberry,” Lilah mumbled through a mouthful of deliciousness.

  Why in the world did her mother ever decide to give this up? It was so moist. Sweet but not too sweet. It was the most enchanting and intoxicating surprise in her mouth. She hadn’t realized until then how much she missed dessert.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  “What’s so funny,” Sarah asked with a nudge.

  Kyler quickly diverted his attention from Lilah’s table. It seemed with Sarah’s little bit of contact she had scooted closer, leaving Kyler feeling claustrophobic between her and Miles. It didn’t help that her perfume was overpowering to the point that he could no longer enjoy his spaghetti, not that school spaghetti had anything on his sister’s anyway. Seriously though, he could deal with fruity, even floral, but whatever she had on smelled like walking through the perfume section of a department store. It was too much.

  “Nothing.”

  Chapter 7

  The weekend seemed to drag on for Lilah. Jolee was going to a play in the city with her parents; whereas Alice preferred to sleep in and play video games. The same went for Rover. Lilah asked him numerous times to go to the park, but apparently he had timed raids with his group of online friends. Whatever that meant.

  Lilah’s parents were a different story. Her father had a routine for the most part. Saturday he stayed in his office working while on Sunday he gave himself a break and went golfing. Her mother on the other hand went to brunch with the girls and shopping. She had asked Lilah to come, but after emphasizing that Rover would be left alone and she’d have to take him to a friend’s, Lilah got the hint and declined the offer. Asking her to hang out made her mother feel good, but Lilah could tell that her mother didn’t really want her around. That didn’t stop Jenna from bringing home bags of much unneeded designer clothing for Lilah.

  Lilah sorted through some of the pieces. Her mother insisted that at her age she needed to start showing off her assets. Lilah didn’t like the idea and found that the new batch of clothes that her mother bought for her were a little revealing and possible flags when it came to school dress code.

  At some point Lilah did check social media and saw that the Raymere Bears had won Friday night’s football game 31 to 17. She looked a
t the two pictures in the article. Despite a helmet, Kyler’s face on the field looked the happiest that she had ever seen. Even though it was just a silly game, she supposed that he deserved the win.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Kyler quickly hit the showers after eighth period. He’d have to get work done as soon as possible after school, as he had to be somewhere earlier than he expected that evening. Therefore, he had asked Lilah to meet at the school library, as opposed to their later meetings at the public library.

  As he made his way through the bookshelves of the school library, he heard another voice with Lilah’s and he couldn’t help but eavesdrop.

  “If you weren’t so cold, he’d probably ask you out,” Alice insisted.

  “I’m not cold, and I told you, I don’t have time for silly boys,” Lilah huffed.

  Kyler had to hang back now; curiosity had gotten the best of him.

  “You’ve said that all through high school. You do realize that you’re going to graduate and go off to college, never having even kissed a guy.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with that,” Lilah said quietly. “Plus, it’s not like you and Jolee are doing much better.”

  “Are you kidding me,” Alice gasped. “Jolee made out with a senior her sophomore year!”

  Lilah tried to hold back a laugh. “Shh, we’re in a library,” she pointed out. “Also, that’s because the Juliet got food poisoning and Jolee was the understudy. Apparently, it was so bad; that’s why she turned to technical theater.”

  Alice groaned. “All I’m saying is, it looked like Simon was trying to flirt with you this morning, and you were really dismissive about it. I thought you liked him.”

  Lilah sighed. She did like Simon. He was nice and smart, but she didn’t know if she liked him in any of the ways she had read about.

  “You need to be going. I’m sure Kyler will be here any second.”

  Alice leaned farther into the table, a wicked smile appearing. Lilah knew exactly what she was thinking.

  “No, absolutely not,” she whispered, trying to appear as outraged at the idea as possible.

  “Fine.” Alice pushed her chair back and rose from the table. “Just try to be a little more friendly the next time Simon is clearly flirting with you.” She proceeded to sticking out her tongue like a child before turning to leave.

  Kyler would be the first to admit that he probably should have made himself known sooner. Those few minutes of concealment by the bookshelves had given him a lot of information. Obviously, Lilah would be into Simon. He looked like a model going undercover as a nerd. The only difference was that he was insanely smart as well.

  What really stirred Kyler, even though it shouldn’t have, was the idea, the fact, that Lilah had never even kissed a guy. If he thought about it, he could mildly understand why, but even he had to admit that she was doing well in the looks department. Stupid guys dated horrible women all the time for no reason other than being hot.

  Kyler sat his bag down and began rummaging through it for his tattered copy of Hamlet, as well as his notebook and two new assignments from Mr. Hughes.

  “Hey,” Lilah finally said, breaking the silence.

  “How was your weekend?”

  She was taken aback by the question.

  “Fine, I guess.” She felt like she suddenly needed to say more, to make conversation, as Kyler got all his things put into place. “Congratulations on the win Friday.” It felt strange saying that.

  Upon hearing those words, Kyler looked up, making eye contact with Lilah. Her bright green eyes looked back at him with a nervousness he wasn’t used to seeing in her.

  “Thanks. You and your friends should come to a game.”

  He expected her to change the subject, but she didn’t. She broke eye contact with him and doodled with her pen in the corner of her almost finished assignment from Hughes.

  “I probably wouldn’t understand it.”

  Kyler was shocked. Last week she laughed in his face like it was the most absurd idea she had ever heard, but now?

  “You could bring Antonio. I’m sure he–”

  Lilah slammed her pen down and stared daggers at Kyler.

  “I’m going to tell you this,” she began angrily. “I swear you better not tease me about it.”

  Kyler laughed, holding his hands up in surrender. Though he’d never tell her, and even the idea in and of itself creeped him out, she looked cute when she was angry.

  She put it out there bluntly and simply. “Antonio is my dad’s driver.”

  Kyler’s face turned to stone as the laughter faded. She had a chef and a driver?

  When Kyler didn’t respond, Lilah grew embarrassed. “So, just drop it with the Antonio boyfriend comments,” she quietly insisted. Before he could say anything, she changed the subject. “I’ve already started on one of the new worksheets for Hughes’ class. It was pretty easy. I think we should try doing those first and, then if we have time, continue on with your makeup assignments. If I recall, you only have three left.”

  Kyler nodded, making a mental note to stop teasing her about Antonio. From there on, the only talk was about Hamlet, the play that never seemed to end.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Lilah and Kyler met three days that week, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Lilah would have preferred to meet on Friday to cover the assignments and readings issued for the weekend, but she was well-aware that those would always be game days. Neither of the two had dared mention meeting on the weekend.

  Both had to admit, though they wouldn’t, not to each other, not to another soul, the tutoring wasn’t so bad. Occasionally they made small talk, but they kept it very minimal and only surface level deep. They were not friends by any means.

  “Hey,” Kyler began, a lingering question behind the one word. Lilah looked up and waited, zipping up her bag after putting up her highlighters. “I have a five-page paper coming up for criminal justice, and–”

  “What,” Lilah gasped jokingly. “You mean you have to do more than watch movies in there?”

  Kyler nudged her as they made their way from the public library. “Very funny. Actually–”

  “You need my help,” Lilah interrupted once again.

  “If you’d let me finish,” Kyler grumbled. “I can handle a paper. I don’t need you for everything,” he said, not meaning for his words to sound as harsh as they probably did once he said them. He quickly looked to Lilah beside him. If she took offense, she didn’t show it this time. “I was just wondering if you’d have time to look over my citations. It’s confusing and tedious, figuring out all the different sources and how to cite them.”

  “Sure.”

  “I haven’t started on it, but I should have something for you to look at by the end of next week.”

  Lilah thought he was being very optimistic with his time frame, but she refrained from pointing that out.

  The sun was in the final stages of setting, the steps cascading down from the library barely lit in gold and orange. Once they reached the final one, Kyler turned to say what Lilah assumed was nothing more than goodbye.

  “Do you need a ride?”

  The way he said it was different than the first time. He didn’t seem annoyed or bothered at having to go out of his way.

  “I’m sure you have somewhere you need to be,” Lilah speculated.

  “Not today.”

  For the briefest of moments, a chill ran through Lilah, taking away all thoughts and ability to speak.

  “So,” Kyler pressed, awakening her.

  She recovered, fumbling for words. “Actually, I have a ride…Antonio.”

  Kyler did a poor job at hiding the smirk on his face.

  Lilah rolled her eyes and headed to the black car just across the street. “Goodbye, Kyler.”

  “Goodbye, Lilah,” he chuckled back.

  A part of him began to turn and head toward the library parking lot on the side of the building, but something else kept him locked in place, forcing him to remain un
til she was fully across the street and he saw an older gentleman step from the car to open the door for her. It wasn’t until the car was well into the distance that Kyler made his way to his truck.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Lilah didn’t see Kyler the next day. The only time she could recall seeing him throughout the day was lunch, and it was a well-known fact that for some reason the football team received a special lunch outside of the cafeteria when they had away games, which apparently they were having this particular day.

  “You look sad, or disappointed,” Jolee pointed out.

  “No. Just tired, I guess.” It was a lie. Lilah didn’t feel tired.

  “Oh, I haven’t told you guys. They decided on a fall musical for the end of November.”

  “What,” Alice barely managed through a larger than life bite of hamburger.

  “Little Shop of Horrors. It wasn’t my top pick, but the runner up was Beauty and the Beast.” She made a gagging noise shortly after revealing that last bit. Needless to say, romance wasn’t something that Jolee thought of as intriguing.

  Lilah found that more than once she glanced into the distance at the empty table where the football players usually ate. Not giving much thought, she took out her phone and beneath the table hovered over her message thread with Kyler.

  Lilah: Good luck tonight.

  Something soared in Kyler upon reading the message. He couldn’t quite figure her out. There were moments when she was really nice, and he thought that he might actually like that.

  Kyler: Miss seeing me at lunch?

  Lilah tried to hide her embarrassment. If Alice or Jolee thought something was up, she’d never hear the end of it, not that anything was going on with Kyler. She just didn’t want them getting that impression, which they most definitely would. Alice had already vaguely hinted at it.

  Lilah: Hardly. For once it’s peaceful without all the testosterone leaking throughout the room.