We've Met Before

1 - Bathroom Stalls

KAIA

    Cade Steele saunters out of the bathroom stall, a smirk dancing on his gorgeous lips. He looks me up and down, letting his eyes travel over me as if I were a foreign object he's investigating. He washes his hands quickly in the sink, before turning back and walking towards me.
    "Kaia Turner," My name tastes like cherries through his lips. I say nothing, frozen in place. "Still as easily flushed as ever."
Am I embarrassed right now?
    It's hard to gauge my feelings when I'm around Cade Steele.
    Why am I embarrassed? "You fucking pervert. What are you doing inside the women's bathroom."
    He laughs, stepping towards the sink and leaning on it, crossing his arms across his chest. He brings a finger towards something next to the stall. I frown and step closer to what he's pointing at.
    It's the urinals.
    I'm inside the boys bathroom.
I must've accidentally walked in when I was looking for my clothes.
I can't do anything right.
    "I'm the pervert?" He asks, scoffing at me. He takes a single stride towards me. I take a step away, my back hitting the edge of the sink. "What are you doing inside the boy's bathroom Turner?"
    The bathroom door seems to open and Cade's eyes go wide. He grabs my forearm and drags me into a stall, locking the door and picking me up effortlessly so my feet rest on the toilet seat. He placed a finger on my lips and hushes me.
    I see the stranger's feet paddle around the bottom of the stall. He washes his hands and leaves.
    I let out the breath I was holding and finally come to my senses, feeling the heat between his chest and I enclosed in the stall.
    I'm stuck inside a bathroom stall with Cade Steele.
I need a fucking nap.
    He slowly opens the stall door, checking vicariously for anyone else lurking inside the bathroom.
    "I'd appreciate it if you didn't drag me into random stalls Steele. You aren't allowed to just do whatever you want with me. I can assure you that I'm not-"
    "You should be thanking me Turner. Imagine how suspicious it would be for you and I to be alone inside the men's bathroom. Use your fucking head for once." He spats out, dragging his tongue on his bottom lip.
    "Well, it's not like you have a pristine reputation around here. I'm sure nobody would bat an eye at Cade Steele's promiscuity." I feel tears begin to clog my waterline, threatening to spill over the dam I've created for Cade Steele. I take my backpack and haul it on my shoulder. I run towards the door and finally step out into the hall.
    Fuck, I'm late to class.
——
    I walk into class ten minutes late, shoving my backpack against my desk and taking out my journal as fast as possible.
    "Kaia, do you have a late slip?" Mrs. Commander asks, staring at me expectantly.
Invisibility.
   "No, I'm sorry. I ran into a problem at lunch." I answer curtly wishing I could just dig my face into my hands.
    "Bring one next time."
    I sink into my chair, sighing as I try to pay attention for the rest of class.
    He's so annoying.
    He always has this stupid smirk placed on his stupid fucking face. He seems to always tower over you even if he's leaning towards you. He does what he wants without asking.
    He's had the luxury of having everything planned out, meticulously chosen for him. He doesn't need to feel invisible to feel satiated in his own skin.
I remember when he used to be more subdued.
When I look back on it, I realize why he was always at our house. I realize why Cade Steele was the shy little boy who played dolls with us even though all he wanted was for us to throw a football around with him.
I think I understand.
The bell rings throughout the classroom. I pack all my things, shoving my notebook and pens back into my bag.
"Kaia, please stay for a second." Mrs. Commander asks as I stand at the door frame. She extends a peaceful hand and lures me towards her sitting figure.
"Yes." My voice is thimble, maybe a hit irritated. I don't want to stay for a second. I want to go home.
She clasps her hands in front of her on her desk, raking in all her thoughts, all the things that could possibly fly through her lips.
I watch intently as she makes a large dramatic pause, staring at me awkwardly.
Can she spit it out?
"Have you checked your grade in this class Mrs. Turner?"
No, I try not to. "Yes."
"Good, then I expect you to know how knowledgeable you are in English, and how your place in this class affects others." She says with a smile.
Have I been doing that bad?
I give her a small smile, bringing my hands in a fidget. "Could you elaborate please?"
She unclasps he hands, leaning back against her office chair. "I've been very stressed about helping kids for the last couple of weeks, especially ones who don't seem to grasp concepts as well as others. You tend to have a very optimistic view on everything and I admire that on you," She breathes in, "I have a favor to ask of you," She pauses, "How would you feel about tutoring someone after school for English?"
Me? A tutor?
    I purse my lips together, rubbing them together as I think about the options at hand.
    I could tutor and stay after school. It would give me less time at home, and I could do something productive with my time I suppose.
    It would give me a purpose to do something.
    "Sure, that sounds great." I beam, giving her a smile.
    Her eyes glisten. "Thank you! I'm so glad you said yes! We'll start tomorrow after school if that's okay with you?"
    "It sounds perfect, thank you." I haul myself towards the door as I hand her a final wave.
    I suddenly walk into a wall of bricks, completely taken aback from the impact. I glance up and I'm immediately panic stricken.
    Cade Steele towers over me, his eyes dancing above me in amusement.
    Stupid blue eyes.
    "Cade, please come in!" Mrs. Commander shouts from her desk.
    I begrudgingly shove past Cade, hoping to evade his teasing look.
    I fail.
    I feel his stare burn into the back of me as I leave, his eyes lingering on me as if I was some circus freak show being discovered.
    Some fucking nerve.
——
The car ride home is silent, except for the small tune of Harry Styles playing in the background.
I lean my head against the window, troubled with everything I've felt in the last 48 hours.
I hate Cade Steele.
I hate him with the force of a thousand Harry Styles songs. I hate him in the ways I should hate him. Cade Steele made a decision to hate me a long time ago, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with me taking that vow as well.
"What are you thinking about?" My mom asks, her hands gripping the steering wheel as she looks tentatively towards me.
I look over, catching her eyes. "Nothing. Just looking out."
"Okay." She says curtly.
——
My phone is propped up against a pillow, Dahlia's bright face flickering on my screen.
"He did what?!" She shouts, smiling like a child.
I laugh, feeling less apprehensive about the entire situation. "He locks us in the stall and sushes me. I have chills just thinking about it, just not the good ones."
The sound of Kaitlyn's typing on the call stops, her mouth forming a clean o.
"Wait what? Cade Steele locked you inside a stall and you like, didn't do anything?"
"No. We just stood there."
"Is that sarcasm?" Kaitlyn asks.
"It has to be! Holy shit Kaia!" Dahlia shouts on the other end.
I groan, shoving my head into the pillow. "Nothing happened." I scream, feeling my face get hotter by each flustering accusation.
"Hey, Kaitlyn," Dahlia says, grinning.
"Yea?" Kaitlyn answers.
"Want to play a game?"
"Sure,"
"On a scale from one to ten, how red do you think Kaia is right now?" She throws her head back and laughs at her own joke.
Kaitlyn rolls her eyes, and fails to hide her smile. "Dahlia shut up, this is a very important discussion."
Dahlia's face sobers and she lets out a huff. "Kaia, you need to do something about all of this. You can't hate Cade Steele for the rest of your life."
"Why though?" I pout, wishing all of a sudden that I'd be able to be invisible again.
Dahlia sighs, "I know what he did was wrong, I know what he did hurt, but you went so quiet after it all happened. Kaia, you can't keep staying in the same place, constantly harboring yourself in what happened. Move on, and part of moving on is being able to lay this hate aside, and leave leeway for better things."
I think about what she said.
Maybe I do harbor myself in what happened. It felt like everyone moved on. Everyone took it as a funny joke, a funny situation. I stayed frozen in time, still attached to how I felt when it all happened. What hurt the most was the fall.
I fell, and I fell so, so, so, hard.
I think I just never got up.
"Okay, Mrs. Therapist Dahlia! I need to hang up soon, I have a mountain of homework." Kaitlyn says, interrupting my thinking.
"Okay bitch, so do I, and I'm not abandoning my friends in a time of need." Dahlia scoffs.
"Bye Kaitlyn love you," I gleam, glad the conversation has become casual again.
"Bye Kaia! Fuck you, Dahlia," Kaitlyn's line hangs up and Dahlia and I talk the rest of the night. I eventually bid her goodnight and I fall asleep.
——
    I wake up the next morning, feeling surprisingly confident.