“Who the hell was that?” Luka asked, standing next to Kona.
“Dude, I have no clue, but I’m sure as hell gonna find out.”
The woman was unreasonable. Keira slammed Professor Alana’s door not caring that the she might be annoyed by the rattle of the wood on the hinges.
“Ms. Riley, the deadline cannot be extended,” she’d said.
“Ridiculous.” Keira marched down the hallway before she came to the large wooden staircase that led into the Kenner Hall lobby. “Two hours. I asked for two freaking hours.”
Her History professor had changed the assignment and with Keira’s practice schedule doubling in preparation for that weekend’s meet against Loyola, she had forgotten about her journal entry on The War of 1812.
The tile lobby floor was wet with slick puddles of water collecting around the entrance as students ran inside, trying to avoid the storm. Keira looked through the glass doors, toward the dark clouds, the quick strikes of lightening as they broke across the sky and she thought the murky look of the dark day matched her mood. It hadn’t been a good week so far; not with her late run the night before, being so angry that Kona Hale had skipped their meeting that a few laps around the track seemed the only way to cool her anger. Not that it helped much.
That morning, she’d forgotten her umbrella, something she knew better than to do. No kid raised in Louisiana should ever be without their umbrella during hurricane season and she was thinking of making a dash through the torrential weather, possibly hide out in the library just across the street when she heard someone behind her whistle. It was an sloppy rendition of “Hypnotize” by The Notorious B.I.G., and the way the guy’s whistle was a beat too quick only made Keira’s already gray mood darken.
“You could probably make it across the street,” the guy behind her said, “but you’re gonna get soaked.”
She hadn’t mentally prepared to see him yet. The hours between now and their planned meeting would have given her time enough to calm her frayed nerves. But there Kona was, leaning next to her on the window, backpack thrown over one shoulder and a ridiculous smile on his face.
“What do you want?” She didn’t care that she sounded angry. She didn’t care that Kona’s smile faltered or that his eyes slipped nearly closed at her attitude.
Again he whistled, but this time it wasn’t a song. He was mocking her. “Are you always so bitchy?”
“No.” She turned back, eyes drifting up the stairs to glare at Professor Alana’s door. “That witch pissed me off.”
Kona turned, gaze shooting up in the direction of Alana’s office. “She does that.” The grin returned and he shrugged.
Keira ignored him for a moment, directing her attention back to the clouds outside, to the way sheets of water were now flooding the sidewalk. “She doesn’t like me for some ungodly reason. I can’t get her to give me an extension on my assignment.”
“She won’t do that. She isn’t into tardiness. She’s kind of a Nazi about it.”
“You had her before?”
“No, thank God.”
“Then how do you know?”
That grin was dangerous now, stretching so wide that the deep, deep dimples in his cheeks were the only things she noticed on his tan face. “She’s my mom.”
“Oh.” Keira saw the blush on her face in the window and she tried to make her voice softer, to par back her harsh tone. “I… I didn’t know. Sorry I called her a witch.”
With that, Kona laughed, two small chuckles before he followed Keira’s gaze and stared out of the window, watching the stream of rain as it slid against the glass. “Don’t be. She is a witch. She’s tough, but she’s good. And she’s always right.”
It didn’t seem logical to her. How could Alana have a son who was so flippant about his classes? She didn’t seem like the type of woman who tolerated anything but perfection. So where had she failed Kona? “You know, that doesn’t make any sense.”
“What doesn’t?”
Keira let her eyes inch to the side, then right into Kona’s gaze. “You being her son. I’d think her son wouldn’t be such a slacker.”
He exhaled, pulled his backpack further up his shoulder as though he was tired of hearing that insult. “I’m not. Not really. And you really need to let that shit go. I forgot about our meeting. I didn’t do it on purpose. Practice ran over.”
Excuses. Keira hated them and she wasn’t surprised that Kona had one readily available. “Whatever. Are you going to make it tonight?”