Split Decision: A Kira Brightwell Novel

Chapter 3

3

Kira drove along the streets of La Valentia, only half her mind on the traffic around her. A trickle of sweat slithered down her back as she waited for her air conditioning to get going and combat the late afternoon heat of the California sun.

At least I drove to the gym today.

Usually she preferred to ride her bike instead. Even though she had had her license for years, she wasn’t a fan of driving, unless it was late at night when the streets were relatively empty. But today she had been running late for her training session, so she had taken the car she shared with her roommate, Rob. It wasn’t as if he would have noticed it was gone, anyway. He hardly ever left their apartment. She shuddered to think of what he would say when he found out she had a date tonight. She steeled herself for some merciless teasing.

She pulled into the familiar paved circle of walk-up apartments in the heart of town, not really remembering how she had gotten there. She parked the car and reached for her bag as her phone chirped a notification alert. She slid it out from her bag to investigate. She wasn’t exactly a social butterfly, as her mother was always quick to point out. She liked to keep her contact information as private as possible, which was only logical after what she had been through.

It can’t be Jeff already... Unless he’s changed his mind?

She unlocked the phone to check. It was a f*******: alert. Someone had sent her a friend request. Kira frowned. She only went on f*******: to keep in touch with a few people. All her postings were private, and the only people who could send her a friend request were those who already had a friend in common with her—a slim chance at best. She scrolled over the notification to see who it was from.

What the... Trevor Wright?

Kira nearly dropped her phone in surprise. Trevor was an entitled, douchebag jock she had gone to high school with. He and his football friends liked to pass the time picking on anyone who didn’t belong in their precious social circle. First, he had decided she must be a lesbian because she was athletic and didn’t try to fit in with the cheerleader types. (It also hadn’t helped that she had showed absolutely no interest in him—something that probably boggled his preening, self-absorbed mind.) Then, he had found out she had been born in Canada while her parents were visiting, earning her the name ‘Kira Beaver,’ which suited both Trevor’s criticisms of her nicely.

One of the many reasons she had been glad to graduate was because it meant she wouldn’t have to see him again. She had later been hired when she was in college as a tutor for his younger half-sister, Stephanie, which had made avoiding Trevor difficult, but somehow, Kira had managed it. Stephanie was a sweet, quiet girl, who loved music and the arts—completely unlike her older brother. She and Kira had clicked right away, and had stayed in touch on f*******: even after Kira had finished tutoring her, which must have given Trevor his in. Kira gave the notification a suspicious look.

He must want something. I don’t know why else he would try to contact me. As if I would ever want to be friends with him...

She tapped the ‘Ignore’ option and put her phone away to head inside. She unlocked the door and entered the apartment to find it in complete darkness. She flicked on the hallway light switch with a sigh, knowing all too well what she would find.

Beyond the entryway, the living and dining rooms were in a state of chaos. Piles of clothing and computer parts littered the floor and furniture, obscuring them from view. She could also make out the shadows of precariously piled dishes and takeout containers on the kitchen counter from where she was standing. A hooded figure hovered over a laptop at the only cleared space on the dining-room table, the wan light of the screen bathing his features in an eerie glow.

Kira marched over to the blinds, turning the wand and yanking them upward to flood the area with sunlight. The hooded figure cowered, uttering a moan of protest like some kind of wounded hobgoblin.

“What the hell, Rob?” she demanded. “You were supposed to clean up this pigsty. I’ve been gone for hours! Have you just been sitting here in the dark, wallowing in your own filth all this time?”

Rob emerged from the shadow of his hoodie to scowl at her. “I was working. The sun was bothering me.” His brown curls were a matted tangle and his jaw was covered in stubble.

Kira did her best to keep her patience. “You promised you would clean this place up today.”

She shuddered to think what Jeff would think if he came to pick her up and the apartment still looked like it had been taken over by a pack of squatters.

“It’s my mess,” Rob said, stretching his arms and rolling his neck. “What do you care? I thought we agreed this area was my domain. You get the bedroom, remember?”

“We also agreed I wouldn’t have to climb over piles of crap to get to and from the kitchen,” Kira said, pushing lumps of clothing aside with her foot to make a path toward where he was sitting. She hated being a nag, but Rob usually didn’t give her much choice in the matter. “Do you want me to pin you face-down out here? ‘Cause I won’t pick one of the clean piles.”

“OK, OK,” Rob said, holding up his hands as Kira approached. “I’ll get to it. I know I’ve let things slide lately.”

“Lately?” Kira said, raising an eyebrow before shaking her head. “Do you think you could get to it sometime soon? I have someone coming over.”

Her roommate’s brown eyes lit with interest. “Is it a boy?”

Kira blushed, rolling her eyes. “Yes, it’s a boy—I mean, a man. It’s Jeff, from the gym.”

Rob gave her a knowing grin. “I always thought you seemed more interested in going when you were meeting him there. Is he hot?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“We are not having this conversation,” Kira said, ignoring her burning cheeks. “I need to get ready. Can you please try to get this place cleaned up?”

“I guess I’ll find out for myself soon enough,” Rob said, ignoring her. “He must be good looking if you don’t want to talk about it.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re not his type, Rob,” Kira called over her shoulder as she left the room.

“You never know,” Rob called back. “I’ve made converts before!”

Kira opened her mouth to shout a comeback and suddenly remembered the alert on her phone. She poked her head back into the living room.

“Hey, guess who sent me a friend request today?”

Rob shrugged. “You don’t really expect me to guess, do you? You don’t exactly have a lot of friends to begin with. That leaves me with ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the population of La Valentia alone to choose from.”

Kira considered throwing a nearby stained T-shirt at him, but she didn’t like the idea of having to touch it. Besides, his reaction to what she was about to tell him would be so much better...

“Trevor Wright.” She crossed her arms and waited.

Rob began to curse in Spanish. Kira winced at some of his more... creative turns of phrase. “That xenophobic prick?” Rob demanded. “What did he want?”

“I don’t know. I ignored it, of course. I don’t know what made him think I might actually accept.”

Rob continued to mutter obscenities under his breath. He had also borne the brunt of Trevor’s bullying—both for being Latino and openly gay.

“I suppose he might have wanted to reach out to make amends, or something,” Kira suggested, trying not to sound completely skeptical. Maybe she should have given Trevor the benefit of the doubt. “It’s been a long time since we were in high school. Maybe he’s changed.”

Rob snorted. “I doubt it.”

“So you think it’s weird too, right?”

Rob stared off into the distance with a dark expression. “Very weird. He must be up to something.”

“Well, I ignored it, so hopefully that’s the last I’ll hear from him,” Kira said, trying to sound cheerful. “Anyway, I guess I’d better get ready for my date. Please try to have this place somewhat presentable by the time Jeff gets here.”

Rob made a noncommittal grunt in response as Kira left the room. She headed for the bathroom, doing her best not to worry.

Maybe I shouldn’t have told him about Trevor. God knows he was much worse to Rob than he ever was to me...

Kira forced all thoughts of Trevor and high school aside to focus on getting ready. It had been a long time since she had been on a date. She wasn’t about to let Trevor ruin it.

She took her time in the shower, letting the hot water soothe her sore muscles while washing away the sweat. She considered doing something fancy with her hair, but in the end she opted to simply leave it down instead of confining it to her usual ponytail. She hummed softly to herself as she ran a comb through her long waves. She barely bothered with makeup, only using a bit of cover-up to disguise some bruising from her training.

When she was finished, she padded into the sanctuary of her room to pick out something to wear. Unlike the rest of the apartment, the bedroom was tidy with everything in its proper place. Kira went through the occasional sloppy phase that might last for a few days when she might not make her bed and leave a few clothes on the floor, but living with Rob usually pushed her in the opposite direction. She was in a position now that she could afford to live in her own place if she chose, but certain events from her past had made her leery of living alone.

She surveyed her domain with satisfaction. Her queen-size bed was neatly made and there wasn’t a stray sock in sight. Her desk was tidy and organized, holding her laptop, sketch pad, and several foreign language dictionaries. Her college diploma hung on the wall, accompanied by a poster of UFC fighter, Ronda Rousey, and several for Nine Inch Nails. Most importantly, there were no newspaper clipping or other reminders of her time immediately following graduation. Here, she could almost forget those haunting events had ever taken place—unlike what had happened in the cage earlier.

Kira pulled a pair of dark jeans from her dresser, slipping them up over her hips. She doubted Jeff was planning to take her anywhere fancy for their first date. He was a pretty casual guy. She rummaged through her closet for a top that would suit her needs. The sound of the front door closing, immediately followed by male voices made her start. Her eyes darted to the digital clock beside her bed.

Crap. He’s early!

Kira yanked a sleeveless, black top from a hanger, struggling to pull it on while using her foot to fish around the bottom of her closet for a decent pair of shoes. She dug through her modest jewelry box, pulling out a pair of silver hoop earrings, jabbing them on. The voices beyond her room had gone quiet—an ominous sign.

She left her room in disarray, closing the door behind her. She took several deep breaths as she walked down the hall leading to the living room, unsure what she would find there. Steeling herself, she peeked inside.

Rob was back on his laptop, his eyes glued to the screen. Jeff sat on the couch with his hands in his lap, looking awkward. He wore jeans and a short sleeved, button up shirt, confirming Kira’s wardrobe choice. His dark hair was loose around his shoulders. At least Rob had cleared off the couch and consolidated his piles of clothing to one corner of the room. Kira took an exploratory sniff. It also smelled as if he had been quite liberal with the air freshener. The kitchen still looked like a disaster though. She supposed it was the best she could hope for on such short notice.

Rob noticed her peering around the corner and gave her a covert look of approval from behind his laptop, jerking his head in Jeff’s direction. Kira rolled her eyes before stepping into the room.

Jeff rose from the couch as soon as he saw her with a relieved smile.

“Hi,” he said. “Sorry I’m a bit early.”

“That’s OK,” Kira said, smiling back. “I see you’ve met my roommate, Rob.” She was glad she had already mentioned her living situation with Rob before. The last thing she wanted was Jeff thinking they were exes with a torrid past.

“Yeah,” Jeff said. “He let me in.”

Kira gave Rob a pointed look, hoping he would say something, but he shrugged, remaining mute.

This isn’t awkward at all... Rob may mock my social skills, but he’s next to useless without his computer.

“So, where are we going?” she asked, pressing onward.

“I thought we would go to Pete’s, if that’s OK with you,” Jeff said.

“Perfect,” Kira said. Pete’s was a local gourmet pizzeria with a relaxed atmosphere. It was also one of Kira’s favorite places to eat. “I’ll just go grab my jacket.”

Both Rob and Jeff shot her pleading looks before she left the room. Kira shook her head as she trotted back down the hall. She was pretty sure they would get along if they would only start talking. She darted back into her room, searching for her jacket. She was just reaching for it from the closet when a horrified scream erupted from the living room. She snatched it up and ran to investigate.

What the hell? I’ve only been out of the room for two minutes!

She arrived breathless in the living room to find Rob cowering in the far corner of the dining room making retching sounds. Jeff was on his feet by the couch, watching him, his expression warring between fascination and concern.

“What’s going on in here?” Kira demanded.

“You!” Rob said, rising to his feet and pointing at her. “You sneaky little b***h!”

“Hey!” Jeff stepped forward between them. “What’s your problem?” He turned to face Kira. “I was just sitting here when he jumped out of his chair and started freaking out at his computer.”

Kira stepped out from behind Jeff and approached Rob’s laptop.

“Oh,” she said, feeling chagrined as she saw the flashing images on the screen. “I forgot about that.”

“Take them off,” Rob pleaded. “Take them off!”

“What is it?” Jeff asked, coming over to stand beside Kira before she could stop him. He did a double take. “What the—?”

Kira sighed, collecting herself as a series of close-up photos of feet flashed across the screen in an endless loop. Most of them appeared to belong to hairy men, and several of them had ingrown toenails.

“He has this thing about feet,” Kira said, trying to explain. “Not just gross-looking ones. I mean feet, in general. He’s freaked out by them.”

“It’s called Podophobia!” Rob squeaked from his corner. “It’s a real thing!”

Jeff looked from Kira to Rob and back again. “Why did you put those pictures on his computer?”

Kira bit her lip. “I know it seems mean. But sometimes when our apartment is really messy and I can’t seem to do anything to get him to help clean up, I sneak onto his computer when he’s in the shower and set up a slide show to go off sometime later in the day. He’s always glued to that laptop. It’s the only way I can get him off it long enough to do anything.”

Jeff looked at Kira, frowning in confusion. “But I thought Rob was a... securities expert. How did you manage to infiltrate his laptop?”

Jeff was being polite. Most people would have said ‘hacker.’ Rob was a freelance coder and ‘securities expert,’ who worked for hire to find holes in the firewalls and Internet security systems of the companies who hired him.

Kira shrugged. “I help him on some of his jobs to he can take on more work and he splits the fees with me. I don’t have a fancy handle, and I’m nowhere near as good, but I’ve learned a few things—enough to bypass his laptop security.”

Rob was cursing. “She’s too damn smart for her own good. I should never have taught you anything! You’ve sullied my baby...” He gestured toward his computer.

“‘Handle?’” Jeff asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t ask,” Kira said, shaking her head.

Rob drew himself up. “I’m known as ‘Maverick’ by my peers.”

Kira rolled her eyes. “Well, let’s see you ‘maverick’ your way out of this!” She turned the laptop so the flashing screen faced him, making him recoil.

“You know I can’t,” Rob said, averting his gaze.

“Then I guess you’ll have to clean this place up,” she said. “You know the deal. If this place is clean by the time I get home, I’ll take off the pictures.” She pushed the laptop toward him.

“All right, all right! I’ll do it,” Rob grumbled. “Now get out of here, so I can start working.”

Kira gave him a parting wave as she led the way to the front door. Jeff was quiet until they got into his car.

“So, he’s afraid of feet,” he said, breaking the silence.

“Yup,” Kira said, hoping their date wasn’t totally ruined.

Jeff shook his head in disbelief. “OK, I have some follow-up questions...”

Kira tilted her head back with a sigh. “Somehow, I knew you would.”