Ch. 4 — Balcony War
930 Words
Ruby woke up feeling like she’d been hit by a truck made entirely of bass speakers.
Her head pounded.
Her eyes felt heavy.
Her mood was somewhere between “stabby” and “I might cry.”
She sat up, groaning. The sunlight sliced across her room as if mocking her miserable night. She dragged herself to the window, half-expecting to see the Kingston mansion still glowing like a nightclub.
Instead, the backyard was spotless.
Not a single cup.
Not a single piece of trash.
No sign there’d been a chaotic, illegal-level party just hours ago.
Ruby squinted.
“How did they… clean all that… so fast?”
As if summoned by her annoyance, the balcony door next door slid open.
Kai stepped out.
Of course he looked perfect at 8 a.m.
Of course he wasn’t tired.
Of course he stretched like he hadn’t ruined her entire night.
Ruby scowled.
He glanced up—and smirked the second he saw her.
Ruby rolled her eyes so hard she almost saw her brain.
Kai leaned against his railing, arms crossed, looking far too satisfied for someone who caused neighborhood-level sleep deprivation.
“Well, well,” he said. “Good morning, princess.”
Ruby’s eyebrows shot up. “Did you just—what did you call me?”
He shrugged. “Princess. You know… since you threw a royal tantrum last night.”
Ruby’s mouth dropped open. “I did NOT throw a tantrum! I asked you to turn the music down!”
“You yelled,” he corrected. “Loudly. Dramatically. It was very princess-like.”
“I hate you,” Ruby said instantly.
He put a hand over his heart, pretending to be wounded.
“Already? Wow. That was fast, even for me.”
Ruby gripped the railing. “You’re insufferable!”
“Cute word,” he said. “You Google that this morning or something?”
Ruby nearly launched her water bottle at him.
“You’re a spoiled brat,” she snapped. “With too much money and zero manners.”
Kai grinned like she’d just handed him the best compliment of his life.
“Ah. There it is. The fire.” He pointed at her. “Knew you had some spark under all that grumpy-new-girl energy.”
Ruby blinked. “Are you… trying to flirt or insult me?”
He tilted his head. “Who says I can’t do both?”
“Wow,” she muttered. “You really believe you’re God’s gift, don’t you?”
“I mean,” he said casually, “a lot of people seem to think that.”
Ruby’s frustration spiked. “Yeah—girls who confuse confidence with being a jerk.”
Kai raised a brow. “Pretty sure you are confused, princess.”
“Stop calling me that!”
“You don’t like it?”
“No!”
He smirked wider. “Then I definitely won’t stop.”
Ruby threw her hands up. “You’re impossible!”
Kai tapped the railing with his fingers, studying her like she was an interesting puzzle he wasn’t sure how to solve yet.
“You’re new,” he said. “You’ll adjust.”
“Adjust? Adjust to what? Your psychotic party schedule?”
“Psychotic?” he repeated. “That’s a new insult. I like it.”
She glared at him. “I have school today, you know.”
“So do I,” he said.
“You don’t look tired.”
“I'm not,” he said simply. “I don’t get tired easily.”
“Good for you,” Ruby muttered. “Some of us need sleep.”
Kai lifted an eyebrow. “Wow. That sounds like a you problem.”
Ruby squeezed the railing tighter. “You are the physical embodiment of frustration.”
“And you,” he said, pointing at her again, “are the highlight of my morning.”
Ruby froze.
“…excuse me?”
Kai shrugged, smirking in that infuriating Kai-way.
“Come on, princess. We had our first official balcony fight. Feels kinda… iconic.”
Ruby stared at him, speechless.
Was he serious? Was he mocking her?
Did he think this was fun?
Kai ruffled his already perfect hair and turned to head back inside.
“Oh, and Ruby?” he called over his shoulder.
She stiffened. “What?”
He looked back at her, expression annoyingly gentle for half a second.
“Try not to let me ruin your whole day.”
Then the smirk returned.
“Not saying I won’t do it again. Just… try.”
Ruby blinked hard. “I—why would you—ugh!”
He laughed lightly and slid the door shut behind him.
Ruby stomped into her room, muttering curses under her breath.
Princess? Seriously?
Spoiled brat? He deserved worse.
How is someone that good-looking AND that unbearable at the same time?
Why couldn’t we have moved literally anywhere else?
As Ruby threw on clothes for school, she kept replaying the balcony fight again and again.
Not because she enjoyed it—absolutely not.
She was still furious.
Still annoyed.
Still mortified that he’d witnessed her full sleep-deprived meltdown.
But she couldn’t ignore one irritating truth:
Kai Kingston had enjoyed it.
She could see it in the smirk on his face.
He found her…
Amusing.
And that made her even more determined.
If he thought she was just another girl who’d swoon at his smile or put up with his crap, he was dead wrong.
This was a war.
A balcony war.
And Ruby Bennett had no plans of losing.
- Writer
