“Kendall!” I shouted, and she stopped mid-laugh, looking at me with her mouth set in a thin line.
Her friend walked up to me and I felt like a mother hen standing there with my arms crossed and Amanda peering at the scene in front of us from behind my back. It felt like the roles had been reversed with the two of them that day.
“What the fuck is going on here?” I barked, and the guy rushed to shake my hand.
“Hello, Mr. Reed,” he said kindly. “Not sure you remember me, I’m a friend of Kendall’s…”
“I don’t give a shit,” I snapped, smacking his hand away.
He gave me a surprised glare, but I focused my attention on Kendall instead. I’d never been angrier. Both Mandy and I had been worried sick, waiting for her after school. She never showed up, though, and I got more and more worried as the hours passed. It was completely unlike Kendall to come home this late after school, and her phone went straight to voicemail. Her mother had no idea where she was either, not that she seemed bothered by it. She didn’t even offer to come back home and help us look for Kendall. Fucking bitch.
“You didn’t answer your phone,” I spat at Kendall, and she glared at me. “You fucking have that expensive phone for a reason.”
“Yeah, to call my mom,” she hissed. “And my mom isn’t here. You don’t get to set the rules, Levi.”
I heard Amanda’s sharp intake of breath from behind me. She’d crossed a line for fucking sure, and I wasn’t about to let her get away with it. I’d never been angrier at Kendall, never this fucking tempted to slap her across her beautiful face. I’d been worried fucking sick, and here she was, strolling on the lawn as if nothing had happened.
“You don’t get to talk to me like that,” I told her, grabbing her forearm.
She struggled, trying to tear herself out of my arms but I wouldn’t let her. No way was she getting away now.
“Levi, you’re hurting me,” she cried out.
“Hey man, let her go,” her friend cut in, making a grab for me.
I couldn’t help myself. I knocked the kid flat out with a single punch.
“LEVI!” Kendall shouted, tearing herself out of my grip and kneeling next to him on the ground.
“Uncool,” Amanda told me before coming from behind my back and joining the two kids on the lawn.
My fist fucking stung and I was still pissed as hell. My girls helped the kid pick himself up, and I noticed the blood flowing from his nose. I was too damn angry to feel remorse, though. I would have punched him again if I didn’t know better.
“Get the fuck off my lawn,” I snarled at the kid, and he stumbled towards his car. “And don’t you ever dare touch Kendall again.”
He gave her a look and shook his head, holding his nose as he got in the car. He revved the engine and reversed off our driveway, and Amanda stared at me as I stormed closer to them.
“Amanda,” I barked. “Get the fuck inside and let me deal with this.”
She gave Kendall a concerned look, but her sister waved her off. I didn’t move my eyes off Kendall as Amanda got up and walked towards the house as slowly as she possibly could, probably fucking desperate to hear the speech I was going to give. But I was going to deal with this with Kendall in private. And she wasn’t going to get away with it, either.
“I was worried fucking sick,” I snarled at her. “You were gone for hours. You were supposed to be home at four!”
“So?” she bit back, getting up from the lawn and glaring at me. “You’re not the boss of me last time I checked.”
She looked fucking beautiful like that, her eyes blazing and her tiny hands forming little fists I wanted her to tangle in my hair. She was fucking glorious.
“You should have called, Kendall,” I told her heatedly. “Or at least texted or fucking something, so I wouldn’t be worried out of my fucking mind!”
“My phone died,” she shouted back, pulling her phone out of her bag and waving it at me. “It’s not my damn fault!”
“We fucking waited for you,” I said. “Amanda and me, we waited for hours. She was worried sick! Don’t you give a shit about your sister at least, if you don’t care about me?”
“Of course I care,” she hissed. “You’re the one who doesn’t care!”
She started sobbing uncontrollably, and I felt all too aware of being in the front yard where any of the neighbors could see us. I had no idea what else to do, so I took her by the arm and gently nudged her towards the house. She stumbled in front of me, over the welcome mat and into the house. Then, she tore her arm out of my grip once again and glared at me with so much hatred it was a wonder I didn’t burst into flames on the spot.