Starting from Scratch (Starting from 2)

“He didn’t know any Led Zeppelin songs,” I replied.

“Huh?”

“That’s Charlie’s favorite band,” Oliver piped in.

Ky narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “How come I didn’t know that?”

I shrugged. “You do now.”

“Hmm. I wouldn’t have guessed that. Ever. Beyoncé, Madonna, Britney…sure, but—”

“Thanks for the stereotype,” I snarked before adding, “I like all those divas and quite a few more, but after Zero, of course, Zep is my favorite band.”

“Why?”

“My dad’s a big classic rock fan. Especially seventies rock. I grew up listening to music that was popular thirty years before I was born. I still have a serious crush on young Robert Plant and pretty much any musician who looks anything like him,” I gushed, licking ice cream from my spoon like a cat.

“Good to know.” Ky fixated on my mouth for a long moment, then cleared his throat. “So, um…your principal likes Charlie, eh?”

“Everyone likes Charlie. Even when they don’t want to. It would be easier if he was my age so he could go to school with me. Then no one would bug me.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, but you don’t need me. You’ve got this on your own. School just started last month. There’s plenty of time to meet new friends.”

Oliver hung his head suddenly and concentrated on his ice cream. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Have you thought about trying a sport?” Ky asked conversationally.

I let out a strangled cough and swallowed a big bite, accidentally giving myself a freeze-head as Oliver unleashed a new round of woes. I shot a sideways death glare, instantly revoking my “Ky’s not so bad” card.

“I’m on the soccer team, but I don’t play ’cause it’s for a club and they only want the good players on the field. I sit on the bench with—”

“All righty. That’s enough of this pep talk,” I scowled. “I’m gonna have to call my therapist and break out my EVS.”

Ky rolled his eyes. “What the fu—what’s an EVS?”

“Emotionally vulnerable soundtrack,” Oliver said matter-of-factly. “Charlie has soundtracks for everything.”

“Yeah, I bet.” Ky chuckled.

“Ollie, do me a huge favor and grab a few napkins for me, please.” I smiled tightly and waited until he was out of earshot before turning to Ky. “Listen, Sally Sunshine, your Nike-esque advice isn’t going to help. He can’t just do it. ‘Go make friends, go join a team, go conquer the fucking world.’ That’s not Oliver. He thinks everything through and then dissects it and thinks about it again before he acts. Trying a new sport isn’t going to help anything. I’m sure you mean well, but you sound like a dad right now, and trust me, it’s the last thing he needs.”

Ky narrowed his eyes. “I sound like a dad? Me? Dude, you have no idea how wrong you are. I sure as fuck don’t sound like mine anyway.”

“Don’t get insulted. Someone has to keep it real, Ky. All the so-called adults in his life are busy, so they put me in charge. Let’s be honest.…I wouldn’t ask me to water your plants, let alone watch your kid. So I admit I might not have a clue, but I don’t think that you can tell a kid what to do and expect a miracle.”

“You’re right. You have to show them,” he agreed, casting a friendly smile at Oliver when he approached the table again. “Hey, how do you feel about skateboarding?”

I gave Ky the “what the fuck?” look he deserved while Oliver mulled over the question with his head cocked so his hair fell over his eyes.

“I like it. I’m not very good, but Gray and Justin let me ride their boards sometimes,” Ollie replied.

“Right. I saw you cruising on your stomach around the pool. Have you tried standing up?”

Ollie snickered. “Yeah, I fell in the pool.”

“I can teach you how to ride without falling if you’re interested.” When Ollie didn’t respond right away, Ky pushed his chair back and stood. “Think about it. Skateboarding is one of those weird skills that gets you where you want to go in more ways than one.”

“Okay. When?”

“I’ll give you lessons whenever you’re free. Your brother and I can work something out.” He gave Ollie a high five and ruffled his hair. “See ya, Ol.”

Then he smirked at me before tucking his skateboard under his arm and heading for the exit. Yes…smirked. I saw fifty shades of red in less than three seconds. The urge to rip his head off was so strong, I had to count to ten and remind myself that public displays were only entertaining when I wasn’t headlining. I clenched my jaw, reached for my spoon, and—oh fuck it.

“Don’t move a muscle. I’ll be right back,” I said as I jumped out of my seat and raced for the door.

2

Ky

“Ky!”

I bit back my grin when I turned to face Charlie. I wondered how far I’d make it before he came for me. The guy was a fuckin’ hothead who made close to zero effort to hide his dislike for me. It was far too easy to yank his chain. Though this time around, my intentions were good. I liked Oliver. In fact, I was Oliver once upon a time. I knew what it was like to deal with absentee parents and the wicked chorus in my head telling me I deserved to be alone and invisible.