Crane

KAI

The sun beams onto my forehead as I sip my coffee, wincing at the strength.

Why can’t Crane make a decent cup of coffee? We drink it every fucking day; it’s not rocket science.

He slurps on his coffee beside me, and I shoot him a look.

“The fuck’s wrong with you, Crane?”

Crane rolls his head to the side, lowering his sunglasses to glare at me with sleepy eyes.

“My dad’s a prick. My mom’s obsessive. I guess I was destined to be a cunt.”

Despite myself, I snort with laughter, indicating the coffee cup.

“This tastes like fucking tar.”

“Language, Kai,” Mom scolds from behind me, picking up my hoodie from the rattan chairs beside the grill. “Clean up your shit, would you?”

Such a fucking hypocrite.

“Sorry, Ma.”

Mom shakes her head, gathering the beer cans from last night’s bonding session between Crane and me.

We’d been friends since the first day of senior high when I caught the football he’d failed to catch, and it must’ve been his scowl that wooed me into being his best friend because it sure as fuck wasn’t his manners.

He’d called me a cunt, and he had me.

“Crane, do you even have a home?” Mom sighs good-naturedly, her eyes softening as they always do with him.

I swear she sees him as her own child.

“Well, I do, but we’re out of coffee,” Crane answers with a wink, lifting his mug.

“So you’re here for the coffee?”

Crane pauses, picking up a bowl from beside him.

“You also have Lucky Charms.”

He tilts the bowl to the side, allowing the milk to pool away from his Lucky Charms, and scoops them into his mouth.

“I’ll stop buying those then,” Mom teases, glancing up at the upper level of the house. “Did you see your sister last night?”

“Yup.”

I offer no further explanation, and she studies the two of us intently.

“Boys?”

Crane hides behind his cereal bowl, and I groan inwardly.

My sister is so naughty it’s ridiculous, constantly sneaking out to parties despite my parents reminding her she is in her final year and needs to get her head down.

“Was she out again?”

I shrug, not wanting to be that dick.

Sierra may be my little sister, but I don’t snitch.

“Your dad will go mad,” Mom groans, her hands on her hips. “She promised she would study for that damn test. Biology, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, she studied for that,” I scoff, glancing at Crane, who has gone quiet.

“She did?” Mom brightens up, and I almost roll my eyes at her naivety. “Oh. Well, that’s good then. I’m going to the store. Your dad has guests this evening, remember?”

I don’t, but I know I’m about to be reminded.

“Mr. and Mrs. Hale, your dad’s boss and his wife?” Mom stares at me, pursing her lips when I give her a blank look.

“Right, and?” I shrug, pushing my coffee onto the side, cursing my best friend.

I need caffeine.

“You and Sierra need to be there, Kai. It’s important to Dad.”

Crane says nothing from beside me, but he knows why I’m pissed.

Fucking Declan Hale, the most irritating guy I knew, would be at my house tonight.

“Do I have to? You know his son is a prick.”

Mom narrows her eyes at me, tapping her foot, a sure sign she is majorly pissed.

“Kai Julian—”

“Morning.”

My mom stops mid-ass kicking, her eyes moving to the owner of the voice behind me.

“Good morning, Sierra.”

Crane stiffens beside me, but I pretend not to notice, annoyed with the way they behave around one another.

Sierra drifts in wearing a floaty dress that barely covers her ass cheeks, her hair falling in waves around her waist.

“Your hair is longer than your dress, Sierra.” Crane points out with a smirk as Mom rolls her eyes.

“I’m going. Be nice to each other. Sierra, dinner tonight with—”

“The Stales. Got it.” Sierra lifts a glass of orange juice to her lips, drinking greedily as Mom gapes at her.

“Sierra!” She splutters, and I can’t hide my smile. “They’re a lovely family, and Declan has a soft spot for you—”

“I think you mean a hard spot, Mom.” Sierra giggles while Crane chokes on his coffee.

See what I mean? They’re idiots.

“Are you okay, Crane?” Sierra asks, all wide eyes as Crane colors beside me.

“I’m fine. How’s your head?” Crane shoots back, not missing a beat.

Sierra glares at him, and Crane smirks at her.

“My head is fine.”

“Yes, Kai said you were studying Biology last night.” Mom smiles brightly at Sierra, who cuts her eyes at me. “What was it? Anatomy?”

This time I can’t hold my laughter, and a loud booming laugh escapes my lips as Sierra rolls her eyes.

“It was, Mom, yeah.” Sierra shrugs her shoulders, her finger tapping the side of her head. “It was so interesting. Who knew? Anyway, I’m going to get some breakfast. Bye, guys.”

My sister storms past us, glaring at us as she whispers under her breath. “Dicks.”

“You know,” I drawl, sliding my sunglasses on and closing my eyes. Pointless, I know, but it still made it that little bit darker for me. “If you like my sister—”

Crane groans, cutting me off. “I don’t.”

“Yeah? It seems like it.”

Crane makes a face at me before punching me on the shoulder.

“Why? Because I help you keep her safe? I do that for you, bro.”

“Why do you go all weird when she’s around? You know I wouldn’t give a shit if you and she got together.”

It’s true—I wouldn’t.

Crane is a good guy, and it would be nothing short of amusing to see him and Sierra as a couple.

“Stop being a prick,” Crane mutters, glancing back to the house. “She drives me mad, bud. I don’t know how you put up with her.”

I sigh, lifting off the seat to make a better cup of coffee.

“With your help, of course. Can you stay for dinner tonight? You know I’ll end up knocking Declan out if he tries it on with my sister.”

Crane doesn’t respond, tapping away on his phone.

“Hello?” I yawn, stretching.

I could go to the gym today, but part of me wanted to laze in bed and watch movies.

“Sorry. Liza.” Crane mumbles, carrying his mug to the dishwasher and dropping it in like he lived here.

“Liza, huh?” I tease, knowing Crane would react.

“Fuck off, man. You know what she’s like.”

“You keep giving her the good stuff; she’s gonna keep coming back for more. Anyway, what’re you moaning about? Liza is hot.”

Liza Jones was in my sister’s year and head cheerleader. She had recently broken up with her boyfriend, Jaden, and found herself in Crane’s bed more than once.

I wouldn’t mind her curvy ass in my bed, as long as she kept quiet. All she ever seemed to do was talk, and I couldn’t give a flying fuck.

“Liza Jones?” Sierra frowns, walking in to refill her orange juice. “Ew, you better not, Kai. That’s all I need.”

“Oh no,” I grin, winking at Crane, who rolls his eyes at me. “Liza is with Crane.”

A flicker of disbelief darkens in my sister’s eyes, and I watch as she collects herself, biting her bottom lip with a shrug.

“Oh. Well, in that case, I don’t care.”

Crane watches her, and I notice how his eyes trail down her slowly, drinking her in.

Does he think I’m fucking blind?

“Your jealous eyes say otherwise, Sierra.”

Crane winks at her as she turns to him, outraged.

“Jealous? Of Liza Jones? Pfft. Hardly. She’s good at sucking dick, though, according to Jaden.”

Crane frowns, glancing at me at the mention of Jaden.

“Yeah?” Crane asks with interest. “That’s interesting because I wasn’t blown away; pardon the pun.”

Sierra dips a straw into her orange juice, sucking on it with delight as I turn away, leaving them to it.

“Yeah, but he said I was better.”

Now I know she’s fucking with Crane because Jaden is a walking STD. Sierra wouldn’t touch him with someone else’s mouth, but Crane didn’t know that.

“You and Jaden?”

I drift up to my room, leaving the pair of dicks to play games with one another.

I wish they’d just admit it and move the fuck on; I had better things to do with my time.

I settled onto my bed, sweeping through my DMs.

A hot girl from college is having a party tonight; would I like to come?

Fuck yeah.

All I had to do was sit through this shitty dinner then I was outta here.

I hear the front door slam, followed by the sound of Sierra stomping up to her room.

Ah, young love.