Aggro - CoraLee June Page 0,31

with Kai off to the side trying his best to look happy about taking thirty-seven selfies in a row. My dad had photobombed them in the picture at the surf shop. Vi must have taken it during one of her shifts. He was making a funny face and holding his arms out wide. Looking at it made me smile.

“Are you sure you don’t want any of the pictures?” I asked, still staring at them.

“They were more Violet’s thing. She printed them and brought them over one day; she said they made the bus feel cozier.” Kai shrugged. “I don’t want to look at them every day. I have pictures on my phone if I want them.”

I knew that everyone navigated grief differently. Some people clung to their loved one’s memories with a vise-like grip. Some wanted to completely eradicate the pain from their life. I didn’t want to judge Kai for being so quick to get rid of Violet’s things, but I didn’t understand it either. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t think I’d ever be ready.

“What are you thinking?” Kai asked as I put Violet’s things back in the box and sealed it shut.

“Just thinking how everyone processes things differently. I’m not ready to go through all her stuff at my house.”

Kai stiffened. “Are you accusing me of something? Just because I don’t want to cry over her box of crap doesn’t mean I don’t miss her, Breeze.”

I chewed on my lip. “I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m just different, that’s all.” I averted my gaze. There was something that had been bothering me since we found her body. It was probably foolish to bring it up, but I wanted to know. “You didn’t cry,” I whispered.

“What?”

“When we found her body, you didn’t cry. You didn’t go into shock. You didn’t do...anything. You dragged us out of the woods. You were calm in a way I never could be.”

I finally turned to face Kai and noticed a couple beads of sweat collecting on his brow. His shoulders were drawn up, with his elbows tucked into his sides. “If you want to know something, why don’t you just ask, Breeze?” Kai gritted.

“Why didn’t you cry?”

My question must have caught him off guard, because Kai furrowed his brow and stared at me before answering. “It wasn’t the first dead body I’d ever seen. Someone had to get you two out of there. I’m just better about compartmentalizing than most because I’ve seen more than most.”

I opened my mouth to ask him more. I wanted to know what he could have possibly seen to desensitize him to the graphic nature of Violet’s death. I didn’t understand how he could be so detached. But just as I was about to ask, a loud knock on the door interrupted us. I jumped at the sharp rapping of a fist on metal.

“Fuck,” Kai groaned. “Stay right here.” He got up and answered the door and I grabbed the discarded box of Violet’s belongings, clutching it close to my chest, as if her things could protect me from this awkward conversation. The moment the door was open, a low voice greeted Kai.

“Hey, bro. I got a shipment for you—”

“I have company,” Kai interrupted. I leaned over, trying to peer around Kai’s bulky body to see who was there.

“Company, huh? Mind if I introduce myself? We’re family after all.”

I didn’t think I had ever heard Kai talk about his family before. It was common knowledge on the island that he had moved out on his own at the age of seventeen, but I didn’t really know much more beyond that. I stepped out from behind Kai, eager to see who was there.

“Hi, I’m Breeze,” I introduced myself to the slightly older version of Kai.

“Well, hello, Breeze. I’m Lex. Kai’s older brother,” he said, leering at me. My skin instantly broke out in goose bumps.

Lex was tall and had black hair like Kai. But that’s where the similarities ended. While Kai was undeniably handsome, Lex’s allure came from the dangerous energy he radiated. His features were small and didn’t quite fill his face. He was lean, not overly muscular, and he was wearing all black, including his jacket that looked very out of place against the beach. I could see tattoos peeking over the neckline of his T-shirt and scrawled across his knuckles. But his single most defining feature was a scar that ran jagged across his right cheek. It began just under his dark, soulless eye and