Chapter One.

chapter one

I sat in my class, my usual seat, the very back. My name is Kaila Highlander, I am seventeen years old with brown eyes and jet black hair, I am the one that everyone makes fun of at school, and I don’t even know why. I sat in the seat between Hail and Jake, my brothers, they are not the protective brothers that you might think they are. They actually were the ones who decided to make my life a living hell. They started roomers about me, and they thought it was just the funniest thing, our parents are rich, and they are literally never home, so they don’t give a damn. The only one that sticks up for me is my older brother, Jared, he is my best friend, but he is eighteen and doesn’t go to our school, it sucks. The bell to Science rang and I got up, grabbing my backpack and walking out of the class, I suddenly tripped and went flying onto the floor. I caught myself by my hands and sighed, I just got up and kept walking. There is no point in fighting back, they’d win. I walked into the cafeteria, everyone stared-well, more like sneered- at me, I just ignored them and went and got my leftover pizza, mm, cold pizza. I sat at my usual empty table in a good mood, I love cold pizza, I didn’t dare show any liking towards it though, if they knew, that would be the end of my pizza. I acted as if I was just going to deal with it, I nibbled on it for a while and took bites every once in a while. I got a text, I pulled out my phone, confused as to who was texting me, it was Jared “hey, I heard about the brand new roomer they created about you, they are quite the creative bunch” he texted. I smiled “yeah, which one? The one where I supposedly have a penis and use the guys bathroom? Or the one where apparently I have hemorrhoids?” I texted. I had to laugh at that roomer, I don’t have hemorrhoids, only old people get hemorrhoids. He texted back fast “I’m on my way to pick you up, I’m going to take you home, I told my teacher I had an emergency, and I called your school and told them you had a doctors appointment” he texted me, I could see the smug smile on his face. I laughed and texted back quickly, picking up my pizza and throwing it in the trash. “thank you big bro, it sucks you don’t go to our school, cause then you would be the king, I know it” I texted as I threw my pizza away. I walked out the cafeteria doors and started down the hall, I was looking at the text Jared sent back when I ran into someone, I fell on my butt and quickly looked around “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to-
“no, its perfectly fine, I wasn’t paying attention, it was my fault” the boy said. The boy I ran into had black hair that went to his shoulders, piercing aqua blue eyes and a matured face, he had broad shoulders and what looked like built arms, he was hot. “no, I- I’m sorry, I was texting my brother, I didn’t see you, it was totally my fault” I said, a little dazed. He smiled “it was both our faults then, hi, I’m Jamie, Jamie Valet” he said, holding his hand out. I shook his hand “hi, I’m Kaila, Kaila Highlander” I said with a smile. His smiled faltered into a confused one “the Kaila Highlander? The one who-
“yes, I am the one who stole my mother’s Porsche and crashed it into a gas station, but hey, I was fourteen and my mother didn’t care, she just bought a new one” I shrugged. He laughed “its an honor to meet you” he said. I chuckled “not for long once you hear the roomers they started” I muttered under my breath. His smile dropped “your brother’s roomers, I have heard of those, I don’t believe them, they’re the stupidest roomers I have ever heard” he said. I wondered how he heard me. I realized we haven’t let go of each other’s hand, I got a text and released my hand from his to reach for my phone, “hey, I’m here, where are you?” Jared asked me. I chuckled and put my phone away “well, I have to go, my brother is waiting for me outside, see you later” I said to him. He smiled and nodded “sure” he said. I nodded and started for the doors, I opened them to see Jared waiting out front, his red Gt500 Shelby idling while he leaned on the side of it. I walked down the stairs and Jared pushed off of his car, he pulled me into a brotherly bear hug, making me laugh breathlessly, he let me go and opened my door for me, I got in and he came around and got in too. He revved his beloved engine that he rebuilt and then sped off “when are you going to start fighting back?” he asked me seriously. I sighed, this was always our conversation “there is no point in fighting back Jared” I sighed. He snorted “why have you lost hope in yourself? Aren’t you the one who stole Moms car just to get a joy ride out of it, when you knew that she’d lock you up in your room for a week?” he asked me. I sighed “yes, I am still her, and I would do it again if she still lived with us, but in school, they wont let me fight back, I have not got a single ally, not one friend, and no, you don’t count because you don’t go to our school” I said as he looked like he was about to protest. Suddenly, he got a glint in his eye, as if he just got a brilliant idea. I shook my head “no, you are not transferring to our school, they will blame me and everyone will hate me worse” I groaned. “its too late, I am going to call when we get home” he said, smiling as if he has just won the lottery. I chucked him hard in the arm “Ow! What was that for?” he asked me. I smiled “for ruining my life completely, I was happy to have my own table, my own little personnel space, and now my life is going to be more of a living hell than it usually is” I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest. He laughed “see, that’s the sister I know, you chuck people when they even suggest something you don’t like, that should be you in school” he murmured. I sighed, “are you really going to transfer?” I asked. He nodded “yep” he said. I chucked him in the arm again and he rubbed it “I am going to have to call the police for big brother abuse” he whimpered flakily. I snorted “please, that’s nothing compared to what ill do to you if this doesn’t go as you planned” I said. He laughed “see, that’s the sister I knew” he said. My smile dropped, “the sister you knew doesn’t exist in school” I whispered. He stopped in front of our house. He turned to me and looked me straight in the eye “to you she doesn’t” was all he said. He got out of the car, and I followed him slowly, coming into the house “thanks for driving me home” I murmured as I was walking upstairs, I heard a grunt, and I almost laughed. I walked into my room and plopped down on my bed, my room is big, I have my own bathroom, my floors are carpeted with cream colored carpet, the walls are a very light blue, like the sky, and my ceiling has different colored polka-dots on it, courtesy of fathead customizable wall stickers, I love my polka-dots. I ran my hand along my grass green bed, it’s supposed to feel like I’m sleeping in the forest, but with the polka-dots covering the ceiling, it feels like I’m sleeping in a fun house. I keep my room extremely clean, there isn’t even a small stain on the carpet. I cant say that much about Jared, Hail and Jake, they are slobs when it comes to their rooms, they never clean, and I wont be their “maid” as they want me to be, they only clean there room when it starts smelling like old feet rapped in burnt bacon, literally… or when a girl is coming over, which-I might add- has happened quite allot. I have considered calling a maid, but once, I called a maid, she came over, and the guys scared her because of how much they drooled over her, she was about nineteen, and she came in one of those black and white mini skirt outfits, they ended up scaring her off. I decided I would call and ask for an older woman so they wouldn’t scare her off… or a man in general. I picked up my phone and dialed the maids service, “hello, welcome to the Highlander’s maid service this is Kathleen how may I help you?” the woman asked. Yes, we have a maid service, that’s pretty much how my parents got rich. “yes, hello, my name is Kaila Highlander, I am looking for an older maid, around forty or a man, do you have anyone like that?” I asked, getting to the point. I heard rustling of paper “yes, we have a woman free, she just turned twenty four, has the most experience in this line of work, can work through the week, her name is Jean” she said. I bit my lip “and you don’t have anyone a little older?” I asked. I heard more paper “no, I’m sorry, our youngest is fifteen” she murmured. “okay, Jean is fine then, can she start immediately?” I asked. “of course, ill send her over right away” the woman said. I nodded “okay, thank you, bye” I said. “it was my pleasure, bye” she murmured. I hung up and ran downstairs “okay, I have hired a maid, she is twenty four, her name is Jean and you will not scare her off, do not flirt with her, understand?” I asked in a threatening voice. Jared looked shocked but nodded “she is too old for me anyway” he said. I nodded once, not convinced, and went back to my room. I got a text, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and groaned “where did you go?” Hail texted. “to the moon, what do you care?” I texted back. He texted back immediately “I am your brother you know, I do care where you go, and who you go with” he texted. I snorted “yeah, you wouldn’t care if I went to a dark alley with a suspected serial killer rapist and I’m home with Jared” I texted. This boy can text! He sent back immediately after I sent it “I would too! And okay, we’ll be home in a few minutes” he texted. I rolled my eyes and put my phone in my pocket, “you know, the reason I brought you home is because I overheard Hail and Jake planning to pour paint on your head in gym” he said. I nodded ’yeah, I knew that, they really shouldn’t have planned it in the room right next to mine” I murmured. “oh, so what were you going to do?” he asked. I laughed “look for the paint bucket, then, as their raining it down, ill throw Hail or Jake under it and move out of the way” I said. He laughed “make the plan backfire” he amended. I nodded “exactly” I said. He laughed and walked out of my room “that’s my little sis” he called out approvingly. I snorted “she never left” I said to myself. I walked downstairs and in the kitchen, only to be tripped by Jake, I growled, getting annoyed with his fetish for tripping me. I got up and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him face to face with me, “your lucky I don’t kick your ass right now, I am stronger than the two of you wimps combined, now you best stop tripping me or I’ll show you why I wasn’t scared when I stole moms car” I growled in his face. He looked a little scared, but covered it up with a smirk “I’m not scared of you” he said. I smiled a smug smile “then why is there fear behind your eyes” I said, using my impression of the princess bride. I kneed him in the groin and dropped him to the ground, “Hail, tell me, why is it you wanted to pour paint on my head? Haven’t you learned already that I can kick your ass in a second?” I asked. He looked a little scared too “uh, no, you never do anything at school, and we don’t really think that you can do anything to us” he said, his voice shook ever so slightly. I gasped in fake shock “you don’t remember do you?” I asked. He looked confused “don’t remember what?” he asked cautiously. I came closer “of course, no one would, you wont remember this either” I murmured. He looked full on scared now “what?” he asked. I balled my hands into fists at my side “this” I said. Then I punched him, as hard as I could, across the face. His eyes rolled back in his head and he fell, I caught him before he could fall and then dragged him with me to the couch, Jake was sitting with his hands holding his groin area, he watched as I dragged Hail to the couch and dropped him there, I smiled sweetly at Jake then headed upstairs “you might want to take Hail to the doctors, I punched him pretty hard” I told Jared. He looked unsurprised “I finally got you to realize that you were bigger than them, didn’t I?” he asked. I nodded and walked into my room “I’m proud of you!” he called. I snorted as a reply, “proud of her? Do you realize what she did?” I heard Jake shout. I laughed “of course” he said simply. I walked into my bathroom “oh, Kaila! Come here, I need to tell you something!” Jared called. I sighed and walked out of my room, walking downstairs “what?” I asked. “my good friend is moving out of his moms house, and he needs a place to stay, so I told him he could live here, his name is Kyle, and he should have been at your school today” he said. I nodded “nope, didn’t see him” I said. He nodded “and since I’m transferring, we can all be together” he said in a baby voice. I snorted “uh-huh, yeah, okay Jared” I said, walking upstairs. “you mean… he can stay?” he asked. I froze and turned to him “why are you asking me? This is practically your house, I mean sure, I can kick your ass anytime I want, but still, this is your house, you choose who lives here and who doesn’t, why in the world are you asking me?” I asked incredulously. He laughed “exactly that, you could kick my ass” he said. I chuckled and nodded “and don’t you forget it, this jack-ass did, and look where he is” I said, gesturing to Hail, who was sloppily thrown on the couch. He laughed, “I know, I wont forget it” he said. I nodded once “good” I said. There was a knock on the door, “that must be the maid” I said. I got up and went to the hallway that led to the door, I walked to the door and opened it, a guy stood there with a smile, the guy looked at me, leaning on the door with a blank look on my face “hello, my name is Kyle, and yours?” he asked with a smirk. Kyle had a pretty boy face, his voice was attractive enough, but his eyes were the most beautiful blue, his hair is a kind of blonde, but looked a little brown, his built arms were uncovered, and his shirt was tight on his body. He was hot. I rolled my eyes “Jared, your friend is here” I called, leaving the door open for him. I walked into the living room with a dry look on my face “he keeps that up, and he’s out” I mouthed to Jared. He looked at me and shrugged, confused as to what he needed to stop doing. I rolled my eyes again and walked upstairs “you can show him his room, I am not your maid” I said. “and she should be here soon by the way, so make sure the house stays relatively clean, I don’t want to over work the poor girl” I said as I walked upstairs. “that’s Kaila, my sister” I heard him tell Kyle. I walked into my room and fell back on the bed “oh… uh, Kaila! We have a memory loss!” Jared called. I snorted and got up, I walked downstairs with a groan “who has memory loss?” I asked. He pointed to Hail, who was sitting up and rubbing his neck, “I told him he wouldn’t remember” I muttered. I walked over to him “do you remember what happened?” I asked loudly. He groaned and put his head in his hands “why do I feel like I just hit my head?” he asked. I chuckled “because your head hit my fist that’s why” I muttered. He looked at me, then realization crossed his face “oh, now I remember, Jake tripped you, then you kneed him, and punched me” he said. I nodded once then got up “he’s fine” I said. The doorbell rang “that must be Jean” I murmured, getting up from the couch. I walked to the door and opened it, I almost groaned, again. The girl was hot, with blonde hair, dark green eyes, a perfect figure and a clear complexion. I wanted to cry, “hi, I’m Jean, you called for me on the phone?” she asked. I nodded, gesturing for her to come in “please come in, and I have to warn you, my brothers are pigs” I said. She laughed “don’t worry, I know how to handle it” she said. I smiled and nodded, she seemed to have handled this before “guys, this is Jean, she is our cleaning lady, please, don’t scare her off like you did that poor girl last time” I sighed. Jared had that drool face on, and I think Hail had too much of a headache to care. Kyle just looked at her as if she didn’t matter to him, Jake looked as if he was ready to pounce, I shot him a warning glare “okay, I’m sorry to have to do this, but Jake’s room is the first room you’ll be visiting” I said, walking her with me upstairs. I stopped in front of Jakes room, “again, please forgive my family, my brother in particular” I murmured, opening the door. Jean looked amused at my pleading for forgiveness, she looked around “its not as bad as some of the houses I’ve seen” she said shrugging. I sighed in relief, “then you can do it without dieing of the smell?” I asked. She laughed and nodded “of course” she murmured. I wanted to fall on my knees and thank the lord for this miracle he has brought me “thank you, you don’t know how long I have waited for someone like you” I laughed. She smiled and nodded “well, I’d better get to work, ill go get my things from the car” she said. I nodded and left her to her business, I walked into my room, smelling the clean air. I sighed and fell on my bed, cuddling my pillow, I think I fell asleep, because the next thing I know, my alarm is signaling me that I must wakeup, I groaned and rolled out of bed, falling onto the palms of my hands, I always did this, it was very fun. I got up and went into my bathroom, bringing my clothes with me, I started the shower and jumped in when it was hot enough. I washed my hair and body quickly, shaved, then jumped out, grabbing my towel and drying off, I brushed my teeth and put deodorant on, then dressed, I left my hair to dry by itself, I think it looks fine natural, so I never do anything with it. I put some lip gloss and mascara on, then some bear minerals foundation. And I was done. I walked out of my bathroom, it takes about an hour for my hair to dry, which is weird because of how much there is, but I don’t complain, I usually wake up an hour before I have to go to school so its dry by the time we leave. I walked downstairs, getting my breakfast, I looked at my phone, then I looked at the date on my phone and groaned, its Saturday! I woke up for nothing? Ugh! I walked back upstairs and ripped my alarm clock out of its socket, raising my hand to throw it “you shouldn’t break your clock, it was only trying to help” I heard an annoyingly attractive voice say behind me. I lowered my hand and looked behind me, Kyle stood there in his boxers, no shirt, half naked. I almost groaned, almost. I shot him a dry look but set my clock back down, plugging it back into the wall, when I got back up, I realized that Kyle was right behind me “uh, I’d appreciate it if you backed up… just a tad” I said. He smirked and moved closer, I bit my lip “Kyle, that is the opposite of what I meant, and, if you saw what happened to Jake and Hail last night, you wouldn’t be doing th-” I was cut off by his lips on mine. He put his arms around me and pulled me to him, I almost lost control and kissed him back, the feel of his soft chiseled chest, his broad shoulders, those lips… yep, I lost control, I kissed him with hunger, passion, and urgency, but then I regained my composure and pushed him away gently. “that was nice” I said dryly as I went to the door. I opened it and walked out, hiding the slight smile that crept up onto my lips. I walked downstairs and into the kitchen, getting the cereal out of the cabinet and the milk out of the fridge, I grabbed a bowl and then poured the cereal, I opened the milk, and the smell hit me like a wrecking ball, I sniffed the milk cautiously and almost gagged, it was bad, really bad. I groaned and grabbed the keys to my car that I never feel like using… or cant use because of my over protective brother whom I am not scared of. I walked out the door and started the car, revving the engine, I drove to the grocery store, my mind intent on milk. I walked to the fridge isle and grabbed the cold milk, I got to a cashier and paid for it. Walking out to my car, I heard the squealing of tires, suddenly, my brothers red Gt500 Shelby stopped beside me “Kaila, what did I tell you about driving?” he asked. I rolled my eyes “I have a license you know, I’m not dumb” I said. He glared at me “you drove mom’s car into a gas station” he reminded me. I snorted “yeah, when I was fourteen, get off my ass” I said, opening my car door. I saw him get angrier, “Kaila Evans Highlander, get out of the car now!” he shouted. I froze as I was halfway in “don’t you dare call me that, I hate my middle name and you know that!” I shouted, getting into the car. Why, You might ask? Because its my mothers middle name, she left without even a second glance at me. I turned the car on and revved the engine, getting in, I backed out carefully, I drove out of the parking lot with an angry brother hot on my tail. I noticed Kyle in the seat next to him, trying not to laugh. I drove home and parked in the driveway, getting out and stomping into the house, I literally threw the milk into the fridge “I got milk” I said, slamming the fridge and stomping up the stairs, running into my room and slamming the door as hard as I could, locking it. I hate it when he calls me by my middle name, it makes me think of my mother, she used to be kind and sweet, she used to love me like a mother should, but that changed when we started getting richer, she got… greedy I guess, her and dad both decided that we were only hurdles they needed to jump in order to be free and fully rich, so they moved to Hawaii, leaving us here to fend for ourselves, I was only fifteen at the time, I asked her why she was leaving… and you know what she said? “you’re the reason sweetie, your ruining my rich lifestyle” she said in a baby voice. All I could do that day was stare at the door they left through in shock and hurt, those were the feelings that I always feel, even now, as I sit here two years later, I sometimes find myself staring at the door, shock and hurt gone, anger taking its place, the day after they left, I became despondent, I went into depression for a while, because I knew it was my fault, and I knew they hated me, they were all there when she said it. they blame me, and that’s why the roomers started, when we got rich… it changed us all, my brothers used to be over protective, they used to not even let me near a guy they didn’t trust, but now, they couldn’t care less if I ran off with an ex-con, except for maybe Jared, he’s still pretty protective of me. But when my mom left, I never left my room, part in depression, and part in fear of the accusing stares I’d get. There was a knock on my door, I realized I was sitting, curled in the same corner I sat in the day after mom left “Kaila, I’m sorry, open the door, I didn’t mean to use that name, I know how much it upsets you” Jared said from behind the door. I didn’t move, nor speak. “Kaila, please, open the door so I can apologize to your face and not to a peace of wood” he said. I stared at the door, contemplating on whether to open it. I decided to be the stubborn girl I was and not open it “you can leave the piece of wood your apologizing to and go apologize to your own piece of wood, because I’m not opening the door” I said. I heard the jingle of the house keys “and if you open it by force, then I will be forced to kick your ass” I said. The jingle of keys suddenly stopped and the door swung open, revealing a smug Jared, “Jared, you are overstepping your boundaries here, don’t piss me off more than I already am” I warned, narrowing my eyes at him. He stepped into my room and that’s when I got up, walked up to him, ripped his keys out of his back pocket and shoved him out the door, closing it and locking it. I threw the keys on my bed and sat at my desk. “you cant stay mad forever, c’mon, I made a mistake-
“a very stupid one” I interjected.
“and I’m sorry, what will it take to get you to believe me?” he asked
“it takes you getting away from my door!” I shouted in frustration.
The begging stopped, it was quiet, I got up from my desk and walked over to my door, opening it cautiously, no one was there, I walked out slowly, afraid he would jump out and hug me or something. He was nowhere to be found, I sighed in relief and walked quietly down stairs, needing a walk, bad…or a skate. I grabbed my skateboard, and then went outside, I dropped it on the ground and put my foot on it, the next thing I know I’m speeding down a hill extremely fast, wind whipping in my face, my hair doing the same, I reached the end of the hill, that lead to the park and stopped, I picked up my skateboard and walked into the park, running my fingers through my wind-blown hair. I dropped my skateboard on the concrete path and put my foot out, kicking my leg out to gain momentum, I skated to a park, it had swings and slides, and even on the weekend, no one was here, I pat myself on the back for choosing this park. I sat on the swing and swung until I was as high as the swing would go, wimpy swing. I smiled at the memory of when my mom took me to this park, I used the think this swing was the best swing in the world, she used to swing me as high as I could go, that was when she cared about me, when she wasn’t greedy and heartless. “ready?” she would ask me. I’d nod excitedly, then she would push me, higher and higher, I remember one time I fell off the swing, she ran to me and cradled me against her chest, I wasn’t crying, I think she was just afraid that I was hurt, “I’m so sorry, I should have told you to hold on tight, you scared me, I’m sorry, I’m so very sorry” she kept saying. A tear escaped the corner of my eye thinking of how much she cared for me, what changed? I sighed and scraped my feet on the ground, stopping the momentum I’ve built. It was then that I realized, I was alone in this world, my brothers hate me, Jared as an exception, but I know he doesn’t want to deal with me. I’m all alone.

I stayed at the park for the rest of the day, just remembering the few times I spent playing here with my mother, few people came to this park, so it was pretty much empty through the day, my phone rang hundreds of times… probably, I lost count at twenty, it was from all of my brothers, and an unknown that was probably Kyle, I didn’t answer, I didn’t want to. the sun was setting on the horizon when I left, I grabbed my board and walked home, walking up the hill I came down from, I huffed from the exertion and kept going, when I finally got up the hill I stopped, two guys were walking the opposite way toward me, I moved out of the way and put my hood up so they wouldn’t see who I am. I walked past them, only to be grabbed by the arm, “hey babe, where are you going?” the guy asked. I huffed again in frustration and turned around, staring the guy straight in the eye “if you know what’s good for you, you’d let go of my arm” I threatened. The creep smirked at his friend, creep number two, “oh really? And what are you going to do if I don’t?” he asked. I laughed, it seemed to surprise them how easy going I was with them, “you don’t want to know” I said shaking my head. He looked unafraid of me, probably thinking I was just another victim of his, trying to act tough. He smiled “you don’t scare me young lady” he said. My eyes grew dark “I don’t like to be referred as young lady” I said deathly calm. He laughed “you cant-” he was cut off by my fist in his face. The other guy acted quick, grabbing my arms and pinning them behind my back, I laughed “oh, I think I heard something break” I said in a sweet voice. I ripped my arms from the creeps grasp and elbowed him in the stomach, then ran, as fast as I could away, it wasn’t fast enough, they caught up and tackled me, I growled and rolled over, pushing bringing my fist down on creep number one’s face, knocking him out, I pushed him off me and scrambled up, grabbing the collar of the other guys shirt and punching him, knocking him out. I dropped him on the floor, I contemplated on what to do, I decided to drag them back to my house, and call the police while their still unconscious. I picked creep number one up by the back of his shirt, then creep number two the same way, my house wasn’t that far, but I still had my skateboard with me too. I rolled it along in front of me, while dragging two creeps to my house, I got to my front door and opened it, to be greeted by a worried looking Jared, Hail and even Jake. Jared pulled me into an awkward hug, awkward because I was still holding the two creeps by the back of there shirts, “why didn’t you answer your phone?” he asked, looking deranged. I shrugged “I didn’t want to” I said. “now move, two creeps coming through” I said, dragging the unconscious creeps with me. I dragged them to the kitchen chairs and dropped them on the floor, I set up the chairs and sat them one by one in the chairs, “call the police, tell them I have been attacked and have the attackers in custody” I said, not looking up from my watch on the creeps. “you were attacked?” he shouted. I sighed “just call the stupid police before I do it myself” I sighed. Jared didn’t answer, but I heard the home phone dialing. “hi, I’m calling because my little sister was attacked, we have the attacker’s in custody and need them to come right away” he said. I heard mumbling on the other end, he told her our address “thank you, bye” he said. I heard more mumbling, then the line disconnected. I didn’t move my eyes from the creeps, and I noticed ones eyes started tightening, I sighed, “open your damn eyes, creep” I muttered the last part. The creep opened his eyes and saw me, and looked as if he was about to crap his pants, I waved “hello Mr. creeper” I said brightly. He looked confused “where am I.. how did I get here?” he asked. I rolled my eyes “your in a hostage situation, the police have surrounded the building and I am holding you hostage for ransom” I said dryly. He just stared at me “where do you think you are? Stupid, your at my house and were waiting for the police to arrive to take you away” I said as if I was speaking to a child. He glared at me, I heard a groan from creep number two, I looked at him, he was rubbing his eyes, “hello creeper number two!” I shouted, knowing he has a migraine the size of my house “ugh, don’t do that” he groaned. I snorted “fool, you have the write to remain silent, I have the write to speak as loud as I want” I said. He groaned. “douche” I muttered. There was a knock at the door, “okay, well, watch them, I’m going to act like the scared crying girl I should be” I said. I walked to the door, bringing tears to my eyes and forcing myself to cry, I answered the door, sniffling “y-yes?” I asked. The policeman stood in the doorway “hello, are you the miss Highlander?” he asked. I sniffed and nodded, “please, come in” I said brokenly. He nodded, I stepped aside and let him and his mates pass. “miss Highlander, my name is Jim Felts, I’d like to ask you a few questions” one of the police officers told me. I nodded and walked over to the couch with him “now, these men, have you ever seen them before?” he asked. I shook my head “no, I was walking home from the park when they jumped me, I had learned self defense when I was fourteen, and martial arts when I was fifteen, so I knew how to fend them off, I knocked them out and called for my brother’s, I couldn’t let them get away and do this to someone else, so we brought them here to stay until you got here” I said. He nodded “and you’ve never seen them before?” he asked. I shook my head again. “Jim, come here, I need to tell you something” the lead police officer called. “just sit tight, and don’t worry, this wont happen again, to anyone” he said. I nodded, mentally patting myself on the back for the good job I did. Kyle sat on the couch beside me “so why did you lie?” he asked quietly. I chuckled “would you have believed me if I said I drug two brutes back to my house along with my skateboard?” I asked. He shook his head, “nope, I wouldn’t have, good thinking” he said. I nodded once. “miss Highlander, can I speak to you a second?” the policemen asked. I nodded and got up from the couch “these men you caught, they are wanted rapists, you were very lucky to get out of that alive, it was good thinking of you to take up the fighting classes that you did” he said. I nodded “and we finally have the rapists in custody, that was a very brave act of yours, its good to know this wont be happening again” he said. I nodded “thank you, now can we get them out of here? I cant stand to look at them” I said, letting a tear fall. he nodded “of course Miss highlander” he said, smiling kindly. I smiled back and nodded in thanks. They cuffed them and brought them outside, “don’t worry, he wont be able to hurt anyone else” Officer Jim said, smiling an assuring smile at me. I sniffed and nodded “thank you officer” I murmured. He nodded “goodbye Miss highlander” he said, tipping his hat. I nodded “bye” I said quietly. I closed the door and wiped my eyes, I skipped into the living room as if nothing happened, Jared looked outraged, Jake looked amused, and Hail looked angry, not as bad as Jared though. “what were you thinking? You left home, didn’t answer your phone, and walked home late?” Jared asked, his voice incredulous. I rolled my eyes “oh. Come. On” I groaned. I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger, “I am perfectly capable of kicking your ass, and both of these idiots, you don’t think I can take care of myself? Then your stupid” I said simply. This didn’t calm him down “your not going out alone again” he growled. I leaned forward “oh really, wanna’ bet?” I challenged with a mischievous smile. He narrowed his eyes, “I will keep you in my sight no matter where you go” he muttered quietly. ’challenge excepted’ I thought, narrowing my eyes. “wanna’ bet?” I repeated quietly. He growled “okay, okay, break it up, remember what happened last time Jared” Hail warned. Jared grunted and backed off, I smiled in satisfaction and got up from the couch, “I’m going to bed” I said happily. I walked over to the stairs and glanced one more time, seeing Jared’s angry face, Kyle’s amused look, Jakes the same, Hail looked as if he was trying to restrain Jared. I skipped up stairs and slammed my door shut as hard as I could. I heard a growl and laughed, I walked into my bathroom and started brushing out my hair, my mind went to Jamie, he is the first friend I‘ve had since eighth grade, “wonder what he’s doing right now” I mused.

Chapter Two.

“who?” someone asked. I jumped and looked over, Kyle stood in the doorway of my bathroom, I glared at him “what are you doing in here?” I asked. He smiled and shrugged “I felt like coming here” he said. I rolled my eyes, “well get out” I said, walking past him. His hand ran along my arm as I past “has anyone ever told you, that you are a beautiful girl?” he asked me. I snorted “tell that to the one hundred and fifty students who have been brain washed to hate me” I said dryly. ‘Those gullible idiots, they wouldn’t know a lie if it was an alligator ripping them apart’ I thought with a grin. I went to my closet and pulled out my pajamas, I turned around to find Kyle in my face, I sighed “Kyle, I have got to change, now I am not going into my own bathroom when I have a perfectly good room to change in, get. Out” I said the last part slowly. He smirked and brought his face closer to mine, “I didn’t get to finish what I started this morning” he murmured. I smirked back “and you never will” I whispered, teasing him since my lips were just inches from his. I tried to maneuver my way out, but he grabbed me and kissed me, I didn’t resist the kiss, I just kissed him back, he grabbed me around the waist and lifted me up against his body, I smiled slightly under his lips, he ran his tongue along my bottom lip, asking for entrance, I didn’t grant him that, I teased him, opening my mouth just slightly to where he thought he was getting entrance, but closing his before he could, he growled and grinded against me, making me gasp, he shoved his tongue into my mouth, I moaned into his mouth as our tongues danced together. Suddenly, there was a quiet knock on the door, we pulled apart, gasping for air, “y-yes?” I asked, a little breathless. “uh, can I come in Kaila?” Kyle set me down quickly and I shoved him into my walk-in closet, “uh, sure” I muttered. Running a hand through my hair, Jared opened the door and walked in “Kaila, you were at the park weren’t you?” he asked abruptly. I took a deep breath and sat down, playing it like I had no idea what he was talking about “what park? I was just skating around the streets” I lied badly. He snorted “don’t lie to me, your horrible at it” he said. I snorted “I can lie when I want to Jared, I mean you saw that act I put on for those cops, I was the perfect petrified girl” I said with a smug smile. He nodded seriously, not letting me change the subject “I thought you never wanted to see that park again” he said. I nodded “I did, but I decided that the memory’s there are not so bad, they’re good memory’s Jared, not about my brother’s blaming me for Mom and Dad leaving, or about her telling me that its my fault, I mean I did crash a car into a gas station, poor Porsche, but its about memory‘s when mom cared about me, when she actually loved me” I said. He frowned “and I’m still not letting you drive” he said. I snorted “I can drive if I want” I said. He gave me a hard glare, then the look softened “I don’t blame you for her leaving, or dad, they were greedy, and they wanted more, I wouldn’t be surprised if there missing us right now” he said, only trying to reassure me. I snorted again “don’t get your hopes up kid” I said, patting his back. He sighed “Hail and Jake don’t hate you, they just don’t-” “want to deal with me” I finished for him. He shook his head “no, they don’t know how to deal with you Kaila, you’re a little hard to deal with sometimes” he said. I sniggered “don’t I know it” I muttered. He laughed “you know, I realized something at the park, I’m alone, I truly am alone in this world, there’s no one who understands me, or even try’s to, I’m alone, even though you are trying to take care of me, you know, be the big brother that I always wanted, I know that I am completely alone in a scents that no one understands, and it scares me, it terrifies me, but… I’m used to it” I said, tears trying to break through. I wouldn’t let the tears spill, I have to be strong “your not alone, I do understand what your going through, you think that everyone hates you because they blame you for Mom leaving, and who made you think that? Huh? Mom did, she changed when Dad started the business, changed for the worst” he said. I nodded, he patted my back “I’m going to bed, get some rest Kaila, it’s going to’ be a long day tomorrow” he said. I groaned and nodded “fine, but do you have to transfer? Seriously?” I asked. He nodded “yep” he said. I groaned “alright, but if you make me out to be a wimp I will personally kill you” I warned. He put a hand on his heart “I could never make you out to be a wimp” he said, sounding hurt. I punched his shoulder “yes… you could” I said. He laughed and walked out my door. I completely forgot that I had Kyle in my closet, I sighed, walking over, I opened the door, he was sitting against the wall on the inside by the door. He looked up, I narrowed my eyes “you better have been covering your ears” I said. He smirked “nope” he said. I glared at him “I really don’t like you” I said. I left the door open and fell on my bed, he did the same. “I knew your Mom left, but I had no idea she blamed you” he said. I frowned “lets just not talk about it” I said, not looking at him. In the corner of my eye, I saw him nod. “okay, what do you want to talk about?” he asked. I didn’t answer, I had to think for a second “why don’t you like your middle name?” he asked. I sighed “because it was my mother’s” I said quietly. He nodded, “and you don’t like-” “I hate my mother” I corrected. He nodded again, not saying anything else. I sighed “listen, I’m tired, and I’d like to go to sleep, now I’d love to stay up and talk about my ass of a mother, but I need sleep” I murmured sarcastically. He nodded, getting up from the bed, “goodnight Kaila” he said. I got up with him and nodded “goodnight” I said quietly. He smiled and turned to walk away, but suddenly, he turned and kissed my cheek, then my lips, a very sweet brief kiss that left me wanting more. I smiled and grabbed my pajama’s. “goodnight, hey, I was going to ask, are you free on Saturday?” he asked. I looked at him and raised an eyebrow “are you asking me out?” I asked. Oh my goodness, he’s blushing “y-yeah, I mean, if your free we can see a movie, go out to eat” he said. I nodded “I’d like that” I said. He smiled a huge smile “really?” he asked. I laughed and nodded “yes, of course, I wouldn’t kiss a guy like that if I wasn’t planning on dating him” I said with a smirk. He chuckled and nodded “well, see you tomorrow morning” he said, a soft smile replacing his usual smirk. I smiled back “will do” I said. He walked out the door, closing it softly behind him, I quickly changed into my pajama’s, I jumped into bed and was glad I had that clap on clap off stuff installed, I clapped and the lights turned off, I sighed and snuggled into my pillow. The next thing I know, there is a soft knock at the door, “hey Kaila, can I come in?” I heard Kyle’s soft voice. I groaned groggily “wha? Sure” I sighed, half asleep. Kyle came in with nothing but boxer’s “I’m sorry, but I cant sleep, and I’m used to sleeping in bed with someone, since I lived with my girlfriend and all, can I sleep with you?” he asked. I gave him a weird look, then looked at my clock, it was one in the morning, “mh, yeah, sure, okay” I muttered. Anything that can get me to sleep faster. He smiled sheepishly as I moved over to let him lay beside me he lay down with his back to me, I snuggled into my pillow “goodnight” I mumbled. Already almost asleep, I heard the first syllable of his word, before I fell into a deep sleep again, I awoke to someone move beside me, I cracked my eyes open to see Kyle’s face in mine, his face was completely relaxed, I realized that I had my arm around him, and my legs were entangled in his, he looked more child like when he was sleeping, his face was so relaxed, he looked actually rested, I hadn’t realized he had dark circles under his eyes, he must not be sleeping well. I stroked his cheek softly and gently, his built arms that were around my waist tightened ever so slightly and a tiny smile came up to the corners of his lips, he moved suddenly, “Kaila, come get in the picture, your beautiful, don’t worry” he murmured sleepily. I held back a giggle, he was dreaming about me, “Kaila” he murmured. I stroked his cheek again, he smiled softly, his eyes fluttered slightly, I pulled my hand back and closed my eyes, pretending I’m asleep. He moved, I’m guessing on his side, I acted asleep and moved so my face was buried in his chest I heard his intake of breath, his arms tightened around me a little more, and he pulled me gently against him, yes, he is awake, I fluttered my eyes and opened them, I pulled my head back and looked around, I looked into these beautiful blue eyes, he smiled slightly “good morning” he said softly, it was almost apart of the quiet of the morning. I smiled back “good morning” I murmured sleepily. I looked at the clock, it was six, I have about three hours before I need to leave. I smashed my face into my pillow, sighing into it, “sleep well?” I asked, muffled by pillow. He laughed softly, “yeah, really well actually, you?” he asked. I nodded “me too” I murmured. I felt a hand on my arm, I looked up from the pillow, he was looking at me with so much love in his eyes that I had wonder if he loved me, but he couldn’t, we only met two days ago. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, yawning “well, since were awake, I’ll make some breakfast, bacon and pancakes sound good?” I asked. He sat up with me and nodded, “sounds good” he said. I nodded with a smile. I got up from the bed and walked over to my bathroom, I walked in and started brushing out my long blonde hair. Once I was done I walked into my room to find Kyle had left, must have gone to get dressed. I walked into my closet and grabbed a green long sleeved shirt, with skinny jeans, I set them out so I didn’t have to search for them later then I walked out of my room, I walked downstairs quietly, I didn’t want to wake the idiots, they would be mad, ‘actually, that would be kind of funny’ I thought to myself with a grin. I decided to see there reaction, I jumped from one step to another, making tons of noise, when I got to the kitchen I started banging pots and pans around, just to make more noise, “shut up down there!” I heard Hail shout groggily. I laughed and kept making noise, I slammed the fridge and then the cabinets, a smile on the whole time. I heard footsteps on the stairs, and I stopped the whole thing, acting as if I was doing nothing. Jared appeared, along with Hail and Jake, they all glared at me while I stared innocently “you…. Ugh I’m going back to bed, I cant think of anything to say” Hail groaned. I laughed “you are an evil girl” Jake said, walking back upstairs. Jared just stood there, an amused smile crossing his face “just couldn’t resist could you?” he asked. I shook my head “nope” I said, setting the pan I got down on the stove. He shook his head and went back upstairs, “ah, I love being the bad guy…’er girl” I said, slightly confused. I shrugged it off and turned to get the things I needed to make the pancakes. Kyle came down with a confused look on his face “what was that about?” he asked. I chuckled “I decided to wake the three idiots up there and see if I could make ‘em mad” I said. Kyle nodded “makes sense” he said. I nodded “doesn’t it?” I asked rhetorically. He laughed “okay, so what are we doing here?” he asked. I gave him a weird look “haven’t you cooked before?” I asked. He shook his head “nope” he said. I shrugged “well, now is the time to learn” I said. I handed him a bowl of pancake mix and I cracked some eggs into a smaller bowl “put some milk in that” I said. He nodded, he took a step, but paused, he looked at me and smiled playfully, I wondered what he was up to. He dipped his fingers in the mix and then ran the tips of his fingers across my face gently, as if caressing my cheek, I gasped and touched my cheek, I pulled away to find my fingers covered in mix. I glared at him “I will get you back” I warned. He laughed and walked over to get the milk, I walked over behind him and ran my hand along his arm, making him freeze. I smirked and walked up in front of him, I ran my hand across his cheek, secretly grabbing some mix from the bowl, he stared into my eyes, then I threw mix into his face, he spluttered and coughed while I laughed, he glared playfully at me “oh its on” he said. He grabbed a handful of mix and threw it at me, it hit me in the chest, I laughed and ran around the island, I jumped over the island and grabbed a handful from the bowl he was holding, I ran back around and then threw my handful at him, it landed in his face, getting all in his hair. He grabbed another handful and threw it at me, this time it hit me in the face. He laughed, I smiled playfully. we threw flower at each other for a while, then we ran out of that, so we chased each other around the island, we ended up across the island from each other, every time he moved one way, I’d move the other, we did this for a while still. I chose the wrong way to run though. He moved one way, making me think he was going that way, so I moved the other way, he moved the way I was going and caught me around the waist, pulling me to him. I laughed and put my arms around his neck. He smiled softly and brought his lips softly down on mine, we kissed for a few seconds, then we heard footsteps on the stairs, we pulled away reluctantly and looked each other over, this was going to be hard to explain, we were covered in Pancake mix from head to toe… “what in the world happened here?” Jared asked. I looked at Kyle and back to Jared “we sort of had a pancake mix war…” I trailed off. He gave us a weird look, well clean this up, we have two hours before school starts” he said. I laughed and nodded, then I looked around “wow, we destroyed the place” I laughed. The floor was covered in mix, the walls were surprisingly clean, so that was good, but the floor!! I went and grabbed the broom, I leaned down to inspect the mess, and so did Kyle, I picked up some of the mix and threw it at him, he laughed and touched the tip of my nose with his mix covered hand. I chuckled and got up, I started sweeping up the mess, “hey, throw those eggs in the sink will ya? No pancakes this morning” I sighed. He laughed and nodded, he grabbed the eggs and threw them in the sink, “I think I’m going to be washing out this stuff for weeks” I said. He laughed “me too” he said. After I swept and cleaned everything, I went upstairs and turned on the shower, I stripped my mix covered clothes and jumped in, scrubbing my hair three times. After I jumped out I grabbed my cloths and put them on, brushing my teeth and putting on other things. I put makeup on and then some perfume, and I was ready to go. I walked out of my room and downstairs to find my two groggy brothers sitting at the kitchen table staring at nothing. I skipped over and got a Pop Tart out of the pantry, I munched on that while the two zombies watched me with tired eyes. I rolled my eyes and walked to the door “see you at school” I called. I walked out the door with my keys in hand, I heard the door open and slam closed, I knew who it was, I broke out into a run and got to my car, I hurried to unlock it and jumped in, “Kaila! You are not driving!” Jared shouted. I slammed the locks down on my doors and smiled sweetly at him. I started the car and backed out, waving happily at the furious Jared. Kyle looked like he was trying to hold back a laugh as he watched from the doorway. I drove happily to school, I couldn’t wait to see Jamie again for some reason. I got into the school parking lot safely, huh, stupid Jared. I got out just as Jared’s car sped up and parked right beside mine, I buried my keys in my backpack so Jared couldn’t get them. “what is it with you and not listening to me huh? I told you that you couldn’t drive, and what did you do? You drove, what, do you want me to yell? Because ill yell if I have to” he shouted. I rubbed my ear “uh, Jared, your already yelling” I said. He took a deep breath and nodded “what is it with you anyway? You wouldn’t even let me sign up for stupid drivers training, so I signed myself up, then you wont even let me drive even after I passed my freaking test!” I yelled. He sighed “you know I’ve never even seen your license?” he asked. I snorted and pulled out my wallet “I showed you it the night I came back from my last drive time idiot” I said, showing him my license. He grabbed it from my hand and put it up in the air to I couldn’t reach it “I know, now you can't drive” he said smugly. I glared at him and reached for his arm, he moved it to the other arm, so I tackled him to the ground and picked it up from the concrete, “you suck you know that?” I asked, putting my license back in my wallet. He groaned and sat up “ugh, that was not because your stronger than me because your not, I just wasn’t ready” he said defensively. I nodded “sure Jared, whatever you say Jerry Bear” I said in a baby voice. He glared at me “I hate you” he said. I put my hand over my heart, a hurt expression that could make an angel cry “aw, you hurt me Jerry Bear” I said, still in a baby voice. He glared still, I laughed and walked up the stairs to the school, I walked in and everyone stared, or sneered. I grinned at them, a new confidence in me that I haven’t had in a while “hey guys! How yah ‘doin?” I asked loudly. They just stared, sneers replaced by shock “yeah, I wouldn’t mess with me today, I’m pretty confident that I’ll kick your ass” I said, walking through the teenagers. I knew it was coming, I stopped right as the kid stuck his leg out, I looked at him calmly, feeling annoyed at his attempt “hello, I have never gotten your name, though you trip me every chance you get, we’ve never met, I’m Kaila Highlander, the one who drove my mothers car into a gas station, and you must be ass-hole, nice meeting you” I said sweetly. I put my legs behind his and used the leverage to trip him, he landed on his bum, though he hit his head, “yeah, don’t feel to good does it?” I asked Sarcastically. I stood up straight and looked around, everyone was staring at me, the whole place was silent. I smiled and walked away from ass-hole. I skipped to my class with confidence, I walked into my class with full expectations of what was going to happen. I stepped in and walked to my desk, art, my second favorite class, my first is music. I plopped down loudly in my seat, laughing slightly at the stares I’m being given, I looked at the front of the class, someone sat in the desk beside me, I looked up to find Jamie sitting there with an amused smile on his face “hey Jamie!” I said. He smiled at me “hey! I see you are not the weakling everyone makes you out to be” he said. I chuckled “don’t believe everything you hear” I murmured. He nodded “I saw what happened out there, so, he does that everyday huh?” he asked. I nodded “yep, and today is the day that he stops or else he loses the one thing that is most important to him, his… you don’t want to know” I said. Jamie laughed “I think I already do” he said. I nodded slowly “lets just say he’s no longer able to reproduce if he keeps it up” I said with a satisfied smile. He chuckled “I cant imagine what will happen” he said. I nodded “no, you cant” I said simply. He laughed, then the teacher entered, Mrs. Abbot, my favorite teacher in the whole wide world, she understands me, more then any other teacher I’ve ever had. She came in smiling “hello class, how are you this morning?” she asked us. I smiled, she’s a sweet person “good Mrs. Abbot” we all said. She looked at me “Kaila, I hope you’ve been practicing your art, you have potential, I can see it” she said suddenly. I nodded blushing slightly “yes Mrs. Abbot, I’ve been practicing as much as I can” I said. She smiled “good” she said. I stared off into space, thinking about different things like Kyle, how is his first day? “Kaila? Kaila, are you in there?” Mrs. Abbot asked, waving a hand over my face. I blinked “oh, I’m sorry Mrs. Abbot, what were you saying?” I asked. She smiled a disapproving smile “daydreaming is for lunch time” she said in that soft motherly voice of hers. I smiled and nodded “yes, I’m sorry, I guess I just got lost in thought” I said. I heard snickering throughout the class and paid them no mind “that’s alright Kaila, just pay attention next time” she said. I smiled and nodded, Mrs. Abbot was always letting me off easy, I guess she knew the kind of things I was going through in school, or because she just liked me and figured I would do as I was told. The class ended five minutes early, Mrs. Abbot got an emergency call. I gathered my things and set them in my backpack, I walked out of class to find everyone staring at me, no more sneers just glares, I smiled sweetly at them and walked to my locker, I felt a presence behind me “can I help you?” I asked, not turning around. I put my books away calmly waiting for an answer “well, you can tell me why my friend has a knot on his head” a familiar voice said. I smiled a taunting smile and turned around, looking at the jock named Garry Kiles “because he was stupid enough to not keep his feet where they belong and not put them out as hurtles for people to jump, so I gave him a taste of his own medicine” I said, an amused smile now playing on my lips. The jock looked angry “you little bitch! You should know that if you try something like that again, then you will get hurt” he warned. I laughed, “do what? You mean something like this?” I asked, punching him in the stomach and pushing him down to the ground, ah, so satisfying. He groaned and then coughed “your… your going to pay for that” he huffed. I nodded “sure, now, get some rest, I’m sure the team would love to hear that your ass got kicked by a girl” I taunted. I walked away, knowing that he would be back. I walked to Science and skipped happily into the class room. I sat in my usual seat and watched as Mr. Bellingham walked in slower than a turtle on Molasses, he looked depressed, as always. His graying hair was over combed to hide a bald spot, his depressed looking face was warn out, this guy has teached allot of teens in his life. “hello Stupi- I mean children” he said solemnly. I sighed “hello Mr. Bellingham” we all say, just as solemn. I sat back in my chair as Kyle walked in the class room. He smiled at me, and I smiled back “class, this is Kyle Miller, he is new, say hi Kyle then take a seat with Miss Highlander” he said, not looking up from his Science book. Kyle looked at the guy weirdly for a second, then looked out at the class “hi to the class” he said, with a wave then he walked over and sat by me. I heard giggling from the girls and snorting from the guys. I shook my head slowly “so, our first class together huh?” he asked. I nodded, looking up at him, “so what classes do you have so far?” I asked quietly. He pulled his schedule out of his backpack “I have fourth period Math, third period Music, and second period English. He said, I nodded “I it seems I have Music and Math with you, but I have fourth period English” I said. He nodded, seeming satisfied with just those classes together. “excuse me Miss Highlander, Mr. Miller, is there something you’d like to share with the class?” Mr. Bellingham asked. I shook my head “no sir, I was just telling Kyle I can show him around after class” I said. Mr. Bellingham nodded once, “no more talking in my class” he said sternly. I nodded, Kyle put his schedule back in his backpack and I stared animatedly at the board, as if I was listening. “now class, we have the micro….” the class went by quickly. Kyle was whispering to me when the Teacher’s back was turned. And I whispered back, holding back laughs at the remarks he would make like “I think this guy has epilepsy, see how he twitches? He looks like he’s trying to make up a new dance in his head, or maybe a new way to get out of this place” he whispered to me. I had to hold back laughs at the remarks he’d make. When the class ended I gathered my books and put them in my backpack. I walked out of the class and to my locker, Kyle trailing behind. His locker was in the wall across from mine. I opened my locker and put my backpack in, then I grabbed Kyle’s hand and dragged him to the cafeteria, I let go of his hand when we got there and I opened the door to the place and walked in, the whole room when dead silent, I just ignored them and went to go get my food. Yes! Cold pizza again, this time, I’m enjoying it. I walked over to my table and sat down, I took a huge bite and ate it with pleasure. I watched as everyone narrowed there eyes, I heard the loud sound of someone’s chair sliding out of its table, a jock stood up, and I recognized him as Garry, I smiled at him and took another bite. He walked over to me and stood across the table from me. I calmly put down my pizza and wiped my face with my napkin, “hello Kaila, so, I guess you think your above everyone else now then?” he asked. I snorted “no, I’m just tired of dealing with your antics, and my idiot brother’s over there, how in the world can you believe some of those roomers? I mean seriously, are you really that stupid?” I asked, throwing my hands up in the air. “well, we know there true because there your brother’s they know more about you then anyone else” he said. I snorted “those idiots wouldn’t know my life if they put security cameras up my ass. at home, I rule them, and they bow down like little sissy girls, and guess what? I could kick your ass any day” I said tauntingly. He snorted, “yeah right, and I’m not going to play football this season” he retorted. I laughed “you may not” I muttered. He glared at me, “well, if your so tough then do it, hit me as hard as you can right here” he said, pointing to his cheek. I snorted “I’m not going to get detention over an ass-hole like you, but meet me after school, in the parking lot, I’ll show you what a real ass kicking is” I growled. He smiled a taunting smile and nodded “yeah, we’ll see” he called, walking away. I snorted and picked up my pizza, I ate it happily, showing Mr. Ass-hole that I’m not afraid of him. You could feel the excitement in the air, a fight! Just what they need! I snorted while I ate, chatter picked back up after a while, there was a tap on my shoulder, I looked around to see Jamie standing there with a smile on his face “hey Jamie, Take a seat” I said, patting the seat beside me. He sat beside me with his tray “so what just happened here? I was to far away to hear” he said. I snorted “I’m going to kick the jocks ass after school” I said, taking a bite of my pizza. I chewed happily, until I caught sight of Kyle, he was in the back of the line of people, looking at us, “that’s…. that’s something” he said, pulling me from my distraction, I smiled “yep, idiot thinks he’ll actually beat me, ha! Listen to this, last night I was jumped by these two creeps, there’s no telling how stupid they were, and I beat the crap out of them, and I drug them back to my house and made them sit and wait for the cops” I muttered the last part. Jamie gaped at me “that cant be true” he said. I nodded “it is though” I said with a confident smile. He sat back, a shocked look on his face “I never would have guessed, with how you look and all” he said. I nodded “don’t judge a book by its cover” I said simply. Kyle walked over “hey Kaila, you mind if I sit here?” he asked. I shook my head “no, go sit with the jocks” I said sarcastically. He laughed and sat across from us, “Hey Kaila!” I heard Jared say. I turned around “hi…” I trailed off, confused. I stared at him for a second “how in the world did you transfer so fast?” I asked. He laughed “I have my ways” he said, a smug grin on his face. I snorted “you bribed the school didn’t you?” I asked flatly. He nodded “how’d you guess?” he asked dryly. I shrugged “just a hunch” I said. He sat down beside me “so, who’s this?” he asked skeptically. I put my head in my hands “oh for the love of-” I cut myself off. I sighed “no, we are not dating” I clarified. He looked at me skeptically “this is Jamie, we met two days ago, he’s fairly knew, we ran into each other in the hall, he recognized me being the fourteen year old who ran into a gas station, and we became friends okay?” I said, emphasizing the word ’friends’. Jared nodded, seeming satisfied “Jamie, first: sorry about that, second: this is Kyle and Jared” I said gesturing to them. Jamie looked amused “no problem, nice to meet you” he said with a wave. “oh, and this is who I was texting when I ran into you” I said, gesturing to Jared. He nodded “so this is your brother” he amended. I nodded. I picked up my pizza and took a bite happily, “so, I heard you already put two jock’s in there place” Jared said, amused. I nodded “you heard right” I said. “one of them wouldn’t stay in there place, so I’m beating the crap out of him after school” I said simply. Jared stared at me, then shook his head “no, your not” he said. I snorted “what? Is my big bad brother going to stop me?” I asked Sarcastically. He glared at me “I am just trying to protect you” he said. I snorted “yes, you have been trying to protect me for a long time, and guess what? I listened to you, I listened for a long time to what you had to say, I obeyed what you told me not to do, and guess where that got me? It got me bullied, depressed and it got me at least a bruise everyday. And I’m tired of it, so I’m doing what I think I should do, got it?” I asked him. He stared at me, shocked “and that night that I stole mom’s car? I did that because it made me feel… like my own person, this is my personality, I’m stubborn, but what do you do? You let me be stubborn” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. He just kept staring, I raised my eyebrows “what?” I asked, getting annoyed. He blinked “hmm, it seems my little sister isn’t so little anymore” he said. I nodded once “right” I said sternly. He sighed “alright, ill stop getting on your case about driving, and ill stop being over protective, but I’m still being protective” he said. I sighed “fair enough” I sighed out. He laughed “that’s my little sister” he said, patting my back roughly. I snorted and pushed his hand away. 

Chapter Three.

 Chapter three. i sat on the concrete waiting for Garry, the school doors flew open dramatically and he strutted out like a male model ready to show what he's got. i rolled my eyes as he gave me a confident smile, he stood in front of me, sitting cross legged on the ground playing a game. "took you long enough." i muttered, not looking up. i heard him growl "whats wrong, scared?" i asked with a chuckle. i heard him snort, "your one to talk, i know your terrified" he said. it was my turn to snort "you have got to be kidding me" i said with a raise of my brow. i put my phone away and stood up, i came face to face with him "you can't be serious" i said with a laugh. he answered me with a stare, i burst out laughing, "you..think.. i was scared... oh man that's good" i laughed out. He scowled at me, hard. "ooh.. i'm so scared" i said, laughing at the end. He growled again. "lets get this over with, i'd like to go home" i said in a bored tone after i sobered. he nodded, the whole school had accumulated around us. they were completely silent, not chanting "fight" like in the movies and shows. i stood still while he circled me, unafraid of what he might do behind my back. the thing about him, he's predictable. I knew what he'd do, he'd grab me around the neck, throw me down to the ground, then he'll try and punch me. that wont happen. he grabbed me around the neck as i predicted, everyone gasped and i just stood there, planning what i was going to do and waiting for his next move, my face was emotionless, blank. he threw me down and the impact made me hit my head, it didn't faze me though, i'd made my plan. just as he leaned over me to get the first punch in, seeming a little confused by my small smile, i rapped my legs around him and used all my strength to flip us, so i was on top, i raised my fist and slammed it down hard on his face, making him spit blood and groan. i punched him one more time before getting up, this wasn't ending that easy. i remember taking Karate and Tae Kwon do, he was in the class with me, so he was as experienced as i. i smiled as his glower "c'mon Garry, i know you can do better than that" i challenged. he smiled and nodded "i didn't want to overwhelm you" he said, taunting me. i snorted "that was extremely predictable, i saw how you fought, were both black belts dumb-ass" i said. he nodded "hmm, tell me something Kaila, why did you take that class? did your father make you, or did you just decide you were too weak to defend yourself?" he asked. i snorted "my Dad was overprotective, he made me do it, why do you ask?" i asked in a casual tone. we were circling each other, he nodded "i thought so, i remember when you first came, your dad drug you in with you struggling profusely" he said with a slight laugh. i chuckled "yes, i hated him for a week" i said, a smile on my lips. suddenly, thinking i was distracted, he charged at me, but i twisted out of the way, not missing a beat. we fought for a few minutes, twisting, kicking, punching, he only got me in the stomach, and we talked through the whole thing, as if we were just sitting down for a visit "so i hear your a slut" he said to me, panting as we were losing energy. i snorted as we fought "you hear allot of things you know that? no, i'm not a frigen slut, god, i've never even had sex" i said, not caring who hears. he didn't have time to answer before i tripped him and stood over him, "never let your guard down Kiles, i thought you would have at least remembered the basics of the training" i said. i smiled sweetly and walked over to my car, "see you later school people, hope you enjoyed this boring fight, i sure did" i said as i unlocked my car. i looked up to find all of them gaping at me, all but Kyle, Jared, Hail and Jake. i smiled a bright smile at Kyle and Jared, and sent a warning glance at Jake and Hail. that was a roomer i hadn't heard about. i got in the car and revved the engine of my candy apple red Mustang. i backed out of my space and glanced one more time at the crowd, Garry was smiling an impressed smile, seeming to be back to his old self again, before he became a senseless jerk. i smiled back a smile of approval, showing him that i approved of his fighting, he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, that is the old him alright, i drove off, but not before i caught sight of Jamie, gaping like the others. i chuckled as i drove the short distance to our house. a familiar car was parked in the driveway and i groaned "no, not this again!" i groaned. i parked the car and walked inside, a dry look on my face, Jared's idiot friends sat in the living room, laughing at some stupid comedy that wasn't even funny. they all looked up when i walked into the living room, then they looked down, and down, until they got to my feet. i sighed, "quit undressing me with your eyes before you all go blind" i threatened. they smirked "hey Kaila!" Jack Bails said. i sighed "hello Jack" i muttered. his smirk changed into a wide confident smile, Jared's four friends were here, Jack Bails, Laurence Taylor, Jessie White and Ben Hefner. they all ask me out on occasion. "hey, Kay, i need to talk to you a sec?" Jessie asked, smirking slightly. i sighed 'here it comes' i thought. i pinched my nose between my thumb and forefinger "nope, sorry, i already have a date" I said quickly. they stared at me a second "with who?" Jack finally asked. i snorted "as if i'd tell you" i said with an amused smile just at the thought. all of them got up and walked towards me, i backed away a few steps, and the door opened, they all backed off as Kyle and Jared entered the room. i gave Jared a 'you could have told me' look and then looked at Kyle, he smiled at me, and i smiled back "Saturday" i mouthed. he nodded, still smiling. "oh, you have a date with him" Jack exclaimed loudly. i almost tackled him to the ground in my hurry to shut him up, i gave him a threatening look then looked at Jared, he was staring between me and Kyle, i gave Jared a "thanks allot" look and walked upstairs, hearing his footsteps behind me, i left the door to my room open, letting him come in. i sat at my desk, putting my head on my arms to hide my embarrassment. "you weren't planning on telling me that you were dating him, were you?" he asked, getting straight to the point. i sighed "i was going to tell you, its just...ugh, you are so over protective! you would freak and then send Kyle out of the house or... have a talk with him about his... intentions" i shuddered at the last part. he glared at me "it would only be-" "to protect me, i know, don't remind me" i said, holding a hand up. he sighed "this is going to be weird, and i'm never going to look at you or Kyle together the same way, ugh, fine, but...just... don't... get all... mushy, it makes me uncomfortable" he said. i laughed "me? mushy? i don't think so" i muttered. he got up "i'm going down stairs, i need time to think" he said. i got up and hugged him "thanks bro" i said. he sighed and rapped his arms around me "now, he will not be in your room, and you will not be in his, understand?" he asked sternly after he let me go. i saluted him "right chief, Jake won't be in my room" i said with a smile. he nodded, then realized something, "hey, wait, no not-!" i shoved him out the door and closed it quickly. he growled "Kaila! open this door!" he shouted. that made me giggle "nope, i'll just sit here" i said, a smile on my face. he banged on the door "Kaila!" he yelled. i laughed and opened my window, this is how i used to sneak out. he was still banging on the door, i sneaked out the window down on the roof, then i jumped onto the vines and scaled my way down, i landed onto the grass gracefully with a triumphant smile. i could still hear him banging, i sighed. i walked casually but quietly in the door, i walked into the living room and smiled at the confused faces of everyone, "sneaked out" i whispered. they all nodded, i grabbed Kyle's hand and pulled him to the door, waving once at the guys and putting a finger to my lips, indicating them not to tell where i was. they nodded, though they looked mischievous. i narrowed my eyes, but thats when the banging stopped and i heard footsteps down the stairs, i grabbed Kyle's hand and we ran quickly out the door, i pulled him with me down the sidewalk, running quickly, while laughing. i heard the door slam shut and Jared yelling my name, i ignored him and entwined my fingers with Kyle's. we slowed to a walk and i leaned into Kyle's side, he put an arm around my waist and kissed the top of my head "so what did he say?" he asked after a while of walking in silence. i chuckled "well, when i told him that i would have told him eventually, explaining that he's way overprotective, he told me 'fine' 'just don't get all mushy, it makes me uncomfortable" i said, mimicking his voice. Kyle laughed "and then after he hugged me, he told me that "he" meaning you, is not to enter my room, or i "his" i said. Kyle chuckled "then what?" he asked. i laughed "i saluted him and tricked him by saying 'right chief, Jake will not enter my room" then i shoved him out the door before he could correct me" i said with a laugh. he nodded "clever" he said. i nodded "very" i said. he chuckled deep in his chest and stopped us, he pulled me into a long passionate kiss and i moaned into his mouth, until the roar of an engine pulled us apart, we both saw as Jared and his friends were piled into the front andback of the car, Jealousy shown in Jacks face, and the others were Jealous, but they started "awing" at us teasingly, i flipped the glaring Jared the finger and the guys gasped dramatically, and starting "oohing" at Jared. i sighed and grabbed Kyle's hand, walking down the hill to the park. Jared's car followed the whole way, and i shot him cursory glances. he just glared at me, i walked gratefully into the park and Jared stopped the car at the curb. i sighed in frustration, "Kyle, when i say run, were going to run over there to the woods and hide" i whispered in his ear. he chuckled and nodded, Jared was getting out of the car when i said "run" we ran to the woods as fast as we could and i climbed up an old camouflaged ladder, i climbed it first, then told Kyle to. he climbed the latter quickly, laughing the whole way. we sat up in the tree and watched as Jared searched for us, he looked around, rubbing his jaw for a second, then, he left, i sighed in relief, and was about to climb down when Kyle grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him, he kissed me passionately for a few minutes, then let me go. i touched his face gently, before climbing down, he climbed down with me and smiled at me, "so, where to?" he asked. i led him to the old playground, no one was there, as usual, i sat on my swing and pointed to the one beside me "this is where my mother took me every weekend until i turned ten, when we started getting richer, and she started to care more about the money then she did anything else" i said, starting to swing. Kyle looked at me a long time, then did something i didn't expect, he sprang from the swing and jumped in front of my already swinging one, he jumped in front of me and i squealed and started laughing as he waited till the last second to jump out of the way, i laughed and almost fell out of the swing. i stopped the swing and skipped over to him, kissing him softly on the lips. he put his arms around me and kissed me until i was out of breath, we broke apart, gasping for air, i laid my head on his chest and put my arms around his neck, relishing in the warmth of him. he stroked my hair softly, kissing the top of my head. we broke from our embrace and he walked over to the slide, he examined the small slide with a small smile, and i wondered what he was up to, he climbed up the small latter and went over to the slightly larger twisty slide, he winked at me and then slid down slowly, Saying "wee" flatly. i laughed at him and then he asked me to slide down with him "it will be fun, and then we can go to Mc. Donalds and get food" he said. i laughed and nodded "fine, but don't blame me if we go down slower then before" i said with a smile. he pulled me up the latter and then set me on his lap, this made me laugh harder, i felt like a child sliding down with her dad because he was worried she'd fall down the wrong way. we slid down together and were laughing the whole way "wait! were going too fast, when we hit the atmosphere, we'll burn!" i exclaimed in a laugh. he laughed "oh no! there is only one thing to do!" he said in a fake panicky voice. i turned toward him, and what is that? i asked him. he smiled and smashed his lips to mine, kissing me passionately, i sighed against his lips and rapped my arms around him, somehow i turned around so my legs were wrapped around his torso and i was straddling his lap. we ended up at the bottom of the slide, he pulled away and smiled at my pout face. my legs were still rapped around his, so he picked me up and started walking, i laughed and trailed a finger from his temple to his jawline. he kissed me sweetly before setting me down. he and i walked back home to get my car, Jared's car was here, which means i will be confronted, i sighed. i kissed Kyle's cheek, then his lips, and i told him to wait here, so i could just grab the keys and go, i walked casually inside and grabbed my keys, not looking at the glaring Jared or his Jealous-looking friends. i walked out of the house in silence, i jingled my keys to show i got them and indicated he get in. he walked around to the passenger seat and i got in too. he kissed me softly then we drove off. headed to Mc donalds.

Chapter Four.

 chapter four the week passed by without one more roomer, tease and no one tripped me,Garry even smiled at me, a friendly smile! Saturday came and i was throwing all my clothes on the bed, trying to find something to wear, i had a cream colored lace skirt that ended just above my knees, then i had a brown shirt that had a kind of lace pattern on it, it was an outfit that i had not warn in a long time. i slipped it on and looked in the mirror, me and Kyle's date was in an hour, i nodded to myself and did my makeup, i did a light brown mix with dark brown in the crease of my eye and light just above the lashes, then i did a very thin line of eye liner and some mascara, a little lip gloss and i was done with my makeup, i had put curlers in my long black hair, the curlers hold better then an iron could. i took them out and let them fall loosely down my back, i ran a brush lightly through them, to make them look a little more natural. then i looked at myself in my floor length mirror, "man i look good" i said with a smile. my hair fell tightly curled around my face, my makeup matched my clothes perfectly, the black eyeliner made my eyes pop, and the mascara made my lashes look longer then they actually are. my skirt showed allot of leg, which i was not very comfortable with, it made me feel exposed, but the skirt was cute none the less, the shirt showed of my curves, it was an attractive look, if i do say so myself. there was a knock at the door "yes?" i asked. the door opened revealing a strapping Kyle, he had on a blue button down shirt and cream colored khaki pants. he came in and shut the door behind him "we should probably get going, the movie starts at seven and the reservations are at ten thirty" he said, distractedly, his gaze dropping lower and lower as he checked me out. i sighed, walking over to him, i wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him softly, "okay, i'm ready" i said with a smile. he nodded "you look beautiful Kaila" he said as he walked me down stairs. i smiled up at him "thank you, you don't look so bad yourself" i said with a smirk. he laughed and right when we got to the door we were stopped by Jared "hold on now, lets get a picture" he said. i sighed "yes dad" i said, pointedly emphasizing the word "dad" so he understood. he shot me a look and then pulled out a digital camera, i smiled, and glanced up at Kyle, i laughed just as the picture was taken, his tongue was sticking out and he had a deranged look on his face, i slapped him on the arm "your such an idiot" i laughed. He nodded "but i'm your idiot" he said, kissing me forehead. i laughed "that's right, now lets go, were going to be late" i said, pulling on his hand. he nodded and we walked to the car, Jared was probably videoing us or something, Kyle insisted that he drive us, and he wouldn't tell me where we were going for dinner either. he took me to see Paranormal activity three, and i was terrified. i hid in his shoulder the whole time. he put a protective arm around me and assured me he wouldn't let the "big bad demon" get me. at that i told him to shut up while laughing quietly. the movie lasted three hours, which gave us just enough time to reach this fancy place called the grey goose, we ate here for my eighth birthday. "well my god Kyle could you have picked a fancier place?" i asked incredulously as we walked up to the building. he laughed "nope, this is the fanciest place in the city" he said with a smile. i stopped him at the door and stood up on my tiptoes, kissing him softly again "thank you, this is the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me" i said softly. he smiled "anything for you" he said. we walked inside hand in hand "hi, reservations for Miller?" he asked. the girl, about my age, at the podium looking thing smiled a little too friendly at Kyle. she looked in the big giant book of reservations and found him easily "of course, right this way" she said, grabbing two menus and two rolls of silverware. she sat us down outside, the temperature was cool, but not too cool. it was nice out tonight. "okay, your waiter will be with you in a second" the girl said to us. Kyle nodded "thank you" he said with a polite smile at the girl. i rolled my eyes when she wasn't looking, when she left Kyle chuckled "they can't resist me, even taken" he said. i snorted and rolled my eyes at him "just a couple of lionesses trying to feed off another lioness's meat" i muttered. he laughed at my analogy. the waiter came over with a smile on her face. She looked at me and her smile faltered a little "hello, my name is Carrie, i'll be your waitress today, what would you like to drink?" she asked. i looked down at the drinks menu "Dr.Pepper" i said with a chuckle. he raised an eyebrow at me, then ordered two Dr.Peppers. he looked at me with an amused expression "Dr.Pepper? at a place like this?" he teased. i shrugged "don't judge me" i said with a teasing smile of my own. he held his hands up "I'm not judging, just thought you'd order something like... wine or something" he said with a joking smile. i grinned "wine? what, do you want to get me drunk and whisk me into bed?" i asked jokingly. he grinned mischievously, but i could see the teasing glint in his eyes, "not originally, but now that you mention it..." he trailed off, leaving the rest to my imagination. i snorted "Jared would be on you like a duck on a June bug, like white on rice, like butter on toast-" i started explaining the ways he would be on him. "alright, alright, i get the picture" he laughed. i giggled "so yeah, i wouldn't get me drunk if i were you" i teased. he laughed "i'll keep that in mind" he said with a charming smile. the waiter came back with our drinks, she set them down and i realized we hadn't even looked at our menu's "are you ready to order?" Carrie asked. i shook my head, trying to hide a laugh "no, sorry, we got a little side tracked" Kyle said with a laugh. Carrie smiled and nodded "okay, well call me over when your ready" she said. he nodded "thank you" he said. I picked up my menu with an amused smile, i read through the menu and decided to order chicken Alfredo pasta, it sounded good, and came with a side of steamed vegetables. the place we were sitting was quiet, it was fairly privet because we were sitting outside, and everyone else except for a couple in the corner was sitting inside. Kyle said he wanted the grilled lemon fish with a side of steamed Vegetables and Garlic mashed potato's. we called over Carrie, and she came immediately, "your ready to order?" she asked. Kyle nodded and gestured to me "i'll have the,uh, chicken Alfredo pasta please" i said. she nodded and turned to Kyle "i'll have the lemon fish with a side of steamed Vegetables and Mashed potato's" he said to her. Carrie nodded "garlic or regular?" she asked. "Garlic" he said. the waiter nodded and went to put in our order "Kyle?" a girl asked. we both looked up to see a girl, blonde hair, huge brown eyes, she stood there wearing a skin tight dress,she looked about my age, but she was short, and beside her was a guy, he towered over her, but hey, i could do that. "hi Lacy, its... nice to see you again" Kyle said, his voice was tight, restrained. i looked at him, confused as to who this was "well i see you already got someone to replace me" Lacy said, crossing her arms. oh, this is his ex that kicked him out. i looked at Kyle again, then back to Lacy, she smiled sweetly at me "hi, i'm Lacy Sails, this is Terrence Vowler, and you are?" she asked in a fake friendly voice. i glanced at Kyle dryly "i'm Kaila Highlander" i said, smiling a very convincing friendly smile. i stood and shook her hand "its nice to meet you" i said. she looked a little surprised, but hid it and smiled back "the pleasures all mine" she said. i looked at Kyle, who looked a little surprised himself, and winked. he smirked and sat back "yes, he hasn't told me much about you, but my brother did tell me you kicked him out of your apartment, i wonder why" i said, giving a pointed glance a Terrence. Kyle got up and put his arm around my waist "i'm actually quite glad you kicked me out, i never would have found Kaila if you hadn't, and were happy, aren't we dear?" he asked me in a mushy voice. i smiled a mushy smile "of course we are" i said, barely concealing a laugh. i looked back at Lacy, and i almost laughed, she looked like she was trying to hide a disgusted face "okay, well were going to get back to our table now" she said. we waited till they were at there table to burst out laughing, i was about to sit back down when he grabbed me and kissed me passionately, only for a second though, he let me go and i stumbled back into my chair, he chuckled and sat in his chair. I leaned on the table put my chin on my hand, i stared at Kyle with a small smile. he let out a soft laugh "what?" he asked with a disarming smile. 'your in love' a voice in my head told me. "oh nothing" i said innocently, a little surprised by what my mind just told me. He opened his mouth, but hesitated, "Kaila, i brought you here to tell you something, I..I.. I love you, I fell in love with you the first day i saw you, and this past week has been the best week of my life, i'm in love with you Kaila, and it doesn't matter to me if you don't, i'm sorry if i rushed things" he said. I stared at him, the room melted away, and it was nothing but us. he smiled softly at me, but i saw a hint of sadness. i got up and walked over to him, i pulled him out of the chair and smashed my lips to his "I love you too!" I said under his lips. he hugged me tightly, as if he couldn't get close enough to me.

Chapter Five.

 chapter five when we got home, Kyle "escorted" me to the door, me laughing the whole way because he was making this hilarious face and holding his arms out in a flourish as he walked me to the door. he opened the door for me and bowed from the waist, I laughed and kissed his cheek when he returned to a standing position. We walked hand in hand into the living room, Jared was sitting there casually eating popcorn and watching TV. He didn't look up when we entered, i gave Kyle a sign to be quiet, I started pulling him up the stairs when Jared's voice stopped us "I said no going into each others rooms" he said from downstairs. I silently giggled "don't worry, were just walking each other to our rooms" i lied smoothly. i heard him snort in spite of my very clever lie. "no, your going to sneak him into your room" he accused casually. i smiled teasingly "oh okay, if that's what you want me to do" i said, pulling Kyle up the stairs. Jared ran to the foot of the stairs "wait a minute! no, that is not what i want you to do!" he shouted. i ran up the stairs with Kyle, laughing the whole way, and stopped at top "oh go and watch your show you party crusher, i'm not going to go into his room and he's not going in mine, happy?" i asked him. Jared looked between me and a disappointed looking Kyle, then nodded, grunting in approval. He gave me one more threatening look and then walked down stairs. i rolled my eyes and walked over to my door, i leaned up and kissed him softly, then shoved him playfully to his door, he smirked teasingly "goodnight, Love" he said. I smiled teasingly back "goodnight" I said. i walked into my room and fell into bed, then remembered that i had makeup and other things on. i groaned and got up, i went into my bathroom and started scrubbing off all my makeup, it didn't take long. i changed into my Pajamas and once again, fell into bed, i clapped my hands and the lights went off. I covered myself with the thick blanket like i usually do and sighed. i heard footsteps coming up the stairs, then i heard a door that i guessed was Jared's close. I fell asleep quickly. I woke again to the sound of knocking, it was very quiet, so quiet that i thought it was my imagination. i was about to just close my eyes and go back to sleep when the knocking sounded again, a little louder this time, "Kaila, its me" Kyles voice sounded. I groaned and heard the door open, the clock said it was two in the morning. I looked up to see Kyle standing there, "can i sleep with you again?" he asked. I nodded and buried my head back in my pillow. I felt the bed shift as he laid down. "goodnight Kaila, love you" he murmured, kissing my hair. I buried my head in his chest "night, love you too" I mumbled. he rapped his arms around me and tucked my head under his chin. I fell asleep quickly. I woke up to an empty bed, i looked at the clock to see it was six in the morning. i groaned and sat up, my hair fell in my face, I pushed out of my face and walked Zombie-like to the bathroom, i started the shower and waited for it to get hot while I brushed out my tangled hair so it was easier to wash. I jumped in the shower and relaxed under the steaming water. I washed myself off and shaved my legs, then I washed through my hair. I got out and grabbed my soft towel, drying my hair and rapping the towel around myself, i walked out of the bathroom, I walked into my closet and grabbed a white V neck shirt with a blue skirt. I walked out of my closet with the clothes on, i sat down at my vanity and started blow drying my hair. after i dried my hair, i started putting on makeup, i put on some brown eye-shadow, and then a thin line of eyeliner on the top and bottom of my eyes. i put some mascara on and called it good. I got up from the vanity and walked out my door. I walked down stairs, only to stop when i heard Kyle and Jared's voice "so how did the date go last night?" Jared asked. i could see his grim face as he asked "it went well, she had a great time" Kyle said. i could hear the smile in his voice "good, i'm glad, have you told her yet?" Jared asked. i heard a sigh "no, i haven't, but i will tell her soon" he said. i was confused, tell me what? i sneaked back upstairs and opened my door, slamming it again, i walked down stairs with a smile on my face. I walked into the kitchen, "hi guys" i said casually, walking past them. they both smiled at me, "hi Kaila" Jared said. Kyle sat back and admired me "good morning Kaila" he said. I smiled playfully at him, my skirt went about an inch above my knee. i grabbed the milk from the fridge and the cereal from the pantry. I got a bowl from the cabinets, pouring my cereal, i sat down at the table beside Kyle "so how did you sleep Kaila?" Kyle asked me, winking behind Jared's back. I almost laughed "great" i said simply. Kyle smiled "me too" he said. i smiled "that movie was so awesome, even though i had my eyes covered for most of it" i said. Kyle laughed and Jared looked at me incredulously "you actually got her to watch a scary movie?" Jared asked Kyle. i blushed "what do you mean?" Kyle asked, confused. I gave Jared a threatening look as he smirked at me "well, ever since we were kids, she watched one scary movie and had nightmares for weeks, and it was the blare which project" he said. I glared at Jared and gave him the 'your gonna' get it' look, slowly shaking my head. he gave me the 'i'm so scared' sarcastic look. Kyle took my hand under the table. "oh, that movie was pretty scary actually, my sister who is sixteen had nightmares for a month" Kyle said, squeezing my hand. Jared stared at Kyle for a second "Hanna had nightmares?" he asked. Kyle nodded, a smile creeping up on his lips, those kissable, soft, sweet lips, how i wished Jared would just disappear so i could make out with him. I snapped out of my trance when Jared asked me a question "so Kaila, have you thought of singing the anthem for the football team?" he asked. i snorted "yeah, in about one hundred years from now when i'm dead, sure, ill sing the anthem" i said, sarcasm dripping from my voice. Jared sat back in his chair, studying me, it made me self-conscious. "What?" i asked. He just kept studying me "okay, your kind of creeping me out" i said. He broke out into a smile "will you sing something for me, and play your guitar?" he abruptly asked. I started shaking my head immediately "no i gave that up a long time ago" I mumbled. Jared frowned "you loved playing your guitar though, please?" he asked, using his puppy dog eyes on me. i sighed "fine" i sighed getting up from the table. i used to play the guitar before mom left. i stopped after she left. i went and got my guitar and walked back down stairs. I sat in the living room on the couch, propping the guitar on my leg. I grabbed my pick and positioned myself to a comfortable position. I thought of what song i should play. Jared and Kyle were sitting on the couch across from me "what do you want me to play?" i sighed. Jared leaned forward, leaning his elbows on his knees "play 'Wish You Were Here' by 'Pink Floyd'" he said. I stared at him a second, then sighed again. I checked to see if the guitar was tuned, then started playing. I let the cords carry me through the song 'so, so you think you can tell Heaven from hell? Blue sky’s from pain? Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell? Did they get you to trade Your hero's for ghosts? Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze? Cold comfort for change? and did you exchange a walk on part in a war for a lead role in a cage? how i wish, how i wish you were here were just two lost souls swimin' in a fish bowl year after year runnin' over the same old ground what have we found? the same old fears wish you were here. I ended the song and looked up, Jared was smiling big, and Kyle was looking at me in shock. i set the guitar down "happy?" i asked. Jared nodded, sitting back on the couch i snorted and sat back like he did. 

Chapter Six.

 Chapter six. I sat at my desk just, waiting for this dumb class to end so I could get to music. Mr. Barnes gave me a stern look when I did a tired sigh. I smiled innocently at him and he grunted and turned around. Mr.Barnes is in my most hated list. he is always so strict and never lets anyone even get away with an eye roll, he is like a freaking parent! He always tells me not to roll my eyes at him, or to sit up straight. ugh! he's just like a parent! Not that i would know what that is like, I am just going on what everyone else says he's like. childishly, I stuck my tongue out at him when he wasn't looking. "Miss Highlander, put that tongue back in your mouth before I send you out of class to the principles" he said, still writing on the board. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared. He has eyes on the back of his head too. Finally, the bell rang, I jumped up and grabbed my books eagerly. I ran out the door excitedly, Jared made me take this class after he made me play my guitar, and-despite being angry at his controlling attitude- I am actually excited to get back on the guitar. I skipped to music, not even stopping at my locker; I walked into the class and sat down on the chair in the corner of the room, a habit for me. I grabbed my favorite guitar on the way and sat down. Propping it on my lap, I started playing around- making my own songs and just using all kinds of cords. I randomly started playing 'Stay' by 'Sugarland' I started the cords, not really caring who heard me sing. 'I've been sittin' her starin' At the clock on the wall And I've been layin' here prayin' Prayin' she won’t call It’s just another call from home You'll get it and be gone And I'll be cryin' And I'll be beggin' you baby Beg you not to leave But I'll be left here waitin’ With my heart on my sleeve Oh for the next time we’ll be here Seems like a million years And I think I’m dyin’ What do I have to do To make you see She can’t love you like me! Why don’t you stay? I’m down on my knees I’m so tired of bein’ lonely! Don’t I give you what you need? When she calls you to go There is one thing you should know We don’t have to live this way Baby why don’t you stay, yeah. You keep tellin’ me baby There will come a time When you will leave her arms And forever be in mine But I think that’s the truth And I don’t like bein’ used And I’m tired’a waiting! Its too much pain to have to bare To love a man you have to share! Why don’t you stay? I’m down on my knees I’m so tired of bein’ lonely don’t I give you what you need? When she calls you to go There is one you should know We don’t have to live this way Baby why don’t you stay? I can’t take it any longer! But my will is getting stronger And I think I know just what I have to do I can’t waist another minute After all that I put in it! I’ve given you my best Why does she get the best of you? So the next time you find You wanna’ leave her bed for mine Why don’t you stay? I’m up off my knees I’m so tired of bein’ lonely You can’t give me what I need! When she begs you not to go There is one thing you should know I don’t have to live this way Baby why don’t you stay, yeah. I ended the song, conscious of the whole class staring at me. I looked up and set the guitar down beside me “Hello Miss. Jera!” I said loudly, completely ignoring the shocked stares I was being given. Miss. Jera was even staring at me shocked “hello Kaila, good to see you this morning” she said, recovering from her shock faster than the others. I smiled and nodded. She smiled back and then started the class “okay class, this segment is about melody, please pull out your text books and go to page thirty five, where you’ll read about how melody became…” I tuned her out. I’ve already read this chapter, hell, I’ve read the whole book. Boredom is an ugly thing. I sat staring at the front of the class until I felt a tap on my shoulder, I turned to see Jamie. He gave me a look of disbelief, “I didn’t know you could sing like that! Let alone play the guitar like that” he whispered incredulously. I laughed silently and nodded “yes, but I haven’t played in a while, my brother made me take this class” I whispered back. He chuckled “sounds like you didn’t want to” he said. I nodded “I didn’t at first” I said quietly. “Why?” he seemed confused. “it’s a long story” “I have got time” this made me snort a little too loud. “I’ll tell you after class” “okay” and that was the end of conversation. We sat for thirty minutes learning about melody, then we finally got to practice our instruments. I grabbed my guitar and set it on my lap, everyone paused what they were doing to watch me. I paid them no mind, playing around with the guitar. I did a full bar note, then some Eagles songs without lyrics. “Kaila, how long have you played the guitar?” Miss. Jera suddenly asked. I was aware of all eyes on me “uh, since I was six years old, why?” I asked. She studied me a second “it makes sense, you are a very skilled guitarist” this made me snort “I’m no better than anybody else, I just know allot more songs” I muttered. “who taught you?” she questioned. “my father” the word was enlaced with venom. She seemed confused as to why I would say his name that way “oh, I presume he’ll be very proud when he comes to visit for parents day” she said. I sat up straight in my chair “umm, did he say he was coming?” I asked, hiding the anger that threatened rising. She nodded, oblivious to my inner turmoil. I sat stewing for the rest of the class, not feeling like playing my guitar anymore. Jamie sat looking at me confused. When the bell rang I was out of my seat before all the others, completely forgetting about my backpack. I walked out of class, not paying attention to anyone, looking for Jared. I didn’t notice when Jamie had caught up with me until I felt his hand on my shoulder, I snapped out of my little anger-trance and looked at him “here’s your backpack, Kaila, what is going on?” he asked. I sighed “I’ll tell you later” I said. I started walking again when I caught sight of Kyle “hey” I said. He smiled at me “hi, what’s going on? You seem a little mad” he said. I chuckled “yeah, where is Jared, do you know?” I asked. Kyle nodded, seeming a little confused. He led me to the cafeteria, all the while looking confused at my stewing expression. We found him sitting and talking to a cheerleader. “Jared, I need to talk to you a second” I said, grabbing his arm and dragging him away from the girl. He spluttered “hey! What? Kaila wait, ugh! I’ll call you later babe!” he called as I drug him away. I drug him to the other side of the cafeteria “Jared, dad and probably mom are coming here for parents day” I said seriously. He stared at me for a second, completely shocked “what… what do you mean?” he asked. I sighed at his stupid question “Dad, and/or mom are coming to parents day” I said slowly, as if he was a baby. He glared at me “I got that” he said dryly. “then why did you ask?” I snapped. “I don’t know!” he snapped back. The anger was just getting to me, the stress of my anger was probably getting to Jared. I sighed in frustration “I swear Jared, I will not be able to keep from punching him” I said in a deathly calm voice. He sighed with me “you’ll just have to restrain yourself” he said seriously. I slowly shook my head “parents day is tomorrow, they didn’t even call” I said, anger and frustration fighting to win for the dominate emotion flowing through me. The school bell rang and everyone piled into the lunch room. I sighed and sat down at my usual seat “I can’t believe they have the nerve to show up here, after all they put us through, after what she said to me” I growled. Jamie and Kyle sat at our table, Kyle sitting beside me “Kay, what’s going on?” he asked, rubbing my back soothingly. I calmed down at his touched “my dad and mom are coming for parents day” I said, leaning into him. He put an arm around me “hmm, well, should I get my shot gun?” he asked, nudging me teasingly. I chuckled, in a better mood now that he was here “maybe, I might need it” I said, as if seriously considering it. He laughed “or maybe you should just punch their lights out” he said, I couldn’t see his face, but I hear the smirk in his voice “yes, that would be satisfying” I said, smirking myself. Jared shot me a warning look, and I glared at him. “Should we call them?” Jared asked. I shook my head “No” “Why not?” “Because I don’t want to hear her voice” I put emphasis on the word “her”. “Oh, well I can talk to her” Jared suggested. “No” the tone of my voice was final, but Jared challenged it. “Why can’t I talk to them? Do you want them to come?” the challenge was clear in his voice. “No, besides, there probably already on their way, if they want to be here by tomorrow” “That’s true” “Good, then were not calling them” my voice was final again. We sat in silence, not having any food to eat. And I hadn’t realized Jamie was staring at Kyle’s arm around my shoulder, or that he was looking at me at all. I raised an eyebrow at him and he looked away quickly, ‘okay’ I thought slowly, a little confused. I was really not hungry, and all of us were lost in thought. I jumped when the bell rang. I got up and grabbed my backpack, followed by Kyle, Jared, and Jamie. “Do you think we should tell Hail and Jake?” Jared asked. I stared at him a second, then glanced at Hail and Jake “good luck” I said walking away. Kyle caught up to me, and Jamie. “See you after class” he said after we walked out of the cafeteria. I waved at him as he walked to his next class. “What do you have next?” he asked. I sighed in discomfort “gym” I said bitterly. Kyle chuckled “I guess by the tone of your voice you don’t like that class” he said. I nodded “you got it” I said with a smile. We walked hand in hand to my class, “okay, I have English, so I’ll see you after class” he said, pecking my lips. I smiled slightly and nodded “okay, bye love” I said softly. He smiled one last time and walked back down the hall. I turned to the gym doors and sighed, worst class ever! I walked the doors and sat on the first bleacher by all the other girls “okay class, I have a new assignment for you, see this rope? Climb it” Coach Jackson said. There were groans throughout the class, but I stayed silent. “now go get changed and then we’ll start!” Coach said sternly, as he always is. I got up, grabbing my bag, we all walked into the changing room, got quickly changed, and then went back out. My outfit was a tank top and shorts, the shorts were a little short for my liking, but it’s all I had as far as shorts go. I had skirts, long skirts, short skirts, but I don’t have many shorts. I sat down on the bleacher and watched as he called Tiffany, she looked like she was about to hyperventilate from being so scared. I sniggered and sat back for a good show. She looked up the rope, and then started really hyperventilating, she had been nice to me, but that changed after the roomers, I felt kind of bad for her “you can do it Tiffany!” I called in encouragement. She looked at me in confusion “yeah Tiffany! You can do it!” one of her friends said. I started clapping “comes one Tiffany!” I shouted. She kind of smiled at me, and kind of frowned, it was a little weird. She grabbed on to the rope and started climbing, without any effort it seemed, everyone was clapping. She got to the top of the rope and then half slid half climbed down. She smiled brightly at everyone, including me, she actually smiled kind of a smile of thanks at me, and I smiled back. Coach called me the after the third girl went. I stood up and walked up to the rope. I grabbed it and gripped the rope between my feet, then I started climbing up, I am strong, I can take down two brutes easily, so this is child’s play to me. I got to the top and looked down, “wow, what a view” I mused. The girls all started clapping and cheering, I climbed down and let go of the rope when I was close enough to the ground, landing on my feet. I turned to Coach with a smile “good Highlander, now go sit down” he said sternly. I snorted and walked back to the bleachers. I watched as everyone went up the rope, some needed a little encouragement, and some just braved it. When everyone was done, the Coach called the class and told us to go clean ourselves up. I walked into the changing room, Tiffany caught up with me “hey, uh, thanks, for the encouragement I mean, its nice that you don’t hate me enough to just let me freak out, your really nice, and I like your attitude. Your confident, now I know that those roomers aren’t true” she said with a genuine smile. I smiled back “no problem, when someone is in need, I help them, its my code, my motto” I said teasingly. She laughed, it surprised me, her laugh was quiet, I mean her genuine laugh, it was like a shy laugh, but it still held confidence. I grabbed my clothes and changed quickly, then I packed my gym clothes into the bag. I walked out of the changing room, and, much to my surprise, Tiffany fell into step with me “hey, I wanted to ask you, I saw you singing in music, and I was wondering, if you would want to sing the anthem in the big football game this homecoming dance?” she asked me. Just like everything else she was saying and doing, this surprised me. I stared at her a second “sure. I mean, I don’t know how well I would do in front of all those people” I said. She laughed “from how many people you sang in front of, I don’t think that will be a problem” she assured. I chuckled nervously. She pat my back “your brother told me you were a great singer, and you proved it” she said. I snorted “did my brother put you up to this? Because he said something similar to me the other day” I muttered. “no, no, this is my own doing” she laughed. I nodded “good” I said. She really seemed nice, like how she used to be, we were about half way down the hall “hey Kaila” Kyle said coming up from behind me. I smiled up at him “hey” I said softly. He glanced pointedly at Tiffany, looking confused. I smiled and looked at Tiffany “Kyle, this is Tiffany, Tiffany, this is my boyfriend Kyle” I said. She smiled at him “nice to meet you” she said. He nodded and then turned to me “so I hear your going to be singing the anthem after all” he said. I stared at him incredulously “how in the world did you figure that out? We have only been talking about it for two minutes” I said, throwing my hands up in the air. Kyle raised an eyebrow “they have been talking about it since they heard you sing” he said. I nodded “makes sense” I said dryly. He chuckled “oh, I have to go, I have a date tonight with Gail” she said excitedly. She walked off with a wave, and I was left with Kyle, he grabbed my arm and led me out the doors to the school. A huge crowd was outside, everyone getting into their cars and talking, Kyle pulled me to my car and then went around to the other side “didn’t you come with Hail and Jake?” I asked with a smile. He nodded “yes, but they are idiots and I’d much rather ride with you” he said. I laughed “true that” I said. I got in the car and started it, he got in, taking my hand immediately. I caught site of Jared talking to the girl he was talking to earlier, I snorted “what?” Kyle asked. I shook my head and backed out of the parking spot, someone flew up behind me and I gasped and stopped quickly, “jack-ass!” I yelled. I looked back to see Hail and Jakes two buddy’s in the car smirking “no, two Jack-asses” I muttered. I waited for them to get out of the way before I backed completely out. We drove out of the parking lot, some waved, and some just looked, but I managed to keep from hitting any stupid brave souls who dare stand in my way. We drove home talking and laughing, him making remarks on how if my brothers-Jared not included- were left in the wilderness with nothing but flint, they would probably die of starvation just trying to figure out how to use it. When we pulled up to the house, there was a car there that I didn’t recognize. I looked at Kyle in confusion, he just shrugged. I got out of the car and pulled my key out to unlock the house. As I was unlocking the door I pondered at who was here, maybe its just some jerk who decided to use our driveway as his own personnel parking spot, or maybe its one of Jared’s friends or maybe… no. I opened the door and walked into the living room. Mom and dad were sitting there relaxing on the couch like they never left. “hi Sweetie!” mom squealed. She got up from the couch and hugged me tightly, I stood there, shocked, unable to move.

Chapter Seven.

 Chapter seven. She hugged me tightly, not noticing my unyielding state. I pushed her away, backing away as I did it. She looked at me in confusion “why are you here?” I asked hesitantly. She laughed like it was the stupidest question ever “were here for parents day silly!” she said happily. She looked behind me “who is this Kaila?” she asked. I turned around, seeing Kyle standing there looking at them to me, then back to them. “this is Kyle, my boyfriend” I muttered. She smiled at me as if she didn’t ruin my life “that’s wonderful dear” she said. I snorted “you would have known if you didn’t leave, but apparently I was ‘ruining your rich life style‘” I said, mimicking her voice. She frowned “now Kaila, that is in the past, I came back to see you, please, just talk with me” she pleaded seriously. I threw my arms up in the air “why would I?” I laughed humorlessly. She crossed her arms “because I want to be in your life again, if we can just talk about this” she said. I crossed my arms. “you left because of me, how can you just come back into my life?” I yelled. Dad got in between me and mom “now Kaila” he said sternly. I glared at him “and you! You left too, you have no Wright to come in here and tell me or anyone else in this house what to do! You both left us, and it ruined me! My brothers hate me because of you! They hate me!” I screamed. I felt hands on my arms, Kyle tried to pull me away, I ripped my arms away “because of you two my life is a living hell! And because of you, I have had to live with my own brothers turning the whole school against me, and laughing! You don’t know how much that hurts!” I yelled, almost sobbing. I angrily wiped the tears away and ran out the front door to the house. I ran down the driveway, running down the hill to the park. I ran through it and sat down on one of the swings, putting my head in my hands. I sat for probably an hour, just thinking about what I said, then I heard footsteps coming my way. I didn’t look at who it was, I just stared into space “that’s not really the reunion me or your father wanted to have” mom said gently. I didn’t answer, I just swung slightly on the swing and stared into space “Kaila, please talk to me, I- I was greedy and naïve and stupid. I’m so sorry Kaila, I didn’t know this would change your life so much, your teacher called us a month ago telling us that they were worried about you, they thought you might have been depressed, I got so scared and it brought me back to when you were young and you got sick, that cold fear that was there because you were so sick, it made me think about what I have done, and I felt so guilty” she said, I could tell she was crying. I sighed, and a tear ran down my cheek. “Kaila I can’t tell you how horribly sorry I am, I don’t know what happened to me… when we got that money… I just changed, and I lost my mind into money, when I saw your face… my life had meaning again, it was never right living alone” she said. It was really hard trying to be mad at her now, now that she has told me this. I looked at her, she was staring at me with a broken and guilty expression. I looked away “fine, I forgive you” I mumbled inaudibly. In the corner of my eye I saw her face contort in confusion “what Kaila?” she asked. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair “I forgive you” I said a little louder. Suddenly arms were around me and she was hugging my tightly “oh thank you Kaila! I love you so much and I’ll never leave you again!” she sobbed. I hugged her back hesitantly, patting her back slightly. She stayed hugging me for a long time before pulling back and smiling at me. She sniffed and wiped under her eyes “I’m so glad Kaila, now lets go home” she said wetly. I smiled slightly and started walking along the path. We walked home in silence, until mom spoke up about Kyle “so, how long have you and Kyle been together?” she asked. I smirked “about two weeks” I said casually. Mom stared at me a second “two weeks?” she asked. I nodded, I knew she wouldn’t approve. She looked in front of her “oh….that’s…nice” she said very slowly. I snickered “yeah, he, uh, told me he loved me on our first date” I said quietly, smirk gone, a soft smile in its place. In the corner of my eye, I saw moms head snap in my direction. I didn’t look at her, I just stared at the ground in front of me as I walked “really?” she asked me. I nodded, blushing bright red “wow Kaila, what did he say?” she asked me. I blushed deeper, if possible “he told me that he love me since the day we met, and that it didn’t matter to him if I didn’t love him” I said gently. Joy filled me at the memory ‘he loves me’ I thought to myself. Mom didn’t answer and we lapsed into silence. We got to the house, inside, everyone was sitting in the living room, Hail, Jake and Jared were all sitting across from dad. Kyle was sitting on the Lazy Boy chair beside the couch. Hail and Jake seemed to be fuming, and Jared was smirking. I gave him a confused look “Hail and Jake are grounded for a month” he said. I pumped my fist “ha! Serves you right!” I said triumphantly. I heard the vacuum on “who’s room is Jean doing?” I asked in confusion, our rooms have been kept very clean, so she has been coming only on Thursdays. Jake smiled sheepishly “my room is a mess, so I called her to clean it up this morning, I had a date tomorrow, so I couldn’t let her see my room like it was” he said shrugging. I sighed and started up the stairs “you couldn’t have cleaned it yourself?” I asked dryly. I didn’t get an answer, I walked to Jakes room and opened the door. Jean was vacuuming around Jakes bed, and the place looked spotless. She smiled at me and waved “hi! How are you?” she shouted over the vacuum. I leaned against the door frame “good, sorry about the whole Jake thing, he’s grounded so there was really no reason for you to come” I shouted apologetically. She turned off the vacuum and looked up at me “oh well, at least his room is clean” she shrugged. I chuckled “yeah, very true” I said. She put the vacuum back where it goes, “I guess you’ve met my mom and dad” I said as we walked down stairs. She nodded “yes I have” she said. She walked to the door “okay, I have an appointment at the hairstylist, I’m going to a friends wedding” said with an excited smile. I felt guilty “I’m so sorry to keep you from that, I’ll talk to Jake” I said, putting emphasis on ‘Jake’. she smiled and nodded “its quite alright, I’ve still got three hours before the wedding” she said. I smiled and nodded “bye” she said. I waved and closed the door as she walked away. I walked back into the living room, giving Jake a threatening glare “idiot” I muttered. I sat down in the chair across from Kyle, crossing my arms over my chest. “so, Kaila, apparently mom and dad are staying till Thursday, their coming back for thanksgiving weekend though” Jared said, looking at me cautiously. I nodded “cool” I said simply. He stared a me puzzled for a second, then turned back to mom and dad “yes, we’ll be here for the holidays, Easter, maybe even valentines day” mom said. Jake Hail and Jared all widened their eyes at mom and dad “how about you come a few days after? You know, give yourselves some time alone?” Jared suggested desperately. Mom shook her head, smiling knowingly at Jared “nope, were coming the week of Valentines day” she said. I smirked at Jared, then something dawned on me, I looked at Kyle, then at mom, “everyone is going to be out on dates and things mom, can’t we like… move it to the next week or something?” I asked. She shook her head at me “no, were coming the week of” she said stubbornly. Yep, me and mom are just alike. I sighed and sat back, and the reason I gave up with her is because of that, when we want something, we wont back down. So I sat back and let her win this argument. Jared gave me an incredulous look “that’s it? Your not going to argue?” he asked. I nodded “one thing I have learned Jared, is me and mom are alike, our decisions will not be disputed, and if they are, then we’ll just be stubborn and argue right back” I said. Jared sighed and sat back in his seat, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “good God Jared, its not that bad!” I exclaimed, adding a bit of laugher. He glared at me, giving me the shut-up-or-else look. I rolled my eyes at him “Kaila, can you please talk some sense into your brothers?” mom said, getting up from the couch. I looked at her in confusion “where are you going?” I asked. She smiled “I am meeting an old friend” she said. I nodded, then smiled sweetly at my brothers “of course I’ll talk some sense into them mom” I said sweetly, a threatening undertone in my voice. Hail looked scared, Jake looked overly confident, and Jared looked a little scared, but tried to hide it. I smirked “now Kaila, don’t be mean” she said sternly. I smiled innocently at mom “don’t worry mom, I’ll be a perfect angel” I said innocently. She studied me for a second “right” she said slowly. 

Chapter Eight.

 

chapter eight.

While Mom and Dad were gone, me and Kyle sat secretly in my room and talked about what we were going to do Valentines day, it was only a few weeks away. "now, i think we should go out to eat, maybe watch a movie, or, we could do a drive-in theater" Kyle suggested, raising an eyebrow. I smiled at the thought "yes, a drive-in theater would be nice, we could make our own popcorn at home, wouldn't that be funny? our popcorn would be cold and greasy by the time we got there" I laughed. Kyle had gone silent, and i hadn't realized he was staring intently at me. "what?" I asked softly. "I need to tell you something" he was hesitant, nervous."tell me what?" I was now guarded. "now, don't get mad at me""mad at you for what?" he put his hands on both sides of my face, calming me instantly. "I need to tell you something, that I have wanted to tell you, but I thought you would get mad at me, and you probably will. I just want you to know, that I love you, and I always will" he said, truth ringing in every word. I nodded "I love you too, you know I do" I said, kissing his lips once. he smiled softly, but then that smile dropped, being replaced by a hesitant frown "I...well I... you know Lacy, the girl we saw at the place i took you?" he asked me. i nodded "yes, your ex girlfriend" I amended. he nodded and sighed "well, i knew she would be there, and at first, I wanted to make her Jealous, her seeing you with me-""you used me?" I asked incredulously. He winced "sort of, but as i got to know you, i fell in love with you. you have to understand, i was desperate, i wanted her back, but the night i took you out to dinner, i was in love with you, and I didn't want her anymore" he said, pleading. I shook my head slowly "I was never anything to you? You never loved me?" I whispered. He put his hands on both sides of my face, forcing me to look at him, "I fell in love with you, isn't that enough?" he asked. I ripped his hands off my face and got up from the bed, "so what you said to me before, about how you loved me since the day you saw me, you lied?" I asked him. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again, looking away out the window and rubbing his neck. I nodded "it was all a lie" i told mostly myself. He shook his head vigorously "no, no! it wasn't all a lie. I love you, please believe me!" he pleaded. A single tear ran down my cheek, "how can i trust that you still love me?" i asked him. he grabbed me in his arms and kissed me hard, and I couldn't help it, I kissed him back, relaxing into his strong embrace. He pulled back after a few minutes "I love you, and no one else" he said huskily. I stared into his beautiful blue eyes, seeing the pure truth in them, i nodded, hugging him tightly. He kissed me again, "i'm so sorry, Love" he said softly after we broke apart. Another tear ran down my cheek, and he wiped it away "I truly am" he promised. I kissed him again "no, I'm sorry, I should have trusted you" I said. I kissed him again and again "I. Love. You" I said between kisses. i felt him smile "I love you too" he said.there was a soft knock on the door and it opened shortly after, mom coming in "hi sweetie, Kyle, I just wanted to tell you that dinner is served, were having pizza, and, as I recall, your favorite, pepperoni" she said. I pumped my fist "yes!" I exclaimed. I jumped up, dragging Kyle with me, I was ready to forget this whole fight and get on with life. I dragged Kyle downstairs and stopped short when I saw who was at the table, Jana Hensworth, and her son, Ben, he is my enemy, and my old boyfriend. I glanced at mom, she shrugged and went to get pizza. I drug Kyle to the pizza, and heard him chuckle beside me. "mm, i love pizza" I said. He laughed "i'm a little Jealous of the pizza" he joked. I laughed and playfully slapped his arm "don't worry, I love you more than pizza" i assured. he snorted as i grabbed a plate and grabbed two slices of pepperoni pizza. he grabbed himself a plate and then i drug him over and sat down at the table, sitting him down beside me. I looked up to meet the gaze of Hail, he was looking between me and Kyle, frowning. I frowned in confusion at him before digging into my pizza. I groaned at how good this simple triangle with cheese marinara and pepperoni could be. "please don't do that" Kyle whispered huskily. I looked at him in confusion "why not?" I asked. I looked into his eyes, and i realized why, lust was the dominant expression in his eyes. but his face was carefully controlled. I smirked, and he narrowed his eyes at me "please don't do it again" he pleaded. I just kept smirking, i took another bite of my pizza and groaned quietly, so only he could hear. he shifted uncomfortably in his chair and cleared his throat quietly. He glared at me and gave me a look that said to 'stop or else' and i gave him a challenging look. he raised an eyebrow and grabbed my hand "excuse us for a second" he said. they stared at us in confusion as he drug me up the stairs, i had a challenging smile on my face. he led me upstairs and into my room. he then pushed me up against my door and kissed me hungrily, pressing his whole body up against me. every inch of him was pressed against me, he kissed me like he'd never kissed me before. I laughed slightly under his lips and pulled away, looking into his eyes. "This is what you wanted me to stop for?" I asked incredulously. He nodded "well, it was kind of uncomfortable with your whole family around, and you would have been really embarrassed if i had pounced on you" he said. I kissed him passionately and then pushed him out the door again, refusing to stay in that room any longer. I pushed him down the stairs, and half jogged back to my seat.

Ben was frowning in confusion "so Kaila, you are the "queen" of the school again i hear" Ben said to me, raising an eyebrow. I sat back in my seat, raising an eyebrow back at him "no, I prefer to call it...I'm no longer the butt of the joke" I said, smirking.

He rolled his eyes "so that means you’re going to start being a stubborn Bitch again?" he asked. I stared at him in disbelief, and felt Kyle stiffen beside me. "Okay, you people are so stupid; do I look like a female dog? I have to tell you, if it looks like a dog and barks like a dog then it must be a dog, do I look or bark like a dog? I didn't think so!" I said to him, frustration and anger getting the best of me. Ben looked utterly confused "what?" he asked. I sighed "like I said stupid" I muttered. "okay, both of you, calm down, and Jared, get that murderous look off your face" mom said sternly. I looked at Jared and almost laughed, but was too frustrated, he looked a little angry, but not murderous"Way over dramatized mom" I said flatly. She shrugged, winking at me. "Um, is there some bad chemistry between you two? Because it seems that you two don't really like each other" Jana said. I raised an eyebrow, the 'yah think?' clearly on my face. "Yeah, we haven't gotten along in a very long time" I said. I squeezed Kyle's hand, and he instantly relaxed. Ben frowned "maybe I should go" he said. I shook my head "no, me and Kyle were planning to go out anyway, so were just going to be on our way now" I said, getting up, and dragging Kyle with me "we didn't-" I cut Kyle off by shushing him. I pushed him out the door, catching a glimpse of Jared's warning glare at me, I rolled my eyes at him. I pulled my keys out of my pocket and pushed Kyle into the car, getting into the drivers seat. "where are we going?" he asked. I smiled brightly at him "were going to meet your parents" I said. he gave me a look that asked my sanity, he told me all about his stuck up snobby parents. "don't give me that look, you met my parents, so its time I meet yours" I told him. He laughed, shaking his head "fine, but I wont way I told you so" he warned me. I just rolled my eyes at him "you are so beautiful" he said abruptly. I raised an eyebrow at him, he was looking at me with that disarming smile I loved so much. "and you are too in love with me, it can't be healthy" I said, smiling teasingly at him. he leaned over and kissed my cheek, "when we get out of the car, i'm going to kiss you, i don't care who is watching" he said. I rolled my eyes again "yep, too in love" I smiled. He rolled his eyes "now how do you get to your parents house?" I asked, punching his shoulder lightly. He rubbed his shoulder, acting hurt "okay meany, get on the freeway, and exit onto Haywood street" He informed me. I nodded, taking the on ramp to the freeway, I turned on the radio, and smiled when my favorite song came on, -Bluebird- by Christina perri. I sang along with the song, turning it up, I knew the words by heart, and sang as I looked out at the road. when the song ended, I looked at Kyle, and he was staring at me, mouth agape "you have to sing the anthem" he said. I blushed and looked back out at the road, "crap" I said, I almost missed the exit. I saw it just in time to exit and not endanger lives by swerving over at the last second. Kyle laughed "so, tomorrow, is the big game, and everyone in school is wanting you to sing the anthem, even the principal, so... are you going to do it?" he asked. I stared at the road, contemplating for a long time. and finally nodded "i guess, but if i forget the words, i'm blaming you" I said.And all the way there we joked about how I would forget the lines, and just sing the same two lines over and over again, we sang together "oh say can you see, by the dawns early light" over and over again until the song was finished, laughing at the stupidity of it. "turn left at this light, and then were there" Kyle said, stroking my hand with his thumb. I nodded, following his instructions. each house we passed seemed to get bigger, and I would ask if it was the one, Kyle would laugh and shake his head. we finally pulled up to the last house on the street house, it was probably three stories high, and huge! I gaped at it and looked at Kyle for confirmation that this is his parents house, he nodded at me. I gulped and pulled into the long driveway, that circled around a large concrete fountain. I parked and pulled out my keys, looking at Kyle with nervousness "umm, maybe we should have called" I said, ringing my hands together nervously. Kyle shrugged "well, this was your idea, and were sticking with your plan" he said, getting out of the car. I unbuckled, and took a deep breath, staring at the house for another second. Kyle opened my door for me, holding his hand out for me. I grabbed his hand, smiling in thanks as I stepped out of the car. He pulled me to him, kissing me passionately, tingles shot through my like shocks of lightning, and i wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself closer to him and deepening the kiss. He pulled away staring into my brown eyes with his hypnotic amazing blue eyes. "I told you I would kiss you when we got out of the car" he said, smiling softly. I smiled and stroked his soft cheek with the hand that wasn't clasped tightly with his. "lets go meet your parents" I said. He nodded but kept his arm around me, walking me to the door, he walked me up the stone steps to the front door -it was more like a gate- I looked at him nervously as he rang the doorbell, the pleasant "ding dong" rang through the house, I heard the faint sound of echoing footsteps, the door opened, revealing a woman with sandy blonde hair, and the same amazing blue eyes Kyle had, i knew this had to be Mrs. Miller. she looked at Kyle, then me, she suddenly smiled brightly "Kyle! how are you dear?" she asked Kyle excitedly. she hugged him, an awkward hug since he didn't let go of me. "and who might this be?" you could tell she was trying hard to keep that smiled on her face as she looked at me. "mom, this is my girlfriend, Kaila, Kaila, this is my mom, Marianne" he said. I smiled and held out my hand "hi, its so nice to meet you, you have a beautiful name by the way" I said. she took my hand lightly in hers and shook it "thank you dear, its a pleasure to meet you too" she said, still trying to keep that smile on her face. "well come in, come in! i'm sure Daniel will love to meet you" she said, pulling us in. When she turned her back on us, walking down the hall, I looked up at Kyle with a frown. He tightened his arm around me and kissed my hand. "They act like this with everyone, I once brought Lacy over and they shunned her from the house" he chuckled. I nodded, laying my head on his shoulder "so your saying that they usually hate everyone you bring for them to meet?" I asked. He nodded, "yes, but don't worry, just because my mother doesn't like you, doesn't mean my father wont love you, he has actually always wanted a daughter, a strong and respectful daughter, and you are strong and respectful" he said. I smiled at the thought "thank you Kyle" I murmured. He kissed my forehead "my pleasure, I love you" he said softly. "I love you too" I said to him. We finally got to a door, and Marianne turned to us, "wait here a second" she said to us. we nodded, and she entered the room, we heard mumbling from inside the room, but I didn't hear anything else. she poked her head out the door and gestured for us to come in, opening the door. we both stepped in, not sure what we would find, "hello Kyle" his dad said to him. his dad seemed older then Marianne by allot, he had graying hair, and a bald spot, his eyes were dull brown, not the amazing blue that Kyle's is. He walked over and shook Kyle's hand, and then turned to me, I smiled at him and held out my hand "hello, my name is Kaila highlander" I said. He took my hand and shook it firmly in his "its very nice to meet you, I'm Daniel Miller, you have a firm hand shake, that shows confidence, I like that" He said. He turned to Marianne, and I smiled at Kyle, he smiled at me and kissed my forehead. "Marianne, this is the girl you told me was not right for Kyle?" Mr. Miller asked his wife. She blushed and looked away "well, that's not exactly-" he cut her off. "go get dinner started" he dismissed her. she nodded, but hesitated, looking at Kyle, "Kyle, can I speak to you privately? You can help me in the kitchen" she said, Kyle nodded, squeezing my hand and letting me go. "I'll be right back Kaila" he said to me. I nodded, and he kissed my forehead and left the room with his mother, leaving me with his father, "have a seat Kaila" he said to me, gesturing to the the couch, he sat in a chair across from me. "now, Kaila, tell me a little about yourself" Dan said. I sat back on the couch, entwining my hands in my lap "well, where do I start? my name is Kaila, i'm seventeen years old, I live with my three brothers, Jake, Hail and Jared, my mother and father are visiting right now-" he interrupted me. "wait, wait, you say your parents are visiting? you mean you only live with your brothers? why are your parents not there?" he asked. I sighed "well, when I was fifteen, they started a business, and started getting large amounts of money from that business, they changed after that, and left to live a life without us, in Hawaii, this is the first time they have come back since they left" I said calmly. Mr. Miller stared at me thoughtfully for a second, then something clicked in his eyes "Kaila Highlander, your the one who rammed a gas station!" he exclaimed. I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger "ugh! if I had known that this would make me a celebrity I would have skipped the gas station" I muttered. to my surprise, Mr. Miller laughed "that reminded me of when I was a teenager, I would do crazy stuff like that, and not care what anyone said" He chuckled. I stared at him in disbelief "so you don't hate me" I amended. Mr. Miller shook his head "what has Kyle told you about me Kaila?" he asked. I thought for a second "well, he told me that his mother wasn't the friendliest to everyone he brought to the house, and he told me that when he brought his previous girlfriend, Lacy for you to meet, you "shunned" her from the house" I said. Mr. Miller chuckled "we only did that because we knew she wasn't right for him, sure, he was mad at us, but he found out soon enough that she really wasn't right for him" he said. I nodded "and he told me that you have always wanted a strong and respectful daughter" I said. Mr. Miller nodded, "yes, I have" he said. "you seem rather nice Mr. Miller, but I have a question, do you think Mrs. Miller will like me?" I asked, I just had to know. He smiled and nodded "yes, I think she will, you see, she is very...protective of Kyle, and doesn't want him to get hurt" he told me. I nodded "i understand" I said. A few minutes later, Kyle walked into the room, his mother trailing behind, she looked at me with sympathy in her eyes, Kyle sat beside me, putting an arm around my shoulder "so, what is going on here?" Kyle asked. "oh, were just getting to know one another" Mr. Miller said. I laid my head on Kyle's shoulder, realizing how much I missed him in the short time we were apart.

Chapter Nine.

 chapter nine. We talked with his parents, and all the while, his mom seemed to look at me with new eyes, sympathy and admiration the dominant expression on her face, made me wonder what they talked about when they left for the kitchen. "well, we had better get going, you both are probably hungry" Kyle said, smiling at them both. Marianne - they insisted that i call them by their names - hesitated, and then looked at me "can... can i speak to you alone?" she asked me. I nodded, smiling slightly at her "sure" I replied. Dan got up, looking at Kyle "hey Kyle, let me show you my latest car before you go" Dan said to Kyle. Kyle nodded, getting up and walking out of the room with him. Marianne smiled guiltily at me. "um, Kyle told me what you went through, and what your going through, and how strong you have been through it all" she told me. I looked down at my hands "he told me that your parents blamed you the most for the reason they left, and that your own two brothers started humiliating you at school, and that they also blamed you-" I cut her off. "for my parents leaving, yes, they did, and I suppose he told you how strong I was through it all?" I asked her quietly. she nodded "he told me how happy you seem with him, it makes him happy that you are, he said that how strong you are only makes him love you more. Kaila, the way he talks about you, he loves you more than you know" she told me. I sighed "the truth is, at first, I wasn't strong, when they left, I didn't come down from my room for a week, and i avoided contact with my brothers for another three" I told her. She leaned over and pat my hand "sometimes we all need time to heal, and that was how you healed, you had time alone, and either your heart grows bitter toward the people that have done this to you, or you grow strong, and decide that a bitter heart is not worth their time" she told me. I stared down at my hands "It wasn't a strong thing to do, because I thought my brothers hated me, they wanted this to happen, because they blamed and hated me, my oldest brother Jared, he tried to help, but he went to another school, and i wouldn't let him, I am not strong because I thought I deserved it" I told her. Marianne stared at me with the same hypnotizing eyes as Kyle had, right now hers were very sad "you are a good person Kaila, you might act tough, you’re like Kyle's father in a way, when he was younger, he used to act tough, act as if he didn't care, but he acted completely different with me, you act like that with Kyle don't you? Kyle loves you, never doubt that, and never believe that you deserve what happened to you" she told me sternly. I smiled and nodded "it’s a lot easier with Kyle around; he calms me down when I'm angry. And helps me through allot" I murmured. She smiled, pat my hand, and got up from the couch, "well, we should find Kyle and Dan, their probably done looking at his new car" she said. I nodded and got up too, she hugged me around the shoulders "I should have seen it when I saw you with him, the way he looks at you, and the way you look at him, that boy has never been so happy, I swear" she said as we walked to the front door. I blushed and nodded. She opened the door and my mouth dropped open, a 1970s blue convertible Chevelle, It was the most beautiful car I had ever seen. Kyle was standing there, admiring it, but I could tell something was wrong, Marianne chuckled "this is his new car?" I asked her. She nodded "he collects old cars, it’s a hobby" she said. I walked down the stone steps and stood by Kyle, he looked at me, and I immediately saw a change, there was nothing wrong with him now, he relaxed and put an arm around my waist, pulling me close to him "this is a nice car" I said, admiration coloring my voice. He nodded "yeah...it’s mine" he said, smiling down at me. I stared at him blankly "what do you mean?" I asked finally. He chuckled "my dad needs to sell his cars, and this one’s his favorite, he decided to hand it down to me" he said. I stared at the car, and then stared at Kyle "you’re kidding, right?" I asked. Kyle shook his head "nope" he said. I sighed "I guess this means I'll be driving home alone then?" I teased. Kyle shook his head "never, dad is having your car taxied back by a trusted friend" he said. I smiled “we get to ride home in it?" I asked. It was a car without compartment in the front middle, it just had a seat, so i got to sit right beside him "of course, Love, we wouldn't walk" he teased back, running the tips of his fingers down my cheek. Dan cleared his throat behind us, when we looked at him he was smiling slightly "well, your car is safely back home, and you two should probably get going, I hope we see you both again soon" he said, smiling at the both of us. Kyle nodded "We’ll be back, don't worry dad" he said. Dan nodded, and hugged us both, then Marianne came up, hugging both of us as well "it was very nice meeting you, and remember what I said" she told me. I nodded "I will" I assured her. We got in the car, waving at them and leaving the top down. We sped down the driveway; I was sitting in the middle so he could keep his arm around me as he drove. the wind was loud against the car, so there wasn't much conversation, he would tighten his arm around me, kiss my forehead, my cheek, my lips, telling me in a low voice how much he loved me in my ear. I would close my eyes, and lay my head on his shoulder, sighing in content. When we got home, I sighed and reluctantly got out of the car, letting Kyle go. Kyle chuckled and put his arm around me again when I walked over to him. We walked into the house to find a frenzy of people. Mom and Dad were running around the house, shouting over the TV, a bunch of people were here, I didn’t recognize anyone. Everyone looked up at our entrance and smiled “Kaila!” they all shouted over the TV. I gave them a confused look and started up the stairs. I walked into my room with Kyle and sat down on the bed. “What is going on down there?” Kyle asked with an amused smile. I shrugged “I guess its old friends” I muttered. He chuckled “they have a lot of old friends” he commented. I nodded, “yes, they do” I muttered. The TV was so loud that no matter what we did we couldn’t block the sound out. I groaned and gave up on trying to block out the sound. I looked at Kyle; he was smiling in amusement at my efforts so I stuck my tongue out at him childishly. “Hey, how about we go somewhere? Like the park or something?” he asked me. I shrugged “okay, sounds better than this” I muttered. We walked down the stairs to find everyone watching football. “Hey Kaila! You remember Bob, Kim and Jake don’t you?” Mom asked. I looked at an older man, his hair was graying at the ends, and he had a beard, I assumed this was Bob, then I looked at an older woman, her hair was slightly grayed, I assumed this was Kim, and then a young teenager with black hair and brown eyes, he was staring at me lustfully. I shook my head “no, I don’t know any of these people” I told them loudly, trying to be as quiet as I could, but also yell so they could hear me over the TV. Mom nodded “I’m sure you don’t remember these people, your brothers used to hang out with Jake when they were younger” she said. I nodded “ah” I said, a blank look on my face. “Well, Kyle and I are going to the park, see you in a bit” I said, smiling a little. Mom nodded, and I smiled a smug smile as Jake looked disappointed as he looked at Kyle’s arm around me. We walked out the door with a wave. I was laughing as Kyle started skipping on the way to the park singing the wonderful wizard of Oz song. “We’re going to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz!” he sang loudly, clearly making fun of it. I was laughing too hard to breath by the time we got to the park. “You’re such a dork” I muttered when I sobered up. He laughed and kissed me softly, pulling away with a thoughtful look on his face “I was thinking on the way home” he said, looking me deep in the eyes. I chuckled “oh really? I couldn’t think at all with you kissing me” I said with a smile. He smiled disarmingly. “What were you thinking?” I asked him. He sat down on the swing beside me. “I was thinking that we need to go on another date next Saturday” he said. I thought for a second and then smiled “okay, sounds like a plan” I told him, grabbing his hand. We stayed at the park until the sun went down, waiting until all their friends left, and then we walked back to the house. When we got to the house, the TV was still on but not nearly as loud and there were only a few people left in the house. Kyle and I sighed in relief as we walked up the stairs. I walked into my room and fell on the bed, sighing as my head hit the pillow. Kyle chuckled and laid down beside me, kissing my forehead. We talked until I fell asleep, mostly about the anthem tomorrow; I was hoping that I didn’t forget the words. The last thing I felt before I went completely under in a deep sleep was Kyle’s lips on mine. 

Chapter Ten.

 Chapter ten. I awoke to my alarm; I groaned and pressed the button to turn it off. I looked around to find that Kyle had left the room; I assumed he woke up and decided to get ready for school. So I got up and stumbled into the bathroom, grabbing a towel and a razor. I jumped in the shower when it got hot and rinsed myself off, grabbing my shampoo; I lathered my hair and scrubbed my scalp. After that I conditioned my hair and shaved my legs and underarms. I jumped out of the shower and wrapped my towel around me, drying my hair with my towel and brushing my teeth. I walked out of the bathroom and into my closet. Dressing in the best pair of skinny jeans I have and a pretty blue shirt, today is the day I sing the anthem, so I want to look my best. I grabbed a pair of underwear and a bra and slipped them on. Slipping on my Jeans and my shirt, I walked out of my closet and sat down at my vanity, putting on some eyeliner with a light coat of blue eye shadow, I put on some lip gloss and called it good, I then turned my hairdryer on and started brushing through my tangled hair while drying it. After I dried it I curled my hair in tight curls, brushing them out so they looked natural. I got up from my vanity, satisfied with my appearance. I walked out of my room and down the stairs, Mom and Dad were up, they were making eggs, bacon and pancakes. “Hey Sweetie! Want some pancakes?” mom asked me. I shook my head “I would, but I don’t have time, I have to go in a few minutes” I said. Mom nodded in understanding “okay, well remember that were coming for parents day today, we may come early to watch the game” she said, smiling. I nodded slightly “okay” I muttered. I grabbed my keys and waited for Kyle to come down. Kyle came bounding down the stairs and kissed me on the lips, “good morning” he said, smiling brightly. I smiled at him as we walked out to the car. “Aw, we aren’t using my poor car?” he asked, with a fake expression of sadness. I laughed “hell yeah we are!” I exclaimed. Kyle pumped his fist and pulled out his keys. I grabbed them from him and jumped into the driver’s seat. “Hey! This is my car!” he pouted. I laughed “well I get to drive it to school, you can drive it back home” I told him. He shrugged and jumped into the car, sliding into the middle seat and putting his arm around me. We sped to school with the top down, so my hair was a mess when we got there. I managed to fix it though. “Oh, and by the way, you look beautiful today” he murmured into my ear as we walked into school. I blushed and kissed him on the lips. We parted to go to our classes; I skipped to my English class, sitting at my desk. Jamie walked in and sat beside me. “Hey Kaila, you look beautiful today” he commented with a smile. I blushed and punched him playfully on the arm “well, you have to look your best to sing the anthem” I muttered. Jamie’s eyes brightened “you’re really going to do it?” he asked excitedly. I sighed and nodded “yes, apparently I have no choice” I told him jokingly. He laughed and Mr. Barnes shushed him. The day went by slowly as I waited for it to end, at the end of the day, I looked for Kyle, but I couldn’t find him. “Kaila! Looking for your boyfriend?” Sam asked, sneering at me. I turned around and looked at him blankly “I might be, why, do you have anything to do with his disappearance?” I asked a threat in my voice. He shook his head, holding up his hands “no, but Lacy might, we saw him leave the class with her, just so happens we saw them enter a certain janitors closet. My mouth dropped open, I broke into a run down the hall, I stopped in front of the closet and swung the door open. What I saw shocked and hurt me more than anything else. Kyle had his hands on Lacy’s arms, and Lacy had her lips locked with Kyle’s, they broke apart when I opened the door. Kyle immediately let go of Lacy and pushed her away. “Kaila, wait! It’s not what it looks like! Please let me explain” he begged. Lacy was smiling a smug smile “Kyle, I know exactly what is going on” I told him, backing away from him. Tears threatened to come, but I held them back. “You were still using me! After you promised not to hurt me anymore! I’m going to be sick, I actually believed you! I actually trusted you!” I shouted at him. He reached out a hand to wipe away the traitor tears that I couldn’t keep away, but I pushed his hand away. “I can’t believe I trusted you” I said, it was almost just a whisper now. Kyle looked pained, but my heart was shattered into a thousand pieces “Kaila if you just listen to-“ “No! I have already heard enough, and seen enough for that matter, it’s over Kyle” I told him. I grabbed his keys from my pocket and gave them to him “here, I can walk” I muttered. I started walking away from him, he called my name but I ignored him. I walked outside and broke into a run; I ran to the sidewalk outside the school and started walking again. Someone drove up beside me, calling my name, I looked up to find Jamie “oh, hi Jamie” I muttered, wiping the tears from my face. “Hi, are you alright?” he asked me worriedly. I nodded “yes, I’m fine” I lied. Jamie sighed “will you please get in the car and let me take you home?” he asked me. I thought about it for a second and then nodded “okay” I said, grabbing the handle to the door and opening it, and getting into the car. “So…what happened?” he asked me. I looked away out the window “Kyle and I are over” I whispered. I heard Jamie’s intake of breath “oh, I’m sorry” he sounded like he really was sorry. I shrugged “he was a Lying bastard anyway” I said. Jamie pat my hand “I know how much you love him Kaila” he said to me gently. I held back tears “apparently he didn’t return that love” I said, desperately trying to keep from crying. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t keep from crying, so I let it out, I cried quietly, sniffling and wiping tears from my eyes “if you ever want to talk, or just need some comfort, you can always call me, I’ll be there, okay?” he asked me softly. I nodded, smiling slightly at him “thank you Jamie, you have been a good friend to me” I murmured. He smiled as we pulled into my driveway. I got out and walked around to the door. “Kaila, I’m sorry about Kyle” he told me, grabbing me in a hug. I hugged him tightly back and then let him go. “Hey, Jamie? Will you pick me up tonight for the game?” I asked him. He looked at me in confusion “your still going to sing?” he asked. I nodded “yeah” I said. He nodded “okay, yeah I’ll pick you up” he said. I smiled in thanks and walked into the house “my Jamie” I muttered before closing the door. I walked up the stairs and into my room, going over to my mirror; I grabbed my makeup bag and re-did my smudged makeup. I decided to change into a dress, maybe wear my dark blue knee length dress with the lighter colored blue flower belt around it. I slipped some shoes on to go with it and then I slipped the dress on. A knock sounded at my door, I cleared my throat to speak “yes? Who is it?” I asked. “It’s, uh, it’s Kyle” Kyle’s voice sounded. I wasn’t all that sad anymore, just angry. I opened the door and smiled sweetly “yes? can I help you?” I asked him. He rubbed the back of his neck “Kaila, can I please explain what happened?” he asked me, his eyes pleading with mine. I kept my eyes hard “I know what happened Kyle, you were sucking Lacy’s face, bye, bye now” I said, about to close the door. “Wait, please! Just let me tell you!” he stopped me. I sighed and shook my head “maybe later when I don’t want to murder you” I said. Kyle sighed and nodded, slumping off to his room. I felt guilty for a second, but I pushed that feeling away, he was the one who lied to me. I sighed and grabbed my purse, walking down stairs. “You’re going to sing at the anthem!” Jared said excitedly. I rolled my eyes and nodded “Jamie is picking me up in a few minutes” I said. Jared looked confused “Kyle isn’t taking you?” he asked me. I looked away from “no, he…doesn’t feel very good” I muttered. Jared sat back in his chair and studied me suspiciously “you two broke up didn’t you?” he asked me. I looked down at my hands “no” I lied. Jared snorted “Kaila, I know you” he said. I sighed in frustration “yes okay? We broke up! So what?” I asked him. Jared shrugged “you just seemed off” he said. He got up from the couch “well, I should go, I have to get there before the coach does” he said with a smile. I got up and hugged him “good luck, I’ll be routing for you” I said. Jared hugged me back before walking out the door. I sat against the door with my head in my hands, shaking my head slowly “okay Kaila, you can do this, your only singing, it’s only a song, you have done this before” I told myself, not letting my nerves get to me. “Kaila?” Kyle hesitantly asked me. I looked up at his voice “what?” I asked sharply. He looked away “just making sure you’re alright” he murmured. I sighed and got up when Jamie knocked on the door. I opened it and smiled at Jamie “hey! Ready?” he asked, seeming happy that I was happy. I nodded and grabbed my purse from the ground. I glanced back to see that Kyle was gaping at the two of us “bye Kyle, see you after the game” I said. I walked out the door to Jamie’s…motorcycle? “Um, what happened to your car?” I asked, laughing slightly. Jamie shrugged “I thought you would want to ride to school in style” he said with a laugh. I looked down at my dress “Um, I would Jamie, but I’m wearing a dress” I laughed. He looked me over, a little too long if you asked me, and then smiled a roguish and playful grin “that’s alright” he said. I looked at him in confusion before he picked me up bridal style and set me on the motorcycle. I glared playfully at him as he got on, and just laughed. He revved the bike to life and we sped off. I held on tight to him while he drove like a madman. When we got there, everyone was buzzing about the game. I jumped off the bike and looked around. Jake and Hail were drooling over the bike. Jamie got off the bike and led me over to his friends, one of them was Tiffany. “Hey Kaila! Jamie told me you were going to sing!” Tiffany said excitedly. I nodded as our music teacher came up “Kaila! Come on, you have to get ready” she said, grabbing my arm and leading me to the school doors. I waved at everyone and ran with the teacher. We walked into the girls locker room, everyone was getting ready. “that dress is perfect, your parents are here, but they don’t know your singing, we wanted to make it into a surprise” she explained. I nodded, smiling slightly. “Oh! Your brother is the quarterback of the football team! The coach has been training him all season for this” she told me as she put some foundation on my face. I nodded and got up from the chair. “You’re free to sit out on the field until its your time, which is very soon dear” she said. I nodded and walked out the girls locker and out the back doors, it leads to the opening of the stadium. I sat on the seat, watching as they prepared for guests to arrive. Jared sat next to me “you look tough” I chuckled; he was in all his padding and stuff. He laughed “you look pretty” he retorted. I blushed and pushed his shoulder. “Mom and dad don’t know I’m going to be singing, I really hope I don’t disappoint” I said worriedly. He snorted “you are going to be great, just don’t forget the lines” he teased. I glared at him “thank you, I feel so much better” I said sarcastically. Everyone was piling in, I looked for mom and dad in the crowd, and spotted them looking around with interest. We have a full on stadium for the school, it’s quite awesome. Everyone was seated, and it was almost time for me to sing, I took a deep breath and forced myself to not be nervous. “Ladies and Gentlemen, we are proud to welcome a very talented student, volunteering to sing our national anthem, give it up for Kaila Evans Highlander!” my music teacher announced on the stage that was set up in the middle of the field. I got up and smiled, waving. I walked over to the stage and stood with the teacher. Everyone cheered, and I didn’t really know why, they hated me. I took the microphone from her and before I knew it, the music band started playing, and I was singing. Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? When the song was over, my heart was pounding and my breathing was hard, and I felt good. I smiled as everyone cheered, I saw myself on a big screen, I looked…at least a small bit more happy than I was, the screen changed to my parents, they were standing up, clapping and cheering. I walked off the stage and smiled at Jared, he looked shocked that I had that much power in me. I sat down on the bench and watched as the stage was brought off the field. The home team football players came out on the field, and everyone cheered. I was clapping and wooting for Jared as he ran out on the field. Someone grabbed my hand and pulled me back into the opening, I looked up to find Kyle, he had a determined look on his face “please listen to me” he said, covering my mouth as I tried to speak. I crossed my arms and nodded, looking at him expectantly. He hesitated and looked away “Lacy pulled me into the closet when I was walking by, I thought it was you, she didn’t say anything, she just kissed me, it was dark and I had no idea it wasn’t you! Please believe me!” he begged. I looked away “how do I ever trust you again? You promised not to hurt me! And then I find her with you…how can I believe you?” I asked him. He put his hand on my cheek and looked me deep in my eyes “I love you, no one else” he said to me. “That is what you said last time” I told him. ‘Maybe I deserve this, deserve to be hurt this way’ I thought to myself, Kyle seemed to read my thoughts “don’t you even think that, I know that look, you think you deserve this, you don’t! You don’t deserve to be hurt like this, and I am so sorry that I hurt you like I did” he said. I looked away from his face “I just need some time to think okay?” I asked him gently. He looked at my face a while longer, as if memorizing the way it looks “okay… you look beautiful tonight by the way” he murmured. I looked away “thank you” I muttered. Kyle sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I guess I’ll leave, you were amazing, by the way” he said, gesturing to the field. I looked at him in shock “you saw me?” I asked him. He nodded “wouldn’t miss it for the world” he said. “oh…cool” I said awkwardly. “well, bye” he said. “Wait, Kyle-“I paused, trying to find the reason that I stopped him, I guessed to keep him here. He looked back at me, a slightly hopeful glint in his eye “be careful on your way back, okay?” I asked him. He looked disappointed when he answered “no problem” he said quietly. I looked out at the field as he left, looking out as the players ran across the field. At the end of the game, we drove home celebrating; me and Jamie were singing ‘we are the champions’ on the way home. They won! When Jared saw we were driving home in a motorcyclewithout any protecting gear on, he looked like he was having an aneurism, but he kept quiet, he was driving behind us though, I knew his car. When we got to the house, I hugged Jamie “bye Jamie! Thank you for the ride!” I said as I walked to the door. “Kaila! You were amazing!” Mom said, hugging me as I entered the door. “Thank you! It felt so good to be up there on the stage!” I said, smiling. I went silent when I walked into the living room, Kyle was sitting on the couch, mom and dad were chattering away “why didn’t you tell us?” dad asked. I shrugged “I guess I wanted it to be a surprise” I said. Dad rolled his eyes. Kyle was looking away from me, but I avoided looking at him anyway. I faked a yawn “I’m going to go upstairs, I’m kind of tired” I lied. I walked up stairs and into my room. “Goodnight!” they called. “Goodnight!” I called back. I closed my door and laid on my bed, the only thing I could do without Kyle here was fall asleep. ‘What are you doing? You’re practically moping! I say you sneak out!’ I told myself in my mind. I sat up at the thought of sneaking out, I got out of bed and changed into skinny jeans and a shirt. I jumped out the window onto the small roof, climbing off the window, I fell to the ground and got up, wondering where to go now. I decided to walk to McDonalds. I walked up the street and turned, going into a small part of the city I walked into the McDonalds and sat down. “Hi! Can I get you anything?” a guy behind the counter asked. “No thanks” I said. He looked at me in confusion but shrugged “Kaila? What are you doing here?” Jamie suddenly appeared at my table “oh…Hi Jamie, I just wanted to get out of the house, so I snuck out” I shrugged. He laughed and sat down “man! You get stir crazy quick” he teased. I smiled slightly. “so Jamie, what brings you to McDonalds at this hour?” I asked him. He shrugged “I was hungry and…I didn’t really want to go home right now” I noticed a hint of hesitant fear in his voice. “Jamie, what’s wrong?” I asked worriedly, putting my hand on his. He looked away and shook his head “nothing” he lied. “Jamie!” I said sternly. “Nothing okay?” he almost shouted. I pulled my hand back, shock and hurt on my face. Jamie immediately apologized “I’m sorry, it’s just…my father is a drinker, and he doesn’t get physically violent or anything, just verbally” Jamie said. I looked down at my hands “I’m sorry, what about-“ “my mother died in a car accident three years ago, my dad was driving drunk, you would think that would make him stop drinking, but he didn’t stop, it actually got worse” he answered my question. I nodded “I’m sorry” I murmured. He shrugged “I’m…used to it” he said thoughtfully. I smiled slightly “were both pretty messed up” I chuckled. He nodded “I guess that’s what brought- made us such good friends” he said, changing what he said at the last second. I wondered for a second what he was going to say, but I let it go when he stood up “so! Do you want to take a ride on my motorcycle?” he asked. I smiled and nodded, grabbing his outstretched hand. We walked out of McDonalds and jumped on his bike “where do you want to go?” he asked me. I shrugged, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist “I don’t care” I said to him. He nodded and started the bike. We drove around the city, and he drove me to the ocean, driving beside it, I watched as the high tide hit the beach. We drove to for a long time before he took me home; he stopped his bike down the street and put it up on the kick stand. He walked me to my door and smiled at me “thank you Jamie, I really needed this” I murmured. I hugged him and then pulled back. He smiled and kissed my cheek “bye Kaila, see you tomorrow” he said in a whisper. “Bye” I whispered back. I grabbed my key out of my pocket and unlocked the door. Stepping into the door, I watched as he walked down the street, feeling a little guilty that he walked all the way here with me. I turned around and jumped, Kyle was standing there quiet as a mouse behind me, leaning against the banister “you two are together now I take it?” he asked me, raising an eyebrow, jealousy burning in his eyes. I rolled my eyes “no, I went to McDonalds because I couldn’t sleep, and he happened to be there, so we talked for a while and he took me home” I half lied. I wasn’t about to tell him we drove all through town “and even if we were together it wouldn’t be your business anymore” I said stubbornly. He sighed, rolling his eyes “Were practically still together, you just said you needed time to “think”” He said, putting quotation marks on Think. I glared at him “what? So your mad at me now? You’re the one who was sucking face with your ex” I accused. I regretted the words as soon as they were out, Kyle shut his emotions off from me completely, I knew I had hurt him. “Kyle…I’m sorry, I know it wasn’t your fault, I didn’t mean it” I said, looking down at the ground. I watched Kyle’s feet as he took a step toward me, he put a hand under my chin and made me look at him, “you mean…you believe me...? That I didn’t…mean to kiss her?” he asked. I nodded “yes, I believe you” I murmured. “Does that mean were okay?” he asked me, hope rising in his eyes. The image of my heart shattering into a million pieces again popped into my mind and I shook my head, the fear of being hurt overpowering everything else. Kyle looked confused and hurt “I don’t understand” he said. I looked into his eyes “I-I….I’m not…I’m afraid that-“ I sighed and looked away. I walked over and sat down on the couch, staring out the window at the backyard. “Afraid of what?” he asked me, sitting beside me and taking my hand. Can I tell him that I’m afraid he’ll hurt me again? That my heart was already holding together by a string? I had to, what else do I tell him? I decided to tell him the truth, he was looking at me with gentle eyes, and his hands were clasping both of mine tightly in his. I looked into his hypnotizing blue eyes and sighed “I’m afraid that….that I’ll…” I groaned- this was way too hard to say to this man. “What? Please tell me Kaila!” he begged me. I put my head in my hands “I’m afraid that you will hurt me again!” I blurted, trying to keep tears from my eyes. Kyle was silent, and I was afraid to look at him. He gently touched my hair and tucked it behind my ear; he then gently put his hand on my wrist and moved it down from my face. He did the same with my other hand and made me look at him by putting his hand under my chin. Tears were flowing down my cheeks without my permission. Kyle pulled me into a hug and tucked my head under his chin. I cried silently into his chest “Kaila, I can’t promise that you won’t get hurt, but I can promise that I will never hurt you again, we will get through anything together, okay? I love you” he said to me softly. The truth in his voice and eyes was undeniable; I stared into his eyes as he leaned in and kissed my tear stained cheek. His lips lingered on my cheek; I closed my eyes as he pulled away. “How do I believe you?” I whispered. Something deep down knew that he was telling the truth, but the fear was still there. He slid his hand in my hair and cupped my chin with his other, he pulled me close to him, so close that our lips were just inches apart; I closed my eyes as our lips touched and a fire exploded inside me, I ran my hands through his hair, and he wrapped his arm around me, while holding my lips securely on his –not that, if he let me go, I would pull away- I was now sitting on his lap with my legs wrapped around him, we broke apart to breathe. I laid my forehead on his chest and tried to breathe. “I believe you” I gasped. He chuckled, breathless himself. He cupped my chin and made me look at him, his face was sober: his eyes pleading with mine “will you please forgive me?” he begged me. I stared into his eyes a little longer, still searching for something, anything that would give away to me being hurt again, but I didn’t find anything. The truth was, I had already forgiven him, I just hadn’t admitted it to myself “I forgive you” I whispered. He smiled a smile so bright that it seemed to light up the darkened room and kissed me again, this kiss was a joyful and happy. 

Chapter Eleven.

Chapter eleven. I woke up in Kyle’s bed this time, me and him were up almost half the night until I fell asleep, we were talking again, just talking about different things of unimportance. I opened my eyes to find Kyle’s beautiful blue eyes staring at me. I smiled softly at him “good morning” I murmured sleepily. He smiled “good morning, were going to be tired all day today at school you know that right?” he asked me softly. I shrugged “who cares” I muttered. He laughed quietly, still staring at my face, his eyes were loving and happy “god, you’re so beautiful” he murmured, stroking my cheek softly. I blushed “you see? I love it when you blush, and that I can be the one to make you blush” he said, kissing my cheek. I blushed deeper at that, making him laugh. He kissed me softly, putting his hand on my cheek. “What time is it?” I asked softly. He glanced at his clock behind him “its six eighteen” he said. I groaned and put my head in his chest. “I hate Tuesdays” I muttered. Kyle’s chest shook as he chuckled “Hey! What did Tuesday ever do to you?” he asked teasingly. I smiled, keeping my face buried in his chest “It wakes me up in the morning and makes me go to school!” I pouted. Kyle laughed and kissed my hair, I looked into his eyes, his beautiful aqua blue eyes, the strangest yet most beautiful color of blue in his eyes; I stared at his eyes in wonder as a familiar twinkle brightened his eyes. “What?” he asked softly. I smiled innocently “Nothing” I said innocently. He narrowed his eyes teasingly and leaned in to where his lips were just inches from mine; my breathing became shallow as his eyes stared into mine, my eyes drifted down to his lips, his sweet, soft, kissable lips. I watched as they slowly stretched up into a grin “now what was it you were staring at me like that for?” he asked softly, his sweet breath blowing hot air onto my face. I sucked in a breath and looked back up into his hypnotizing eyes; does he know what he is doing to me? My train of thought was going off its tracks. He raised an eyebrow, reminding me that he asked me a question “uh…umm…right…that...” I trailed off, trying to make a coherent sentence. This has never happened before! He completely made my mind go haywire and my stomach was full of butterflies, His grin got wider, disarming me even more then I was “yes?” he asked in anticipation. I swallowed quietly, trying to bring the words to my lips “well…it would help if I could think” I said pointedly. He laughed and pulled away slightly, but still keeping our faces inches apart. It helped a small bit, at least I could think without the heat of his lips inches from mine. “I was looking at your eyes, they are the most beautiful color, the aqua color they have is like nothing I have ever seen before” I said, blushing deep red. He stroked my cheek where the blush was, making me go redder. His eyes seemed to glow, the room was darkened by his curtains, just a small bit of light came in, but his eyes seemed to glow brighter than the light that came in. His aqua eyes pierced my light brown ones, he put his arms around my waist and pulled me to him, I cuddled into him, my hands on his bare chest, and my arms in between us. “I love you” he sighed, kissing me softly. We kissed for what seemed like hours, just enjoying each other’s warmth. The kiss was soft and sweet at first, but passion took over the both of us and the kiss changed. He ran his hands up and down the length of my back, stroking it softly, I felt along his chest and stomach, feeling and tracing the muscles there. Our tongues danced together in a fiery dance, and with every single touch he sent shockwaves through my body. We broke apart to breath, he kissed me softly down my neck, kissing and nibbling on it, making me moan. “Kaila, I love you with all my heart” he said, looking deeply into my eyes. “I love you too” I gasped, still breathless. “I wanted to do this a little better, but I can’t wait until Saturday” he told me seriously. He sat me up on the bed and sighed, opening a small droor and grabbing something from inside it. He sat me on the edge of the bed and got down on one knee. It hit me what he was doing, I sat there shocked, he was proposing? “Kaila Evans Highlander, I love you with all my heart and soul, will you do me the wonderful honor of marrying me?” he asked me softly. I sat there shocked as he opened a small satin box, revealing a ring with diamonds lining the band, the main diamond being my birthstone, aqua marine. I looked into his eyes and nodded “yes” was all I could manage to whisper. His smile was dazzling, more dazzling then the ring itself, it was happier then when I first said I loved him, happier then when his father told him that he liked me, happier then when I told him I forgave him last night. He pulled me down on the floor and hugged me, kissing me passionately. “I promise to love you with all my heart” he murmured softly. He put the ring on my hand and kissed me one last time. “Does everyone know?” I asked him curiously. He shook his head “no, just your mother and father, and my mother and father” he said. I nodded “how long were you planning on asking me?” I asked him. “Since you met my parents, remember when I told you that me and my mother had talked about what had happened to you?” he asked. I nodded “she gave me this ring, a family heirloom I had it sized for you, and I took the main stone out and put your birthstone in” he said softly. I stroked his cheek softly and sighed happily. “Well, the hard part will be telling Jared” I said with a chuckle. Kyle laughed “yes, I have been dreading that part as well” he joked.

Chapter Twelve.

Chapter twelve. We sat in the living room, me and Kyle, staring at my mother, father, Hail, Jake…and Jared. Jared was looking at us expectantly, mom and dad already knew, and Hail and Jake looked bored. I looked at Kyle with a raised eyebrow, and he shrugged “were getting married” he said simply. I winced, I knew what Jared’s reaction would be, and it wouldn’t be pretty. “What?” he shouted, jumping up from the couch. Yep, I knew it. Mom and Dad looked happy, Hail and Jake looked shocked. “Jared, calm down before I kick your ass” I told him. He looked me in the eye, seeing that I wasn’t kidding, he sat down. Kyle chuckled “yes, we are getting married, no, I am not pregnant, and yes I am still a virgin” I answered all of his questions as he opened his mouth to speak. He sat back, crossing his arms. “Then why-“ “Because we love each other and that will never change” I interrupted him again. He huffed and sat back again. “Ooh! Let me see the ring!” mom squealed. I showed her the ring that was proudly displayed on my finger. She gasped and took my hand, looking at the ring from side to side “this ring is gorgeous! And it has your birthstone!” mom said, tears welling in her eyes. “Mom?” I asked worriedly. She quickly blinked the tears away “I’m so happy for you dear!” she said. Dad was silent, putting an arm around mom, comforting her “dad…are you alright?” I asked him, he looked a little pale. He smiled slightly at me “it’s just sinking in that my little girl is getting married” he said. I rolled my eyes “I’m almost eighteen now dad” I said. He nodded “you’re not even in college yet” he reminded. I nodded “that’s true, but it’s not like I’m going to have a child to take care of, me and Kyle will still go to college” I said, tightening my grip on Kyle’s hand. Jared still looked unhappy, so I got up from the chair, gesturing for Jared to come with me. “Kyle…stay here and…try not to get killed by my protective father okay?” I asked him. He nodded and laughed. I walked down to the park in silence with Jared; he seemed to be deep in thought. I sat down on the swing and looked up at Jared, pointing to the swing beside me. He sighed and sat on the swing. “Are you sure about this?” he asked me. I thought about it for a second before I answered, trying to figure out if I was sure “yes, I am one hundred percent sure” I answered honestly. Jared studied my face “if he hurts you again…I will not refrain from ripping his balls-“ “Okay! That’s all I need to know!” I yelled holding my hand up. Jared chuckled and nodded “okay then, we understand each other” Jared said. I laughed “You are so overprotective” I muttered. Jared punched my shoulder lightly “hey, I’m happy for you, and you know that Kyle is going to choose Jack, Laurence Jessie and Ben to be the best men” he chuckled. I groaned and shook my head slowly “oh well I guess” I muttered. Jared got up from the swing and pulled me up with him, hugging me tightly “I love you sis, I hope you’re happy” he said, kissing my cheek as we walked back. I smiled and nodded “I am” I murmured. Chapter thirteen. I stood in front of a mirror in a floor length white satin gown, lace flowed down the bodice, and the skirt flowed out behind me in a long but not too long train. The veil flowed down to my waist and was held into my hair by a jewel incrusted tiara, I felt so nervous, even though I was only fitting the dress, the wedding was a two days away, tomorrow was the rehearsal, and just a week ago, my mom made Kyle stay in a motel because she believes that the groom cannot see the bride until the rehearsal and wedding day. I have been texting him, but I haven’t seen him for seven days! I am going to die from not seeing him! “What do you think sweetheart?” mom asked me as I stared at the mirror lost in thought. I snapped out of my thoughts and smiled “it’s beautiful” I said. Mom squealed and hugged me, tears had been running down her cheeks for three months ever since we said we were getting married. I think this is the first time I had seen her dry eyed. Marianne was here with me too, she was wiping her eyes as she looked at me “it is beautiful!” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks “Marianne! Don’t cry! You’re going to make her cry!” I exclaimed as mom got all teary eyed too. Too late, they were both crying, and I was rubbing my hand across my forehead, shaking my head and sighing “if I had known this was going to be so emotional, I would have just gone to the justice of the peace” I muttered. Mom shot me a glare “you would not have” she said sternly. I laughed “it’s a joke mom” I said. She nodded and smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes. After taking off the dress we went to the best hairdresser in town and she planned the style of my hair, and her makeup artist studied my face, finding the best way to make me look like a princess. When they were both done, they stepped back for me to look, I stared at the mirror, trying to figure out who it was I was staring at, I looked nothing like myself, my hair was curled and clipped into an elegant twist, with a few curls loose to frame my face, my makeup was done to make it look natural, my lips were slightly shiny with lip gloss, I looked beautiful. “Honey...?” mom asked worriedly as tears welled in my eyes. I got up and hugged Klora, the hair dresser, and then I hugged Janine, the makeup artist, “I look perfect! Thank you so much!” I said to them. They both smiled and nodded “well, we’ll see you on the big day!” Klora said, looking at her watch “we have another appointment in two minutes” she said. I nodded as they took the clips out and let my curled hair fall down to the middle of my back. We left the shop, and there was nothing else to do but to text Kyle “I wish I could see you, I miss you so much” I texted him. He sent back quickly “I know, and it’s lonely in this big hotel” he sent back. I chuckled and mom looked at me weirdly, I hid my phone and looked out the window innocently, she doesn’t know we text, but hey! I am not going to tell her. “I love you, and miss you, I really wish I could see you but my mom had strict rules about these things” I sent him with a frown face. I could just see him chuckling as he read it, I longed to see his smiling face. “I know, I don’t even think she would approve of us texting” he sent. I shook my head slightly, smiling. “if I could, I would sneak out and see you, but of course Jared has taken to sleeping in a chair in the corner of the room, watching to make sure I don’t sneak out, that dumb-ass” I sent, smiling. “haha, I know love, I have not been sleeping well either without you beside me” he sent back fast. “Well, I am so glad we’ll be seeing each other tomorrow, I can’t wait to see your face” I sent him. Mom and dad extended their stay to plan the wedding, and Thanksgiving was hellish, my whole family was there, they met Kyle and liked him well enough, until they found out we were getting married. Then they were all over Kyle, “how are you going to support her?” and “is she pregnant?” I was about to just start punching some people when mom and dad intervened, then everything quieted down and they eventually excepted Kyle as a part of the family. We have invited my whole family to the wedding, two hundred and three people! Luckily the church is huge. And the reception will be even bigger. My three cousins will be bridesmaids and so will Kyle’s sister Hanna, Angie, Loren and Fay, and my maid of honor will be Tiffany, it seemed right. And, as predicted by my brother –who is the best man-, Ben, Jack, Jessie and Laurence are the best men. The ring bearer will be my little cousin Bruce, he is five years old, and he is so adorable! My flower girls will be Tiffany’s cousin and my cousin, who are the same age, ten years old. Delilah and Jaybird, Jaybird being my cousin. I looked up at my house, it’s not going to be my house very soon, I’ll be moving into a new house we bought nearby with Kyle, sadness and happiness flowed through me at once, happiness because I was moving in with the man I love, and sadness because I was leaving this place behind. I got out of the car and walked into the house, everyone was buzzing, getting ready for rehearsal tomorrow. Jared walked down stairs in a simple but dashing black suit. “Mom, how do I look?” he asked with a grin. His girlfriend came down stairs too, in a very pretty floral dress. “You look dashing Jared” mom said. Grace and I – Grace being Jared’s girlfriend- have gotten along well, she is a good friend. “So how did the fitting go?” Jared asked me. I looked at mom to make sure she wasn’t going to cry “it was perfect, the dress is beautiful” I said smiling. Jared nodded “good” he said. My three cousins and Tiffany were speaking to each other in serious voices, when they saw me, they all smiled and walked over. “Kaila! We know you don’t want us to do the chicken dance, but we were wondering if we were doing jump on it?” Tiffany asked me, dead serious. I laughed a little, trying to see if they were really serious “well yes, of course I am, why do you ask?” I asked them. They all got excited “we were just wondering” Tiffany said. I rolled my eyes “okay” I said. We spent all day picking out outfits for me to wear tomorrow and settled on a floor length black dress that showed off my curves. That night I lay awake, anticipation of seeing Kyle again keeping me asleep. “Okay Kaila, just remember, the faster you get to sleep, the faster you see him” I kept telling myself that until I fell into a not so deep sleep. I awoke to knocking on my door “go away!” I groaned. “it is your rehearsal day! I will not go away!” I heard mom call. I jumped up from the bed, “the day I get to see Kyle!” I squealed. I grabbed my black dress out of the closet and ran into the bathroom. I showered quickly and dried off, putting my dress on, I put makeup on as fast as I could, to be accurate and to be fast is impossible. I blow dried and curled my hair, putting it into a bun and leaving a few curls to frame my face. I ran out of my room and down stairs. Everyone was getting ready for the rehearsal; I think I was the only one that was completely ready. I grabbed a breakfast bar out of the pantry and munched on it as everyone got ready. Our wedding planner was there, getting everyone sorted out. “Were ready! let’s go!” mom exclaimed. We walked out the door; I got in my car with Jared. When we got there, I scanned the church for Kyle, but didn’t see him. I heard someone else pull up; I turned around to find Kyle stepping out of his car. He walked around the car to the yard. I was already running for him when his eyes landed on me. He smiled a bright smile that I missed so much and held out his arms to me. I ran into them. I kissed him softly, relishing in the warmth of his arms. “I’ve missed you so much” I said, hugging him tightly. He chuckled “I can see that, I missed you too” he said softly. “Kaila! Kyle! Come on we have to get this show on the road!” mom called. I sighed and let Kyle go. He looked at the dress I was in “you look beautiful by the way, when I saw you running towards me, I thought an angel was about to run me down” he laughed. I punched him in the shoulder lightly “nope, it’s your fiancé” I chuckled. “Even better” he said in my ear. I shivered slightly at his breath on my ear and smiled at him. We were pulled apart by the wedding planner; Kyle had to stand by the pastor. The woman we hired to play the piano played the song for the bridesmaids and best men to walk out to, Fay hooked her arm around Jacks and they went out first, then Angie and Jessie, then Loren and Ben, then Hanna and Laurence, Tiffany hooked her arm with Jared and they walked out. When they were all in their place, Bruce walked out with the little pillow that held the rings, he was so adorable, then the flower girls walked out, all went as planned. I was so nervous when my music came on; I hooked my arm around dads and smiled at him, masking my nervousness as best I could. We walked slowly out, my heart was pounding, so I just looked at Kyle, he is my future, and he always will be. My heart slowed and my nerves were gone, I was relaxed as I stared into his eyes. We walked endlessly slow to the place where my love stood. When I finally got to stand with him, he took both of my hands in his and he smiled at me. we tore our gaze away from each other to look at pastor “now, tomorrow, I will say that we are gathered…” we went through what he would say, and that we had to repeat after him, he told us what he had to say and had us repeat it. Kyle would glance at me from time to time, measuring my nervousness. When the rehearsal wedding was over, we had the rehearsal dinner at the place where Kyle and I had our first date. Kyle and I were inseparable as we walked into the restaurant “hello, how may I help you today?” the lady asked us. “We have a reservation in the name of Highlander” I said. “Okay and how many are in your party?” she asked. I counted and chuckled “Seventeen” I said. The lady widened her eyes “oh yes, you’re the ones who rented the restaurant for the evening, right this way” she said. I looked at Kyle with wide eyes “rented the restaurant?” I mouthed. He shrugged. “Surprise! We decided to make it a privet affair, so your father and I decided to rent out this place, and also we were so busy planning your wedding we didn’t celebrate your birthday” mom said guiltily. I nodded, Kyle had bought me a present and we celebrated at the park, he lit a candle in a cupcake and sang me happy birthday. I smiled at the memory and leaned into Kyle “yeah, it’s alright” I waved her off. Kyle kissed my forehead as we sat down. “I’ll bring some children’s menus” the lady said as she left. Our waiter came over and smiled at us “hello, my name is Candy; I will be your server today” she told us. “What can I get you to drink?” she asked us. “I’ll have a Dr. Pepper” I spoke up, nudging Kyle. Kyle laughed “the same for me” he said. They looked at us weirdly “inside joke” I muttered as an explanation. Kyle chuckled “you won’t be getting me drunk tonight” I muttered quietly. Kyle laughed, making mom and Jared look up at us. I blushed and nudged Kyle, he nudged me back, teasing me, I nudged him harder, and he nudged me back. I shot him a playful glare and he kissed me on the forehead. Everyone ordered their drinks and we looked at our menus. Kyle put his arm around me and pulled me into him, I laid my head on his shoulder and pointed a few things out on the menu “what do you think about the tomato basil soup with garlic?” I asked him. He shrugged “sounds good” he said. I nodded “I think I am going to get it” I said, touching the tip of his nose with my index finger. “You two are so cute together” Hanna suddenly said, she was sitting across from us; hand on her cheek while she leaned on her elbow. I raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly “thank you?” I said, though it sounded like a question. She nodded and looked down at her menu. I rolled my eyes and set my menu down. I looked around the table at everyone, seventeen people, talking and laughing, for the first time since I told them I was getting married, Jared, Jake and Hail seemed genuinely happy. I sighed, smiling at the look of things. “What?” Kyle asked me softly. I shrugged “I am just happy” I said. Kyle wrapped his arm around my shoulders and sighed “I know what you mean” he said. After the rehearsal dinner was over, Kyle talked mom into letting him drive me home in his car, and Jared can take my car home, I threatened Jared’s life that if he got a scratch on it, he would die a horrible death. We rode home, for the first time, with the top over the car, I sat with Kyle’s arm around me, my head was on his shoulder “Kaila, I love you, with all my heart” he murmured. I was almost asleep as he kissed my forehead “I love you too” I sighed, snuggling into him and closing my eyes. It was so peaceful to have his warmth beside me, I fell asleep. Chapter fourteen. I awoke to his lips on my forehead as he set me in the bed; he pulled my covers over me and stood. I grabbed his hand as he almost left the room “don’t leave” I begged, it was only a sigh. “I have to Kaila, your mom will murder me” he said, though I could hear the amusement in his voice. “Stay here at least until I fall asleep” I pleaded with him again. Kyle sighed and got into bed, I turned over and snuggled into him, and he put his arm around me and kissed my forehead “goodnight” he murmured. “Goodnight” I whispered. I fell into a peaceful sleep again, more deep than I have since he left. I awoke to an empty bed, but a note on my pillow, I picked the note up and read it “to my dear sweet soon to be wife, I woke up this morning to the most beautiful face I have ever seen, I fell asleep last night only thinking of you, and I am still thinking of you, I love you with all my heart Love. See you at the altar” he wrote. I read it over and over again, memorizing the small letter. I pressed the letter to my chest and closed my eyes, willing the nervous butterflies in my stomach to go away. I looked at the clock, it was only six in the morning, it seemed to be a regular for me. I got up from the bed and went to the shower. After I was out of the shower and dressed, my mom barged in and pulled me down stairs, outside, and into a black limo. We drove to the church and I got out of the limo. Mom pulled me into the church and to a dressing room, all the while chattering about the wedding. All the Bridesmaids were getting ready “oh my god Kaila! You are getting married!” Tiffany squealed. “I know! Please don’t remind me! I am already nervous as it is” I said, laughing slightly. I was whisked into a room with my wedding dress. I took a deep breath and grabbed the dress. Slipping it on and having help to lace everything up. “You look so beautiful!” Hanna cried. I laughed nervously, trying anything to keep tears from my eyes. Klora and Janine came in and did my hair and makeup the same way from day before last. I got up from my chair and walked over to the floor length mirror, I looked like a princess again, and again, I didn’t look like myself. I blinked back tears as they put the veil on. I looked beautiful in the floor length dress with my hair tied into the elegant twist. “Okay! Are we ready?” mom asked. Everyone nodded and we all walked out of the dressing room, Aunt Krista caught me in a hug when she saw me, hugging me tightly “you look so beautiful!” she said, wiping tears from my eyes. I smiled “thank you, so do you! That is a gorgeous dress” I said. Aunt Krista was wearing a floor length red gown that showed off her curves. After thanking me, she went to her seat. Everyone was sitting in their place, talking and looking around the church. As I peeked out the door, I watched with a small smile as Kyle talked nervously to the pastor, nodding as he told him something. He looked hansom in his tuxedo, a black tie around his neck, he had his hands clasped in front of him and he looked like he was about to pass out from nerves, I smiled and backed away from the door, Hanna hugged me and kissed my cheek as the music for the bridesmaids began. It was the same order as yesterday, Fay and Jack, Angie and Jessie, Loren and Ben, Hanna and Laurence and Tiffany and Jared. They all took their places, then the ring bearer went out, little ben with the heart shaped pillow. Then our two flower girls, with their little baskets of rose petals, sprinkling them on the ground with every step. This is when it really hit me what I was doing, when I hooked my arm around my dad’s and he started walking me along a path of petals. I am marrying the man I love, he’ll be tied to me eternally, and we’ll have children together and share our lives with each other. As I looked into his eyes, I knew that he was the one I was meant to spend my life with, sure, we’ll fight, but we will not give up on our relationship. Kyle and I looked into each other’s eyes, and I knew that he meant it when he said he will never hurt me again, he meant every word he said when he said that we would get through anything together. I walked unbelievably slowly to Kyle, I wanted to start running like in the movies, but I couldn’t, mom would kill me, and these shoes would kill me. I looked around at all the teary eyed and crying people and almost laughed, this was my wedding day and I wasn’t even this weepy, just happy, and joyful. I finally walked the last step to Kyle, he smiled at me and I smiled back. Taking both of my hands in his, we tore our eyes away from each other to look at the pastor. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to unite these two people in holy matrimony, Kaila Evans Highlander, and Kyle Hope Miller” he said, gesturing with a smile to both of us. “now we will say a few words in his name before we begin the ceremony. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” he spoke, and I wondered what this had to do with marriage, but I kept my thoughts to myself, mom arranged what the pastor would say. As we listened to the pastor, we would look at each other and smile, then quickly look back at the pastor, we did this a couple of times before he stopped speaking “now, Kyle, please repeat after me” he said. Kyle nodded and listened with rapt attention as he said what he would repeat “I Kyle Hope Miller take Kaila Evans Highlander as my lawfully wedded wife, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.” he repeated perfectly, looking into my eyes. I tried not to cry as I saw the unconditional truth and love in his eyes, he was not just repeating a sentence, he was vowing with his heart to me that he will never give up on me. even though I didn’t cry, my vision was blurred with unshed tears. “Now Kaila, please repeat after me” the pastor said to me. I nodded, not looking away from his eyes. “I Kaila Evans Highlander, take you Kyle Hope Miller to be my lawfully wedded husband, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live” I repeated, tears flowing freely now, but my voice was steady, thankfully. “do you have the rings?” the pastor asked us. I nodded and Ben came over, smiling a huge smile as he handed us the small heart-shaped pillow “thank you Ben” I said softly. I took the rings from the small pillow and we slid them on each other’s fingers, we looked back at the pastor, waiting patiently. “Kyle Hope Miller, do you take Kaila to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?” he asked Kyle. He looked me in the eyes as he said “I do” the pastor smiled and looked at me “Kaila Evans Highlander, do you take Kyle to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?” he asked me. I hadn’t looked away from Kyle the whole time he spoke, it was an easy question, so I answered with a simple “I do” Kyle’s smile was so bright, it almost blinded me “then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you, husband and wife, you may kiss the bride” he said. Kyle didn’t hesitate, and neither did I, I jumped into his arms and kissed him hard on the lips. we kissed for a few long seconds and forced ourselves to pull apart, we looked at the crowd, everyone stood up and started cheering, mom had tears in her eyes, like usual, and so did Marianne. Hanna was bawling her eyes out, and so was Tiffany, I hadn’t noticed Jamie, sitting in the back corner until he stood up, clapping along with everyone else, something seemed wrong with him though. As we walked outside the church to the limo that was going to take us to the reception, everyone bombarded us with rice. Jared made sure to throw the entire bowl of rice at me, literally chunk it all at once. I was laughing and out of breath when we got in the car. Kyle carefully brushed rice off my hair and dress; he looked at me with such happiness that I was overwhelmed with it. He kissed me passionately until we got there, of course we had to stop and take a couple of breathers, but then we were back to kissing. It startled me when the driver announced we were there. We pulled apart and got out of the car, everyone had already gotten there, we walked in and everyone cheered again. Jared hugged me, and then mom, then dad, then Marianne, then Laurence; we went through the whole family, hugging me and Kyle. Then me and Kyle finally got to dance “I love you” he said for the 20th time tonight. I smiled and kissed him softly, the flashes of cameras went off. “I love you too” I told him, laying my head on his shoulder. He held me tightly as we slowly danced to Clair De Lune. After the song, dad got to dance with me “you look beautiful tonight sweetheart” he said to me, kissing my forehead. I smiled “thank you dad, you look dashing yourself” I teased. He was in a black suit with a bow tie, it fit his style. “Well, I am happy for you two, you seem very happy together” he said. I nodded, we were more than happy, and there were no words for how happy we were. “Kaila, I have realized something over the past few months of seeing you two together, you two are soul mates, I guess you could say, you are both two halves of one whole, you complete each other, and when your mom made you two separate from each other for a week, I could see the change, you two missed each other like a fish misses water, and that’s what made me connect it. God wanted you two together, and it was by his grace that you two are tied together now” he said to me. I smiled softly and hugged him as the song ended, “thank you dad” I whispered in his ear. His smiled and kissed my cheek, Jared danced with me, it was a kind of fast kind of slow song; it was Yellow, by Coldplay. Jared was cracking me up by dancing like a hick and making me dance like a hick, soon he got everyone into dancing like a hick, to me it was the chicken dance redone; we were walking forward and backward swaying our bodies like chickens. I rolled my eyes at him when the song ended. Jared winked at me and kissed my cheek. Kyle finally got to dance with me; he wrapped his arms around my waist as ‘Penguin’ by ‘Christina Perri’ came on. “You look beautiful Kaila, you really are my angel” he said. I blushed and he stroked my cheek softly “you look pretty dashing yourself. With your fancy suit” I said, tugging on his tie. He laughed; his charming smile showing. I smiled softly; he was tied to me for always, this thought made me happier than I was before. I set my head on his chest and sighed “this has been the most overwhelming day of my life” I said quietly. Kyle chuckled “you and me both, and by the way, welcome to the family, Mrs. Miller” he said, a teasing glint in his eye. I smiled “I’m going to have to get used to that, at least everyone won’t recognize me as the girl who crashed into the gas station anymore” I teased him. He acted hurt “you don’t want to be my wife?” he asked. I touched the tip of his nose with my finger and smiled “if I didn’t want to be your wife, I wouldn’t have married you, I love you with all my heart” I told him truthfully. He chuckled and nodded “I love you too, with all my heart and soul” he said softly. I took that as a challenge “well I love you with all my heart, my soul and my…car!” I said the first thing I could come up with. He looked at me, amused “you win! I can’t beat the car!” he said in fake admission. I laughed and leaned up on my tip toes to kiss his cheek. For a while, we danced, just staring into each other’s eyes, I think his eyes were the first thing about him that I fell in love with, those hypnotizing aqua blue eyes. Jake tapped on Kyle’s shoulder, smiling slightly “I think I need a dance with my sister” he said. Kyle looked at me and I nodded, Kyle went and sat down beside his mom, who immediately took him to dance with her. I started dancing with Jake, it was a faster song, we were spinning around, I hadn’t realized how good a dancer Jake was “Jake, where did you learn to dance like this?” I asked curiously. He smiled “mom used to teach me, she used to dance with me all the time” he said, blushing slightly. I nodded “Jake…I have to ask….why did you start those rumors about me?” I asked hesitantly. Regret shown in Jake’s eyes, I hadn’t seen him being this sweet since we were little “i…I mean Hail and I were sort of…I don’t know how to put it, trying to protect you, the old you was gone after mom and dad left, we thought that, you know, since you used to get all tough and kick our asses when we would mess with you, I thought that would bring out the old you, it made us feel better to see you happy with Kyle, so we backed off on the rumors” he said. I stared at him with a raised eyebrow “I know, it was a stupid idea, but hey, it’s all we had” Jake chuckled. I slapped him lightly on the back of the head and kissed his cheek “that was very sweet and stupid of you” I half scolded half thanked him. He shrugged “sorry?” he asked. I laughed and hugged him as the song ended. Hail had his turn dancing with me, and this time we were really dancing fast. He must have practiced with mom too “Jake told me why you started the rumors after mom and dad left, and it was stupid and sweet of you” I said, slapping the back of his head lightly too. He chuckled “your welcome, I’m just glad you’re happy, you were so….empty after mom left, this is the first time I have actually seen you genuinely smile in a long time” he said. I had never known he or Jake cared about me so much, it touched me. “Thank you Hail, I had no idea you two actually cared about me so much, it’s nice to know” I said. He spun me around and kissed me on the cheek. The song ended and turned into jump on it, Tiffany and the rest of the girls squealed and grabbed my hands, dragging me into the middle of the dance floor and making me dance with them. I laughed as we spun around with our fingers in the air like on fresh prince. Everyone soon jumped in, and Kyle and I were standing beside each other, our hands on our hips, doing jump on it. After the song, Kyle and I sat down at our table and had some food. We watched people dance, eating some of the small snacks that the caterer made. I looked around the reception area, smiling at how beautiful it is, on all of the tables, we put rose petals sprinkled on top. The ceiling was decorated with flowers of every kind; I still held my bouquet of flowers in hand, smelling them from time to time. As I admired the artwork of the room, my eyes landed on Jamie, who was talking intently with Hanna, it made my smile bigger, I was glad he was finally meeting someone. I noticed Tiffany talking to Jessie, twirling her hair between her fingers and biting her lip, Jessie looked very nervous and interested in her. I laughed and nudged Kyle, pointing discreetly at Tiff and Jess. Kyle laughed too and wrapped his arm around my waist “look at Jessie, he looks nervous as a mouse caught in a corner by a cat” he said. I laughed and kissed him once on the lips. the music turned down to background and someone walked onto the small stage in the corner of the room, it was dad, he had a glass of champagne in his hand. He cleared his throat and looked at me and Kyle “I’d like to make a toast to Kyle and Kaila, now I didn’t write anything down or anything, so I’m just going to wing it” he said. I laughed and took Kyle’s hand tightly in mine “Kyle, when I saw you the first day, I thought ‘oh no, not another jock’ but as the days past I noticed how you looked at Kaila, the unmistakable love that I saw when you looked at her, and I realized you weren’t just another jock. You and my daughter were brought together for a reason, you two are two halves of one whole, so I say this with my whole heart, welcome to the family son, I give my blessings to the both of you, cheers!” he said, raising his glass. “Cheers!” everyone shouted, raising their glasses. Kyle’s arms tightened around my waist as I laid my head on his shoulder. Mom came up and took the microphone from the stand “well, I think it’s time to give my blessings, and my toast to the bride and groom. “Kyle, you have been my son ever since I met you, so it’s not a hard thing to do at all to accept you into the family, I see the way Kaila is when she is with you, I have never seen her this happy, Kaila, your father is right, you two are two halves of one whole, so, here I am to say, I love you both, and I hope you two are very happy together, cheers!” she shouted. “cheers!” they all shouted again. I almost groaned when Jared came up, grinning mischievously. “Kaila, this one is for you, you’re my sister, and therefore I must say a toast to you, Kaila, you are the one that everyone is afraid to mess with, you are the one that won’t hesitate to kick an ass –excuse my language- that you feel needs kicking, including mine, Jake’s and Hail’s. But you are also sweet and caring…when you want to be” he said, smiling at me. I laughed and blew him a kiss “see? There is that sweetness coming out, and Kyle, a little advice, don’t make her mad, you will get slapped, punched, kneed, or all three at one time depending on how mad you make her, you were like a brother to me before, but now it’s official, so, my blessings and love to you both, cheers!” he called. Everyone yelled “cheers” again. Hail and Jake got a chance to speak, Hanna, Marianne, Laurence (Kyle’s dad, not Jared’s friend) and then Tiffany. Everyone got a chance to speak, and then we cut the cake. Me and Kyle fed each other. I smashed a peace into his mouth, smiling innocently at him. He took a piece of cake and smeared it on all around my mouth. I laughed and kissed his cake covered mouth, cameras went off in the background. Everyone got a piece of cake and sat down, me and Kyle wiped the cake off of our mouths, laughing and reminiscing about the time that we had the flower fight while making pancakes the third day we met. I remembered the times we had together, the day we met, I had rolled my eyes and told Jared that if he keeps the crap he did up, he was out of the house, I didn’t know at the time that I meant out of the house and into a new one with me. When he took me on our first date, at the grey goose, he told me for the first time that he loved me. The day we ran out of the house with Jared chasing us after I told him we were together. The day that he encouraged me to sing the anthem, the day that I played the guitar for him and Jared, the day I sang the anthem, it wasn’t a very happy day, but we made it happy in the end. the day he proposed to me so many months ago, the day that we told my family I was getting married, the day that we went to the park for my birthday and he sang me happy birthday. Yesterday at rehearsal, we were finally reunited after a long week, and today, were married, ready for a long life together, a long life of sadness, happiness, pain, and love, sickness, health, and maybe someday, new life. After another hour, we were walking out the door of the reception building, people were now blowing bubbles at us, we got to the limo where we would go and change into something more suitable for travel, and then were off to Puerto Rico for our honeymoon. I hugged mom and dad, “bye, I love you both, so much” I said. I hugged Marianne and Laurence, then they hugged Kyle, I hugged Tiffany, “I love you so much Tiff, see you in a few weeks” I said softly to her. She shook her head “I’m leaving to Florida for college, I’ll come and visit over the summer though” she said, tears running down her cheeks. I nodded, tears running down my cheeks, I was going to miss all of my friends and family I hugged Jared tightly, “bye Jared, take care, see you in a few weeks, good luck at college” I told him. I hugged Hail and Jake at the same time “bye guys, love you both” they were both choked up, with tears in their eyes. I think everyone was, even Jamie, who was all red eyed. “bye Jamie, you are my best friend, I love you so much, good luck at college, and don’t get into trouble” I told him, hugging him tightly. “bye Kaila, good luck on your honey moon, I love you too” he sniffed. I waved at everyone and got in the car, wiping tears away. Even Kyle was crying, I laughed wetly and wiped his tears away “everything is changing” I told him, laying my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around my waist and nodded “yes, but change happens, everyone is sad, but hey, it’s this life” he told me. I laughed softly “yep, this life” I said.

Epilogue.

Epilog. (ten years later) I’m twenty eight years old, sitting in the kitchen holding my enlarged belly, Kyle cooked us up a big breakfast; he is so sweet. Cody Hope Miller, My six year old son sat in his chair beside me, his black hair was short and spiky, he had Kyle’s eyes, which I love, and he still had that sweet little baby face. Kyle sat holding my hand “mommy, when is my little brother coming?” Cody asked for the thousandth time since I got pregnant, it always makes me smile. “In just a month sweetheart” I say, leaning into Kyle. Little Paul Evans kicks inside me, making me suck in a breath “whoa little guy, calm down” I said to my stomach. Kyle laughs and sets his hand on my stomach, kissing my forehead. Mom pulls up and gets out of the car, just coming into the front door, “hi! Mema is here!” she says. I laugh slightly, that is what Cody has taken to calling her, she comes in with little baby clothes, she is stocking us up for when he comes. I got up and hugged her as best I could, Kyle hugs her too. “Mema!” Cody calls, wrapping his arms around her waist and she picks him up “wow, I think you have gotten bigger since I saw you last!” she says. Cody looks at me and I nod, going along with mom “he grows a foot every night. I swear he is going to be a jolly green giant when he grows up” I teased. Cody got out of Mema’s arms and ran to me, hugging me as best he could. Kyle laughed and kissed my temple. Ten years and we are still as happy as when we got married, our son has been the light of our life, and now we have another one coming, dad was right, we are two halves of one whole. The end.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 15.02.2012

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