If you ever want to be filled with happiness, watch videos of military fathers surprising their children. I swear, it's the cutest thing ever.
Yeah, I got this idea when my friend showed me a video of a brother surprising his little sister, and I was like, "Ohh, I gotta write that!" YAY! Okay, so, I hope you like it! :]
I don't own Big Time Rush.
"Do you have to go?"
"Yeah, I have to. I'll be okay, though. I promise."
"But I don't want you to leave..."
"Well, don't worry, I'll be home soon."
The conversation I had with my brother still ran through my mind everyday. I kept wondering what 'soon' meant. I always thought it meant a couple weeks, or a couple months, but certainly not a whole year. I check ever single day for a letter that says he's coming home, but so far, it hasn't come.
"What if you get hurt?"
"I won't get hurt."
"What if I get hurt? Who's gonna be there to protect me?"
"Carlos, Logan, and James will still take care of you."
Although I missed my brother more than anyone could imagine, I was still thankful I had Carlos, Logan, and James. They were close enough, and Kendall was right; they did protect me just like he used to. It still wasn't the same, though. If they tried to sing me to sleep at night, it never helped. I guess I was just used to Kendall being there.
"Will you write me letters?"
"Of course I will! As long as you write letters to me."
"I will. When's the next time I'll actually see you, though?"
"I don't know, Katie."
I wrote letters to Kendall at least once a week, just like I promised. And at first, I would get letters back from him, but eventually, they didn't come as often. Now I only get them once every other month. I know it's not Kendall's fault, but I wish he still had time.
"I'm gonna miss you."
"I'll miss you, too, Baby Sister. But just remember that I love you, okay?"
"Okay. I love you too, Big Brother."
After that, he had to leave. I cried for a long time after he left, but my mom, Carlos, Logan, and James were all there with me, going through the same thing. It got easier as the time went on, but I still miss Kendall more every day. It feels like I haven't seen him at all in ten years, but it's only been one. And I still can't believe he went off to the be in the military when he was only eighteen.
I don't think I've ever known anyone as brave as Kendall.
"Wow, Katie, I love your shirt!"
I rolled my eyes and ignored Sarah's rude, sarcastic comment. She never left me alone, even when I acted like I didn't care, because I guess she knew I did. Today, though, I don't care at all. It's been exactly one year since I saw Kendall last, and I'm wearing one of his old shirts, which is why Sarah was teasing me. I tied it in the back so it wouldn't be too big, but everyone can still tell it's a boy shirt.
As I take my seat in the back of the classroom, I wonder if Kendall misses me just as much as I miss him, and if he's thinking about that last conversation we had before he left, too. I'm sure he was, but I'm not positive, because he's doing dangerous work out there somewhere, and he probably has other things on his mind. Like staying alive.
Horrible thoughts of Kendall dying run through my mind at least ten times a day. I try to remind myself that he's brave and strong, and that he promised me he would try to stay safe, but when I think about it, he could be shot right in the head or blown to bits at any second. Even though I don't like to think about that, I can't stop those awful thoughts from entering my head.
Whenever I'm sad, Carlos always tells me I have to stay positive and trust that Kendall can take care of himself. But I haven't gotten a letter from Kendall in a long time, and it's starting to worry me. He always tries to send me something. Even if it's just five words.
"Hey, Katie! Why do you look so sad?" Sarah asked me, smirking. "Do you miss your big brother?"
I shot her a smile as I decided to kill her with kindness. "Yeah, I do."
"Why would he leave you all alone?" she asked, obviously still trying to get on my nerves.
"Because he's brave, and he knows I am, too," I shot back. Sarah glared at me and turned around in her chair when the teacher walked in.
Our teacher, Mr. Miller, sent me a huge smile, and I looked at him weirdly for a moment before realizing how rude I was being and giving him a small smile in return. He picked up some papers from his desk and began to pass them out, placing them face-down on our desks.
"We're going to have a pop-quiz today," he told us, causing the whole class, including me, to groan. "Don't worry, it's not hard," he assured us.
Before Mr. Miller even told us to turn our papers over, I knew I was going to fail. I hadn't paid any attention during class in the past two weeks. How could I? I was always worrying about Kendall. As I thought about that, I thought about how I promised him I would pay attention and keep my grades up in school. I mentally cursed myself for breaking that promise.
"Okay, go ahead and turn your papers over, and you may begin," Mr. Miller said.
I answered all the questions I could about the Civil War; when it started, when it ended, how many people died, and all the battles I knew. It made me even more depressed because I knew Kendall was out there fighting in a another stupid war. I didn't understand why anything like this was happening. Why couldn't there just be world peace? Then I wouldn't have to take tests on things like this, and Kendall would be safe. Finally, I got to the last question after writing random answers on the ones I didn't know.
If you know any soldiers who are fighting in the war now, write their name.
I looked up at Mr. Miller in confusion. Why would that be on our quiz? We didn't talk about it at all.
And that's when I saw him, standing in the doorway in his army green suit, smiling his big, goofy smile at me.
At first, I just stared. I wasn't sure whether or not I was imagining things. How could he be here? It seemed impossible. Why wouldn't he tell me he was coming home? And what if Kendall was really dead, and I was seeing his ghost? I almost laughed at the thought, knowing how ridiculous it was. Finally, I realized how stupid I was being. He was standing right there. Right in front of me. I had been waiting for this moment for a year. I was snapped out of my thoughts when Kendall gave me an even bigger smile and stuck his arms out for a hug.
I quickly stood up, pushed my desk out of the way, and maneuvered my way around all the other desks. I jumped right into his arms, clinging to him with everything I had. It didn't even feel real when he rubbed my back and kissed my head, and I didn't even realize I was sobbing at first.
"Why are you crying, Katie? You didn't want to see me?" Kendall said quietly in my ear, causing me to start crying even harder. "I missed you," he whispered.
"I missed you too," I choked out, but I still refused to let go of him.
"Boys and girls, this is Katie's brother Kendall. He's been in Afghanistan for a year," I heard Mr. Miller explain to my classmates. Half of me wanted to look and see what Sarah was doing at the moment, but the other half refused to let go of Kendall. "Why don't you two go?" Mr. Miller said.
Kendall said a quick goodbye before carrying me out of the classroom. When we got outside, he put me down on the ground, but I immediately attached myself to him again. He chuckled and hugged me back.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, smacking his arm when we finally let go of each other.
"I wanted to surprise you!" he replied, smiling down at me. I smiled back and Kendall bent down and wiped away my tears.
"Don't cry, Katie. It just makes me feel like you don't want to see me," he said.
"They're happy tears!" I exclaimed before hugging him once again. He lifted me up into his arms and kissed my head.
"I love you, Baby Sister."
"I love you too, Big Brother."
Yeah, once again, I hate the ending. I didn't know what I could write after that, though. Actually, I don't know if I liked any of it. I rush too much. Anyway, you should all just watch videos of military people surprising family members. It's just so happy and...stuff. I hope you liked this! :]
