August '13 fic exchange, for hawtjuicyaddict.
Prompts: Dying stars, coloring outside the lines, traffic lights
Pairing: Kemp/Kristen
Beta: The amazing, RedQueenOfPassion (thanks Elizabeth :D)
The sun was shining on Westchester Child-Care Center, or WCCC. Even as a little girl, Kristen loved words and acronyms. All the other preschoolers used coloring books, always coloring outside the lines. She did crossword puzzles. The others made fun of her. They were calling her weirdo and nerd, which they had probably learned from their older siblings. Kristen didn't care. She knew that one day; she would need to be smart.
"Hey Kristy!" yelled some boys, over by the sandbox. Kristy was really Kristen, but the boys couldn't say it. The little blonde rolled her eyes. The same thing happened every day. They wanted someone to make a good sandcastle, so they could knock it over. She trudged to them, smiling. Today, she had a plan and it was a good plan. It was a plan that her father had told her to do to stop the bullies.
"Kristy, smarty-pants! Go build us a sandcastle!" She rolled up her little fists. It was time.
"I'm rubber; you're glue, whatever you say, bounces off me and sticks to you!"
The boys laughed. Defeated, Kristen started building the castle. Someone ran up beside her. It was another boy with pretty black hair and dark eyes. His name-tag said, Kemp Hurley. Age 5.
"Leave her alone!" he said to the other boys.
"Why Kempy?" they asked.
"Because she's nice and pretty and she's never done anything to you!"
The boys walked away, frowning. Kristen smiled at Kemp, and was about to say thank-you, when the bell rang for circle time. He held his hand out, and she took it. Together, they walked hand and hand, into the classroom.
ooOOooOOoo
"Okay class. These are dying stars." said Mrs. S, Kristen's fifth grade teacher.
"Can anyone tell me what a dying star is?" Kristen automatically raised her hand, and everyone groaned. She always gave long thorough answers.
"Dying stars are stars that no longer have enough hydrogen to sustain themselves. When they die, extremely massive stars explode in a supernova, blast chemicals into space, and prepare the universe to grow more stars."
"Correct!"
She started talking again, but Kristen wasn't paying attention. She already knew this stuff. Then, a note landed on her desk. Hesitantly, she opened it.
It said: How do you know the answers to everything, and I don't? -Kemp
She thought about giving him the scientific explanation, on how brains developed at different rates, but she realized it was meant as a joke. Putting her head down, and knowing he was watching her, she wrote her reply.
It said: Maybe, I'm just smarter than you.
The note was tossed onto his desk. Giving her a side smile, he scribbled something else on the paper. Instead of handing it to her, he put his hands on it and she saw why. The teacher was looking right at him. When she lifted her gaze, he slid the note across the floor to Kristen.
It said: But, are you a better athlete than me?
The soccer star laughed. He knew the answer. She crumpled up the note, shook her head at him, and looked to the board. She didn't miss his smile.
ooOOooOOoo
The traffic light changed from red to green causing Kristen to curse under her breath. She had to get to the luxury condos across the street, which she pretended she lived in. Massie and the PC thought she was rich, and their carpool would be coming in less than a minute. So, she did a stupid thing. She crossed the street. A hand grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her back. It was Kemp. He always walked passed her building on his way to school. Then a car whizzed by.
"I just saved your life, Gregory!" he had his prince charming face on. It annoyed her; yet she couldn't help but look at him.
"Yes, thanks, but don't let it get to your head."
"Well why not? I'm already so incredibly handsome, and talented... I can just add life saver to my list." She rolled her eyes at his stupidity.
"You're a candy?"
"You know what I mean. And you haven't answered my question. Or, are you blinded by my good-looks? That can be understood." Again, she rolled her eyes.
"I've saved your life multiple times, school-wise." She scoffed. A car horn beeped. It was the PC. She got in the car, making a big show of it.
"Bye Kristen! Don't forget, you wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for me!" The PC looked at her, confused. The blonde flipped her hair, the sign to move on. The car started, and they rolled away.
"Isn't Kemp a HART?" Alicia asked. Kristen silently agreed, even though he was a little conceited.
ooOOooOOoo
The score was tied 4-4. Kristen Gregory, OCD's best player, was running down the field, calling for the ball. The Sirens and their supporters all cheered. The game was in the bag. Then Kristen got the ball. The cheering got louder, and almost every fan rose to their feet. Only 20 seconds were left in the game, and she charged like an angry bull at the goal. Nothing could stop her. 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10...
Then Kristen made a fatal mistake. A stupid, game-changing, life-changing, mistake. She looked into the stands. The PC were cheering, but more for her than the team. Then, her aqua gaze landed on Kemp Hurley. He smiled, showing a row of pearly, white teeth. It almost looked like something out of a movie.
The way he looked at her made her feel like she could look into his eyes forever. She felt like time stood still, for just that moment. But unfortunately it didn't. The buzzer rang, signaling the end of the game. It made Kristen jump out of her fantasy, and into the harsh eyes of her teammates. They had lost and it was all because of her. And Kemp Hurley's annoying, yet heart stopping perfection made Kristen feel like she hadn't lost a thing because at that moment, she realized that she loved him.