You're My Forever Girl
A Forever the Sickest Kids Fanfiction
By: Emma Snyder
Chapter 1- Phone Call
There really are no happy endings, Kaytlain Burns thought as she listened to her parents fighting in the kitchen. They did this every night, fought so loud that Kaytlain and her twin, Kyle, could hear them from their rooms. Why can't they just stop fighting? I thought they loved each other. I guess I don't know love anymore, I thought that's what they had. I guess I was wrong.
Eventually, Kaytlain heard them stop, and she fell asleep.
It was 3 a.m. Kaytlain was sleeping peacefully. Then, her phone (which she once again neglected to turn off) started playing Green Day really loud. She awoke with a start, swore softly, and answered it.
"Hello?" She whispered.
"Hey, Kaytlain. I'm glad you answered." Jonathan's voice sounded from the other end.
Kaytlain and Jonathan have been best friends since she was 3 years old. Since then, they never went a day without seeing each other. And now, 13 years later, she was in love with her best friend. She couldn't resist his long black hair, his olive eyes, the scar right in between his nose and his eye, his voice, his brains, his talent, or anything else, for that matter.
"Why did you call?" She asked, sounding impatient.
"I need advice. You see, there's this girl I really like, and I want to ask her out. But, I don't know if she likes me and I don't know how to ask." He replied, making "like" sound like "loike".
"Wow, 17 years old, and you can't ask a girl out." She laughed, "Just go for it. Ask to talk to her after class, then just say, 'Will you go out with me?' It's so simple."
"Ok, thanks. I'll see you at school." There was a click, and Jonathan was gone.
So, Jonathan likes another girl. It doesn't matter. How could he ever like me? She thought. She rolled over to go to sleep, secretly hoping that she would say no. But, then again, she had a boyfriend herself. She drifted in and out of a restless sleep all night.
When Kaytlain was dressed, she dragged herself to the dining room where Kyle, Mom, and Dad were already seated. She sat down, unnoticed, and grabbed an orange.
"Dad, no! I don't want to!" Kyle shouted.
"KYLE WILLIAM BURNS! You are acting like you're five years old!" their dad argued.
"What? What doesn't Kyle want to do?" Kaytlain asked, setting down a glass of milk.
"Next week, we are moving back to Indiana, just Kyle, you, and me. We're getting divorced." Their dad explained.
"What, divorced? No! I don't want to leave! All of my friends are here! I belong here!" Kaytlain screamed.
"You are children, you have no say." Their mother said, speaking up for the first time.
Without another word, Kaytlain and Kyle grabbed their backpacks and keys, and left.
"So, what was that noise last night? It sounded like Green Day." Kyle asked, starting the car, grinning.
"Jonathan."
"What did he want?" Kyle tried to sound cool, but he didn't fool Kaytlain.
"Oh, he just said that I was so sexy, and that he wanted me." She teased, "No, really he wanted help with something. Ooh! We're almost there, can I park the car?"
"No, there's a line." Kyle said, slowing down.
"Ok, later." She stuck her tongue out at him, grabbed her bag, and got out of the car. She ran to catch up with Jonathan, as Kyle pulled away, laughing silently to himself.
Chapter 2- Believe Me, I'm Lying
"Hey, Jonathan!" Kaytlain had finally caught up to him at his locker, after reading her dad's text: "nvrmnd, stay w/ ur mom".
"Hey, we need to talk." He didn't sound the cheerful kid she knew so well.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Caleb marched up, looking furious, his face almost as red as his hair.
"Tell you what? That I saw a movie with my little sister this weekend? What, did you want to see Shrek with me and my five-year-old sister?" Kaytlain demanded, confused but angry.
"No! That you went on a date with another guy!" Caleb was turning bright red.
"What? Why would I do that? I swear I didn't!" Kaytlain said, and when he still looked angry, she whispered, "Caleb, don't you believe me?"
"I wish I could, but I believe this more than I believe you." He pulled up a picture on his phone. It depicted Kaytlain laughing with a guy (who was rather attractive) in the movie theater lobby, Kara, Kaytlain's little sister, was standing next to them.
"No, you don't understand! I dropped my phone, and he picked it up. Then he made a funny comment about my background. That's it, I swear!" But, he just walked away, leaving Kaytlain frustrated that Caleb would ever think she was a liar. She loved him, she really did. But then again, there was Jonathan, and he was here right now, and that's all that mattered. She turned to him, "So, what did you want to talk about?"
"I wanted to warn you that Caleb is mad at you, but I think you already knew that."
All day, Kaytlain tried to talk to Caleb, but he would always walk away, talking to another girl. By lunch, Kaytlain was really, really angry.
Sitting down across from him, she said, "Caleb Michael Turman! Why won't you freaking believe me? I have never seen that guy except those, like, 10 seconds in my whole life! You have to believe me!"
"I just don't know if I can, Kayt." He shook his head, and got up to leave.
"Please, Caleb." She grabbed his wrist, "You can look through my messages and my pictures on my phone, I don't know him." Once he sat back down, she slid her phone across the table to him.
About five minutes later, he gave her phone back. She looked into his eyes expectantly, "I'm sorry." He whispered, and moved to sit next to her. He was about to kiss her, then Austin, Kyle, and Jonathan sat down, "I'm finished. See you guys later." And he kissed Kaytlain on the cheek, and left.
"Umm, 75.3" Kaytlain said, doing the math in her head.
"Wow, you're good at math." Jonathan said, tossing her a bottle of water. He was sitting in a chair by the mini-fridge and Kaytlain was lying on her stomach on her bed, head propped in her hands. Caleb was sitting on the floor in front of her listening to his Mp3. Kaytlain could faintly hear Panic! at the Disco through his headphones.
"Oh, wow!" Jonathan said, looking at his watch. "I have to go, my sister's coming home from college soon!"
"Bye, Jonathan!" Kaytlain and Caleb said in unison.
"Kayt…" Caleb sighed a minute later, taking off his headphones.
"You're breaking up with me?" She asked, sounding more curious than hurt.
"Yeah."
"It's okay. I was thinking about doing the same thing. You'll still be my best friend though, right?"
"Of course I will." He whispered. They stood up, hugged, and he left without another word.
Chapter 3- Coffee Break
"So, Kaytleb is over?" Austin asked.
"Yup." Caleb replied.
"And you're still friends?"
"Yeah, I went to the movies with her, Jonathan, Kyle, and Samantha yesterday." Caleb said, pouring too much sugar into his coffee. It was a week after the break up, and he still loved her. What's wrong with me? He thought.
The mall food court was the place to be on the weekends. There was a horde of teenagers, all taking up every seat possible, and the occasional angry mom trying to keep her children in check while trying to find the exit. Kaytlain and I could have been those angry parents someday. I was such a fool; she was the best thing that ever happened to me. I miss when we would come here for lunch every Saturday and get coffee when it was cold, and sodas when it was warm. Oh my God, what have I done? I love her so much! Caleb thought.
"How do you do it?" Austin, his best friend of 12 years, asked, interrupting his thoughts.
"They same way I did before we were dating." Because I just want to see her happy, he added in his mind.
"Think she'll end up with Jonathan?"
"Nah." Caleb replied, sitting down.
Little did he know that six years later, in the exact same booth, would he finally be torn apart on the inside when he will finally hear that Jonathan and Kaytlain are dating.
Nearly six years later, however, Caleb whispered the words he always wanted to tell her. He knew- well, hoped- that she was the only girl for him.
"I love you, Lindsey." He whispered in her ear, standing on her doorstep. But not as much as I love Kaytlain, he added in his mind.
"I love you too." She replied, standing on her toes to kiss him.
She went inside, and made his way to his car, dreamily. Oh, God, I can't believe I did that. He thought, I'll destroy her; she isn't the one for me. I'm all wrong for her. Slowly, he drove his way home, wishing that that special night was spent not Lindsey Dahl, but with Kaytlain Melody Burns.
Chapter 4- Hey Brittany
"Oh no!" Jonathan groaned, staring at the computer screen.
"What?" Kyle asked. It was a nice fall Saturday afternoon, and they were in Kaytlain's bedroom. Kaytlain was listening to music, Kyle was texting, Marc and Kent, the former being the Burns' new step-brother and the latter his friend, were talking, Jonathan was on the computer, and Caleb and Austin were playing Guitar Hero.
"I think I just spent $350 I don't have for a placement of a song I don't have!"
"Oh my God, Jonathan! Seriously?" Kaytlain asked, taking off her headphones.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. Will you guys please help?"
Kaytlain got up, and was rummaging through her desk drawer. She pulled out a journal and gave it to Jonathan, opening it to a page near the front. Caleb came up behind them to read over Jonathan's shoulder. The page said:
Song #6
Where is the engagement ring? Did it mean anything, does the girl with the ring know you bounce, bounce, bounce around?
So where do we go when you just have to fight to be alone?
It just continued on like that. Wow. Caleb thought, it's amazing, she's so talented. I love it.
"Wow, Kayt. This is really good! Can we use it?" Jonathan asked. When she nodded, he said, "But we're going to have to change it a little." No, it's perfect! Caleb wanted to shout, "Who can play what?"
In the end, Jonathan is lead vocals, Caleb rhythm guitar and vocals, Austin bass and vocals, Marc lead guitar, Kent keyboards, and Kyle drums.
"What about Kayt?" Kyle asked.
"Oh, I'm fine, really." Kaytlain said. Oh, Kayt, no you're not. We know you better than that. Oh, and by the way, I love you. Caleb thought.
"No! You helped so much! You deserve something!" Marc told his step-sister.
"Well, I just like taking pictures and drawing, really."
"I know! You can design our album cover, and be, like, the band photographer!" Caleb said, hoping she would say yes.
"Yeah, ok!" Kaytlain replied, "And how about the name 'Forever the Sickest Kids', since you guys are sick, as in awesome, and you always call everyone 'kids'?"
It's absolutely perfect. Caleb thought, while everyone agreed, I love it so much, and I love you.
In the end, the song was called "Hey Brittany". The website loved it, and eight record labels fought over who would sign Forever the Sickest Kids.
Chapter 5- Heat Wave Jam Out
"Hey, Kaytlain!" Jonathan said, catching up to her.
"Hey, Jonathan! Enjoying the party?" She asked, refilling her drink.
"Yeah, thanks for hosting it! Now, come on, there's something I have to tell you." He grabbed her hand and led her up to the tree house. Oh, God, the last time I was up here it was a make-out session with Caleb. I don't think I can ever go in here again, she thought, but followed Jonathan up anyways. When they were little kids, they would use it to play house, with Kaytlain's dolls as their kids, and when they were older they took their dates up there and use it as a hide-out whenever they got in a fight with their parents. Jonathan sat down on the floor, cross-legged, and Kaytlain sat facing him, their knees touching.
"Kaytlain." He started, looking into her eyes, olive meeting bright green, "I really—" But he was suddenly interrupted by her lips on his.
It was a feeling she had never felt before. Oh God, she thought, I've wanted to do this for years, and when I do, he's kissing back. She knew he was thinking the same thing. The kiss was slow and sweet, unlike Caleb's hurried, passionate ones that she could still remember so well. His lips tasted like an Arnold Palmer, and they were so soft. He wound his hands in her hair, and she put hers around his neck. They must have been kissing for a long time when her phone rang.
"What?" she demanded, angry at whoever had just ruined her perfect moment.
"Kayt, where are you? No one has seen you for 20 minutes!" Kyle's worried voice sounded from the other end.
"Sorry, I'm in the tree house. I'll be down in a minute."
"Why the hell are you in there?" But she hung up before she could reply.
"Come on." She told Jonathan, "People are starting to notice that we're MIA."
"Ok, but are you my girlfriend?" he asked, as they stood up.
She smiled, kissed him lightly, and started to descend the ladder.
"I'll take that as a yes." He said, climbing down after her, smiling.
"Hey, Kaytlain! Awesome party!" her friend and Caleb's sister, Samantha, said. It hurt Kaytlain to look at her, she had Caleb's face, and after kissing Jonathan, she didn't think she couldn't ever look at Caleb again.
"Thanks! How's business school going, Sam?" Kaytlain asked, still grinning.
"Good, but boring, I- Wait, why are you smiling like that?" Samantha was a really good friend of Kaytlain's, she was the same height as her, with hair as dark as Jonathan's, a face similar to Caleb's, so she was beautiful in Kaytlain's opinion, and eyes as blue as the ocean.
"You have to promise not to tell anyone, but Jonathan is kind of my boyfriend. As of, like, two minutes ago." She whispered.
"No way! Well, I have to take Caleb home. See you later!"
"Yeah, bye." She said as her friend left.
"Hey, Kaytlain." A familiar voice said behind her. Don't let it be Caleb, please, let it be anyone but him. She thought, but, sure enough, it was Caleb, "I have to leave. But, thanks so much for this going-away party for our first tour. I can't believe it's already been three months since our first album came out!" He hugged her, and ran after his big sister.
As all of the guests left one by one, they all told Kaytlain that she had thrown the best party North Richland Hills, Texas has seen for a long time. She thanked them all, glad this heat wave jam out was over, and that tomorrow morning started a great adventure for her, six of the greatest people she knew, and Caleb.
Chapter 6- Breakdown
The next morning, Kaytlain's alarms woke her up. Then, Kyle pounding on the door woke her up a second time. He came into her room. Her hair was wet from a shower, and he was wearing a black shirt that said "RECKLESS" and camouflage shorts with flip-flops.
"What?" she groaned.
"Get up, get dressed, and get your stuff. We're loading the bus in twenty." Kyle replied, leaving the door open as he went to his room across the hall.
Slowly, Kaytlain did as her twin told her. Twenty minutes later, they were standing on the lawn with Marc. They were all staring in awe at the tour bus they would be living in for the rest of the summer. They put their stuff in the storage compartment, and went inside, to find all of the guys already there.
"Hey guys! We were thinking about hitting up the food court before we leave, and we're picking up Sam there. Sound good?" Austin asked.
Soon, they were walking into the ever-familiar food court. It smelled awful when you walked in because the Indian place was right by the door. They all bought their lunch. I remember when I would come here with Caleb, Kaytlain thought, God, I miss those days. Out of habit, she reached for Caleb's hand, but realized it wasn't there, and she moved her hand to fix her hair, to save herself from being embarrassed. Then, they all went to sit down at their usual booth, which was rather crowded since there were seven people sitting at it, even when Marc pulled a chair up to the end.
"So, guys. There's something I want to tell you." Jonathan said. When everyone was looking at him, and when Kaytlain nodded silent approval, he continued, "Kayt and I are dating!"
Austin "aww"-ed, Caleb smiled bitterly, crushing ice in a cup with his straw, Kent high-fived him, and Marc and Kyle looked like they were going to be sick.
Jonathan frowned, "I thought y'all would be happy for us." He sounded really hurt. Please say you are. Just let him be happy, that's all I ask. Kaytlain prayed silently.
"We would be if it wasn't for the fact that she's my step-sister, and Kyle's twin." Marc replied.
"Oh, whatever! Can't you just- OH MY GOD! You didn't tell me we were touring with Never Shout Never!" Kaytlain replied, getting distracted as Christofer Drew Ingles made his way towards them.
As he got closer, Kaytlain noticed more about him. Like, the way he looked embarrassed whenever a girl looked at him, how he was about Kaytlain's height with blonde hair and brown eyes. She also noticed that he was wearing the same shirt as her (a red "Keep Calm and Party On" tank top), ripped skinny jeans, flip-flops, and a fedora. In other words, Kaytlain thought he was freaking adorable.
"Hey, you guys are Forever the Sickest Kids, right?" He asked, smiling at Kaytlain, which made her freeze. When Caleb nodded, he went on, "Well, I'm Christofer Drew from Never Shout Never, and we have to leave in, like, ten minutes. Oh, and nice shirt." He said the last part to Kaytlain, making her freeze even more with shock.
"Well, we're actually waiting for one more, my sister. I'm Caleb." He replied, waving awkwardly.
"Austin."
"Kent."
"Kyle."
"Jonathan." He shook Christofer's hand.
"I'm Marc, and that's Kaytlain, who is in shock because she loves you."
Kaytlain's face reddened, "No I wasn't."
"Yeah you were, Kayt." Jonathan said, holding her hand. This made her face even more red.
"Hey, Sam! Over here!" Caleb suddenly called, waving.
"Hey, guys, sorry I'm late." Samantha said reaching their table, "Oh my God! You're Christofer Drew!"
"No way, I am? Since when?" He asked. Everyone laughed.
Caleb is so cute when he laughs, Kaytlain thought, why did we break up? I want him back, but I can't break up with Jonathan! Oh, God, what have I done?
That night, they slept on the bus. For Kaytlain and Kyle, it sucked because they were used to large, luxury beds, not small, stiff beds. Kaytlain woke up, grabbed her homemade Forever the Sickest Kids shirt, a pair of jean shorts, and went to the bathroom, which was also small, to change. Once she locked the door, she grabbed her shirt to change, and she felt like she was going to cry. In the corner, Caleb signed it, it said:
Caleb & Kaytlain
I'll always love you, Kayt.
And, it also said on the back, in big letters, like on a jersey:
TURMAN'S GIRL
23
Only then did she realize that it was a basketball jersey that all of the players' girlfriend's wore on game days that she turned into a band t-shirt. Kaytlain couldn't help it anymore, she cried.
Chapter 7- The Party Song
Thirty minutes later, Kaytlain was dressed, willing herself to be strong enough to wear the jersey, and she had put on enough make-up to cover the blotches from crying. Silently, she put her dirty clothes in a box under her bed, and put on flip-flops. She made her way to the front of the bus and opened the fridge. Sighing, she closed it and had to force herself to eat Pop-Tarts. She felt sickened with herself, but she started to eat anyway because Caleb, still in his pajamas- shorts and no shirt- walked in. Kaytlain couldn't help but stare and think, Oh my God, why is he so attractive without even trying? His hair is so messy but so perfect, and he should wear shirts less often. She only looked away when a loud chorus of The Party Song, which was just the acoustic since it technically didn't exist yet, played.
"Hello?"
"Kaytlain?" a familiar voice asked.
"Austin, we are in the same place!" she shouted and hung up.
One moment later, Austin appeared in the doorway. He was wearing an old school shirt and shorts. His brown hair, which went to his shoulders, was really messy, and he didn't have his glasses on.
"Kaytlain!" He groaned, rushing over to her, "My girlfriend broke up with me!"
"Oh, Austin, I'm so sorry! Did you really love her anyways? Was she the one?"
"I don't know. How can you tell?" He asked. Kaytlain couldn't help but notice that Caleb was on Austin's other said, listening rather intently.
"Well," She started, "If you're always happy when you're around her, if you smile whenever you think about her, and if she smiles back. If she is the person you can never stop thinking about, if you want to hold her every time you see her, and if she's the only girl you even look at, then she's the one."
"Oh, then I guess she's not." Austin said. He got up and left. Wow, thanks Austin. You just left me alone with Caleb. Kaytlain thought.
"Kaytlain." Caleb said suddenly, he always called her Kayt, was something wrong? She looked into his warm brown eyes, "I love you." He whispered. Before she could respond, he was kissing her. Oh God, here we go again. She thought. He was kissing her with urgency, and with so much passion. He was holding her so tightly that, if she were fragile and dainty, she would break. They broke apart after what seemed like hours, but it was only a minute.
"Caleb," Kaytlain whispered, "I love you too. But what about Jonathan? I love him too, but I realize that it's the same way I love Kyle."
"Tell him that. You know he'll understand." Caleb replied quietly, tracing the scar on her wrist that she had gotten as a little girl, "You're so beautiful."
"Thanks, you're not so bad yourself." Kaytlain smiled, as Caleb mocked offense. They laughed together like they hadn't in years.
"What's so funny?" Jonathan asked, walking in.
"Inside joke." Caleb replied as Jonathan went into the bathroom.
"Ok, Caleb, I'll do it." Kaytlain whispered, "It'll break my heart to hurt him, but I'll do it.
Chapter 8- Robots & Aliens
"You excited for your first show tonight?" Samantha asked, coming up behind her little brother and startling him.
"Geez, Sam! You scared the crap out of me!" Caleb replied. He quickly shut the journal he was holding. Caleb most definitely didn't want Samantha to know that he wrote love songs in his free time. Especially since they were about Kaytlain the one girl he couldn't have. Earlier that afternoon, she told him that she just couldn't break up with Jonathan, and that just broke Caleb in two, but he pretended to be okay with it, even though he most definitely wasn't.
"What's that?" Samantha asked, sitting down next to Caleb. Before he could respond, she took the journal and turned to a random page. She read it, the one called "Robots and Aliens", "Give it to her." She whispered, then handed the journal back and left.
Well, of course that gave Caleb a lot to think about. Would she be angry since she's still with him? Would she think its sweet and want to be with me? Would Kayt tell someone? If she did, what would they say? What's wrong with you, Turmanator? You've never been afraid before, just do it! Caleb thought. Sighing, he started to write a new copy in his journal, planning on giving it to her.
"Good luck guys!" Kaytlain told them, "I'll be out later to take pictures." The guys all left, Caleb about a minute behind the rest, and Kaytlain wondered why.
"Hey, go get your camera!" Samantha told her.
Nodding, Kaytlain went to her bunk. She reached for her camera, but then she saw what Caleb had gone last for. It was a folded piece of paper that said:
Kayt
She unfolded it and read it. It was the sweetest thing she had ever read. It said:
Just like summer's after spring, you'll be there for me Just like my favorite song I'll put you on repeat. Just like the air I breathe You are my everything You are my everything
Oh, oh, here we go I've never been in love like this before Oh, oh, here we go, here we go
When you come around, come around I'll be waiting for you I just wanna make you I just wanna make you mine. It's alright, you can take all the time that you like I just wanna make you I just wanna make you mine. A beautiful mystery, you keep me guessing, you're just like gravity you keep me on my feet. Just like my next heart beat, you'll be waiting for me Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, oh, here we go I've never been in love like this before Oh, oh, here we go, here we go. When you come around, come around I'll be waiting for you I just wanna make you I just wanna make you mine. It's alright, you can take all the time that you like I just wanna make you I just wanna make you mine. When you come around, come around I'll be waiting for you I just wanna make you I just wanna make you mine
It's alright, you can take all the time that you like I just wanna make you I just wanna make you mine. When you come around, come around I'll be waiting for you I just wanna make you I just wanna make you mine. It's alright, you can take all the time that you like I just wanna make you I just wanna make you mine. When you come around, come around I'll be waiting for you I just wanna make you I just wanna make you mine. It's alright, you can take all the time that you like I just wanna make you I just wanna make you mine. I just wanna make you mine I just wanna make you mine I just wanna make you mine I just wanna make you…
She smiled. Samantha came up behind her, said something about pictures and left. Kaytlain slowly grabbed her camera and went to go take pictures of five of her best friends and Caleb.
Chapter 9- Keep On Bringing Me Down
When Kaytlain met them back stage, Caleb's heart skipped a beat, the way it did every time he saw her. She was wearing her "Turman's girl" turned Forever the Sickest Kids jersey, jean shorts, flip-flops, and her hair was in a ponytail. She's beautiful, "That was awesome, guys! You killed it! Ready to meet the fans?" She asked, holding her camera.
The fans, it turned out, were all awesome, but insane. They took a lot of funny pictures, and there were many requests for kisses. Afterward, Kyle went to take a power-nap, Austin, Marc, Samantha, and Kent went to the restaurant across the street, Jonathan went to take a shower, and Kaytlain and Caleb were sitting on the couch in the bus. Kaytlain was uploading pictures to her computer and Caleb was quietly playing his guitar. He looked up at her, set his guitar down, and not being able to control himself, shut her computer, set it aside and kissed her. He kissed her with such force that he was afraid that she would break. But he knew better than to think of her as fragile. He had no choice but to reluctantly stop when Kaytlain was staring in horror at something behind him. Jonathan. He thought. She stood up to run after him, but Samantha already was. He was sure that Kaytlain enjoyed the kiss; she had said that she loved him, hadn't she? Now, it didn't matter, he just ruined everything.
When she tried to follow them, Kyle, who had just come in with everyone else- just in time to see them kiss- said, "No, don't follow him, you're staying." She tried to push past him, but he was too strong. Angry, she sat down next to Caleb. Oh, God, what have I done? Now everyone's mad at me, but more importantly, Kayt's mad at me because everyone's mad at her. Caleb thought. Angry, he stared at his palms, trying not to notice that she was too.
"What in the hell were you thinking?" Kyle yelled. Then, tears welling up in her eyes, Kaytlain ran past them. Acting on an impulse, Caleb followed.
He found her on her bed, sobbing. Without saying a word, he sat down next to her and draped his arm across her shoulders. She put her head on his shoulder, and she allowed Caleb to wipe away the tears that fell for Jonathan.
Chapter 10- That for Me
The next morning, Caleb woke up, only to realize the he had fallen asleep with his arm around Kaytlain, and her head was still on his shoulder.
After admiring how beautiful she was for a minute, he gently shook her awake and said, "Kayt, wake up."
Rubbing her eyes, she said, "Caleb, I can't do it. I don't think I can talk to him. Will you do it for me?" She whispered the last part.
"Of course," He whispered, "Do you want me to do it now?" She nodded, and he said, "Why don't you go back to sleep?" When she was lying down, he put her blanket around her and set out to talk to Jonathan. Caleb found him sitting on the couch with Kyle, whose arm was around Jonathan.
"I'll just leave you two alone." Kyle said, and he got up and left.
"Jonathan," Caleb started, sitting down across from him, "I would never mean to hurt you, and you know that. You're one of my best friends. I didn't mean to kiss her, I wasn't aware of what I was doing until we actually kissed. Kayt asked me to talk to you because she's scared. She knows that you're hurt, and she can't bear to see you like that. I don't care if you're mad at me, but please, please, don't be angry with her. Please, Jonathan, talk to Kayt." Caleb saw tears in Jonathan's eyes and couldn't stand it. He got up, took Jonathan's wrist, and led him to Kaytlain.
"Kayt, someone's here to talk to you." He gently shook her awake.
When she was sitting up, Jonathan sat down, leaving Caleb standing there awkwardly, and Jonathan said, "Kayt, I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at myself for not realizing that we're just best friends, and that's all we'll ever be."
"Can we still be best friends, though? I can't stand to lose you as a best friend, too." Kaytlain whispered, looking at Jonathan for the first time since last night.
"Of course we will. You'll always be that for me." He got up to leave and added, "Oh, and if Caleb is ever a bad boyfriend, you tell me, and I'll beat him up." Smiling, Jonathan turned and left.
Caleb said, "Well, Kayt, get dressed. We're going on our first date."
"We've been on plenty of dates." She replied, tripping as she got up. She's so cute when she's nervous, with the tripping and all.
"To be an official couple again, we have to go on our second official first date." He told her, smiling.
"Sure, what you said." She said, smiling back. She got out a change of clothes, and went to get dressed, gently kissing his cheek as she went past.
Smiling, Caleb went to get ready for Kaytlain and his second official first date.
Chapter 11- Cop Car
"We'll be in the hotel. Text me when you're almost there." Jonathan said as they walked out of the bus, "Oh, and have fun, but not too much!"
Smiling, Caleb led Kaytlain to Jonathan's truck, and he held open the door for her. He shut it once she was in, and went around the truck, and got in the driver's seat. He looked over at her and smiled as he started it. He's so cute when he smiles, she thought. He was wearing a blue t-shirt, jeans, flip-flops, and sunglasses so dark that they made his hair, which just touched the edges of the glasses, made his ginger hair look bright orange.
"Where are you taking me?" She asked.
"To a place where you can see all of San Francisco, which happens to be the parking lot to a park on the cliff, which, in retrospect, seems like an awful idea." God, she loved it when he used big words.
Three hours later, after having a picnic, they were lying on the bed of Jonathan's truck, watching the sun set. Kaytlain's head was on Caleb's chest, and he had one hand behind his head, the other in Kaytlain's hair. They lay like that until the first stars started to appear. Caleb looked down at Kaytlain, and he moved so that their heads were right next to each other.
"Caleb." Kaytlain whispered, and she kissed him first this time. The kiss started slow and cautious, but after a minute or two, Caleb realized what was going on, and the kissing became quicker, more reckless. Oh, God. I could do this forever, was all Kaytlain could think. Several minutes later, and neither Kaytlain nor Caleb know how exactly it happened, but Kaytlain had no shorts on, just her oversized tank top, and Caleb didn't have a shirt on. He was trying to take off his belt when they heard a siren.
"Oh, crap." Caleb whispered, untangling his hands from Kaytlain's hair as she reached for her shorts.
In the end, they got yelled at, but no real punishment because the cop's daughter was a fan of Caleb. They drove to the hotel in an embarrassed silence, and went to the room Jonathan had texted to Kaytlain.
"Well," Kaytlain said when Jonathan opened the door, "We ignored your advice, and we're about to have 'too much fun' when a cop saw us."
At this, Kyle got up, probably to punch Caleb, when a girl's voice said, "No, Kyle, don't." Then Kaytlain saw her. It was her small, crimson-haired enemy, Jade Cook.
Chapter 12- Who Invited the Monster
"So, how was your evening?" Jade asked. She was sitting on the edge of one of the beds, cross legged, addressing Caleb, who was sitting on the couch next to Kaytlain.
"Who invited you?" Kaytlain snapped, "I HATE YOU! You ruined my life, you monster! You told me, 'Oh, he's a nice Catholic boy with good intentions; you should go out with him!' You lied! You knew what he would do! I'm your brother's best friend, and you didn't even care."
"No! You don't understand! He was so nice whenever I talked to him. I had no clue that he would do that to you! I think of you as my friend Kaytlain, I really do." Jade replied, whispering the last part.
"Wait- Who is this and what did he do to you?" Caleb demanded.
"Well, when I was a sophomore, before we met," Kaytlain started, tears threatening to spill, "There was this guy. He was the most popular one in school. Every girl loved him, except me. I barely even knew his name. He was really attractive- blonde hair, brown eyes, tall, and had an amazing smile. Well, Jade decided to set me up with him, said he was a good guy with a good heart. She couldn't have been more wrong. I was fifteen years old, smoking, defying my parents, not doing homework, failing classes, then he did the most awful thing. I threatened to tell someone, but he would hit me every time I tried to break up with him or tell someone. I've only told one person, and I can't say what it is again. But, why don't you think I don't have a purity ring? He took advantage of me in my own home. Luckily, I got the courage to tell Kyle, and he told his parents. He was shipped off to an all-boys boarding school in Maine. I never saw him again, so I blamed Jade. But, talking about it now, it's really all my fault." Now, she couldn't help it, silent tears were sliding down her face.
"Kayt, don't blame yourself. You're okay now, and that's what matters." Caleb whispered, putting his arm around her.
Something about Caleb just made her feel better. His arm around her shoulder seemed to say exactly what his words did. Of course it's okay, Caleb, she thought, because I have you.
"I think it's partly my fault, and partly his." Jade whispered, looking at the ground.
"I'm so sorry Jade!" Kaytlain sobbed, going over to hug the other girl.
"No, I'm sorry!" Now Jade was crying too, "Kaytlain, I'm so sorry."
Kaytlain drew back from the hug, and said, "Call me Kayt, all my good friends do." Then both girls smile, and Kaytlain was glad that Jade was her friend again.
That night, Kaytlain lay awake, thinking about her date with Caleb. She missed him, even though he was in the room next door. She remembered her favorite smell in the world, laundry with a bit of fire from a flat iron (and smoking) and a little bit of cologne: the scent of Caleb Michael Turman. She missed his long ginger hair, his beautiful smile, his adorable laugh, his voice that could talk for hours and Kaytlain would never tire of it, and the way he had kissed her and whispered her name. But what she missed the most was the feel of his hands as they ran through her hair and down her back. God, she loved him!
Chapter 13- What Do You Want From Me
That night, Kaytlain had an amazing dream.
It was a warm October evening, and Caleb was sitting alone on the beach. When Kaytlain came closer, he stood up, and she saw every detail of him; the movement of the slight breeze in his ginger hair, all of the line on his bare chest, and even the pattern of the denim on his short. He didn't notice her until they were standing side-by-side.
"Kayt," He smiled, "You look so beautiful." He was grinning in the way that made Kaytlain's heart skip a beat.
"Caleb, I love you." She whispered.
"I love you too." He looked serious now, and he leaned in until she could feel his breath on her lips.
Then she woke up to something shaking her. She was instantly alert, thinking it was an earthquake.
"Calm down, it's just me. We have today off, and I thought we could go sightseeing." The most perfect, sexiest voice said in Kaytlain's ear.
"Oh." She replied, her face growing red.
"So, what about it?" He asked. She looked up at Caleb. He only had on a pair of shorts, and his hair was wet from a shower.
"Uh, yeah, sure."
"Okay, come to my room when you're ready to go."
He left, and half an hour later, she went into Caleb's room, where he was straightening his hair. She sat down on one of the beds when Jonathan walked in.
"Morning!" She said to him, but he just walked by without looking at her, and went to talk to Austin.
"Uh, dude, she said 'morning'." Austin said, sitting down on the other bed.
"I know, but that doesn't mean I'm going to say anything back."
"What's your problem? I didn't do freaking anything!" Kaytlain demanded.
"Nothing." Jonathan said, about to leave.
"Jonathan!" She said, "What do you want from me?"
"I'm your best friend! What didn't you tell me until yesterday?" Jonathan yelled, which he rarely did.
He didn't forgive her for a long time.
It was a very rainy August evening. Kaytlain knocked on the door, hoping he wouldn't answer. But, luck was never on her side. Jonathan opened the door.
"What do you want from me?" He demanded.
"I want to see Jade, it's important." She said.
"Well, she's not here." He snarled.
"Well, where is she?" Kaytlain pressed.
"Can't you tell that I don't want you here? Go away! I hate you!" He snapped.
Kaytlain started sobbing, and punched his stomach over and over, but he didn't seem to feel anything.
"ENOUGH!" A voice yelled, and suddenly she was being pulled away from Jonathan, "What the hell is wrong with you two? You're supposed to be best friends, for God's sake! Jonathan, don't be pissed off at her for not telling you one think about her past! You've held this grudge for three freaking years! It's done, over with! So, forget about it!" Caleb shouted, and he led Kaytlain back to his car, leaving Jonathan standing on his doorstep, looking stunned. That's when he asked her what he wanted to for years.
Chapter 14- Good Life
"Kayt, I have something I want to ask you." Caleb said when they were in his car. Oh, God, what is it? Please be what I think it is. "Will you go on a date with me?"
"Ye- Wait, what? We've been on lots of dates."
"I know, but I've never actually asked you. I always said, 'Hey, let's go on a date.' Then you said, 'Cool.' And we made plans, and-"
"Yes," She interrupted, "Why don't we go to my place and watch a movie?"
"Okay, sure." He grinned, driving to her house.
Through the whole movie, he just wanted it to be over so he could ask her his real question. He ran through what he was going to say over and over again in his head. Then, the movie was finally over.
"Kayt." He said, holding her hands, "I love you more than anything in the world. I need you more than I need air, and I want to be with you for a long, long time. So," He got down on one knee, "Kaytlain Melody Burns, will you marry me?"
Silent tears running down her cheeks, she nodded, and he put the ring on her finger. He stood up, and they hugged. Caleb decided that there was nowhere that he'd rather be, and that he definitely had a good life.
Chapter 15- Mistletoe Is For Quitters
"So, this is the big day, huh?" Jonathan asked one of his best friends.
"Yeah." Caleb replied, fixing his tie nervously.
Kyle, on the other hand, was standing there, looking like he wanted to cry. Jonathan noticed, and ran at him, giving his best friend in the world a hug.
"Thanks, bro." Kyle said, hugging him back.
"Come on! Quit the bromance, and hurry up! You have to be out there in five minutes!" Samantha's voice sounded from outside the door as she pounded on the door. The sound of heels clicking on the floor grew fainter as she retreated down the hall.
"How do I look?" Caleb asked, looking nervous. Austin, his best man, examined Caleb's white dress shirt, black tie and pants, and his Converse. Everyone in the wedding was wearing tem; Caleb, Austin, Jonathan, Kyle, Marc, Casey, Kaytlain, Natalie (Austin's wife), Kara, Jade, Samantha, and Bonnie (Marc's wife).
"If I were a girl, I would marry you would no doubts or second thoughts." Austin replied, smiling.
"I'm not sure how I should feel about that." Caleb said, walking towards the door. Slowly, he turned the doorknob, and taking a deep breath, stepped out into the altar. He saw Austin close the door, and he knew they were making their way to the back of the church. Music started playing, and all the guests stood up in the pews. Austin and Samantha, wearing a long, blue dress that all the bridesmaids were to wear, made their way down the aisle, followed by Kyle and Jade, Marc and Bonnie, Jonathan and Samantha, and Casey and Kara. Then, Kaytlain started walking down the aisle with her step-dad. She's beautiful, was all that Caleb could think. She was wearing a simple white dress with sleeves to the elbows and a long train. Whenever she took a step, he could just see the toes of her Converse.
Before he knew it, the priest was saying, "Do you, Caleb Michael Turman, take this woman to be you lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do."
"And do you, Kaytlain," He paused slightly when he saw her middle name, "Melody Burns take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do."
"Then, by the power of God, and through the state of Texas, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
Caleb didn't hesitate. He put his hands around Kaytlain's tiny waist and drew her close. The kiss was sweet, short, and full of passion. He felt like they were the only two people there. She stopped, however, and they took each other's hand and made their way down the aisle, smiling, excited to start a new life together.
Caleb leaned down and whispered the words he knew she wanted to hear, "I guess there really are happy endings."