Chapter 10
You guys, I know it seems like I'm always making up excuses for updating late and I'm sorry. I've just been so obsessed with the hunger games lately because my sister recommended it to me, so after I read the first book, I fell in love with it and read the other two. And my guinea pig just died so I'm really distracted. But I finished the books and I'm more focused now. I'm not going to abandon the story, I promise. When it ends it will have a proper ending. Personal problems or not, the story goes on! :)
If you're still with me you're awesome! Thanks for the great reviews and favoriting the story.
By the way, I recommend you read the hunger games trilogy. Just amazing!
-Angela
Tuesday afternoon, Jessie had finished packing up all her stuff. It didn't take long because her room was very organized. She sat at the empty desk with her laptop, looking at her acceptance letter to U.W. They offered her and Kyle full scholarships for their exceptional academic levels. Nicole and Stephen were so proud. Jessie wondered how something as simple as a piece of paper could have such great meaning to her. She was forgetting that she had to talk to Nicole and Stephen about the secret her and Kyle were hiding from them. The feeling of happiness, temporarily replaced her feeling of anxiety. It was nice, to not be consumed by stress, even for a few minutes.
Josh sat in the living room alone, watching TV. That was pretty much all he could do at the moment. He was still grounded for having Andy over. Nicole and Stephen took most of his privileges away and he could only use the TV and call Andy for a limited time. TV started to get boring after a while and Andy was staying after school for some group art project, so he couldn't call her. The doorbell unexpectedly rang and Josh jumped off the couch to answer it. He swung open the door and there stood Hillary. She was using crutches.
"What happened to you?" Josh asked as he moved back and opened the door wider.
Hillary entered and Josh closed the door.
"Just a little accident. Now be a good boy and get Lori for me" Hillary said with a smile.
Josh rolled his eyes and ran upstairs to get Lori. He hated when Hillary still treated him like he was five, it annoyed him.
Kyle came out of his room with a box of stuff he was throwing away. It was mostly garbage, old papers, a shirt that was to small on him, and those old pictures of Amanda he drew. He was heading outside to dispose of it but was stopped by Hillary's presence.
"Kyle!" Hillary greeted.
"Hi" Kyle said. He looked around discreetly for a second, then at her.
Hillary hugged the side of him quickly, since he was carrying a box.
"So how have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever" Hillary said.
Kyle was confused and he hesitated.
"We saw each other two days ago..." Kyle said.
"We did? Oh right! I've been on painkillers, I can't remember a thing sometimes" Hillary said and laughed slightly.
Kyle nodded with a small forced polite smile.
"How are you feeling?" Kyle asked.
"Kind of crappy but my back feels so much better" Hillary said.
Kyle had been thinking a lot about how he accidentally healed her back. He felt bad for her at the moment which caused an emotional trigger, which healed her by accident.
"That's good" Kyle said quietly.
"She's coming" Josh groaned as he came downstairs.
"Thanks Joshy" Hillary said.
Josh rolled his eyes and walked to the front door. He opened it.
"Come on Kyle, that trash isn't gonna take its self out" Josh said. He could tell Kyle wanted to get away from her.
Kyle quickly walked out the door. Josh followed and closed the door behind them.
Lori came down the stairs.
"What are you doing here? I was coming over. You shouldn't be moving around too much" Lori said.
"I know, but you took too long" Hillary said.
Lori shook her head and helped Hillary upstairs.
"Thanks" Kyle said as they walked to the curb.
"No problem" Josh said.
Kyle put the box down on the curb. Josh looked at the box and saw something familiar.
"Hey I remember this" Josh said as he grabbed a shirt out of the box. "I let you have this when you first moved in...well officially" Josh said.
"Yeah, it doesn't fit anymore. Nicole said I should throw it out" Kyle said. Kyle didn't really want to though, he was a sentimental pack rat.
"That was before mom bought you your own clothes" Josh said.
Kyle nodded and they both reflected on the memories. Josh glanced to the right and saw someone heading their way. He nudged Kyle.
"Ex girlfriend alert" Josh said. He tossed the shirt to Kyle and went back in the house.
Kyle swung the shirt over his shoulder and faced Amanda as she approached him. He thought he'd hang on to the shirt, after all.
"Hey Kyle" Amanda said.
"Hi" Kyle replied.
"I came by on Saturday, but Mrs. Trager said you were on a school field trip" Amanda said.
"Yeah" Kyle said.
"That's weird, I didn't hear about any field trip" Amanda said.
"Oh uh..it was for..U.W" Kyle lied.
"Oh, Why? Amanda asked a bit confused. "Are they offering you a scholarship when you graduate?" She asked enthusiastically.
Kyle just remembered that Amanda knew nothing about him leaving for college early. He didn't feel like explaining it all to her, because he was trying to avoid her.
"Something like that" Kyle said nervously.
"That great, your so smart" Amanda said with a smile.
Kyle smiled politely again.
"So, how are you?" Amanda asked.
"I'm okay" Kyle said. He kept eying the front door of his house, wanting to go inside.
"Are you sure? You seem a little on edge" Amanda said as she moved closer to him and put her hand on his shoulder.
She noticed that he'd been working out and he got taller. He looked dramatically different to her. Amanda really missed being around Kyle.
Kyle nodded.
"What's this?" Amanda asked as she leaned down and went through the box.
"Just some old things" Kyle said distantly.
Amanda saw the pictures he was throwing away, of her. She felt hurt but she didn't want to look weak in front of Kyle, so she ignored them and stood up because she had a reason for coming to talk to him. She put her hand back on his shoulder.
Kyle was getting stressed out. There seemed to be so many obstacles in the way of him and Jessie being together in peace. Nicole and Stephen for one, and now Hillary and Amanda were trying to get him to themselves. Kyle had to stop this now, before Jessie found out. He didn't want her to be jealous, especially since she had no reason to be. Jessie was the only girl in Kyle's eyes. He really hoped she knew that.
"Amanda" Kyle said as he stepped back. He let her know he knew what she was doing.
"Okay, I'm sorry. Kyle, I just want to be friends" Amanda said. She lied.
"I can't" Kyle said.
"Why not?" Amanda asked curiously.
"Because...we have to much history. I already told you that you make Jessie uncomfortable...What we had...it's over now" Kyle said.
"It doesn't have to be" Amanda said.
"You want to be more than friends and I don't want that" Kyle said.
"Kyle you're right. But we're each others first love" Amanda said. She moved closer to him again and grabbed his hand. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Amanda asked.
Kyle looked down. He wondered how many times he had to push her away. Though he didn't want to be with her, It was still hard for him to repeat himself. Kyle wasn't a rude person and he didn't like hurting anyone. He could sense Jessie's emotions at that moment. He could tell she was watching them but he didn't look at the window. He looked back to Amanda and pulled his hand away.
"First loves are important Kyle. You can't give up on them" Amanda said sadly as a few tears fell from her eyes.
"...I'm sorry Amanda" Kyle said. He paused, then shifted his body to leave.
Amanda grabbed his arm. He turned his head to her.
"Please Kyle" Amanda said quietly with more tears.
Kyle felt sadness and frustration. Sad he was hurting Amanda and frustrated that she wouldn't understand what he was trying to say. He exhaled.
"..Jessie may be my second love but I know that she's my last" Kyle said.
Amanda didn't reply to him but Kyle got the feeling she finally understood.
Kyle looked at Amanda one more time before walking away, out of her grasp and into the house.
Jessie watched Kyle and Amanda from the window. She felt guilty for spying. She knew Kyle loved her more than anything (he told her all the time) but she couldn't fight the jealousy. She saw Amanda crying and knows Kyle's weak spot is tears.
He walked through the door. At this point she felt embarrassed because she could tell Kyle knew she was watching. Jessie moved from the window nonchalantly and fidgeted with the closest object to her, a dining room chair. Kyle locked the front door and looked to his left. He made it seem like he just noticed her there when he walked over. Kyle put his arm around Jessie as he pulled her closer to himself and kissed her. It wasn't that long, about five seconds. But he kissed her like he'd been aching for her. Kyle didn't even look around to see if anyone was watching. When he stopped, Jessie looked very confused and shocked. He had never kissed her out in the open like that. Nicole was just in the next room. Her eyes darted around in the distance of the house. Josh walked by with his basketball. He smirked at them, knowing what they were doing. Jessie stepped back, finding herself a little annoyed at Josh. Kyle turned to him and Josh resumed out the door.
"Josh, where are you going?" Nicole called from the kitchen.
Josh stopped in place. "I'm going to the backyard to play basketball" Josh said with irritation in his voice. "If that's okay with you" he muttered angrily under his breath. He was sick of being grounded and technically he wasn't breaking any rules.
"Okay, dinner's in an hour" Nicole said, ignoring the hostility in his voice.
Josh hand gestured Kyle to come with him. Kyle gave Jessie a kiss on the cheek then walked out with Josh.
Leaving Jessie to her thoughts. She found that whole scene very strange.
"Kyle only kisses me behind closed doors. Why was he risking it? Maybe he was trying to get caught, to get it over with. But that couldn't be, we talked about how we could tell them just this morning when everyone left. We had a plan. And why didn't he address that I was spying on him? I know he saw me. Maybe he didn't care. He didn't last time.. If he was upset with me he would of said so. We don't hide anything from each other" Jessie said.
Her expression was confused.
After Kyle left she went upstairs to talk to Lori. Jessie explained the situation to Lori and Hillary. She didn't know why she chose them as confidants since they were the biggest gossips she knew.
"Okay, Jessie calm down. You're talking crazy. I'm sure it's nothing" Lori said.
"Yeah Jessie bear" Hillary said in agreement.
Jessie raised her eyebrows in confusion.
"That's not my name" Jessie said quietly. Still confused, because Hillary knows her name, she's sure of it. Jessie begins to wonder if she's still on the painkillers.
"It's just a nickname Jessie" Lori said informatively.
"Oh" Jessie said.
Jessie may of been the smartest person in the room but when she didn't pick up on something Hillary and Lori said, it could make her feel like the stupidest. She didn't always understand their way with words or humor. Jessie always hated when that happened, she thought she wasn't normal because she couldn't understand other teenage girls, like herself.
"Doesn't Kyle have a nickname for you?" Hillary asked.
Jessie shook her head.
"Well sometimes when he wakes me up he calls me Jess. Does that count?" Jessie asked.
"Aww he comes in your room to wake you up?" Hillary asked.
"No, he sleeps in my room" Jessie said.
Lori looked at Jessie with wide eyes. She had no idea.
"What? How long has that been happening?" Lori asked.
"...A while now" Jessie said. She was puzzled at their shock. Kyle slept in her room every night since their relationship started. She was very used to it.
There was a minute of silence.
"Are you guys ever going to tell mom and dad?" Lori asked.
"Yeah we're planning on it" Jessie said.
"This is so secretive. I didn't know you had it in you Jessie-bear" Hillary said.
Jessie wasn't fond of that nickname, but she didn't say anything. And apparently neither was Lori. She was rolling her eyes.
"And you guys aren't sleeping together?" Lori asked in disbelief.
"That reminds me, did anything happen in Vancouver?" Hillary asked. She didn't sound like she would be happy if something did happen, she sounded like she would get jealous.
There was a knock at the door.
"Come in" Lori said.
Nicole entered. "There you are" Nicole said to Jessie. "I've been looking all over for you" Nicole said.
"Oh my goodness. Hillary what happened?" Nicole asked, suddenly seeing the casts and crutches.
"I fell on the bus Mrs. Trager" Hillary said sadly, like she was begging for sympathy. She lied just as well as Lori.
"That's horrible" Nicole said with sympathy.
"Okay mom, see you at dinner" Lori said to rush Nicole out of the room.
Jessie and Nicole left the room and went downstairs.
Meanwhile outside...
Josh steals the ball from Kyle and makes his third shot in the game.
"Woooh" Josh cheers with excitement and exhaustion. They haven't stopped playing for a while and the game was pretty intense, before Kyle stopped trying.
"You okay? That was an easy shot" Josh said.
"Yeah I'm fine" Kyle said.
Kyle was thinking about moving out. It was really distracting him lately. He knew from the beginning this would be hard but it was harder now that it was coming up. His room was packed away in cardboard boxes and he would move all his stuff there on Thursday. Jessie's too. College would bring many good things into his life but leaving home would take things out of it. Like playing basketball with Josh. He was really going to miss him. Josh was his brother, blood related or not. Kyle was going to miss a lot of things but he wasn't regretting his choice to leave. It meant he could finally be with Jessie freely and intellectually stimulate his mind. Those are the two things he's wanted for a long time.
"I can't believe you're really leaving" Josh said as he tossed the ball to Kyle and picked up his water bottle.
He could remember Nicole bringing Kyle home like it was just yesterday.
Kyle nodded. He was surprised Josh was thinking the same thing he was.
"Hey..you think you can get Andy and me into any awesome college parties?" Josh asked with a laughing tone.
Kyle smiled. "I'll do my best" He said.
Josh nodded then drank from the bottle. He didn't know if he could bring himself to say he'd miss Kyle. Though he definitely would. The news of him leaving was hard on him. But he tried to be supportive. He was going to help Kyle bring his boxes to his dorm this Thursday. In the meantime he just enjoyed hanging out with him.
Kyle dribbled the ball down the court and slam dunked the ball into the hoop. Josh watched in amazement.
"Okay, you gotta teach me that" Josh said.
Meanwhile in the house...
"Jessie I have to be honest..." Nicole said as she washed the dishes.
Jessie was a few feet away peeling vegetables on the counter. She looked up for a few seconds.
"Okay?" Jessie said cautiously.
"I didn't call you down here help me cook. I was actually hoping we could talk" Nicole said.
Jessie exhaled quietly and dropped the peeler and the vegetables. She turned around and leaned her back on the counter as she crossed her arms. Jessie was somehow expecting this, but she wasn't angry. Nicole always tried to make her open up to her. Like she had something to hide and she wasn't telling her. Though, she was kind of right.
"You're not my therapist anymore..." Jessie said quietly while looking down.
"Jessie I know that. It's just you're leaving soon and I want you to know, if you ever need to talk..you can always come home. And I'll be here for you" Nicole said gently.
Jessie nodded.
Nicole thought she failed once again with trying to get through to Jessie. A moment passed.
"I need to go do the laundry, I'll be right back" Nicole said.
She started to leave the room.
"Nicole" Jessie said.
Nicole turned back.
"Thank you" Jessie said.
Nicole smiled and felt like she finally got through to Jessie a little. She left the room and went to do the laundry.
Hillary limped down the stairs and went home. A half hour later Nicole, Josh, Kyle and Jessie sat around the table, eating dinner. Stephen called and was going to be late so they started without him. Nicole was going over moving arrangements, classes, and just about everything they needed to do from now until the move. She kept saying how much she would miss them.
"Orientation is on Wednesday, and you move your stuff in on Thursday" Nicole said.
"I never thought you would leave the house before I did" Lori said to Kyle.
"Keep up those bad grades and I'll be leaving before you" Josh said.
"Shut up" Lori said.
"Josh, apologize" Nicole said.
The house phone rang and Josh sprang from his seat.
"Josh sit down" Nicole said.
"It's Andy" Josh said.
"We're eating dinner, you can talk to her tomorrow. Sit down" Nicole demanded.
Josh stood there looking at Nicole in disbelief. She knew he'd been waiting for her call since he got home from school. He was getting angry.
"No" Josh said with attitude. He stormed out and went upstairs to his room.
Stephen came through the door just in time to hear Josh, and sat down.
"Sorry I'm late, Josh problems?" Stephen asked as he took a seat.
"Yep" Nicole said.
A few minutes passed by and Nicole noticed Kyle wasn't eating much and he seemed pretty spaced out. She became concerned. She discreetly observed him.
"Kyle is everything alright?" Nicole asked.
Kyle looked up from his daze of thoughts.
"I'm okay" he said.
Nicole nodded. Her motherly instincts were telling her something was wrong. At first she thought maybe she was being a little too paranoid, about her vibe from Jessie but now Kyle was acting weird and she was certain they were hiding something. Kyle and Jessie were a packaged deal, they were always very in sync to one another. A lot of the time, they got upset because the other was upset. Maybe this was one of those times, and Kyle was acting strange because he was concerned for Jessie. Or maybe the other way around. She sensed something since they got back from the field trip and was desperate to find out the issue. She thought maybe she'd try confronting them together, after dinner.
They went on eating. Kyle was unusually quiet, but no one said anything about it. Stephen was talking about U.W as well. He was teasing Kyle and Jessie about how he'd be keeping his eye on them at school. Since he worked there now.
So after dinner when everyone cleared out of the kitchen, they offered to help clean up, like they always did, except Nicole usually turned them down. But she didn't this time. They finished pretty quickly and headed out of the kitchen.
"Guys, wait" Nicole called.
Kyle and Jessie came back.
"Did we forget something?" Kyle asked, thinking maybe he forgot to clean a dish.
"No, I just thought we could...sit for a minute" Nicole said.
She didn't want to say "talk" because they might think they were in trouble or something. Nicole didn't really give them a choice, she gestured them back into the dining room. She sat on one side of the table and they sat on the other. After a short hesitation, Nicole began.
"You know you could tell me anything, right?" Nicole asked.
Jessie nodded expectantly. Kyle was starting to understand when Jessie said Nicole was being suspicious. He wondered what she would say next.
"I don't know what's going on with you two, but I'm very concerned" Nicole said.
Stephen walked by the dining room and caught Nicole's last sentence. He turned back with concern of his own and entered the room. He furrowed his brow and shrugged at Nicole. She nodded him over and he sat down next to her.
"Is this about Latnok? Are you in trouble?" Stephen asked them with a low voice.
Nicole looked at them in fear, thinking Stephen made a good point. She wondered why she didn't think of that.
Seeing the fear in their eyes, Kyle had to clear it up immediately.
"No it's nothing like that" Kyle said.
Stephen sighed in relief.
"Then what is it?" Nicole asked, picking up on Kyle implying that it was something.
Kyle and Jessie went silent. Kyle glanced at Jessie, thinking maybe now was the time to tell them. And of course she understood what he was trying to tell her. She could feel her whole face get hot. She was short of breath, probably because she was holding it. Then that's when she felt the heat traveling through her body. The chemical reaction of nervousness and fear, it was just too much to bear.
"I can't do this right now" Jessie said as she got up from the table and headed straight out the front door. She closed it behind herself.
Kyle stood immediately to go after her.
"Kyle, she needs the air. Give her a little while" Stephen said.
Kyle kept his eyes on the window behind Nicole and Stephen, desperate to run to Jessie's side.
Now Nicole had no doubt that something was terribly wrong. She felt so upset and helpless. Nicole was on the verge of crying. Stephen cradled his arm around her for comfort as he frowned at Kyle, unsure of what to say.
"Kyle, why don't you think you could trust us?..." Nicole asked sadly.
A few very silent minutes later, in which Nicole shed a few tears and wiped them away, Kyle swallowed a few times trying to say something.
"I love her" Kyle choked out.
"What?" Stephen asked. Kyle's words were too low to make out.
"I love Jessie" Kyle said more clearly.
Nicole and Stephen hesitated.
"Well we all love Jessie, she's part of the family" Nicole said, not knowing what to make of Kyles random comment.
"No...I mean, I really love her" Kyle said, trying to get out his message/confession.
He looked at Stephen with raised eyebrows hoping maybe he would get it. And he did. He raises his eyebrows as well at Nicole and now she understood.
When Jessie got outside relief rushed over her. Like it always did when it rained. She was a few blocks away, still walking, not going anywhere in particular. Good thing she had sleeves on, or else she'd be a lot colder. Jessie just wanted to clear her head so she just kept walking until she reached that park close to the house. The one with the old fashion lamp post. The one where Kyle declared his love for her. She stood where she did that night. Thinking back on the memories that took place here. Sometimes if Foss let them out of training early they came here to talk and watch the sun come up before they had to get home. Jessie liked to use this park as an escape, it was strangely peaceful and the rain made the plants and flowers look beautiful. But then Jessie remembered how worried Kyle was that night when she left the house. She quickly decided it was best to go home, for Kyle's sake.
When she was two blocks away from home she saw him running towards her. Jessie met him halfway down the block. The rain got heavier. Kyle was drenched and his hair was in his face.
Jessie crossed her arms because she was getting cold. They waited a minute before saying anything. She examined his face which was covered in relief.
"You told them...didn't you" Jessie said.
Kyle nodded and Jessie nodded back.
"...How do you feel?" Kyle asked with a bit of hesitation.
They spoke a little louder than usual to be heard over the rain.
Jessie hesitated too.
"We don't have to hide anymore. So...I feel better" Jessie said like she was trying to convince herself. She nodded in reassurance.
Jessie stepped forward and swept Kyles hair out his face. She smiled a little when she could see his eyes again.
"Let's go home" Jessie said.
Kyle and Jessie walked home quickly and when they got to the door Jessie said:
"How are they taking it?"
"Let's find out" Kyle said sarcastically, dreading it.
They didn't say much of anything when he told them. Too shocked and speechless. But there was no telling exactly what they would say when they were ready to vocalize their feelings. Nicole and Stephen were upstairs talking. Since they ate dinner already and it was getting dark, Kyle and Jessie decided to call it an early night. In their own rooms of course. They wanted to prepare themselves for what would be said to them in the morning.
Kyle and Jessie spent a half hour talking telepathically back and forth. Sometimes the connection wasn't strong enough to go distances but it was very strong tonight. They didn't talk about the obvious though, they didn't want to go to bed stressed.
"I was thinking maybe we could enter another science contest at U.W and give the money to Jackie. You know, because of her debt problem" Jessie said.
"I didn't think of that. Good idea" Kyle said.
A few minutes later they said goodnight and I love you. Jessie fell asleep soon after but Kyle didn't. He was trying to adjust back to his tub but it wasn't easy. Around one A.M he heard some thrashing around upstairs. He listened carefully and it sounded like it was coming from Josh's room. Kyle checked the family heartbeats and they were all there, no extra ones. So he made his way upstairs and opened Josh's door.
Josh was searching through a drawer in his nightstand. But something seemed very off with him. First of all, he didn't even look up when Kyle opened the door. Second of all the room was a complete mess, and third, it reeked of beer.
"Josh" Kyle called.
Josh looked up like he was startled.
"What are you looking for?" Kyle asked.
He looked like he was trying to remember something. Kyle noticed his laptop thrown on the floor.
"I can't remember" Josh said.
Josh's speech was slurred.
Kyle closed the door.
"You've been drinking" Kyle said with annoyance and some anger.
"No..." Josh said, then started laughing.
Kyle shushed him and pushed the drawer back in the night stand. Josh stumbled back into bed, holding his left arm.
"Why were you drinking?" Kyle asked.
"Uh..correction..." Josh said as he picked up an open beer bottle and drank down the rest of it. "I am drinking" he finished.
Kyle snatched the bottle from his hands, pulling his arm with it.
"Ah" Josh muttered in pain as he yanked his arm back. "Take it easy" Josh said.
"How'd you cut your arm?" Kyle asked, noticing the blood.
"I have no idea. But you cant tell mom, okay" Josh said tiredly.
"You have school in the morning, how are you going to hide it?" Kyle asked.
"Tell them I'm sick" Josh said.
"I can't lie again" Kyle said quietly.
"When do you ever lie?" Josh asked as he opened another beer bottle.
Kyle gave him a look of discontent.
"Calm down, it's for you" Josh said with a laugh as he passed it to Kyle.
"I don't drink" Kyle said.
"That's not what I remember" Josh said.
"Oh now you remember something" Kyle said under his breath.
Josh was referring to when Declan, himself and Kyle went to that bar that serves minors. Kyle got drunk so he could forget about Amanda. Who recently dumped him. (episode: in the company of men)
He grabbed Josh's arm bluntly and healed it for him. The blood dissolved back into his skin and it looked like nothing happened.
"Thanks" Josh said as he examined his arm. He pinched it.
"Hey, I'm just saying you drank a lot when Amanda dumped you" Josh said.
"That was a mistake" Kyle said.
"So, you still did it" Josh said.
Kyle opened the room windows to air out the smell of beer.
"Why are you drinking beer? And how did you even get it?" Kyle asked.
"I had it for a while. I kept it around in case I needed it. And I did" Josh replied.
"You're too young" Kyle said as he collected all the visible bottles.
Josh gave him a sarcastic look that said "And you're not?". Kyle glared at him and he backed off.
"How many did you have?" Kyle asked.
"Ehh, I stopped counting at four. It doesn't matter, what's done is done" Josh said.
Kyle was afraid that he was a bad influence on Josh. Nicole and Stephen wouldn't be happy about this for sure. He felt like a liar. He wanted to stop but he just kept piling on the lies. Lately the guilt really consumed him.
"Give me that" Kyle muttered angrily.
Josh handed the bottle over. Kyle drank it rather quickly. He convinced himself he'd just have one, to calm his nerves but ended up having three. After that he went back to his room to sleep.
In the morning...
Things went on normally like it always did. Lori went to school, Stephen went to work. Josh somehow got Nicole to believe he was too sick to go to school, without opening his door. And Nicole had a few errands to run. Jessie got up early because she went to bed early. She ate a quick breakfast, went for a jog, showered, and watched TV. Kyle was still asleep so she didn't go talk to him. But around twelve she wondered if he was sick, he never slept this late. So she went to wake him up.
"Kyle, wake up" Jessie said as she leaned down to him.
To her surprise, Kyle was already awake. He had tired eyes and was moving lazily.
"You okay?" Jessie asked curiously.
Kyle looked her in the eyes and hesitated.
"Yeah I'm fine" Kyle said.
Jessie stood and offered him her hand to help him up. He took it. Kyle yawned and stepped out of his tub.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"Twelve" Jessie replied.
"Are you sick? You never sleep this late" Jessie asked. She felt Kyle's forehead for a fever.
"Just a headache" Kyle said groggily.
Jessie was going to suggest an aspirin but Kyle kissed her suddenly. Catching her off guard, Jessie opened her eyes during the kiss. She looked confused and tasted alcohol on his breath. She pulled back quickly.
"Were you drinking?" Jessie asked, appalled at him.
Her voice raised, hurt Kyle's head. The hangover was present.
"Yeah" Kyle said as he put a hand over his eyes. The sun coming through the windows was also hurting his head.
Jessie heard Nicole opening the front door and didn't want her to catch them in here alone so she headed out of the room.
"We're not done" Jessie warned. She found herself surprised and disappointed at him. Jessie shook her head on the way out while closing the door.
Kyle knew what he did was stupid, but he didn't know why he did it anyway. He also knew that he was in trouble and he deserved it. And that didn't make him feel any better. He laid back in his tub again and pulled the blanket over his head.
Jessie met Nicole at the door. Nicole closed the door and set her stuff down.
"Hi" Nicole said hesitantly.
"Can we talk?" Jessie said gently.
Nicole nodded and Jessie followed her into the living room. They sat down on the couch. Jessie on one end, Nicole on the other. A minute of mutual silence passed.
"Are you angry?" Jessie asked while staring at the TV that wasn't on.
"No Jessie, I'm not angry" Nicole said as she shook her head. She was being very calm.
"You're not?" Jessie asked.
"No. I suppose it was inevitable. I know how much you mean to each other. Though, Stephen and I talked about this last night and we don't appreciate you and Kyle going behind out backs and lying to us" Nicole said.
"I know, and I'm sorry" Jessie said.
"Why did you lie?" Nicole asked.
"Because you said we couldn't be together while we live under the same roof and..."
"You love him" Nicole said.
Jessie nodded.
"Nicole, don't blame Jessie. It was my idea" Kyle said as he walked into the room.
Kyle looked a lot better because he altered the polarity of his liver, ridding him of his hangover.
"Kyle" Jessie said.
He brushed her off.
"I told her I loved her first" Kyle admitted.
"Kyle, please sit" Nicole said.
Kyle sat in an arm chair. Nicole faced them both.
"How long has this been going on?" Nicole asked.
She sounds indifferent. Kyle and Jessie don't know what to make of it. But they know honesty is the only option now.
"Almost a month" Kyle said.
Kyle and Jessie make quick eye contact.
"You deliberately disobeyed us" Nicole said.
"That's why I wanted to get a dorm room so we didn't have to lie to you and Stephen anymore. You both have done so much for me. You took me in and made me feel like I actually belonged here. I hated lying to you" Jessie said, her voice cracking a bit towards the end.
She was getting emotional again and tearing up a little. Kyle looked at her with sympathy, wanting to hug her. But he decided against it, since Nicole wasn't used to seeing them in that way yet.
Jessie was finally opening up, something Nicole had been trying to make her do since they've known each other. Seeing her obvious guilt and sincerity made Nicole understand her more.
"Oh Jessie" Nicole said quietly. Nicole was touched.
She scooted over to Jessie and gave her a hug. A few minutes later when Jessie calmed down, Nicole asked:
"Is that why you're both leaving? So you don't have to disobey me?" Nicole asked. She looked at Jessie then Kyle.
"Well not initially but after thinking about it, I realized I could move into a dorm. And Kyle and I could be together without breaking any rules. But he said he wanted to come with me, even though he doesn't really have to" Jessie said.
"I want to" Kyle replied.
Jessie's phone started to ring from her pocket. She pulled it out and looked at it.
"It's Jackie" Jessie said.
"Go ahead" Nicole said.
Jessie took the phone into her room.
"Hey Jackie" Jessie said.
"Jessie, great news! I had to pull some strings with the dorm adviser but I got the spare room in my apartment saved for you" Jackie said.
"Really?" Jessie asked.
"Yeah, I hope that's okay with you" Jackie said.
"Yeah. It'll be nice to live with someone I actually know" Jessie said.
Jackie laughed.
"That's great. I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Do you and Kyle need any help moving your stuff?" Jackie said.
"No, my brother Josh is helping us" Jessie said.
"Okay. See you soon. Bye Jessie" Jackie said.
"Bye Jackie" Jessie said.
Jessie smiled from the good news.
"Oh so now I'm your brother" Josh said.
He stood in the door frame of Jessie's door. Her smile vanished.
"Sorry, I just didn't know what to call you to her. She doesn't know you" Jessie explained nervously.
"It's cool. So as my sister, you'll fix my laptop, right?" Josh said with a smirk.
"Yeah I guess" Jessie said.
"Good, and when your 21 you'll buy me beer?" Josh asked.
"You're 16 and you have a hangover" Jessie said, making it clear she didn't believe in underage drinking.
"Keep it down, would you? How did you know?" Josh asked.
She lowered her voice.
"I can smell it from here and where else would Kyle have gotten beer?" Jessie said.
"Dammit" Josh said nervously as he smelled his shirt.
"You shouldn't drink, you'll damage your underdeveloped brain" Jessie said.
As soon as she said that she thought it might sound offensive. Though it was true.
"Because you're still a kid, not because you're stupid..." Jessie said.
"Okay forget the drinking. But you'll get me into college parties, right? Cause Kyle promised me that he would try and get me and Andy in..."
"Out" Jessie said, cutting him off.
Now Jessie understood why Lori said this to Josh so much. He was annoying.
Josh sighed and left the room.
"I can feel the sisterly love already" he said sarcastically with a laugh as he went upstairs.
Jessie smiled and shook her head. She went back into the living room, where Kyle sat alone. Jessie sat next to him on the couch, where he moved to.
"Where's Nicole?" Jessie asked.
"She's on the phone, Stephen called" Kyle said.
Jessie nodded.
"What'd she say?" Jessie whispered.
"She said she wants us to be happy" Kyle said.
Jessie exhaled and sat back on the couch. Seconds later Nicole came into the room.
"Stephen forgot his flash drive in the computer. He needs it for a presentation, so I have bring it to him" Nicole said as she grabbed the flash drive and her jacket.
"Okay" Kyle said.
"See you a little later. Oh and would you guys check on Josh, he's sick today" Nicole said.
"Sure" Kyle said.
"Thanks" Nicole said as she headed for the door.
"Bring an umbrella. It's going to rain any minute now, through the day" Jessie said.
"Thanks Jessie!" Nicole called as she picked up an umbrella, leaning against the wall while she went out the door.
Kyle grabbed the remote and tuned on the TV. He put his right arm around Jessie and she rested her head on his shoulder. They watched a movie. A few minutes later...
"I'm still mad at you" Jessie said, not sounding angry at all.
"I'm sorry, it was stupid...I was stupid" Kyle said with regret.
"Why were you drinking anyway?" Jessie asked as she put her head up.
"I guess because I was feeling guilty for lying and I was afraid of how they would react" Kyle said.
Jessie didn't feel that angry anymore.
"Well...the worst is over now, they know. And they don't hate us" Jessie said.
Kyle nodded in agreement.
"Thanks for telling them without me. I don't think I could of done it, it was too much for me" Jessie said.
Jessie kissed Kyle on the cheek, then put her head back on his shoulder.
Two hours later Kyle drove down to the warehouse where Foss trains him and Jessie. Josh came along for the ride. Kyle wanted to tell Foss about college face to face because last time he didn't tell him about a big change in his life (Him and Jessie) he looked hurt. Foss took it well and was proud of them. They discussed a new training schedule that would work better for them. After that Kyle and Josh stuck around for a while. Josh was curious about what they did during training so Kyle showed him what he could do. Then Josh attempted to complete the course. He ran,climbed, jumped, and lifted.
Meanwhile at The Rack...
Jessie and Lori sat at a table in the middle of the room. Lori had coffee and Jessie had a smoothie. Lori called Jessie from home and told her to meet her here. Jessie told Lori all about how Nicole and Stephen knew everything now. But after that they didn't talk much. Jessie was confused as to why she invited her here in the first place.
"Why are you staring at Declan?" Jessie asked.
"I wasn't staring at Declan" Lori said as she brought her attention back to Jessie.
"Yeah you were" Jessie said and laughed a little.
Lori rolled her eyes.
"I'm sorry. What's wrong?" Jessie asked.
Lori ignored Jessie's question.
"Why does he even have to be here?" Lori asked quietly but angrily.
"Because he's always here..." Jessie said.
"Yeah but why today?" Lori asked.
"Why does it matter?" Jessie asked.
"Can you keep a secret?" Lori whispered.
Jessie nodded.
"Okay, well a few days ago...he kissed me" Lori said.
"What? Where?" Jessie asked.
"In the kitchen and I..."
"What?" Jessie asked.
"I kissed him back" Lori said with panic.
Lori didn't know what to do. She had are really great thing going with Mark and then out of nowhere Declan kisses her and now everything seems ruined. Mark means so much to her and she cheated on him. She wished Declan didn't kiss her, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't like it. Her feelings for Declan were very enigmatic.
Jessie looked up at Declan and noticed he was staring at Lori. She looked back to Lori.
"You mean you cheated on..."
Lori glared at Jessie.
"Sorry" Jessie said.
Lori quickly glanced back over at Declan.
"Oh my god, he's staring at me. We have to go" Lori said as she stood from her seat, coffee in hand.
Jessie followed behind Lori as she zipped through The Rack and out the door. Declan tried to get her attention but she ignored him. Lori and Jessie ran through the rain and into the car. Lori drove them home. On the way, Jessie said:
"What are you going to do?" Jessie asked.
"No clue" Lori replied.
The end.
Please review! Thanks so much for reading :)