A/N: This chapter is on the shorter side, but VERY powerful. Please Read and Review!
Make sure to check out waterwicca's Past The Sorrow. Here is a snippet ;D:
"So, my lovely first date, where to?" Kendall asked excitedly, turning to stand in front of Sage and putting the smile back on his face that seemed to be reserved only for her. His eyes held a special shine when looking into hers. They showed pure joy and adoration without any effort. In fact, everything seemed effortless between them. Everything just happened perfectly. There were no choices.
"We could see a movie I guess," Sage suggested, unsure. She had never been on a date before or even hung out with friends. She had no clue what "normal" teenagers did.
"Whatever you want," Kendall responded softly and sincerely.
He pulled their intertwined hands gently towards himself so that she got up from the bed. They stood still for a moment, only mere inches from one another; both enjoying the close proximity. Kendall took a bold step forward, placing his hand on her waist. He may have seemed confident to an outsider, but Sage knew better.
They both shuddered with delight at the contact; their heads instinctively inching closer to one another. Only a few words had been spoken between them, but even speaking seemed unnecessary when they were near each other. They were in their own world again. It was like a powerful, intoxicating drug. They had only known this drug for a short time, but they were hooked at the first taste.
With a shaky breath, Kendall moved his hand from her waist upward to cup her cheek. The contact burned so much that it made his muscles ache. He was sure he must be a masochist because of the overwhelming love he felt for that sensation…for her.
Sage spoke quietly, taking the words out of his mouth.
"This isn't going to be a normal night, is it?" she asked, already knowing the answer. She leaned her entire body against his so they could feel the burning all over. It was so wrong and unconventional. She knew nothing about the boy holding her other than his age and favorite color, but she couldn't feel an ounce of apprehension when they touched.
"Nope," Kendall breathed out slowly and simply as he closed the distance between them, their lips connecting in one swift motion as if they were made to go together.
The shaking and burning they were both experiencing intensified tenfold. The feeling continued as their bodies melded together, and then it quickly calmed down to a tingling in their limbs. But, even as the kiss went on, the tugging remained strong in their chests. Their hearts were calling to each other, and they were doing what they could to answer.
Unlocking their hands, Sage moved hers up to rest on the back of Kendall's neck, using him to support her weight and lean into his soft lips even more. Kendall placed his hand on her lower back, tugging to get her even closer to him. It was impossible, but he couldn't fight the overwhelming need to try. Their lips danced together playfully, passionately, and happily; connecting like two of the most perfectly fitted puzzle pieces. No matter how you moved them, they matched up.
Yup, exactly. You want to read more, so do it!
Chapter Eleven: New Year's
Today was New Years' Eve.
Which meant tomorrow was the last day of vacation before Kendall would really have to return to some normal life. He had been thinking about Stella constantly, hoping, praying that she was somewhere safe. His mind told him that she was alright, probably staying at the General Store until she found somewhere else to go. His mind told Kendall that Stella was smart, and was probably reading his letter under some sort of light, smiling at the true love he had put into it.
Kendall's heart told him otherwise.
He had mailed Stella's letter yesterday after coming home from the cemetery, and had been confronted by his mother the second he walked in the door. Katie.
Apparently, the poor girl had been crying hysterically since Kendall left her in a fury of anger. Katie was upstairs in her room, as Kendall went up there, trying to apologize. No luck.
His Baby Sister didn't want any part of him. She was afraid of him. It brought her back to right after her father had died, and everything that Kendall had done to his own room, to their house out of pure anger and frustration. She would never forget the one time Kendall went as far to hit her. It took the girl weeks to trust him again, but eventually she did, knowing that her Big Brother would do nothing to purposely upset her.
Kendall had been trying to talk to Katie through her door, as she angrily yelled at him, and cried, telling him to leave her alone. The boy felt horrible about what he had done to his sister, but he didn't feel he could do much more at this point. He was going to have to wait to Katie to come to him.
But what if she didn't this time?
"Dude, you got popcorn all over me," Carlos exclaimed, as James shrugged, picking up the popcorn off the green sofa, and putting it back into the bowl. James had knocked it over in a fit of singing and dancing, which was not an uncommon occurrence when James was hopped up on soda and other sugary items.
It was around 11:45 PM on New Years Eve, snow coming down pretty intensely. The boys lazily sat in the back "recreational den" of Logan's house. The TV was smaller in here, but godforbid the boys had gotten anything on Mrs. Mitchell's white, plush couch in the living room (which was an almost guarantee with Carlos slopping down chocolate pudding) Logan would be done for.
The boys were used to staying back here with the big, comfy green couches and tan Berber carpet. They had no idea why Mrs. Mitchell would decorate her living room stark white, with a huge flat screen television and expensive glass coffee and end tables, if the only time anyone sat there was Logan if he had gotten in trouble by his grades, or in the evenings when Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell sat on the couch just enjoying each other's presence, which hadn't happened in some time.
Mrs. Kelly Mitchell was definitely a bit uptight at times, if not all the time, even before the day she met John, Logan's father.
Kelly Freeman was born and had spent all her life in Duluth, Minnesota, not moving anywhere, staying in the same house all throughout college with her parents and sister Jillian. She attended Ronald Herbst Elementary, and Duluth Junior-Senior High School, where her son and his friends now walked the halls. Kelly was a silent, quiet, studious girl, who had a small, close knit group of friends, but never really talked to anyone else.
Until she met John Mitchell.
John Mitchell was definitely the Mr. Popular. He was a star on the Duluth Hawks ice hockey team and captain by sophomore year, even being "the new kid" freshmen year. John was friends with everyone that crossed his path, showcasing that crooked smile, charming voice and soft raven hair. In John's younger days, Logan looked exactly like his father, just get rid of the calculator and add a letterman jacket and there ya go.
Kelly Freeman had her dark brown eyes set on John Mitchell the second he had walked into her English class, the first day of freshmen year. The incredibly awkward looking, but potentially handsome John Mitchell had sat right next to her that first day, and with a simple "hi," all of Kelly's dreams had revolved around him, and only him.
Only a few months later, John decided to make the normally quiet, relatively unheard of Kelly Freeman his girlfriend. It was a different type of love though, not the usual honeymoon love teenagers swoon in after a few months dating. After nearly four years together, John went to the University of Minnesota, while Kelly went to a community college nearby, unsure of what she really wanted in life. Although the two saw each other every weekend, and some days out of the week, they never were the ones' to run into each other's arms and kiss every time John got home, spending hours making out on the couch with no parents home. John and Kelly's relationship was more of a best friends kind of deal, even though the two were very committed and dedicated to one another.
After graduation from college, the two continued their romance for a few years, until finally, ten years had passed since John had asked her out after ice-hockey practice, that cold, chilly day in December.
The one thing that was so unreal about John Mitchell and Kelly Freeman's relationship was that even after ten years together, they had never once had sex. Sure, they had gotten close to it a few times, but felt it shouldn't happen until they married. However, even two years out of college, Kelly and John hadn't even stressed the idea of marriage, even though it seemed to be inevitable.
Finally, after ten long years together, John Mitchell proposed to his long time girlfriend, and they tied to knot in a small, ceremony right in one of Duluth's finest catering halls, The Esquire.
Logan had heard of his parents legacy from everyone in town, at least once in his life, even from teachers who when they called his name, asked if he was "Kelly and Johnny's" son. It bothered Logan at times, but it also made him realize that his parents had a longstanding bond that could never be broken, or at least that's what he got from their love legacy.
"I'm so stoked for the New Year. It's my goal to become famous this year. That's my resolution," James said proudly, taking a sip of his coke.
"A New Year's resolution is something you wanna change about your life, James," Logan added in, taking a handful of popcorn from the table and shoveling it into his mouth.
"Well I wanna change being stuck in this town, and go out to California and be famous!" he exclaimed with a sing-song voice. Carlos rolled his eyes, knowing that James and Logan were going to have it out if this conversation continued.
"So, Kendall, did you mail your letter to Stella?" Carlos asked happily, trying to do anything to change the subject between James' arrogant attitude and Logan's logical brains.
Kendall sat on the edge of the couch, staring out the window at the snow that fell down harshly, as if it was in slow motion. He bit his bottom lip watching the nasty storm outside, his heart beating fast. It was bound to get even worse later, and he prayed to God that Stella was somewhere warm and somewhere safe.
Carlos got no answer. "Kendall?"
Kendall whipped his head around and looked at Carlos confused.
"What'd you say?" Kendall asked a bit jumpy. Carlos looked at the boy with a saddened heart. He could only imagine he was going through this New Year's without his father, and now with this added worry about the girl he loved.
"I asked if you sent your letter to Stella," Carlos repeated with a smile, as Kendall threw a piece of popcorn in his mouth. He nodded and bit his lower lip, his gaze going out the window again. Carlos sighed, as Logan rolled his eyes at James, who was singing along with one of the performers that was singing for the New Year's special.
"Hey Logan, you think your mom would let us pop out a bit of bubbly for the new year?" James asked with a chuckle, his voice tired of singing. Logan shrugged, doubting it but hey, it was worth a shot.
"I don't know, let me go ask her," he said getting up from the couch with a grunt. Logan made his way down the wood floored hallway and into the stainless steel kitchen where he saw his mother sitting there, with a glass of red wine, staring at the antique clock her father had given her and John as a housewarming present when they moved in here.
"Mom?" Logan asked gently, seeing as his mother was zoned out staring at the clock lazily. Logan sighed and furrowed his brow. It seemed as his mother was very distant lately, and also very…blah. She hadn't been as uptight as she used to be, and seemed to show no emotion.
"Mom?" Logan asked again, his mother snapping out of her trance, as she sighed deeply.
"Yeah, honey?" she asked blandly, looking down at the wine her glass, noticing it was near empty and getting up from the table to fill it again. Logan looked around the kitchen and noticed his dad wasn't anywhere in sight. He could hear his friends laughing about something in the other room, but miraculously, it didn't interrupt his thoughts.
"Where is dad?" Logan asked confused. John had barely spent any time with his son since Christmas, always working. It pained Logan a bit, since him and his fathers were incredibly close, almost as much as Kendall and his father had been. After Kristopher's death, Logan hadn't left his father's side for three days following the funeral.
Kelly poured a large quantity of wine her glass, corking the bottle violently before sighing, and turning to her son with a rehearsed, stoic voice and glazed brown eyes.
"He's out with some friends from the office for the New Year," Kelly said, taking a sip of the wine. Logan looked at his mother confused and shook off the feeling he got from her. She was more than likely just tired, and Logan felt bad about having the boys over.
"If you were tired mom, we could've just gone to Kendall's tonight," Logan said softly, fidgeting with his fingers nervously. Kelly let out a tiny laugh and sighed.
"No, sweetie it's fine. It's just been a long day," she whispered out under her breath, rubbing her forehead with her left hand, her beautiful engagement ring and wedding band shining in the light. Logan licked his lips and sighed.
"Uh, we were wondering if maybe we could do a champagne toast," Logan said a bit nervously, fearing his mother would immediately say no since the boys were underage. Kelly nodded, looking down as she traced the rim of her glass with her finger.
"It's in the fridge. Just not too much, okay?" Kelly said with a raised eyebrow as Logan nodded a bit surprised. He took the few steps over the fridge, opened it and took the bottle out. He then walked to the cabinet above the stove and took out four champagne flutes from the top cabinet, making sure not to use the elegant crystal ones that his parents had drank from at their wedding so many years ago.
Logan, with the bottle in one hand and the four champagne flutes in the other turned around, and stared at his mother who looked absolutely miserable. Logan didn't know what it was, but it was definitely something worse than just a bad day. However, Logan knew his mother wasn't the type to let everything out. He had only seen her cry on a few occasions, and never had she just cried for no reason, not in front of him at least.
He walked over to his mother, and leaned down and kissed her dark brown hair with a smile.
"I love you, mom," Logan said with the same crooked smile that his father graced. Kelly looked into her son's eyes, and licked her lips, tears welling up in her eyes. She tried her hardest not to blink, not wanting them to fall.
"I love you too, Logan," she said softly nodding, turning her head down as tears fell down her cheeks, and her son walked away cautiously and slowly.
Logan came back to his friends with the champagne and flutes, setting them down on the coffee table as James jumped at them.
"Awesome!" he exclaimed with a laugh, taking the bottle, lining up the flutes, and pouring the bubbly liquid in each of them without spilling a drop. James then picked one up, and handed it to an eager, smiling Carlos. He then handed one to Logan who received it with a smirk.
"Fancy," Logan chuckled out as James picked up the second to last one, and whistled at his sluggish, lethargic blonde friend at the end of the couch.
"Only ten minutes until the New Year!" Carlos echoed out, as they boys turned to the television to watch the signaling of the New Year. There was someone singing and dancing, and a lot of alcohol being passed around the brightly lit stage.
"K-Dawg. Look. Alcohol," James said with a chuckle, holding the flute out to him. But Kendall's gaze didn't move from the window, where the snow fell. His green eyes were stuck on the flakes falling from the sky.
Kendall took a deep breath in and closed his eyes tightly, the New Year special on the television haunting his mind.
xxxx
Last New Year's EveFifteen year old Kendall Knight sat in his living room couch, watching his father and Katie on their knees, under the sink, gather pots, pans, and spoons from the kitchen. It was 11:52, nearly eight minutes till the New Year.
"I don't see any more, daddy," Katie said confused, most of her body in the cabinet. Kris kneeled behind her and looked around at all the pots and pans they had collected, sure that his wife was going to kill him once she saw all of this. He sighed deeply and smiled.
"That's enough. We don't want to wake up the entire neighborhood," he said with a chuckle, getting up with a grunt, and then leaning down to pick up the rest of the silver pots and black pans. "Get the spoons, Kates," he said, picking up the pots and bringing them into the living room, where Kendall shook his head and rolled his eyes with a small smile, flipping through the New Years' specials that were on.
Katie followed behind her father, as he laid down the pots and pans with a loud clank, and Katie threw the spoons on the table with a large smile on her face.
"You guys are crazy for goin' out there in this cold," Kendall chuckled entertained, trying to find a station that suited him. Katie's dropped a bit and she looked at her brother confused.
"What? You aren't going to come outside with us and bang pots to bring the New Year?" Katie asked a bit disappointed. Kendall looked at his father and sister with a scrunched up face and nodded his head no.
"I think I'm a bit old for that," Kendall said raising his eyebrows, motioning his chin to the pots, and then turning his head. Katie looked a bit disappointed, her brown eyes dropping and her smile fading as she looked at the pots on the table with sad eyes. Kris could tell.
"Come on, Kendall. It's a Knight family tradition. I've been doing this since I was a kid. Which is…well, a long time ago," Kris said laughing, as Katie rummaged through the pots quietly, picking one up. Kendall chuckled.
"Dad, it's like, two degrees out, barely. I'm not going out there to angrily wake up all the neighbors and get yelled at," he said, redirecting his eyes to the television, trying to find a suitable station. Kris furrowed his brow at his son, his direction turning to Katie who looked down at her feet a bit upset and then back up at her father.
"Daddy, maybe we should just…not do it this year," Katie spoke softly, her voice saddened and heavy. "Kendall's right…it's too cold outside," the small girl said shakily as if she were being forced at gunpoint to talk. Her eyes sagged, as she put down the spoon and pan she held back on the dining room table. Kris looked at his daughter confused, then back at Kendall who had been sitting on the couch for almost the entire night, his face plastered to the television. The boy didn't move.
"But it was cold last year too, Bunches," Kris said kneeling down, touching her soft brown hair, using the affectionate nickname he had gotten from her beautiful, honey brown eyes. "We do this every year! Come on! It's your favorite part of the new year," Kris said animatedly, kissing her forehead lovingly, shaking her shoulders a bit to get her excited. Katie sighed and looked over at Kendall who still wasn't paying her any attention, her eyes losing their gleam as she shrugged miserably.
"I'm not really in the mood anymore," Katie spoke sadly. Kris frowned and sighed, as he dropped his hands from his daughter's shoulders. She quickly turned towards the stairs, walking away from her father, her breaths hitched.
"Kates, come back," Kris spoke softly and disappointed, as his daughter began to run up the stairs, whimpering the smallest amount. Kris sighed stood up, putting his own wooden spoon down and turned to see his son. Kendal was still unaffected, finally avidly watching one of Minnesota's New Years specials as he heard a door slam tightly.
"Kendall," Kris said in a fatherly, 'I gotta talk to you' voice. Kendall looked up at his father from the television as he approached the boy in what seemed like four giant strides.
"Sit up," Kris said authorative but lovingly, as Kendall did so confusedly. He sat up, his elbows rested on his thighs, taking quick peeks of the television. Kris sat next to him with a sigh, pushing his shorter bangs out of his face, something his son eventually picked up from habit.
"Listen, Kendall. I know that you are fifteen, and I know spending time with your little sister, banging pots and pans on New Year's isn't every fifteen year olds dream, but Katie is barely nine years old." Kendall looked confused as could be. "And a nine year olds dream on New Year's is to cause as much havoc and chaos as she possibly can," Kris said with a small chuckle at the end. Kendall smirked and sighed, sitting even more back on the couch, and resting his hands on his thighs, the remote tapping against his thigh in his left hand.
"I know, Dad. I didn't say Katie couldn't do it, I said I didn't want to. She can do it all she wants. I'll cheer her on from inside the house," Kendall joked, obviously not catching onto his father's message, his eyes sneaking to the television between his words. Kris sighed, knitting his dark eyebrows together and looked down at Kendall with a knowing, straight smile. He picked the remote out of Kendall's hand swiftly, turned the TV off and rested it on the coffee table in front of him a bit angrily.
Kendall looked at him with a confused smirk, but his father's set jaw told the boy he was being serious. Kendall's face immediately softened and Kris sighed as he started again.
"That's my point, Kendall. Katie adores you, sport," he said smiling, using the nickname he had called Kendall constantly until this year. Kendall had said he was too old to have a nickname now, but he smiled at its use anyway. Kris continued.
"The best thing in the world for your sister is banging those pots with you on New Year's Eve. She lives for it," Kris said nodding and chuckling. Kendall was surprised, as he looked down at his fingers, a bit embarrassed and prideful of the revelation. He looked back up at his father, as they shared identical grins.
"Really?" he asked smiling. Kris nodded and cocked an eyebrow.
"Oh, you betcha," he chuckled. "Didn't you see her face drop when you said you didn't want to? The poor thing was crushed," Kris said softly, Kendall's heart dropping into the depths of his stomach. He hadn't meant to make Katie upset.
"I guess—I didn't know how much it meant to her," Kendall said shamefully looking down, feeling as he should've known. Kris put a hand on his son's shoulder.
"It means a lot to her, Kendall," Kris said softly nodding his head. He sighed and got up from the couch, patting Kendall's shoulder in the process. "But hey, I'm not going to make your choices for you. I laid the puck out on the ice, it's up to you. Dump the puck, or rush the net," he said with a smirk, as Kendall rolled his eyes with a smile. Of course his dad had used hockey terms in serious situations. He always did.
"Okay, Dad," Kendall said with a smile, hitting his thighs emphatically and standing up abruptly. Kendall took a few steps across the living room to the stairs as his father smiled at him, watching his son walk up the stairs with a smile on his face.
At exactly 12:00 AM that morning, Kendall, Kris and Katie all stood outside on the Knight's front porch, hollering and whooping into the cold bitter air smacking their spoons and ladles against Kim's stainless steel pots and pans, like they had done every year.
They didn't know that it would be the last time...
xxxx
"Kendall?" James asked softly, putting the flute down on the coffee table. Kendall had his face buried in the couch, and he hadn't realized he was hysterically crying to himself, his breaths hitched, until James spoke. He wasn't home for New Year's eve this year. He wasn't banging pots and pan withs his father and sister. Why?
His father was dead, and his sister hated him.
All three boys looked at each other, Logan standing up, Carlos next to Kendall and James next to Carlos, and the back at their friend.
Kendall's back rose and fell with sobs, as the boys neared him absolutely clueless to what had happened.
James stood up and walked to Kendall's side, putting a hand on his back as Carlos and Logan watched in horror and confusion. James looked up at his best friends one more time before turning his attention to his best friend.
"What's wrong, buddy?" James asked softly, as Kendall shook his head in the couch, not wanting to lift it. He picked his head up, and tears covered his face, his green eyes vibrant as could be, but not in the way they were when he saw Stella.
Kendall swallowed hard, and looked at his friends with scared, soulful eyes. He stood up immediately, and pulled his jacket from the chair next to him, beginning to bundle himself up with shaking hands.
"Kendall, w-where are you going?" James asked confused, as the blonde boy didn't answer, but kept mumbling things under his breath, as he fastened his scarf around his neck.
"Dude, it's horrible outside. You can't walk home," Logan said confusedly and worriedly. Kendall looked at his three friends, eyes struck with tears as he cleared his throat.
"I have to go home, I-I have to bang pots and pans," Kendall spoke disoriented as he took quick strides across the room to the door. "I'll be fine, I promise." He opened the den door, and then shut it behind him as Logan, James and Carlos all looked at each other confused.
Kendall's breath was hitched and tight as he ran down Logan's street, the hard, icy snow impaling any of the exposed skin on his body. His cheeks were flushed red, tears escaping his eyes as he did his best not to lose his sights even with the blanket of snow falling from the sky. He needed to get home.
The road was virtually empty, cars and mail boxes all buried. The snow in the street looked orange at parts, due to the streetlights that illuminated onto it, as Kendall ran in the middle of the road, trying his hardest to be home before 12. It was like some scene out of a movie, as with each step he took, the boy grew more and more tired, and more and more desperate to get home.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, Kendall saw his white house in the distance, the bright light of his living room shining in his green eyes like a prize.
"Katie!" he called loudly, short of breath. His muscles were beyond fatigued, but the boy couldn't help but keep running towards his house, his breaths labored and raspy, sounding if he was a fifty-five year old smoker.
"KATIE!" he called again, as he ran up the front steps of his porch, slipping on the ice and clutching to the door for support. He could see the large countdown clock on the TV through the window. He had about one minute left.
Kendall forcefully opened the front door, tracking snow in the house, and shutting it behind him. The warmth of the house made his cold, tired body seem on fire. Kim was in the living room with a glass of champagne, quietly reading a book on the couch when Kendall burst through the door like an animal.
"Sweetheart, what's going on?" Kim asked him confused, setting the flute down on the table beside her, and putting her book down. Kendall breathed like he had just run a 5K race. He ran into the kitchen, and kneeled down in front of the sink, getting a pot and a pan from underneath. He didn't bother to close to cabinet door, stealing a ladle and a serving spoon from the drawer to his left.
"KATIE GET DOWN HERE NOW!" Kendall yelled up to the ceiling, his voice cracking, still out of breath. Kim stood up and came over to him, resting her hands on his shoulders which rose violently with each breath.
"Kendall, I thought you were sleeping at Logan's, sweetheart. What's going on?" she asked confused, then realizing he had pots and pans in his hands. She looked down at his hands with a broken heart, looking up at him with sad, tired, blue eyes.
"I-I need Katie, mom. We-we have to-to…pots…and pans…the new year—like we always do," Kendall breathed out nervously, fast walking out of the kitchen to the foot of the stairs, looking back at the countdown on the TV which now was down to thirty seconds.
"Katie!" Kendall called again, his voice cracking from the cold, his face tomato red.
"Kendall…Katie's asleep," Kim told her son in a heartbroken whisper, standing behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Kendall swallowed hard, his breaths still hitched as his shoulders sagged. The grip on the pot, pan and spoon loosened as they slowly slid out of his hands, as the countdown came to its final ten seconds.
Kendall didn't know what to do.
He slowly fell to his knees and let out a cry, as Kim kneeled down quickly, throwing her arms around her frozen, broken son.
"She hates me, she hates me," Kendall cried into his hands, his entire body shaking from the extreme cold to warm heat, and the horrid disappointment he had gotten walking through the door.
"No she doesn't baby. She loves you," Kim spoke softly, Kendall turning around into her arms, as she kissed his forehead and hair.
The countdown on the TV ended with a large "Happy New Year" from all of the performers and dancers and TV personalities on the program, as people kissing came up on screen.
Kendall lay in his mother's arms, clutching to her tightly as tears fell from her eyes, not his.
"It'll all be better soon, Kenny. I promise," she cracked out, her voice weak. Kendall nodded in her chest, his body shaking.
Damn. He hoped she was right.
Stella clutched her tattered black scarf to her chest, her blue sweater peeking out from underneath it. Her black boots, which were barely held together by the seams, were soaked with the dirty slush that covered the downtown streets of Cumberland, Wisconsin.
She didn't even know how she had gotten here. She had whimsically gotten on the bus in Thief River Falls, and fallen asleep in the bus depot that night, wherever the bus had bothered to stop. Truthfully, she didn't really care where she was going at this point. She just needed to start over, again. In every sense of the word.
Which meant no thoughts of Kendall Knight.
As she took small, cautious steps down the slushy sidewalk in Cumberland, she noticed it wasn't much different than from that of Thief River Falls. She was on some sort of substitute for a Main Street, and there were small shops for snow gear, snowmobile rides among bars and fancy restaurants decorating each side of the road. It didn't look as ritzy though, and Stella could tell she wasn't going to find some vacant mansion this time around.
She walked straight, her blonde hair blowing behind her as she passed countless couples, mothers with small, sleepy children and obvious tourists, all bundled up in the cold chill of the night. Stella noticed a lot of them were wearing nice clothes, almost all of them in fact. She looked down at her horribly tattered blue sweater, torn jacket and worn out jeans which were going to have to be replaced whenever she got the chance.
Stella stopped abruptly and reached down into her pocket, fishing around to see how much cash she had left. She was absolutely starving, seeing as she hadn't even remembered the last time she ate. She took a twenty out of her pocket, part of her last pay from the General Store and looked up at the bar/restaurant in front of her. It was called "Shackles". It was obviously a bit crowded from all the noise, and shadows of people she could see inside. Stella looked at the window and saw a large neon sign boasting "2 for 1 drink specials, Ladies Drink Free, New Year's Special!" the words drawn in block letters, pretty poorly.
"New Year's," Stella whispered out to herself, finally realizing why this strip was so busy. She wondered how long it was until the New Year, seeing as she didn't have a clock, and she couldn't tell by the dark. It had been pitch black for a few hours.
A chill of cold air shot through her body, as she shrugged, and entered the restaurant. The door sounded with a small chime, as it did in the General Store, and Stella' mind instantly went to Kendall. She shook her head of it frustrated, shrugging him off as she walked through a few people, and entered the absolutely insanely crowded restaurant. About five flat screen TV's had on the same New Year's special from Madison, Wisconsin, people loudly chattering with "Happy New Year" glasses, paper hats and party hats on.
Stella presumed half of them were already wasted, and the half that weren't were definitely on their way. Stella sighed and pushed her way through the people who were all high fiving and chuckling, beers and champagne flutes in their hands. They wore fancier clothes, men with blazers, women in sequin tops. Stella approached the podium where a tiny brunette girl who couldn't be over the age of twenty smiled brightly up at her.
"Happy New Year, Welcome to Shackles! Are you alone?" she said to Stella, holding a menu in her hand as if she already knew.
Stella paused for a second, closing her eyes and then nodding as if it was the answer to her death. The hostess smiled and motioned Stella to follow her through the crowd of people as they made their way to the back of the restaurant where a few families with younger children and some older couples sat enjoying dinner.
She sat down at one of the tables, still able to clearly see the crowd of people huddled around the bar area. She tapped her fingers on the table anxious as the hostess smiled.
"Enjoy your New Year miss," she said, placing the menu in front of Stella and turning away on her heels, happy as could be. Stella looked down at the menu in front of her and opened it with a sigh. She really hoped she could get some type of cheap food here. Maybe a five dollar burger or something of that nature.
As her eyes scanned the menu, she couldn't help but occasionally glance up at the crowd of people whooping and hollering. They seemed to be living the life. Carefree, as many drinks as they wanted, their arms around their significant other. Stella sighed and swallowed hard as the group began to count down. Was it really that close to midnight already?
Twenty, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen…
Stella stood up from her table and cautiously went over to the group, kind of anxious to see what their kind of New Year's celebration was all about. She had always lost count of the New Year, her only guidance last year was when she spent it working at the General Store.
Fourteen, thirteen, twelve, eleven…
Stella found a place in the back crowd, behind a blonde man and blonde woman each with a beer in their hands, looking up at the television set, which had the large yellow numbers bursting out at the screen with a loud boom. The entire restaurant had joined in the countdown, and Stella looked around, quite curious if she should too.
Seven, six, five, four…
The crowd began to get louder, and she smiled widely at the excitement that began to course through her veins. Maybe this could be a good year, one that would promise her more than any other year she had encountered so far. This could be her year.
Three, two, one, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Noisemakers went off, champagne was popped and confetti seemed as it fell from the sky, as Stella looked up at the small glitter that had fallen on her shirt. She smiled and chuckled, and looked around at the all the people who were all excitedly interacting.
However, Stella's heart dropped when the tall, blonde man and petite blonde woman in front of her caught each other's lips in a passionate lip lock. Stella watched as their lips fell right into place, one hand on her waist, the other under hair, as she threw her arms around him, hugging him tight to her. It looked as if they had been waiting all night to finally kiss like that, like they were thirsting for each other.
And then, Kendall Knight seemed to be the only thing on her mind.