A new girl in town
Chapter 11
Kane/J.J./Kayla
Kane started laughing loudly and for a while. J.J. joined him but not quite as loudly.
"I don't know wade." Kane said still laughing. "But that's hilarious."
They all laughed for a bit then calmed down.
Kayla gets that text about car crashes around Kane and J.J. and she laughs and tells them about it.
Then she asks if Kane wants to see what Wade looks like and he says yes.
So she gives him the phone and both he and J.J. look.
Then another text comes in and both Kane and J.J. instinctively look down at the screen.
Wade:
Just dreamed that we all broke the bed having crazy hot sex. Told the girls and they laughed at me. Then they started making out. . . without me. :'( Come home; we can make out without them in revenge. 3
Kane blushed six shades of read as he read it. Then he looked shocked for a moment.
"I thought you were married to a girl and gay?" Kane said sounding very confused. "Doesn't gay mean you only like women?"
J.J. just laughed at the message.
"Uh, it's a bit more complicated than that," Kayla said, feeling completely out of her depth and not knowing how to explain in a way that Kane would understand.
"Um, J.J.? Can you help me out? How much do you know about being poly?" Kayla asked, a pleading note in her voice.
"Not much." J.J. said. "I'm looking forward to the explanation as much as Kane is."
"It's short for polyamorous. Translated it means 'many lovers'," Kayla replied.
"How can you have many lovers? Doesn't your wife mind? Don't tell me you all umm well you know together." Kane asked.
Kayla groaned audibly.
"I should just give you guys 'the ethical slut' or something," Kayla said with a sigh.
"I guess the gist of it is we aren't a couple like you guys are. All four of us are together; we love each other and sleep together and share in each other's lives. I love that I don't have to be all that Cassie needs; V and Wade share that with me and we all do the same for each other," Kayla said, hoping that` would be enough.
Kane looked stricken for a moment then he cocked his head to one side and just sat that way for a little bit then he smiled like 'I got it'.
Kayla waited tensely for Kane or J.J. to say something.
I feel like I'm waiting for a fucking firing squad. Kayla thought anxiously.
I can't imagine more than one person loving me like J.J. does. But I guess it's possible. Kane thought.
"You asked if Cass minds," Kayla said finally.
"Nah, not at all. She's the one who told me she was poly. Then she gave me a book about it and suddenly, everything made sense. I'd been avoiding commitment because being with one person exclusively terrified the shit out of me," Kayla said.
How could she be scared of love? Kane wondered. What are you talking about? You had to lose the one you loved to figure out that you even loved her.
"So they all love you. That sounds nice." Kane said after a moment. "Can we see Wade now?"
"Of course," Kayla said.
"Kane, feel free to open up the photo gallery. It should be on the first home screen near the top," Kayla said.
"Ummm J.J.?" Kane said handing her the phone.
J.J. easily got the photo up one handed and looked at it briefly before passing it to Kane.
That's gonna shock him. J.J. thought when she saw the photo.
But he's he's scarred worse than me. Kane thought how can he get on a stage? Don't people stare and laugh? He wondered to himself. Father told me I'd never be accepted but he is. Why?
Did he have a normal life? Kane questioned himself.
"How.. " Kane began but then stopped himself.
"That's typical Wade," Kayla said with a fond laugh.
"If he's flexing and shirtless, I mean. Dude's ridiculously comfortable in his own skin. He's why I stopped hiding; he made it look easy and I took it as a challenge," Kayla said`` as she remembered.
"He was a special forces op," Kayla began.
"He was on a solo recon mission overseas and they captured him. Tortured him for months. He was finally rescued but by the time he got proper care, they couldn't do anything about the damage he'd sustained," Kayla said.
Tortured Kane thought to himself. But he had a normal childhood at least. Maybe that's the key. Both he and Kayla had normal childhoods so they can be burned and not be like me.
The torture must have been terrible how did he survive? Kane wondered.
"He's never had it easy," Kayla said reflectively.
"His dad was a piece of shit. He was constantly abused at home; his dad regularly locked him in a closet, dented him food and beat the shit out of him whenever he was drunk," Kayla said, a note of anger creeping in to her voice.
If he wasn't already dead from liver disease, I would have killed him myself. She thought.
So he didn't have a good childhood either but he's so out there with people? Kayla says he's pretty wild? How can he be like that between the torture and his father? Kane wondered. Is he just insane from it all?
"He's a fuckin' lunatic but I love him," Kayla said with a laugh.
"I think you two would get along," Kayla added.
"I don't know about that." Kane said with a smile.
"I think you could do with a little crazy in your life." J.J. said.
"I have enough with you. Shopitis" Kane said.
J.J. just laughed at the word shopitis.
"He's a good guy," Kayl said quietly.
"J.J. here convinced me she was sick with shopitis." Kane said. "She dragged me around the mall for hours before I got the joke."
J.J. just laughed.
"Can I help it if your gullible." J.J. said still laughing.
Kayla laughed.
"Points to J.J. for originality," Kayla said.
"Yeah that's when she bought me this." Kane said showing her the black and read pendant he wore. "There were several other things as well. I had my first birthday party thanks to her shopitis."
"Wow, that's gorgious," Kayla said when she saw it.
He'd never had a birthday party before J.J.? Kayla thought completely thrown by this new information.
"You should have seen him last Christmas when he proposed he'd just spent hours playing Santa and was still in the suit." J.J. laughed.
"One of my firsts as well both the Santa and the Christmas." Kane recalled with a smile.
Kayla grinned.
"You're just full of surprises, aren'tcha?" Kayla asked.
"You could say that." J.J. said. "We'd brought a bunch of toys to a homeless shelter and He'd gotten roped into Santa because their Santa was stuck in the snow." J.J. recalled.
Kane just laughed at the memory.
"That's ridiculously generous of you guys," Kayla said.
"I wish I could tell you that I've done something that selfless but I haven't."
"It was Kane's idea." J.J. said. "You should have seen him in the toy store. He tried out as many toys as he bought."
"Yeah between the two of us we filled two shopping carts." Kane recalled. "Besides I had to try them to see if the kids would like them."
"Oh admit it you loved the toys." J.J. laughed.
"Yeah they were pretty cool." Kane said. Wishing he'd had some as a kid.
"Aw, you guys!" Kayla said.
"You seriously shouldn't be allowed to be this adorable. You're starting to give me feels."
"Is that bad?" Kane wondered aloud.
Haha, Rose always says the feels thing before she's about to cry. Then she begs Jon to hug her.
"So the feels make you cry. I'm sorry?" Kane said.
Kayla laughed.
"I know I promised not to say it anymore but I can't think of any other way to put it. Dude, I am fucking emotionally retarded," Kayla said.
"No you're not." J.J. said. "No more than Kane is."
"You just keep it under wraps." J.J. added.
Kayla shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess," she said.
Before J.J. I would have said I didn't have emotions except anger. Kane said to himself. But she changed all that. Maybe they were there all along and I just didn't know it.
Just then, Kayla's phone went off.
"It's a message from Wade," J.J. said, looking down at the phone, surprised that she still had it.
"Present from us to you," she read out loud. It was an MP3 titled 'Scars are your Beautiful'. J.J. read this too.
"Go ahead and play it," Kayla said.
The song began to play. It was a beautiful acoustic arrangement; Cassie's piano, Wade's acoustic guitar and Vanessa's violin harmonized beautifully as Cassie's voice soared through the song and Vanessa, Wade and Kyle harmonized with her through the bridges and choruses.
ALESSIA CARA LYRICS
"Scars To Your Beautiful"
She just wants to be, beautiful
She goes, unnoticed she knows, no limits
She craves, attention she praises, an image
She prays to be, sculpted by the sculptor
Oh, she don't see, the light that's shining
Deeper than the eyes can find it
Maybe we have made her blind
So she tries to cover up her pain, and cut her woes away
Cause covergirls don't cry, after their face is made
But there's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark
You should know you're beautiful just the way you are
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change it's heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change it's heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful
She has dreams to be an envy, so she's starving
You know, "covergirls eat nothing"
She says "beauty is pain and there's beauty in everything"
"What's a little bit of hunger?"
"I could go a little while longer", she fades away
She don't see her perfect, she don't understand she's worth it
Or that beauty goes deeper than the surface
Ah oh, ah ah oh,
So to all the girls that's hurting
Let me be your mirror, help you see a little bit clearer
The light that shines within
There's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark
You should know you're beautiful just the way you are
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change it's heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change it's heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful
No better you than the you that you are
(No better you than the you that you are)
No better life than the life we're living
(No better life than the life we're living)
No better time for your shine, you're a star
(No better time for your shine, you're a star)
Oh, you're beautiful, oh, you're beautifu-u-u-ul
There's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark
You should know you're beautiful just the way you are
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change it's heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful
Woah-oh-oh-oh, woah-oh-oh-oh, woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-, oh-oh-oh-oh
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change it's heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful
Kane fought back the tears as he listened. Turning to face the window.
Could the song be true? Can scars still be beautiful? Kane wondered. Is that what J.J. sees when she looks at me?
He's upset. But a bad upset or a good one. Is he crying? J.J. wondered seeing the set of his shoulders and the slight hitch in his breathing.
Kayla felt tears sliding down her face as she listened.
"They made me cry, fuckin' assholes," she said, wiping them away roughly with her sleeve.
You're not the only one. J.J. thought watching Kane. I wonder if Kayla has noticed.
Shit, is he crying too? Kayla thought as she glanced over at Kane.
"You okay, dude?" she asked gently.
Kane didn't say anything.
J.J. looked a Kayla briefly and shook her head to indicate she shouldn't ask.
I have to stop this. Father would call me weak and childish for crying. Kane thought feeling foolish.
Kayla nodded at J.J. and sat silently as the song continued to play.
I wonder what he's thinking. Kayla thought.
There's still so much about him that I just don't know. He's always so in control it's like he's wearing a suit of armor; I wonder why?
A few minutes after the song had finished Kane calmed and handed her back the phone without looking into the back seat.
His eyes still blurred and his mask wet Kane tried to pretend it had never happened. Starting a conversation about Kayla's job what she was doing.
