Well, it's been forever but I'm finally updating. Here's the 21st chapter of Our Generation's Cupid.

Hope you enjoy :)

The morning goes by in a blur. Every action from the second I wake up blends together to the point where I'm not even sure if it actually happened or if I just imagined it.

My mind is too occupied with the knowledge of what I discovered last night to care about what's going on in the real world. It's like a freaky obsession. I close my eyes and all I can see is my Mom flicking her wrist and making a purple wordball, over and over again like some scene from a stupid horror movie. Except, I don't hear anything, I just watch it happen. That's no surprise though. It's a well known fact that I suck at listening to people.

"Are you even listening to me?!"

"Huh?" I look up, almost surprised to find myself in the Electric Diner. Marcus is sitting across from me, waving his hand in my face to try and get my attention. I slap it away.

"No, Marcus. I'm not listening to you."

Marcus frowns. "Want me to repeat myself?"

"No."

"I asked you how you managed to get out of your house," Marcus says anyway, clearly ignoring me. I roll my eyes.

"I don't even know what you're talking about. What do you mean, 'managed to get out of my house'? How do you think I got out? I dug a hole and crawled my way to the Electric Diner?" I ask sarcastically. "I used the front door!"

"That would be so cool!" Marcus exclaims. "Digging a hole, not using the front door. That's boring. But that's not what I meant. What I meant was, how did you sneak out of your house?"

"I didn't sneak out of my house. Why would I sneak out of my house?"

"Well, you're grounded…aren't you?"

I freeze. Am I grounded? I mean, yeah, my mom grounded me, but that was before the whole 'Prankster' thing. Now I'm not so sure anymore.

"Um…well…"

I guess I should still be grounded, but considering everything my mom's done, I don't think she has that authority anymore. I mean, it wouldn't be fair. She's a freakin' Prankster! All I did was come home a few hours past my curfew.

I sigh. "I don't know," I reply honestly.

Marcus raises a brow. "How do you not know if you're grounded? Don't parents make it super clear? I know that when I'm grounded my mom looks me straight in the eye, points her finger at me, and says, 'Marcus, you're grounded.' It really—"

"I don't know, okay?! My mom grounded me but we got into a huge fight last night and I haven't spoken to her since so now I—wait! Why am I even explaining this to you?"

Marcus shrugs. "I don't know. What were you fighting about?"

"Nothing," I reply so quickly I even make myself feel suspicious. I don't care though. There's no way in heck I'm going to tell Marcus of all people that we were fighting about my mom being a Prankster.

Marcus gives me a look, so I add, "It's none of your business, okay? The point is, we were fighting and now I'm avoiding her so I don't know if I'm still grounded or not."

Marcus taps his chin thoughtfully. "I think you still are."

"I don't care what you think," I snap. "I don't even know why I'm here with you right now."

"Because the rest of the Electric Company hates you and you need directions?" Marcus offers.

I want to yell at him for his true, yet completely unnecessary, comment about the Electric Company hating me, but I'm too busy being confused because I don't remember ever asking Marcus for directions, better yet him giving me any.

"What are you talking about? What directions?"

"To Keith's house? That's why you called me, isn't it?"

"I called you?" Okay, this is just getting ridiculous. It's one thing to not remember brushing my hair this morning (which I know I did because my reflection through the window screams fabulous), but forgetting a phone call is like forgetting a breath mint when you plan on eating spaghetti because you know there's going to be garlic bread served on the side. It just doesn't happen.

Marcus tilts his head. "Are you okay? You sure you don't have amnesia or something?"

No. I'm just seriously distracted, apparently.

"I'm fine, okay? Let's just go."

"But—"

"Now!" I stand up a little too quickly and my smoothie—when did I order this?—tips over. I gasp as strawberry-banana covers the table and my lap, soaking my thighs and staining my white shorts.

"Seriously!?"

I groan. Marcus tries to stifle his laughter, but fails miserable. I'm almost tempted to hit him, except that he has all the napkins. Figures.

Of course, just when I think things can't possibly get any worse, I drench myself in smoothie. Today is not my lucky day.

Thirty minutes and forty terrible banana puns later (no Marcus, I'm not peeling well), I am out of the diner and in front of Keith Watson's house.

Marcus ditches me for Gilda and the park the moment we catch site of the building. On one hand I'm relieved for obvious reasons, but on the other hand, I'm totally freaking out. I know I probably sound crazy and super paranoid, but I feel like the moment I look an Electric Company member in the eye, I'm going to freak out, break down, and tell them about my mom. Then they'll hate me more than they already do.

Or worse, they'll look me in the eye and just know all about my mom. Then they'll hate me more than they already do.

At least with Marcus around I know that if I do happen to freak out, he'll say something stupid and snap me out of it entirely. One of the few perks of having an annoying twelve-year-old boy following you around all the time is that saying the wrong thing at the wrong time comes naturally to them. It's like a sick superpower no one actually wants.

Again, I know I'm just being super paranoid. I was able to look Marcus in the eye and tell him nothing, so I think I can do the same with Keith.

Still I have to force myself to knock on the door and repeat in my head over and over that amongst the many special skills, mindreading is not one of them. If mindreading were a special skill and someone in the Electric Company had it, they would've known about my matchmaking plans and ditched me a lot quicker. Or maybe they wouldn't have ditched me at all because they would tell me to knock it off before I did anything stupid. Or maybe—

"Hello?"

"What?" I look up, recognizing the man who answered the door almost immediately. It's Leo Watson, Keith's dad and the original owner of the Electric Diner. You know, before he opened up a new restaurant and Hector took over.

That's right, I did my research.

"I mean…hi!" I offer him my hand to shake and plaster on the biggest smile I can manage without looking totally possessed. "You must be Mr. Watson. I don't think we've met before. I'm—"

"You're looking for Keith, aren't you?" Mr. Watson asks while giving my hand a firm shake.

I blink, slightly taken aback by his interruption. "Um…yeah. I'm looking for Keith. Is he here?"

Mr. Watson shakes his head. "You just missed him. He told me he was going for a walk. He had his keyboard with him so my bet is that he's at the park."

"Oh, okay." I take a few steps backwards, suddenly feeling awkward. Not only did I waste all that time freaking out over being alone when I easily could've third-wheeled Marcus and Gilda all the way to the park, but now I'm standing in front of Mr. Watson thinking about how I could've third-wheeled Marcus and Gilda instead of thanking him and leaving.

"Thanks," I say finally. "It was really nice meeting you, Mr. Watson."

He smiles at me. "You too, Karmen."

Even though I smile back, I can't help but feel a little uncomfortable as I walk away. There was something odd about the way he said my name. It's not that he said it rudely or anything, it just sounded strange coming from his mouth.

It's not until I'm at the park that I realize it wasn't so much as the way he said my name as it was the fact that he said my name at all. And it's not until I spot Keith sitting on a bench that I realize exactly why;

I never told Mr. Watson what my name was.

"So, do you tell your dad everything?"

Not the best way to start an apology, I realize, but it happens to escape my lips the moment I sit down on the bench next to Keith.

He looks up at me, partially startled but mostly confused. "What do you mean?"

What do I mean? Heck if I know. I'm not completely sure why I asked that question in the first place. Like I said, it just sort of escaped my lips. "Nothing. Never mind. I just…I went to your house to find you and your dad already seemed to know who I was even though we've never met. So I was wondering if you maybe told him about…you know…?"

"About how you meddled with our love lives and sort of messed everything up?" Keith shrugs. "I might have mentioned it to him…"

"Keith!"

"I didn't go out of my way to tell him. He noticed I wasn't my usual self and asked what was wrong, so I told him." Keith places his finger on the first key of his keyboard and plays a scale. "I didn't describe you to him either. You're always at the diner, or at least nearby. He put two and two together on his own."

I sigh, blowing on a lose strand of hair that's in my face. Some name I'm making for myself. Can't wait until the 'Daughter of Former Prankster' headline comes out. "So you do tell your dad everything. Like, you don't keep secrets from each other?"

"I try my best not to keep things from him, so I can only hope he does the same for me," Keith says as he continually bangs on the same key. "Did you really come all the way to the park to ask me about my relationship with my dad?"

I ignore his question. "You're so lucky," I say instead.

"Lucky how?"

"Lucky that you have such an amazing relationship with your dad. I mean, me and my dad can talk, but not like that. And I definitely can't talk to my mom anymore." Not that I talked to her much to begin with, but now I know I can't.

Keith raises an eyebrow. "Why not? Did she do something?"

Did she do something? Did she do something?!

I stand up, suddenly filled with rage but desperate to keep my cool. "Did she do something? Um, yes, actually, she did. She completely ruined my life by being a lying two-faced hypocritical jerk!"

Keith eyes widen. "Okay, Karmen. You need to take a deep breath and calm down. Those are some harsh words to say about the woman who gave birth to you."

"Like I care!" I can feel my face grow warmer. So much for keeping my cool. "She's been lying to me ever since we moved to New York! I had to freakin' confront her, and even then she refused to tell me until she didn't have a choice!" I'm honestly not sure why I'm saying any of this. It's not like I particularly want Keith to know. I mean, despite me wanting his forgiveness, I barely know him. But it all kind of just pours out of me like I'm some broken tap anyway.

"I hate her!" I sit back down again. People are starting to stare but I couldn't care less.

"Hate is a strong word," Keith comments.

I roll my eyes. "That's why I used it. Duh!"

Keith is silent for a moment. "You don't hate her," he says finally. "You only think you hate her because you're upset. While I'm not sure exactly what she lied about, I'm almost certain there's a reason why she did it."

I glare at him. If this was the kind of stuff I wanted to hear I'd just watch PBS Kids. "Thanks for the life lesson, Watson. It's exactly what I needed."

Keith sighs. "I'm sorry. I really don't know what to say." He slowly lifts his keyboard off his lap and places it on the ground. "I don't know why you came to me."

"Neither do I."

We're both silent. So much for my apology. Keith probably wants me gone and I haven't even gotten a chance to say I'm sorry yet.

Well, I did get the chance. It's more like I haven't said I'm sorry simply because I'm…well…me.

"You know, my mom lied to me once," Keith says, breaking the silence.

I look at him. "Let me guess, she lied to you and you got mad. Then you discovered that there was a good reason why she did it—probably to, like, protect you or something—so you forgave her." If this is the direction our conversation is heading, I don't want to hear it.

"Not exactly," Keith says, almost surprising me. "The way I see it, she told me what I wanted to hear rather than what was actually happening."

O-kay? "What did she tell you?"

"That everything was going to be okay."

"And it wasn't?"

"Nope."

I suck in my breath. By the look he's giving me, I can tell I won't like the outcome of this story. Still, I can't help but to ask the dreaded question anyway. "What happened?"

Keith sighs. "It's a long story."

"I've been out of my house for three hours with absolutely no desire to go back anytime soon. Please take as long as you'd like."

And he does. He goes into great detail about his mom and how amazing and beautiful and talented she was. How she used to play the piano every night and sing every morning and how his dad was always trying to teach her how to cook despite the fact that she failed constantly. And Keith looks so happy talking about her too, as if he hasn't spoken of her in years.

With the way he uses the past tense, I'm starting to wonder if he hasn't spoken of her in years.

Keith suddenly stops talking.

"What?" I ask him. "Why did you stop? Was that it?"

He shakes his head. "No, I haven't even started yet. You're making a face."

I am? "Sorry. I'm not, like, annoyed or anything. Just thinking. You can continue."

Keith nods. "Okay…well, my mom was a nurse. She worked in the hospital and was super health-conscious and stuff. So, one day she never came home. It wasn't much since she sometimes took nightshifts. But then days passed and she still didn't come home. Whenever I asked where she was, my dad always said she was in the hospital. I was really confused because my mom was always in the hospital, you know? And when I finally got that she was a patient, I still thought nothing of it because I figured she'd be able to take care of herself. She took care of patients all the time. She took care of me. She could take care of herself."

I'm really starting to hate the way he's using the past tense now. It makes me feel sad and sick. "Keith…."

"Plus she had my dad to help her. He spent every waking moment in the hospital while my aunt raised me—"

"Keith…" I try again. I suddenly start wishing that I hadn't told him to continue. "You really don't have to—"

"I know." He looks me dead in the eyes and doesn't speak for the longest time. He doesn't have to. I know exactly what he's saying.

I nod and put my feet up on the bench, hugging my knees to my chest. It's starting to get cooler now and the wind keeps slapping my hair against my face. "Proceed," I whisper.

Keith nods. "One night, my aunt took me to the hospital. I thought it was for a visit. It wasn't until years later that I realized she took me there to say goodbye."

Oh my gosh.

"It was awful. Whenever I close my eyes, I can still see her lying in that hospital bed. She looked so terrible. I remember climbing into her lap and crying because I knew something wasn't right. But she looked so happy. I think that was the worst part, the fact that she knew she was dying but still managed to smile and talk to me. She talked to me."

"What did she say?" I ask him this so silently I'm not sure if I actually said the words or not.

Keith closes his eyes. "I think her exact words were something along the lines of… 'You're going to be fine. Daddy's going to be fine. I'm going to be fine. Don't be scared. Everything will be okay. I love you. Never forget that.' I don't think I ever did."

"What happened next?" I ask, even though I already know the answer.

"I told her that I loved her too and that was it. Nothing really happened then. After the funeral, my dad didn't do much. He just sat in his bedroom and stared out the window. After my aunt left, I moved under the table and lived on crackers and candy bracelets that Jessica used to make me."

I stay silent. I wouldn't be able to speak, even if I wanted to. There's a frog in my throat and I'm afraid that if I open my mouth, it'll croak.

Keith seems to notice my silence and—unsurprisingly—finds it unusual because he cracks a sad smirk. "This is getting really depressing now. I should probably stop talking."

I shake my head. "What changed?" I ask, my voice shaking like crazy.

"What changed? You mean, with my dad?" Keith shrugs. "One day I found him sitting by the piano. I don't know why—other than the reason that my mom used to play—but it was too difficult to ignore. So I got up from my hiding spot, crawled up into his lap, and played. I was just a little kid so naturally it wasn't much but…I think it was in that moment that my dad finally realized that he had other family to take care of."

I close my eyes and try to imagine a young Keith sitting on his dad's lap and playing the piano. I have no idea what he could possibly be playing, but I imagine it was beautiful.

I open my eyes. "I'm so sorry, Keith. I had no idea."

"I didn't expect you to. It's not exactly something I go around broadcasting to the world."

Well, he didn't seem to have much of a problem telling me. "Why? I mean, why did you tell me this? I know I dissed your life lesson and it was a beautiful story and all, but…"

Keith scratches the back of his neck. "I don't know, you needed to hear it? You said your mom lied to you and—I mean, I realize our situations are nothing alike. Plus, my dad and I did turn out okay, so I guess she didn't really lie to me to begin with..."

I stop him. "It's okay, Keith. You're right. I did need to hear it." I smile and put my feet back on the ground, leaning forward to give him a hug. "Thank you."

"No problem," He pulls away and clears his throat. "Look, Karmen, I'm not saying what your mom did was right. I don't know what she did and I don't expect you to tell me. I just think you should put whatever it is you're upset about into perspective. Your mom loves you, doesn't she?"

"I should hope so. I mean, yeah. She does."

"And, do you love her?"

"…Yeah."

"Do you really think that she would ever say or do anything to deliberately hurt you?"

"Okay! I see your point. I shouldn't be mad at her, should I?"

Keith shakes his head. "You're allowed to be mad, Karmen. You have every right to be mad. Just…remember the reasons why you shouldn't be."

Noted. "You're really smart, do you know that?"

"So I've been told."

I laugh, but it sounds kind of pathetic. I feel kind of pathetic too. "I'm sorry Keith. I came here to apologize to you, not to vent out my feelings. I was supposed to make things right with you, yet you ended up the one making me feel better."

"Don't apologize, okay? We're cool."

Hearing him say those words, in a way, makes me feel even worse. "You're a really good friend. And probably an ace boyfriend, except…."

"Jules and I broke up?"

"So I've heard," I sigh. "I'm sorry."

"No you're not."

I'm ready to object, but seeing his joking face, I decide against it. "No, I'm really not. But, I acknowledged the fact that I should be. And I actually am sorry for the mess I caused so that has to count for something…right?"

Keith bites his lip, as if considering my argument. "…Yeah. I guess it does count for something. You are forgiven."

"Good. Now let me make it up to you by…"

"By what?"

"By…" My eyes light up as an idea forms in my head. Keith seems to notice, as he sits upright at a startling speed.

"Whatever crazy idea is forming in your head right now, please de-form it."

"No way. I screwed up your relationship and friendship and I need to fix it."

"Please don't."

"Yes, I will," I stand up. "I'm going to fix this and everything is going to go back to normal."

"Normal is overrated!" Keith calls to me as I turn my back on him.

"That's okay!" I walk away, no real destination on my mind. While I certainly feel a lot better than I did before, I'm still not quite ready to go home yet. I'm not big on going back to the diner either, not after the whole smoothie spill incident.

As I walk, I spot Marcus behind a tree and grab him by the shirt collar, dragging him along with me.

"Oh! Hi Karmen!" Marcus says cheerfully, despite the fact that I grabbed him mid-date. "How were things with Keith?"

"Great, listen." I stop walking abruptly, lowering my voice. "I need to ask you a favour, okay? Call Shock. Ask him if I can borrow the keys to the diner."

Marcus cocks his head. "Why? It's not closed."

"Not yet," I correct him, "but it will be. And when it is, that's when I'll set my plan in motion."

Hmm...what's Karmen up to? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

XOXOX BETA