Wasted

Chapter 26

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Kate is my own creation.

A/N: I'm gonna start this off with my appreciation for the people who left reviews: IHeartDeanee, Damnitambrose (Trust me, I appreciate the long reviews. They make me happy.), HazelNutBrownies, xSamiliciousx, LilCountry24, Westie86, DeeMarie426, UntilNeverDawns, and turningthepaige (I try to keep it interesting lol). Okay, now I need to get something off of my chest that had been bothering me for a couple of days. I appreciate every single person who takes the time to leave me a review. It means so much to me that I spend so much time writing, and you guys can take the time to tell me how much you enjoy it. I also appreciate constructive criticism because I always want to get better at what I do. There have been many times in the years (16 of them with fan fiction. 23 years with writing stories, in general. Yes, I was the Kindergarten writer. If you don't believe me, I can show you the story I made up about the craziest Thanksgiving story I had, and my teacher called my mother to tell her how amazed she was that a 5 year old could write that. Not to mention, my degree is in English, and I have taken more Creative Writing classes than I knew existed.) that I have been writing that someone has left a review with a suggestion, and I have literally rewritten half of a story because they sparked ideas for me. Now, with that being said, lately, I've been a little frustrated with a very (VERY...odds are if you're unsure if I'm talking about you, I'm not.) small number of reviews (not the person writing them but what was said) complaining that the story is dramatic...one of the genres listed was drama because that's what I like and what I write (read my other stories, you'll see lots of drama everywhere), and another issue with Renee being involved. I am not referring to anyone saying that Renee is a bitch or how dare she get involved...I appreciate you guys getting so involved that you react to the characters. But I feel like I've been pretty much told that I'm doing what everyone else is. I don't have time to read stories at this point. I'm writing constantly and have a household to maintain (Being unemployed isn't as easy as I thought it would be, when I have an apartment and boyfriend to take care of...I'd rather go to work). So whatever is being written by anyone else is currently lost on me, sadly. I do not get paid to do this, therefore, I write what I want to write and hope that you guys share my interest. I'm not trying to be a bitch, but I work really hard on my writing. I put my heart and soul into this and spend countless hours up at night writing. I take time away from my boyfriend (We could be watching Frozen...again, thank you very much) because I want to write. Updating often is something that weighs heavily on me, and I feel obligated to update almost daily. That's how much you guys mean to me. You guys are like my best friends in my imagination. And I appreciate every single time you guys show appreciation (or constructive criticism) for what I spend so much of my time doing. It means more to me than you guys can imagine. I deal with a lot of issues, and being able to write for such amazing readers really does put a genuine smile on my face. Even the critics, I don't mind the criticism but please make it constructive.

Now that I got that off of my chest, I just wanted to again thank everyone who has been supportive and puts a smile on my face. I hope I didn't rub anyone the wrong way with what I wrote, but I've been bothered that I feel like some of the core issues in the story are being attacked. I feel like my stories are my kids...seeing as I don't have any actual children. I'm leaving for vacation later today, so I may not get a chance to update until Tuesday. I'll do my best, though, and will be bringing my laptop to Ocean City. Love you guys (Even those to whom my message was directed) XoXoXo

Jon was a complete mess. He just wanted things to go back to normal with Kate…the normal where they were happy and trying to be together. And now he was alone. He was trying so hard to give Kate her space, but it was eating him up inside.

"Jon, after the show, do you wanna come with me?" Colby asked, walking back in to the locker room.

"To Davenport? Sure," he replied, almost too eagerly. "I guess you still haven't heard from Kate?"

"Nope. I know she's alive. But I also know that she's home from work."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I called Tom. He apparently talked to her and told her to take a few days to deal with whatever was upsetting her," Colby explained.

"Oh…so whatever she's dealing with is that bad?"

"I guess so."

"Has Leighla seen her?"

"Yeah, but she said that Kate won't talk to her about anything that's going on with her. She said she's being…just not herself. So, I have to figure this whole thing out and fix it."

"Well, I've got your back, bro."

"Thanks, but I'm still trying to figure out what's going on with you, too."

"What's wrong with me?" he asked. Jon had worked really hard to pretend that nothing was wrong.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Don't play dumb with me."

"I'm fine," Jon insisted.

Colby rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I'll book the flight. Thanks for coming with me."

"That's what I'm here for," Jon said, giving himself a smile.

Colby knew that Jon was anxious to come with him because of his relationship with Kate. And quite frankly, Colby also found out what the issue was, after having spoken to Tom. While he did want to kick his best friend's ass for hurting his little sister, he was still keeping quiet about it. Besides, he knew that Jon was wrong, but he also knew that Kate was a bit overdramatic about things and would draw it out for as long as she could.

Besides, this whole little charade of locking herself in her apartment and moping around was starting to get really ridiculous. He would be a little more understanding of that behavior, if Jon had actually had sex with Renee or something like that. But she was overdoing it a bit. Colby also knew that Jon was having a hard time because he was in love with Kate. He got it. He understood the situation perfectly. But he also knew that these two were going to cause him to age prematurely, if they kept these antics up.

Kate had been missing Jon badly. She was trying to keep a clear head, but it was hard for her to do when she still loved him so much. She wanted to be with him again. This time apart was killing her. This was too difficult for her to handle. And she couldn't talk to Colby about how she felt because she knew that she would lose her shit. And she wasn't sure that even if she could hold it together and not have a complete breakdown, that she could hide the reason why she was so down. It was hard enough with Leighla coming by. But Colby could always see right through his sister, which was why she didn't understand how she and Jon had managed to keep their secret for so long.

Kate had been spending her time in bed…watching Dirty Dancing over and over again. It was a pretty sad sight. She had her black yoga pants and a gray tank top on. Her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head and was holding her pillow to her chest.

Though she had been focused on her favorite movie, Kate's attention was distracted by her front door opening. She sat up and looked out of her bedroom door. Within moments, she saw both Colby and Jon walk into her bedroom.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised to see her brother. Kate stood up and wrapped her arms around Colby's torso.

"Fixing you," he replied, wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm fine."

"Don't you dare lie to me."

Kate pulled back. "What?"

"Don't lie."

"Why would you bring him with you?" she sneered, glaring at Jon.

Colby smirked. "Funny you should ask."

Both Kate and Jon looked at him confused. "What is going on here?" she asked.

"You two are really causing me to stress out. You two must be the dumbest people I have ever met in my life."

"What did we do?" Jon questioned.

"You two with your bullshit. How stupid do you think that I am?"

Jon and Kate immediately realized that they were caught. Though, they were trying to hide it. And they were hoping that Colby was talking about something else.

"I don't think you're stupid…at all…" Kate spoke.

"So, then, why are you two still trying to hide your relationship from me? After six years, you would think that you two would have gotten sick about it by now."

"W-what are you talking about?" Jon asked his best friend.

"Leighla and I have known about you two for years. But there's obviously a problem when I have to get your ex-husband to tell me what's going on." Jon and Kate looked completely guilty. "So, Jon, you're a fucking moron for what you did. And Kate, you're taking this way too far." The two remained still, unsure of what they should stay.

"Um…how did you figure it out? And when?" Kate asked her brother.

"I've known since the beginning. That's what? Six years already?"

"So, why didn't you ever say anything?" she questioned.

"Obviously, you guys didn't want me to know. So, Leighla and I just let it be."

"Well, it's over now, so…"

Jon looked incredibly upset upon hearing her say that. Kate noticed. Part of her wanted him to suffer. The other part felt awful seeing him hurting.

"Are you really gonna give me that bullshit?" Colby asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me that you're not in love with him," Colby challenged her. Kate remained silent, her eyes catching Jon's for a brief moment, before staring down at the floor. "That's what I thought. So, why are two of the most important people in my life suffering? Yes, Jon fucked up. But Kate, you've made him suffer for it. You two need to fix this now."

"I want to fix it," Jon spoke up.

"Do you?" Colby asked his sister.

"I mean, I do, but he hurt me."

"And walking away from him completely is gonna fix that?"

"Seriously? You think that what he did is okay?" Kate shot at him.

"Not at all. But what are you gonna do? Be miserable to prove your point?" Colby asked her. "Seriously? You're just gonna cut your nose off to spite your face. Before this happened, did you want to be with him?"

"Well, yeah…"

"So, don't throw it away because he's an idiot."

Kate looked up at Jon. He looked like he was a mess. And as upset as she was with him, she didn't enjoy seeing him hurt. She hated being away from him. And after everything that they had been through, Kate knew her brother was right.

"You're right," she admitted.

"So, fix this. I can't handle you not speaking to me because you don't want me to know that you're upset. I can't handle watching him mope around like a lost puppy. I can handle you two bickering all of the time. But I can't handle watching you two look so miserable," Colby explained. "I'm gonna go hang out in the living room and call my fiancée. I need the two of you to do whatever you have to to make this right."

With that, Colby walked out of the bedroom and shut the door behind himself. And uncomfortable silence hung between Kate and Jon for a couple of minutes. Kate sat on the edge of her bed. He stood in front of her. The silence continued for a few more moments.

"Kate, I'm sorry," Jon finally spoke. "I know that I screwed up. I shouldn't have had any other woman in my room, especially when I was supposed to be with you."

She looked up at him. "I'm really upset with you. But I also really miss you."

He sat next to her. "I've been a mess without you. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I'm completely miserable. I miss you so much," he told her. "I love you more than anything."

"I miss you, too. And I love you. Just please end this bullshit with Renee. You have no idea how smug that bitch was when she told me that you were still asleep."

"Trust me, I don't have any interest in her. And I'll make it clear to everyone that I'm not available."

"I hope we can…I dunno…get passed all of this and be happy again."

"I want that more than anything else in this world," he agreed.

"I guess we won't have to worry about telling my brother anymore," Kate commented with a smirk, as she nudged him with her shoulder.

"Yeah. I guess we weren't as careful as I thought we were."

Kate climbed onto Jon's lap, straddling him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her torso. "I love you, Jon. I want you. I want to be with you. I want us to be okay."

"Me, too, sweetheart," he said, his voice soft and genuine. "I love you. I've missed you more than you could imagine." The intensity in their hug was undeniable. The pair was relieved to finally be back in each other's arms. They'd both suffered for long enough.

Kate finally pulled back. She smiled at him. "Jon, I want to be with you already. I don't want to have any gray area anymore. I don't want to risk losing you before you're really mine. I want my life to move forward with you in it. I don't want to play anymore games. I want to be yours. I don't want any more chances for some jealous bitch to get between us and ruin this. I just want us to finally give up the sneaking around and the bullshit games. I can't do that immature bullshit anymore. I need something real."

"So, then, let's make it official," he said. "Be my girlfriend. Let's start this all over again, but the right way. After six years of the buildup, I'm ready for the real thing. It's time for us to finally enjoy the payout."

She nodded and leaned in, finally kissing the man that she had been crazy about for more than half a decade. Things finally felt like they had fallen into place. And both Kate and Jon were beyond happy to finally have what they had wanted for so long.

They just hoped that they could stay like this.