The next day, Kay waited inside the Youth Center gym, dribbling a basketball and taking a
few practice shots. She was wearing a school T-shirt and some black soccer shorts. Her
hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. When Kay heard the door open, she turned
around to see Reese come in.
"Hi Kay," Reese greeted her.
"Hi Reese," Kay replied. "Are you ready to play some one-on-one?"
Reese nodded. "You bet."
Kay bounced the ball a few times and then feinted to her left. When Reese tried to block
her, she dodged to her right and shot the ball. It sailed cleanly into the basket. "Nothing
but net!" she shouted proudly.
Reese caught the ball and checked it to Kay. Kay checked it back and went on defense as
Reese tried to score. He was taller than Kay and was able to keep the ball away from her.
Soon, he was able to shoot the ball into the basket from the three-point line. The score
went back and forth as they played. All of a sudden, Kay accidentally collided with Reese,
sending them both sprawling on the floor.
"I'm so sorry!" Kay exclaimed. "Are you okay?"
Reese rolled onto his back and sat up. "Yeah, I just got the wind knocked out of me."
Kay noticed that his glasses had fallen off and went to retrieve them. They were a few feet
away. She handed them back to Reese. "Here are your glasses."
Reese looked up at Kay and gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks," he said, taking the glasses
from her. "They're a little loose."
Kay was surprised to discover that Reese had a pair of incredibly blue eyes hidden behind his
thick glasses. "Why don't you get a new pair of glasses?" she suggested. "Or maybe even contact
lenses?"
Reese shrugged and put his glasses back on. "I never really thought about it. I guess I'm just
used to pushing them up when they fall down," he answered. "Do you really think I should get
some new frames?"
Kay shrugged. "It's up to you. I was just making a suggestion."
"Do you want to help me pick out a new pair?" Reese asked.
"Are you sure?" Kay inquired. "You don't have to get them just because I said so."
Reese nodded. "Sure. I've had these frames for years. I'd say it's time for a change, wouldn't
you?"
"If you say so," Kay responded. "How about we get cleaned up and I'll meet you outside in half
an hour?"
"Sounds like a plan," Reese replied, smiling. "See you in a bit."
Half an hour later, Kay met up with Reese outside in street clothes. He wore faded blue jeans
and a black T-shirt under a gray, hooded, zippered sweatshirt. Kay was dressed in black jeans
and a long-sleeved, royal blue T-shirt.
"Ready?" Kay asked.
Reese nodded. "Lead on."
Kay and Reese walked to the nearest optometry shop. A saleslady came up to them and greeted
them. "Hi, how can I help you?" she asked pleasantly. Her nametag said 'Anne'.
"I'd like some new frames please," Reese informed her.
"Do you need a new prescription?" Anne asked.
Reese shook his head. "No I can see fine with this one."
"Okay, what kind of frames do you have in mind?" Anne inquired.
"What do you think, Kay?" Reese asked.
"Umm...what about some wire frames?" Kay suggested. "Something a little less bulky than the
pair you have."
Reese nodded. "That sounds good," he told Anne.
Anne led the two of them over to a display case an opened it. "What color and shape were you
thinking of?"
"What do you think would be a good shape?" Reese asked Anne.
Anne took Reese's glasses off and studied his face. "I think you'd look good with some
rectangular frames. What color do you want?"
"How about gray or black?" Kay asked. "Then it'll match with everything."
"Yeah, that sounds good," Reese agreed.
Anne took out several trays from the case and held them out to Reese. "Pick a pair, any pair."
Reese selected a pair of plain black frames and tried them on. He turned to Kay. "What do you
think?" he asked.
Kay looked at Reese's face and narrowed her eyes. "They're kind of plain."
"How about these?" Anne suggested, holding out a different pair. "They're the same shape, but
they have a chrome accent."
Reese took the first pair off and slipped the second pair on. He turned to Kay again for her
opinion.
Kay shook her head. "It's too flashy," she said. "Do you have them with a matte silver accent?"
Anne picked a pair off the tray. "These might be what you're looking for."
Reese put the frames on and turned to Kay to pass judgement.
Kay smiled. "Perfect," she pronounced.
"Great!" Anne exclaimed. "I'll have the lenses from your old frames ground into the new ones."
"How long will it take?" Reese asked.
"Oh, about half an hour," Anne replied.
"We can get some coffee or tea at the Book Café, and then come back for your glasses," Kay
suggested.
"Okay," Reese replied. "Just don't let me bump into anything."
"I won't," Kay promised.
Ten minutes later, Kay and Reese were seated on one of the couches in the café, sipping lattes.
They were making small talk for about fifteen minutes, when Simone came in.
"Simone!" Kay waved at her friend. "Over here!"
Simone waved back and joined them. She was a bit confused when she saw Kay sitting with a cute guy
that she had never seen before. He had blond hair and deep blue eyes that seemed to jump out of his
chiseled face. "Who's your friend, Kay?"
Kay gave Simone an odd look. "It's Reese, Simone."
"Reese?" Simone exclaimed in surprise. "You...you're..." She was about to say 'totally gorgeous'
but caught herself in time. "You're not wearing your glasses."
Reese smiled at Simone, making her heart skip a beat. "I'm getting new frames made right now," he
explained.
"Cool," Simone stammered. "Kay, can I talk to you for a minute in private?"
"Sure," Kay replied, standing up. She turned to Reese. "I'll be right back."
Reese smiled and nodded. "Take your time."
As soon as Kay and Simone were out of earshot, Simone grabbed Kay's wrist and dragged her to a
secluded area of the café.
"Simone! What gives?" Kay demanded. She snatched her hand away and rubbed her wrist.
"Are you and Reese dating?" Simone asked excitedly.
"What?" Kay exclaimed. "Simone, you're crazy. I am not dating Reese. We just played some
one-on-one this afternoon."
"I'm not crazy, you are," Simone retorted. "Reese is a four-alarm, nine-one-one hottie!"
"Reese?" Kay was stunned. "How do you feel today? Are you running a fever?"
"Kay! Look at him!" Simone ordered.
Kay rolled her eyes and decided to humor Simone. Her eyes took in the sun-bleached blond hair,
the gorgeous blue eyes, the strong line of his jaw, and the smoothly muscled arms and defined
chest that was covered by his T-shirt. Her eyes widened as she realized that Reese was very
handsome. "Okay, so he's not a total reject," she admitted grudgingly.
"Are we looking at the same guy?" Simone demanded. "He could be in a soap opera or something."
Kay rolled her eyes again and shook her head. "Simone, you need to have your head examined."
She checked the clock on the wall. "I'm going to go with Reese to pick up his glasses now. Will
you be here later?"
Simone shook her head. "I have to go to library. Have fun with Reese today."
"We're just friends," Kay insisted.
"That's more than you were last week," Simone countered. "And your father told me that Reese
walked you home last night. What happened?"
"Yesterday, when Miguel forgot my birthday, it really hurt, Simone," Kay explained. "I ran off
because I didn't want anyone to see my cry. Reese found me and we talked. He made me feel better."
Simone nodded, understanding. "I'm sorry for teasing you," she apologized. "And I'm glad that
Reese was able to make you feel better."
"Thanks Simone," Kay replied. "I'll see you around, okay?"
"Okay," Simone answered.
With that, Kay left to rejoin Reese.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Kay," Simone murmured as she watched her best friend
interacting with Reese.
"You're glasses should be ready now," Kay told Reese. "Do you want to go pick them up?"
"Yeah, sure," Reese replied. He finished off his latte and set the cup down on the table. He
stood up and followed Kay out of the café.
When they entered the optometry shop, Anne was waiting for them. "They're ready," she told Reese.
She opened a drawer and took a spectacle case out, which she handed to Reese.
"Thanks," Reese told her. He took the new glasses out and slipped them on. "Wow, I can barely
feel them."
"They look really nice," Kay told him. It was the truth. The thin frames suited the shape of his
face and allowed his eyes to really stand out.
"How long would it take to get contact lenses?" Reese asked suddenly.
"I can give you a free trial pair right now," Anne told him. "Then you can decide if you still
want to get them."
"That would be great," Reese said.
"I'll be right back," Anne promised. She left to get a pair of contact lenses from the storage
room.
"Are you sure about this Reese?" Kay asked.
Reese shrugged. "I'm just curious about how they'd feel that's all."
Anne returned shortly with a contact lens case and a small bottle of cleaning fluid. "Do you
know how to put them in?" she asked Reese.
"Yeah, I do," Reese replied. "I've seen my cousin do it dozens of times."
"Here you go then," Anne said, handing over the items. "Will you be paying by cash or charge?"
"Charge," Reese replied, reaching into his back pocket. He took his wallet out and pulled out a
silver and gray credit card, which he handed to Anne.
"You have a platinum card?" Kay asked, astonished.
"It's for emergencies and special occasions," Reese explained. "I'd say this counts as a special
occasion."
Anne printed up the receipt and gave to Reese to sign. Reese scrawled his signature and took the
top copy. "Thank you," he told Anne.
"You're very welcome," Anne replied, smiling. "Have a nice day."
"You too," Reese told her.
When Kay and Reese left the store, Reese turned to Kay and asked, "So what do you want to do
now?"
"I don't know," Kay replied. "What time is it?"
Reese checked his watch. "It's almost five," he told her.
"Five!" Kay yelled in surprise. "I have to be home for dinner! I'm really sorry, but I have to
go!" With that she started to run home.
"See you in school on Monday!" Reese called after her.
"Yeah!" Kay shouted back over her shoulder.
**********************************************************************************************
When Kay returned home, she found Noah, Jessica, Miguel and Charity watching television. "Hi
everyone!" she greeted them cheerfully.
"Where were you all day?" Noah asked casually.
"That's what I'd like to know," Sam said as he came into the living room. "You said that you
were going to play some basketball at one, and you were gone for four hours."
"I was playing basketball," Kay replied. "But after, I went to get a cup of coffee and then I
ran into Simone."
"Did you have a good game?" Sam asked.
Kay nodded. "Yeah, it was fun."
"Who did you play basketball with?" Miguel asked.
"Reese," Kay replied.
"Reese?" Jessica was beyond shocked.
Miguel smiled. "That's great that the two of you are hooking up."
At that remark, Kay did something she never thought that she would do. She rolled her eyes at
Miguel. "We're not 'hooking up'," she informed him in an icy voice. "We're just friends."
"Whoa, pull back the claws, Kay," Sam chided lightly.
"Yeah, I'm sorry I assumed that you and Reese were hooking up," Miguel said.
"Yeah, well you know how 'assume' can be broken down, don't you?" Kay responded coolly. Without
waiting for an answer, she turned and went upstairs to her room.
The five people in the living room looked at each other in shock. After a moment of silence,
Noah stood up and went upstairs to talk to Kay. He knocked tentatively on her door.
"Go away, Noah," Kay said in a muffled tone.
Noah grinned to himself. Kay really had him pegged. He knocked again.
"I said, 'go away'," Kay repeated, this time a bit louder.
Noah knocked again. Suddenly, the door was flung open.
"What part of 'go away' don't you understand?" Kay demanded.
"I got the 'go' part perfectly. It's everything else that I have trouble with," Noah replied
cheekily.
Kay tried to look upset, but the corners of her mouth twitched in amusement.
"Do you want to talk about it now?" Noah offered.
Kay nodded and stepped aside to let Noah into her room. He took a seat at her desk and Kay
closed the door and sat on her bed.
"You probably know that Miguel and Charity are a couple," Kay began.
Noah nodded. "Yeah, I kind of got that impression. Are you jealous of Charity?"
"No!" Kay exclaimed quickly. Noah raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Okay, I am," she admitted.
"I've known Miguel for years! And suddenly she swoops into town, and steals Miguel's heart.
And I know that she lost her mother and her memory and her house, so I didn't mind letting
her have the bigger room. But when Mom bought her the exact same clothes that she was going
to buy for me, that was really pushing it. First of all, Charity and I don't have the same
style, and secondly, Mom knew how much I wanted those outfits and it hurt that she got them
for someone else."
"But that's not all, is it?" Noah guessed.
"Isn't that enough?" Kay retorted.
"If that was all, then you wouldn't have acted they way you just did with Miguel," Noah
pointed out reasonably.
"It's just...I feel like I've lost my best friend, you know?" Kay whispered wistfully. "Miguel
and I did everything together when we were kids. We were inseparable. Now, he's blowing me off
to be with Charity. And he doesn't even realize it sometimes. Like yesterday, he didn't even
wish me a happy birthday when he saw me at school. And the gift he got for me?" Kay stood up
and went to her closet and pulled out an identical baseball glove. She tossed the old glove
beside the new one.
"Usually, he would get me the most thoughtful gifts for my birthday, even though we were just
little kids," Kay continued. "Like a new bell for my bike, or my very own copy of 'Little Women'.
This year, it was like a last minute thing that he picked out.
"And he takes for granted the fact that we're friends. Like this Christmas, Charity wanted to
decorate Tabitha's house, and Miguel just assumed that I would pay for the decorations, which
I ended up doing. I spent over a hundred dollars on decorations, because Miguel said that it
would make Charity happy."
Noah was really pissed off at Miguel now. He wanted to go downstairs and throttle the younger
man, but he knew that he would get into deep trouble if he did. He raked his hands through his
dark wavy hair and tried to calm down. "Do you know what I think you should do? You should
avoid being around the two of them," Noah advised. "I think it's pretty obvious that being
around either of them stresses you out, and you don't need that right now. And who knows?
Maybe Miguel will figure out that there's a problem between the two of you and pull his head
out of the clouds long enough to fix things."
Kay smiled at her brother. "Thanks for listening to me whine, Noah," she told him.
"That's what I'm here for," he replied, winking at her.
"How long are you staying?" Kay asked.
"I'm going back tomorrow night," Noah replied, watching Kay's face fall. "Oh, don't give me
that look."
"What look?" Kay asked, confused.
"The one that makes me feel guilty for having to leave," Noah responded.
"I'm sorry," Kay told him.
"It's okay, I was kidding," Noah assured her, his warm brown eyes twinkling. "Do you want to
come down to dinner or do you want me to make up some excuse for you?"
"Take a guess," Kay said sarcastically.
Noah grinned. "See you later, then." He stood up and ruffled Kay's hair before leaving her
room.
When Noah came back downstairs, everyone was in the dining room waiting for him and Kay. "Kay
said she overdid it a little this afternoon with the basketball, and she wanted to take a nap,"
he lied.
"I'll bring her a tray later," Grace said. "Have a seat, it's time for dinner."
***********************************************************************************************
After dinner, Miguel and Noah played some basketball outside.
"So are you looking forward to going back to school?" Miguel asked.
"I guess, but I miss my family," Noah replied. "Especially Jessica and Kay."
"You really care about them, don't you?" Miguel commented.
"You bet I do," Noah answered. "I love my sisters. I won't let anyone hurt them."
Miguel fumbled the ball when Noah said that, because it sounded like it was directed at him.
Noah stepped in and stole the ball. He easily scored from the three-point line. He gave Miguel
a big grin.
"I win," he said.
"Good game," Miguel said. "I have to be getting home now."
"Sure. Good night," Noah said, holding his hand out.
Miguel slapped Noah's hand and they bumped their fists together. "Good night." He went inside the
house to kiss Charity goodnight and came back out. "Will you tell Kay that I said good night?"
Noah nodded. "Of course."
"Thanks," Miguel said. With one final wave, he started to walk home.