Chapter 3:
Miguel looked more confused than ever. Charity and Jessica looked at me scornfully.
Inhaling a breath of air, I opened my mouth to speak the truth. The long-unknown truth.
"I wrote that because I mean it," I began. "I DO wish Charity never came to
Harmony. My life before she arrived at our doorstep was great. I had a wonderful family, my
Mother and I got along fine, Noah looked out for me as all big brothers do, Jessica and I
fought but we loved each other and my uncle had enough time for all of us. Miguel and I had
the greatest of friendships. Everything was great. Then SHE came along."
I paused, looking at Charity, who was staring at me. She tried to look tough and strong
but I could tell she was scared of me. Scared of what I would say or do to her.
I continued as three pairs of eyes were on mine. "When Charity came along, I thought,
cool, I'm going to have a cousin my age. I was happy with the addition. But my happiness was
short-lived when I realized that Mother began giving Charity my stuff."
Now I was getting mad. My anger was rising as I remembered everything Charity had stolen from me. "Mother
decided that she couldn't have three daughters, she could only have two! So one of us had to
go. Jess or me. Obviously it was me! I mean I was the least useful. I didn't bring home A's in
all subjects. I didn't have tons of friends. I wasn't on the CHEERLEADING TEAM!" My
voice was hitting a high pitch. Miguel looked at me, both eyebrows raised. Jessica and Charity
were glaring.
"So what if my report card was all C's?! So what if I could only consider Miguel and
Simone my best friends? SO WHAT if I'd rather play baseball than become a cheerleader? So
the black sheep of the family had to lose her status. Charity got my bedroom, the money I had
saved for my car just so she could buy those weird clothes she's always wearing! And, there's
more. My Mother decided she couldn't love me anymore. After all, I wasn't sweet, innocent
and kind. Was it my fault that I was strong, angry and opinionated? But it's not like I wasn't
lovable! But Mother couldn't see it that way!"
"I'm sorry your Mother doesn't love you!" Charity exclaimed, interrupting me. "But
that's not MY fault!"
"Let me continue," I hissed. "So Mother stopped loving me. Noah went off to college
and Uncle Hank was too busy with his life to notice my problems. Jessica confided in Charity
more than she did me. So Daddy was the only one who hadn't given up on me. He loved and
cared for me unconditionally but that wasn't enough!"
"That's not true, Kay!" Miguel spoke up. "I loved you, too! You are still my best
friend!"
I paused as I thought about what he said. He did love me but as a friend. Dammitt, why
couldn't he love me the way he loved Charity?!
"Let me go on, please, Miguel," I said. "Most of all, Charity," I said, turning to face
her. "You stole Miguel away from me!"
"Aww come off it, Kay!" Jessica scoffed.
"Miguel was my very BEST friend. And the minute you came to Harmony he seemed
to forget about it. You stole all of his free time away from me! ALL OF IT!"
"You have OTHER friends, Kay!" Jessica exclaimed.
"That's not the point!" I said, pounding my fist on the kitchen table. I was on the verge
of tears. I turned to Miguel. "Can I talk to you outside?" I asked him.
"Sure, Kay," he said, surprised.
"NO!" Charity blurted out quickly. "Miguel!" She gave him a stern look.
"Charity, I'm just going to talk to my best friend alone for a while. Relax." He
extended his hand to me and we walked to the back porch.
Charity and Jessica turned to look at each other, both worried. They knew how I felt
about Miguel. And they knew that they couldn't really influence his feelings after he would
find out the truth.
Miguel and I sat down on the old benches and he stared at me. It was time to tell him
the truth. Damn the consequences! I had already said most of what I had kept bottled in me
for a long time; I had to tell Miguel how I felt. I didn't care if Mother disapproved or even if
she ordered me out of the house. Miguel had been too close to finding out anyway, and
besides I'd rather he found out from me than from anyone else.
"Well, Kay?" he asked expectantly.
"Miguel, I'm sorry for losing my temper back there," I said.
"Don't worry, Kay, you had every right, even if it is about my girlfriend."
We didn't say anything for a few moments.
"Miguel," I began to say at the same time that he said, "Kay..."
"You go first," I insisted.
"Ok," he said, "I just, I wanted to say sorry for neglecting your friendship. We used to
be so close and I guess I unconsiously swapped you for Charity. I'm so sorry."
The word swapped stayed on my mind. Swapped. Like something outdated that gets
thrown aside when something (or someone) "better" comes along.
"Miguel, I love you," I said suddenly. I couldn't take it anymore. He had to know.
"I love you, too, Kay," he answered automatically.
My head jerked up to meet his gaze. Did he mean it? He loved me? One look into his
eyes and I could tell I was wrong. He loved me as a friend. He always would.
"No, Miguel, you don't understand," I continued, standing up in frustration.
He sent a look of confusion my way. He stood up to face me.
"Dammit, Miguel," I said. "How can you not notice that your best friend is in love with
you?!"
"Wha -" he began to say, but I didn't let him finish. I grabbed his face and kissed him
wholly on the lips. There, I had done it. And I didn't regret it. I loved the way his lips felt on
mine. I felt like I was in heaven. But I knew that once we parted from our kiss, I had to deal
with consequences. And boy was I right.
He pushed me away and began to wipe at his mouth. "What are you doing, Kay? You
just kissed -"
I didn't have the emotional poise to stand there and let him continue. It was obvious
how he felt. He didn't want me. At least not that way. And I doubted that after today if he
would even see me for the best friend that I had been to him for the past decade and a half.
I ran inside the house, where Charity and Jessica were still seated. I didn't even
bother to look at them. I raced upstairs, and managed to make it to my bed before the sobs
left my body and my shoulders began to heave with the aching and pain that came at the hands
of the man who had previously brought me so much joy.
{a/n: i loved this chapter. hope u liked it. anyways, more to come. r/r!}
Miguel looked more confused than ever. Charity and Jessica looked at me scornfully.
Inhaling a breath of air, I opened my mouth to speak the truth. The long-unknown truth.
"I wrote that because I mean it," I began. "I DO wish Charity never came to
Harmony. My life before she arrived at our doorstep was great. I had a wonderful family, my
Mother and I got along fine, Noah looked out for me as all big brothers do, Jessica and I
fought but we loved each other and my uncle had enough time for all of us. Miguel and I had
the greatest of friendships. Everything was great. Then SHE came along."
I paused, looking at Charity, who was staring at me. She tried to look tough and strong
but I could tell she was scared of me. Scared of what I would say or do to her.
I continued as three pairs of eyes were on mine. "When Charity came along, I thought,
cool, I'm going to have a cousin my age. I was happy with the addition. But my happiness was
short-lived when I realized that Mother began giving Charity my stuff."
Now I was getting mad. My anger was rising as I remembered everything Charity had stolen from me. "Mother
decided that she couldn't have three daughters, she could only have two! So one of us had to
go. Jess or me. Obviously it was me! I mean I was the least useful. I didn't bring home A's in
all subjects. I didn't have tons of friends. I wasn't on the CHEERLEADING TEAM!" My
voice was hitting a high pitch. Miguel looked at me, both eyebrows raised. Jessica and Charity
were glaring.
"So what if my report card was all C's?! So what if I could only consider Miguel and
Simone my best friends? SO WHAT if I'd rather play baseball than become a cheerleader? So
the black sheep of the family had to lose her status. Charity got my bedroom, the money I had
saved for my car just so she could buy those weird clothes she's always wearing! And, there's
more. My Mother decided she couldn't love me anymore. After all, I wasn't sweet, innocent
and kind. Was it my fault that I was strong, angry and opinionated? But it's not like I wasn't
lovable! But Mother couldn't see it that way!"
"I'm sorry your Mother doesn't love you!" Charity exclaimed, interrupting me. "But
that's not MY fault!"
"Let me continue," I hissed. "So Mother stopped loving me. Noah went off to college
and Uncle Hank was too busy with his life to notice my problems. Jessica confided in Charity
more than she did me. So Daddy was the only one who hadn't given up on me. He loved and
cared for me unconditionally but that wasn't enough!"
"That's not true, Kay!" Miguel spoke up. "I loved you, too! You are still my best
friend!"
I paused as I thought about what he said. He did love me but as a friend. Dammitt, why
couldn't he love me the way he loved Charity?!
"Let me go on, please, Miguel," I said. "Most of all, Charity," I said, turning to face
her. "You stole Miguel away from me!"
"Aww come off it, Kay!" Jessica scoffed.
"Miguel was my very BEST friend. And the minute you came to Harmony he seemed
to forget about it. You stole all of his free time away from me! ALL OF IT!"
"You have OTHER friends, Kay!" Jessica exclaimed.
"That's not the point!" I said, pounding my fist on the kitchen table. I was on the verge
of tears. I turned to Miguel. "Can I talk to you outside?" I asked him.
"Sure, Kay," he said, surprised.
"NO!" Charity blurted out quickly. "Miguel!" She gave him a stern look.
"Charity, I'm just going to talk to my best friend alone for a while. Relax." He
extended his hand to me and we walked to the back porch.
Charity and Jessica turned to look at each other, both worried. They knew how I felt
about Miguel. And they knew that they couldn't really influence his feelings after he would
find out the truth.
Miguel and I sat down on the old benches and he stared at me. It was time to tell him
the truth. Damn the consequences! I had already said most of what I had kept bottled in me
for a long time; I had to tell Miguel how I felt. I didn't care if Mother disapproved or even if
she ordered me out of the house. Miguel had been too close to finding out anyway, and
besides I'd rather he found out from me than from anyone else.
"Well, Kay?" he asked expectantly.
"Miguel, I'm sorry for losing my temper back there," I said.
"Don't worry, Kay, you had every right, even if it is about my girlfriend."
We didn't say anything for a few moments.
"Miguel," I began to say at the same time that he said, "Kay..."
"You go first," I insisted.
"Ok," he said, "I just, I wanted to say sorry for neglecting your friendship. We used to
be so close and I guess I unconsiously swapped you for Charity. I'm so sorry."
The word swapped stayed on my mind. Swapped. Like something outdated that gets
thrown aside when something (or someone) "better" comes along.
"Miguel, I love you," I said suddenly. I couldn't take it anymore. He had to know.
"I love you, too, Kay," he answered automatically.
My head jerked up to meet his gaze. Did he mean it? He loved me? One look into his
eyes and I could tell I was wrong. He loved me as a friend. He always would.
"No, Miguel, you don't understand," I continued, standing up in frustration.
He sent a look of confusion my way. He stood up to face me.
"Dammit, Miguel," I said. "How can you not notice that your best friend is in love with
you?!"
"Wha -" he began to say, but I didn't let him finish. I grabbed his face and kissed him
wholly on the lips. There, I had done it. And I didn't regret it. I loved the way his lips felt on
mine. I felt like I was in heaven. But I knew that once we parted from our kiss, I had to deal
with consequences. And boy was I right.
He pushed me away and began to wipe at his mouth. "What are you doing, Kay? You
just kissed -"
I didn't have the emotional poise to stand there and let him continue. It was obvious
how he felt. He didn't want me. At least not that way. And I doubted that after today if he
would even see me for the best friend that I had been to him for the past decade and a half.
I ran inside the house, where Charity and Jessica were still seated. I didn't even
bother to look at them. I raced upstairs, and managed to make it to my bed before the sobs
left my body and my shoulders began to heave with the aching and pain that came at the hands
of the man who had previously brought me so much joy.
{a/n: i loved this chapter. hope u liked it. anyways, more to come. r/r!}