Chapter 2: Surprises
A/N: The next few chapters are just me fixing the story, to make it easier to read.
It was a few years later, and Kay had not been back to Harmony at all. She made up excuses every time someone called to invite her back. Kay didn't want to go back to the town that was her own hell. She was in seventh heaven in New York. She and Pearl were very close, and Pearl's boyfriend became Kay's surrogate older brother. Kay made new friends and even started a relationship with one of her new male friends, named Vincent. She was going for her masters in psychology and she and Pearl still lived together, though if Jeff proposed to Pearl, Vincent and Kay would move into an apartment together.
On this five year anniversary of Kay's coming to New York, her friends took her out to Long Island Sound for a day at the beach. Little did Kay know she was going to have a run-in with someone very familiar that day. Kay laid out on her towel, soaking up sun and joking with her friend Robyn. They joined Pearl and Alyssa in making fun of the group in the water. They cheered Cheyenne on as she dunked as many of the guys as possible and laughed as Rob lifted Jennifer and threw her out deeper into the sound. Kay held her side, which was hurting from all the laughing she was doing, when she felt herself being lifted out of her chair by someone wet. Another pair of hands grabbed her and she realized that she was heading towards the water—at a very fast rate. Soon she hit the water and was shaking by the sudden chill of the water. She came up, sputtering and spitting out water, to see Vincent and Jeffrey (Pearl's boyfriend) laughing. Before they knew what hit them, Kay pulled both men into the water and started to dunk and splash them. Cheyenne and Jennifer helped while Rob, Mike and Joey tried to save the other two males.
After the water war, Kay walked alone to get some sodas from the deli she had seen down the block. Others had offered, but Kay wanted to go alone. She needed some time to herself, to reflect. There was a time when back in Harmony, she would've had fun with Simone, Jessica, Reese and Miguel like this. But that was before she fell in love with Miguel, before Charity came, before Kay turned evil, isolating Simone, being nasty to Jessica and leading Reese on in a romantic way. That's when things changed. Pearl was right; Kay needed to get away from Harmony and set her life straight again. She took a deep breath and entered the deli and ran into someone familiar. "Theresa!" Kay said.
Indeed, Miguel's older sister Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald (Crane) was standing in the deli with her six year old son, Ethan-Martin. "Kay Bennett, what a surprise, albeit a pleasant one," Theresa exclaimed, hugging her little brother's best friend. "We've missed you in Harmony."
"What are you doing here on Long Island, Theresa?"
"I wanted to get away from Harmony with Ethan-Martin for a little bit and decided on the Long Island Sound. Little Ethan loves the water. How are you doing Kay?" Theresa asked. "Couldn't be better. I used to get a little homesick in the beginning, but now I like it here. I don't think I'll ever return to Harmony," Kay said. "Not even this December?" Theresa asked. "No, I normally spend Christmas with my Uncle Tom and Aunt Hannah," Kay explained. "Ah, well how about next May?" Theresa asked. "Why?" Kay responded. "For Miguel and Charity's wedding. Did you get the invitation yet?"
"Wedding?" Kay was surprised the two waited this long to tie the knot. "No, I didn't get an invitation yet. It's probably on its way."
"I'm surprised Charity didn't call you herself. She probably wants you to be a bridesmaid, I know Jessica is her maid of honor. Little Ethan is going to be the ring bearer. And Sheridan and Luis' daughter Katharine is going to be the flower girl."
"Sheridan and Luis were married?" Kay asked. "Yes, a year after you left Harmony. We couldn't reach you, and your father wouldn't give us your address."
"How are my parents doing?"
"Okay, they're fine." Theresa said, and Kay figured that Theresa didn't want to share anymore. "How are you, Theresa?"
"Fine. Ethan and I aren't on speaking terms, and Gwen is once again his fiancée. Julian and I annulled our marriage, but he still has to pay child support and alimony," Theresa said. "But Little Ethan and I are doing fine, right sweetie?" Theresa turned to the little boy, who looked like Miguel at that age. The boy nodded and hugged his mother. "Well, I better get the sodas and get back before my friends send out a search party. It was nice seeing you again Theresa. Here is my number, if you need to talk, I'd love too," Kay said, and watched the young mother and son leave the store.
"Where were you? Did you make a wrong turn or something? Get abducted by aliens?" Kay was asked by Cheyenne when she got back. "No, I ran into someone I know in the deli."
"Who?" Pearl asked. "Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald," Kay responded. "Oh, Miguel's older sister," Pearl said. "What did she have to say?"
"Nothing much. Luis and Sheridan Crane are married and have a daughter named Katharine. Ethan is engaged again to Gwen and is not speaking to Theresa. Julian and Theresa's marriage was annulled and Julian has to pay alimony and child support for Ethan-Martin. Oh yes, and Charity and Miguel are finally getting married," Kay spit out. "Wow, okay I can see what took you so long, now give me my soda!" Jennifer said, jumping for the bag.
When Kay got back to her and Pearl's apartment, a message was waiting for her. It was from Charity. "Hi Kay, it's Charity. Listen, call me back as soon as you get this message. Thanks." Kay took the phone into her room and dialed her old number. "Bennett household," she heard her father say. "Daddy?" Kay asked. "Kay! How are you? Is everything alright in New York?" Sam Bennett said. Sam had made trips to New York and seen his eldest daughter, but they held a pact to not talk about anything in Harmony. "Everything is alright. I got a message from Charity today. Is she there?"
"Yeah, hold on." Kay heard the phone go down. "Kay?" her cousin's sweet voice came over the receiver. "Yes, it's me. And I want to wish you congratulations about Miguel."
"How did you--?"
"Theresa told me. She's on Long Island and we ran into each other and told me."
"Great! Will you be one of my bridesmaids, please?" Kay bit her lower lip. She had avoided her home town like the plague. She was truly happy for Charity and Miguel, she had realized that her "love" for Miguel was a "crush" on Miguel and was falling in love with Vincent. "I'd love to, Charity," Kay said. "THANK YOU! Oh thank you, thank you! It's in May, I'll send you the day later. Will you also come back for our engagement party in December? We decided to have it around Christmas." Kay took a deep breath and agreed. Kay hung up the phone as Pearl sat down on the bed. Her hair was up in a towel and she wore her pajamas. "Are you okay?" Pearl asked. "Fine. I realized I only had a crush on Miguel. He and Charity deserve each other. I have Vincent now. And I love him now. I'm just nervous about returning to Harmony, back to my hellish teenage years."
"I'm sure it will be fine. We will miss you this Christmas, but you need to go home." Pearl and Kay smiled at each other. "Thanks," Kay whispered as she hugged her cousin. "The shower is all yours. Good night!" Pearl left the room and went to bed.
After her shower, Kay took out a blue binder. It was decorated with pictures of her favorite sport players and her friends. She opened her drawer and took out some pieces of loose-leaf. Opening the binder, she attached the paper into the binder. Picking up her pen, Kay begin to write.
Dear Daddy,
Today was so much fun! Everyone was wonderful, and we enjoyed each other's company greatly. Cheyenne dunked nearly everybody, including some people we didn't even know. Rob and Jeff dunked me earlier and that started a whole water war. After the war, I went to get some more sodas (for some people who didn't do much, Robyn and Alyssa sure do drink a lot! J) and ran into Theresa and her son! It was great seeing them again. I mean, Theresa and I were never really too close, and she was always the type of girl I never wanted to be. I guess I started to resent Theresa when I realized we were exactly alike when it came to the men we loved. And now, Ethan is engaged to Gwen, which makes it even harder for Theresa. I told her she could call me anytime she wanted to, she needs a friend other than Whitney now even more. She also told me some other news: Charity and Miguel are getting married! Charity even offered, later on, for me to be her bridesmaid. I agreed, because I want to start an honest relationship with her. I'm just afraid of returning to Harmony, returning to the girl I was. I know it sounds odd, but that's what scares me. I go back to Harmony and I go back to being evil and drooling over Miguel, even though I have Vincent now. Pearl comforted me and I'm a little bit more excited about going back.
Love always, Kay E. Bennett