Thanks again for the reveiws, I'm really glad you're enjoying my story. I think what I'll be doing is trying to update once or twice a weekend, since it's hard for me to access the internet at home on a weekday and work won't let me visit this website anymore. pouts lol
Here's chapter 7 anyway, hope y'all like! :)
Kiara rose at the crack of dawn the next morning, as per usual, and decided to go for a walk. The memories of the night before still plagued her and she needed to clear her head before she got to studying for the history test she had next week. As she walked into the bathroom to have a quick shower, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her eyes were still puffy and bloodshot from crying herself to sleep and the dark circles under them were accentuated by her deathly pale skin. "Damn Irish blood." She muttered, wishing that she could tan like all the other girls her age. Her best friend, Tabitha, had gorgeous golden brown skin and had never looked washed out like Kiara sometimes did. After the shower, she threw her favourite jeans and sweater on and quietly made her way down the stairs.
To her surprise, Jeff was still there. He lay sprawled out across the couch looking like he was about to fall right off it. She felt a bit nervous, having her idol staying at her house, even though he was sweet and really down to earth. Jeff stirred slightly, flicking some of his rainbow coloured hair out of his face, as Kiara watched him. Panicking, she quickly moved off into the kitchen to pour herself some juice so that he wouldn't catch her staring. As she came back out, she glanced at Jeff again and almost dropped her glass in shock as she saw that he was awake.
"Morning sunshine." He grinned at her, tiredly. "How you feelin'?" Jeff asked as he dragged himself up into a sitting position. Kiara just shrugged and looked down at her feet. Her bloodshot eyes gave away the fact that she had been crying for most of the night and his heart went out in sympathy to her.
"I'm sorry you had to see what happened last night. You must think I'm a horrible person, speaking to my Mom the way I did." She said quietly and Jeff shook his head with an understanding smile.
"No way. It's hard enough being a teenager with the usual insecurities, let alone to be insecure about a parent's love." He told her and she looked up at him thoughtfully. "It may not seem that way to you, but your Mom does love you very much. She talks about you all the time at work." Jeff paused a moment, seeing Kiara roll her eyes. "Kiara, I don't know the full story of what's happening here, and it's really none of my business, but if you do want to talk or just hang out, let me know. I have a feeling we'll be spending a lot of time together now, since your Mom is dating my brother." Kiara half-smiled and sat down next to him.
"I guess that would be okay. I mean, I'd love to hang out with you..." She trailed off, not wanting to upset Jeff. He nudged her with his elbow and raised an eyebrow.
"Why do I get the feeling that there is a 'but' coming. C'mon, spit it out, what's wrong?"
Since her outpouring the night before, Kiara really felt like she needed someone to work through this whole mess with her. She found herself suddenly missing Rhiannon, but eventually figured that Jeff was the next best person to talk to. After a moment's hesitation, she looked down at the floor and decided to be completely honest with him. "From what I saw of Matt last night, I really don't think I want my Mom dating him. He seems nice and all, but he's just not...well, I wouldn't want him as a Dad. Sorry, I know he's your brother and all..." She looked up at Jeff fearfully and was surprised to see him smiling wryly.
"Well, my brother has changed a lot in the past few months, since he began dating Imogen. I love Matt, he's a great person, but I agree, I don't think he's right for your Mom." He frowned slightly, thinking back over just how much things had changed since Imogen had come on the scene. Then, remembering who he was talking to, he hurriedly added, "Just don't tell her that, okay?" Kiara smiled knowingly, realising that they had both said too much.
"As long as you don't tell Matt what I told you." Looking at the time, she stood and stretched, realising that if she was going to be gone before her Mother was up, she had to leave now. "Hey, I was gonna go for a walk. Wanna come with?" Jeff shrugged, figuring he'd better be out of the place by the time Matt got up.
"Sure, just let me just clean myself up and I'll be right with you. How about we find somewhere to go for breakfast? I could do with some bacon and eggs." He stood to grab his coat and Kiara raised her eyebrows with a cheeky grin.
"You paying?" Jeff couldn't help but laugh; this was a girl after his own heart.
"Of course."
"In that case how could I possibly refuse?"