Kelly lay on her sleeping bag and stared up at the glow-in-the dark
stars on the ceiling. Frowning in deep concentration she blew a large
bubble out of the strawberry flavored bubble gum. The loud pop made her
giggle as well as her friend on the bed to her left.
"That was a good one." Brianna Landing said, her head appearing over the side of the bed. Her long blonde hair slid to hang over her face, covering her bright green eyes. Brianna sighed and shoved it out of the way then pointed to Kelly's other side. "Can you hand me that hair band by your head?"
Kelly turned to look next to her and seeing what her friend was pointing to, picked up the hot pink band and playfully flung it at her.
"Hey! I said hand it to me, not fly it to me!" Brianna said, laughing as she rolled over to grab the band that had whizzed by her head. She quickly put her hair up into a high ponytail, the long golden strands still reaching past her shoulders. Resuming her position so she could look down at Kelly, she sighed again. "I wish I had your hair."
"My hair? Eww, it's so dull, Bri." Kelly said, fingering a lock of said subject.
"Dull?" Bri sat up on her elbows and gazed at her in shock. "Are you nuts? Your hair is gorgeous. Look at it! It's black as ebony and shines without you ever having to put anything in it. I mean, you brush it then walk out the door and you look great everyday."
Kelly pulled a piece of her dark hair out in front of her face to try and study it, but only succeeded in becoming cross-eyed. The two girls broke down into giggles again and they tried to stifle it as a knocking came on the door.
"Girls, it is 2250. Lights out and go to bed. You are lucky I let you stay up this late."
"Yes, Mom. We're going to bed now." Bri replied, rolling her eyes at Kelly, who buried her face into her pillow to muffle the sound of her giggles.
"Uh-huh." Susan Landing said, in the tone that parents often used when they didn't believe a word their child was saying. "Well, goodnight you two. Love you."
"Night!" The two of them said with Brianna adding, "I love you too."
They waited until they heard the master bedroom door shut before they even ventured to talk again. It was silent for a short time, but Kelly soon spoke up. She lifted a strand of her hair again and sighed quietly.
"I get my hair from...her. My blue eyes are like my dad's, but he always says that I look more like..." Kelly trailed off and Bri bit her lip, before speaking.
"What's she like?" Brianna asked, curiously.
"I don't know." Kelly said truthfully.
"Well, why did she say she left in the first place?" Brianna asked her face puzzled.
"I don't know." Kelly said again. "I split when I found out she was staying."
"Don't you think you should let her tell you why she left?" Brianna asked, gently.
"Why should I let her explain? What could there possibly be to explain? She left us...just up and left one day without saying good-bye. Give me one good reason I should let her tell me excuses."
"Because there might be a good reason she left. Besides, she is your mom, Kel." Bri said and Kelly glared up at her.
"Was. Was my mom," Kelly snapped and Bri's eyes widened. Kelly sighed and lowered her gaze to where her fingers were entwined. "Sorry."
"Sokay." Brianna said and then added, "Wanna change topics?"
"Please." Kelly replied, pulling the top of her sleeping bag over her.
"Okay...so what's with you and R.J. Picard?" Brianna asked, grinning as Kelly sat straight up.
"What? What do you mean?" Kelly asked, her eyes wide.
"Rumor has it that you guys are boyfriend and girlfriend." Brianna said, trying to hold back a laugh at her friend's shocked expression.
"What? No! I mean...we've grown up together. He is my best friend...after you of course. I mean...I call his parents Aunt and Uncle...he is sooooo not...uh..." Kelly stammered and Brianna just nodded her head. Finally Kelly stopped and sighed saying slowly, "No, he's not my boyfriend."
"And you don't want him to be?" Brianna asked, watching Kelly closely.
"No, of course not." Kelly said, a blush creeping up onto her face.
"Good, so then if I wanted to ask him to the movies or something..." Brianna said slowly.
"Don't even think about it!" Kelly said too quickly and then she realized that she had fallen right into her friend's trap. Groaning, she flopped back onto her pillow and covered her face with her hands.
Brianna burst out laughing and leaned over to whisper, "Hey, if it helps, he likes you too."
Kelly uncovered her face and peered up at Brianna. "Really? How do you know?"
"He told Bobby Sutton, who told Jimmy Patron, who told Helen Shooter, who told me." Brianna said and Kelly couldn't help but grin. The two girls looked at each other for a moment before letting out an excited squeal and erupted into laughter.
"Girls!" Came Susan's voice and Brianna quickly told the computer to shut the lights out. It didn't help, however, and they desperately tried to calm down, but only ended up laughing harder. After a while, the last of their giggles died away and both girls snuggled into their respective beds. In the dark, Kelly reached up and unconsciously twirled a piece of her dark hair.
"What if she leaves again?" Kelly asked softly, her eyes narrowed. She heard Bri shift in the bed and although she couldn't see the details of her friend's face in the dark, she knew that she was looking at her.
"Your mom." Brianna said, just as softly. It was an unnecessary clarification since they both knew that was whom Kelly was talking about, but she had felt as if she needed to ask.
"What if..." Kelly's voice grew tight and full of tears. "What if I begin to love her again and she leaves?"
Brianna thought quietly before saying, "What if she doesn't? What if she wants to stay, but you push her away?"
Kelly stayed quiet and didn't respond to her friend's question. After a moment of silence she heard Bri sigh and whisper goodnight. Kelly echoed her and closed her eyes, only to open them seconds later. She heard Brianna's breathing go deep and even and knew that she was already fast asleep. Sleep wouldn't come easy to Kelly though, as her friend's question ran through her head. Frowning, she looked up once more to the stars on the ceiling. Maybe what they said was true, maybe the truth was in the stars. She peered up at them for what seemed like forever, but nothing came to her on how to proceed with the fact that her mother was back in her life. Kelly closed her eyes and turned on her side, silent tears flowing down her cheeks as she cried herself to sleep.
"That was a good one." Brianna Landing said, her head appearing over the side of the bed. Her long blonde hair slid to hang over her face, covering her bright green eyes. Brianna sighed and shoved it out of the way then pointed to Kelly's other side. "Can you hand me that hair band by your head?"
Kelly turned to look next to her and seeing what her friend was pointing to, picked up the hot pink band and playfully flung it at her.
"Hey! I said hand it to me, not fly it to me!" Brianna said, laughing as she rolled over to grab the band that had whizzed by her head. She quickly put her hair up into a high ponytail, the long golden strands still reaching past her shoulders. Resuming her position so she could look down at Kelly, she sighed again. "I wish I had your hair."
"My hair? Eww, it's so dull, Bri." Kelly said, fingering a lock of said subject.
"Dull?" Bri sat up on her elbows and gazed at her in shock. "Are you nuts? Your hair is gorgeous. Look at it! It's black as ebony and shines without you ever having to put anything in it. I mean, you brush it then walk out the door and you look great everyday."
Kelly pulled a piece of her dark hair out in front of her face to try and study it, but only succeeded in becoming cross-eyed. The two girls broke down into giggles again and they tried to stifle it as a knocking came on the door.
"Girls, it is 2250. Lights out and go to bed. You are lucky I let you stay up this late."
"Yes, Mom. We're going to bed now." Bri replied, rolling her eyes at Kelly, who buried her face into her pillow to muffle the sound of her giggles.
"Uh-huh." Susan Landing said, in the tone that parents often used when they didn't believe a word their child was saying. "Well, goodnight you two. Love you."
"Night!" The two of them said with Brianna adding, "I love you too."
They waited until they heard the master bedroom door shut before they even ventured to talk again. It was silent for a short time, but Kelly soon spoke up. She lifted a strand of her hair again and sighed quietly.
"I get my hair from...her. My blue eyes are like my dad's, but he always says that I look more like..." Kelly trailed off and Bri bit her lip, before speaking.
"What's she like?" Brianna asked, curiously.
"I don't know." Kelly said truthfully.
"Well, why did she say she left in the first place?" Brianna asked her face puzzled.
"I don't know." Kelly said again. "I split when I found out she was staying."
"Don't you think you should let her tell you why she left?" Brianna asked, gently.
"Why should I let her explain? What could there possibly be to explain? She left us...just up and left one day without saying good-bye. Give me one good reason I should let her tell me excuses."
"Because there might be a good reason she left. Besides, she is your mom, Kel." Bri said and Kelly glared up at her.
"Was. Was my mom," Kelly snapped and Bri's eyes widened. Kelly sighed and lowered her gaze to where her fingers were entwined. "Sorry."
"Sokay." Brianna said and then added, "Wanna change topics?"
"Please." Kelly replied, pulling the top of her sleeping bag over her.
"Okay...so what's with you and R.J. Picard?" Brianna asked, grinning as Kelly sat straight up.
"What? What do you mean?" Kelly asked, her eyes wide.
"Rumor has it that you guys are boyfriend and girlfriend." Brianna said, trying to hold back a laugh at her friend's shocked expression.
"What? No! I mean...we've grown up together. He is my best friend...after you of course. I mean...I call his parents Aunt and Uncle...he is sooooo not...uh..." Kelly stammered and Brianna just nodded her head. Finally Kelly stopped and sighed saying slowly, "No, he's not my boyfriend."
"And you don't want him to be?" Brianna asked, watching Kelly closely.
"No, of course not." Kelly said, a blush creeping up onto her face.
"Good, so then if I wanted to ask him to the movies or something..." Brianna said slowly.
"Don't even think about it!" Kelly said too quickly and then she realized that she had fallen right into her friend's trap. Groaning, she flopped back onto her pillow and covered her face with her hands.
Brianna burst out laughing and leaned over to whisper, "Hey, if it helps, he likes you too."
Kelly uncovered her face and peered up at Brianna. "Really? How do you know?"
"He told Bobby Sutton, who told Jimmy Patron, who told Helen Shooter, who told me." Brianna said and Kelly couldn't help but grin. The two girls looked at each other for a moment before letting out an excited squeal and erupted into laughter.
"Girls!" Came Susan's voice and Brianna quickly told the computer to shut the lights out. It didn't help, however, and they desperately tried to calm down, but only ended up laughing harder. After a while, the last of their giggles died away and both girls snuggled into their respective beds. In the dark, Kelly reached up and unconsciously twirled a piece of her dark hair.
"What if she leaves again?" Kelly asked softly, her eyes narrowed. She heard Bri shift in the bed and although she couldn't see the details of her friend's face in the dark, she knew that she was looking at her.
"Your mom." Brianna said, just as softly. It was an unnecessary clarification since they both knew that was whom Kelly was talking about, but she had felt as if she needed to ask.
"What if..." Kelly's voice grew tight and full of tears. "What if I begin to love her again and she leaves?"
Brianna thought quietly before saying, "What if she doesn't? What if she wants to stay, but you push her away?"
Kelly stayed quiet and didn't respond to her friend's question. After a moment of silence she heard Bri sigh and whisper goodnight. Kelly echoed her and closed her eyes, only to open them seconds later. She heard Brianna's breathing go deep and even and knew that she was already fast asleep. Sleep wouldn't come easy to Kelly though, as her friend's question ran through her head. Frowning, she looked up once more to the stars on the ceiling. Maybe what they said was true, maybe the truth was in the stars. She peered up at them for what seemed like forever, but nothing came to her on how to proceed with the fact that her mother was back in her life. Kelly closed her eyes and turned on her side, silent tears flowing down her cheeks as she cried herself to sleep.
