I do not own any Twilight characters, just my own words down there!! Let me know what you think……
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Kendra woke up to a knock on her door the next morning, and groggily opened her eyes. She pulled the covers over her eyes, and heard the door open. "Ken? Are you okay?" Heidi sat on the bed and Kendra sighed.
"I'm staying here today." Kendra told her, feeling her head swim with dizziness as she rolled over. "I just…..:
"Kendra, I know that we are not close and I wish that was different. I have no idea where you are at or what you are going through, and it's killing me to watch it." Kendra felt a hand on her leg. "I'll come see you after school. Get some rest."
Kendra felt Heidi stand up, and then the door close. She threw the covers off her face to help her breath, and felt the rush of tears again. She closed her eyes wearily and let them fall as she drifted off to sleep again. She could not get out of bed for a week, and the repeated visits from Heidi and her dad didn't help. Kendra felt so helpless every time he sat with her, and she stared out of the window as he sat in the chair in the corner of her small room. "Kendra, is there anything I can do to help you?" His voice was hoarse as he spoke, and she gazed at him for a fleeting second only to see the pain in his face. "I can get counseling, or whatever you need. I just want you to get out of bed again. I remember you being so happy and full of life, and now…….you are just there."
"I….I just need time. I will get up and face life again, I promise. It would help if I had some closure." Kendra said, and swallowed the constant lump that was in her throat.
"Go to school with Heidi. That will make her handle this so much better and it is something that gets you out of the house." James Allen urged her, patting her foot as he stood up to go to work. She nodded and took a deep breath as she sat up slowly. Her back was killing her and she moaned as she rubbed it uselessly. She picked up the phone to call her mom back home yet again, and they cried together as Kendra spilled her emotions out again. She was so scared for her mother, but the realization that her new husband Kevin was there eased her mind some. Kendra hung up and got up to take a long shower, and she took a walk outside in the woods behind their house. It was peaceful and wet from the recent rain, and she took it all in as her emotions battled inside of her. She looked around carefully, always keeping track of her surroundings as she strolled along. Kendra headed home for dinner after a long day walk, and Heidi and James smiled at her with relief. She enjoyed the chicken dinner with them, smiling softly as she began her life again.
"It will be great to have you back. Even Alice Cullen asked me if you were okay." Heidi said, her voice curious. James glanced up at her, and they exchanged a look. "They don't talk to anyone, but you must be on their radar."
"Who are they?" Kendra asked, remembering the table of five at lunch the last time that she had been there.
"Dr. Cullen and his wife have five foster children that attend the school. They are good people, so don't start with the gossip." He glared at Heidi. "They do keep to themselves, but the kids are polite and cause no trouble at all here. Let them be who they are."
"So are they related in any way?" Kendra asked, her curiosity distracting her from her current situation.
"I think Jasper and Rosalie are siblings, but that's it. They are all gorgeous." Heidi giggled, and Kendra glanced at her. "Jessica has a thing for Edward, but he does not even so much as look at any of the girls at school."
Kendra remembered the one that she had walked into, and she frowned a little. He looked at her, if not a bit painfully. She took another bite of dinner, and Heidi looked at her expectantly. "I think I'll go back tomorrow. I can't hide in here forever."
Kendra got up in time the next morning in time to take a decent shower in the single bathroom in the house, and glanced out of the window at the gray skies. She clipped her hair up and threw on some make up to improve the pale hue of her skin. Sleeping so much had not done her well. She pulled on her favorite jeans and a long sleeved gray shirt, and met up with Heidi in the hallway. "Hey, sis. Good to see you." Heidi greeted her, and Kendra raised her eyebrows in response. "It's a start." They walked to the car as the girls pulled on their jackets, and Kendra sighed as they drove to the school. She was nervous and her stomach twisted, and she wondered if it would be like her new day all over again. She looked at the parking lot as they pulled in and it was crowded with students enjoying the moment of no rain. Kendra got out and was relieved when Heidi's friends smiled at her and acted relatively normal, and she eased into her day slowly. Kendra was in less of a daze in her classes and a bit more open to the people talking to her, but her mind was still racing all of the time. She was glad when it was lunch time, and then she remembered Edward and his siblings. She looked ahead to see who was walking so she would not bump into anybody, and made her way to get some food before she sat down.
Kendra found herself looking their way almost automatically as she left the line, and was met by Edward Cullen's powerful gaze. He looked frustrated and his face was twisted with the emotion in his eyes as he gazed at her. The dark haired girl said something to him and Kendra glanced at her as Edward threw his hands up in the air slowly, wondering if that was Alice. The girl looked at her with a hesitant smile, and Kendra frowned as she focused on Edward again. He looked down at the table, and Kendra forced herself to look forward and walk to where Heidi was sitting. Heidi was looking at her curiously, and Kendra sat down quickly and opened her soda. "You okay?"
"Sure, sure." Kendra replied, and ice traveled through her veins. She took a deep breath and her eyes widened slightly, and she sipped her soda as she closed her eyes. Heidi tilted her head and Kendra tried to force a smile on her face to reassure her that she was alright. She focused on the table and tried to concentrate on Heidi's friends. Out of the six of them, she liked Angela the best. She was a tiny little dark haired girl who was sweet and shy, and Kendra felt like they would get along. Jessica was a bit full of herself, though pretty, and also very gossipy. She talked about everyone, and Kendra wondered silently what she had said about her during her absence. Kendra looked at her stepsister and hoped that she would respect her privacy, but the look she got in return assured her that she would. The guys were nice enough, but not as fascinating as Edward as he left the room. Kendra lifted her eyes slightly as he did, and he glanced at her painfully again. She stood up to go herself and shook her head slightly. What was his issue?
Kendra took a seat in Calculus and popped on her IPO for a moment before the class started. Music always calmed her, and she focused on it for a second. "You're back." A lilting voice broke her spell, and she looked up to see who she assumed was Alice Cullen sitting two seats over.
"Ummm, yeah." Kendra replied, taken by surprise. Alice was tiny, like a little pixie. Her pale face was stunning and her eyes were a shade of amber that Kendra had never seen before. Alice had a short and spiky haircut that not just anyone could pull off, and her smile was bright and warm. Kendra shook her head and looked back down. "I was…..sick."
"That's too bad. It must be hard to start over again after just one day." Alice said, and Kendra met her knowing look reluctantly.
"Yeah, sure." Class started and Kendra yanked out her ear bud quickly. Kendra hurried out after class, feeling uncomfortable. She wondered what the look had meant, and it chilled her inside. She took out her fear on the badminton game, and Angela gave her a look as they finished up.
"I am glad to play with you, Kendra, but wow. You came back with a vengeance."
"I got bored being sick at home." Kendra admitted, and took a deep breath.
"I do as well." Angela admitted, smiling. They went in to change back into their clothes, and Kendra went to meet Heidi in the parking lot. She felt eyes on her and she glanced over to see Edward looking at her from his own car, which was a very new silver Volvo. He was leaning against it, and he seemed to be trying to figure her out as he stared at her. Alice walked up to the car holding hands with the blond guy from the cafeteria, and she said something to Edward as she leaned against her boyfriend. He glanced over at her, and Alice met Kendra's eyes with a warm glance. Kendra looked forward and walked to Heidi's car, where her stepsister was listening to her Ipod as she read something.
"Hey." Kendra greeted her, getting in the car as she stared at the gray clouds. "When is it sunny here?"
"Every now and again. I spend a lot of time outside on those days." Heidi admitted, smiling. She looked at Kendra. "You seem better today."
"I need to move forward." Kendra admitted softly, and took a deep breath. "I am going to try and do that."
"I'm glad. I am here for you." Heidi told her, and she took Kendra's hand.
"I know. I just can't really…..talk about it. I have enough trouble knowing it is out there." Kendra explained slowly, and Heidi nodded. The girls drove home and made dinner for their father, and Kendra went up to her room to complete some homework before she went to bed for the night. Painful memories nagged at her, and she plugged her Ipod into a speaker and turned it up to a respectable level. She sang along to the words absently and pushed the memories away. This was not Maryland, this was Washington and she was away from all of it. She bit her lip and relaxed against the pillows on her bed, and closed her eyes.
The next day was Saturday, and she slept in for longer than planned. It was cloudy but dry outside, and the girls made breakfast for themselves since James was fishing with friends. They watched a movie and then headed into Port Angela's for some shopping and a quick dinner to kill some time. Kendra was less of a shopper than Her stepsister, but she wandered around the shops as Heidi tried several things on. "Hi there." Kendra heard a voice cheerfully greet her, and saw that it was Alice Cullen. She glanced at her in surprise and raised her eyebrows. "You like to shop as well?"
"No, not that much. I am hanging out with my sister." Kendra realized how expensive Alice's outfit was, and she even bet on it being a designer label. She looked around the casual clothing store they were in. "Is this the kind of shop that you like?"
"I like all shopping." Alice assured her, and glanced over as a gorgeous blond girl walked up to them. Kendra realized that it was the other girl from the family, and she stared into the cold amber eyes hesitantly. "Rosalie, this is Kendra. My sister Rosalie."
The blond said nothing as Kendra mumbled a greeting, and Kendra was frustrated. Edward looked at her like she was an alien, and this one looked at her like she hated her. Alice looked at Rosalie and then gave Kendra an apologetic smile.
Heidi came out of the dressing rooms when Alice and Kendra were saying goodbye after that very awkward moment, and she looked at her sister. "Is that who I think it was? Are you friends with her?"
"I don't….think so. I have barely spoken to her." Kendra replied, and she looked at Heidi. "How did you do?"
"Good, but I think this is more you." Kendra caught the shirt that was being tossed at her and looked at the deep green layer tee. Kendra nodded slowly in agreement, lost in thought and Heidi frowned at her. "Sis?"
"Sorry. It's kind of just…..weird." Kendra fumbled with her words and shook her head. "Let me see what you have." She glanced at the pile of clothing, feigning interest and smiling. "You'll look great, Heidi. You always do." She smiled at her sister genuinely for a moment, admiring the pale skin and brown eyes. She held up her green shirt and grinned. "I guess I will too."
They hit a few more Alice and Rosalie free stores, and went to a small Italian place for dinner. Kendra glanced around as they were seated, and smelled the food with a smile. She ordered an iced tea to drink and read the menu slowly as she tried to decide. Kendra let her thoughts wander as she read the words, and the past mingled with the present slowly. Images flashed through her mind and she felt her knees buckle as she took a deep breath. "Kendra? What is it?" Heidi asked her, leaning forward.
"I am suffocating." Kendra told her, leaning against her hands as the tears hit. "God, I can't totally move past this."
"Do you want to leave?" Heidi asked, and Kendra shook her head.
"I don't want to end up hiding under the covers for another week." Kendra answered, and took a deep breath. "Order me the mushroom ravioli when the waitress comes. I need a minute but I'll be fine."
Heidi ordered for both of them and Kendra regained her composure by the time their food came. She ate quietly and Heidi gazed at her from time to time with panicking eyes. They didn't linger over the table and walked out right after they were done, and Kendra glanced up with burning eyes to see a silver Volvo drive slowly by.