Julia Jones - The Teenage Years: Boxed Set - Books 2, 3 and 4

by Katrina Kahler

  I wasn’t quite sure what to think, but I was in awe of the close relationship he appeared to have with his grandmother, who he was clearly very fond of. My own grandparents had passed away several years earlier, before I’d had a chance to really get to know them. And I had always envied friends who had the luxury of grandparents in their lives.

  Looking up, I caught his intense stare. It was almost as though he was delving into my soul, reading my every thought. Unable to control my senses, I felt a familiar shiver work its way down my spine and it became my turn to feel a blush creep quickly over my skin.

  With a knowing grin, he took my hand and led me down the hallway to the rear of the house. All the while, my heart was in my throat. Once again, I wondered where he was taking me. Was his grandmother the person he had wanted me to meet? And if so, why bring me to his house when she was leaving?

  The butterflies in my stomach intensified and I could feel my skin prickle with nervous expectation. After passing two bedrooms, it was clear that we were making our way to a third and when he turned the silver knob on the closed door, and took a step forward, I hardly dared to breathe.

  Revelation …

  It had all happened so quickly. In the blink of an eye, I was persuaded to skip class and walk out as if it were an everyday occurrence for kids to leave the school grounds when they pleased. Perhaps for him, that was the case. He appeared comfortable with this routine. But for me, it was not a normal thing to do. And to go where, exactly?

  Back at school, in the excitement of the moment, I hadn’t even asked that question, not wanting to risk the opportunity I’d been waiting for; to be with the boy who constantly occupied my thoughts day and night, night and day. But I hesitated then, reluctant to take another step.

  Where was he taking me? It was clearly another room in the house but I couldn’t understand why. Was he being genuine or did he have something else in mind?

  My head was spinning and my skin prickled anxiously. Then I dared to look into the beautiful face at my side. When he opened that door however, I was certainly not prepared for what greeted us on the other side.

  The moon-faced child, wild with excitement at the sight of the older boy standing in the doorway, squealed with delight.

  “Ky! You’re home!”

  Looking from one to the other, I watched speechlessly as the young boy threw his arms around Ky in an affectionate embrace.

  Laughing, Ky gently removed his arms and turned towards me. “Julia, this is my brother, Tyler. Tyler, this is my friend, Julia.”

  Stunned with shock, I stood staring, momentarily lost for words, this was almost too much to comprehend.

  Then finally, I was able to stammer a response. “Hello, Tyler. Nice to meet you!”

  For the second time in about as many minutes, I’d had two of the most bewildering introductions that I think I may have ever experienced and I stood smiling at the young boy as he shook my hand, his friendly manner a reflection of the personality that was quickly bubbling to the surface.

  In a tumble of words and a mixture of phrases that I found difficult to follow, he proudly showed me around his room, describing in detail, the collection of toys that cluttered every shelf.

  Laughing with amusement, Ky finally managed to interrupt the boy’s excited ramblings to suggest that we all go to the kitchen for something to eat. And following along behind, I shook my head in wonder at the events of the day. It had been full of surprises to say the least, but this particular incident, being whisked away from school to meet the distinctive looking young boy who radiated such an infectious and outgoing enthusiasm for life, was undoubtedly the most unexpected of all.

  Recollections…

  As I lay in bed later that night, the smile on my lips was a permanent fixture. Sleep had continued to elude me, my mind reeling with excitement, joy and amazement. Overcome by all three emotions, I simply could not sleep.

  My visit to Ky’s house had been incredible. Although I had heard of Down syndrome, never before had I been in personal contact with the disability and as soon as Ky dropped me home, I raced up the stairs to my computer to research the condition so that I could learn more.

  Apparently, it is the most common chromosome disorder of all and out of every 700-900 babies born worldwide, one will have Down syndrome. I found the information fascinating, and it described Ky’s brother Tyler, completely.

  To begin with, the dominating physical characteristics are the rounded moon shaped face with a flattish nose, short neck and slightly upward slanting eyes. Regardless of their shape though, Tyler’s eyes definitely bore a resemblance to Ky’s, the intense blue a distinctive feature that was prominent on both boys. But apart from their sandy colored hair and olive skin tones, there was little else to connect them as brothers. And as it turned out, Ky told me that they were actually half-brothers, each with a different Dad. Regardless of this, it was clear that Ky treated Tyler with love and respect and it was easy to see how close the two were.

  It had only taken a few minutes of research to learn that people with Down syndrome could have varying intellectual ability and I reflected on the fact that although not severe, Tyler’s intellect was definitely impaired. However, this did not stop him from being a genuinely friendly and affectionate person, who was fun to be around. He certainly had a very happy and enthusiastic personality that other people could learn from. But it wasn’t until late in the afternoon, that I saw snippets of the impact the disability had, not only on Tyler, but also his family.

  Apparently he also had an immune disorder that required regular medication, but he bluntly refused to take the medicine that Ky handed to him. At first he was defiant and then became agitated, lashing out and being very aggressive. Ky had to use brute strength to restrain him and it had taken a huge amount of coaxing before Tyler calmed down and decided to be cooperative. Perhaps it was the change in routine, a visitor in the house that had caused the wild behavior. I really had no idea but I was shaken by the outburst and could see that Ky was clearly embarrassed.

  When Tyler was finally settled in front of a DVD alongside his grandmother who had eventually returned from her appointment, Ky and I took the chance to sneak out the front door, careful not to upset Tyler further.

  On the drive to my house, I listened attentively as Ky explained the situation.

  “He has trouble verbally expressing his emotions and sometimes gets really frustrated. This causes him to act out. The problem is that now he’s twelve years old and quite big for his age, there’s no way my grandmother can handle him. This means I have to be at home more often to help her.”

  I looked at him thoughtfully. “That’s why you’re away from school so much?” I asked the question although I was certain that I had already answered it.

  “Yeah,” he replied, “I have no choice. There’s no one else.”

  “But what about your parents?” I looked sharply back at him then, wondering where they fitted into all of this.

  He paused a moment before replying and I could see that it was a subject he had difficulty talking about. “Our mom died when Tyler was born. And Tyler’s dad didn’t stick around.”

  The contempt was clear on his face as he continued. “But that’s a good thing because from what Nan says, he was a real loser!”

  “And I’ve never met my own dad,” he added quickly. “So it’s just me, Tyler and Nan.”

  I could feel my heart breaking inside, the loss he had suffered too much to bear. As difficult as my own situation sometimes appeared, his definitely seemed far worse and I briefly contemplated the childhood he must have experienced, with only a disabled younger brother and a grandmother for company.

  In those few minutes in the car he had bared his soul, and I felt as though I’d finally scratched the surface of the real person who lay underneath. Full of compassion for the handsome boy at my side, I gently touched his leg. It was purely a sympathetic gesture, but not trusting myself to speak, I wanted him to know that I cared. Lo
oking towards the passenger window, I quickly brushed the tears from my eyes and then turned back to face him.

  “Julia, its ok!” he laughed. “We’ll be fine. Tyler goes to a great school three days per week and they’re really supportive of him. It’s just been a problem lately because he’s developed issues with his immune system and has to have regular medication. If I were him, I’d probably freak out as well. But tomorrow we’re leaving to take him to a doctor for treatment. We’ve heard that he’s had great success with this particular illness so we’re really hoping he can help.”

  “You’re leaving?” I asked quietly, unsure of what that actually meant.

  “Yeah, the hospital is a 2 day road trip. Of course it’d be better if we could fly but we can’t afford flights for all 3 of us, and Nan can’t take him on her own. So we have to drive.”

  “Oh, I see!” I replied, concern in my voice. “How long will you be away?”

  “Well, it depends on his treatment. We’re not sure yet. It could be a week or it could be two or three.”

  I nodded in response, unable to ignore the sinking feeling of disappointment at this latest news. And then with a comforting smile, he reached for my hand.

  The unexpected touch caused the most frenzied of emotions to erupt inside me and looking down at his hand on mine, I marveled at the sensations that were attacking my senses. Never before, had I reacted so intensely to the simple touch of a boy. And when he pulled the car into the kerb outside my house, he looked at me for a moment without saying a word. Then, without warning, he leaned over and kissed my cheek. It was just a whisper, the merest trace of his lips. But the connection passing between us was so strong that I was sure if I tried, I could reach out and touch it.

  Unable to escape the power of his penetrating stare, I held his gaze momentarily, my stomach churning with uncontrollable excitement as I absorbed the current that connected us so intensely. With a wildly racing pulse, I fumbled with the door handle and then glanced back one more time before getting out of the car and waving goodbye.

  The memory of his gentle touch on my skin was the last thought on my mind when I finally fell into a deep and dream-filled sleep; the smile remaining steadfast on my face as images of his beautiful smile filtered through my subconscious.

  Lisa’s reaction…

  Floating on air, I managed to survive the challenge of school the following day. Barely taking in any of the teachers’ words, I sat hidden in the corner of every class. Although I appeared to be concentrating, my thoughts were entirely on Ky and the afternoon that we had shared.

  At different stages of the day, a couple of the girls asked what I was smiling at.

  “There’s definitely something going on, Julia!” Beth commented during our lunch break. “That smile has been glued to your face all morning. What’s going on?”

  “Come on, Julia,” Lisa’s persuasive voice continued where Beth had left off. “You have to tell us!”

  Taking a deep breath, I relented, no longer able to keep my secret intact. And I described every detail of the magical moments I’d shared with Ky. The short trip home in his car was the most memorable and special experience of my entire life, and I was bursting at the seams to tell them about it.

  “OMG!” Beth exclaimed. “That is so romantic!”

  “Yeah,” I replied, smiling widely, the butterflies in my stomach doing crazy somersaults at the memory of his touch.

  “But I feel so sorry for him.” I continued, genuine concern in my voice. “I just hope they can get the help they need.”

  “When do you think he’ll be back?” Lisa asked curiously.

  “That’s the bad part,” I replied. “I’m really not sure.”

  Although I could not wait for his return, I was filled with excited anticipation. And for about the hundredth time that day, I reread the texts that we had sent each other just that morning….

  Hey Julia how are you today?

  I’m good. How are you?

  Great! just wish I wasn’t leaving – can’t wait to see you again

  Can’t wait to see you either!

  

  Hope you have a safe trip

  Thanks

  Say hi to Tyler for me

  I will. See you soon! x

  The messages were brief but the meaning was clear. And the best part was the ‘x’ at the end. When I saw that, I thought I would die from the joy of it all. The excitement inside me was just too much.

  Feeling slightly embarrassed at being so open with the girls, I directed their attention away from myself.

  “So what about you and Matt, Lisa? What’s going on there? Matt hasn’t stopped talking about you since the party!”

  I watched the slight blush appear on Lisa’s face along with a pleased smile. However, her response was not at all what I’d been expecting.

  “Your brother’s really cool, Julia. But we’re just hanging out, that’s all.”

  She laughed then, her carefree manner telling me quite clearly that it was just a casual hook-up and in the scheme of things, meant very little.

  With a frown, I watched as she quickly changed the subject and began talking about some cute guy she’d noticed at school earlier in the day.

  I’d come to learn that this was typical of Lisa’s style but as far as I was concerned, because it was my brother who was involved, it was not okay. I then recalled the smitten look on his face while he talked about her just that morning at breakfast. At the time, I hadn’t taken too much notice because I was so wrapped up in my own excitement over Ky, but looking back, I remembered his hopeful grin as he discussed the possibility of seeing her again.

  I had not been keen to encourage it, because it all seemed a bit weird to think of my brother with one of my friends, but now she was admitting that her obsession with Matt at the party had meant nothing, I became quite defensive about the situation. I also knew that Matt would be pretty upset when he heard, and I guessed that I should be the one to tell him before he made a complete fool of himself over a girl who did not feel the same way.

  As I sat wondering how I would break the news, I overheard Lisa mention the name, Joe and instantly my attention was directed her way once more. I had assumed that since being grounded, she had lost contact with the jerk whose car I had escaped from and who she had since taken an interest in. But apparently that was not the case.

  It appeared that Lisa had been messaging him regularly on Facebook and she was now planning another escape from her room so that she could meet up with him. I didn’t comment but listened in on her conversation with Becky as she discussed the plan that she had in mind. I did consider warning her against the idea but then thought better of it. I was convinced that she would not listen to me and besides that, perhaps the pair deserved each other.

  Thinking once more of my brother, I felt glad that she was not interested in any sort of relationship with him. He deserved so much better than the likes of her. However, I knew that persuading him would not be easy and I was not looking forward to having that conversation at all.

  Walking back to class at the end of the break, I accepted Becky’s invitation to hang out at the shops after school that afternoon. I knew that I was in no frame of mind to concentrate on homework anyway, so I figured I may as well do something fun.

  I had no idea however, of what I would soon be confronted with.

  What’s going on?…

  “Is that Sara Hamilton?”

  I looked in the direction of Becky’s inquisitive gaze and spotted Sara’s familiar stick-like figure and flowing blonde hair. Although she had lost a lot of weight, her hair remained the lush mop of golden tresses that flowed in waves down the length of her back and caught the attention of almost every guy she passed. It really was a stand-out feature and even though I hated to admit it, I’d always been envious of how gorgeous her hair was.

  From our position in the nearby car park we had an uninterrupted view and it was the flash of long blonde hair that distinguished h
er. The fact that we had noticed her hopping into a car outside the shopping center was not exactly what alerted us. The complex was a popular hang-out for kids after school and we often bumped into people we knew. Even though the car was parked haphazardly in a narrow delivery lane, the incident was no cause for alarm. However, it was the profile of the driver as he sped out of the lane and onto the street that left us looking at each other in bewilderment.

  While there may have been a viable explanation and I was reluctant to jump to conclusions too quickly, it was very difficult to look at the situation from any other perspective than the one that had come to mind. The reason for this being the identity of the driver sitting alongside her. And when I thought about it later, I found it quite uncanny that we should be in a prime position, completely unnoticed and with a perfect view of her getting in the car. The chances of that occurring were minimal. But as was often the case when people were trying to be secretive there was always the possibility of being caught out.

  It was clear that something was more than likely amiss and after wracking our brains for possible explanations, Becky and I were unable to list any alternatives that were even remotely feasible. Although we could not be one hundred percent sure, we both felt that we had stumbled on the gossip of the century.

  The black wavy hair and olive complexion of the good looking man behind the wheel was too distinctive for us to be mistaken. It had definitely been Mr. Hathaway, one of the new additions to the teaching staff at our school…the teacher who so many girls had begun drooling over.

  He was probably in his early thirties but that had not deterred everyone from checking him out. He had also quickly become the focus of lunch-time gossip, with the questions flying thick and fast.

  “Do you know if he’s married?”