UN-RELATED (UN-RELATED SERIES)

by Kimberly Schwartzmiller

  “Yeah, a bunch. They voted me prom queen,” I giggled, so happy to hear his voice.

  “You need friends, Abby. What about that guy…Tim or Tanner…?”

  “Tyler. Yeah, we’re friends, I guess. He’s nice.”

  “You’re just friends though, right?” he asked.

  “Yeah, what else?”

  “Um, Abby, did you read the book I left for you?”

  “Oh, the book. I was so worried about…I mean, I forgot. I’ll read it. I promise.”

  “You were worried about what? Is Nancy or Joe…?”

  “No, they’re never home. I was worried about you.”

  “Well, now you can call or text me anytime you want. If you want me to call you back, just text me, and I promise I’ll call you back as soon as I can. I better go, Brianna’s done burning dinner,” he laughed.

  “Hey, I heard that!” she yelled from the background.

  “Okay. I um…I just… okay, I’ll talk to you…later.”

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “Oh no, what were you going to say?”

  “I just miss you, that’s all.” I wanted to tell him I loved him, but was too embarrassed. Of course he knew that I loved him, but as the years had gone by, my feelings for him had changed. I didn’t quite understand my feelings for him, but I knew they were stronger than just friendship. And, it wasn’t the love one felt for a sibling, either.

  “I miss you, too. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  He hung up and started his new, exciting life while I looked around at my old dingy room and sighed, missing him more than I did before I talked to him. I wasn’t jealous of his happiness; I just wanted to share it with him.

  I looked over at my dresser and saw the wrapped package. I stood up and grabbed the book and un-wrapped it and sat down on my bed to read through it. I had no idea what book it was, but I had made a promise to Kellan to read it and I realized there was no time like the present.

  I looked at the cover and read the title out loud, Facts of Life for the Teenage Girl. “Guess he’s right, it certainly doesn’t sound like a mystery novel.” I said to myself. I opened the book and skimmed through it quickly. I found myself stopping on certain pictures and even though I was alone, I found myself blushing in my solitary room. I wondered why Kellan wanted me to read this, and I wanted to close it and put it away, but I had promised him I would read it, so I turned it back to the first page and started reading…

  Once I started reading the book, I found that I couldn’t stop. I read and studied each page. I read about how both girls and boys develop over time. I read about periods and I finally understood why women had them…it made sense. But, when I got to the parts about love and sex, and the pictures of what men and women did together when they were in love, I shut the book. I remembered that Brianna said she loved Kellan, and as I looked at the pictures of the couple in the book, I saw them, and knew without a doubt that they were probably doing…that. I dropped the book on my bed and stood up. I felt sick, and I didn’t know why. All I knew was that I didn’t want Brianna anywhere near Kellan, but there was nothing I could do about it, and suddenly I found myself throwing the book onto the floor and throwing myself down on the bed, and I cried…

  After about 20 minutes of non-stop tears, Nancy came into my room…without knocking.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” I sniffled.

  “Are you crying?” she asked, sounding concerned, which was unlike her.

  “No. I’m fine,” I snapped, turning away from her. “What do you want?” I asked.

  “Your social worker dropped by to see you, a surprise visit. Put on the new clothes ‘what’s his name’ bought you and for the love of God, stop crying!” she whispered in an angry snarl.

  “His name is KELLAN!” I shouted, standing up to face her.

  “I don’t have time to argue with you, just get ready,” she said and then focused on my book on the floor. “What the hell’s this? Where did you get it?” she whispered, accusingly.

  “From the guy whose name you can’t remember!” I said, grabbing it out of her hands.

  “Have you two…? Did he…touch you?” she asked, sounding more angry than usual.

  “Touch me? What are you talking about?

  She was flipping through the book and held it open and said, “This! I’m talking about this! Did you and Kellan have sex?”

  “NO! How could you even ask that?”

  “It’s all here in black and white. Why did he buy this for you if you two weren’t behaving…inappropriately?” She was still whispering so my social worker couldn’t hear us, but her eyes were filled with fury.

  “He bought it for me because YOU never talk to me about this stuff. You never told me that I was going to start having periods…you never tell me anything!”

  “You’re too young to hear about all of that. It’s dirty and sinful!”

  “Well, I’m not too young to be having periods, and thanks to you, Kellan had to try and explain it all to me…so he bought me this book because he knew you’d never tell me anything!” I shouted, for once not caring if my social worker heard me or not. I didn’t have Kellan anymore, and I realized I suddenly didn’t care if they shipped me off to somewhere else, because without Kellan, I didn’t care what happened to me.

  “You listen to me, if you make another sound, or if you make a scene, I’ll make sure you go to one of those…”

  “I don’t care. Send me off…PLEASE!” I shouted, tired of her threats.

  She stood up tall and straightened her dress. “I see. Well, then I guess we’re an impasse here. I don’t really care if you’re here or not, but frankly I’ve grown accustomed to the money the state gives us for you, so you’re staying.”

  “Not if I make a scene,” I threatened.

  “You may not care what happens to you, but I know you care about what happens to Kellan.” She glared down at me and spat, “If you make a scene, if you tell her anything other than you’re a happy, healthy, well-cared-for kid, I’ll make sure to tell them that Kellan and you were more than friends. Got it?”

  “What does that mean?” I asked, not understanding her threat.

  She grabbed the book from me again and opened it up to the page explaining sex and she pointed, “This! I’ll tell them that Kellan did this to you…and they’ll put him in jail.”

  “But, it’s not true. Kellan never touched me!”

  “Who do you think they’re going to believe, me, or him?”

  “Kellan’s free of you. You can’t hurt him anymore.”

  “He’s an adult now, and you’re still a minor. So, if I tell them that you and he were together, then they’ll have to check it out. And you can trust me on this…I will file charges…and he will go to jail!”

  “You’re awful! Why are you so mean? What did Kellan ever do to make you hate him?”

  “Just do what you’re told…that’s all you need to know!” she snapped and started to walk out of my room with my book.

  “That’s my book!” I said, angry that she was taking away something Kellan had given to me.

  “Not anymore. This is smut!”

  “It’s not either…and it’s mine.”

  “You can have it back when you’re 18…in another four years!”

  She walked out of my room and I sat down on my bed. I wanted to call Kellan and tell him. He told me to call him if I had any problems. I didn’t want to bother him, but I grabbed the phone he’d sent me and ran down the hall to the bathroom. I dialed his number, but he didn’t answer, so I dialed his home phone but got the answering machine:

  Hi, you’ve reached Kellan and Brianna’s phone.

  We must be busy. Leave a message after the Beep!

  Brianna’s soft, happy voice irritated me and I shut my phone and stuck it in my back pocket. I knew it was time to face the music, so I ran back to my room and put on one of my new shirts and the new je
ans and shoes Kellan had bought me and walked out to meet with Miss Wilson, my social worker.

  Even though I wasn’t sure if Nancy was telling me the truth about sending Kellan to jail with her lies, I knew I loved him too much to risk it. So, I put on my best fake smile and walked out to the living room and pretended to be the well-adjusted child Nancy ordered me to be.

  Miss Wilson asked me a lot of questions and searched the house. Once she seemed satisfied that all was well, she turned to leave. Before she turned the doorknob, she turned to me and said, “Abby, are you sure…” she stopped talking to me for a second and focused on Nancy, “Would you give us a minute, please?”

  “Oh, yeah, sure. Of course…” Nancy rambled. Miss Wilson turned her attention back to me and I turned to look at Nancy. She raised her eyebrows at me and put her finger to her lips, signaling me to keep quiet or Kellan would get it.

  Nancy left the room and Miss Wilson said, “Abby, are you sure that everything’s okay, here?”

  I looked up at her and said, “Yeah, it’s great.”

  “I spoke with Kellan Reynolds…in fact, he called me. He’s very concerned about you. He’s made some very bold accusations against the Filbert’s. But, I’m afraid that I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me. Normally I wouldn’t put too much thought into his accusations, but he made it very clear that you were in danger here, and that I do have to follow up on. So, talk to me.”

  I looked into her eyes and wanted to tell her the truth, but I was so afraid that Kellan would get into trouble. “Kellan’s just over-protective of me. He’s a great big brother. He never really got along with Nancy and Joe, but they’re…good to me,” I lied through my teeth.

  “Okay. Well, if there’s nothing else…I’m going to leave.” She handed me her card and said, “If you ever need anything…or just want to talk, you can call me.”

  I thanked her and finally found myself alone in the living room. Joe came home from work a few minutes later. He glanced at me as he walked by, but he never said a word. I was used to it. He never talked to me, it was almost as if I he didn’t see me. I didn’t care. I headed back to my room and I heard them walk out the front door a few minutes later. I’m sure they were going out to eat, but as usual, I was left to fend for myself.

  I searched the kitchen and found a can of tuna. There was no mayo or bread, but I did find some crackers. So, I took my meager findings back to the sanctity of my room and forced myself to eat.

  My phone vibrated in my back pocket about an hour later. I forgot it was there. I pulled it out and answered it, hoping it was Kellan.

  “Abby, did you get my text?” Kellan asked.

  “What text?”

  “The text I sent you this morning telling you that your social worker was making a surprise visit today?”

  “I didn’t get a text…oh, wait. I had it on silent. I must not have seen it. I didn’t see it when I called you…”

  “When did you call?”

  “I don’t know…a few hours ago, I guess,” I said, sounding down.

  “Why did you call? Are you okay? Did your social worker help you? You told her the truth, right?”

  “I told her everything was fine.”

  He sighed. “I sent you the text so that you’d tell her the truth. You just played along again? Abby, I’m not there now to protect you from them. I wanted you to tell her the truth, so you can get out of there!”

  “I couldn’t.”

  “She’s not going to send you somewhere bad. You need to call her and tell her you lied…that you were just afraid of going someplace worse.”

  “I’m okay, Kellan. Really. You don’t have to worry about me.”

  “Abby, please call her. I can’t do it for you again. If we’re both telling her two different things, then how is she ever going to know the truth?”

  “The truth is, I’m okay here. They don’t bother me. I barely see them. I’m fine. When are you going to come and visit?” I asked, trying to avoid more questions.

  “Next month. I have something for you,” he said, sounding excited.

  “It’s not another book, is it?” I asked, wondering where Nancy hid the book she took from me.

  “No, it’s not a book. But, did you get around to reading the one I left you?” he asked, quietly.

  “Most of it.”

  “Well, finish it. I don’t want you to find yourself in a situation you’re not prepared for.”

  “I won’t. But, Nancy found it and took it.”

  “Damn her! I’ll send you another one…”

  “It’s okay. I think I got the idea…”

  “You can always talk to Brianna if…”

  “Yeah, okay,” I interrupted, not wanting to continue this conversation.

  “I wish you’d talk to Miss Wilson. Tell her the truth. It’ll be okay, I promise,” he said, obviously as happy to be off the subject of the sex book as I was.

  “Kellan, Nancy said…” I wanted to ask him if it was true, if she could send him to jail with her lies.

  “What?”

  “Oh, nothing. It doesn’t matter.”

  “What did she say, Abby?”

  “Nothing. She just said that I had to tell Miss Wilson that I was…happy.” It wasn’t a lie, she did say that.

  “You need to call her and tell her the truth. You don’t have to stay there, Abby.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll stay here and wait for you. How would you find me if I was sent to live somewhere else?”

  “I’ll always know where you are.”

  “I wish I could…”

  “You wish you could what?”

  “Nothing.”

  “I wish you could live with us, too,” he said, knowing me all too well.

  “Oh, yeah, Brianna would love me hanging around.”

  “Brianna likes you. You just need to give her a chance.”

  “I will. I know you…love her, so I’ll give her a chance.”

  “Keep an eye out for my text’s okay?”

  “I will. I have to keep my phone on silent…I don’t want Nancy to find it. She’ll gamble it away,” I giggled.

  “You’re too much. I’ll talk to you soon, and I’ll see you in a month.”

  “Okay.”

  The next four weeks dragged on slowly. I couldn’t wait to see Kellan, and every day lasted longer than the day before.

  “You must be happy. He’ll be here tomorrow,” Tyler said, reminding me of Kellan’s imminent arrival.

  “I know, and I can’t wait to see him. I miss him so much.”

  “Yeah, I know. You tell me that, like, every day!” Tyler said, sounding jealous.

  “Come on Tyler, you know he’s important to me.”

  “I know, but you make him sound like he’s your only friend.”

  “Well, besides you, he is. He’s the only one I’ve ever truly been able to count on. The only one who really cares about me.”

  “Oh, and I don’t?” he asked sarcastically.

  “Well, yeah you do too, but he’s…”

  “He’s what?”

  “He’s really special to me. I love him…I mean…like a big brother,” I stammered.

  “Yeah, right; girls always write their brother’s names in their notebooks over and over again. Why don’t you just admit it?”

  “Admit what?”

  “You love him,” he spat.

  “I already said I did.”

  “Yeah, but you don’t love him like a big brother…do you?” he asked, accusingly.

  “We’re not related…by blood, or anything else. And, maybe I do love him…more than…oh, it’s none of your business. Besides, no matter how I love him, he loves Brianna, and she’s beautiful, and she has big…” I blushed and stopped myself before I said something I really regretted.

  “She has big what?” Tyler asked.

  “Nothing,” I said, staring down at my 32A chest that hadn’t changed at all since the previous summer. I was still wearing the two bras Ke
llan bought me, and unfortunately they still fit…loosely.

  “Oh, I see.”

  “You see what?” I snapped.

  “Yours will grow.”

  “Shut up!” I snapped, but secretly hoped he was right.

  “It’s no big deal. So, you’re a late bloomer.”

  “Why do I call you my friend?” I asked, irritated with him.

  “Because we’re misfits, and we belong together. Because I…”

  “Because you what?” I asked just before the bell rang and we had to go to separate classes.

  “Because…I like you,” he said, looking down at his half eaten plate of chicken surprise.

  “I like you, too. Even if you are infuriating,” I said, missing his true meaning.

  “No, I mean…” The bell rang, so he didn’t finish his sentence. I was clueless to his feelings for me, never dreaming that he could feel more than just friendship where I was concerned. I was too wrapped up in Kellan’s’ return to care about anything else, so instead of asking him to finish his sentence, I told him I’d see him later and ran off to my next class. Each class brought me one step closer to Thanksgiving break and more importantly, one hour closer to Kellan.

  KELLAN’S HOME!

  The Benson’s took me to the airport with them to pick up Kellan and Brianna. I was so excited to see him I almost knocked him over when I ran at him and jumped into his arms.

  “Hey Squirt, I missed you, too!” he laughed and pulled me close for a hug.

  “How’s school? Do you like Connecticut? Is there a lot of snow? What’s your favorite class?” I asked, bombarding him with a ton of questions all at once.

  “Abby, we talk all the time; you already know all of that. I want to hear about you,” he asked once we were settled in the back of the Benson’s car and I had managed to squeeze in between him and Brianna.

  “There’s nothing new with me. I just missed you.”

  “How’s school?” he asked.

  “It’s okay.”

  “How are your grades?” he asked with raised eyebrows, knowing that good grades had never been my strong suit.