“It’s a little smudged, here.” Rylee pulled a compact from her purse and took out the black mascara she’d brought. “Fix your mascara and your powder and you’ll be fine.”
Karla pulled her own compact from her pocket and fixed her makeup quickly. With Callie on one side and Rylee on the other she walked back into the dance. Her eyes immediately found Conner. He was back at their table talking to Chase and Dominic. When they reached the table Callie pulled Chase to his feet and Rylee did the same with Dominic. They went to dance and left Conner and Karla alone again.
“Conner….ummm….” Karla cleared her throat.
“Karla, would you like to dance?” Conner blurted out before Karla had the chance to start again.
“Yes. I would love to dance.”
Conner’s face lit up in a huge smile. He grabbed her hand and they walked out on the dance floor just as Never Stop by SafetySuit started playing. Conner smiled down at Karla as they started to move together on the dance floor. He loved this song and thought it was perfect for how he felt about Karla. She is the only one he’s never been able to stop thinking about. His only fear was that she didn’t feel the same.
“I love this song. Andrew plays it for Leslie all the time on his guitar. He’s very talented and has promised to teach me to play when he gets time. They’re a great couple.”
“I love this song too. It’s a favorite of mine.”
They danced quietly until the song ended and shifted to fast rock again. They danced through that song and the next before they left the dance floor and got some punch. When they sat at the table together Conner grabbed Karla’s hand for a minute and looked into her eyes. “Thank you for dancing with me Karla.”
“Thank you for asking me Conner.” Karla smiled and released Conner’s hand when Callie, Chase, Rylee and Dominic approached the table.
“It’s almost nine Karla. Leslie will be here any minute to get us. Are you two ready to go?” Rylee said with a smile on her face.
“Umm.. yeah. I didn’t realize it was so late.” Karla answered as she grabbed her purse and stood up.
They walked out the school doors as Leslie pulled to a stop in front of them. Callie hugged Chase and Rylee hugged Dominic before they all loaded into the SUV. After they dropped Rylee, Conner and Callie at their houses and were almost home Leslie glanced over at Karla. “Did you have a good time?”
“I had the best time. I danced with a guy from my Algebra and Lit classes named Evan and I danced with Conner.”
“Oh really? Is Conner a good dancer?”
“He’s an excellent dancer. We danced to Never Stop and during the song he was looking at me like he was trying to silently tell me something. Leslie I really like Conner, but I am so scared that something will happen and our group will fall apart if we ever become more than friends.”
“That’s a valid fear honey.” Leslie responded as she stopped the SUV in the garage and shut the garage door. “The only advice I can give you is take it slow and see what happens.”
“Thanks Leslie.” Karla said as they walked in the house through the kitchen. “I’m going to go shower this makeup and hair spray out then go to bed. Thank you for taking us all tonight. Good night. I love you.”
“You’re welcome honey. Good night and I love you too.”
After she had showered and was in her pajamas she checked her cell phone. There was a text from Rylee, one from Callie and one from Conner. She opened Rylee’s first.
OMG!! Dominic just texted me and asked me to be his girlfriend.
Karla smiled and texted back; That is AWESOME!! I’m happy for you. We’ll talk tomorrow at the Newberry’s Halloween party. Good night Rylee.
Rylee’s response came within seconds; We definitely will. I saw you and Conner holding hands ;) ;) Way To Go!!
Karla rolled her eyes and opened Callie’s text. Are you and Con going out?? I saw you holding hands.
She rolled her eyes again and chucked a little. Those two didn’t miss anything. He was just thanking me for the dances. No big deal! We’ll talk tomorrow at your party. I’m beat and already in bed. Good night Cal.
You can count on us talking tomorrow. Night Karla
She hesitated a minute before she opened Conner’s text. When she did she smiled. Thank you for the dances. You made an AMAZING Storm. I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night Karla.
You made a pretty good Wolverine yourself. I had fun dancing with you. I’ll see you tomorrow. Night Conner.
After she hit send she got up, put her phone to charge and crawled back into bed. She lay there for a few minutes remembering how Conner’s hand had felt in hers. When she fell asleep she dreamed of them dancing together again.
Chapter Forty-Seven
The next morning when Karla went downstairs she heard voices coming from the kitchen. She recognized Leslie’s and Andrew’s immediately, but couldn’t place the other voice. It was a male voice and she knew she’d heard it somewhere, but she didn’t know where.
“I can’t thank you enough for doing this for us Andrew. I know how much Rylee likes staying here and y’all are the first ones I thought of when we got the news yesterday.”
“Hey, what’s going on?” She asked as she entered the kitchen. She immediately recognized Nathan, Rylee’s step-dad, as the mystery voice.
“Karla, you know Mr. Parks, Rylee’s step-dad right?” Leslie asked in a calm voice.
“Yes, I know who he is. What’s going on?” She asked again.
“Well Karla. Last week I took Mrs. Parks to the doctor, she’s been hurting really bad and we wanted to find out what was causing it. They did some x-rays and an MRI to see what they could find. We got the results back yesterday.”
“Okay. Would you please answer my question? What’s going on?”
“Wow, you’re a lot like Rylee. I can’t beat around the bush with you either. The doctor thinks Helen has cervical cancer and she needs to go into the hospital to have it biopsied. I came over to see if Rylee can stay here for a couple of nights while we’re at the hospital.”
“How’s Rylee?” Karla was immediately concerned for her best friend.
“She’s handling it like she does everything. I swear if I didn’t know she was only fourteen I’d swear she was older.”
“What about Harper, Ryan, Jenn and Jess? Where are they going?”
“Jess and Jenn are staying with their friend Monica and Ryan is staying with a friend as well. Harper is the only one I haven’t found a place for yet. She’s two and we really don’t feel comfortable leaving her over night with just anyone.”
“She can stay here.” Leslie spoke up. “I’m home all day so it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“Are you sure? She’s a handful sometimes.”
“Yes I’m sure. I’ll have Rylee and Karla to help at night and probably Conner and Callie too. I promise you that it won’t be a problem.”
“Alright. I’ll get everything set up and we’ll see y’all Sunday night.”
“See you then Nathan. Tell Helen that we’ll be praying for good news.”
“I will and thank y’all.” Mr. Parks said and walked out the door.
Once he was gone Karla looked at Leslie and Andrew. “I’m going to get my phone. I’ll be right back.”
Karla sent Rylee a text before she went back downstairs. Need to talk? I’m here if you do.
As her feet hit the bottom step her phone signaled Rylee’s reply. I’m still trying to process everything. Can Leslie pick me up today on the way to the Newberry’s? We’ll talk when we get there. I want to talk to all of you at once.
I’m sure she can. I’m so sorry Rylee. I’ll wait until you’re ready to talk. I love you.
I love you too Karla. Thanks for being here. That means everything to me.
Rylee, you’re my best friend. I’ll always be here, no matter what.
I’ll see you in a couple hours. Nathan just got back and wants to talk to all of us again.
Okay. We’ll pick you
up later. Bye
Okay. Bye.
“Leslie, do you mind picking Rylee up when you take me to the Newberry’s later?”
“You know I don’t. Is she okay?”
“She didn’t say much, but I know she’s freaking out on the inside.”
“I bet she is. How are you?” Andrew asked with a worried look on his face.
“I’m okay. Just worried about Rylee. She’d be devastated if something happened to her mom.”
“I know sweetie. We’ll be here for her.” Leslie reassured her.
“Yes we will.” Andrew agreed.
“Thank you both. I love you.” Karla walked over and wrapped her arms around Leslie and motioned for Andrew to join them. When he wrapped his arms around them both she had never felt safer in her life.
Chapter Forty-Eight
A couple hours later Leslie and Karla pulled into the driveway of Rylee’s house. Mrs. Parks walked out with Rylee. “Thank you so much for volunteering to keep Rylee, as well as Harper, for us. I don’t know what’s going to happen over the next few days, but I’m glad to know that I won’t have to worry about my girls as much.”
Leslie got out of the car and shut the door. After the girls climbed into the back she looked at Mrs. Parks. “Helen, we’re happy to help. If the situation were reversed you’d do the same. Rylee is Karla’s best friend and I know Karla will be happy to have her with us for as long as needed.”
“Yes we would. I’d better let y’all go. These girls have a party to get too.” Mrs. Parks looked at Leslie. “Thank you again Leslie. We really do appreciate it. Without you and Andrew, Nathan wouldn’t be able to stay at the hospital with me. I am so scared. I don’t want Rylee, Ryan and Harper left without their mother.”
“I know Helen. Just keep positive thoughts that it isn’t cancer until you know otherwise.”
“Now you sound like Nathan. He’s telling me to stay positive too.”
“That’s all you can do until you know. Anyway, after I drop these two off I’m going to the store to stock up on their favorite snacks. Is there anything special I need to get for Harper?”
“No, we’ll bring everything she needs. Thank you again.”
“I’m happy to help.” Leslie climbed back into the car then and looked at the girls through the rearview mirror. “You two ready to go?”
“Yeah, we’re ready.” Karla answered as Rylee sat there silently.
A few minutes later they were in front of the Newberry’s. It had been a silent ride and Karla was worried about her friend. “Thanks Leslie. I’ll call you when we’re ready to leave.” Karla said quietly as she followed Rylee out of the car. “That may not be very long though.”
“I have my cell so just call when you’re ready. Keep an eye on her. I’m really worried.”
“I definitely will. I’m worried too.”
When they opened the gate Kane and Abel bounded over to them. Rylee patted them each on the head before she continued to the front porch steps. Now Karla was even more worried about her because Rylee loved those two and always played with them.
The front door opened as they climbed the steps and Callie walked out. One look at Rylee turned her happy expression to one of worry. “What’s wrong?”
Karla shook her head. “Rylee will tell you and Conner when we’re inside and upstairs. Can we go to your room? It’ll be more private there.”
“Yeah. Sure. Come on.” Callie led the way to her room. She stopped and knocked on the door beside hers. “Con can you come to my room please? Ry and Karla are here and need to talk to us.”
Conner poked his head out. “Yeah, just let me grab a shirt and I’ll be right there.”
By the time Conner joined them a minute later they were all sitting on Callie’s bed. Rylee was in the middle with Karla on her right and Callie on her left. Conner grabbed the chair from the desk and sat it in front of Rylee. They sat there quietly and waited for Rylee to begin.
“My mom has been having severe cramping and pain in her abdomen and back lately, mostly during that time of the month. It’s been going on for about a year, but she just thought it was from having her tubes tied after she had Harper. The past few months it’s gotten worse and a couple of weeks ago she started hurting all the time. She pretty much hid it from us until Nathan came home from work early and found her in bed curled into a ball crying, my mom doesn’t cry.” She paused and wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Nathan finally made her go to the doctor. She went last week and they took x-rays and did an MRI, the results came in yesterday. The MRI showed a large mass on her cervix. She has to go into the hospital on Monday to have a biopsy and she’ll have to stay one or two days after.”
Karla scooted closer to Rylee and wrapped her in a comforting hug. “Rylee and Harper are going to be staying at my house for a few days while Mrs. Parks is in the hospital. Mr. Parks wants to be there with her so they’re all going to be temporarily scattered.”
Conner stood up and grabbed a box of tissues off the dresser and handed them to Rylee before he sat back down and took her hand. “We’re here Ry. No matter what you need, we’ll be here.”
Callie leaned closer to Rylee and wrapped her arms around Karla’s. “Con’s right. No matter what you need we’ll be here.”
“I’m so scared. My mom has always been my rock. She’s always been the one that held Ryan and me together. What’s going to happen to us if we lose her?” Tears streaked down her face as sobs shook her body. Callie, Karla and Conner held on to her as she cried.
As the sobs started to become less intense Callie whispered. “Don’t think like that Ry, Keep positive thoughts until we know what’s going on. We’ll all keep thinking positively.”
“Yes we will. She’ll be home Tuesday or Wednesday and they should have the results by early next week. I talked to Andrew and he said that she has one of the best oncologists in Nashville. Andrew’s known him for years.”
“Her doctor is one of the best and not just in Nashville, but in Tennessee. I Googled him this morning after mom and Nathan told us everything. He has fifteen years of experience in oncology and the past ten of those have been focused on Cervical and Ovarian cancer. I guess it’s good that Nathan works at one of the best hospitals in the state and knows where to turn when he needs the best.”
“Yeah really.” Callie began. “Isn’t it ironic that we’re best friends and the adult males in our lives all work together?”
“Yeah it is.” Karla replied, picking up on what Callie was doing. “I’m glad they know each other, it makes life easier for us.”
“Ry?” Conner said tentatively. “Have you talked to Dominic yet? He’s supposed to be here in a few minutes and I can go down and get him if you want. He needs to know about this too.”
“No. I haven’t told him yet. I wanted to tell you three first. I’ll be down in a few minutes though and I’ll talk to him. I just want to wash my face first.”
“Okay. I’ll see you downstairs.” He said before he wrapped her in a hug so tight she thought he was going to crush her. When he released her he walked out of the room to find his dad.
“Want us to wait for you?” Karla asked after Conner had left.
“No. I’ll be okay. I’ll see you downstairs in a few minutes.”
“If you’re sure then we’ll leave you alone, but if you aren’t down in ten minutes Callie and I are coming looking for you. Got it?”
Rylee smiled for the first time that day at the expression on Karla’s face. “Got it. Thanks for being here.”
“Always, Rylee. Always.” Karla said then followed Callie from the room.
Rylee went into the adjoining bathroom and washed her face, applied some mascara and lip gloss, and walked out of the room and downstairs. As long as she had faith and her friends she knew she’d get through this.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Rylee found Dominic as soon as she made it outside and pulled him into the kitchen. “I need to talk to you about som
ething really important.”
“Umm.. Ok. What’s going on Rylee?”
They sat at the table and Rylee told him everything that’s going on with her mom. When she finished talking Dominic stood up and grabbed Rylee’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “I know we just started going out, but I want you to know that I’ll be here to support you through this. I’m so sorry you’re having to go through this.”
At Dominic’s words Rylee burst into tears and he pulled her into a hug and held her until her tears stopped. “Thank you Dominic. I don’t know what I’d do without the support I’m getting from you and my friends.”
“I have a confession to make. I have liked you since seventh grade, but was too scared to say anything. I’m so glad you went to the dance with me.”
“I have a confession too. I’ve liked you since seventh grade too.” Rylee gave him a watery smile and laid her head on his chest. “Thank you for being here.”
“I’ve always been here, you just didn’t know it.”
“Rylee, Dominic, are you in here?” Karla poked her head in through the back door.
“Yeah Karla. We’re in here.” Rylee answered.
“Okay. I’ll leave you alone. I was just making sure you were okay.”
“We’ll be out in a minute.”
“Alright. Chase just got here and Callie was wanting us six to sit together.”
“Okay. We’ll be right out.”
Karla didn’t say anything else before they heard the soft click of the door shutting. “We’d better get out there before they send a search party.” Dominic said with a smile. He truly liked Rylee and her friends.
“Ha ha.. You’re funny.” Rylee teased him. “They won’t send a search party, just a big brother figure. I don’t want to worry Dr. and Mrs. Newberry though so we’d better get out there.”
When they walked outside Dominic reached down and took her hand. She smiled at him and walked to the table where her friends sat. “Hey guys. How’s it going?” She said as she looked at her best friends.
A New Beginning (The Second Chance Series Book 1) Page 14