“She probably felt sorry for him?” Christian suggested, shrugging his shoulders while Avery rolled his eyes.
“They did date briefly last year, I also believe,” Ryder tried to recall her sister’s dating history
The brothers see the mischievous look on Avery's eyes.
“I know that look,” Ryder begins to say.
Avery smirks, coming up with a plan inside his head. “I just found our way in, boys.”
Ryder and Christian stared at each other with curiosity forming in their minds as to what he meant by that.
Chapter 5
Since he had a free period, Flynn thought he might as well check out the tutor and get this torment over with. He knew this wasn't going to end well. To his surprise, he found himself walking to where the library was.
“Kate?” He blinked to make sure this is the right place. The library is one of those places, he'd never be in.
The smell of his cologne made her tilt-up in his direction. “Flynn, right?”
He nodded with a coy smile that formed his lips. She glanced up at him and fluttered her lashes. Most of the girls in school had gossiped about him, as she heard rumors about his reputation. The stories didn’t do him justice when you saw him in person.
“Yeah, you uh, tutor here?” He muttered and wanted to make sure he was in the right place.
Kate nodded. “You need something? I’ve never seen you in the library before.” She joked, of course, but he knew she was correct about it.
His nervousness laugh made her smile. He was cute when he got embarrassed.
Flynn became mesmerized by her smart innocence, and he couldn't pull away. “No, you're right, I didn't know where this place was if it wasn’t for Caden. I'm here because I'm on thin ice with Peyton's class, and she offered me a deal,” he explained his true nature for being here. His mind raced with other thoughts about Kate. But he had been ambivalent about this setup. The other half of his mind was about his brother’s feelings. Caden won't mind, He thought to himself. She's a friend to him. He hasn’t made a move yet.
Her soothing voice this time broke his concentration. “Ah, gotcha,” she replied. “Well, I can tutor you two times a week if you like. It doesn't have to be at the library. How about at your place? I'm always there, anyway.” Kate suggested.
A smile appeared on both of their faces. Kate felt her cheeks blushed.
Flynn felt better about the work situation. The fewer questions he had to answer, the better. He nodded his head, to accept the proposal. “That could work for me. I'm sure Caden won't mind. I do want to apologize in advance, on how stupid I will be.”
Kate chuckled as some of her hair dropped against her cheek. He noticed and tucked it behind her ear.
“So ...” Kate began, the sound of the bell forced her to clear her throat, being the one to break it. She grabbed her backpack after she packed up. “I'll uh, see you later tonight?” Kate scurried away shortly afterward.
Flynn nodded like an imbecile, as he finally managed to compose himself. She was gone. Flynn sat on the desk with a frustrated sigh. What the hell is wrong with you? He mumbled and left the one place he has no business being in.
Later that night, Flynn heard the doorbell, which made him jump. He walked towards the door, as he tried to control his nerves, and mumbled under his breath. Get it together, man. One more deep breath, the door opened spotted, Kate.
She smiled once the door swung open. “H—hey,” she stammered. Her books felt moments later. Great job Lennox, Oh, yeah: she was nervous as he was. This was going to be a long, cringeworthy night.
As they reached for the same book, Flynn brushed his finger on hers and handed it back to her. He stepped aside to let her inside. “Come on in,” Flynn said, as she did.
Kate looked around the familiar house; she always felt safe here when she dropped by. She spotted from the corner of her eye the entrance of the spiral staircase, that headed upstairs. The spacious, lit living room was bare per usual. Kate saw the entranceway towards the kitchen on the opposite end. “Where's everybody?” She asked as she tried to make small talk.
He thought about it for a moment. “Eileen's upstairs, Torrie's out with a friend,”
“Hey guys,” Caden spooked them, as he came from his room. He saw the self-consciousness between both of them. “Did I interrupt something?” Caden asked and felt the tension.
Flynn said no. Flynn watched Kate excused herself into the kitchen to let them talk. “You remember that tutor crap situation?”
His brother nodded and put it together. “Oh, right, Kate tutors.” Caden realized how giddy it was for him.
Flynn mumbled “idiot” under his breath. “I got that now doofus,” an irritable Flynn muttered. “You mind staying? It's already weird between us.”
Caden chuckled, as he wanted to see this firsthand, in person. “Yeah, sure, why not. I want to see how you fall flat on your face anyway.” Caden teased.
Flynn shoved him into the living room. “Hope you don't mind an extra pair of hands with this one?”
Why did he ask him to stay? Kate came out of the kitchen for a soda. It was fine with her. She hoped things would be less bashfulness between the two. She hung out with Caden, not Flynn. So, this was weird for her too. “I get a feeling I need all the help I can get.”
Flynn felt his eyes roll out of annoyance and ignored Caden, who laughed. “Alright, are we finished with everybody gang up on ‘Flynn day’? I'd rather leave now before Torrie tries to roast me.”
“How's your mom?” Caden asked.
Kate smiled. “Good, she's working late tonight, so I'm glad to be here instead of at home,” she told him, as Caden knew her situation.
Caden knew she lived in a bad part of town, but Flynn did not yet know.
Flynn rubbed his eyes, exhausted. “Alright, I have a headache,” Flynn gave up and closed his book, all the words began to look like zigzags.
Caden realized how late it was after he lifted his tired head from the table.
“It’s almost midnight.” Kate yawned and stretched her stiff arms. “No wonder I'm exhausted.” She teased which he couldn't help but smile.
The brothers felt their feet drag towards the front door. “Kate, let me drive you home,” Flynn offered, as he didn't want her to walk home at this hour.
Caden excused himself and headed up to bed.
“I couldn't,” she started to say, as she heard the rumors about him and what to expect in return.
“I won't let you walk home this late. I'll even park behind the corner. All I want is to make sure you get home okay. Caden would kill me if something happened to you.”
Kate couldn't argue with him anymore. She sighed in defeat. “Alright, fine. I’d rather not wake my mother up anyway.” She usually came home around after one on double shifts.
He guided her towards the garage. Kate gave him the address. He drove as she felt her eyes close in an instant. He would watch her sleep for hours if he could. The moonlight caught her beauty; in a way, he never saw in any other woman he does go out with. She was the girl next door fantasy he dreamed of being with. It was a deadly combination that he wanted. Brains, beauty, and a gorgeous figure. He rarely got two out of three when it came to the women he hung out with. Flynn parked the car in front of a broken-down ransacked old apartment building. He shook his head in disbelief. No, this couldn’t be where she lived. Why didn't Caden tell me? Bars he noticed on windows—the ones that weren't shattered of course. Graffiti splattered every inch of the building. He wished the vile, scum landlord would fix this dump as he couldn’t figure out how Kate held her ground living in a drastic situation like this. It made her more alluring. All the years he knew of her, she was putting up with this hostile lifestyle. Flynn remained speechless, awe-struck of Kate's predicament.
《***》
“Kate,” he whispered, in a soothing tone. He caressed her cheek, which sent shivers down her spine.
> Kate groaned in exhaustion.
“We're here,” he told her.
She gave him a tired, lopsided smile. “Thanks, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?” She said, to which he nodded.
Hearing the tires squeal brought her out of thought. Watching him drive away, she shook her head and headed inside the apartment building. Unless one of her elderly neighbors needed to help or offered to babysit, she rarely spoke to anybody.
Chapter 6
Kasper walked along the isolated streets, following the spotlight was his only way to see. The midnight crept by him as he got lost in his world, thinking about the current events of his own relationship between Avery and himself.
Would he be able to turn on the only friend he knew? Would he listen to his mother's instinct and turn a new leaf? Ever since he bumped into Torrie, a new life without Avery sounded great. Tying up his loose ended before moving on, but he knew it wouldn’t be that easy. His gaze caught one of the local middle schools as he was walking home and started to recall how he and Avery met.
“We had a lot of good time's huh kid,” a familiar voice said, snapping him out of his train of thought.
Kasper gawked as he turned around, seeing Avery standing close by. “How'd you know where to find me?”
Avery tittered, sauntering up to him. “You should've known I have eyes and ears everywhere man. Nothing gets by me that I don't know about.” Or so he thought at least.
The boys share a heartwarming hug.
“Glad to have you back, Lockhart. Things haven't been the same without you.” Avery wasn't wrong with that.
Kasper took a sip of his beer. The liquor felt smoothly down his throat. One of the things he missed since getting out of the joint. He raised his brow, questioning his sanity. “If I didn't know any better I say you missed me?”
Avery snatched his beer back. He rarely expresses his true emotions. Deep down he accepted Lockhart as a brother figure. “You're cut off. Go home you're drunk.” Avery teased him a bit. Shoving him lightly away.
“Guess I didn't miss anything yet?”
Avery passed the beer bottle back to him, watching Kasper sit down on the sidewalk. Avery joined him, shaking his head. “Things have been pretty much dead quiet. You're welcome back at any time, you know that right?” Avery offered his spot back if he wanted it.
Kasper wasn't sure what he wanted. He felt his eyes lowered for a second. “You mind if I think about it?”
Avery shrugs, taking another sip of his drink. His expression hardens intrigued to see where his head is at. “You got a better offer or something?”
Kasper tittered lightly, finishing his beer. “I want to get my head back on straight. Figure out what my next step is you know?”
Avery accepts his decision. They rose back up to their feet, sharing another hug and released it. “Take all the time you need man. We ain't going anywhere. You need to talk; you know where to find me.” Patting him on the back.
Kasper watched him leave. From Avery's direction, he noticed the sun was starting to rise up, and figured if he wasn't home before Katrina woke up. Hell, he'd be in more trouble than before.
Realizing it was a little after five in the morning by the time he reached his house. He was able to sneak back inside through the side kitchen door. Yawning before total exhausted kicked into high gear. A chilly, eerie voice caught his attention.
“Kasper Theodore,”
Fear crossed his face. Crap, the middle name was yelling. How did she know?! He was careful, and he did everything by the book. Rubbing the back of his neck. “H-hey ma, you look lovely this morning.” He tried to play it by ear.
Katrina raised her eyebrow heavenward. Glancing at her wayward son. He never complimented her outfit before. “What did you do?”
Kasper checked his breath. Maybe she could smell the alcohol on my breath? He covered his mouth to check. No, that wasn't. It was the outfit thing, wasn't it? Of course, it was. Too much, Kasper.
Katrina's inscrutable face remained the same.
Muttering under his breath, until he broke the silence. “Nothing, ma, I did nothing.” He paused his train of thoughts hoping not to blurt any other details out. “I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk.” Was there any harm in that? The little she knew, the less severe punishment he was going to get.
Katrina let it slide for now. She was dealing with another issue on her plate. “I'll let it go for now,” Kasper breathed out a sigh of relief. “Do you know anything about why your brother is getting picked on in school?”
After taking a sip of his coffee, he stares vacantly at his mother. Katrina saw his flabbergasted look upon his face wishing Kasper knew something. He was her last hope trying to find out. “Vannie?” He thought. This was the first time he heard anything.
Katrina nods, rubbing the sides of her arms. “Hudson told me Vance's been getting into fights recently in school. He came home with a black eye.” Katrina added in an uneasy tone. Wondering if she should pull him out of school?
Kasper knows that doesn't sound like his brother. He was going to get to the bottom of this. “Want me to take care of it?”
Katrina smiles, feeling a bit better. He could always try to handle things on his own, especially when it came to Vance.
“Hudson's bringing him by today. Just don't push, okay?”
Kasper knew how to handle this. “Trust me, ma, I got this.” Kasper had a hunch on what the fighting was about. He had one shot at this. Hopefully, it doesn't backfire on him.
《***》
The same morning as scheduled, Hudson brought Vance over who already ran into the house. “Thanks for bringing him by,” Katrina said leaning against the doorway.
Hudson nods. She still took his breath away when he visited. He was glad they could remain civil after the divorce. “Yeah, maybe you'll have better luck. Lexi's at gymnastics practice for today.” He explained why the youngest wasn't with him.
“It's fine, did he tell you anything?” She tried to get some information out of her ex.
Hudson wished he had any news on his situation. From what the principal told him that caught him off guard. “He seemed fine, like always. You knew what kind of relationship we had Katrina. He rarely talked to me about his days at school. Vance never mentioned he had bullies, just wanted to know if Kasper was here.”
Kasper came downstairs after hearing his name. Failing to sleep last night trip down memory lane. He spots Hudson talking to his mom, which meant Vance was here.
“Kasper is hoping to get something out of him today,” Katrina explained, hoping it works.
From the corner of his eye, he spotted the man of the hour heading into the backyard. “If anybody can do it's him. You have my number if you need anything?”
Katrina lightly nods, watching him leave. She did at times felt guilty for leaving him. In the end, she knew it was the right call. Heading back into the kitchen she spots Kasper already outside approaching Vance carefully.
《***》
“Hey, Vannie … long time no see,” Kasper said. He assumed they had a great bond. Maybe not the best bonding experience like most brothers do. Nevertheless, he had his back no doubt about that. Kasper heard Vance let out a dejected sigh as his eyes heavenward into the sky. A bashful Vance sat down on the swing set.
Kasper peered over, leaning behind. May as well bite the bullet. One of us needs to bring it up. “I understand you want to shield everybody from this. You don't want to be a snitch. I get it, Vannie. But you know you can confide in me, right? You can tell me anything.” Kasper knelt in front of him, as he wanted his blithe little brother back.
A sullen Vance rolls his eyes, barely making eye contact with his big brother. Vance thought about it more. He was able to share in the past. Why was he shutting everybody out now? “Really?” He questioned his brother's loyalty.
Kasper raised his brow. It's working, but he's holding back. Why? “Of course, you can Vannie. You know th
at.” Come on Vannie you used to be able to trust me. What changed?
Forming a fist on the side of his hand. Vance ends up taking a cheap shot at his brother. Hitting him in the face. Kasper and Katrina were startled by the sudden strike. She shouldn't be spying, but she's worried about his well-being.
“Your angry I can understand that.” Kasper winced a bit, checking his mouth for any busted lips. He had an idea. “If that's what it takes, hit me.”
Vance stares at him blankly. This was a test or something. Vance assumed he wasn't serious.
True Love:Follow Your Heart Page 3