by A. L. Martin
I turned around once I got past the cafeteria doors, and I saw Sophie and Alexina following after me. “I’m sorry. When I heard him complaining about my cousin, it pissed me off. My cousin has been there for me when things have been really bad, and I won’t tolerate people complaining about him.”
“Karsyn, we told Braedon he had no right to complain about your cousin going. I mean it’s your cousin, not some other guy you want to date. I don’t know why he got so defensive about him going. Don’t let Braedon’s dumbass comments change your mind about the party. You should still go, and bring your cousin too.” Sophie wrapped her left arm around me.
“When are we going to meet your cousin?” Alexina asked.
“After school on Friday when you come to my house to get ready for the party. I am going to try and stay home tomorrow so I can spend some time with him.” I took off down the hall so I wouldn’t be late to my next class. The rest of the day, I made sure to avoid Braedon because I had nothing else to say to him. I should have asked him, but I honestly didn’t think he would have acted the way he did in the cafeteria. It’s not like I waited till he showed up at my door Friday to tell him my cousin was going. After my last class, I did see him down the hall from me. I went the other way, which took me longer to get to my Jeep.
Emerson was waiting for me at the Jeep annoyed, wondering what took me so long to get there.
“I took the long way out here to avoid Braedon.” I snapped.
“Oh shit! What happened?” Emerson asked, climbing in the Jeep.
“He got upset about Kurt going with us to the party. I don’t know why he got so mad about it.” I took off out of the school parking lot toward Starbucks. I needed an Iced Coffee to calm me down.
“You didn’t even ask him first before inviting Kurt? Karsyn, he has a right to be a little upset for the simple fact you didn’t even ask him.”
“Why am I listening to you? You don’t even have a boyfriend right now.” I huffed.
“Don’t come for me! I am not the one that left my date out of a decision. So, yeah, maybe you should listen to me because you are making a mess of things.”
I drove the rest of the way to Starbucks, not saying another word to Emerson. I didn’t want to admit she was right about me making a mess of things with Braedon. My silence was probably already letting her know that she was right. I had only known him a little under two weeks, but I knew I didn’t want to be without him. If I hadn’t become friends with Alexina and Sophie, then I would have never gone shopping with them for my costume, which was the first time I saw Braedon in his tight blue jeans.
I ordered our drinks and got something for Kurt, hoping that he still liked Frappuccinos. I pulled into the drive and saw Braedon’s truck. I didn’t want to talk to him, and I definitely didn’t want to hear anything he had to say.
“Well, look who’s here to see you, even after you decided to exclude him from the decision about Kurt,” Emerson smarted off, walking into the house.
I followed a few feet behind her, hoping to waste time before dealing with Braedon.
I walked into the house and heard laughter coming from the family room. I sat Kurt’s drink on the island next to mine, as I looked into the family room where Braedon and Kurt were laughing. “Hey, Cuz! You have a great guy here. He told me what happened today at school.” Kurt’s eyebrow raised.
“What did he tell you?” I snapped, glaring over at Braedon.
“He told me that you went a little psycho on him, and didn’t give him a chance to explain. That was pretty much it.”
“So, you thought it would be a great idea to come to my house and get my cousin on your side?” I yelled.
“I was hoping to talk to you, but you weren’t here. So, your cousin told me I could come in and wait for you. You never gave me a chance to explain; you just assumed I was mad.” Braedon said, getting up off the loveseat. “Can we talk? Please?”
I stood there, looking back and forth between Braedon and Kurt. Kurt finally motioned for me to go talk to Braedon. I pointed to Kurt’s drink on the counter as I headed out of the kitchen with Braedon so we could talk. As we walked outside, the idea ran through my mind that maybe now would be a good time to tell him about me, but then again, it could blow up in my face.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” I asked.
“Why are you so mad at me, Karsyn? Kurt agreed that you should have at least ran it by me before you invited him. I had no problems with him coming with us. I admit I was a little shocked when you flat out told me he was going at Gaston. I assumed he would be dressing up as something different is all. You got pissed and wouldn’t let me explain my side.”
I was trying hard to stay mad at Braedon, but he looked damn good in his tight Levi jeans and form-fitting, long sleeved, grey and black T-shirt. I stood there looking at him, wondering if I should go ahead and tell him everything. I looked down at my feet and when I raised my head back up, Braedon had moved closer to me. We were maybe a couple of inches away from each other’s lips, standing there, staring into one another’s eyes. He leaned down closer, and the touch of his lips on mine woke up every nerve in my body. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he pulled me closer to him. I wished it would have lasted longer, but my Mom pulling in the driveway put an end to our first kiss.
“Hi, Braedon. Are you staying for dinner?” my mom asked on her way to the front door.
“Thank you, Mrs. Alexander. I will let my mom know that you invited me to stay for dinner.”
We stayed outside for a few more minutes, then went back in to join everyone else in the family room. Braedon sat down on the loveseat next to the couch and started talking to Kurt, while I went into the kitchen to help Mom get dinner started. We decided on spaghetti and homemade meatballs and garlic bread. I helped mom get everything out for the meatballs, then walked around the island and sat down on the middle stool to watch her. She didn’t like anyone helping her make meatballs, so most of the time I would sit there quietly. I watched her add an egg, then mix it in before adding the bread crumbs. I had to admit, I loved to sit and watch mom cook. I hoped one day I would be able to copy her recipes just from watching her all these years.
“Do you care if I help with dinner too?” Braedon asked, wrapping his arms around my shoulders.
“Sure!” Mom smiled.
Kurt and Emerson did the dishes after dinner, while Braedon and I sat on the loveseat for a little bit. A couple of times I came close to telling him about me, but each time I turned to look into his piercing blue eyes and the words would escape me. The longer I waited to tell him, the greater the chance of him not forgiving me. I made myself a promise right then and there that I would tell him this weekend after the party. Right now, I just wanted to enjoy being here with him. We talked to Mom and Dad for a little bit, before Braedon had to head home and I needed to do some homework.
First, I needed to try and talk my parents into letting me stay home tomorrow so I could spend some time with Kurt. I walked back into the family room, sat back down on the loveseat, trying to not look at my parents as I turned toward them.
I raised my head slowly to find my mom sitting there looking at me with a smirk on her face, while dad sat there watching TV ignoring what was going on around him.
“I want to talk to you both for a minute before I go start on my homework. I was wondering if I could stay home tomorrow and spend time with Kurt. You both know I don’t normally ask to stay home from school for no reason, but I really want to spend time with him tomorrow. So, can I please stay home tomorrow?” I sat there, playing with a strand of my hair that was hanging down beside my face.
Mom looked at me, then over at Dad, tilting her head slightly. They did their little secret communication back and forth of quick looks and head tilts. “I don’t see anything wrong with you staying home and visiting with Kurt. You could use some distraction and fun.” Mom smiled.
I jumped up, wrapping my arms around her. “Thank you, Mom. I am stil
l going to do my homework so it will be done for Friday when I go back to school.
****
I woke up to Mom yelling at Emerson to hurry up or else she was going to make her walk to school. I knew Mom would never make her walk to school, and Emerson knew this too. After a few more shouts back and forth, I heard the front door close. I knew Kurt was either still asleep or going back to sleep in the guest bedroom. I texted Braedon to let him know that I wouldn’t be at school today and that I would see him tomorrow. I laid my phone down, about to fall back to sleep, when it vibrated on my nightstand.
Is everything okay?
I sent a quick text telling him that everything was fine and that I was just spending the day with Kurt. I laid my phone back down and waited a few minutes before rolling over in hopes of getting a few more hours of sleep.
“Hey, Karsyn. It’s ten o’clock. I thought maybe we could go get something to eat at Downtown Mall for lunch and talk,” Kurt said from my door.
“What time is it?”
“It’s ten.”
“I didn’t want to sleep this late. Give me about 30 minutes to get ready and we can go get something to eat.” I stretched, almost falling off my bed.
I walked into the kitchen to get a quick drink of juice. “Are you ready to go get something to eat?”
“Yeah, I’m starving.” Kurt got up off the couch, heading to the hallway to get his shoes.
“What sounds good to you? I am in the mood for a good burger.”
“That sounds good.” I walked over to put my glass in the sink. We went out to the Jeep and headed for Downtown Mall. We talked about the family and how they missed us all but understood why we had to move away. Kurt told me that some of my old friends still asked about me from time to time, and how they shouldn’t have turned their backs on me when the truth came out. I asked him how he responded to their questions. He told me that he let them know they had lost the right to ask how I was doing when they decided to dump me as a friend. Kurt always had my back, and I think that is why I went a little bonkers when I thought Braedon was mad about him going with us. I paused for a few minutes, trying to find the words for what I wanted to say next. He knew exactly what I was thinking. “Yes, I put fresh daisies on Rylee’s grave every other week for you.” He placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Thank you,” I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes. I missed Rylee so much, now more than ever. I could use some of her Rylee wisdom. She knew exactly what to say to me during times like these. She could always calm down, even when my life seemed to be in complete chaos.
“When are you going to tell Braedon about your visions? Aunt Jenna told me they were back,” Kurt said, glancing over at me.
“I will tell him,” I said, clutching the steering wheel. “I just want a few more days of being normal, and him not being afraid of me. You know he will run the minute he finds out that I have visions about death. If people aren’t scared of me, then they are bombarding me with a ton of questions about my visions and whose death is next. It gets old after a while.”
“You can’t keep it from him forever. You have to tell him if you want to have any kind of relationship with him. He’s definitely not going to stick around if he finds out from someone else.”
I knew Kurt was right, and I was running out of time before my secret was exposed to the people of Charlottesville. “I hope you are ready for the best burger ever,” I said as I parked on a side street.
We made our way through Downtown Mall fairly quickly because I was starving and wanted to eat first before any shopping was to be done. Even though they were pretty busy, we were seated without having to wait a long time. Kurt and I talked about the party on Friday night and all the people that were going to be there. I filled him in about Blair and her minions, and how they would make my life a living hell when everyone found out about me.
Chapter 7
I got up earlier than normal, so I could get everything ready for after school. I dug out my costume from the back of the closet and hung it on my door. I set out all the makeup Sophie would need for later. I took one look around at everything before taking a shower.
“Karsyn! Hurry up! I have to get in there and get ready for school too,” Emerson yelled through the closed bathroom door.
Now, she knew how I felt most of the time when trying to get ready for school in the mornings. She made us late a majority of the time. It was my turn today. I got out of the shower, thinking she was back in her room when she started banging on the door again. I stood there quietly with my hand over my mouth, trying to muffle the sound of my laugh. I failed miserably, because the next thing I knew, she started yelling that she could hear me laughing. I opened the door about five minutes later to find Emerson still standing there, her eyebrows furrowed together to the point it made her look like she had a unibrow, which made me laugh even more.
“Really? Just get out of my way!” Emerson screamed as I stood there in her way, still giggling. She slammed the door shut, and I’m sure she could hear my giggling all the way back to my room. I got dressed before fixing my hair and makeup. I had decided on a pair of black leggings, with a long cream color shirt and a burgundy scarf. I had to leave my hair down so Emerson could fix it before the party. I was about to walk out of my bedroom when Emerson opened the door.
“Hey, do you still need me to fix your hair tonight before the party? If not, I was going to go to my friend’s house. If you do, then I need to tell her I will be over afterwards.”
“Could you fix my hair?” I smiled.
“Yes. Do you care if she comes over while I fix your hair?”
“I don’t care, but I’m not the one you need to be asking. You need to ask Mom before she leaves for work.”
We paused for a minute, as we heard Mom’s heels click across the hallway floor downstairs. She was minutes away from leaving for work. Emerson yelled for Mom to wait as she spun around, heading for the stairs. I grabbed my book bag hanging up beside my closet door, and headed downstairs. Emerson and Mom were at the bottom of the stairs talking. Mom was dressed in one of her charcoal business suits with what looked like a purple scoop neck shirt underneath. Her hair was up in a ponytail accentuating her small stud earrings. “Emerson asked me if her friend Allison Bennett from school could come over. I told her it was up to you since Emerson is supposed to do your hair for the party tonight.”
“I told her I didn’t care, but she had to make sure it was okay with you first,” I said, walking towards the kitchen. I didn’t have time to fix myself a bowl of fruit, so I grabbed a glass of juice. Mom yelled, “Have a good day,” as she walked out the front door. Emerson walked into the kitchen to make sure I was okay with Allison coming home with us after school. Again, I told her I didn’t care if she came over, but I didn’t want her going through my stuff. Emerson raised an eyebrow. “Why would she go through your stuff?”
“You know what I mean. I don’t want her asking questions about the picture of me and Rylee.” I glared at her.
“Maybe she won’t ask anything about the picture. Did you ever think about that?” Emerson smarted off, walking out of the kitchen.
The morning went by faster than I had anticipated, which was a huge plus because it was time for lunch. I knew Braedon would be waiting for me by the cafeteria so we could walk in together. That had become a daily routine for us, and one of the few things I looked forward to. Alexina and Sophie were already in the lunchroom, trying to decide what to get for lunch. They were looking back and forth between what was being served that day and the salad bar. I glanced at a tray as some kid passed by me, and I wasn’t quite sure what type of meat was on the tray. It had the same shape and consistency of meatloaf, but I don’t think that is what it was. Braedon walked over to get his lunch, and I walked over to get my usual salad.
“Hey, Karsyn. What time do you want us over today?” Alexina asked grabbing a salad plate.
“Why don’t you both grab your costumes and head over to my house as soo
n as you can get there after school? That way we can order a pizza before we start getting ready for the party.”
I gave them my address again in case they needed it and told them that Emerson and her friend Allison would be there too. Alexina agreed that Emerson helping me get ready would help out a lot. She could do Sophie’s hair, and then her own. We started talking about who we all thought would be there, and what their costumes would be. I couldn’t wait to see Braedon dressed up as Beast and Kurt as Gaston.
Emerson asked if we could give Allison a ride to our house, or else she wouldn’t be able to come over right away to help with things. Allison looked so pale standing next to Emerson.
I asked them both a couple of times if Allison’s parents knew she was riding home with us. The last thing I needed right now were parents going off on me about driving their daughter around without them knowing about it. Allison even went as far as to call her mom in the car so I knew she was okay with me driving Allison to our home.
On the way home, we ran by the store to pick up juice and bottled water, along with some snack foods. I didn’t have time to waste in the store because I knew Alexina and Sophie would be there soon. I had to yell at Allison and Emerson to quit taking off down the aisles so we could get to the house. Luckily for them, we didn’t have to wait long in the check-out line. By the time we got to the house and carried the stuff inside. I heard Alexina and Sophie pull up in the driveway. I went to open the front door for them, when I was met by Kurt walking down the stairs, smelling like coastal air, and his hair was slightly damp. “Who’s here?” he asked, standing on the bottom stair.
“My friends, Alexina Mayer and Sophie Grey. They are going to get ready for the party here in a little bit after I order us some pizza,” I smiled as I opened the door. Alexina and Sophie each had their arms full, carrying costumes and duffle bags. I told them they could take their stuff into the family room, pointing them down the hall in that direction. Sophie came in first, walking right past Kurt still standing on the stairs, but Alexina noticed him right away. She stopped so abruptly in her steps that she dropped her costume on the floor. Kurt stepped down to pick it up for her. Alexina’s eyes followed his every move. I wanted to tell her she didn’t have a chance with my cousin, but I couldn’t bring myself to ruin her short-lived happiness.