Chapter 42

(written by Lacy)

"I never planned on being like this, you know," she said suddenly, causing Kevin to look over at her as she sat down in the grass that was wet from the dew. Yet he didn't say anything, he just walked around her and sat down across from her on the wet grass. "When I was 8 years old I wore a size 10 jeans... in womens. I weighed 135 pounds... at the age of 8! It wasn't until my foster mother demanded I go to a fat camp that I started to lose weight," she said, picking at the slippery grass and not meeting his eyes. When he didn't say anything, she continued; "I left camp that summer weighing 76 pounds. I was so happy... I had never felt so pretty in my life. But when I got home my foster mother pinched my stomache and said I was still too fat to be her daughter. She turned me back around and sent me back to camp for another month." She finally looked up into Kevin's eyes and he saw all the pain hidden behind hers. He had no idea what she had gone through in her past, and as he sat there and listened with his heart he felt it slowly breaking. He didn't even know that Jade was adopted, he had just assumed that she grew up in a perfect American family living in a perfect American home. He was just finding out how wrong he was. "I'm not telling you this to get your pity. Actually, I'm not exactly sure why I'm telling you this. Maybe it's because you deserve to finally know who I really am. I'm not the perfect little girl-next-door type that everyone thinks. I'm just a writer who's messing up a great guy's life. A great guy whom she loves... but doesn't deserve. I hope you can understand," she said, standing up without looking at him and running into the house before he could see the tears streaming down her face.

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The sun beat relentlessly against Jade's back. Sweat drops trickled down the sides of her face but she couldn't wipe them away. Not now. Not when her hands were full of boxes. In the hot, shimmering silence, Jade heard the creak of the front door when Jess stepped outside onto the porch. She observed through squinting eyes as Jess made her way over to her. "M&M?" Jess asked when she reached her, holding out the bag. Jade watched as Jess popped one into her mouth, and narrowed her eyes at her half-naked best friend. Shaking her head, she heaved the boxes into the trunk of her car and slammed the hood down. "So what happened with Kevin last night?" Jess asked, ignoring Jade's thundering mood. "Nothing," Jade said shortly, eyeing Jess' short shorts and bikini top. "I know, I'm wearing your clothes. But you're not using them at the moment, right? So what's the harm in me wearing them?" Jess asked when she saw Jade's facial expression as she looked at her ensomble.

Jade just shrugged and walked towards the house. "You could be getting ready too, Jessie-pooh," Jade said over her shoulder as she stepped onto the front steps and disappeared into the house. The cutesy name Jade called her made Jess choke on the candy. Popping another M&M in her mouth, Jess started to follow Jade into the house when she felt something hard press against the back of her scalp. "Stick 'em up, lady; this here's a robbery. Hand over the loot."

Without turning around, Jess grinned. She stood there silently as Brian made his way around her and held out his hand. "The loot or your life," he damanded, mimicking a cowboy. She handed over the rest of the chocolates. "Gee, thanks," he said, turning around and starting to walk away. Her grin disappeared. "Hey!" she yelled, and he stopped and turned back around to face her. "What?" he answered with a mouth full of chocolate.

"Don't cowboys take prissoners anymore?" she asked, her hands on her hips. Brian smiled and Jess laughed at his chocolate grin. Throwing the M&M's over his shoulder, he lifted Jess into his arms and carried her into the house, only to run into Jade making her way outside with more boxes. "Someone leaving?" he asked. "Yeah, us in two days," Jade said, making her way around them and slamming the door behind her. "What's with her?" Brian asked as he sat Jess down on the kitchen counter. "I think her and Kevin still haven't made up yet," Jess said, frowning. "I thought they did that last night," Brian said. "I did too, until I woke up this morning to a hallway full of boxes. Jade's been packing for the past two hours. I don't know what happened last night," she said. "Well, let's go find out," Brian said, picking Jess up again. "Hey grumpy!" Brian hollared when he saw Jade walk back into the house.

"Brian," Jess said aggrivatedly. He grinned sheepishly. Jade stopped and looked at him. "What do you want?" she asked. "I want to know what happened between you and my cuz last night, that's all," Brian said, walking over to her and leaning against the counter with crossed arms. She opened her mouth to say something to him when the front door suddenly swung open and banged against the wall behind it. "What the--?" Jade started, but stopped when she saw Kevin standing there.

Without saying anything, he walked over to her, took her into his arms, and kissed her intensely. When he pulled away what seemed like minutes--which was actually only seconds--later, they were both left breathless. Brian and Jess stood there with their mouths hanging open as they watched what was happening before them. "You did all the talking last night, now it's my turn," Kevin said in his deep voice, sending shivers down Jade's spine that only Kevin noticed because his arms were still around her. Without saying anything else, he took her hand and led her upstairs to her bedroom. The boxes didn't go unnoticed, either.

"Kevin, what are you doing?" Jade asked, her head finally clearing from his kiss and her anger coming back in full force. Jerking her hand from his grasp, she picked up a box and threw it on her bed. "I'm telling you what I think about what you said to me last night, and you're gonna listen," he said, picking her up like he would a baby and tossing her onto the bed. Her hair fell out of the loose bun it had been in all morning and cascaded into her face. It took all of Kevin's concentration to not reach over and brush it aside. As she busied her hands gathering her hair out of her face, Kevin kneeled infront of her and placed his hands on her knees, causing her movements to stop. "Jade, I'm sorry," he said, his honest gray eyes looking into her shocked green ones. When he realized she wasn't going to say anything, he continued.

"I'm sorry you had to go through a childhood like you did. I have no idea what that must feel like. I just assumed you grew up like every other kid, with a mother and a father and maybe even a few brothers and sisters. I had no idea you were adopted. I hate that you had to go through that Jade, I wish I could take all your pain away just to see you smile again. But I deserve you, Jade. I do. And if you don't believe that, then you have a lot of realizing to do. Because I love you, Jade Green, and there's nothing you can do to change that. Nothing will ever make me stop loving you, and nothing will ever come between us being together. Not if I have anything to do with it," he said, taking her ice-cold hands in his warm ones and looking into her eyes.

"You're hands are ice-cold," he commented, rubbing her small hands between his rather large ones to warm them up. "I know," she said, "I'm always cold... unless... unless I'm with you," she said, whispering the last sentence. He stopped rubbing her hands and looked up at her. Reaching up, he put his hand on the side of her face and she closed her eyes and sighed. Sitting on the bed beside her, he tucked her hair behind her ears and slowly placed his lips on hers. Slowly, she put her arms around his shoulders and kissed him back, and he knew everything was gonna be okay. At least until she had to leave.....

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