(1 week later)
Kayla sighed in frustration and threw the newspaper down on her desk. “I can’t do this,” she mumbled to herself. She checked the clock for the last time and rubbed her temples. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and sat back down at her desk.
Ever since the argument between her and Bryce, the house had been full of tension. No more smiles between them and barely any conversation. They mumbled their polite greetings and stayed as far away from each other as possible.
Kayla knew she brought on a whole new challenge when she claimed she was going to move out with Casey. The first challenge was finding a new place that she could afford with her salary, that had been completely drained during the tour. The next challenge was packing up and moving, then trying to explain to Casey WHY they were moving WITHOUT Bryce. She knew Casey would be heartbroken.
She especially missed Lance, though they had kept in touch over the past week. She smiled thinking of his cute face and his sparkling green eyes. She couldn’t wait to see him, but knew it would be a good few weeks before she could. She wasn’t sure if she had made the right choice choosing Lance over Bryce, but in her heart it felt right.
She picked the newspaper back up and scanned the options once more. There were a couple nice places she found in the classified section, but getting to and from work would be a big hassle on her part. Also getting Casey a baby-sitter and trying to keep them for long periods of time, it wasn’t going to be cheap that was for sure.
Her cell phone rang and it startled her out of her thoughts.
“Hello?” she picked up.
“Hey honey, how’s it going?” a deep voice asked on the line.
Kayla’s whole body relaxed and she leaned back in her chair, “Everything’s crazy, but I’m managing the best I can.”
Lance chuckled on the other line, “Everything will work out, don’t worry.”
Kayla sighed wearily, “I sure hope so, I don’t know what I brought on myself, but one things for sure, I’m not giving any of it up.”
Lance smiled, “That’s good to know on my part.”
Kayla twirled her finger around the phone cord and smiled, “So how’s the tour going?”
“Pretty good, really tiresome, but good otherwise,” he said.
Kayla could hear the faint exhaustion in his voice. “When will you be home again?” she asked, hopeful.
“Late July,” he replied.
Kayla’s shoulders fell in disappointment, “Oh.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be able to see each other in no time,” he said softly, catching her disappointment.
“I know,” she said glumly. “I just kind of wish you were here now.”
“So do I,” he agreed. “But I can’t be, so be patient and our time will come.”
Kayla sighed, “Yeah I know, but until then I need to find a new place.”
Lance paused for a second before speaking, “Why don’t you stay at my house?”
“Your house?” she asked, repeating him.
“Yeah, my place,” he said with a small laugh.
“I couldn’t...I mean...” she trailed off.
“Just for a few weeks, no one else is living in it and I trust you,” he insisted, cutting her off. “Please.”
“I don’t know Lance...I mean living in your place...” she said doubt idly.
“At least until you get your own place and everything is sorted out, I know you don’t like staying at the apartment with Bryce because of all the tension,” he said gently.
Kayla twisted her mouth in thought and continued to play with the phone cord. “It would only be for a week at the most...”
“Stay as long as you want,” he cut in.
“And I promise I’d keep it decent looking,” she added.
Lance smiled, knowing she was going to say yes.
“Are you sure about this? I mean your letting your girlfriend move in with you ALREADY?” she joked, playfully.
Lance laughed lightly, “Just don’t turn all possessive on me and when all my other girlfriends call, pretend your my sister.”
Kayla grinned, “They better not call or I’ll be giving them a piece of my mind.”
“Uh oh,” Lance laughed. “We don’t need any of that happening.”
Kayla laughed. “So your SURE this is all right?” she asked again in a serious tone.
“Yes, I’m positive,” he said assuringly.
Kayla smiled, “All right, then I’ll probably move in this weekend, temporarily that is.”
“All right, so I can call you at my own number,” he said.
“Yeah I guess so,” she said in thought. “And my cell.”
“Ok then, so I’ll be calling you Saturday night, you better be moved in by then,” he said with a soft smile.
Kayla smiled again, “I will...and thanks Lance...I really appreciate it.”
“No problem, I’ll talk to you later, I miss you.”
“Miss you too, bye.”
They both hung up the phone at the same time. Kayla smiled to herself and thanked God for blessing her with Lance as a boyfriend. She slipped the newspaper section into her bag and turned back to her computer.
“Did I just hear you tell Kayla to move into your house?” Chris asked curiously.
“Since you were eavesdropping, yes you did,” Lance said, handing Justin's cell phone back to him. “Thanks man.”
Justin nodded his head and continued to bob his head to the beat of the music on his disc man.
“You guys are already moving in together?” Chris asked.
Lance shook his head, “It’s only temporarily until she finds a new place and I’m not going to be home while she’s there, so I won’t technically be living with her or anything.”
“Ohhhh,” Chris said. “All right.”
Lance stood up and stretched. He was extremely tired and all he wanted to do was sleep. He walked back into the back room and turned on the TV. He laid out on the couch and grabbed a pillow for comfort. He stretched one long, full body stretch and lounged comfortably on long couch. He was content.
Kayla looked around her almost empty room and sighed. She hoped she wasn’t forgetting anything. She had come home from work and automatically pulled out boxes to start packing.
“Your moving already?” Bryce had asked glumly.
Kayla had just nodded her head, “I’m staying at a friend’s house for awhile.”
“Oh,” Bryce sulked. “Ok.”
With that Kayla had marched back into her room and started boxing her own belongings. She had been packing for a good few hours and she suddenly realized she was hungry. She walked into the living room and looked around, noticing Bryce wasn’t there. She shrugged her shoulders and proceeded in fixing dinner.
Casey came wandering out of her room and noticed the boxes stacked in the living room. She looked at them curiously and walked over to Kayla in the kitchen. She tugged on her shirt and Kayla looked down at the little girl with a smile.
‘Yes?’ she signed. ‘Is there something you need?’
Casey pointed to the boxes in the living room and looked back up at Kayla with question in her eyes.
‘What are they for?’ she signed.
Kayla sighed and sat down at the kitchen table. She pulled Casey towards her and took a deep breath.
‘We’re moving,’ she started cautiously.
‘Again?’ Casey asked.
Kayla nodded her head, ‘I’m sorry for dragging you around so much, but I can’t help all of that.’
‘Where are we going?’ Casey signed.
‘To one of my friend’s house.’
‘Does daddy know?’
Kayla nodded her head and flinched when Casey signed the word “Daddy” when she was referring to Bryce.
‘Yes he does,’ Kayla signed.
‘Does HE want to move?’ Casey asked.
Kayla took a deep breath, ‘He’s not moving with us,’ she signed slowly.
Casey’s eyes narrowed in puzzlement and she looked at Kayla in wonder. ‘Why not.’
‘Because you and I are moving out and he’s staying here,’ Kayla tried explaining.
‘Why isn’t he going? Doesn’t he love us anymore?’ Casey asked, getting a hurt look on her face.
Kayla’s face softened, ‘Yes he loves us very much, but...but...there are just a few differences him and I are having.’
Casey shook her head roughly, ‘NO!’ she signed angrily. ‘You and daddy aren’t aloud to split up, we’re a family and we have to stay that way!’
Kayla’s eyes widened in surprise from the sudden anger Casey flared.
‘Cass stop calling Bryce daddy...’
Casey stomped her foot in frustration, ‘He’s my daddy!’
“No he’s not!” Kayla shouted in frustration. “Bryce is not your father!”
Casey stood still, stare fixed on Kayla.
‘Yes his is,’ Casey signed in response.
‘Cass stop saying that, Bryce is not your father and I don’t want you to refer to him as your father,’ Kayla signed, quickening her hands with her words.
She stomped her foot in anger, ‘Yes he is!’ she protested.
“Casey!” Kayla said in surprise. “No he’s not!”
Casey shook her head roughly and wriggled out of Kayla’s grip. Kayla tried grabbing her as she made a get away into the living room. Kayla followed her and she managed to finally get a hold of her.
“Cass! Wait!” Kayla called out.
Kayla finally grabbed the little girl around the waist and pulled her into her embrace. Casey fought to get out of her grip, wiggling and flailing her arms around. Her eyes were set in anger and she tried prying her way out of Kayla’s arms.
Kayla held onto to the small girl with one arm, struggling to keep her in her grip. She reached over for the picture by the couch and held it front of Casey. Casey immediately stopped fighting and looked down at the picture. She stood still and stared at the people smiling back at her. She touched it gently and continued to stand there, gaze fixed on the picture.
Kayla cautiously edged her way in front of Casey and continued to hold the picture in front of her. She handed it to Casey and tried to talk to her gently.
‘That’s your mommy and daddy,’ she signed, then pointed to the two elder people in the picture. ‘Do you remember them?’
Casey didn’t respond, just stared. Her eyes flashed a hint of recognition and her body remained frozen in place. It was almost like everything she had learned to believe, was being melted away from this one single picture in front of her.
Casey finally looked up at Kayla and a tear fell from her eye. ‘They left me...they left US.’
Kayla’s expression softened and she finally realized that Casey had been in denial for the past few years. She felt betrayed, like her family split up without warning and they did it on purpose.
‘Cass...they couldn’t help it...it wasn’t their choice to leave us...’
Casey’s eyes welled up with tears and they spilled down her cheeks. ‘Why did they leave Kayla? Why? Didn’t they love us anymore?’
Kayla looked at her with sad eyes and nodded her head, ‘They loved us very much.’
Casey’s tears hung from her chin and fell, splashing on the glass cover of the picture, leaving a puddle of salty water. Casey finally gripped the picture in her embrace and started to cry loudly.
Kayla’s tear fell as quickly as Casey’s and she pulled the little girl into her arms. Casey fell down to the ground and curled up into a little ball, while Kayla held her. They cried together for once, in each other’s comfort and presence. They cried as sister and sister, missing their parents.
Kayla put Casey to bed early, later that night. She was thoroughly tired herself and Casey had worn herself out by crying. Kayla watched Casey sleep beside her bed, peacefully. She stroked her hair gently and felt the need to sit by the little girl’s bed, almost as if protecting her.
Kayla had been sitting there for a good hour, watching over the young girl and thinking about her life. She had been through so much, especially in the past few months. So many good things and so many bad, she wasn’t sure which weighed out which.
On one hand, she had learned how to love and she had learned to love in more than one way, friendship wise and companionship wise. The point in her life when she thought she could never be accepted into other people’s lives or ever be accepted into society itself, she was. She had the privilege to be loved by someone and she was still receiving that love from that special someone.
This one singular person cared enough about her to keep trying even when she pushed him away, he still cared about her enough to not give up on her and her indecision's. She couldn’t help but love Lance.
His friends had taken her into their group and made her feel like a part of it. They looked at her with respect and praised her when she deserved it. They helped her along and continued to work with her, even when she made mistakes. Nothing in the world could make Kayla give that up, nothing.
On the other hand, Bryce had changed on her. She wasn’t sure what caused him to be so angry and frustrated with her, but she wished she hadn’t made him feel that way. The look he had on his face broke her heart, but she still didn’t love him the way he wanted her too. She never could.
Moving out was the best solution. Kayla had to bring Casey back into reality and let her carefully realize that her parents are gone for good, but no matter what she would be there for her with open arms and all the support she would need.
Kayla sighed and watched the rhythmic breathing of the small child sleeping in the bed. Kayla smiled to herself and knew that taking a chance and moving out was a chance she was just going to have to risk. She was told to take chances in her life and so far the one she took turned out well, she just hoped that this next one would.
Kayla stood up quietly and crept out of Casey’s room. She tip toed into her own room and climbed under the covers. She sighed once more and closed her tired eyes, falling asleep immediately.
(1 ½ weeks later)
“Yeah your house is fine,” Kayla assured Lance with a smile.
“Are you sure? You have enough towels and everything?” he asked.
Kayla laughed lightly, “Will you stop worrying about me? I’m fine and so is Casey, she loves your Dr. Seuss room, she spends her life in there.”
Lance chuckled softly, “I love that room too.”
Kayla smiled and tucked the phone between her ear and her shoulder, scooping the small pile of onions into the frying pan. She pushed her hair out of her face with the top of her wrist, not wanting to touch her hair with her onion smelling hands.
“How’s the tour going?” she asked.
“Good, only one and a half more weeks and I’ll be home.”
Kayla could hear Lance smile over the phone. She grinned and sighed, wiping her eyes from the tears caused by cutting onions.
“I hear you crying over there, do you miss me THAT much?” Lance asked playfully.
“You know very well that I’m making dinner and that’s the only reason I’m tearing up,” Kayla said in a stern but playful voice.
“I know, but I can hope can’t I?” he asked.
Kayla smiled, “You can hope...that’s it.”
Lance laughed, “Ouch...you’ve been hanging around ‘Liss too much.”
Kayla giggled, “She’s done well, raised me to be like her.”
“I don’t know if that’s a GOOD thing.”
“Oh hush you know it is,” Kayla joked.
“Nah, I like the sweet Kayla,” he said softly.
“She’s still here so quite complaining,” Kayla laughed. “So when are you coming home again?”
“I’ll be back during the next week or so, after the Charity softball game.”
“Oh jeese, your playing softball?”
“Hey, I’m not that bad...Joey’s worse!” Lance said defensively.
“I am not!” Joey called in the back round.
Kayla heard someone else say something in the back round and everyone laugh. She could just imagine Joey sitting on a couch, arms crossed, trying to act mad, but eventually break into a grin.
“Aw poor Joey, getting picked on again,” Kayla teased.
Lance laughed.
“All right, well I have to go because dinner’s ready and it’ll take me about a half hour to bribe Casey to come out of the Dr. Seuss room,” Kayla said.
“All right, then I’ll let you go, I’ll call you a little later,” he replied.
“If your too tired to call after your concert, I’ll understand.”
“I’ll call later,” he repeated, purposely ignoring her last comment.
Kayla rolled her eyes playfully and smiled, “Ok, I’ll be expecting your call, talk to you then, bye sweetie.”
“Bye honey.”
They both hung up and Kayla placed the phone on the counter. She stared at the phone and smiled.
The move had been successful and Bryce even offered to help. Kayla had decided she was going to keep Bryce in Casey’s life to a certain extent. Bryce still baby-sat Casey back at his apartment during the day when Kayla was at work, then she picked her up on the way home. It worked out well and Casey and Bryce liked the arrangement of being able to spend their days together.
Casey had eventually transferred to calling Bryce, Bryce instead of daddy. She accepted him as one of Kayla’s friends and nothing more, she was also accepting more of the fact that her real parents had died, but Kayla was always there. Slowly but surely, Kayla and Casey were starting over in their lives, together, as sister and sister.
Lance and Kayla seemed to be getting stronger and stronger as the days went by. Lance would call every day, any chance he got and Kayla couldn’t help but smile and feel giddy at his efforts. It’s always the small things that count.
Kayla finally broke herself out of her thoughts and walked up the stairs to find Casey. Her life was finally going right and no more secrets to hide, she was content.
(The Next Day)
Kayla was typing away rapidly at her computer, humming an upbeat tune to herself. She was bobbing her head softly to the song only she could hear in her head. She had a smile plastered on her face and no one could remove it.
The phone rang and Kayla picked it up immediately. “Hello JIVE records, Mr. Collins office, can I help you?” she asked cheerily.
“Whoa, you sound so official,” Lance joked.
Kayla’s smile broadened and she started to twirl the phone cord in around her finger. “I’m just doing my job, what’s up?”
“Nothing really, I just boarded the bus not too long ago and I got a little bored.”
“Gee thanks, you really know how to make a girl feel special,” Kayla replied sarcastically.
“Aw you know what I meant,” he said with a soft smile.
“Your lucky I do, or else you’d be in trouble.”
He chuckled.
“Unfortunately, I have a lot of work to do, so I can’t talk right now,” Kayla said, not wanting to hang up with him.
“All right, I understand,” he said.
“But I’ll call you later before your concert when I get home ok?”
“Yup, talk to you then, take care,” he replied.
“Bye.”
Kayla hung up the phone and wiggled in her seat. She couldn’t help but get butterflies whenever he called, no matter how short the conversation was, she felt exhilaration rush through her body every time.
She turned back around and began typing again, when the phone rang again. “Hello JIVE records, Mr. Collins office, may I help you?”
“Umm...yes may I please speak to...Kayla Dudley?” a woman’s voice asked uneasily.
“Speaking, who is this?” Kayla asked curiously.
“Hi my name is Karen and I work at Memorial Hospital--” she began.
“Did I just hear you say hospital?” Kayla cut in.
“Yes ma’am,” she said hesitantly. “Are you of any relation to a young man named Bryce?”
“He’s a...friend,” she said cautiously. “Why? Did something happen to him?”
“Well, something happened to him and the person he was with and responsible for,” she said slowly. “He told me to call this number, he’s very shaky right now and couldn’t do it himself.”
“Oh...well what happened?” Kayla asked, fear washing over her body.
“Um...hold on please Miss.”
“How can you tell me something happened and then put me on hold?” Kayla demanded, getting annoyed.
“Kayla?” a shaky voice came on the phone.
“Bryce? Is that you?” she asked.
“Ye-yeah.”
“What’s wrong? What happened?” she asked worriedly, hearing the tone of his voice.
“Kayla...I just want you to know I didn’t mean to...” he trailed off, choking up.
“Didn’t mean to what!?” she asked, getting frantic. “Bryce!? Talk to me!”
“I-I-I didn’t mean it...it wasn’t my fault...” he mumbled.
“BRYCE! DO WHAT!?” Kayla exclaimed, almost yelling into the phone. “TALK TO ME!”
“I-I-I’m so sorry...”
“BRYCE!”
Suddenly the line fell silent and Kayla could hear the phone being exchanged again.
“Miss? Are you still there?” Karen asked, coming back on the phone.
“YES!” Kayla yelled. “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?”
“Please calm down Miss...”
“NO! DON’T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! YOU CAN’T JUST CALL ME FROM THE HOSPITAL AND NOT TELL ME WHY MY FRIEND IS THERE AND...ohmigod...” she trailed off softly. “Where’s Casey?”
“Now Miss...that’s what I was trying to tell you,” Karen said calmly. “The little girl is...is...”
“Is what!?” Kayla cried out, tears streaming down her face. “Where’s my sister?”
“That’s your sister?” she asked.
“Stop with the questions! Just tell me what happened!” Kayla yelled out between the bad case of hiccups she had just picked up.
Karen took a deep breath on the other line. Kayla looked up when Mr. Collins peeked his head out of his office.
“Miss...Kayla...? What’s wrong dear?” he asked, looking at her tear streaked face.
Kayla hiccuped and didn’t speak. “What happened?” she asked in a low tone.
“Your sister has been in a car accident,” Karen finally replied sadly. “She’s...”
“Who was she in the car with?” Kayla asked sternly, knowing the answer.
“Your friend...Bryce.”
“I’ll be right there,” Kayla mumbled.
She hung up before Karen could say anything else and started to gather her things quickly. Mr. Collins was looking at her curiously, eyes following her around her desk while she shoved loose papers into her bag.
“I’m so sorry Mr. Collins, but I need to go to the hospital, I have a family emergency,” Kayla mumbled in a hurried tone.
“Of course dear, but are you all right?” he asked.
Kayla took a shaky breath and shook her head, “I’ll be in touch shortly, I’m so sorry Mr. Collins.”
With that she ran out of the door and into the hallway. She ran down to the elevator and knew she didn’t have enough patience to wait for it. She headed for the stairs and bolted down the steps, half stumbling, blinded by her tears. She somehow made it down the stairs and to the front door. She ran out into the street and realized she didn’t have a car. She cursed herself under her breath and dug through her purse. She pulled out her cell phone and punched in a number, trembling severely.
After the second ring someone picked up, “Hello?” they said in a tired voice.
“’Liss, I need you to come pick me up NOW,” Kayla said, starting to hyperventilate.
“Ohmigod Kayla, what’s wrong?” Alyissa asked, snapping out of her phase of fatigue.
“I need you...to come and...pick me up...it’s an...emergency,” she stuttered.
“Yeah no problem, where are you?”
“At work.”
“I’ll be there in a few, meet me in the front.”
“Ok,” Kayla replied, slightly relieved.
She hung up her cell and shoved it back into her purse. She tapped her foot nervously for the next five minutes, waiting for Alyissa to arrive.
A few minutes later she heard a loud screeching noise from around the corner. Kayla smiled in relief. She looked towards the sound and suddenly Alyissa’s blue silver eclipse came rounding the corner, speeding at a steady pace. The car sped up and Alyissa slammed on the brakes when she reached Kayla.
“That just ripped apart half of your gears,” Kayla said, throwing her things into the back seat.
“Who cares, get in and tell me where to go,” Alyissa instructed.
Kayla hopped into the car and slammed the door shut, “The Memorial Hospital.”
Alyissa’s eyes widened slightly, but she just nodded her head and pressed her foot on the gas petal, flooring the car. She sped down the street and threw the steering wheel to the right and spun the car down the right side of the street, making a sharp turn.
They got to the hospital in record time. Alyissa almost flipped the car into a parking spot, while Kayla was already halfway out. Alyissa cut the engine and hopped out, locking the door with the little control on her keys. She ran after Kayla who was already crossing the street to the hospital entrance.
Kayla rushed to the front desk and noticed the nurse’s name tag. She slammed her hands down on the desk and tried to catch her breath.
“You...you...you talked to me...on...on...on the p-p-phone...” Kayla choked out.
“Miss Dudley?” Karen asked, studying Kayla.
Kayla nodded her head and Alyissa came up behind her. She wrapped an arm around Kayla comfortingly and looked over at the nurse.
“Wh-wh-where...is...is...C-Casey?”
“Down the hall and to your left, your friend is sitting outside the--” she started, pointing in the direction.
Kayla didn’t wait for her to finish, she ran down the hallway in panic. Her whole body was shaking and she couldn’t get rid of her hiccups, no matter how hard she tried. Her heart was pounding so loudly it thundered in her ears. Kayla ran down the hallway, looking in all directions, vision blurred from all her tears.
She spotted Bryce sitting in a chair in the hallway, head buried in his hands, hunched over. Alyissa was trailing Kayla silently, not knowing what to expect. Kayla ran towards Bryce, her short heels echoing down the semi-empty hallway.
Bryce looked up and saw Kayla running towards him. His eyes were puffy and red, showing that he had been crying. Lines were streaked across his face and scratches covered his arms and parts of his face.
Kayla gasped when she saw the condition he was in and finally managed to reach him. She was having trouble breathing, she was out of breath and still had the hiccups.
“Wh-wh-what...happ-happ-happened?” she choked out.
“I’m so sorry,” he murmured. “I’m so sorry.”
“Br-br-bryce...st-st-stop...t-tell m-m-me...” she breathed heavily.
“The other car...it came out of nowhere...and then a loud crunch...and...poor Casey...” he trailed off, eyes welling up, shaking his head.
“Wh-wh-where...i-i-is...s-she...?”
Bryce pointed to the door that was marked emergency room. Kayla seemed to lose all control again, breaking down into loud sobs.
“Oh...my...god...please...no...” she sobbed.
Alyissa caught her before she fell to the ground effortlessly. Alyissa noticed Bryce and narrowed her eyebrows in disapproval. She helped Kayla over to a chair and sat her down. Kayla was trembling uncontrollably, almost shaking the chair by just sitting in it. She was breathing heavily and hiccuping even more.
“M-m-my...si-si-sister...” she stuttered.
“I know...shhhh honey,” Alyissa said, sitting down beside her and wrapping her arm around her. “It’s ok, she’s going to be ok,” she tried assuring her.
Secretly, inside, Alyissa was just as scared for Kayla. She wasn’t sure if Casey was going to be ok and she prayed silently that she was going to be. She’d never seen Kayla this panicked before, but then again she had never been in this situation with her before. She rubbed her arm comfortingly and let Kayla sob on her shoulder.
There was a uncomfortable silence in the hallway, all you could hear was Kayla’s pained cries and phones ringing quietly in the distance. Alyissa rocked Kayla back and forth and prayed that Casey would be all right. Bryce was leaning against the wall, forehead pressed against it miserably.
A few minutes later a doctor came out of the emergency room and all three people looked up, hopeful.
“Miss Dudley?” he asked, looking at the two girls sitting in the chair. “Are one you of you Miss Dudley? Casey’s sister?”
Kayla raised her trembling hand, halfway. “I’m she.”
The doctor looked at his clip board, then back down at her. He sighed deeply and spoke, “Miss Dudley...I have some news for you...”
