Alyissa stood there and didn’t move. She’s didn’t know what to do, or what to say. Lance sighed heavily and stood up.
“Come on ‘Liss, we have to see Mr. Collins,” he said in a low tone.
“Mr. Collins...?” she asked.
Lance nodded his head, “He has to know something about her leaving, she had to quit her job didn’t she?”
Alyissa nodded her head in agreement. “All right, let’s go.”
Kayla took a sip of her hot coffee and shivered, even though it was humid out. She was uncomfortable and she just wanted to crawl into her bed and go to sleep, but she couldn’t. She didn’t have a bed to call her own, she didn’t even have a home anymore. Everything she knew, she just left behind the day before.
Casey was still asleep, she had been sleeping most of the trip. When she wasn’t asleep she would stare longingly outside and watch the trees go by. Kayla wondered what she was thinking, but never asked.
Kayla had so many doubts and fears in her mind, every mile farther they got from Florida another one was added. She sighed wearily and thought about Lance again. He was always on her mind and she wondered what his reaction would be when he found her note. She hated to leave with just a note, but it was the only way she could handle everything.
Kayla still had a few days until he found her note because he wouldn’t get home anytime soon. She figured she would be far away by then and she would have disappeared out of everyone’s lives. It would be better that way.
Kayla looked over at Casey and noticed she was awake, staring out the window again. Kayla put on the radio and turned the air conditioner up another notch. She only had one more day to go and they would be there. Finally.
Lance walked through the long carpeted hallway at a fast pace. Alyissa practically had to jog in order to keep up with him. She would have told him to slow down, but knew it wasn’t her place to order him around.
She did admire him for what he was doing, he really fought in order to keep Kayla. Even after everything she did, all the choices she made, he was always there for pull her out of everything and give her a hug. That’s what Kayla needed, but she also needed to realize that Lance was the person for her and if she has him, then she needs to keep him.
Lance rounded another corner and finally reached Mr. Collins’ office. He swung open the door and automatically looked at Kayla’s desk, in hopes that he would find her sitting there typing away at her computer. When he saw the desk neatly arranged, he knew she had really left. He knocked loudly on Mr. Collins’ door and walked in without waiting for a response.
Alyissa followed him in quietly, shutting the door behind her. Lance walked in and leaned on Mr. Collins’ desk, waiting for him to look up.
After a brief moment, Mr. Collins did finally look up. He peered over his small glasses with a questioned look on his face. “What are you doing back so early?”
Lance ignored him and shook his head, “I’ll explain later.”
Mr. Collins nodded his head and focused his gaze on Lance, “All right, may I help you with something Mr. Bass?” He looked over at Alyissa, “Hello Miss Harris.”
Alyissa waved shyly and walked over to the couch. She sat down and looked over at Lance, waiting for him to talk.
“Where is Kayla?” Lance asked.
Mr. Collins took off his glasses and studied Lance. “Please have a seat Mr. Bass...”
Lance shook his head. “Where is she?” he asked, almost helplessly.
“Mr. Bass, I have no idea who your talking about--”
“Kayla...where is KAYLA?” Lance asked, eyes fixed on Mr. Collins. “Please Mr. Collins, help me out here.”
Mr. Collins stared back at Lance and didn’t speak. “I’m not at the liberty to say where she went--” he began.
“PLEASE Mr. Collins, help me here, you’ll never hear from Chris for a month, I’ll bribe him to stay away from your office,” Lance pleaded.
Mr. Collins let out a small chuckle, “As tempting as that sounds, I still can’t tell you.”
“When did she quit?” Lance asked.
“THAT, I can tell you. She decided to resign the day she came back from the hospital,” he said.
“What!?” Lance exclaimed. “She’s been planning this for almost a week?”
Mr. Collins nodded his head slowly. “I suppose so.”
Lance finally sat down and sighed miserably. “Why didn’t she tell me?” he mumbled.
“I think she didn’t want you to convince her to stay,” Mr. Collins said quietly.
“How do you know that?” Lance asked, looking up at him curiously.
“Miss Dudley and I had a long talk when she came back to work the next day to discuss her resigning.”
“What else did she tell you?”
“Quite a bit in fact, she felt the need to explain her behavior and her sudden absence, then her reason for leaving her job,” he said calmly, folding his hands and placing them on his desk in front of him.
“Please Mr. Collins,” Lance begged. “I’m begging you to help me find her, I need her, I-I...I love her...” he trailed off softly.
Mr. Collins watched him carefully and his expression softened. “This is a very dangerous thing to be doing, you realize that right?”
Lance looked up, hopeful. He nodded his head, “I’m willing to take the risk.”
Mr. Collins sighed, “I’m only doing this because I can see that you two are clearly in love with each other and it is not my place to hold two people apart.” He leaned back in his chair and sighed, deep in thought. “She didn’t tell me exactly where she was going, but I know she was planning on staying with a friend in New Jersey.”
Lance’s eye widened, “She’s moving to New Jersey?”
Mr. Collins shrugged, “I didn’t say she was moving there, I said she was going to stay with a friend up there.”
Lance nodded his head, “When did she plan on getting up there?”
“Well I think she’s got a pretty long drive and I assume, she would be up there by tomorrow if she makes good time.”
Lance took in all the information and bit his lip, trying to think how he was going to find her. He got an idea and stood up, anxious to get moving.
“Thank you Mr. Collins,” he said gratefully. “I’ll be in touch.”
Mr. Collins nodded his head, “And Lance...”
Lance looked back at him. “Yes?”
“Bring her back will you? She’s one of the best damn secretaries I’ve ever had.”
Lance smiled weakly, “I’ll try.”
Alyissa stood up and followed Lance out of the door. She waved good-bye to Mr. Collins and shut the door behind her.
Mr. Collins leaned back in his chair. “I hope he gets to her in time,” he said to himself.
Kayla pulled into an almost deserted parking lot and parked. She woke Casey up and pointed to the diner. Casey looked over and nodded her head yawning. Kayla climbed out of her car and walked around to the other side to help Casey out.
They both made their way slowly to the restaurant and entered. There were a few truckers, sitting on the stools, but besides that there was no one in the place. Kayla clasped Casey’s hand and they walked over to a booth and sat down.
A waitress came over and cracked her gum loudly. She handed them menu’s and held her pen and pad ready. “Can I get you dolls something to drink?” she asked.
Kayla looked over at Casey and signed, ‘Drink?’
Casey signed back, ‘Milk.’
Kayla looked up at the waitress who was staring intently at Casey. “She’d like a milk and I’ll just have a water.”
The waitress stood there for a minute and finally snapped out her thoughts. She scribbled down the drink orders and walked away.
Kayla watched the waitress walk away and sighed. She hated it when people looked at Casey differently every time they realized she was deaf. She wasn’t any different from anyone else, she just couldn’t hear. That wasn’t a big difference on Kayla’s part.
The waitress came back with their drink orders and Kayla took a sip of her water. They both ordered their food quickly and the waitress walked away again. Kayla looked out the window at the almost deserted highway. She was making good time and might even get to their destination early.
Casey tapped the table to get Kayla’s attention and she turned her head to face Casey.
‘How much farther?’ Casey sighed slowly, struggling with only one hand to sign with.
Kayla sighed, ‘Awhile I’m afraid, but we might get there early if traffic is this scarce.’
Casey nodded her head and took another big gulp of her milk. She swung her feet gently underneath the table and looked around for something to amuse herself with. Kayla turned back to the window and gazed out.
Casey studied Kayla with sad eyes. She wasn’t sure why they were moving, but Kayla had told her they needed to start over again. Casey didn’t see why they couldn’t just stay down in Florida and start over, but decided not to argue with Kayla’s wishes and decisions. The one thing the little girl DID notice, was the more depressed Kayla got the farther away they got. Casey wasn’t sure what Kayla was running away from or trying to escape, but she didn’t want to pry, especially if she was trying to forget that certain thing or person.
Their food came and they ate in silence, the only noise that could be heard was the chewing noises they both made and the occasional clank of the dishes hitting each other.
Lance drummed his fingers nervously on his knee as Alyissa flew down the open road. This time Lance didn’t notice Alyissa’s driving, he was to wrapped up in his thoughts to care. He was going to get Kayla back. She was making a big mistake and if she loved him then she couldn’t deny him once he found her. If he ever found her.
The car came to a sudden halt, flinging Lance and Alyissa forward roughly. Lance broke out of his thoughts and looked around to find them in the parking lot. Lance climbed out of the car as Alyissa followed. They walked to the entrance together and walked in, looking around.
“Are you sure this is going to work?” Alyissa asked, looking over at him.
“Let’s hope it does,” he said quietly. “First, we have to visit a friend.”
Alyissa nodded and followed him obediently. Lance walked off to the side and knocked on a door. A few minutes passed before someone finally opened the door.
“Tracy,” Lance said. “I need your help.”
The old woman narrowed her eyes and noticed the helpless expression Lance had on his face. She nodded her head and moved aside to let the two of them in. Lance walked in and over to the middle of the living room, spinning around and facing Tracy.
“What can I do for you?” she asked softly. “I see your back to see me,” she smiled at him.
“I told you I’d be back to thank you formally, but not yet,” he said with a weak smile. “I need your help.”
“Have a seat dear, would you like something to drink?” she asked, moving towards the kitchen.
Lance shook his head and sighed, “No time for refreshments Tracy, I need your help NOW.”
“Well all right dear, sit down and tell me what’s wrong,” Tracy said calmly, walking over to the couch and offering the both of them seats.
Alyissa sat down in a chair and looked up at Lance who refused.
“Kayla left,” he said.
“I thought I saw her moving out of here awhile ago but I didn’t say anything because Bryce was still living in their apartment,” she said, in thought.
Lance shook his head, “She went to go live at my place for a few weeks because her and Bryce were having a few problems...she needed a place to stay until she found somewhere else to stay.” Tracy didn’t say anything, just stared, so Lance continued, “But she left...MY place...for good and I need help finding her.”
Tracy remained silent for a moment before speaking, “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you--” she began.
“Yes you can, I need to talk to Bryce.”
Tracy narrowed her eyebrows, “Well then go talk to him, I’m sure he’s home.”
“Tracy...what is your relationship with Bryce...?” Lance asked, studying her.
Her eyes fell to the floor and she started to fidget, “What do you mean? He’s my tenant.”
“Did you know him any other way, on a more personal note?”
“Are you saying I had a relationship with that young man? Because if you are then your--” she began, looking up at him.
“He’s your son isn’t he?” Lance asked quietly.
Tracy stopped and her mouth hung open. She shut it quickly and looked back down at the ground. After a long silence she wiped a tear from her eye and nodded her head slowly.
“Yes, he’s my son,” she replied. “I don’t know how you know but...”
“I noticed a few things when I was here that one time, I’m very observant to people's body language also,” Lance said. “Will you help me now?”
Tracy nodded her head and stood up, grabbing a ring of keys. She walked out of her apartment and the two of them followed.
The three of them made their way to Kayla’s old apartment and Bryce’s residence. Tracy paused at the doorway and sighed, then unlocked the door. She walked in and looked around.
“Bryce?” she called out.
No answer.
“Bryce...?” she called again.
She walked into the apartment and looked around, checking the kitchen first. She narrowed her eyes in puzzlement and continued to look around curiously.
“His car is here...” she trailed off.
Lance walked down the hallway and checked the rooms as he went along. He finally reached Kayla’s old room and found Bryce sitting in there silently. Lance stopped abruptly when he reached Bryce. Bryce looked up and noticed Lance standing in front of him. Alyissa and Tracy followed in afterwards and Bryce stared at them curiously, with a look of slight surprise mixed in.
“I need your help,” Lance stated.
Bryce looked back up at Lance and stared at him with a blank look. He didn’t respond.
“Are you going to help me?” Lance asked.
Bryce sighed and looked back down at the picture he was holding. It was a picture of Kayla, Casey, and himself. They were all smiling and they seemed content.
“How long have you been in here?” Tracy asked suddenly, walking over to him. She knelt beside him and pushed his ratty hair out of his face. “What’s happened to you?” she asked softly.
Bryce hung his head down shamelessly and shook his head, mumbling. “It’s all my fault...it’s all my fault.”
“It’s not your fault,” Lance said sternly.
Bryce looked up, confused. “What do you mean...?”
“It’s called an accident isn’t it? No one can prevent half of those things and you couldn’t have unless you were out to intentionally out to hurt someone and I know you weren’t,” Lance said. “But right now is not the time to sulk with your tail between your legs, I need your help.”
Bryce looked at him closely and wondered why Lance was being so forgiving. He barely knew him but he immediately regretted prejudging him. He saw the determination in his eye and he knew that he had to do what was right.
He sighed heavily and spoke, “What do you need?”
Lance breathed a sigh of relief and squatted down beside Bryce. “Kayla left,” he began. Bryce’s eyes widened in surprise but Lance cut him off before he could say anything. “I found out from a source that she headed up north to stay with a friend, do you know where she might be?”
Bryce thought about it for a second before a hint of recognition crossed his face. He nodded his head and stood up.
“She has a friend up there that she’s kept in touch with through all these years, they met before she moved down here,” he said, walking towards the door.
Lance stood up and Tracy stood up after him. Alyissa let Bryce pass and all three of them followed him out the door, heading towards the living room.
“I think I have her number somewhere,” he mumbled, walking straight into the kitchen. “Kayla kept it in the address book we shared.”
He walked to the kitchen drawers and started digging through papers and notebooks, looking for the address book he possessed. After a good five minute search he finally found it, holding it up triumphantly. He walked over to the kitchen table and sat down, everyone followed. He flipped through the book and eventually landed on the page he wanted, pointing his finger on the name and number.
“Lynn?” Lance asked, reading the name.
Bryce nodded his head. “You can use the phone if you want.”
Lance looked over and nodded his head gratefully. He stood up and grabbed the portable, sitting back down and studying the book. After finally punching in all the numbers with the area code, the phone started to ring.
The third ring, someone picked up. “Hello?”
“Hi is this Lynn?” Lance asked.
“Yes speaking, who is this?” the girl asked.
“This is...a friend of Kayla’s,” he said carefully.
“Kayla? How is she? I haven’t heard from her in awhile,” Lynn said in a bright voice, from the recognition of her distant friend.
“Your going to see her soon,” Lance replied.
Lynn sat in silence, “Huh?”
“It’s a long story and I’m sure she’s going to tell you once she gets there, maybe she won’t, but I’m pretty sure she’s going to tell you,” Lance said, trying to explain in an un-confusing way. “Kayla’s coming up for a surprise visit, but I need you to help me.”
“Who is this?” Lynn said uneasily. “How do you know Kayla?”
Lance sighed exasperated and flashed a helpless look. “This is Kayla’s boyfriend, well who knows if I’m her boyfriend anymore...”
“Are you stalking her or something?” she cut in.
“No no, that’s not it at all,” Lance said defensively. He sighed.
Bryce took the phone into his hand and placed it on his ear, “Lynn? It’s Bryce...”
“Hey Bryce! Haven’t heard from you in a while, did you ever ask Kayla...”
Bryce shook his head and cut in, “No, it’s a long story and I don’t have any time to tell it, Kayla’s current boyfriend is here and needs your help.”
“Current boyfriend...?” she trailed off.
“Yes, as I said before it's a long story,” Bryce said tiredly. “I need you to trust me and help me out here by helping this guy out.”
“Well who the hell is he and why is he so damn mysterious?” Lynn demanded.
“Lynnley please,” Bryce pleaded. “Come on I just used your full name.”
Lynn giggled, “All right all right, what am I supposed to do?”
(The Next Day)
Kayla rubbed her eyes once more and her face lit up slightly when she pulled into her old neighborhood. Where she really belonged. She drove down the familiar streets and smiled when all of her childhood memories flooded through her head.
She turned down her old street and drove along slowly, looking at each of the houses and checking which ones changed and which ones didn’t. New kids were running around the quiet suburban neighborhood and Kayla smiled, knowing that Casey would have play mates. Kayla reached the house she was looking for and looked down at the piece of paper in her hand, double checking that it was the right place. She pulled into the driveway and cut the engine.
Casey was wide awake and looking at the new surroundings. She looked over at Kayla and smiled. Kayla smiled back and signed for her to stay in the car for a minute. Casey nodded her head and looked back out the window.
Kayla climbed out the truck and stretched, happy to being able to stop driving. It had been a long and painful trip, very lonely and agonizing. But it was over and she was home, she just hoped her best friend would remember her and let her stay there for a day or so until she fully moved into her new place.
Kayla walked up the front steps and rang the doorbell, tapping her foot nervously on the step. She heard faint footsteps become louder and prayed that it was Lynn.
Lynn swung open the door and looked at Kayla. Her eyes widened in surprise and she threw her arms open, pulling Kayla into a hug. Kayla giggled and returned the hug.
“Hey girlie! What are you doing up here?” Lynn asked excitedly.
Kayla pulled away and grinned, “I’m moving back up here.”
“You are!?”
Kayla nodded her head, “I just got back in town and decided I’d drop by.”
Lynn clapped enthusiastically and pulled Kayla into the house. “Come in!”
“Uhh...Cass is out in the truck...” Kayla said.
“Well why the hell didn’t you say so!? Go get her!” she grinned.
She walked back out onto the step and caught Casey’s attention. She waved for her to come in and Casey smiled brightly in return. Kayla stepped back outside to go help Casey out of the truck.
“I think she can get out herself,” Lynn said with a small laugh.
Kayla shook her head lightly and reached Casey’s side of the truck. She picked her up and gently placed her on the ground. She took her free hand and led her back to the front door carefully.
Lynn’s mouth dropped open slightly when she saw the sight of Casey, but quickly shut it when she thought of what Bryce had said. She smiled brightly and held her hand out for Casey. Casey reached her and took her hand, letting Lynn lead her into the house. Kayla followed closely behind.
“Sorry I came out of the blue, if you have plans already I understand and we’ll make the visit short...” Kayla said quietly.
“Nonsense, you came all this way to see me, you HAVE stay with me for a few days so we can catch up!” Lynn exclaimed.
“Well I don’t know, I mean...” Kayla trailed off.
“Good, we’ll get your bags later,” Lynn cut in.
Kayla smiled softly and giggled. “All right Lynn, no use in arguing with you.”
Lynn nodded her head and grinned, “DAMN STRAIGHT.”
All three of them made their way back into the kitchen while Lynn chatted enthusiastically about everything that had happened since they had left. She asked Kayla questions about Florida but Kayla always shifted uncomfortably and mumbled a yes or no response then quickly changed the topic.
They were all sitting down at the kitchen table having a snack and still gossiping about everything when Lynn’s face suddenly lit up.
“Oh!” she cried out excitedly. “I just remembered!”
Kayla looked at her strangely, “Just remembered what?” she asked.
“I got two extra tickets to that celebrity charity softball game, you guys could come with me!”
Kayla froze in her seat and shook her head, “No...I’m sure you want to take someone else and besides...”
“No the other two people bailed on me and you and Casey could use the break from driving, it’ll be fun!” Lynn insisted. “Come on Kayla!”
Kayla sat her doubtful, but finally agreed to her friend’s request. “All right...” she said uneasily.
“Great! It’s tomorrow, so we have time! But until then, let’s get you two settled and then see what we can do tonight,” Lynn said standing up.
Kayla sighed and stood up. What had she just gotten herself into?
(The Next Day, Charity Softball Game)
Lance shifted in the car seat and tapped his fingers nervously on the door handle. The four guys watched him closely as he fidgeted anxiously, while staring out the window.
“Do you think this is going to work?” he asked suddenly.
Joey nodded his head slowly, “Yeah man...just have a little faith in it...we’re here for you too, remember that.”
Lance nodded his head and smiled weakly, “I know...thanks.”
He propped his elbow on the small ledge and placed his head in his hand. He started to chew his finger and felt like he couldn’t stop moving. He took a deep breath and placed both hands on his knees, trying to sit still.
“So you talked to Lynn and everything is planned right?” Justin asked.
Lance looked up and nodded. He took another deep breath. “She called late last night to tell me everything’s set and Kayla agreed to go.”
JC nodded his head, “It’ll work man, don’t sweat it.”
Lance sighed, “I hope so.”
Kayla gazed out the window and sighed a heavy sigh. She couldn’t believe she had let Lynn convince her to go to this softball game. She knew for a FACT she was going to see Lance and she wasn’t sure how her reaction was going to be. Maybe she had let Lynn talk her into going because deep down, she wanted to see Lance for one last time before she completely deleted him out of her life. That thought made her sad, she didn’t want to forget him, but she had to.
They were almost to the stadium where the game was being held and Kayla’s stomach wouldn’t stop doing flips. She held it, hoping maybe it would die down, but no such luck.
Lynn pulled into a parking spot after a long search in the crowded place. Younger girls were running around with their mothers, trying to hurry them. Older fans were walking at their own pace, talking excitedly and fixing their hair or outfits.
Kayla climbed out of the car slowly and proceeded in helping Casey out. Lynn walked over to their side of the car and helped Casey also. Lynn’s eyes searched the parking lot in hopes that she would spot one of the five guys she was supposed to be helping out.
She was truly surprised when Bryce had explained what he wanted her to do. Then when four of the five guys of the group *N SYNC came up to her house to deliver tickets to the game, she was shocked. But she managed to keep it together and swallow her excitement. When it was explained WHY all of this was happening she couldn’t help but smile and feel a little envious of Kayla. But she knew Kayla deserved someone like Lance and she was all about helping everyone.
All three girls were finally ready and started heading towards the entrance.
“Do you see her yet!?” Lance asked, straining his neck and searching the crowd.
The other guys shook their heads and did the same. All five of them scanned the crowd to try and find the three people they had hoped would be there already.
Joey nudged Lance, “Look I found them!”
Lance looked up to where Joey was pointing and smiled, relieved. He saw Casey sitting there patiently, looking around. Then his eyes traveled over to Kayla, who was sitting on the right end, nervously twitching in her seat. He assumed Lynn was the girl on the left side of Casey. A wave of relief washed over him and he smiled. Everything was going right. He just hoped it continued that way.
The whole game in general seemed to fly by. Kayla couldn’t help but smile at all the crazy antics that went on, especially from the guys. Chris and Joey were entertaining the crowd the whole time, wrestling with each other or running around and making weird faces. JC and Justin were bouncing around and Lance was...was...so cute. Kayla snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head. She wasn’t sure what she had given up, but she knew damn well it was something irreplaceable.
She sighed and shook her head. The game was over and she had seen Lance and the rest of the guys in person one last time. She said her silent good-bye’s and wondered where everyone had gone.
Lynn nudged her arm to get her attention. Kayla looked up.
“Time to go,” she said, motioning to leave.
Kayla nodded her head and stood up. They made their way out the exits and started walking back to their car.
“Man those guys from *N SYNC are cuties,” Lynn commented.
Kayla smiled weakly and nodded, “Yeah, they sure are.”
“Now I see why they drive all the little five year olds crazy,” she laughed jokingly.
Kayla forced a small laugh.
“Well what do you say about lunch?” Lynn suggested. “My treat.”
Kayla nodded her head, “Sound good.”
Kayla walked into Lynn’s house, tired and full. Lunch had cheered her up, talking about old times and catching up even more. Lynn had made her feel at home and she liked feeling like she belonged somewhere.
Lynn walked in after Kayla, still laughing about a joke they had both cracked up about.
“Well what do you want to do now?” Kayla asked.
Lynn shrugged, “I need to change.”
Kayla nodded her head.
“Aren’t you going to change to?” Lynn asked. “I mean those stadium seats weren’t exactly the cleanest things...”
Kayla giggled, “Yeah, I’m changing.”
“You go ahead, I need to check my messages down here,” Lynn said walking towards the kitchen.
Kayla shrugged and started to make her way the stairs slowly. Lynn walked into the kitchen and looked around cautiously. She walked over to her answering machine and found a note on it. She read it quickly and smiled. Casey had followed her into the kitchen and she watched her curiously. Lynn noticed Casey and she squatted beside her. She smiled brightly and hugged Casey.
“Your sister deserves this more than anything,” she whispered softly, still hugging Casey.
Kayla walked up the stairs slowly and sighed. Whenever she was left alone, her mind seemed to always drift to Lance. She didn’t want to think about him because she would become sad again, but she couldn’t help it.
She reached the room she was staying in and noticed the door was slightly ajar. She narrowed her eyebrows in thought and distinctly remembered closing her bedroom door before she left. Kayla walked over slowly and opened the door with a small creak. She peeked her head around and sighed from relief when she realized no one was there. She swung the door open all the way and walked in.
Kayla jumped when she saw the figure standing by the window, half hidden by the curtains. Her breath seemed to be caught in her throat and her eyes couldn’t believe what she saw in front of her.
“L-Lance...?” she choked out.
