Chapter 10

                                                            Chapter Ten 

                               ~~~~~ Kylie – unexpected but accepted ~~~~~

She woke out of a strange dream with her forehead sweaty. This dream, as much as she wished it was, was not about Alex. No, this dream seemed surreal. Kylie had not yet opened her eyes for the fear of the dream being true. She wanted to hold on to the illusion that everything was okay.

“It was just a dream.” maybe if she said it out loud, it won’t be true. The dream will stay a dream. She convinced herself to open her eyes after a few moments of arguing with herself.

She slowly opens them and as soon as she sees the dark unfamiliar room she immediately closes them.  

The dream was true. She did have a fight with her mother. She would not be able to see Gabriel’s smile every day. She is for now, living in a hotel room. She no longer has a home to go to.

Everything changed from day to night and Kylie did not know what was going to happen. It was all just too much bit with her head held high she took a deep breath and faced the truth.

The day before, Kylie might have been out of it, but today she told herself that things were going to change. She was going to take charge of her life.

So, acting upon this thought, Kylie got out of bed, went to the bathroom, and turned the warm water so she could take a shower. She stripped out of her clothes and steeped inside. The steam surrounded her entire body in pleasant warmth.

The warm water gave her some of the warmth she desperately needed, some of the warmth she had lost not long ago, but water cannot replace her mother’s hugs and words of encouragement. The water could never replace Gabe’s warm smile. The water would never in a million year replace Alex’s lips.

Kylie went back to when she had kissed those lips. She just couldn’t take it. The girl was so beautiful and she was so close to her. She just had to see what it was like to kiss Alex, the girl who has her every thought. The girl she felt a strong connection with.

“Wow.” She whispered as she brought her hand to her lips. All the same sensations came to her lips. The tenderness, even the softness and the wonderful taste of Alex’s lips, everything.

The memory was so vivid. It was like she were kissing Alex all over again, as she stood there remembering the moment when she actually did kiss those lips.

Something brought her back to reality. Whatever it was, Kylie realized something that would change the course of her life, things she could no longer deny to herself.

“I kissed a girl.” it was the first time since it happened that she had actually said it to herself and out loud. “I kissed a girl who I like. I kissed I girl who drives me crazy. I kissed a girl.” Admitting this was strange. She had never pictured herself kissing another girl. She had never even looked at a girl as more than a friend.

“What if she doesn’t like me and gets mad when she finds out I kissed her?” she paced back and forth. The water suddenly became way too hot as it hit her bare skin. She passed her hands through her wet hair frantically.

“What have I done?” She wanted to tell herself to forget the girl, but couldn’t even imagine seeing Alex and not having the feeling she has for her. She could not stand the thought of not seeing the girls face every day for the rest of her life, even if it were from afar.

Frustrated with herself, Kylie just turned off the water and went to get dressed. She dried her hair and wrapped the towel around her body. She went to her gym bag and searched for clothes.

When searching she came across some papers. “When did I pack these?” She looked at the drawings of the girl. They don’t do her justice. She thought to herself seeing them for the last time before putting them back inside the bag.

In minutes she had changed into a blue dress with white sandals. Her hair was brushed and her bags were ready. She didn’t want to leave anything behind for if she didn’t come back.

After closing and making sure the door was closed, Kylie started her way down the stairs. Before she was almost out the hotel, someone called her name causing her to stop and look back.

“Kylie what are you doing here?” asked the girl suspiciously as she approached Kylie.

Kylie had seen the girl at school, but she did not know her personally. All she knew about the girl was that her name was Sabrina and that the girl was one if not the major nerd in school. They stood there awkwardly looking at each other. The girl was still waiting for an answer.

“Umm… I came to visit someone.” she lied.

“Oh who?” the girl asked curious.

Kylie sighed and gave up. Oh What the heck. She thought.

“I had a fight with my mother and decided to leave my house. I didn’t have anywhere to go so I came here, and now I only have enough for two more days before I ran out of money. I know I lost my job since I didn’t show up yesterday, so now I got to find a new one.” she didn’t know why she was telling the girl all of this, but it felt good to let it all out.

“Oh wow. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to-” before the girl could continue kylie cut her off.

“No I’m sorry for dropping all my problems on you.” Kylie simply smiled a sad smile and turned around exiting the motel, leaving the girl behind.

On her way to school, she stopped at a local convenience store and grabbed a newspaper from the rack. If she was going to look for a job, she had to know where to start first.

The walk was quiet and slow. She had at least 30 minutes left to get to school and she was just 5 minutes away anyway, so she took her time. She started to look at the paper for a job. So far nothing seemed right to her. Every job she looked at would require her to have a car so she can go and return without difficulty, but no, she no longer owned a car.

Anger flowed through her entire body at the thought of the man that she had to call father. She worked hard for that car. It was not a new car, but it was new to her. Her Toyota Camry was everything she could ask for. The car took her and brought her home safely. It was the only thing Kylie could claim as hers. They had no right. She thought.

“Watch out!” someone screamed behind her.

Kylie had no time to react as the person collided with her. As she turned around to look back, their bodies were sent backwards landing on the grass.

Kylie was crushed by the person’s body but she didn’t care. The person could stay in that position forever.

                                               ~~~~~ Rachel – long night ~~~~~ 

“I’m scared, Rach.” Mike looked like a scared little kid. His eyes were pleading for her to do something. To Rachel the whole scene had been comical. No one had ever won a bet against her husband and would have never stood up to him the way Alex did. But Alex was not just anybody, Alex, in Rachel’s eyes, would someday be a Smith.

“Please honey, talk her out of it. Tell her that I didn’t mean it. That it was just a joke. That-” Mike kept rambling on and on, while Rachel crossed her arms and raised a perfect eye brow at her husband. 

“Mike-” Rachel had many things to say but was cut off with a kiss from Mike. After a while she didn’t mind him for rudely, well not really, but for interrupting her none the less.

“I know. I know, I’m an idiot.” Mike told her putting his forehead against hers. He took Rachel’s face in his hands. His eyes gleaming the way they always did when laying his eyes on Rachel.

“Yeah you are,” Rachel chuckled at his attempt to look hurt. “But you’re my idiot.” at this mike gave her his best smile and kissed her.

Mike was still frightened of the idea of having Alex renovate his office. He had seen what Alex did to the boys at the skate park, and defiantly did not want to think of what the girl was planning on doing to his precious office. He had no idea what Alex was capable of doing in 48 hours. 

Rachel grabbed her husband’s hand and led him upstairs to their bedroom before Mike went crazy. They needed to rest after a long day.

Hours later, Rachel was suddenly woken up and felt her heart speed up. She knew something was wrong. Mike was still fast asleep and Rachel knew that there was nothing in this world capable of waking him up. The feeling did not go away. She tried to shake the feeling off by putting her head back down, but found it impossible to rest.

Rachel felt it before she heard the screams. She quickly shot out of bed and ran full speed to Alex’s bedroom.

She didn’t knock but instead burst through the door. Her heart broke into pieces as she saw Alex kicking and screaming hitting the air with all her might. Rachel didn’t hesitate as she ran to Alex and tried to wake her up. “No, no please please don’t!” Alex yelled with tears rolling down her eyes.

                                             ~~~~~ Alex – Crazy Fan Club ~~~~~

     The peaceful sleeping nights were gone. The darkness no longer existed. Instead, the images came back. The blood. The hurt. Everything crashed inside my head. Images of the past I can’t, no matter how hard I try, get rid of.

They were all there. The man who killed my parents. My uncle. The man who took something I can never get back. The men who took everything from me, every essence of them is engraved inside my being.

The nightmare began as it always did, with the day that changed everything, my birthday.

He stood over my parents bodies and laughed. His laughter echoed through my brain. His cold eyes never leaving my own. He holds up the gun and points it at my head. I close my eyes anticipating the moment when he pulls the trigger. The moment he ends this nightmare. The piercing sound is painful.

I open my eyes only to see uncle’s fist connect with my face. My body falls to the ground. He gets on top of me and continues his assault. Closing my eyes I try to numb the pain. I cross my arms and protect my face. The punches suddenly stop.

Victory was sung to early. The smell of burning skin makes me open my eyes. The worst part just begun. He presses the cigar deeper onto my skin a smile of enjoyment expressed as he looks at the scene in front of him. A piercing scream escapes my lips.

“You are going to enjoy this as much as I will.”

No please God no! Alex wake up! Please Alex I’m begging you WAKE UP!

“No that’s not true I’m going to enjoy this for the rest of my life, because you are never leaving.” He grabbed my wrists and put them above my head. A smile broke out as he leaned closer. I fought to break loose but back then I did not have the strength to do anything other than endure the pain and everything that came with it.

“No, no please please don’t!” I screamed with all my might. He put his free hand on my mouth to keep me quiet. I free my hands when he loosens his grip, and begin to kick and scream at the top of my lungs. My hands are balled into tight fists as I swing desperately trying to escape his grasp.

—–

“ALEX!” the screams were echoing in my head. I felt my body being shaken by someone desperately who is trying to wake me.

The images went dark. The men were no longer there. All the pain… gone?

Strong arms held my body tight. I opened my eyes. “Thank you.” I breathed out. My breath was shaky. Rachel just held me tighter. I cried until I fell asleep with one of the strongest arms wrapped around me. One of the strongest arms that have held me in a long time.

The sun broke through the curtains as I opened my eyes. They slowly adjusted to the bright light. The room was illuminated with a nice shade of orange. A smile broke as I saw the amazing room.

I rolled out of bed and stretched. After every bone in my body was cracked, I made the bed. It only took a few minutes. I walked to the closet to pick some clothes.

“How are you feeling?” Rachel was leaning on the closet door looking at me closely. She was concerned and her eyes clearly showed it.

“I’m much better. Thank you for waking me up.” I went through the shirts until I found the right one. The shorts were easier to find. I grabbed some socks and underwear and headed for the door.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Her face was warm. I know she is trying hard not to ask the many questions occupying her head.

“Rachel I-“

“No it’s alright. Get ready we leave in half an hour.” she left and closed the door without another word.  

After taking a shower and getting dressed I was ready to take on the day. My backpack was sitting on the desk chair as well as my Nike bag and skateboard.

The bag contained the necessary supplies to survive. I have about $300, 7 pair of clothes an emergency first aid kit, and my MP3 player my parents gave me for my birthday.

“You have got to be kidding me!” Rachel was angrily screaming to the person on the other side of the line. She closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair clearly trying not to cuss at the person. I put my stuff down and waited patiently.

“Maxine you listen and you listen very. You. Are. Fired. So get your things because when I get there, you better be long gone.” She shut the phone violently almost breaking the poor device. She paced back and forth looking down, maybe trying to think.

“Oh.” she said once she realized that she was not alone. I went over to her and gave her a hug. She looks like she needs a hug.

“Alex I um… Can’t take you to school. I just fired one of my main employees-” I cut her off not wanting to know the details.

‘Let’s not give Rachel a hard time.’ Where the hell have you been?! ‘Hey hey calm the fuc-‘ heck naw! You are not about to cuss at me! So I ask again, where the hell were you? ‘I thought you couldn’t stand me?’ I still can’t stand you, but I needed you. You left me alone the time I need you the most. ‘I’m sorry. I just couldn’t stay and endure the pain.’

“Umm, Alex umm I uh… Yeah I uh-” Her voice brought me back. Rachel was still in my arms. Oh gosh. I let her go faster than she thought possible.

“I’m sorry.” I look down on the wooden floor. The reflection showed an embarrassed girl. Rachel just laughs and hugs me. It was a quick hug but it still caught me off guard.

The hugs, the smiles, the laughs, it’s all so weird. Rachel loves everything about me. Mike loves my athletic and boyish side. And Kylie-

‘Alex let’s not stress over that, please not today.’ ok.

Rachel opened her phone and made a call. “Hey Luke can you come and pick Alex up she needs a ride and-” My eyes grew wide as she said my name. There was no way I was going to disturb someone I don’t even know. I grabbed the phone from Rachel’s grasp.

“No Luke please stay where you are. Sorry for any inconvenience and have a nice day.” I hung up before he could respond and turned to face Rachel. I handed her the phone.

“What you do that for? Luke is our chauffer he can take you to school-” She stopped mid-sentence.

“Rachel, Baby! Dad said that the dinner was postponed to this Friday.” Mike came in trying to fix his tie failing miserably. The fact that he had his briefcase in his hand didn’t really help his situation.

“Mike, why don’t you just buy the clip-on ties?” Rachel laughed at her husband. Mike looked frustrated and gave up. 

“Tell me, how I’m going to show up to work with a clip-on tie. This is embarrassing Rachel, I’m the only guy there that doesn’t know how to tie a tie.”

“Hey you got me there.” Rachel raised her hands. Mike sighted and began to untie the wired knot he had created.

“Here,” I stood up on my toes and lifted his cooler. He squatted a little allowing me easier access to the tie. After a few twists and turns the tie was in a traditional knot.

“I love you. Alex God I love you!” He put down his briefcase and lifted me up in a hug. I kissed his check as he put me down.

“No problem.” I said.

Rachel and Mike were both skeptical about me walking alone to school. After a few minutes they had to leave so they allowed me to go, only if I called them both once I got to school. After parting our separate ways, I put my skateboard down and enjoyed music exploding from the earphones.

The morning sun was warm and the wind felt amazing sending my hair backwards. I sped up loving every moment of it. The streets were already crowded with people shopping in the little plaza.

“There she is!” The voice broke through the song. I took out the earphones and slowed down. I turned and looked back. A group of girls were running towards me in full speed with posters in their hands.

“We love you!” The group of girls screamed at the top of their lungs. They were just a few feet away now getting closer by the second.

Taking a deep breath I took off running. My backpack, skateboard, and Nike bag did not make it easy for me to run.

The girl sped up as I looked behind me. Wrong move on my part. “Watch out!” I yelled.

The girl turned around. I didn’t have time to stop. Our bodies collided as we both fell to the ground. My eyes widen when I realized the position we were in. I quickly got off her and helped her up.

Before any of us could say anything, I saw the girls getting closer. “Run.” I said grabbing my skateboard and her hand. She looked at the girls with a shocked expression.

“Hey what going on!” Kylie yelled over the screams coming from behind us. She looked back and almost tripped. I held her steady and sped up. The screaming girls were slowing down.

“I was just riding my skateboard listening to music, next thing I know hear someone say my name. These girls have been chasing me for blocks.” We turned the corner and almost ran over a girl pushing a stroller. She glared at us. I apologize and keep on running with Kylie by my side.

“Alex!” Ok that’s it! Who the hell are these girls, and why am I running away from them?

I abruptly stopped and waited for the girls to approach me. Kylie looked back and stopped. She ran back. We were both tired. She bent down and put her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath.

The girl holding an “I’m your #1 fan approached me first. She was very skinny and about 5 inches taller than me. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail with her bangs on her face. She was beautiful.

“Can I get your autograph?” What? I looked at Kylie but she had the same confused expression.

How cute is that? ‘Very cute.’

“Why are you chasing me?” The question had to be asked. The girl blushed and turned to the crowd pointing at the posters and shirts. The shirts had a picture of me. Why the hell is my picture on their shirts? The posters were very creative and also had pictures of me.

“Were kind of your fans.” I chocked on something. ‘Wait what?’ Wait a minute do they have the right Alex? ‘Idiot of course they do! They have your picture on their shirts and posters.’ I cannot believe I actually missed you. ‘Aww that was the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.’

“I have fans?” The girls giggled and looked at each other. Some covers their mouth and whispered to the girl beside them. They were all looking at me smiling.

“I’m the president, Emily.” the girl extended her hand and smiled as I shook it. She let go and giggled. She put a hand on her forehead and pretended to faint in the arms of a girl behind her.

The girl instantly gathered around surrounding me. Kylie grabbed my hand. I looked up to see her staring at the crowd of girls with a scared expression. I smiled at her and squeezed her hand. She turned to me and smiled.

She looked breathtaking in her dress. How did she run in sandals and not fall? God she’s gorgeous. I forgot about everything as I looked into her eyes. The intensity was amazing. Her eyes shone in the morning light. Her hair was covering her face so I pulled the stands and put them behind her ear. She blushed and looked at the ground.

A throat was cleared causing me to focus on my situation. The girls were still there looking at me. Some were glaring at Kylie. Scratch that, they were all now glaring at Kylie.

~~~~~ 

Sorry I know that I took too long but I’ve had some problems with my computer and I’m failing chemistry. I have an 89% I need to step up my game.

 Should I Continue or not?

-Alba Luz :^)