The Importance of Being Kept

Chapter 10. Proud Men

Kia called Kaylee twice but both times she kept getting her voicemail. She wondered if she'd spent the night over Brandon's place until Brandon called her and told her he'd let himself in Kaylee's apartment and she wasn't there. Brandon was about to go crazy, but Kia knew her friend well. Kaylee had left the apartment to do some exploring on her own. She had a tendency to wander off at times, especially when something was bothering her. She told him to look for her at Fisherman's Wharf and Barnes & Nobles, two places she was sure Kaylee was at. After a shouting match with her brother who yelled at her for pulling her little stunt last night, she hung up on him, not able to deal with his wrath. She had more important things to do like avoiding the twins.

The only place she knew would put a large distance between them was her home. Sea Cliff was on the other side of the city far away from town life. After spending a week in the Financial District's constant hustle and bustle of large crowds of people and traffic, Kia welcomed the quietness of her neighborhood. It took her 30 minutes to drive there. Her parents rarely stayed in on a Saturday, so she expected to have the place to herself for a few hours. She unlocked the door and walked in, she'd made it past the foyer before her mother flew past her laughing in a strange red outfit that looked like it was made out of...liquorish?

"Mom?!" Kia yelled.

Mia skidded to a halt in the middle of the living room and gasped out loud when she saw her daughter staring at her. "Kia!"

"We're coming to get you, Mia!" She heard her father's playful tone down the long hallway.

"More like we're coming to eat you!" She heard Kale say.

"HELL NO!" Kia yelled as loudly as she could.

"Kale, Aidan don't you dare come out of that bedroom! Our daughter is here!" Mia yelled at them.

"What the hell is she doing here?!" Kale yelled out angrily.

"Oh my god, my daughter almost saw me naked!" Kia heard Aidan yell in horror.

"Ewww!" Kia yelled hearing him say it out loud was almost as bad as seeing him. "This is what you do when we're gone?! It's the middle of the day for Pete's sake!"

"Kia, honey, what are you doing home on a Saturday?" Her mother asked her as she walked past her as daintily as she could, but her liquorish lingerie was already falling apart and leaving a trail of liquorish on the floor behind her.

Kia stared at her. She'd never get that vision out of her head anytime soon. Where on earth had her mother gotten that outfit? "Mom, what the hell are you wearing?! You know what, I don't even... I'm just going to go to my room and pretend this did NOT happen!"

She ran to her room and slammed the door shut.

Twenty minutes later, there was a knock at her door. "I'm not opening that door unless someone has some clothes on!" Kia yelled.

"Oh stop it!" She heard her mother say. "Let me in, Kia."

Kia cracked the door and peeped out. Her mother was wearing jeans and a shirt. She sighed in relief and opened it. Mia walked in and stood there staring at her curiously. "Umm, honey, did something happen?"

If she only knew, Kia thought. "I had a fight with the twins."

"Already?" Mia looked surprised.

"You know how they are Mom! They closed Brandon's club just because I went there with Kaylee last night."

Mia grinned. "I know, Brandon came by earlier."

"You don't have to look so happy about it, Mom."