House of Goths

Chapter 7

Friday morning, Becky woke up early and crept downstairs, following the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee. "It's not Saturday," she said, pleasantly surprised to find Kelley in the kitchen. He was already dressed in his ultra-Goth pseudo-military gear, eyeliner and all.

"Hey, you," Kell said, leaning up against the counter, watching her sidle up to the kitchen table. Could she be more adorable? She wasn't like most girls he knew. Becky had an air of innocence about her that never ceased to impress him. For instance, she never thought twice about walking around the house in her flimsy PJs. Her little rounded curves, so very obvious through the soft fabric. Oh, how his fingers itched to reach out and touch her.

"You're up early. Classes don't start up for a few hours."

There were times, though, when the others were around that he wished she would be a bit more aware of her state undress, yet when it was just the two of them, like this, he found nothing wrong with her pyjamas or her trusting personality. In fact, he treasured it.

"The coffee woke me," she said with a drowsy smile, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "It smells so good."

He smiled softly and poured themselves each a hearty mugful. Placing them down on the table, he sat down next to her.

"Looking forward to seeing your grandmother this weekend?" he asked, watching her as she took a sip of her coffee. Such a pretty little mouth...

"I'm not going," she said with a slight hitch in her voice.

"Why not?" he said, suddenly wishing he hadn't asked. He couldn't stand to see the despondent misery in her eyes. She'd been so looking forward to her trip home. That's all she'd talked about last week. He even offered to drive her to the train station.

Becky frowned and forced herself to keep from falling apart. Ever since the start of the school year, she had been counting the days until she could see her granny on Thanksgiving. Now it wasn't going to be possible. The realization of how truly alone in the world she was finally hit her.

"Granny's sick with the flu," she said, biting her bottom lip, forcing it from quivering. "They've quarantined the seniors' residence so no one can visit."

Seeing the uncertainty on her face and hearing the disappointment in her voice, caused a wince in Kell's heart. "That's too bad, but I suppose they do have to follow strict rules when it comes to things of that nature."

She nodded solemnly and sniffed. "What about you, Kelley? Are you visiting with family this weekend?" she asked, looking at him with liquid green eyes. Oddly, she realized that he had never discussed his plans with her. In fact, she knew so little about him. For a moment, he only stared at her. She started to think he wasn't going to say anything. Then he smiled sadly and toyed with one of the many pewter rings on his long fingers.

"I am my family," he said finally, turning his attention to his coffee. "I'm the last of the line."

"Oh... sorry. I didn't realize." Her heart broke for him. Suddenly, she felt compelled to hear more of his past. The man was always such a mystery. "What happened to your parents?"

"They died a few years ago," he said cryptically. "All of them, mother, father, brother, sister, all gone."

"Oh my God!" she gasped. "How?"

"Carbon monoxide leak in the furnace," he said, looking oddly guilty. "I got off lucky because I left my window open that night. Funny thing is... it was winter, freezing outside. I never slept with the window open. That night, though, I'd been smoking pot in my room. I didn't want to be found out so I opened the window." He chuckled, then frowned. "If only I hadn't opened the window. If they'd only smelled the pot... they might have woken up in time. They might have been spared."