Atlas: A Top Gun: Maverick Fanfiction

Chapter 23: I Don't Want To Keep Secrets Just To Keep You

A/N: GUYS HELP I'M SNOWED IN AND CAN'T GET BACK TO SCHOOL AND IT STARTS TOMORROW. Heheheheh oops?? Anyways, thus the need for a early update a day early! That being said, because of school and work, I won't be back with another chapter until likely February or Valentines Day! Thanks for your patience and your understanding :) As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts, comments, questions, and as I'm sure you'll all be mad with the way I ended this chapter, my apologies :) Thank you!!

Kelsey Ryan had been sure of exactly one fact growing up. It was true, she wasn't always the best student and she could admit that she didn't know everything. But when it came to problems, she was a firm believer that when you focused on problems, life tended to be worse.

If you ignored it long enough, maybe things would go away. Maybe the universe would right itself and do a service, rather than a misjustice. And yet, the Saturday afternoon that Ice went in for surgery, Kelsey found ways to ignore it.

That day, she found ways to pretend that things would be fine. She found herself signed up for a pottery class, totally and completely ignoring the impending date at the hospital that she couldn't escape.

Ignored the fact that on Sunday, she would be meeting up with her brother. Ignored the fact that her nerves were frayed beyond the point of fairness—and were hanging by a thread at this point.

That day, when she got the news that Ice had pulled through the surgery, that he was going to be okay, Kelsey found a way to plaster a smile on her face. Found a way to hug Sarah Kazansky and lie about optimism and the power of choosing to focus on the good.

What a load of bullshit.

And no one was the wiser. Not Sarah Kazansky, with her mothering gaze and usual instincts. Not Penny Benjamin, who was always the first to know when Kelsey was upset or nervous about something.

Not Pete—who didn't even notice that she hadn't responded to his latest text message.

Not Brad-Brad. How could he possibly know that something was wrong? Kelsey hadn't seen her brother in years and he was more out of touch with her than anyone else was. There was no way that he would know just by looking at her.

Not Javy, who respected the fact that she had feigned a lingering migraine—it wasn't altogether unheard of, after all. Not when she had responded to their group chat with the usual amounts of sass and sunshine mixed together.

And not Jake—this one almost seemed to sting the young woman, but the fact of the matter was that she knew she was a good liar. Reveled in it as a teenager, as a matter of fact. She remembered being a teen and sneaking out so many times and her ability to lie had never failed her.

No, he thought she was just thrown off by Uncle Ice's surgery. And she could live with that being the thought process in his head. She could live with him worrying because he thought she was worried about Ice.

It was better than the truth.

So that Sunday morning, when Pete's text had come through to the Dagger Squad and they had elected to relocate to the beach for a day of rest and relaxation, Kelsey had no qualms. She would plaster a smile on her face and she would go—she would smile and laugh and meet Dagger Squadron and see her brother and it would be great.

Just freaking peachy keen, in fact.

"You know, I could drive you." Jake offered, placing his sunglasses on his face and taking a look in the mirror.

She nearly laughed—keyword being nearly. She looked tired and she knew that she did, only half-ready for the day. Bags rested under her eyes and she seemed paler than normal. It wasn't a good sign.