The Original Four

Chapter 3

Kate's POV

"Thanks for having me over," I tell Nick.

"It was nothing," he replies. "You're welcome here anytime."

I hug only him and Olivia goodbye since Daniel still hadn't come down after our awkward encounter in the kitchen.

"I'll tell Daniel you left," Olivia says. "Here's my number. The two of us should hang out tomorrow."

I smile at her. "Thanks. I'll text you later tonight."

I walk out the door and make my way over to my house. Mine. I'll never get tired of saying that.

As soon as I get inside, I run upstairs to my room and get ready for bed. Just as I'm about to turn off the lights, something hits my window. I ignore it until it happens again. I open my curtains and step outside onto the deck. I see two rocks on the floor and look outside.

"Hello?" I yell. A figure walks toward my balcony, and I see that it's Daniel. "You scared me!" I hiss at him.

He chuckles. "Sorry. I just felt bad that I didn't get to say goodbye."

"Oh," I laugh nervously. Daniel starts climbing the fence and hops onto the deck. I shake my head, smiling, and lead him inside. The two of us walk down to the living room and sit on the couch.

"Before you say anything," he begins. "I want you to keep this." He takes the necklace out from his pocket and places it on the table. "Knowing that you kept it these past eight years means a lot."

"Thanks. Do you want anything to drink?"

He nods his head. "Sure. What do you have?"

I smile at him and run into the kitchen. I come out and throw a cocoa packet at him. "Let's make hot chocolate!" I cheer.

He laughs at me as I run back in and get our drinks ready. "Nothing's changed," he tells me with a smile. "You're still the same fourteen-year-old girl I grew up with."

I roll my eyes even though I know he's just being cheesy. "What about you, Daniel? Anything new?"

I walk out with the delicious treats and hand one to him. He looks down at his drink and frowns. "I need to tell you something."

"What's up?"

Daniel clears his throat. "My uh . . . my mom has cancer."

"My god . . . "

I wrap my arms around him. Mrs. Mayer was always so sweet and thoughtful whenever I saw her. It's sad how the worst things happen to the best of people. His eyes start to water, and I rest my head on his chest.

"I'm sorry," I tell him. "But look at the positive side of things: you have Olivia and your best friend by your side. They'll always be there."

"They don't know," he mumbles.

"What?" I ask. "Why wouldn't you tell them?"

"I don't know," he replies with a shrug. "It's different with you. I was always able to talk to you about things like this."

"Daniel, I appreciate that but I think you should let them know what's going on. Olivia and Nick aren't going anywhere." I pause and smile at him, tears brimming my eyes. "And neither is your mom."

Daniel's embrace around me tightens. "Don't leave me ever again. I missed you too much."

.

April 22, 2023

My eyes flutter open as I awaken from my deep sleep. The first thing I see is a person resting with their arms wrapped around me.

"Daniel," I yawn. "What are you doing here?"

He wakes up and looks around the room as a panicked look sweeps across his face. "Shoot," he says as he looks at the clock. "It's almost nine. That means Olivia's up."

My eyes widen. "No, no, no. You need to leave," I say, pushing him out the back door. "She's picking me up any minute now. How far does she live from here?"

Daniel shrugs. "About fifteen minutes."

There's a knock at the door, and I see her car parked out front. "Get out," I yell.

I don't want her to think there's anything going on between Daniel and I because believe me, there's not and never will be.

Once he's out of the house, I clean myself up and open the door. Olivia's face falls when she sees my appearance.

"Sorry," I tell her. "I overslept this morning."

"It's fine."

"Come in. I'll only be a minute," I say and open the door wider. "Help yourself to a fresh pot of coffee."

I run upstairs and do my regular routine.

After everything is done, I stand in front of the mirror and put on mascara. I stare at my reflection and see Olivia dangling a necklace from behind me.

"What's this?" she asks.

I turn around and realize it's the Forever & Always necklace Daniel returned to me last night. Oh shoot.

"It's a necklace," I reply.

Olivia rolls her eyes. "I know that," she hisses. "But how did you get it? Last time I checked, Daniel was the one who had it."

I swallow deeply and think of an excuse. "I can explain," I say, searching for an answer. "When I excused myself at dinner, Daniel gave me my necklace back in the kitchen."

Sympathy washes over her face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have accused you of anything. It's just that Daniel and I are going through a hard time right now."

I take her hand and pull her down next to me on my bed. "All relationships are tough. You're going to have your good days and your bad ones too. But in the end, everything will be okay and it'll all be worth it."

Olivia gives me a hug. "You're the best. Now, let's go shopping."

And that's when the guilt drifted in, because I had just lied to my old best friend.