Opposites That Aren't So Opposite

Chapter 20

The next morning I got up to find Kyle gone. I frowned and patted the covers to make sure but, he wasn't there.

Did he actually leave...?

I didn't understand why he would but, I shrugged it off and headed for my bedroom door. When I opened it however, I smelled something amazing from downstairs. I frowned and headed down, peeking through the bars of the banister into the living room. I could see Macey sitting in the couch with a plate of pancakes, watching TV.

I frowned and left the stairs to go into the kitchen where I found Kyle standing over the griddle, cooking pancakes and chopping fruit. I blinked in surprise. "Kyle?"

He looked up, a smile crossing his face when he saw me. "Hey." He said, setting down the utensil he was using to cook. "Good morning. Did you sleep okay?"

It took me a moment to answer. "Um, yeah." Then I frowned and shook my head. "What are you doing?"

He glanced down at the food. "Macey said she was hungry and I didn't want to wake you so I improvised." He said.

"Pancakes are improvised?" I asked. "Did we even have milk?"

He shrugged. "I may have run to the store for ingredients."

I rolled my eyes. "Wow. Okay." I went over and started to cut the strawberries. "Give a guy some warning, would ya?"

He chuckled and we finished breakfast together in content silence. When we were done, we sat down at the table to watch Macey who was happily licking syrup off her messy fingers. Kyle chuckled. "She's a good kid, you know? You've done a good job of raising her."

I smiled at her sadly. "Well, she's done quite a bit of raising herself."

Kyle seemed to notice the topic of parents was touchy, so he changed the subject. "So, are you ready to be done with the tutoring classes?" He asked.

I groaned and fell forward on my arms. "God, yes, please! I swear I'll never let my studies slip again!" I begged.

He chuckled. "Fine, fine. I'll let the principal know you're doing better and get the classes canceled." He promised.

"Thank you! I don't know how much longer I coukd've lasted." I said with feeling. He smiled and we both fell silent, content just to sit in each other's company. It was nice, I thought. Relaxing. Kyle wasn't pushing me, he was simply taking his time and I appreciated that.

With a sigh, I sat back in my chair and watched Macey as the two of us finished our breakfast. When I had cleaned my plate, I stood up to take it and Kyle's to the sink. "So how long can I expect you to stick around today?" I asked, setting the dishes in the dishwasher.

Kyle's smile slipped and he frowned at the table. "Not much longer, I'm afraid. I'd love to stay, but I have to check up on Kayla." He said.

I was disappointed, but I didn't let it show. "Yeah, you kind of left her alone all night." I told him, walking back to the table.

He sighed and rested his chin in his hand. "Yeah. She's pretty self-sufficient, but it still doesn't mean I should leave her by herself." He was silent for a moment. Then he stood up. "I need to get back then."

I frowned and looked down. He seemed to noticed the unhappy expression on my face and he reached out, brushing his fingers against my cheek softly. I looked up, my cheeks flaming. "What...?"

He smiled. "I'm not gonna be gone forever, you know?" He leaned forward and kissed my cheek gently, making my face hear up even further. "We still have our date."

My brain must have shorted out. I stared at him with wide eyes, unable to speak properly as he headed towards the door. He slipped on his jacket and smiled at me. "I'll be back to pick you up at five, yeah?"

Blindly, I nodded. "Yeah..."

He waved. "Dress nice." He said. Then disappeared out the door. I stood silently, dumbstruck. Then I absolutely collapsed in a chair at the table, burying my face in my arms with a groan. "Why...?"

As I sat there, wallowing in self-pity, a hand patted my head gently. "It's gonna be okay. Just relax."

I looked up at Macey with a tearful frown. "How?"

She smiled. "You'll be fine. Kyle knows what he's doing." She said. "He'll take you on a wonderful date. Just follow your heart. It's up to you at this point anyways."

I covered my face with my hands again. "Ugh. Don't remind me. I don't want to think about it." I said.

She giggled. "What's the matter? I thought you said there was nothing that could change your mind."

"There isn't." I grumbled. "But he'll come up with a fabulous date. Then he'll be charming and sweet. And... and he'll give me those stupid puppy eyes... and I'll..." I burrowed deeper as my face darkened again, blushing at the thought of what I might do. "I don't want to go. I shouldn't have said yes..."

She sighed and began to pat my head again. "It's okay. You don't need to be so anxious. I'm sure you'll have fun."

"That's the problem..." I said under my breath.

For a moment, we sat in silence, me whining into my hands, and Macey happily petting my hair. When I finally got out my frustration, however, I sat up, taking a deep breath. Macey eyed me as I stood up and started for the door. "Where are you going?" She asked.

I pulled my jacket on. "Out. I need some air. I'll be back later." I told her. I opened the door and paused. "I might stop by the store on my way back."

When I saw her nod, I headed out. It was muggy and hot outside, but I was grateful for the Florida climate. The humidity in the air filled my lungs in a comforting manner and I inhaled deeply as I walked. This was better. It helped clear my head some.

I made my way towards the city, my thoughts in the clouds. Unconsciously, I ended up in the square. That wasn't bad, I decided. Kyle said to dress nice and, to be perfectly honest, I didn't really have anything in the way of nice. It'd be good to just go shopping.

With my head tipped back, looking at the sun hidden behind the clouds, I wondered what I should buy. A button up maybe, or a nice t-shirt instead of one of my graphic tees. I probably need pants too. But I didn't want to wear slacks, so I might get a pair of jeans. Black ones. Or blue. My lips turned down in a frown at the decision. I hated clothes shopping. I could never make up my mind.

I was so wrapped up in my mental shopping, I didn't pay attention to where I was going until I bumped into someone's shoulder. I frowned, ducking down. "Sorry." I said, trying to just go around them.

Before I could, however, they grabbed my arm. I looked up quickly and my eyes widened. "Bert-"

He dragged my around the corner before I could stop him and I found myself alone in an empty street, Bert in front of me. I glared and ripped my arm away. "The fuck do you want?" I asked.

He held his hands up in surrender. "Calm down, calm down. I just wanted to talk to you." He said.

I stormed past him. "I have nothing to say to you." I growled.

He stopped me by stepping in front of me and blocking my exit. "Now hold on." He said. "You don't even have ten minutes for an old pal?"

I frowned, unamused. "No."

He sighed and started to pull me away. "Too bad. I have something to show you." He said and dragged me off.

*******

Hey everyone! So this is the fixed version. If there are some inconsistencies, I apologize, but it's been a long time since I've read this book so I don't remember all the details. I'll be fixing the other chapters in the coming days so the book will be whole again very soon. I'm sorry it's taken me this long to fix, I've just not had the motivation to rewrite it until now. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! AS ALWAYS, VOTE, COMMENT, FOLLOW, AND STAY AWESOME!

-Nekoco