[Okay, part 20! Wow, this sequel is so much longer than the other two! Oh well, like I said, I'm going to draw it to a close. I know lots of people were upset because Lizzie died (YES SHE REALLY DID) so I'm sorry for that. But, um, think of it as character building. Yeah. That works. >_< So...Enjoy, comment and Happy Reading! ^_^]
Keith left Belinda asleep in her room when he started to get ready for school. She had muttered something vague about school but he knew she hadn't slept. It wasn't fair to force her to go to school when she wouldn't make it through the day. And that didn't even include the Emma problem. Just thinking about Emma made him worry.
He was careful when he woke Maggie, trying not to make too much noise. He wondered vaguely if it would wake Belinda anyway - she had seemed so dead to the world when he had laid her down. A complete contrast to when he kissed her...he tried to pull himself away from those thoughts. He had to get ready for today, to tell Jack what Belinda was going through.
That changed his train of thought, though not for the better. Throughout yesterday, he had wondered if there was something more to Belinda and Jack's relationship, something less innocent than it looked. Just occasionally, a smile would pass between them, some shared joke that Keith didn't get and seemed to make no sense. But, then again, there were times like this morning...
Despite his best intentions, Keith could tell his mind was determined to wander along much less innocent avenues than planning for the day ahead. He decided to give in and let his mind wander while it could - it wouldn't be long before he would have to concentrate solely on the tasks ahead. Maybe if he could just get it out of his system...
"Keith, is Belinda coming to school today, or is that wishful thinking?" Maggie asked, eyes sad and slightly red. Keith sighed and pulled her into a brief one-armed hug.
"She's tired this morning. She didn't really sleep last night, you know," he said, trying to make her understand without saying anything blatantly obvious. Maggie looked like she was taking Lizzie's death just as hard as Belinda was. "She just needs to sleep today, without worrying about school. I'll catch her up when she's ready, okay?"
Maggie nodded in assent, making her way around the house, collecting schoolbooks and pens before sitting down on the sofa, looking bored and lost. She knew Belinda needed space and time but all Maggie wanted to do was cry and share that grief. She wished she was strong enough, like Keith, to sit with Belinda and not cry, but she wasn't. And going to Belinda was more for her own comfort than anything else, more to let out her own pain and frustration at her inability to do anything to help.
If only she was big enough to make a different. If only she were old enough to give Belinda some real support. If only, if only, if only...her brain was torturing her with 'what if's and all Maggie wanted was to go to Belinda and cry, good and hard. She hated that Keith had bags under his eyes from trying to hold Belinda together. She hated that nothing she did could make a difference.
"Hey, Jack's going to meet me at the school, so I'll give you a lift, okay? I'm just going to check on Belinda and we'll get going."
Even as Keith entered her room he knew that Belinda was fast asleep. She looked so vulnerable, lying there defenceless. Keith was tempted to lie down with her and stay all day. But Maggie needed a lift to school, Jack was expecting an explanation and it wouldn't be fair to expect Belinda to tell him, not when she couldn't hold herself together long enough to leave her room without crying.
So, reluctantly, Keith kissed her forehead before leaving her room on feet as soft as a cat's. He let Maggie climb on his bike, making sure she was steady before taking off. He wanted today to be over as quickly as possible so he could get back to Belinda and protect her again. Everything he thought about made him think about Belinda and when he thought about Belinda, everything else just went out the window.
