STEEL • PART III OF THE MATERIAL GIRL SERIES

STEEL│10

"The truth." Dumbledore sighed. 
"It is a beautiful and terrible thing, 
and should, therefore, be treated 
with great caution."
- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone  

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I'm down to the beach, kneeling in the sand before anyone can catch up with me. When I look up to find Rebecca Hart of all people, looking down at me, I know it's bad.

"Kendall, what the hell was that?" she breathes.

She looks bewildered and for once, I almost understand why. Everyone seemed so damn happy. Why wasn't I in that house being happy with them? Why couldn't I find enjoyment in the moment? The moment, that in the last three years, I should have been waiting for.

When she sees my tears she kneels down beside me and wraps one arm around my shoulders as she presses her lips together.

"I stopped Ashton from coming after you."
"Good," I sniffle.

She lets me cry for a few minutes before she cradles my head on her shoulder.

"You're still just a kid and you are the strongest person I know. Your best friend turned out to be a complete creep, you've been hurt beyond anyone's wildest imagination, and you had to give up the love of your life," I choke on a sob as she lowers her voice to a whisper, "You've been dealt the shittiest of cards in life and you've made me so proud, Kennady."

"H-How?" I hiccup.
"You're alive. You made a mistake earlier when you told Ashton he saved you. He helped rescue you, yes. But you saved him just as much as he saved you. You're the one that untied him and got out of that fire. You're he one that took the brunt of Connors wrath that night. You. Not Ashton. Not The Elite. Not Me. You. Kennady Rose Parker. Kendall Rose Parris. You. And not a single person can change that."

I raise my head to look at her and find the sincerity behind her words deep in her eyes. The one person who for so long was an enemy had really been on my side all along.

"Thank you, Hart."
She squeezes my shoulder and smiles.
"Rebecca. When you and I walk away from this, we are friends."
"I can deal with that."

She grins as I smile and then we break into giggles as we collapse in the sand on our butts, kicking sand up into the air.

After a few moments we stand and instead of walking, we sit on the nearby bench.

"So, what happened back there?"
"I just . . . It's all of them. You know? It's The Elite. They have each other back after so long and I just feel like I'm intruding."

"You didn't feel that way a couple of weeks ago?"
"No, I didn't. Why?"

She seems to hesitate before she finally speaks.

"It's just that these feelings didn't come up until Kaitlyn arrived. I have to wonder if it's something more. Maybe something to do with Ashton?" At my petulant look, she sighs, "The truth hurts."

I cross my arms as I stare out at the water.

"I feel like I'm on the other side of a two-way mirror. It's almost as if I'm on the outside looking in. I have to wonder if that's how I'll feel if I get to go back," I pause and look at her, "My mom is God knows where and my dad has a whole new family. A family he already had and never bothered to mention until I figured it out myself. You knew before I did."

"You're worried about not fitting in?"
"What if I don't belong? My dad told me it was my home too, but it's never been my home. It's their home. My dad, Kayla, and Kaitlyn. Kat is going to fit right in because she's lived with all three of them. It really is her family, but it's only a fraction of mine."