Silence is Golden

Chapter Five

My week of detention passes by slowly. Everyday after eight period I walk into the detention room and sit for an hour. Flynn always makes a stupid excuse to stay after school so he can drive me home. 

The Principal shortens my detention sentence to Friday, because Friday is the infamous Homecoming. 

I have my license now, just no car. Flynn offers to let me drive the Commander a few times, but I refuse. With a girl like me you never know what could happen to his car. It's a really nice car, so I would hate to have anything happen to it.

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Flynn's car pulls up our drive at 6:00 sharp. The game isn't until 7:00, but we want to get there early. After all, it is Homecoming. 

"Kaylee! Text if you'll be back later the midnight!" Mom yells out the door as I leave. I nod.

I'm sporting some school spirit, wearing our yellow and black Homecoming shirts that say "Sting the Spartans!" and I have a black hoodie over it. Flynn's attire is very similar to mine.

When we get to the game I'm slightly surprised that people have so much school spirit. Girls are wearing the Homecoming shirts with yellow booty shorts and black tights under them, the guys are  wearing the Homecoming shirts with black under armor underneath. Everybody has facepaint on. Most have a stripe on each side, one black and one yellow, but some of the guys have their entire faces painted.

"Kaylee! C'mon over here and get your face painted!" Liv calls.

I sit down on the cold metal bleachers and let her paint stripes on my face. "And... perfect!" She says. She hands me her phone to use as a mirror. The lines were perfect. I had black on the right side, and yellow on the other.

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 The Hornets won, of course. We're undefeated. As we're walking to the High School after the game I can't help but smile. I had so much fun.

Inside the school is warm, a pleasent change to the frigid weather outside. There's a fog machine in each corner of the gym. The fog rises a little past my ankles. 

A warm smile spreads across my face as Flynn puts his arm around me. He makes me feel so safe, like a normal teenager. He helps me forget that I'm not.

A slow song eases through the giant speakers. I dance with Flynn, his hands on my hips is the best feeling ever. My cheeks ache from smiling so hard. We sway back and forth to the timing of the song. I could spend the rest of my life like this.

The music changes to some fast beat pop song. Then Catherine shows up. She has her hands  on her hips, one of the slightly jutted out. 

Out of no where her hand shoots up and slaps me in the cheek. She may be small, but she can hit hit hard. Her fake nails caught my skin. I wince and hold the side of my face, doubled over in pain. 

She pivots or her heels and walks away. 

A sudden pain shoots through my head. I feel like my skull is splitting open. The rooms spins and tilts. My vision goes in and out of focus. I faintly hear somebody- probably Flynn calling my name. My knees buckle out from under me and I crumple to the ground.

----

My eyelids flutter open. I'm in a small white room, no doubt a hospital. "Kaylee?" My mom whispers, choking back tears. "You haven't had a migraine that bad since you..." She doesn't finish her sentence. I know what she means. I haven't have a migraine that bad since I stopped talking.

After a few tests the doctors decide I can go home. I hear Mom whisper some words to the doctors, but I ignore it. 

Flynn texts me as soon as I get home.

"Kaylee. Are you okay? You scared the crap out of me tonight. I didn't even know if you were breathing when I carried you out of there."

I don't reply. The only person I text is Mom. I turn my phone off and go back to sleep.

-----

It's Monday and I still have a pretty nasty bruise on my forehead.

I wince as my hand brushes across it. I try hard not to remember.

"Kaylee, you aren't going to school today. You have a... uhm.. doctors appointment." 

I cock my head to the side and furrow my eyebrows. I haven't had anymore headaches. The doctors said it was just a relapse. Whatever the means.

"Kaylee, hunny. Please don't be mad. I made you an appointment with a speech therapist." 

I run up to my room and slam the door, locking it behind me. My shoulders shake as I sob.

"Kaylee. I'm trying to help! I don't care, you're going!"

----

"Hello, Kaylee. I'm Doctor Jaylen. I'm just going to ask you and your mom some questions, is that okay?" 

Doctor Jaylen is a young women. Probably in her thirties. She has brown hair styled in a pixie cut. She's actually quite short, too. 

"How old was Kaylee when she stopped talking?" Doctor Jaylen says, peering over her clip-board.

"About four years old."

"Were there any traumatic events going on at that time? Any serious injuries?"

"Her dad left when she was three and a half, and her youngest sister was born when she was four. As for injuries, she was a typical four year old. Bumps and bruises, but nothing serious."

"What's your relationship with you sister?"

"Her and Kayla get along great. And her relationship with Kayce is getting better."

"What about with her father?"

"He loves all of them so, so much. He's traveling from place to place right now. He had to leave before Kayla was born. He's been gone for thirteen years, but he's coming back soon."

"Why did he leave?"

"His job."

"His relationship with Kaylee?"

"Kaylee was a Daddy's girl. They did everything together. Do you think that's why she stopped speaking? Can she keep it up for thirteen years?" 

"If it was her father leaving, and it started so early when she was just developing speech and such, it could have messed with that."

Mom and Doctor Jaylen keep talking but I zone out. 

-----

When i'm back at home and in my room, I pull open my dresser drawer. I find the picture of me and my dad. My chubby little toddler arms are wrapped around his neck, we're both smiling. I'm wearing a little pink dress and flower head-band. 

I smile and put the picture in Kayla's room. She loves seeing pictures of our dad. I feel bad that she never got to meet him. She will someday. Our dad is a good man, traveling to keep our family a float. Thanks to him we have a nice house in a good neighborhood. I miss him so much.

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Authors note: Finally updated(: Yay. Like? No like? Comment and tell me! If I made mistakes, i'm sorry. It's late. Fine its 8:32 p.m. But still! Any-who, I hope you guys liked. If you want, read my rant below.

So, I have been super busy, right? Homework, tests, dance practice. So don't get mad if I don't update regularly for a while, or if my chapters are short! If this chapter makes no sense at all, i'm sorry I was kind of in a hurry.