Fade {Harry Styles}

chapter 9

The air seemed to slowly seep from Marcel's lungs as if they were deflating with excruciating intensity.

"What?" He exhaled although there seemed to no air left to get out. The sickening silence that stuck to the air seemed to only deepen. The sounds of music and laughter coming from the large dining hall couldn't be heard by either guest.

A ragged breath rattled in Kelsey's chest as she deepened her breathing in order to calm herself down. The air stung her damp eyes and cheeks but Marcel's gaze stung her heart. His piercing eyes, whether he knew it or not, were her weakness. They broke her. The intensity of his expression was heartfelt and painful.

She could tell he wasn't angry; his lips weren't pursed and his eyes weren't narrowed.

She could tell he wasn't scared; his hands were steady as well as his gaze.

She could tell he wasn't disgusted; for some reason she just knew.

Instead, she saw sincere questioning in his composure. She knew well enough that he would never press her to reveal the true events of that dreadful October night. Yet she knew that he was as curious as she was regretful.

As weird as the thought was, Kelsey considered Marcel a friend. It had been a while since she had been able to say she had one. She worked to please everyone else, yet isolation was what pleased her most.

She trusted Marcel.

So she told him...everything.

**3 years prior**

"Will! Pleaaaaaaaaase?" Her brother's name drawled lazily from Kelsey's pouted lips. "C'mon! Just a little Halloween party." Will's fierce gaze wavered slightly and she knew that if she kept pestering him like the baby sister she was, he would give in to her greatest wish. "Please? I have my license now."

"Sure you do," the elder sibling chuckled. "but that doesn't mean you aren't a danger to society's children out trick or treat-ing."

"Are you saying I'm a bad driver?" She nagged persistently. Her eager eyes flickered to the set of desired keys dangling on Will's pointer finger. She swiped her hand outward to snatch them away from him, but missed by a mile as he pulled skillfully away.

"I'm only saying you got your license less than a week ago. Mom and dad are out and I'm not going to be responsible for you injuring an innocent pedestrian." He scolded in a tone that little sisters tacked on as overprotective of their big brothers. "So, no." Kelsey was honestly a little pissed with her brother - or more like a lot. In her mind, she was a fully responsible adult that didn't need her older brother lurking in every rebellious corner of her life. She was old enough to drive by herself.

So what if it was dark? She had headlights.

So what if there were a lot of people out? She'd be careful.

So what if he said no? She'd go anyway.

"You suck." She grumbled, plopping into a bar stool positioned by the marble island in the spacious kitchen.

"Just trying to keep everyone safe, KeeKee." She scowled at his use of her nickname. Ever since they were little children, Will had taken an interest in nailing her with the name KeeKee. Neither was really sure how it began or why, they just knew it as something there always had been. As a child, Kelsey kind of like the nickname, and how nobody ever called her that but him. She thought it was fun and exciting...but to the teenage Kelsey it was a child's name and was ridiculously embarrassing and she wished will every fiber of her being that Will would stop calling her by the awful name, yet she knew that he never would.