Summer Rain

[4] Mr. Know It All

Dedicated to xXVampireluvaXx, for being the first one to comment last chapter... :)

Picture of Annabelle on the right >>>>>>>>>>

--

Mr. Play Your Games,

Only got yourself to blame,

When you want me back again.

But I ain't fallin' back again,

'Cause I'm living my truth without your lies

 

~Mr. Know It All- Kelly Clarkson

 

      I felt like whacking myself in the head right after those words shot out. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Honestly, why can't I just keep my mouth shut for once? One year. Then I would've been out of here, and I would never or almost never have to see Kaden ever again. He would never know. It would've worked out perfectly.

      The kitchen was silent. Heck, the whole house was silent. It was just us. There wasn't a sound, except our quiet breathing as we stared at each other.

      "Jared Jordan." I couldn't help whispering. Kaden flinched, but stayed silent.

      Jared Jordan. Jared Jordan. Oh, how I hated him now. Until Kaden had introduced us, I thought of him as just another perverted jock in Kaden's group. Then I realized he was so much, much, worse. At first, he was charming, and honest, not the slightest bit cocky like all the others. I thought he was different. I should've known, or suspected something at least.

      "I'm sorry, Raine," he replied softly, but I wasn't really listening.

      You know how there's always that one guy? The one guy who turns a girl into a player, or into a girl that doesn't quite believe in love? Jared was that guy for me.

      We started dating, and everything was great. He treated me like a princess. Then I started going to parties with him. He got drunk, seriously drunk. He started to force me to do things I didn't want to do, he started to get abusive. I told myself it was only because he was drinking. When he was sober, it was fine. He was still the perfect gentleman.

      "I wish I knew," Kaden whispered almost to himself, but I still paid him no attention. It was like his voice was just a background noise. Soft, and hard to focus on.

      One night, I had been hanging out with him, and Kaden and their friends. It had been dark, and I had told my parents I would be spending the night with the Flemings. It hadn't been a complete lie. We had been at their house, but I hadn't been with Kallie like they had probably assumed. They had started drinking. That had been when I wanted to leave. Kallie and her parents hadn't been there, and I hadn't liked being around Jared when he was drunk, for obvious reasons. But they hadn't let me leave, and I didn't really have a choice, I couldn't fight them. They were taller, stronger, and it would have been five against one.

      Jared had got more aggressive as the night went on. Then, he had started beating me, and he had tried to force me. In front of everyone else.

      The other guys, they had laughed, and cheered, and taunted, and teased. As I fought hopelessly against Jared's attempts, I had looked around the room. Kaden hadn't been laughing obliviously with all the other guys. He stood there, impassive, gray eyes only slightly glazed from alcohol.

      When he met my gaze, and I had pleaded him with desperate eyes, he had looked like he didn't recognize me. Like I hadn't known him for pretty much all my life. Like he didn't care. And I didn't, and still don't know why, but that had hurt ten times more than Jared's hands on my skin.

      I had never felt more scared in my entire life. I honestly thought that he would do it. That they would let him.

      Then one of the guys, I guess, took pity on me. I didn't know who he was; I had never talked to him in my entire life. I had seen him around, yeah, but actually talked to him? No, never.

      He had laid a hand on Jared's shoulder. "Come on, mate. That's enough. We have better stuff to do." He had slurred. As soon as they were all distracted, and Jared let go of me, I sprung up and rushed to the door. Just before I had slammed it shut, I had spared one glance over my shoulder to see Kaden watching me walk out with cold eyes.

      And that was when I decided not to care about them anymore. Not to care about Kaden.

      Because they didn't, so why should I? He didn't, so why should I?

      I felt a light brushing on my cheek as the present returned to me and cold wet trails across my cheeks. When did I start crying? I hadn't even realized. Kaden was brushing at my cheek, trying to wipe away the dripping tears. I had never seen him like this. He looked completely and utterly vulnerable, and there was a hint of regret and guilt in his eyes.

      "I'm sorry, Raine," he repeated quietly. I shook my head and smacked his hand away.

      "Sorry doesn't cut it," I replied coldly. Kaden flinched again and dropped his hand. "I almost got a concussion, Kaden. If it hadn't been for that guy who stepped in, I might've been fatally injured." When I had gotten home, my parents had been in the living room. As soon as they had seen my bruises, they had rushed over to me and asked what happened.

      I lied.

      I had told them I tripped down the stairs. They had rushed me to the hospital, where the doctor gave me a checkup. He had said that I was fine, as long as I rested for a couple of days. He had also said that I was lucky, if 'the stairs I had tripped down had been a step or two longer, I would have had a concussion'. Which, really, to me, meant, if Jared had continued beating me, I would have fallen unconscious.

      If they had wondered why I ran home instead of telling Kallie, they didn't ask. They hadn't brought it up again. Something, with the look in their eyes told me they knew without me telling them, but I didn't think much of it. After all, they weren't that good of a guesser, were they?

      "And, you know, that wasn't what hurt the most. It was you pretending like nothing happened. Like you never saw it," I continued, my voice cracking slightly.

      After the 'incident' Kaden had avoided me for a week, then went back to normal like nothing happened. Like he had forgotten everything.

      I hadn't forgotten though.

      Jared had made a big impact on my life. I found it so much harder to trust people. I only trusted my parents, Kallie, Annabelle and Clark. Then Brett weaseled his way into my circle of trust.

      "I didn't know what to do," Kaden protested, sounding strained.

      "And that's an excuse?" I asked accusingly, blinking away tears that threatened to spill.

      "No, but," He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Raine. It's not like... I didn't... Please, just a second chance. I didn't...I didn't want that to happen, I just," he trailed off and looked around the room.

      "No, Kaden. You lost my trust already. You're not going to get it back. I don't give out second chances," I breathed, desperately blinking back the tears that threatened to spill. Then, before he could react, I raced out of the kitchen and ran to my room, slamming the door behind me.

      Hurt me once, won't let you hurt me again.

***

      I avoided Kaden the next morning. I hadn't heard Kallie, Brett, Clark or Annabelle get back, probably because I was asleep. To say that it was awkward was an understatement. We couldn't meet each other's eyes. If any of them noticed mine and Kaden's silence, they didn't comment.

      "So, before we go to Wal-Mart, I think we should have a game of Capture the Flag, boys against girls, and winner gets a point." Kallie announced.

      "Sounds good to me," Annabelle replied. Clark and Brett nodded. Kallie looked at Kaden and I.

      I shrugged, "I'm okay with it." Kaden just nodded. Kallie inspected all of us.

      "Alright, what is going on? Why's everyone in such a bad mood?" She demanded, sounding slightly frustrated. I forced back a grimace. If only you knew, Kallie. If only you knew.

      Clark scrunched his eyebrows, looking confused. "I think everyone's fine, Kallie," he replied looking at the rest of us.

      "Then why's it so quiet?" Kallie pestered.

      "Ask them, they're usually the loud ones," Brett replied gesturing to where I sat, then across the room to where Kaden was leaning against the wall. Kallie turned to stare at us.

      "Okay, what's going on with you two?" She demanded.

      I met her eyes, and pasted an innocent look on my face. "It's nothing, Kal. Kaden just came into my room last night with a knife and tried to kill me," I lied jokingly.

      Kaden grinned, though it looked kind of fake. "I think you're exaggerating, Sunshine," he replied. Now Kallie, Brett, Annabelle, and Clark were all examining us closely. Oh god, I feel like I'm under a microscope right now. I kept the innocent, nothing's-wrong-at-all smile on my face and raised an eyebrow at them.

      "Okay then, Kaden, you know murder looks bad on college applications, right?" Kallie said after a beat of silence.

      "Yes, twinnie, I know." Kaden replied rolling his eyes, his fake grin turning into a smirk, though it didn't seem to reach his eyes. Why am I watching him so much? I shouldn't care at all.

      I turned to Kallie. "So what are the flags?" I asked.

      She pulled two bright cloths out of seemingly nowhere. "These are. We'll take the bushes and climbing equipment, you guys can have the forest." She tossed the neon yellow cloth to her brother, then grabbed Annabelle and I's wrist and towed us out the door. Annabelle was still examining me with curious, disbelieving eyes, which I did my best to ignore.

      "The forest has so many more hiding spots!" I hissed to Kallie as she yanked us through the large glass doors.

      "Yeah, but it's so much harder to guard. I can already guess their plan. I'll stay defense. Raine, you go and get in jail and keep whoever's on defense, Brett probably, distracted and Annabelle you go for the flag." She instructed.

      "Wait, what about Clark and Kaden?" Annabelle asked. Kallie shrugged.

      "They're probably going to be on offense, so you'll have to hurry." We headed over to the bushes, pool and playground as the guys jogged to the other side of the backyard. Well you couldn't really call it a backyard. It was huge. The Fleming's were crazy rich. I knew they co-owned an international, very well-known law firm.

      Kallie tucked the bright green flag inside a small plastic rock on the climbing wall, with only a corner of it poking out. Since the plastic was a light green colour, it matched pretty well.

      "Okay, Raine you go to the border. Annabelle, you get close, but hidden," she advised. Annabelle and I followed her instructions and jogged to the edge of the pool. That was the border we always used for Capture the Flag. Annabelle ducked and hid behind the shed, leaving me by myself. Clark and Kaden appeared on the other side of the pool a few moments later. I forced a smile and waved to them.

      "Who's calling the shots?" I yelled to them.

      "Don't know, either Kallie or Brett's going to blow the whistle. Probably Kallie," Clark replied as Kaden shifted his weight from foot to foot. I nodded, and got ready. The shrill sound of the whistle we always used blew out and I darted across the border just as Clark and Kaden started running. I raced into the forest and paused for a moment, looking around for Brett, and the flag. I heard the quiet sound of footsteps and started jogging.

      I looked back once and crashed into something. The something being Brett. Of course. I think I'm the only one who can do that. Look out for someone and crash right into them.

      Brett tagged me and led me over to a small fort, which was probably the jail. From over his shoulder, I saw Annabelle darting into the forest silently.

      "I hate you," I said, trying to distract him.

      "You're the one who crashed into me," he replied. He paused. "So, I'm going to guess that Kaden told you." What the Watson? Told me what?

      "Huh?" I asked voicing my confusion. Brett mimicked my confused expression, his eyebrows scrunching together like Clark.

      "Didn't he tell you? Last night? Isn't that why it's so awkward?" He questioned. I took a discreet peek over his shoulder, but couldn't find Annabelle.

      "I have no idea what you're talking about." I said evenly.

      Brett leaned on a nearby tree. "Tell me Raine, when was the last time a guy asked you out?" Um, what the? I counted in my head.

      "December," I replied hesitantly. Where in the name of Sherlock Holmes is he going with this? Honestly. What does the last time a guy asked me out have to do with Kaden? Or this conversation? It makes no sense whatsoever, or at least to me. I bet Brett knows something. I can tell from the look in his eyes and slight grin.

      "Thought so," he muttered under his breath, looking away from me. Um? Now I'm really confused.

      I raised an eyebrow at him. "Am I supposed to be insulted?" I asked, only partly serious. I didn't really care that not a lot of guys had asked me out. I mean, it doesn't really matter to me. I don't think I'm gorgeous, but I don't think I'm hideous either, I always just thought it was because guys thought I was slightly -okay probably more than slightly- weird.

      "What? No! Where'd you get that from?" Brett demanded looking alarmed. Really, Brett? Really?

      "When I told you a guy hadn't asked me out for a while, you said you had expected that," I replied, narrowing my eyes at him.

      "Because, there's a reason to it," he told me mysteriously.

      "And it is...?" I trailed off and looked at him impatiently. Honestly, what is this? I mean, what does this have to do with anything? Well, at least I'm keeping him distracted like Kallie said; I hope Annabelle has the flag by now. You know, Brett's really easy to distract, I wonder why they put him on defense.

      "Kaden told them not to," Brett answered simply. Okay, I feel really slow right now. There's something I'm missing, I know it.

      "What? Why would he do that?" I demanded, making Brett jump slightly. He looked at me and shook his head. Like he was talking to a child that didn't understand what he was saying. Which really wasn't surprising because that's exactly how I felt.

      "Don't you know, Raine? Kaden's in love with you." He said. What the? I burst out laughing.

      "That was good. Really. I almost believed you for a moment," I choked out between my laughter. Brett just looked at me and shook his head again.

      "Wait, you aren't serious, are you?"

-READ ME-

Okay I lied. So it wasn't really a big talk. But now you know a bit more about Raine, and her dislike for Kaden. I'm doing my best to make this realistic, using the girl-who-seems-totally-upbeat-has-a-horrible-past-and-can-fake-a-seemingly-real-smile. I don't really like this chapter. I was really tired when I wrote it, so, it's probably not the best. This is pretty much my writing schedule: Tuesday- Friday: Procasinate, Saturday & Sunday: Write the chapter, and Monday: Edit and Post.

I'm going to try, and make my chapter average at about 3 or 4 Wattpad pages. Maybe 5.

Fatement, please!

~JJ :)