Liar

Chapter One

"Nathan, are you telling me the truth?" The little boy gives me an innocent look, his hands behind his back as he twists from side to side. His mouth is smeared with what I presume to be my last chocolate pudding.

"I didn't eat your pudding, Kelsey!" he said in his adorable little kid voice. "Munchkin ate it!" As if on cue, the silver feline bounded into the kitchen and hopped nimbly up onto the counter. She walked across the counter and butted my arm with her head, continuing to walk while rubbing her body on me. 

I pretend to examine the cat's face, searching for any trace of chocolate pudding. "Well I don't see any pudding on Munchkin's face. So either she cleaned her face or you're lying to me. Are you lying to me, Nathan?"

The little kid standing in front of me is quiet for a moment before frowning in defeat. "Fine. I ate your last pudding, Kelsey. I'm sorry." He sits down on the kitchen floor and starts playing with his fingers. I hurriedly sit and crawl over to him, knowing that that is the first sign that he's going to cry. He just sits down and plays with his fingers.

"Hey," I whisper to him, "Hey, it's okay, Nathan. You're not in trouble, okay? I just wanted to know who ate my pudding. I'm not mad, but I'm upset that you lied to me. You're not in trouble." He sniffles a little before looking up at me.

"I'm sorry, Kelsey. I shouldn't have lied," he says in his cute little 4 year-old voice. As if feeling the heavy mood in the air, the cat comes over and head butts Nathan, almost causing him to fall over. He laughs and picks the cat off the floor. He gets up and flies up the stairs, most likely going to lock the cat in his room.

"Is it comfy down there?" I turn around to face the back door to see my older brother, Thomas, standing in the frame. I scramble off the floor and launch a bone-crushing hug at him. Thomas is in college and is almost never home, except for holidays and special occasions. His dark mocha-colored hair tickles my arms that are wrapped around his neck.

"Easy there, Kels. I need to breathe a little," he says, a breath of a laugh following his words. I let go of his neck and back up. His sparkling hazel eyes meet mine and it takes all of my self control to keep myself from suffocating him again.

"Thomas! What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here for another week!" Next week was Nathan's birthday, which is why Thomas was coming home.

"What? I can't come home early just to hang out with my family?" he asks, faking innocence.

"No," I tell him, messing up his hair before backing up quickly. "No you can't. So what's going on here in the small town of Bourbon that you came home a week early?"

He huffs in annoyance about his hair problem before addressing my question. "Garrett's back in town and I wanted to hang out with my best friend for a while. Is that a crime?"

I sigh before waving him off. I miss the kid, but damn he's already pushing my buttons. I'm about to walk away from him before something clicks in my mind. I slowly turn around and see Thomas giving me a shit-eating grin. I raise my brow in question and he nods, not missing a beat. I burst out the front door and run across the quiet street before stopping on their porch.

I repeatedly slap my palm against the mahogany of the door, not letting up until I hear a girlish shriek from the other side. The door is pulled open and I am immediately engulfed in a bone crushing hug.

"Oh my God, Kelsey! I haven't seen you in ages!" Whitney, Garrett's twin sister, screams, holding me an arms length from her and looking me up and down. Whitney and I are best friends, even though she is closer to Thomas's age than mine. But we always hung out since the boys did and we aren't really into guy stuff. We are a perfect combination for each other, since she is an artist with make-up and I with clothes. I can tell she has gotten better with the clothing. She was wearing a yellow sundress with a jean jacket and brown cowgirl boots. She looks at me with a devilish twinkle in her eye before looking across the street. "Oh my God, is Thomas here?" And she ruined it.