New Hope High School || Blake Richardson

Chapter Eleven

*McKenzie's P.O.V.*

I get out of the shower to see that Blake was no longer here. I head back to my room and grab some clothes from my closet. I throw them on and quickly brush my hair. I run downstairs to see what's going on.

"Hey Kenz, you're awake!" My brother yells as I get to the bottom of the stairs. "Morning sleeping beauty!" Tina shouted after she took a sip of the hot drink in her hand. Little did they know that I was up WAYYY before any of them.

Guessing they had plans for the day, I went up to my room and turned on the TV. Not even 10 minutes later I hear a knock on my door followed by a familiar face.

"Hey hot stuff." Blake said as we walked up to me and sat beside me on my bed. "Hey Richardson. What're you up to today?" I say playing with my damp hair. "Well not much, I was thinking we could catch a movie later?" He asked placing his hand on my thigh.

"Like as a date?" I say teasingly as I place my hand on his. "Well yeah, if that's okay with you, of course?!" He was so adorable. Especially when that awkward smirk appeared across his face. "Of course it is!!" I say kissing his lips softly before standing up to go to the bathroom.

"Where are you going??" He asks, standing, like he's going to follow me, "Stay put. I'll be back in a second." I say letting out a slight laugh, as if he just can't get enough of me.

I walk across the hall and before shutting the bathroom door, I hear a slight murmur, coming from my room. "Go ahead and say that I'm crazy. That's what you made me. You're crazy too."

Wow. His voice was so amazing. My brother recently told me that Blake had been singing and stuff for a few years with him and George, but I've not heard them play much. They usually tucked themselves away in Reece's room or messed around in George's garden.

I get done washing my hands, and I'm about to head across the hall when I hear more coming from my room. "I'm just stupid enough to love you, Foolish enough to care, Crazy enough to be crazy over you."

Not wanting to disturb him, I wait a few seconds before walking up and leaning in the doorway of my room. As soon as his eyes hit me, and as soon as he sees that goofy look on my face, his cheeks turn bright red and he tries not to make eye contact.

"Sounds good Richardson. Why don't you record it and upload it?" I say walking over to him and plopping myself on the bed beside him giving him a slight push. He gives me a cheeky smile.

"You really think so?" Without even saying anything, he can tell I loved it by the look in my eyes. "The boys and I have been working on some new tunes... I guess it's just stuck in my head." He lets out an awkward, but cute, laugh and walks across my room to grab the unused guitar I have laying against my wall that my dad got me years ago, before we found out Reece was the musically talented one.

He tunes it as he slowly shuffled back to my bed and then began to strum a bit. He stopped strumming and set the instrument on my bed. Before I could stop him, he ran out of my room and quickly down the stairs without saying a word.

By the time I make my way down the stairs, I see Blake headed back this way, now followed by Reece and George, who are being followed by Tina and Hannah.

As Blake passed me at the base of the stairs, he grabbed my arm and pulled me with him. He quickly ran in my room to grab the guitar then continued to Reece's room.

Reece pulls out his guitar and hands it to George and gets his box drum that was beside his bed. The girls and I are looking around, uncertain of what's about to happen, but having a slight idea.

We stand in the door way as Blake and George sit beside each other on the bed and Reece just to the side on his drum.

Blake counted out a quick "2.. 3.. 4.." And then they all began playing the instruments they were in charge of. It was quite a tune, I must say.

I could tell it was the song I caught Blake singing in my room earlier. I could even kind of sing along to the parts I heard him sing earlier. They were really good. And I knew they had talent, but honestly, this is wayyy more than I expected.

At the end of the song, they all started randomly strumming and beating and then singing random words. Tina and Hannah started laughing. They laughed so hard Hannah fell on the floor.

I just stood there smiling and giggling at Blake. He kept doing this dorky little lip bite and then squinted his eyes. He made me so happy.

At one point Reece did his "salesman" voice that he does every time we go to the store and tried singing "Perfect"by Ed Sheeran. Let's just say it didn't go as he planned.

When the boys were done goofing off, we gave them giant hugs and congratulated them on how good their song was.

"We can play you one more, or maybe two! Or maybe even 10!!!!" Reece said extremely excited. "Sorry man, Han and I have a movie to catch in 15 minutes. But definitely later!" George said, laying the guitar back in its case.

Reece and Blake put up the other two instruments as Hannah and George left. Tina and I went back to my room, leaving the boys together in the hallway. We shut the door behind us, clearly stating that we didn't want them to follow us in.

"I miss you!" I pull Tina to my bed and we sit down. "I've missed you too. We've been so caught up in everything else, we haven't had much time to ourselves lately." She said pulling me into a hug.

"Let's have a girls day!! Me, you, and Han!!!" I say grabbing her hands and bouncing up and down on my bed, causing the pictures above my head board to fall. We laugh.

"Of course!!! When? What're we going to do?"
I stop bouncing and make my thinking face that looks like a mixture of confusion and constipation. "How about tomorrow?" She suggested.

I nod as I shoot a text to Hannah. "You, Me, and Tina are hanging tomorrow. Girls day. Don't make plans x".

We continue talking about Blake and I, and her and Reece. She would forget he was my brother at times and say some thing I would have to hold in my barf for. Other than that, it was amazing. I missed my best friend. Even though I'm missing one, it reminding me how thankful I should be.

My phone dings, and as I expect it to be Hannah, I pick it up. But not even close. I see the name on my screen and it brings back memories. I know I've gotten similar messages before and I should be used to it by now... it has been happening for a couple of weeks now. But I still can't take it. I don't want my friends to know, and especially not my brother. But I'm not sure how much longer I can hold it in.

I try so hard to hold back my tears, but Tina can see there is something wrong. She places one hand on my leg and the other on my shoulder. "Honey what is it?" You can hear the sympathy in her voice.

I can't tell her. No way. "Oh really. It's nothing. Just my aunt's dog, Mr. Puppy, just passed away. I should've known. She was super old"
Tina pulls me into a hug, even though my story didn't make sense at all.

"I didn't know your aunt had a dog named Mr. Puppy.. which aunt? And you said she.. it's a girl?" She sat back and attempted to make eye contact with me but my hands were now covering my eyes because the tears just kept coming and I really didn't want her to see me like this.

Before I said anything.. I just handed her my phone. She wasn't saying anything. I removed my hands to see her reaction but she was just as speechless as I was. No words. Just pure disgust. She gave me a quick hug and left my room, with my phone still in her hand.

I tried chasing and yelling after her but I was so energy drained and I was too choked up to yell. "T.. no! Please.... no!" I knew she couldn't hear me but I really didn't want anyone to know... but I'm afraid it was too late for that.