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  Once were seated, he turns to me, “You heard that, huh?”

  “Yeah, I’ll organize somewhere to stay as soon as possible, I’ll make some calls in the morning.”

  “Kayla, that’s not at all-"

  “Let’s just not talk about it tonight, okay?”

  He nods, then looks away from me.

  “It’s Mom’s birthday today,” I say quietly.

  “Christ, Kayla.” He rubs the side of his face.

  Silence fills the space between us.

  “Megan hasn’t tried to contact me once,” I tell him.

  His arms wrap around my shoulders and adjusts us so I’m leaning into him, my head on his chest under the crook of his arm, the heat from his bare skin is overpowering. “I hate to state the obvious here, but Megan’s kind of a shitty person.”

  I let out a tiny laugh.

  His hand is stroking my hair, from roots to tip, it’s making me drowsy.

  “You know who isn’t a shitty person?” I say through a yawn. “You, Jake Andrews, you’re not a shitty person. Not even a little bit.”

  “Thanks,” he chuckles.

  My eyelids are getting heavy. “Mmmm,” I hum. “My mom used to do this when I was little, when I couldn’t sleep, play with my hair I mean, it always helped.”

  “Go to sleep, baby.” It’s the last thing I remember before he kisses the side of my head and I give in to exhaustion.

  Chapter 12

  *Mikayla*

  I’m woken by the sounds of a feminine throat clearing.

  My eyes snap open and Mandy, Jake's mom, is standing in front of me, hands on her hips, except she’s sideways. I take a few seconds to get my bearings and work out what the hell is happening.

  Then there’s a moan and movement from underneath me. I sit up quickly, too quickly, and the room begins to spin.

  “Shit,” Jake says, from next to me. “We must have fallen asleep.”

  I feel something wet on the side of my face, my hand reaches out to touch it. Drool. I’ve fricken drooled, on him. My eyes automatically go to his lap to see if there’s evidence. I instantly regret it.

  He’s got morning wood.

  Shit.

  I immediately look away, but not before a tiny squeal escapes my mouth.

  “Shit,” he mumbles as he stands up to hide/adjust himself. He must know I’ve seen it.

  My eyes dart to him again, I try to avoid that area but I can’t. I squeal again. Because I’m a 12 year old virgin girl.

  His mom is giggling.

  He picks up a cushion from the sofa and covers himself.

  “Aawww, Jakey, don’t be embarrassed, it’s a nat-"

  “MOM!!” he yells, interrupting her. “Stop, please. Just get out!” His hand not holding the cushion points to the door.

  She’s all out laughing, as she exits.

  It’s just the two of us in this, what feels like, tiny, room.

  “This isn’t awkward at all,” he sighs, shaking his head.

  Then we both start laughing.

  And for a second, I almost forget about the pain. Almost.

  ***

  *Jake*

  So, she’s pretty much seen my junk. In all its glory. At least it was covered up. It could be worse, I don’t know how, but I’m sure it could be.

  Lisa will be here soon, Kayla says she’s coming because she wants to finalize a bunch of stuff before everyone’s back to work tomorrow. Personally, I think she’s just coming to check on Kayla. I’m sure a part of it has to do with the strangers bed she’s been sleeping in.

  After breakfast, I go looking for her. I walk into the family room to see her sitting on the sofa, looking down at her phone, her eyebrows bunched together in confusion.

  “Whats up?” I sit next to her and nudge her leg.

  “Huh?” She’s distracted.

  I watch her as she stares at her phone.

  “Have you heard from Megan?”

  “Huh? Oh… no.”

  I remove her phone from her hands so I can get her full attention.

  She looks up at me.

  “What’s going on, Kayla?”

  “I’m just trying to work up some courage.” She looks resolved.

  “What do you mean? Courage for what?”

  She’s quiet for a beat. “Sam, James’ mom… she’s been calling me, I haven’t spoken to her yet, she’s sent a few texts too.” She looks away from me. “She’s asked that I stay with them. I don’t think she knows about James and Megan, but she knows something’s up with me and James.”

  She pauses.

  I sit and wait for the rest.

  She looks back at me now, tears in her eyes, “I think I should go there, Jake, stay with them, I mean. Just until everything gets sorted…”

  I try to interrupt but she stops me. “I was with him for four years, I was like a daughter to them. I just think that maybe… they might be more comfortable with me there.”

  There’s a lump in my throat that makes it hard to speak, I have to clear it a few times before anything comes out. “Kayla, if that’s what you want then I can’t stop you, but it’s not what my family want, and it’s definitely not what I want.”

  She sighs, “I think I need to, Jake.”

  “And what about James?” I can’t help but spit out his name.

  “What about him?”

  “Are you guys gonna get back together? I mean, do you still love him?”

  “I-"

  She gets cut off by the doorbell, Lisa’s here.

  ***

  Lisa spends the day with Mom and Kayla, making phone calls and arranging appointments for the next week. I can see Kayla’s preoccupied, she just tends to nod and agree to anything, I don’t think she actually has a clue about what’s happening.

  Logan comes by, but Kayla’s not really in the mood for hanging out, so he leaves soon after. Logan might be an ass most of the time but the kid’s got heart, there’s a reason he’s my best friend.

  I don’t know what Kayla’s thinking… about where she’s going to stay. I hope to god she doesn’t go to James’ house, not just because he’s an asshole, but because, well… honestly, I don’t really want to be without her. It’s selfish, I know.

  Lisa ends up staying for dinner again. Apparently the funeral director is coming tomorrow morning to make arrangements and then the cops will come by for an update after that. Then the next day they have an appointment with the family lawyer. I think Lisa’s hoping the funeral will be the day after, turns out she’s getting married in a couple of weeks, the weekend after graduation, so she has to head back home the day after the funeral.

  “So…” Lisa says at the dining table, while we eat desert. Kayla's plate is untouched. Julie is still at her friends house. “I know that this is far from important right now,” Lisa continues, putting down her fork, “you know your mom was going to be my Maid of Honor, Kayla? I’m hoping that maybe you would take her place. I mean, I think it’s fitting, I love you just as much as I love her.”

  Kayla agrees, and they make plans for flights and accommodation. Lisa invites my parents too, but they have Julie's dance recital that weekend. Apparently Lisa, the fricken awesome lady she is, doesn’t want Kayla traveling alone, so I have no choice but to go with her.

  After Kayla insists on cleaning up after dinner, we head to the back patio. It was a nice summer day, but it started cooling down in the evening. We sit in the swing seat together with a light blanket over us, her tucked under the crook of my arm, legs tangled, swinging, sitting in silence.

  “Are you adopted, Jake?”

  I laugh, because it’s not the first time I’ve heard the question, but I play dumb to amuse her. “What?” I mock.

  “Don’t laugh, it’s just the only conclusion I can come to. You’re the only one in the family that has that sex- I mean,” She flushes… “you know, that accent.”

  “You think it’s sexy?” I try to hide my smirk.

  “Shut up.” She swats my
chest and sits up a bit. “I know I’m not the first girl to think or say that. I’m sure that Casey girl has mentioned it.” She looks at me waiting for a reaction.

  I flinch at the mention of her name.

  “What’s the deal with her anyway?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “So, back to me being adopted…” I try to change the subject. “I was actually born here, my parents were raised here, and so was I, until I was five anyway. I lived like, literally two streets down. Anyway, my dad got offered a job he couldn’t refuse, but it was in Australia, so we packed up and moved there.”

  “What does your dad do?”

  “He’s a lawyer, it’s actually amazing what he does. He specializes in children and family law. He takes on all these jobs, like pro bono and shit. He normally works with like, disadvantage kids, or kids that are beaten or neglected. He’s kind of their voice when they don’t have one, you know?” I look at her. “I know what you’re thinking, he’s like this huge, tough guy, right? It doesn’t seem like something he does, but when he gets in the court room, he has the same reaction. He’s intimidating. When he speaks, people listen.

  “Anyway, there’s really no money in it for him, in that field, not here anyway. I was too young to really grasp it but I think that his job in Australia was doing the same thing. Only, he was in charge of all these like, junior lawyers who were just starting out and were interested in doing the same thing. The company he worked for got huge financial backing from donations and I think even some from the government. The junior lawyers were mainly volunteers who did it for the love of it, so Dad apparently got paid quite well just to oversee and make sure none of the juniors were breaking any laws.

  “That’s awesome, Jake. He sounds like a good guy.”

  “He is,” I agree. “Anyway… my dad was always a baseball fan, so when we got there he looked for a baseball team for me to join. If you didn’t know, baseball isn’t really a big thing there. They have like rugby, and cricket, and something called AFL. It’s just another code of football. I actually got into that a bit, but it’s like a full contact sport, no padding, and it’s really rough play. After a few years I was starting to get pretty good at baseball and my dad and coaches noticed. They didn’t really want me getting injured so I had to choose one or the other, I chose baseball.

  “When I was about fourteen or so, dad thought that maybe I might be good enough to get into a decent college here, but it was kind of hard to compare my talent there, because there really wasn’t any. So he sent me back for like six months to live with my aunt and uncle up the road, and made a bunch of appointments with specialized coaches and talent scouts and stuff.

  “When the information got relayed back to Dad that I might even be good enough to go pro one day, they packed up everything and moved back here. I guess I adapted the Australian accent and it’s stuck. Julie was actually born there, she was four when we moved back here so she doesn’t have an accent either. You think mines thick but it’s only half assed compared to the real thing. You should hear some of my mates when they call on Skype, even I have a hard time understanding them.”

  She’s been listening so intently, I can hear the cogs in her brain turning. “So what happened to your dad’s job?” she asks.

  “He left it behind. He’s back to doing what he was doing, not as much money,” I shrug. “They kind of gave up everything so I could make it, it’s hard not to appreciate that.”

  “But you didn’t go pro straight out of high school? Are they disappointed?”

  “Not at all, I mean, I could have gone pro if I wanted. The offers are there, but it was always my decision. I want to get a college education. I mean, who knows what the Majors has in store for me. I could play two pro games and then injure my arm and it would be over. I have to be smart about it, you know?”

  “Shit, Jake.” She’s looking at me wide-eyed, “Your mom wasn’t kidding, you kind of are a big deal.”

  “Shut up,” I laugh.

  After a few minutes the patio door slides open and Julie comes out. She looks at Kayla, and smiles shyly.

  “What’s up Ju-ju? Did you have a good time at Cindy's?” I raise my hand for a high five.

  She returns it, “Yeah, I did.”

  “Hey, Mikayla,” she starts, “I’m really sorry, about Emily and your parents, and about what I said. I didn’t know…”

  “Oh, sweetie.” Kayla moves to sit up in front of her, out of my arms, “Don’t worry about it okay? It’s fine,” she assures her.

  Julie nods her head slowly, then hands Kayla a little wooden box.

  “What’s this?” Kayla says, as she grabs the box and opens it.

  “When I got to Cindy's house, I told her about Emily and Mr. and Mrs. Jones. We umm… we rang around the other girls from dance class and we decided to make these cards, for you. Cindy’s mom drove us around and we collected them from everyone, I chose the box. The cards… I know it’s not much… but we all wrote stuff we liked about Emily, and stuff that we remember about her, she always made us laugh. We just thought you might like it, that’s all.”

  Kayla’s holding the cards in her hand, tears are endlessly flowing from her eyes. She places the box carefully on the seat next to her, gets off to squat down in front of Julie and gives her a gigantic hug. Kayla starts sobbing, and Julie begins to cry too. Kayla pulls back, holding Julie's face in her hands and wiping her tears with her thumbs. She looks from Julie, to me, then back to Julie.

  “You, have just given me the greatest gift in the history of the world,” she says to Julie through her tears. “Emily was so lucky to know you, and I’m even luckier, because now I get to know you too.”

  “So we can be friends?” Julie asks with a hopefulness to her voice. “You’re staying here for a while right? We can hang out and do girl stuff? I always wanted a big sister!”

  Kayla looks at me and I know my smile is huge, I can’t help it. She turns back to Julie, “Of course, sweetheart.”

  Chapter 13

  *Mikayla*

  It’s the first night I’ve spent in Jake's bed alone, I sleep a couple hours, which I guess is better than nothing.

  I can already hear Lisa talking downstairs, which means the funeral director will be here soon.

  I take a shower in the bathroom connected to Jake's room, internally thanking Heidi and Lucy for bringing me what I need. I’m not used to bringing clothes with me because I had my own bathroom at home too, so when I walk out in nothing but a towel and see Jake standing in front of his dresser, I almost shit myself.

  I must squeal, or something, because whatever noise I make gets him to turn around, before dropping whatever it is that’s in his hands.

  “Woah,” he breaths out. I know he’s trying not to stare, but he’s got that, ‘deer in the headlights’ look and his eyes are glued to my chest.

  I think I squeal again, because whatever I do forces him to snap out of his trance. He turns his back to me and starts heading for the door, mumbling “sorry” as he walks out.

  Once I’m fully dressed, I step out of his room and practically walk into him. He’s leaning against the wall. “I’m sorry about that, I knocked, but there was no answer, so I assumed you were downstairs. I just need to get my stuff for training.”

  Only now do I notice that he’s in full baseball gear, from cap to cleats. It’s hot as hell.

  Wait…

  “It’s Monday, don’t you have school?” I know I do, but I’ve been excused. We’re seniors anyway, so it’s not a big deal, but I hope he’s not missing out for me.

  “I have permission.” He rolls his eyes. “Besides, it’s senior year, we graduate in two weeks, who cares right?”

  “I guess,” I shrug.

  “I actually have a specialist pitching coach from UNC meeting me at the field, were going over some things to prepare me for the season. It’s not normal they come out to individual players like this.”

  “That’s awe
some, Jake.” I smile proudly at him.

  “Yeah…” He takes off his cap and runs his hand up and down the back of his head, and then puts it back on. Nervous habit, I’ve noticed. “It’s just that I might not be here when the funeral director comes…”

  “Oh.” Oh.

  He must sense my panic because he grabs both my hands and bends to look in my eyes.

  “I can cancel, Kayla. It’s not a big deal, I’ll just call-"

  “I’ll be fine, Jake,” I smile, hoping it comes out genuine, “just go, you have to, you being a big deal and all.” I try to laugh.

  “Shut up and quit being cute.” He says, before flipping his cap backwards, hugging me tight and kissing my temple.

  He makes his way into his room and gets his gear bag out of the closet, double checks everything is there, then we walk downstairs hand in hand.

  I say goodbye to him at the door. He re-assures me that he’s going to try to get back to me as soon as possible.

  ***

  A couple hours later the funeral director is sitting opposite me in the family room. He’s bought a bunch of brochures with him and they’re sprawled all over the coffee table. I space out through most of it, but I know that I have some decisions to make.

  “Will the gathering afterwards be held at our establishment or elsewhere?” The funeral guy asks, his name is Wes, or Des, Les maybe? I’m not sure.

  “It will be held here,” Mandy says.

  I whip my head to face her, she just smiles and nods, leaving me speechless.

  “Okay,” Wes/Des/Les confirms. “Have you got a budget in mind?” he asks me.

  Me.

  I shake my head.

  He huffs out a breath, like I’m a useless nutjob.

  “Have you got numbers on how many guests?”

  Guests? Like it’s a fucking party.