Curse of the Peters Brothers

Chapter 21

flashback...

7 am and it was raining sheets. Kit loaded the last box into her car, barely holding back the tears. Nothing would ever be the same again. Ever. She had to leave Savannah, Leland could never know that she was in love with him. He would never do anything to hurt her, but she could hurt him. If he truly loved Missy, who was she to come between them? If Hopsey knew how much Kit loved him he'd drop Missy just to keep from hurting his best friend. She knew that for sure. He would sacrifice his own happiness for her's. That would be cruel, selfish, and unfair on her part.

So she's leaving. And never coming back.

Sopping wet, she climbed behind the wheel and started driving without looking in her rear-view mirror. If she looked, she wouldn't go through with it. Rain pelted her windshield harder than it did in a hurricane. At the end of her driveway, she took a right turn and drove away from everything she knew. Away from her family. Away from Leland. Then she took another right turn out of her neighborhood, further away from Hopsey. The tears fell freely, now, the further she fled. It was a one hour drive to Aunt Leanne's house, she had plenty of time to cry it out by the time she got there.

So badly, she wanted to go to Gramps' house but she feared Leland would know exactly how to reach her there. Not to mention that her grandfather had always been rooting for Team Leland. That was the problem, Kit was doing this for Leland, but Gramps wouldn't understand.

Kit never knew her heart could hurt so bad. The more time she had to think about Leland with Missy, the worse things got for her. At first she was shocked and numb. Now she was hurt, angry, discouraged, and disheartened. All hope that she could ever be Leland's was lost in the blink of an eye.

"Love sucks," she blubbered. Not to mention what happened with Ewen the night before. He would get over it in time, she was positive. Ewen didn't love her, not the way he thought he did. She knew that better than anyone. He never longed for her the way she longed for Leland. Leaving was her only option, it would be too painful to stay. Kit couldn't trust herself to stay and not tell Leland everything. She was never able to keep anything from him if he asked her. Ewen either. Those two knew her better than anyone.

For the rest of the summer she stayed with Aunt Leanne, between her new summer job and spending time with Aunt Leanne, Kit would have plenty of time to think. Too much time. When she really got to thinking, she would hop in her car and drive back to Savannah only to come to her senses and turn around at the city limits sign. So badly she wanted to hear Leland's voice, his laugh. Sit with him under the stars and dream of him kissing her again like he did just a few months earlier.

That dream was over now. She needed to remember that.

She never told Aunt Leanne or any one else, it was her secret to carry. She suspected Gramps had an idea but he never pushed. Kit was grateful for that.

In July, just before Kit had to pay tuition at NYU, an envelope came in the mail. Kit opened it up, she had been accepted to a broadcasting program through a university in London. If she did well, she would get a full ride scholarship to that university in any of the broadcasting majors listed on the page.

It was exactly what she needed in order to leave.

She would go to London and she would outshine all of the other students in the program.

And she did.

~*~

"Hey Pumpkin, are you alright?" Daniel asked as he came into Kit's room and sat on the bed next to her. "Why aren't you spending time with Leland?"

"I'm fine, dad. Leland and I just decided to give each other some space." she loved talking to her father. He always had her best interest at heart, didn't nag like her mother, and wasn't biased like Gramps had been. Daniel would listen and give his opinion, but always respect her decision.