The Brains and the Bad Boy <Editing>

Bonding

We boarded our plane, a 3 hour flight that might be five according to the pilot. I leaned my head back as Keith took a seat next to me. I put in my earbuds and shut my eyes. The song Unsteady by X Ambassadors was the only thing I heard in my sleep, my favorite song currently.
I woke up when I felt the plane touch down, it startled me but not as much as how I found my head, leaning on Keith's shoulder, he was leaning back against the headrest, sleeping too. "Keith. Wake up, we landed." I yawned, shaking him slightly. He woke up unhappily and we left the plane. We collected our bags and went outside. Cold air nipped at my exposed skin, I was in a Tshirt and thin leggings, a bad choice. Keith wrapped his arm around my shivering shoulder and I blushed, though you couldn't tell with how red my cheeks were from the cold. A car pulled up and a man with blonde and grey hair got out, along with a little girl and a woman. The girl had brown curly locks of shiny hair and she was tan. The woman looked the same except her hair was darker. We walked over. "Keith." A man greeted.
"Dad." Yikes this was going to be awkward.
"You are?"
"A-Alice." I got out, it was a bit of a stutter and the cold.
"Alice, sweetie. Want a coat?" The woman asked and I nodded pleasingly. She handed a fleece coat from the back and I slipped it on, grateful for the warmth.
"thanks." I smiled. We got into the car. "What's the kid's name?"
"Erm, Dara." His dad answered and it was quiet.
"Interesting, similar to Darcy."
"Son, don't start with that. Please." Keith leaned back with a thud.
"Hi Dara." I smiled at the little girl.
"Hiiiii, are you Keith's girlfriend?"
"Uh..." Keith and I both stammered.
"Dara, they're just friends I'm sure." The woman said, "I'm Paula by the way." We pulled up to a big house with no neighbors in sight. We stumbled in with our bags, slipping on ice.
"You kids act like you can't walk in snow." Paula laughed.
"We don't get any snow in California." I explained.
"Yeah. What I wouldn't give to be back there." Keith mumbled and I pretended to slip so I could step on his foot. "Ow!" He shouted and I smirked. I set my stuff in a guest room and Keith put his in the next one over. I laid back on the bed and sunk into the feather mattress. It was the most comfortable bed I've ever laid on. There was a knock at the door and I opened it to see Keith's dad.
"Hi, Alice. May I speak to you?"
"Sure?" I told him questioning as I sat at the spinning desk chair.
"Phillis has told me all about how... Different Keith has been since you became his whatever the heck you are to him, girlfriend?"
"Hell no, we're friends."
"Thank you. He was having such a hard time since Darcy."
"I didn't do anything. People need someone to have their back. You ran away, it may have taken work but eventually you guys would've come together."
"I know. I was grieving-"
"So were they. He was 10 for god's sake." I scoffed at him and he looked at the floor.
"I turned my back to answer a call for work... She dropped her ball and it bounced into the street. She asked me to get it... I told her in a minute. Little girl, bless my little darling's heart, was so impatient she went and got it. Pickup truck came and, I saw it. I ran as I saw it coming, I was too late."
"You're going to make me cry if you keep talking. I'm not the one you should be telling this to though. Where is Keith?" I asked.
"He," he let out a soft laugh, "went outside with Dara after she asked him to make a snowman with her." I smiled.
"He's a good guy. He doesn't want people to see it, but he is." I sighed.
"I'm going to go outside by them. I'll be back in a bit, or whenever they want to go inside." I smiled, getting up. He nodded and left. I opened the closet and found snow boots, mittens and a coat. I put it on, the stuff I brought aren't warm enough I don't think, and they fit perfectly. What luck? I opened the back door of the house and walked out by them. "Having fun?" I asked laughing and I got to where Keith was throwing Dara into fluffy piles of snow. "Yes!" Dara squealed and I laughed again. I turned and noticed an old dog trotting up by us. "Hail!" Dara called and the dog sprinted towards her. It was a yellow lab that was so light it was almost white. The dog jumped on her and she fell to the ground as the dog laid on top of her. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Paula and Keith's dad on the porch with a phone pointed at us. They were talking about something but I didn't care about what. I was watching little Dara when something cold slammed against the back of my head, I gasped and turned to see Keith whistling casually behind me, arms crossed behind his back. "You're dead!" I yelled and turned on my heel. I grabbed a big clump of snow that on the ground, it had to be at least a foot across. I chucked it at him and it hit him straight in the face. "Hey!" He yelled, wiping his face. Dara got up and threw a tinier snowball at him, hitting him in the arm. "Dara, run!" I cried and we did.
He eventually caught us and wrestled us down. "Noooo!" Dara screamed and squirmed around. I hit him in the face again with a handful of snow. "Dude!" He exclaimed and I took the opportunity to grab Dara and run. We made it halfway across the yard when we were shot down with ice and snow.
When we surrendered and started heading in, it snowed. "Holy sh-" I sweared looking around as a flurry turned to blizzard. My beanie blew off my head and Keith got it, he put it on me and it was too late when I realized he filled it with snow. "Jerk!" I yelled, shoving him with my free arm. Paula made us hot chocolate and coffee to warm up. I happily took a coffee as did Keith. "My hair is all wet." I whined as I brushed out snowflakes with my fingers. "You're very welcome." Keith said with a smirk. This boy is going to be the death of me, I swear. "I swear she is just like Darcy." He mumbled as Dara was watching TV a room over. I didn't know what to say, I just offered a sad smile. 'How's it going? Has Keith killed anyone yet???? -Laur' I rolled my eyes.
'No we were just playing with his half-sister in the snow.' I replied.
'HALF SISTER?!' She exclaimed. "Who are you texting?" Keith asked, knowing I have no friends to text... God I'm sad. "Lauren wants to know if you have murdered anyone yet."
"The weekend is still young." He mumbled.
"Keith..." I warned.
"What?"
"Never mind..." I huffed, I put my mug in the sink when Dara called us to watch a movie with her. I sat down next to the little brunette, Keith sat next to me. "What movie, kiddo?" I asked.
"Ariel!" She said and Keith silently laughed, remembering how I can't swim.
At the end of the movie Dara asked me, "are you a mermaid?" Because of my hair and Keith just lost it. "You said you wouldn't laugh anymore!" I complained and he shut his mouth, trying to stifle his laugh.
"How you kids doin?" Paula asked coming in with a kid cup for Dara.
"Please, I might as well be an adult." Keith said with a smug grin, putting his hands behind his head.
"Yeah, adult." I scoffed and Paula laughed lightly, "you two are too cute together."
"Cute?" Keith asked making a face.
"C'mon, you loveeee me." I teased.
"You can shut up." He said, the sarcasm in his voice disappearing fast. I rolled my eyes, "lighten up." Paula left somewhat awkwardly, Dara following her up the stairs. I shook my head and turned on regular TV. The rest of the day was quiet, David had went to work and didn't get in the door until 8pm. When he came in I heard them talking to Dara and she squealed. "Hey, we are going to the Sea Life aquarium tomorrow, are you two coming? You can get stuff for your project." He asked and I looked at Keith.
"Why not?"
"No thanks."
"Please?"
"Nope."
"Ok, we'll go." I told David and he nodded. Keith slapped me in the arm. "Hey!"
"Why would I want to be stuck in a tunnel with him for however long."
"Than do it for a good grade if you won't do it."
"Whatever."
"Whatever can't be the answer to everything, ya know."
"Shut up, I'm going upstairs."
"Fine." And that's what he did, he went upstairs and I heard a door slam making me wince. A string of curses slipped past my lips as I leaned my head back, my hands on my forehead.