The Swimmer And The Soccer Player

Ch 9

I know I'm really mean with the cliffhangers. Like its every chapter. But how else will I get you to keep reading? XD. So, I'm probably going to be updating more as I'm on winter break, so stay tuned!! Anyways, please read, comment, vote, and enjoy!

Kellin's POV

He walks towards me, slowly. Like at any moment I might up and run away. Why does everyone take me to be this delicate person? I'm strong, I think I've proved that saying how long I lived with my mother.

I laugh kind of awkwardly. "So..." I trail off, I have no idea what to say! Sure, he's my father, but that doesn't mean I have some connection with him that makes me know what I should say to him.

He laughs. "You grew up to be just as awkward as I am!" I laugh too.

"I got that from you?" I ask. He smiles, and his eyes twinkle. I wonder if my eyes twinkle. He does kind if look like an older version of me.

"Yeah, you did. Definitely not from your mother, she's always been a social butterfly. Well, when I knew her that is. She's so different now..." he gets a pained look in his eyes. I realize he must have really loved her, because I know she started going dark when he was here. He never divorced her, I wonder if it's because he was still trying to save her.

"Yeah, I barely remember her not being like she is..." I say. He gets an even more sorrowful look, and steps toward me a little bit.

"Speaking of that... Kellin I am so, so sorry. I thought you would be fine with her. Her letters were so promising. I knew she needed me gone for a while to take charge of her life again, I just never meant to stay away as long as I did." Sadness echoes through his voice. I used to hold a small grudge against my father for leaving me with mother, but now it fades away. He really does seem sorry.

"It's... it's okay." I say, trying to make him feel better. He just looks so torn up about what happened. It's not his fault, it's always been just her fault.

He gives me a pained look. "No, no it isn't." The conversation moves on from that, and we end up talking for hours on my couch in the living room. That connection I was speaking of earlier, where it's so easy to talk to them? It happened, and it was so cool to see how much I grew up to be like my dad, I mean father. He's my father, not my dad. Right.

Because of how easy it was to talk to him, I'm kind of mad at mother for going off the rails even before he left. If she hadn't, I would've grown up with my da- father and I wouldn't have gone through all I did. Hel.l, I probably would have grown up calling her Mom and him Dad, and I'd probably love mother. I would've had a family that didn't give up on being a family, I would've grown up with much better mental health.

Late at night he left to go to his apartment. He gave me a spare key in case I ever would want to visit him. We scheduled a time to meet at a local cafe. I actually feel pretty... content. Really.

Better yet, it's a Saturday. Meaning I can sleep in tomorrow, and I also can think about everything. Oli, Vic, father. It was like an attack. But now I can actually contemplate all these new occurrences in my life, and not actually go completely crazy.

Life is definitely getting better.

Vic's POV

"I want to stop our arrangement." I say to Mr. Purdy on Monday morning. I've been thinking all weekend, and if I want something with Kellin, no matter how small, I shouldn't be sleeping with my math teacher on the side. In fact, I probably shouldn't be sleeping with my math teacher at all. It's not really what you'd call... moral? Yeah sure, you wouldn't close it a very moral thing. Still, I will miss all those A's I was getting...