Chapter Eleven
Once we managed to get Harley and Terri ready to go, we walked out the door; Terri ran up and held my hand and Harley was in Mira's arms.
I quickly sent Dana a text telling her that I had a change of plans and would see her at the house later, since she was staying with us while our parents were gone.
We all followed as Kyler led the way across the street. He approached an old looking beat up car and pulled out the keys, unlocking the driver's side before unlocking the rest as well.
Mira opened one of the back doors to reveal a car seat and a booster seat. Terri let go of my hand and ran into the car, making her way over to the booster seat before sitting down and looking at Kyler expectantly. He chuckled and opened the other door, quickly buckling her up and closing it again.
I looked back at Mira to see that she had Harley strapped in, she glanced at me. "You can have the front Stella." she told me.
"Are you sure? Cause I have no problem sitting in the back," I said. She shook her head and hopped in, squeezing between the two children. I sighed and hopped in the front. Kyler started the car and I put on my seatbelt. He was about to start driving but I stopped him.
"Put your belt on," I ordered. He gave me a look. I raised an eyebrow. "Do you know how many people die because they weren't smart enough to simply put their seatbelt on?" I continued. He rolled his eyes but put it on anyway. I leaned back with a smug smile.
He started driving and I looked around the car. "Does the radio work?" I questioned curiously. He nodded. I mentally cheered and turned it on, quickly tuning it to my favourite station.
I heard Kyler laugh but when I looked at him all signs of emotion were gone from his face.
"What's so funny?" I demanded.
"You like country music?" he asked. I nodded my head.
"What's so wrong with that?" I insisted.
"Nothing you just don't seem like a country music kind of girl, I wouldn't have guessed it," he explained.
"Fair enough, but I like a lot of music, country is just my favourite," I said. "Turn right up here," I instructed, he did as I said. A new song came on and I squealed. "I LOVE THIS SONG!" I exclaimed loudly.
Kyler jumped at my outburst and I heard Mira laugh. I smiled and tapped my hand to the beat of the song.
**
Let's say were sorry, before it's too late, give forgiveness a chance
Turn the anger into water; let it slip through our hands
We all bleed red, we all taste rain, all fall down, lose our way,
We all say words we regret, we all cry tears, we all bleed red
If we're fighting, we're both losing; we're just wasting our time
Because my scars, they are your scars and your world is mine
you and I, we all bleed red, we all taste rain, all fall down, lose our way
We all say words, we regret, we all cry tears, we all bleed red
Sometimes we're strong, sometimes we're weak, sometimes we're hurt and it cuts deep
We live this life, breath to breath, we're all the same; we all bleed red
Let's say we're sorry...
Before it's too late...
We all bleed red, all taste rain, all fall down, lose our way,
we all say words we regret, we all cry tears we all bleed red,
Sometimes we're strong, sometimes we're weak; sometimes we're hurt
It cuts deep; we live this life breath to breath; we're all the same
We all bleed r-e-e-e-d-d-d
**
I sang the lyrics along with the radio, far off in my head, enjoying the mental escape the song provided, paying little attention to anything that surrounded me, or even the sound that was coming out of my mouth.
The music ended and a commercial came on. I smiled and looked out the window.
"Wow," I heard Mira say. I sent her a questioning glance and she looked at me like I had grown and extra nose.
Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, beginning to feel self conscious.
"Your voice, it's incredible!" she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I immediately blushed and dropped my head, causing my hair to fall in my face.
"I'm not that good." I mumbled.
"Stella you're amazing, I don't know what your talking about." she insisted. I sighed.
"Well thanks," I said awkwardly, hoping she would drop the subject. Thankfully she did. I looked back out the window, "Take your next left then go straight through to the next lights,," I instructed Kyler. He did as I said.
*****************************************************
We finally arrived at my house. I turned to Kyler, pulling out my wallet and handing him some cash.
"Huh?" he said.
"For gas, that should be enough to fill up your tank," I explained as I helped Mira get the kids out of the car, not giving him a chance to give it back.
I led the way to my house with Terri eagerly walking at my side.
I pushed open the unlocked door carelessly, entering the house and ignoring the screaming coming from down stairs. I closed the door once Mira and Kyler were in and smiled at there bewildered expressions.
"So this is it," I said gesturing around me.
"Wow, it's umm...wow," was all Kyler could say. Mira simply nodded her head in agreement looking around her.
"Well guys, dump your stuff anywhere and make yourself at home," I told them, throwing my coat into the closet and helping Terri take off her shoes.
"Stell, your house is really big!" Terri exclaimed waving her hands around to prove her point. I laughed and rustled her hair.
My house was a decent size; my dad built it so it had five bedrooms and three bathrooms. The outside was white with blue trim and it had two floors.
"It is pretty big isn't it?" I said picking her up and walking down the stairs, gesturing for the others to follow.
I turned to look at Mira who had adopted a worried expression; I looked around confused until my eyes landed on Sydney and Paige. Ahhhh, the shock had worn off and they finally noticed my fairly insane little sisters.
Sydney was holding a broom and chasing Paige around the room with it. All the while they were bother screaming and yelling insults at each other. I shrugged and turned back to my guests, paying little attention to my sisters.
"Should you, like, I don't know, break them up or something?" Mira asked sounding really worried. I chuckled a little, but place Terri down and turned back to the two hooligans.
I sucked in a big breath and screamed over top of them. "SHUT UP!" all was quiet as they both looked at me and then behind me, realising for the first time that we were in the room. "Thank you," I said calmly. "Now this is Mira, Kyler, Terri and Harley, and guys, these are my little sisters Paige and Sydney," I introduced everyone, pointing at them as I said their names.
Kyler and Mira looked a little scared; Harley looked like he was in another world, while Terri just held onto my hand with a content grin on her face.
"Nice to meet you," Mira said timidly.
"Well it's nice to meet me, nobody wants to meet her," Paige mumbled quietly, poking her elbow in Sydney's direction, just loud enough to be heard. I sighed and turned ushering everyone back up stairs as chaos erupted yet again. I heard a whack and a grunt followed by more screaming and tumbling around.
"Well I tried," I said as we reached the top of the stairs. Kyler and Mira were both looking at me like I was an alien, I shrugged my shoulders. "They do it all the time, don't mind them," I said with a wave of my hand. "So are you guy's hungry?" I asked walking into the kitchen, changing the subject.
I heard a chorus of yeses so I grabbed a couple of pops, some juice boxes and a couple different bags of chips, setting them on the counter. "Dig in, if you want anything else just ask," I told them, ripping open one of the bags. They all just sit there and stared at the food in front of them, Terri was the first to talk.
"Can we really?" she asked, sending me a hopeful smile. I smiled.
"Of course you can, eat as much as you want." I told them.
*****************************************************
After we had eaten our share I thought about what to do next, drawing a blank. Terri and Harley were chasing each other around my living room and Mira, Kyler and I were sitting on the couches watching them and my sisters were still fighting downstairs.
"So what should we do now?" I asked no one in particular. Kyler and Mira both shrugged at the same time, causing me to smile at how alike they were. Suddenly an idea popped into my head. "Kyler, do you want to take the kids out to play on the play ground while me and Mira go do somthing?" I questioned, gesturing to the swing set and trampoline outside the window.
Terri's eyes went wide and she ran to see what I was pointing at. Kyler nodded but then looked at me curiously. "What are you going to do?" he asked
"I have something I want to show Mira," I told him.
"Okay then, I guess we will be outside," he said picking up Harley and going down the stairs,
Terri followed suit and soon enough I heard the door open and close.
Mira was looking at me guardedly, I laughed. "Oh calm down, I'm not going to shoot you, I just wanted to give you something," I insisted. She relaxed a bit and I jumped up off the couch.
"Follow me," I commanded as I bounded down the stairs.
Pushing open my bedroom door, I turned on the light. My room was slightly messy, but I just called it my organised mess. "So what is it you want to show me?" Mira asked, still sounding uncomfortable.
"Well, you look pretty similar to my size and I was thinking that maybe you would like some of my clothes?" I asked curiously.
"What do you mean 'Like' them?" she questioned.
"I mean like to have them, I have so many and I barley wear half of them so I thought that you might like to take some home?" I explained.
Her jaw dropped. "R-really?" she stuttered.
"Sure why not, my mom is always complaining about how I have to many clothes anyway," I said
"Umm, sure I would love that," she told me, I smiled.
"Okay then, let's see what we have here," I walked over to my closet and started pulling out things that I didn't wear, throwing them in a pile on my bed. "Now try those on and take what you like," I instructed.
She nodded and started trying on clothes.
*****************************************************
Half and hour and a garbage bag full of clothes later, we were done. We threw the clothes into the trunk of their car and went to join Kyler, Terri, and Harley at the playground.
The little kids were happily jumping on the trampoline and Mira quickly went to join them.
I saw Kyler standing to the side, wearing a genuinely happy expression as he watched his siblings play, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips.
"Hey," I said softly as I went to stand beside him. He looked over at me and his smile grew."Hey." he responded.
We just stood there watching them, both content to just watch them enjoy themselves.
Out of no where Kyler spoke. "Thank you," he whispered. I looked at him, confused as to why he was thanking me.
"For what?" I wondered
"For making them happy, I haven't ever seen them have this much fun, well not in a long time anyway," he explained. Many questions came up in my mind but I kept quiet, knowing that anything he wanted me to know he would tell me.
"It wasn't always like this," he said quietly.
"Like what?" I asked, not understanding his statement.
"Hard, awful, stressful," he told me.
"I don't understand." I admitted. He chewed on his lip, looking hesitant to answer but after a minute he did.
"My dad...died when I was eleven," he said. I didn't know what to say so I just stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. "Him and my mom were so in love and when he died...she pretty much went crazy, started drinking and doing drugs, sleeping around and completely forgetting about me and Mira," he paused and took a deep breath. "She started coming home less and less, she quit her job and left us to fend for ourselves."
"Kyler that's awful," I whispered. He laughed bitterly.
"She doesn't even know who fathered Harley or Terri. She didn't stop drinking when she was pregnant, honestly I'm surprised they didn't have birth defects," he said in a hard tone. "And every once in a while, when she decides to come home, she brings her latest 'boyfriend' comes in and steals any money she can find," he finished angrily.
I was speechless. I couldn't form my thoughts into words to say to him. I didn't understand how this could happen to anyone...much less inocent children who had done nothing to deserve it.
"My dad was my best friend," I heard Kyler say in a broken voice. "We were so happy...we were a family," he continued. My heart broke; I didn't know what to say, I didn't think a sorry was what he was looking for so I did what my body was telling me to do. I turned to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. He froze in shock but after a moment wrapped his arms around me as well. We stood like that for a moment before I pulled away.
"Thank you," I said looking into his beautiful blue eyes. He looked at me baffled.
"For what?" he asked, repeating my words from before.
"For trusting me," I whispered.