Rory's POV
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"Morning Aurora." I glare at my dad from across the table, "Dadddd. It's Rory! We've been through this a million times."
"Not on your birth certificate, it isn't," He replies without glancing up from his newspaper. I huff and fill my plate with food. 'Not on your birth certificate it isn't, bleh bleh bleh,' I mimic, mentally making faces at my dad.
"Making faces isn't going to change the bitter truth," My dad sasses, still reading the newspaper. I look at him in shock. What was he? A freaking mind reader?
"What bitter truth?" Cyan questions, seating himself at the table.
"That dad's a mean old fart," I grumble, placing a pancake, scrambled eggs, and a sausage on my plate.
This time my dad looks up from the newspaper, "Cyan, can you believe this?" He asks dramatically. I groan and bang my head against the table.
Here we go again.
"I provide shelter, clothes, money, and an education and all I get is such rude words? I put so much hard work and pain into helping you survive and this is how you repay me?" He gasps for effect.
I look at my brother for help, but he just stuffs his face with pancakes. Sighing, I turn to my dad, "I'm sorry?"
He lifts his chin up and looks away, "No, no. That's fine. I guess all that pain and hard work was for nothing."
Oh my goodness. He was way too dramatic for his own good. "Are you sure you're not gay dad?"
My dad looks at me like I said the dumbest thing in the world, "See what I mean!" He questions Cyan. "My hard work has gone to waste on a kid who hates me,"
"Oh, be quiet Chris. At least you're not the one who birthed her," Mom walks in with Vienna trailing behind her, "Now, that was torture. She was so fat, I swear she was on steroids!"
"She's still fat mommy," Vienna states, staring at me with her big green eyes.
Cyan guffaws with laughter.
Huffing, I glare at all of them, "I don't like you guys." They all laugh this time.
"Oh, come on Ror. We're just joking," Cyan states, ruffling my hair.
"I'm not!" A small devilish voice squeaks from two chairs down from me. I stick my tongue out at my sister, "Whatever you little devil."
Vienna gasps, "Mommy! Rory called me a bad word!"
I tune out when my mom starts to 'scold' me and reach for another pancake. In the middle of her lecture, she stops. I look at her, only to see her eyeing my plate. "What?"
"You're eating breakfast today," She states.
I look down at my plate and exhale in surprise. I usually don't eat breakfast- even on weekends- so I guess it was kind of surprising that I ate this morning.
"Does it have anything to do with... Kale?" My mom bats her eyelashes innocently. I spin around to face Cyan, "You told them!?"
Shrugging his shoulders, he takes a drink from his glass of orange juice, "Yeah."
I raise my hands and imitate his head being crumpled in my hands, "Do you not know what privacy is?"
"What's wrong with telling us?" My mom questions.
"I told you honey! Ungratefulness!" Dad whispers loudly to my mom. I rub my temples. And they wonder why I don't come to breakfast?
"Ok, look. Me and Ka-"
"Kale and I," Cyan corrects. I narrow my eyes at him, "Kale and I are dating."
"Yes! I'm going to be a grandma!" Mom claps excitedly. I groan. "Ma!" Cyan yells, scrunching up his face in disgust.
"I didn't want to tell you guys because you would make a big deal out of it," I send a pointed look towards my mother.
She pays no attention to me. Instead, she looks at my emotionless dad, "Isn't this great hon!?"
"Yeah," shrugging his shoulders, he turns back to his newspaper. I mentally sigh in relief. At least one parent has no interest in my love life- though I would say my mom packs the enthusiasm for the both of them.
She turns back to me, "We have to invite Kale to dinner!"
Before I can protest, she stops me, "I'm not giving you a choice. Tell him to come over tonight!"
"We have our project today and tomorrow," I cross my fingers and hope she lets it go.
"You guys are right next door Aurora. I'm sure coming over for two hours isn't going to hurt."
Dammit.
"Fine," I sigh.
"Great! I'll get started on the cooking!"
____________
"Hey," Kale says, opening the door. Momentarily, I forget how to talk as I look at him- a shirtless him mind you. Kale's eyes were bright and his smile wide- somebody was in a good mood.
A really hot looking good mood.
"Uh- hey," I reply, shaking my head of graphic thoughts that kept protruding. 'Get yourself together Rory!' I tell myself.
"I love that I still make you speechless babe," Kale smirks, kissing me. Ignoring his smart ass comment, I deepen the kiss before pulling away.
"You never listen do you?" I question in amusement as I trail a finger down his muscled chest. He groans sexily, "Admit it sweetheart. You love me shirtless."
Laughing, I push past him. Of course I loved him shirtless! With a body like his, it would be a shame to hide it under clothes...
I blush as more graphic thoughts about Kale come to mind. 'Stop it Rory! Your pervert!' I scold myself in my head.
"So, um" I clear my throat, seating myself on the couch, "How's the brat?"
"You mean Kory?" Kale asks bemusedly. I wave my hand in indifference, "Potato. Potahto" Kale sits next to me, "Good," He replies. "You know she's actually not that bad."
I make a face at him, "Yes it is," I say, emphasizing the it. Kale chuckles, "I can only imagine you as a mother Rory."
"Yeah yeah. Whatever Kale Mathews," I snuggle into him, "I don't understand how you of all people are so good with a baby."
Kale looks off in the distance with a light smile, "Yeah. I guess it's kind of surprising."
"Kind of? You mean it is!" I exclaim. "I mean that in a good way though. It's nice to see a side of you that isn't so..."
"Bad ass?" He jokingly inputs.
I elbow him, "I was going to say asshole like."
"Rory?"
"Yeah," I look up at Kale to find him staring at me in concentration. "Did you always think of me like that? As an asshole, I mean," He quickly adds.
Automatically, my response is a nod. I couldn't really lie to Kale. He was a big jerk to me ever since I moved here and I never really knew why.
Kale looks away. Maybe it was a mistake, but I swear I saw him look ashamed before his eyes returned to a blank state. "I'm sorry sweetheart," Kale says in remorse.
I get up from his side and straddle him. Turning his head towards me I speak, "I'll be honest Kale. I didn't like you back then. Heck, until three weeks ago, I swear I hated you." Kale looks away, this time the shame was clear on his face. "But," I say, "During this project, I got to know the real you. The real you that is kind, caring, funny... cocky," I add with a laugh.
"Look at me, " I tell him. Slowly, Kale's eyes lock with mine. "I've already forgiven you Kale. All you have to do is let it go."
Before I know it Kale's flipped me over onto the couch, straddling me this time. "You," He kisses my collar bone, making me moan. "Are. The. Best. Person," He places kisses all up my neck between each word and then pulls away, "I've ever known." As stupid as it may sound, my stomach fills with butterflies when I look into his eyes. Everything he said- everything he did, was magical. He made me feel things that I've never felt before.
It felt nice.
He kisses me again- this time on the lips. I melt into the kiss, allowing his tongue access to my mouth and his hands access to my waist. Within seconds, I feel something hard against my thigh. "Excited, huh?" I whisper into Kale's ear. With a groan he ignores me and goes back to kissing. We stay like this for a few minutes until Kale pulls away.
"Rory. I mean it," He states, sitting up.
Pecking him on the lips, I ask him something I've been waiting to ask for a long time now, "Why did you hate me?"
Kale sighs, "That's the thing. I never hated you sweetheart. Never! I was just jealous."
I look at him in confusion, "Jealous? Of what?"
"Your family Rory. You had the one thing I never had- a real family. I saw how close you all were and I saw how you guys always spent time with one another. It made me... I don't know. It just sucked not having what you had you know? I was always alone and my biological dad-" Kale cuts himself off.
"What about your real dad?" I question slowly. Kale sighs and looks at me, "Nothing. I was just jealous. I'm sorry."
I weave mine hand through his, "My family is your family Kale. My parents already love you even Vienna asks about you! You're welcome anytime. Oh!" I exclaim, "Speaking of which, my mom's invited you to dinner tonight around six. I hope that's okay."
Kale looks at me with a smile etched on his face. "What?" I question.
He shakes his head, "You are something else Rory. I'm glad I have you in my life."
Rolling my eyes, I poke his chest, "You're so cheesy Mathews." Kale grabs my hand and puts his forehead against mine, "I really really like you Rory."
The butterflies are back in my stomach, "I really really like you too Kale."
"Wah!"
"Oh dear," I mumble. Kale chuckles. He gets off the couch and gives me a hand as well. "Where is the satan's child?"
"In my room. I'll go get it, stay here." Before I can protest, Kale bounds up the stairs towards his bedroom. Huffing, I look around as I wait for him. Something by the fireplace catches my eyes. As I move closer to it, I realize it's a frame of a girl around fourteen years old.
"That's my sister."
I jump in surprise at Kale's voice, "Sorry I-"
He shakes his head and places the baby on the couch, walking towards me, "It's okay."
"I- I never knew you had a sister," I say. His sighs and looks at the frame, "A lot of people don't."
"Where is she?"
Kale glances at me with look in his eyes that I couldn't really put a finger on. Was it anger? Sadness?
"She's where roses dance and tulips sing."
When I give him a confused look, Kale smiles, "It's an inside joke."
Something told me to not ask anymore questions, so I walked to the baby and picked it up, "Why was it crying?"
"She needs food."
"Are you really going to be referring to it as a she?" I ask incredulously.
"Are you really going to be referring to her as an it?" He retorts.
"Yes! It's a plastic doll Kale!"
He makes a face at me, "So what? You've never seen Toy Story before? Plastic things have feelings too!"
I giggle at his logic, "You're ridiculous Kale Mathews."
Just then, Kale's phone rings. I watch as his smile turns into a frown, just as he looks at the caller ID.
I look at him expectantly. "I'll be right back," Kale says distractedly, walking away. I watch him walk up the stairs, "O-okay..." I trail. "I guess I'll just stay right here..."
I wait for two more minutes until I the suspense got the best of me. I had to go and see what was going on!
Quietly, I walk up the stairs and to Kale's room. "I told you I don't want to!" I hear Kale yell. There's silence as the other person on the line speaks.
"Don't you fucki-" The person interrupts Kale and the silence encompasses the house once again.
"You wouldn't dare!" The bitter tone in Kale's voice, now seemed to be laced with a little... anxiety?
"DAMMIT!" The sound of glass shattering is hear from his room.
"Fine! I'll do it! But I swear if you lay one fucking finger on her, I will kill you."
Her? Who are they talking about?
"When and where?" Kale asks the other person on the line. "Midnight tonight? You can't be serious!"
Something else breaks inside the room. "Fine! This better be the final drop. I'm not doing anything else after this one Robert." The coldness in Kale's voice when he speaks that name is cold enough to freeze the world.
Now, who the hell was Robert? And what happened to those other guys that Kale was talking to?
Quickly, I run down the stairs and throw myself on the couch. A few seconds later, Kale shows up with a expressionless face. Damn he was good at keeping his emotions in check! If I wasn't eavesdropping, I don't think I would've really noticed something was wrong.
"Everything okay? I thought I heard a crash?" I ask him, as inconspicuously as possible. He exhales deeply and falls onto the couch beside me, "Nah, it was nothing."
Didn't seem like nothing to me.
"About this dinner..." Kale questions.
"Yeah?"
"When do you think it'll be done?"
"Around eight-ish I'd say..." I pause and casually ask, "How come?"
Kale sends me a small smile, "I wanted to take you to a drive in movie."
"A date?" I ask confused. Why is he taking me on a date when he had to go tonight?
He taps my nose, "Yes, a date. Does that sound good?"
Quickly, I smile and nod at him. Whatever Kale was doing tonight- either during or after this 'date', I was going to find out what it was. I know it may seem like I'm being too nosy, but honestly, I can't help myself.
I wanted to know Kale's secret.
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"Hello Kale! We're so happy that you could join us!" My mom says in delight. Kale smiles, "No problem Mrs. West."
My mom playfully frowns, "No calling me Mrs. West Kale. Just call me Cathy!"
I smile when Kale laughs, "Okay M-Cathy."
Grinning, ear to ear, my mom leads us to the dining room. I double take when I see who's at the dinner table, "River?"
He turns to me and smiles, "Hey sis!" I run and hug him, "I've missed you! You never come home anymore!"
My brother ruffles my hair, "Correction, I do come home. Every time I come, though, you aren't here." I pout, "I guess you're right."
River laughs, "I always am."
"Everybody wash their hands! Dinner is ready to be served!" My mom announces.
The smell of my mom's amazing five cheese lasagna wafts through the room. "It smells really good Mrs. West- I mean Cathy," Kale quickly corrects. She beams at him, "You are such a sweetheart Kale. Thank you!"
"No problem," He replies, sitting down at the table. I look at him curiously. He quirks an eyebrow at me in question. I shake my head and peck his cheek, "You're such a suck up Mathews."
Kale smirks at me, "It's called being nice sweetheart. You should try it sometime."
Gasping, I hit his chest. "Asshole," I mumble under my breath. The only response I get is a laugh.
"So, Kale you're dating my sister I hear?" River states with a smirk. Rolling my eyes, I pass the bread stick basket to my dad.
Kale smiles, "Yes, I am."
"You better not hurt her," River warns. I snort. Hooray. Another trip up cliche psycho protective brother club.
Laughing, Kale winks at me, "Don't worry. I think Cyan got the point across." Cyan gives us all a thumbs up. River slaps him on the back, "Good job bro!"
"Kale, how are your parents? I haven't hear from them in a while," My mother asks. I feel Kale freeze besides me; I squeeze his hand in a comforting manner. "Uh- they're fine. They've been busy with work."
"Ah," My mom states. She quickly changes the subject when she sees how uncomfortable Kale is. "Kale honey would you like to hear some stories about Rory when she was little?"
My eyes widen, "No no no. I think we-"
"Tell him about the bear on!" Cyan says.
"No, tell him about the pool incident!" River states.
"Or about the poop accident," My dad adds in with a chuckle. Both my brothers join in with the chuckling, "Oh yeah!"
I hit my head on the table and moan, "Shut up you guys."
"What about the volleyball one?" A little voice adds in. Cyan, River, and dad turn to look at Vienna. Hell, even I look at Vienna.
Wasn't she supposed to be on my side? What happened to chicks before dicks?
"Vienna, you're a genius!" All three exclaim. I bang my head against the table again.
Dammit. I have the worst luck in history.
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"Bye everyone!" I call out. Five slow goodbyes float my way. Rolling my eyes at their laziness, I shut the door.
"Well, that was fun," Kale states, taking my hand in his as we walk over to his house. I bury my head into his side, "Don't even. That was beyond embarrassing."
"I never knew you were so cute and pudgy when you were small sweetheart," Kale jokes. I elbow him directly in the ribs. "Ow!"
"You deserved that," I say pointedly. He smiles down at me.
We walk in comfortable silence until we reach his car. "What movie are we watching?" Kale smiles, "An old classic- The Breakfast Club."
I let out a mini-shriek, "Yes! That's one of my favorite movies!"
Kale grins, "Let's go!"
__________
The ride to and back from the drive in movie was fun. Kale and I talked about everything- school, friends, childhood memories, and so on. The movie date itself was also very amazing because Kale surprised me by pulling up strawberries dipped in chocolate.
Overall, everything went smoothly. However, there was this feeling that I just couldn't shake off. The feeling that someone was watching me. My first thought was that it was Liam, but my gut told me it couldn't be. Liam was more of an impulsive person. He didn't have the will power to look over people for hours- even minutes. No, this had to be someone else. Since the whole ordeal with Liam at the bowling alley, I have been a little for cautious of where I went and what I did... However, I had no clue who this new 'person' could be.
I wonder if Kale felt that we were being watched.
Speaking of Kale, throughout the whole dinner and the movie, Kale didn't really seem anxious about the meeting at midnight. I had a hard time believing if he was actually going to go or just skip it.
Whatever he did. I intended to find out.
Right now, I lay in bed, pretending to sleep. I had convinced Kale to lay with me until I fell 'asleep'. It took a while but finally, the bed shifts and I hear Kale walk out the door.
Mentally, I congratulate myself for not selling myself out.
As quickly as possible, I dress in black gear and grab the keys to one of Kale's cars, I had hitched earlier.
I was going to follow Kale and I was going to find out what he was hiding, whether he liked it or not.
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