Caiden's P.O.V
SATURDAY NIGHT CAME fast.
For the past week I hadn't seen much of Kennedy after school as she had been helping set up the gymnasium for prom, curtesy of her mum she consistently complained.
Unfortunately, there had been a need for me to hire a black tux, I wasn't going to borrow one of my fathers, no way in hell was that going to happen.
15 minutes before I needed to be at Kennedy's house, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror to see how I looked.
I am not a tux wearing kind of man. But... I must admit, if my mum was here she'd be fussing over how handsome I looked, which I have to partly agree on.
Rubbing a hand over my jaw, I make sure I had gotten all the rough edges with my shaver. Thankfully, I did.
Downstairs my father was watching a soccer match. From up here I could hear the cheers of the crowd, and yelling of the referee. His drunk ears obviously thought the surround sound wasn't loud enough.
I grab the corsages from beside the shower bench and head downstairs.
"Pass to the left!" My father shouts at the flat screen TV, the player does the opposite.
"No you bloody idiot! To the fucking left I said! The fucking left!" His speech is slurred and indistinct. He takes another swig of the beer in his right hand.
He's already wasted and it's not even 7 O'clock. I walk past him, shaking my head as I leave through the front door.
The rain hasn't died down to a spit, instead, over the week it's turned into a full on storm. The wind is harsh against my cheeks, my hair about to turn floppy at the weight of the water it's taken.
I have to run to my car, I've been doing that a lot lately. Guess it's a good thing at times, keeping my fitness up.
I drive to Kennedy's house, parking as close as I can, then I once again get out and run. Inhaling deeply, I raise a hand and knock on the door.
"Caiden!" Mrs D exclaims. "Come in, quickly now. We can't have you getting a cold."
I'm rushed inside. The house is far warmer than outside. I run a hand through my wet curls, taming them best I can. "Thanks Mrs D."
"Son!" Kennedy's father comes wobbling in from the kitchen on his prosthetics. "How are you?"
"Great thanks. I see your up and at it with the prosthetics again."
He winks. "Makes me feel like I'm flying."
Mrs D purses her lips at her husband. "Well he certainly is when he trips over the carpet and everything else."
I chuckle.
Sage comes sliding down the bannister with Roscoe wagging his tail as he trots down the stairs beside him. "She's coming," he says.
Mr D comes up beside me and whispers in my ear. "Do you believe in magic Caiden?"
I turn to him, confused. "No, not really sir."
He smiles and looks up at the top of the stairs. "You will when you see her."
I follow his line of sight to the top of the stairs and there appears Kennedy. He's right. She's magic.
My breath caught as she descended down the stairs in an emerald gown, my favourite colour, it made her eyes stand out beautifully.
"Are you all just going to stand there and gawk?" Kennedy said.
"Yes," I replied for everyone.
"Well, stop it. You look stupid."
Around me her parents rushed around for the camera. But that was all a blur. I couldn't tear my eyes away as the closer she came the more she glowed in magical glory. The sight of her made me lose all sense.
"You look stunning," I murmured breathlessly.
"And you look ridiculous with that gawk on your face. Seriously, you can stop now I don't look that good."
I shake my head with a grin. "Will you ever take a compliment?"
She fake thinks for a second. "Yeah. That's not gonna happen."
We exchange corsages and as we pose for a picture on the stairs she whispers in my ear. "You look handsome now without that gawk."
I grin up at her. "Took you long enough to say."
After a dozen more pictures, Roscoe included in half of them. Mr and Mrs D wish us the best time and to be safe.
We run to the car. The torrential rain thickening around us with a cloud of dull grey. We grab at the car handles, ready to jump in.
"Shit!" I say. They're locked.
"Caiden!" Laughs Kennedy. "Open the doors."
I dive into my pockets searching for the keys. Ah! Found it. I press the unlock button and we jump in.
We both let out a relived sigh then turn to look at each other. Kennedy begins to laugh again.
I'm surprised she doesn't care about getting her hair or make up wet. Wait, I look at her closer. Is she even wearing make up? Probably not. She doesn't need it any way.
"Of course that would only happen to us," she says through her laugh.
"Yeah, the rain must hate us or something." I chuckle down at our partially drenched clothes.
Then I hear a tap on my window, it's Sage. I quickly roll down the window. "Here," he hands me two huge umbrellas through the window then runs off inside.
Kennedy raises her eyebrows at the umbrellas but takes them and puts them at her feet. "Why didn't he give us those before?"
I shrug. "The heating in here is really good anyways." I reach forward and turn it on. A blast of warm air flushes against our faces and we turn it further up before I start to drive.
"I thought maybe..." I glance hesitantly at Kennedy.
"You thought what?"
"I thought maybe you'd want to meet my mum before we head to school, when I was younger she always went on about the day I'd bring a girl to prom, but now it seems like a ridiculous idea, with it raining and all."
Kennedy shakes her head. "No, no. I would like that."
"You would?" I glance over at her again.
"I really would."
I chuckle. "At least we have umbrellas now."
She smiles and reaches her hand across the middle console to thread it through my own.
Arriving at the cemetery, we're the only ones here. Makes sense. Only the dumbest would stay out in the storm especially dressed the way we are.
Climbing out of the car we each open an umbrella and raise them above our heads. The harsh rain dives down on the fabric, threatening to pierce through.
"This way." I guide Kennedy down a thin pebbled path. Puddles form in the muddy grass and carefully we cross over to my mothers grave. Kennedy bunches up her prom dress in one hand so that when she kneels down to read the headstone it doesn't get dirty.
"I wish I could've met her." Kennedy's finger tips brush against the side of her headstone.
"I wish you could've too." I lick my dry lips and inhale and exhale deeply. "But if she hadn't had passed, I would be a completely different person, on a completely different road."
Kennedy rises to her feet, watching me. Listening silently. I love the way she listens, that's one of my most favourite things she does.
I swallow the lump in my throat. "She'd be ashamed of me. Of what I've become and done. Of what transformed of our family when she left us behind."
I swore I wouldn't cry, it's prom night, it's supposed to be the best night of our lives. Though here I stand, in a fucking storm, my eyes watering as I share my lonelinest thoughts with the girl I love.
Kennedy moves closer to me and she lifts a hand to caress my cheek. "She wouldn't be ashamed. You had to change to learn to live without her or anyone by your side."
A wet crystal bead filled of loving memories falls from my eye. I shift my tearful gaze from my mothers grave to Kennedy.
"Your a survivor," she whispers, her voice getting caught in the rain.
I let out a hearty laugh. Shaking my head, tears mixing with rain on my cheeks, I answer, "Kennedy, I haven't survived anything."
Now she's the one to shake her head. "You've survived through the pain of losing her, you've survived your father."
She laughs. "Look at us now, standing in our prom outfits. You've survived Highschool for gods sake and everyone knows how hard that is."
I laugh with her. She sure knows what to say at the right times. I see my mum in her, was that one of the reasons I was drawn to her?
"We've all survived something, Caiden."
With a last glance at my mothers grave I take Kennedy's hand in mine. "Then we might as well survive this night together."
She grins up at me and as we rush off through the rain, back to the safety of my car, Kennedy shouts over her shoulder, "It was nice to meet you Mrs Hurley!"
I smile to myself. She's my magic, my one of a kind.
A/N: okay, I may have lied, the next chapter is the super twister... hehe.
Also finished my exams and I cannot wait to write the rest of this booook!
Comment ur thoughts would love to hear themmm!
WHOS YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER?!
I literally love jersey he's a big ass goofball