Chapter 3: Roses Are Red

 Click and Select 'Brick by Boring Brick' to Listen to the same song as Kendyl

Sweat slid down Kendyl's spine as she pushed her screaming legs to a run, trying to escape her wandering thoughts about Jeffrey and her sister, to escape the roses. A cool morning breeze lifted stray stands of her damp hair and she closed her eyes and felt tears welling up. Kendyl squinted, livid at herself, and turned up the song, "Brick by Boring Brick" by Paramore, her feet slapping the pavement to the angry beat. 

                 Nearly three months has past and her heart still ached. He never denied it. He just stood there! Kendyl tried, but couldn't forget the horrified look on Jeffrey's face as he watched Kate run away in tears. Celine had come up behind Jeffrey and had the gall to try to comfort him.

                Kendyl finally found her voice, but it only came out as a whisper, "You slept with Kate?" He turned to Kendyl, but only he stood there with his mouth gaping.  

                Celine placed a hand of Jeffrey's shoulder and replied for him, "Kendyl, you don't understand-"                                "Don't understand??? Did you or did you not sleep with her, Jeffrey?" She yelled, barely containing the raging energy coursing through her body. "DID YOU?!"

                Jeffrey's jaw locked and he looked away, tears streaming down his cheeks. A nod, firm and deliberate, and she suddenly felt limp, all the rage and tension gone and she wanted to crumple up and cry. Not in front of them!  Kendyl ran, blinded by her tears.

                Now, Kate was living with her, the growing belly a constant reminder. She finally told their parents, realizing she couldn't hide the baby bump any longer, and they flipped out. Between Kate and the roses, escaping the pain and drama was nearly impossible.

                A block from her house, she slowed to a walk, dreading what she knew she would find there. Kendyl could almost smell the sweet heady scent of them, a cloying aroma that threatened to leave her fighting for air.  As she rounded the bend, she spotted them: red roses. Once her favorite flower, the only girlish thing she could truly claim, now filled her with heartache. There were more bouquets today, one on the truck, on the porch, in the mailbox, on the back porch... Why is he doing this to me?  

                Kendyl nearly tripped over a bouquet as she tried to walk through the front door and she snapped, kicking the vase over and scattering the red petals. A thorn managed to snag the skin on her ankle and she cried out. She knelt down and watched blood, as red as the roses she destroyed, bead around the small scratch.

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                "Wow, Jeff, your roses are beautiful!" Kendyl lowered her nose to a vivid orange one and inhaled the delicate and somehow spicy scent. "I love roses."

                "I remember..." Jeffrey smiled at her as he brought out hot dogs to grill on the barbeque. 

                Kendyl blushed and said, "Oh...right." He had given her a pretty lavender rose to thank her for helping him unpack that first day; she must have mentioned it then. He glanced away from her and she thought she detected a smirk.

                "Did you know that the different colors of roses have a meaning?" Jeffrey asked, paying attention to the grill.

                Kendyl slipped into a patio chair and replied, "No, I didn't. Why would they have different meanings?" The warm afternoon sun beat down on her and she reached for a glass of lemonade.

                "Well..." Jeffrey tilted his head slightly and Kendyl  watched the sinewy muscles in his neck and shoulders work under his tan skin. She took another drink of lemonade as another flash of heat assaulted her.  "It's a way to show someone how you feel about them. Like the yellow rose is for friendship, the pink for appreciation or admiration, and red for romance. "

                Jeffrey slide the last hot dog onto the plate and brought them to the table, but instead of seating himself, he turned to a bush with red roses. "Kendyl, I..." His fingers brushed the ruby red petals at his hesitation.

                Kendyl's heart caught in her throat. I can't hear it...I can't hear him say he's falling for Celine... "So the purple ones, they say, 'Hey, thanks for the help', right?" She laughed halfheartedly.

                Jeffrey's shoulders sagged slightly and he replied, softly, "Yeah....something like that..."

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                "Kendyl?" A footstep creaked on the porch stairs and Kendyl looked up to see Celine. "Oh, are you okay? Are you hu-"

                Kendyl stood up, backing away from Celine's outstretched hand. "I'm fine. What do you want?"

                Celine looked down at her feet, blushing. "You haven't been returning my calls...I...well, you need to talk to Jeffrey. He really misses you."

                Injured by those simple words, Kendyl turned away and started kicking the glass and roses into a pile. "Why can't he leave me alone? Can't he understand that I don't want to be his scapegoat anymore?"

                "His- what? His scapegoat?" Celine asked, confused.

                "Yes, his scapegoat. He can't go around romancing other girls- teen girls! -and then tell them he loves me to get out of any commitment or responsibility. This entire time I thought we were friends and he was using me!"

                Celine laughed, an almost musical sound, and Kendyl spun around, "It's not funny! Wait-why are you even defending him? He was putting the moves on you right after he hooked up with my sister!"

                "Oh Kendyl..." Celine had stopped laughing, but her expression was amused and sad all at the same time. "No, honey. He only has eyes for one girl. He's in love with you and has been for a long time."

                Kendyl frowned. "I don't understand. That doesn't even make sense. You two were holding hands and laughing that day...and he had sex with Kate! Is this some sort of cruel joke?"  The glass ground into the porch floor as she shifted toward Celine in anger.

                "No, no." Celine lifted her hands in submission. "I'm serious. You misunderstood what you saw that day." She gestured down at her left foot, which was bound in gauze and wrapping. "I twisted my ankle slipping off a small ladder. Jeffrey offered to bring me back early and help me get proper medical attention to make sure I didn't seriously damage any tendons or ligaments. The entire time we were there, Jeffrey was in his own world and down. He finally told me what happened with Kate and how he truly felt about you. I was trying so hard to cheer him up, but I think he was glad to have an excuse to get home early."

                Emotions tumbled through Kendyl, so fast and fleeting, it was hard to identify them. "He still had sex with Kate! If he loved me..." Her voice hitched. "If he...why would he..." She looked up at Celine, heart racing at the thought, at the possibility, of him truly loving her. "Why didn't he ever tell me?"

                Celine bit her lip, "Kendyl, I can't really answer any of this for you. I think it's time you spoke to Jeffrey." 
                Kendyl took a deep breath, the scent of the red roses surrounding her, and she felt hopeful.