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.

Chapter 2: Hysteria

                Kendyl pushed past a greasy kid in a black trench coat and almost tripped over a teenybopper flipping through a magazine. The girl just glared over the glossy pages and snapped her gum before returning to articles like "Boy Speak Translation Guide".  Kendyl didn't even glance her way; her eyes kept searching the crowd of high school kids for a bright blonde head of hair. 

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                For the last few days, Kendyl tried talking to Kate, but most of the time she avoided her calls and if she did talk to her, it was very clipped and short. Then last night, while she was away for a military training course, Kate called her crying.

                "Kate?" Kendyl pressed the phone to her ear, trying to block out the sound of grunts from other cadets as commanders ran them through the exercises. "Kate? Slow down....I can't understand you."

                Kendyl could only identify a few words. "I can't...kid..." Kate's sobbing gets louder and her words get harder to make out. "...LOVES YOU!" A loud crack sounded through the phone and the line went dead. She stood frozen in shock, listening to the dial tone, a dead and final sound.

                

                The Lieutenant granted Kendyl leave as soon as he saw the frantic look on her face and she hopped into her car. She drove all night and morning to get back home. She arrived at the high school, just as the teens came streaming out.

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                Kendyl whipped her head around at a flash of yellow and a giggle, but it wasn't Kate. She peered closer at the group and recognized a few faces. Kendyl strode up to them, growing more anxious as the students outside the school began to dwindle.

                "Have you seen Kate?" She asked, interrupting their banter. The Kate imposter wrinkled her nose and then smirked at the girl next to her.

                "Kendyl?" She turned and saw a freckly face standing just beyond the circle under a tree. Caleb... "Is something wrong?"

                "I...um...I'm looking for Kate. Have you seen her?"  Does he know? Has Kate told him about the baby? Kendyl searched his face, but only saw puzzled concern.

                "She left earlier this afternoon. She said she had a doctor's appointment or something." Oh no...she wouldn't. Maybe it's just an appointment for the baby...  Kendyl looked past the group toward the hospital though it was not in sight.

                The imposter snorted and said, "Yeah, skipping more like it." Again she smirked at the other girl and continued, "Probably getting hot and heavy with that mystery guy she keeps talking about."

                Kendyl watched as Caleb frowned at his shoes. She wanted to tell him everything at that moment; she didn't want him to be strung along and not even told about his baby.  Kate can't do this to him!  "What time did she leave school?" She said, a bit too briskly.

                "About an hour and a half ago." Caleb replied, not lifting his eyes. Before he could finish, Kendyl turned and ran toward the hospital. Regardless of what the situation, Kate needed her; she needed someone to support her through this.

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                Kendyl nearly flew past Kate, right into the hospital, but quiet sobs made her turn. Kate was bent over her knees, hair spilling over her face. Kendyl's heart plummeted into her stomach. I'm too late...

                She slipped onto the bench beside her sister and touched her shoulder. Kate jerked in response and looked up at Kendyl, eyes vacantly trying to identify her. "Kendyl?" She threw her arms around her neck and Kendyl made soothing sounds and smoothed her disheveled hair.

                Kendyl let her cry for a few minutes, but she had to know. "Did...you...?" She was unable to complete the sentence.

                "I couldn't! I made the appointment, but I couldn't even go inside the building!" Kate balled her fists and released them. "I can't tell how I feel about it; one moment I'm mad at myself and the next I'm relieved." She let out a hysterical bark of laughter before crying again.

                "You are a good person, Kate." Kendyl tucked a stray hair behind her sisters ear. "It's not in your nature to do something like that."

                "But I can't have a baby; I'm just a kid..." Kate trailed off as she felt Kendyl's arms tense around her and glanced up at her face.

                Kendyl was staring toward the entrance of the hospital. Jeffrey was walking hand in hand with Celine and they were laughing. A sharp fragmented pain radiated in her chest as all the nightmares of Jeffrey and Celine together became focused right before her eyes. Please just walk right on by....please...

                As she uttered those word in her head, Jeffrey locked eyes on her, eyes wide. "What's wrong?" He ran up to them. "Is someone hurt? Are you parents okay?" He was only about a foot from Kendyl and the warm spicy scent of sawdust assaulted her, transporting her to a day about three months ago.

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                "Kendyl! Don't eat that! Those are Mrs. Crumplebottom's prize apples!" Jeffrey reprimanded her.

                "Oh, live a little! She won't miss this one, plus I don't see why they'd win a prize, they are kind of sour." Kendyl stuck out her tongue. 

                Jeffrey laughed. "Well, that's because they are crab apples." Jeffrey turned back to the garden plot he was working on. "Can you bring me another box of mulch?"

                Kendyl hefted the box from the truck bed into her arms, glad she wasn't some dainty girl who never built up her muscles.

                She inhaled the dark rich scent of the mulch as she kneeled down and placed the box beside Jeffrey. Making sure Jeffrey wouldn't notice, she leaned over and discreetly smelled his neck as he spread the mulch around a tomato plant. She closed her eyes and smiled, loving how his hard work with wood and gardens permeated his skin.

                When she opened her eyes, Jeffrey was smirking at her. She blushed and said, "Oh, I...uh...love the smell of this stuff. Uh...how do you make it?"

                He laughed and ran the back of his hand across his cheek, leaving a smear of dirt there. "A bit of this and a bit of that. I tend to have a lot of stray pieces of wood laying around and I shred it up for mulch."

                "Mister Resourceful here." Kendyl joked. She wiped her finger in the dirt and swiped it across his clean cheek. "There. That's better; I needed symmetry." She shrugged and gave him a lopsided smile.

                "Oh I'll give you symmetry!" Jeffrey tackled her, trying to wipe the dirt off onto her.

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                Kate yanked out of her arms and shoved Jeffrey in the chest, disturbing the sweet memory. "You jerk!" She shoved him again as Kendyl looked on with shock. Jeffrey backed away, eyes wide, seeming to see Kate for the first time. "You told me you loved Kendyl and now you are putting the moves on Celine?? Who does that?"

                Jeffrey's face paled and he glanced toward Kendyl, who was frowning. He said he loves me? Or maybe Kate misunderstood...he probably just said he loves something about me... She looked up at him, a silent request for more information. Kendyl watched as Jeffrey opened his mouth to reply, his eyes pleading, but she never got the clarification she needed. 

                Kate twisted to face Kendyl and snarled, "You said I should tell the father, right?" She turned back to Jeffrey and said,  "Congrats, you are going to be a daddy."  Then her fist came crashing into his face.

Chapter 1: Torn

                "You're what?!" Kendyl asks, wide eyed, the sink she was attempting to fix forgotten. Kate sobs into her hands in response. Kate had arrived through the back door a few minutes ago, dry eyed but quiet, silently watching her sister try to master the faucet. Then she said two words: I'm pregnant. "But you are only 17! Do Mom and Dad know? I didn't even know you were having sex!" The words tumbled out of her mouth without pause. 

                "I wasn't!" Kate looks up at Kendyl, beautiful even with red-rimmed eyes. Kendyl always hated that. When Kendyl cried it was all snot and blotchy skin, not a pretty sight; although she would die if anyone ever saw her crying. "I mean, obviously, I did, but it was only once and...it was a mistake! A horrible mistake! Mom and Dad can't know! They would kill me! Oh God, I don't know what to do!"

                That was only too true. Kate was their youngest, their baby, not to mention the Golden Child. After three boys and a girl who might as well have been a boy, little Katie was put on a pedestal for her preference for pink, dolls, and dresses. She took ballet and piano lessons while Kendyl worked in the garage with her older brothers on cars. Kate would cry if one of her frilly dresses had even a speck of dirt and Kendyl would relish the accomplishment of being covered head to foot in mud. 

                Neither sister has changed much,  Kate, at seventeen, is head cheerleader and prom queen and Kendyl,  at twenty-two, has a new job in the military and enjoys Sim Fu. The only thing that changed was Jeffrey McGee...the hot neighbor who moved in about six months ago. Kendyl saw the moving truck in front of the house and went to offer assistance, but ended up stuttering out the offer. He graciously ignored her embarrassment and accepted.  As he had handed her boxes, chatting about his move and his old hometown, he had her blushing and giggling like a girl. Her reaction had completely mystified her and she vowed not to let it happen again. True to her word, she was more herself the next time she ran into him, though she had butterflies the entire time, and over time, they became fast friends.

                Kendyl frowned past Kate at the leaking sink, each drip a constant reminder that he has been absent for nearly two months. Jeffrey was using his vacation time to build homes in third world countries, which just adds to his desirability, but he was there with Celine Etoile Manette. The goody-two shoes is probably batting her pretty little eyes at him as he pounds and screws. The thought drove her nuts.

                A renewed bout of sniffles brought Kendyl out of her unwanted reverie. "Who's the father? Have you told him?" She asked, continuing where she left off,  "How far along are you?"  She led Kate to the table and grabbed a box of tissue, all the while searching Kate's perfect figure for a baby bump, but there was none to see.

                "About 8 weeks I guess. After I missed my second cycle, I took the test." She glared up at me and said, "As for the father, I don't ever want to talk about him. He's done in my life, over, and I don't want him to know about this. I don't want anyone to know about it."

                Kendyl threw her hands up in surrender and watched as Kate straightened out the tissues. I bet it was Caleb.  Eight weeks ago, they had thrown Jeffrey a going away party and the whole time Caleb followed Kate around like a love sick puppy. He was such a good guy, but he wasn't lucky in love and Kate never saw him that way. Kendyl got too caught up in partying though and had to be helped home early when she vomited in a vase to the cheers of the crowd. From what she heard though, someone spiked the punch and Kate got tipsy too so she might have fallen for his charms, but then again there were lots of guys there that took a liking to her.

                "So what are you going to do, Kate?"  Kendyl asks softly, trying to tear Kate's attention from her manic need to straighten everything.

                "Hmmm...oh...I.... " Kate's eyes dart around the room, looking for an escape that isn't there and accidently rips the delicate tissue. " I just don't know!" Realizing what she has done, she cries even harder. She isn't strong enough to handle this...

                Kendyl stands and pulls Kate into a tight hug, letting her sob on her shoulder. After a few minutes, Kate calms down and sheepishly pulls back and says, "Sorry. I've soaked your outfit..." Kendyl laughs at how inconsequential the comment is compared to what she is going through and Kate can't help, but laugh with her.

                A sad smile on her lips, Kendyl says, "If you want my advice, I'd suggest you think about it for a few days. You just found out and you really need to process the situation before you make any haste decisions. And..." Kendyl brows knit as she continues, "I'd really suggest you consider letting the father know." Kate opens her mouth to object, angry at the mere suggestion, but Kendyl continues on. "I know, I know. I'm not saying you need to be with him or anything, but he should know. It's his right as the father and you should both talk about the decision together."

                Kate frowns at the ground and doesn't reply for a few minutes. "I'll think about it..." Kendyl can tell though that Kate's mind is already made up. "I've got to go. Mom and Dad will begin to wonder where I'm at.  You should get Jeffrey to fix that for you." She turns and walks out the door without saying goodbye, leaving Kendyl alone with the leaking sink and an aching heart.  

**Thanks to Sashraf for her Loaded Little Starter and Reachsims for her Cozy Starter for Boo and Bloo**