shown me I could be.
Sure. Decisive. Intent.
It would remind me to follow my heart. To find my True North and never waver. Never falter.
It reminded me that my life was mine.
Chapter Eleven
I spun around the kitchen on my toes, pulling from the years of ballet my mom had insisted on as a kid. I was good, right up until I was too big. Scrawny as I had been I’d eventually gotten too tall. I towered over the other girls until it got weird and I hated it too much to enjoy it anymore. But it’d been fun while it lasted.
Now I used my latent skills to rock my ass off around the kitchen to Sublime ’s greatest hits. I had the Bose system, the one my mom liked to listen to jazz music on while she cooked, cranked up ear splittingly loud as I baked cookies. Peanut butter crisscross. Because they’re delicious.
I couldn’t hear anything else in the world. Not the ocean outside or the beat of my heart or the doorbell being rung. I definitely didn’t hear anyone come in so when I spun around again, a spatula raised high above my head in perfect pirouette form, and I saw a big blurred figure standing in the doorway to the kitchen, I instantly thought I was going to die.
I stopped my spin, faced the intruder and chucked the spatula at him as hard as I could. He ducked quickly and shouted something. I pushed my wild hair out of my face in time to see him stand back up and take a step into the kitchen. I was looking for a new weapon when I recognized who it was.
“Dammit, Kellen!” I yelled. “What the hell?!”
He bent down to pick up the spatula. “That’s what I was thinking! Why are you throwing things at me?!”
“Because you scared the shit out of me!”
He scowled, looking around the kitchen for the hidden speakers. “Can we turn this down?!”
I grabbed the remote and quickly knocked the volume down to half. The world seemed strangely quiet all of the sudden.
He surveyed the trashed kitchen. “What are you doing?”
“Rotating my tires,” I said sarcastically, still annoyed at having been scared. “What does it look like?”
“It looks like your mom is going to be angry.”
“She’s not home.”
“Where is she?”
I gestured for him to hand me the spatula. He eyed me dubiously.
“If I give you this, is it going to end up in my back?”
“Don’t turn your back on me and you won’t have to worry about it.”
He handed it over.
“She’s on a trip with dad,” I told him as I rinsed off the utensil in the sink. “They took a cruise to the Mediterranean. Dad had a really ugly case recently and he needed a break and mom wasn’t about to miss a couple weeks on a cruise ship.”
“Was it just them or…” He let the question hang but I knew what he wasn’t asking.
“Laney is out for the night. Party.”
“You’re here alone?”
I turned around, surprised by his tone. It sounded nervous? Maybe uncomfortable.
“Yep, just me.”
“You should have had the alarm system on.”
“The door was locked.”
“I know, I used my key. But you’ve got the alarm system. You should use it.”
I shrugged. “I’ll turn it on when I go to bed.”
“You should have it on whenever you’re alone in the house.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Alright, Kel, geez. Do you want me to turn it on now?”
“Just promise me you’ll turn it on when I leave.”
“Are you leaving already?” I asked, feeling my heart hurt. I hadn’t seen him in months and despite being scared shitless when he showed up, I was excited to have him here. Also, I’d been alone in the house for a couple days. I could use the company.
“I don’t know,” he said, glancing toward the kitchen door. It reminded me of the day I met him when he was watching for my dad, nervous about getting social with his lawyer’s daughter.
“Don’t be stupid. You drove all the way down here. Sit down. Have a cookie.”
“What kind are they? Chocolate chip?”
I sighed heavily. “You don’t like
Sure. Decisive. Intent.
It would remind me to follow my heart. To find my True North and never waver. Never falter.
It reminded me that my life was mine.
Chapter Eleven
I spun around the kitchen on my toes, pulling from the years of ballet my mom had insisted on as a kid. I was good, right up until I was too big. Scrawny as I had been I’d eventually gotten too tall. I towered over the other girls until it got weird and I hated it too much to enjoy it anymore. But it’d been fun while it lasted.
Now I used my latent skills to rock my ass off around the kitchen to Sublime ’s greatest hits. I had the Bose system, the one my mom liked to listen to jazz music on while she cooked, cranked up ear splittingly loud as I baked cookies. Peanut butter crisscross. Because they’re delicious.
I couldn’t hear anything else in the world. Not the ocean outside or the beat of my heart or the doorbell being rung. I definitely didn’t hear anyone come in so when I spun around again, a spatula raised high above my head in perfect pirouette form, and I saw a big blurred figure standing in the doorway to the kitchen, I instantly thought I was going to die.
I stopped my spin, faced the intruder and chucked the spatula at him as hard as I could. He ducked quickly and shouted something. I pushed my wild hair out of my face in time to see him stand back up and take a step into the kitchen. I was looking for a new weapon when I recognized who it was.
“Dammit, Kellen!” I yelled. “What the hell?!”
He bent down to pick up the spatula. “That’s what I was thinking! Why are you throwing things at me?!”
“Because you scared the shit out of me!”
He scowled, looking around the kitchen for the hidden speakers. “Can we turn this down?!”
I grabbed the remote and quickly knocked the volume down to half. The world seemed strangely quiet all of the sudden.
He surveyed the trashed kitchen. “What are you doing?”
“Rotating my tires,” I said sarcastically, still annoyed at having been scared. “What does it look like?”
“It looks like your mom is going to be angry.”
“She’s not home.”
“Where is she?”
I gestured for him to hand me the spatula. He eyed me dubiously.
“If I give you this, is it going to end up in my back?”
“Don’t turn your back on me and you won’t have to worry about it.”
He handed it over.
“She’s on a trip with dad,” I told him as I rinsed off the utensil in the sink. “They took a cruise to the Mediterranean. Dad had a really ugly case recently and he needed a break and mom wasn’t about to miss a couple weeks on a cruise ship.”
“Was it just them or…” He let the question hang but I knew what he wasn’t asking.
“Laney is out for the night. Party.”
“You’re here alone?”
I turned around, surprised by his tone. It sounded nervous? Maybe uncomfortable.
“Yep, just me.”
“You should have had the alarm system on.”
“The door was locked.”
“I know, I used my key. But you’ve got the alarm system. You should use it.”
I shrugged. “I’ll turn it on when I go to bed.”
“You should have it on whenever you’re alone in the house.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Alright, Kel, geez. Do you want me to turn it on now?”
“Just promise me you’ll turn it on when I leave.”
“Are you leaving already?” I asked, feeling my heart hurt. I hadn’t seen him in months and despite being scared shitless when he showed up, I was excited to have him here. Also, I’d been alone in the house for a couple days. I could use the company.
“I don’t know,” he said, glancing toward the kitchen door. It reminded me of the day I met him when he was watching for my dad, nervous about getting social with his lawyer’s daughter.
“Don’t be stupid. You drove all the way down here. Sit down. Have a cookie.”
“What kind are they? Chocolate chip?”
I sighed heavily. “You don’t like
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