I wake up the next day to a big bang. 
Laura must have droped something. Dad calls me down to the kitchen as bacon sizzles on the stove.
     "Kara!"
     "Coming!" I yell as I stuff my feet into my shoes.

    My dad and Laura are standing in the kitchen looking at a box.
     "What is in the box?" I ask.
     "The gender of the baby!" Laura says excitedly.
     "What do you want?" I ask smiling at them.
     "Your dad wants a boy, but I just want a healthy child." Laura says looking at dad.
     "Well what can I say, I already have a princess and a queen." He smiles at the both of us. We just laugh as Laura hands me a smoothie.
     "I tried something new, you might like it!" She tells me.

    I smile my thanks and then turn to make my coffee.
     "So are we having a small party or is it just us?" I ask.
     "A small party. Kade and his family, Laura's parents, and some of my co-workers." Dad tells me.
     "Sounds good, I have to meet Candy at Berkman Coffee."
     "Okay be ready in twenty and we will go." He tells me. I rush to my room.

    I don't have time to shower so I pull on my black jeans with the holes in the knees, my vans shirt, and my black and white vans. I just fishtail my hair and do my everyday makeup.



    When I am done I pull on a jacket and grab my smoothie. The coffee I leave for later. Dad runs out of the garage as I sit in his truck. He is putting on his duty belt and eating a granola bar. I laugh at this comical sight and he smiles back as he sits in the driver side next to me.
     "Ready?" He asks.
     "Yes. Me and Candy have to talk then I will just call Laura and she can come and get me." I tell him and he just nods turning on his morning talk show.

    When we reach Berkman Coffee, Candy is waiting for me and she looks good in a pale pink top and a pair of black leggings.
     "Hey gal!" I say and she smiles sadly.
     "Lets get this over with." She asks and then turns inside to order her coffee. I am so confused. She is so off and I can't see why.

    I follow her in and set my stuff at a table. I order a black coffee and she orders a Frappuccino. When we have our drinks and are seated at a table she just looks at me with sadness in her eyes and sighs.
     "Candy something is clearly bothering you and I want to help you any way possible."
     "Your going to hate me." She sighs and then just says.
     "It is about Travis. I have been tutoring him for extra credit and I think I like him. "

    I am very shocked and just blink in response.
     "Well say something!" She exclaims.
     "I don't know what to say. He did so many horrible things to me and others. You are in danger around him."
     "But he has been so nice to me." She says.
     "Well I need to keep my distance from him. He has done too many things to me and Kade and if you are around him then we can't hang out. You put me in danger." I say to her feeling my heart break.
     "I knew you would just break this friendship. I can't just leave him. He has been so vulnerable to me. So bye Kara." She says getting up with tears in her eyes.

    I have tears in my own eyes as I pay and call Laura to come and pick me up. Why would Candy betray our friendship just like that? Why is it so hard for me to avoid Travis? I need to talk to Kade and then Lacie. We have the party tonight and then school tomorrow. Who will I eat lunch with? I am alone again.
* * * *
    Later after hours of crying and talking to Lacie I redo my makeup and head down to the kitchen to help Laura with dinner. She is making pasta and a nice caesar salad.
     "What happened today? Are you going to be okay?" She asks me as I cut tomatoes and she stirs the pasta.
     "Me and Candy can't hang out anymore. She has been hanging out with Travis and it puts me in danger. I don't want to be drugged again." I say and she nods.
     "You would think after he did all those things to you she wouldn't want to be around him."
     "She likes him. She told me that he has been very vulnerable to her and opened up about his life."
     "That explains it. Just be more careful at school and be polite to her." Laura tells me and then pulls out the lettuce for me to chop.

    There is a knock on the door as I am on my last chop of lettuce. Laura nods to me as I drop my knife. She takes it from me as I rush to the door. I open it to a guy I don't know and a very short lady from our church.
     "Hello, come in." I say as they smile at me.
     "Kara, this is Tim Washington and his wife Anne." Dad says as he comes up behind me.
     "Well hello, nice to meet you." I say smiling at Anne who has a small bag and looks at me.
     "It is nice to meet you too." She says as Tim and dad head to the living room.

    I lead Anne to the kitchen where Laura is finishing up the salad. I head to the silverware drawer. Once I have everything we will need I start to set the table. The door bell rings again and I head to the door. I open it to see Kade, his Dad, and Anita.
     "Hey come on in!" I smile with a big smile on my face. Kade smiles back and I just melt. We share a long look as Mr. Mathews slides past us with Anita and heads to the living room chuckling.
     "Hey, its good to see you again.." He murmers in my ear as he pulls me close and hugs me, it sends shivers down my spine.
     "Its good to hear that. I've had a pretty bad day." I tell him as his warmth envelopes me.

    We stand like this for a few seconds and then I remember the table.
     "I have to finish setting the table, why don't you go and talk with the men and let us women finish in the kitchen?" I suggest.
     "No I think I will help you set the table." He tells me grinning.
     "Okay." I sigh and we head back to the dining room. He takes the napkins and sets them down as I go around and set down the forks. We only need forks tonight so I only put those down.

    When we are done Kade pulls me out to the back porch and kisses me softly.
I blush and pull away when he loosens his hold on me.
     "I need to tell you something." I say biting my lip.
     "What is it?" He asks worriedly.
     "Its hard to say. I don't know if you want to hear it so soon." I grin.
     "Just spit it out." He growls.
     "Ummm well I love you?" I quip questioningly.

    He just smiles and leans down and kisses me again. It is a few moments later when Laura claps from the doorway that we jump apart. She laughs at us and motions for us to come inside. Kade grabs my hand and squeazes as we follow her to the dining room.

    Dinner is smooth with the conversation ranging from the baby to school and work. Me and Kade just seem to look at eachother the whole time and we are begging to be noticed by mine and his dad.
     "Hey love birds are we interrupting you?" Mr. Mathews asks.
     "Um no sir." I reply blushing. Kade squeazes my hand under the table.

     "Lets go and find out what we are having!" Laura says chipperly breaking the tension. We all jump up and head to the backyard. Kara grabs the reveal baseball and dad grabs his best bat.
     "What do you want?" Kade asks me.
     "Honestly I don't care." I tell him.
     "I hope it is a boy. We need a little tike running around here." He says.

     "3, 2, 1!" We count as laura swings, as she swings dad gets ready to hit. "Pitch!" We scream and Laura throws the ball.

    THWACK......

Well you will find out in a week or two. Thank you for reading comment, and like if you like this chapter.
-WaffleFry-
                                                        --TBJ2004