Cover to the side made by Amazesomebowaholic.

Chapter 18

I rubbed my eyes as I sat up, blinking a few times to regain my vision. The sun shone through the window and I wanted to hiss and cover my eyes. I sat up, looking at my phone to see the time. I noticed that I had four new text messages and I grinned widely. I quickly unlocked my phone, opening the messages and looking at the four different contacts that texted me.

'Merry Christmas, Ken,' Floyd texted me and I grinned. I responded similarly, chiding him about his stupid nickname for me.

'Merry Christmas!' Dana sent. Chloe sent the exact same message but added a smiley face at the end of hers. I replied to the girls, returning the greeting.

'Merry Christmas from the Rivers family! Especially Noah,' Marissa added a few winking faces towards the end of her message and I scowled but sent her a simliar message.

When do these people wake up? I sat up and looked around, slowly getting out of bed. I walked towards the bathroom, grabbing my clothes for the day from my dresser. It's only a new pair of pajama pants and a Christmas sweater with a reindeer on it. I quickly showered and brushed my teeth, not bothering to dry my hair.

I walked downstairs to see my mother cooking breakfast. I grinned as I walked over. "Hello, daughter."

"Hi mom." I managed to get myself onto the counter a few feet away from the stove. My mother didn't bother to reprimand me. "What are you making?"

"Chocolate chip pancakes," she rejoined as she flipped the pancake, placing it on the pile beside the pan.

Once she finished, I grabbed two pancakes, drowning them in syrup. I didn't miss the disgusted look my mother sent me. "They're swimming in syrup."

"Yours have two drops of syrup, mom," I retorted as I saw her lightly drizzle syrup on her pancakes.

"Normal people eat their pancakes like this," she responded with a smile on her face. "Now hurry up because I want to open gifts."

I nodded and ate at a quicker pace, careful not to choke on the pancakes. We walked over towards the tree, which wasn't lit thanks to the bright sun outside. I noticed a large box sitting under the tree that wasn't there yesterday and I furrowed my eyebrows. "What's that?"

She grinned. "Open it first."

I nodded as I sat beside the box, ripping off the bow at the top. I noticed holes in the box and I felt a grin spreading on my face. This isn't what I think it is; it can't be. As I lifted the top of the box, I squealed loudly, lifting the small puppy from the box. Its eyes opened wide as it was pressed to my chest in a hug. It's tongue licked my cheek and I laughed.

"Thank you so much mom!" I told her with a smile on my face. The dog quickly leaped from my arms and began walking around, inspecting its surroundings. I've always wanted a dog, so I wouldn't be so lonely when my mom leaves. "Is it a girl or a boy?"

"A boy," she smiled at me as I watched him attempt to jump on the couch. "What are you going to name him?"

I looked at the husky, taking in its blue eyes. "Dakota."

My mother nodded as she looked at the dog. "Dakota, it suits him."

The other gifts that I opened were things for the dog- food, two collars, a leash, and special treats for him. I also got clothes and some new books. My mother bought me more makeup and I was surprised to see it sitting in a bag. "You bought this for me?"

"No, Kenna, a creepy man snuck in our house and gave it to you," she rolled her eyes.

"Thanks Grandpa!" I shouted to nothing in particular.

My mother laughed as she playfully slapped my arm. "Your grandfather isn't creepy. He's blind and he needs someone to lead him places, especially when he doesn't have his cane."

I just rolled my eyes in response. My mother opened her necklace, a gift from me, and a new leather-bound notebook. She grinned widely at me when she received them. I guess she likes them. She better; I spent a lot of (her) money on these gifts. We watched movies and talked until midafternoon, when she stood up and motioned towards the kitchen.

"Do you want to help me start dinner?" she asked and I laughed.

"Nah, I'd rather play with Dakota," I told her as I petted the copper and white husky. He barked as he stared at me, causing me to giggle.

"Suit yourself," she shrugged as she walked towards the kitchen.  

My phone vibrated from the floor and I reached down, grabbing it. I noticed it was a text message from Floyd and I snorted at what it said. 'Family dinners are stupid.'

I guess that's one thing I'm grateful for, not having a mother who drags me to family dinners. 'I bet they are.'

'You're lucky you're not here. It's a madhouse out there,' he responded.

'Out there? Where are you?' I asked.

'In my cousin's room, sitting on the floor, avoiding my family,' he answered.

I decided that texting was too tiring so I decided to call him. I haven't heard his voice in a while. "Hello?"

"Hey," he cheerily replied.

"So...how's the gathering?" I asked.

"Boring; it would be better if it was my mother's side of the family; Marissa and Noah would be there. But unfortunately, my dad has all stuck up people on his side of the family. They're crazy when they're drunk, too," he sighed.

"Well, now you're talking to me, so consider yourself lucky," I told him with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, whatever," he joked. "What'd you get for Christmas?"

"A dog," I responded. "What about you?"

"A dog? What kind of dog?" he asked with excitement laced in his tone.

"A husky," I replied. "His name is Dakota."

"That's a girly name," he retorted.

"It's a unisex name!" I groaned. "What'd you get?"

"Clothes, video games, the usual," he responded.

"Sounds nice," I nodded.

"We haven't hung out in a while," he told me. "Since the gala, to be specific."

"I know," I sighed.

"We should hang out sometime," he suggested.

"Sure, I'm free...always," I laughed.

"When you aren't hanging out with my cousins," he chuckled. "I guess I'll see you at Marissa's birthday party on the 17th of January right?"

"Yeah, I still haven't bought her anything," I frowned.

 "Same, I'll have to go shopping one of these days," he muttered.  "So tell me, how are things with Noah?"

"You too, huh?" I murmured.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You, Marissa, Lukas- you guys all think I have a thing with Noah," I scowled.

"Because you guys are friends, I mean, Noah hasn't had a friend who isn't family in a very long time," he explained.

"So? We're friends, Floyd. I don't like him and he doesn't like me." I sat up on the couch.

"I know, I know, you've told me this before. I just don't understand he decides to befriend you, of all people," he muttered. "No offense."

"Maybe because I'm nice? I don't throw myself at him? I don't invade his privacy? I give him the benefit of the doubt? I don't judge him based on small, insignificant things?" I asked.

"And because you're pretty," Floyd told me. My eyes widened as he said this and I stuttered, thinking of something to say.

"Chloe's pretty, too." My eyes were practically bulging out of my head.

"Yeah, she's pretty but she isn't pretty. Uh, what I mean is that she has general beauty but her personality isn't good. You're funny and smart, and from what Marissa tells me, you're pretty cool," he quietly explained.

"T-thanks Floyd," I stuttered, fiddling with Dakota's collar.

"Oh no, I've made things awkward, haven't I?" he sighed.

I laughed, biting back a smile. "No, no, you haven't. I just didn't think you thought I was pretty."

"Of course I think you're pretty," he laughed. "But I won't flirt with you or ask you out or anything because it's obvious that you like Noah. And I think he likes you, too," he informed me.

I laughed awkwardly. How do I tell him that I don't like Noah without leading him on? "I told you that I don't like him, Floyd, and he doesn't like me."

"Ken, I see the way you look at him. You talk about him like he's perfect. You...you don't want to change him; you like him the way he is," he told me. "And he's nice to you, or at least nicer than he is to anyone else; he may not be a perfect guy but he's worth the trouble and the bickering. It's sad what happened to him, but he's a good person and not enough people see that."

I felt curiosity burn in the pit of my stomach. I refrained from asking him what happened to Noah. If I'm going to find out, I want it to be from Noah himself. I want him to tell me what happened and I want him to be completely one hundred percent him when it happens. "I have to go; my grandmother's drunk and dancing to Drunk in Love. Oh God."

"Well, I'll see you soon—." I was cut off by Floyd's shouting.

"Grandma, get off the table! Grandpa, stop throwing money at her!" Floyd shouted. He sighed loudly. "I come downstairs for a can of coke and I have to deal with this. But I'll see you soon, Ken. Have a merry Christmas."

He hung up before I could respond and I just smiled at my phone.

<<>><<>> 

The rest of the vacation went by in a boring sweep and I was glad to be back at school on January 5th. Another good thing about being back in school was watching Marissa hand out her birthday party invites. We arrived at school and she had a large stack of them, which she ordered during the vacation (she even forced me to help her by asking me over the phone which color was better- eggplant or plum) and once people's eyes landed on them, they filled with hope. I guess she's thrown some good parties in the past. When she would pass over someone, they would look so forlorn. When the first period bell rang, she made me promise that I'd help pass some out during lunch, to which I grudgingly agreed.

Gym class was fun, mainly because we had a substitute. Once I walked into the gymnasium, I noticed Noah sitting on the bleachers with a sketchpad in his hands. I wonder what he draws. I'll have to ask him. I noticed the substitute sitting in the gym teacher's office and I scoffed, watching as he browsed the computer. I walked towards the bleachers, plopping down beside Noah. He glanced up at me and sighed loudly.

"What? I haven't seen you in two weeks and all I get is a sigh?" I noted as I sat facing him on the bleacher.

"What?" his response was.

I rolled my eyes as I looked at him. "What'd you get for Christmas?"

"Books, gift cards, clothes, notebooks- those types of things," he shrugged. Heaving yet another sigh, he glanced up at me. "Because it's socially unacceptable to not ask what you received, I have to ask: What did you get?"

I snorted. "A dog, clothes, and stuff."

"A dog?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I never pegged you as a dog person. I always assumed you were a cat person, as in a 'grow-old--alone-with-nine-cats' type of person."

"You sure you weren't analyzing yourself?" I snorted. He rolled his eyes, scoffing at me while I stared at him. He dragged the drawing pencil lightly across the sketchpad, his nose twitching ever so slightly as he did so. "I don't know why I was ever scared of you. You're just a person, a person who is very antisocial, but a person at that."

"You're antisocial, too," he shook his head.

"What? Me?" I retorted. "I talk to people."

"Yeah? List five," he told me.

"Uh, Marissa, you, Dana, Chloe, Floyd," I listed.

"You talk to Floyd? What happened to running away like a scared little girl?" he questioned.

"Weren't you the one who did that?" He scowled at me and I laughed. "He's cool."

Noah nodded. "He is."

"Wow, since you're in a good mood, let me ask you a question; do you think I'm cool?" I inquired.

He scoffed, letting out a deep laugh. "No, you're not."

"Because I'm fabulous?" I asked.

"No, you're a dork," he clarified.

I rolled my eyes. "Nice way to treat your friend."

"How many times do I have to say this? We aren't friends," he elucidated.

"We're friends when you need me to get you food!" I crossed my arms.

He sighed. "Whatever."

"So does that mean that we're friends?" I asked him with a teasing grin. He's fun to annoy.

He shrugged. "Whatever."

"You finally admitted it," I told him. "You want my friendship."

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye and shook his head. "Sure I do."

"You do, because I'm awesome," I told him. "And you're kind of awesome."

"Kind of?" he grunted. "I'm the epitome of awesome."

"Sure you are," I scoffed before remembering something. I dug around in my pocket before shoving him a ten and five dollar bill.

"What is this?" he asked, looking at my palm.

"A cheeseburger," I sarcastically explained. "It's the chocolate and car wash money."

"I don't want the money," he went back to his drawing but I dropped the money onto the sketchpad.

He picked up the money and gave it to me. "I don't want it."

"Let me make it up to you then. Like you said, I made you spend your own money," I told him.

"And how will you do that?" he sighed loudly.

By kissing you. My eyes widened measurably as the thought skidded to a stop in the front of my mind. My face warmed up and I pursed my lips. "Just take my money."

"No," he replied simply.

"Come on," I told him. "I'll feel bad if you don't take the money."

"Don't," he shrugged.

I glared at him as I held out the money. "You're not going to take it, are you?"

"Nope," he retorted.

I sighed, shoving it back into my pocket. Silence fell over us as I watched Ronnie and Troy kick a soccer ball back and forth. Most of the people were texting, listening to music, or talking to friends. "Are you a dog or a cat person?"

He glanced up at me before going back to his drawing. "A dog person, cats annoy me."

I decided to think of more ways to end the silence before it started up again. "How was your vacation?"

"Boring, Ethel came back on Christmas day and left on the 2nd, but she promised to be back in time for Marissa's birthday party. I was in my room all vacation," he shrugged.

I frowned a little; that doesn't seem like a fun vacation. "Did you hang out with Marissa?"

"Yeah, but she was video chatting with Eric the entire time. He went out of state with his parents for some stupid reason," he rolled his eyes. "They even video chatted at midnight on New Year's; they were just staring at each other and muttering 'I love you' for two entire minutes. It was nauseating."

"It sounds nauseating," I mumbled with a wrinkled nose.

"Trust me; it also wasn't fun watching Ethel and my father practically make out on the couch," he shivered in disgust.

It seems as if he was the only one in his house who didn't have someone to talk to on New Year's. My mother was writing and I was watching television. I didn't even notice that it was January 1st until I had to change the channel. I also got text messages from Marissa and Floyd but I didn't check them until 12:15. "That sounds disturbing."

"Trust me, it was," he shook his head. It was quiet for another minute or so before he spoke up. "So what'd you do on New Year's?"

"I was watching television at midnight," I shrugged. "My mom was writing. My dog was sleeping."

"Sounds like you had fun," he rolled his eyes.

"Says the one who watched his family like a romance movie," I rolled my eyes.

He scowled at me as he continued drawing. "So I see you're helping my sister hand out her party invites."

"You see correctly," I told him. "Those contacts must be working."

Shooting me an annoyed look, he continued. "I hope you're ready for a bunch of fits and dramatics; my sister gets crazy around her birthday."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Last year, someone accidentally spilled a glass of juice at the party and her eyes started to water with unshed tears," he shook his head.

I frowned, cringing slightly. "Sounds really fun."

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into," he warned.

"It's too late to back out," I sighed. He shrugged, letting the silence fall over us again. I wanted to groan in frustration. Why can't we keep a conversation going? "So what are you drawing?"

"Things," he responded quietly. Before I could ask further questions, he closed his sketchpad and shoved it into his backpack, zipping it up. He stood up, towering over me. Quickly, he hopped down the bleacher steps.

"Where are you going?" I shouted.

"Places," he replied as he disappeared out of the gymnasium.

<<>><<>>

Marissa managed to catch me up on all the drama that has taken place this past vacation in a matter of minutes. "But yeah, there's going to be a party this weekend. We should go; it'll help relieve some of my nerves for my party."

I sighed. "Okay."

"If you want, you can ask Noah to go," she smiled at me. "It'd be fun to have someone else who doesn't drink to hang out with, right?"

I shrugged. "Sure, but I doubt he'll say yes."

"Well, we'll see. Why don't you go ask?" she motioned towards Noah, who was sitting at his lunch table. His eyes were skimming the pages of a book.

I sighed as I looked from her to Noah. "What about the invitations?"

"I can manage handing them out alone for two minutes, now go," she shoved me in her brother's direction.

I stumbled toward his table. I put the invitations down as I lowered into a seat. He glanced up at me and I noticed his eyebrows knit together. "What?"

"Uh, there's a party on Saturday and—." He didn't even let me finish.

"No," he smoothly replied.

"You didn't even know what I was going to say!" I retorted.

"You were going to invite me. Marissa already tried. I'm not going," he told me. "And if you were smart, you wouldn't go either."

"I'm the designated driver. I don't exactly have a choice," I retorted.

He shrugged. "I'm not going."

I sighed as I stood up. "Okay."

I walked back towards Marissa with the invitations stacked in my arms and she smiled. "Did he say yes?"

I shook my head. "No, he said that he isn't going to go."

"Wow, Kenna, you're losing your charm," she frowned.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Shut up, Marissa."

She just laughed in response, handing out another invitation.

<<>><<>> 

I giggled as I was attacked by Dakota, who was in dire need of a walk. I noticed my mother sitting on the couch, a smile on her face. "I have some good news."

My eyebrows shot up. "Good news? This is a first."

"Your aunt Joanie is coming to stay with us for a week," she smiled.

My eyebrows stayed up. "Aunt Joanie? The one who always asks why I don't have a boyfriend?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, she's the one who babysat you whenever your father and I would go on dates."

"I thought she moved far, far away," I muttered as I reached towards the coat rack, where my dog's leash was hanging.

"She did, but she's coming to visit us," she nodded.

I nodded, not bothering to ask for an explanation. "Uh, mom. There's a party this weekend, mind if I go?"

I shut my eyes tightly as I faced the wall, blindly fixing the leash. Please say yes. Please say yes. "A party?"

I nodded as I reached down and attempted to grab the hyper dog's collar. "Yeah, a party; I'm going to be a designated driver."

"Who's going?" she asked.

"Chloe, Dana, Marissa, maybe Noah," I shrugged.

"I have yet to meet Dana and Chloe," she noted.

"Yeah, you don't want to meet Chloe," I sighed as I held the doorknob. "But can I go?"

When I saw her leaning towards no, I puckered out my lower lip. "Please, you know that I don't drink! I just want to go and make sure my friends arrive at the party and then back at their houses safely."

She frowned. "Fine, Kenna, but don't do anything stupid."

I rolled my eyes. "I won't do anything stupid, mom. I'm pretty responsible."

"Okay, Kenna," my mother sighed as I stepped outside.

<<>><<>> 

I was hastily packing my bag, shoving my clothes into it. This morning, I put my clothes on my bed so when I came home, I'd be able to put them away. Unfortunately, my aunt Joanie is a clean freak so the moment she saw unfolded clothes sitting on my bed, she had a heart attack and took it upon herself to riffle through my clothing drawers in search of the correct spot for the articles. I managed to get them easily, even though it would have been easier if they were on my bed where I left them.

Seeing as my mother doesn't actually work and makes money off of her books, she's home all day. And so is aunt Joanie. And that means that they had all of the time in the world to talk about me. The topic of Noah came up, I'm guessing, and now aunt Joanie keeps trying to question me about this "mysterious boy" and I'm trying to avoid her, as you can probably tell.

"Kennedy!" she called loudly. "Come downstairs! I haven't seen you since your father's funeral!"

I stopped what I was doing for a minute, curling my lips into my mouth as I gripped the pants in my hand. I swallowed the lump in my throat before continuing to pack, making sure that I put everything in my bag. As you can tell, my aunt has no filter. My father's death didn't affect her very much because she's my mother's sister. I feel bad that my mother had to grow up with her.

I also managed to find out the real reason why my aunt is back- she's looking to buy a house. I hope she doesn't find one close to our house. My mother also generously donated my car to her during her weeklong stay, so I'm left carless until next Wednesday. Of course my mother is driving me to and from school, but as far as going out goes, I'm left without a car. It wouldn't be a problem if my town had buses or trains, but we don't, so I'm stuck with having to walk or ask for rides.

Earlier today, after hearing about my predicament with my aunt, Marissa invited me to spend the night at her house. She was grinning ear from ear at the idea of spending her birthday with me and Noah. I gratefully agreed even if I have to help her with her party plans. If my aunt wouldn't have been here, I would have stayed home and had a movie night with my mom, but because she's here, I'm practically forced out of my house. Marissa told me that she'd be here by 4 o'clock and it's four on the dot.

When my aunt saw me walking down the steps with my bag held tightly over my shoulder, she grinned. "Now tell me, who is this Noah boy?"

"Sorry, I can't talk now. I'm going to a sleepover," I muttered as I walked towards the door hastily. "Love you guys! See you Sunday! Take care of Dakota while I'm gone!"

I stepped out of the house and looked around, noticing three cars that came into my view. I quickly disregarded my own and my mother's. I detected a familiar red car and I stood in front of my house, looking at the car in confusion. That isn't Marissa's car. It's Noah's. As if on cue, Noah slammed his hand down on the horn and I shook my head, walking towards his car. "You're picking me up?"

"Obviously," he muttered as I shut the door, dropping my bag into the area in front of my seat. I was busy putting on my seatbelt when Noah spoke up. "Uh, who is that?"

I looked up and saw my aunt approaching Noah's car. I gasped. "Oh my God, she's crazy."

"Kenna!" she called out.

She ran to my side of the car, motioning for me to roll down the window. I wanted to sink in my seat as I pressed the button. I can't blatantly disrespect her by telling Noah to drive off, like I really want to. "Yeah?"

She glanced over my shoulder and smiled. "Is this Noah?"

I felt my face go warm like it was in a microwave. "Yeah, this is my friend Noah."

He nodded at my aunt. "Hello."

"Hi, so this is who your mother—," my aunt started but I cut her off.

"Uh, aunt Joanie, we're on a really tight schedule and we have to get going! I'll see you on Sunday. I love you. Don't forget to walk Dakota!" I called as Noah started the car. My aunt took a step back and smiled, giving me a knowing glance.

"So that's your aunt?" Noah asked as we were down the street.

I nodded. "Yeah, she's staying with us for a week."

"Lucky you," Noah sarcastically noted. "So you told her about me? And Marissa?"

"No, my mother did. My aunt asked if I made any friends since my father's accident, so my mother said yes and talked about you guys," I shrugged awkwardly. I left out the part about how my mother is convinced that I have a crush on Noah. I'm not too sure about whether or not I do. I think I might, but I'm not sure yet. I've never had a guy friend so I don't know if this is how you are around them, or if the feelings I have are reserved for crushes. Maybe I have a crush on him. I don't know. Then again, he's not looking for a relationship now. I don't know if he has a crush on me; I doubt he does. He's really closed off; I know nothing about him. But according to Floyd, he likes me. I guess I can hope.

"Kennedy!" Noah ripped me from my thoughts and I turned to him. "I asked you a question but you were swimming around in Lala Land."

"Yeah?" I asked.

"What did your mother say about us?" he asked, with a curious look on his face.

I shrugged. "Well, she said that you guys are my friends and that I spend a lot of time with you two."

He nodded and we sat in silence. I stared out the window at the surprisingly dreary weather. After a week of sunshine, you'd expect the weather to slowly decrease. It just took a turn for the worst in the matter of a day. "Where is Marissa?"

"She had to go pick someone else up," Noah shrugged. Please don't be Chloe. Please don't be Chloe. Please don't be Chloe. "Don't worry; it isn't Chloe."

"Who is it then?" I asked curiously.

"You'll see," he sighed. "It's a surprise; I'm not allowed to tell you."

I just nodded, waiting patiently for us to arrive at their house.

<<>><<>> 

Noah unlocked the door and only a few seconds after I stepped in, I was lifted into a hug. It was too strong to be Marissa; I doubt she could lift me into the air. I turned to see Floyd's familiar black hair. I laughed as I raised my arms and returned the hug, dropping to the floor once he let me go. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Well, it's been a while but definitely not forever," I told him. We've been texting a lot more, almost as much as I've been texting Marissa. I watched as Noah plopped down on the couch, lifting the remote up and changing the channel. Marissa was in the kitchen, getting something to drink. "What happened to seeing me at Marissa's party?"

"Well, Marissa told me some sob story about how she wants all of her friends together for her birthday so she decided to come pick me up. I completely bought it but it turns out that she just wanted someone to help her pick up the table from her stupid planner's store. So, she used me," Floyd shook his head as he stared at his cousin who was giggling.

"Hey, I'm the birthday girl! You're not allowed to hate on me!" she shouted. I laughed, watching as she rolled on the floor, hitting her legs on the couch Noah was sitting on. "I'm finally seventeen!"

"You're not actually seventeen until 6:30 PM," Noah replied.

"You're creepy for knowing that," Marissa told him.

"That was the moment my life was ruined," Noah joked. "This time seventeen years ago, you wouldn't be alive. I wish time machines were invented already."

Marissa sat up and kicked her brother's leg. "You're such a jerk, Noah."

"Are you coming to the party tomorrow?" I asked Floyd when I noticed a bag on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I plan to get drunk," he grinned.

I sighed. "I want someone who isn't drunk to talk to."

"Noah doesn't drink," Floyd told me as he sat on the recliner.

I sat on the couch, a few feet away from Noah. "But Noah doesn't want to go, right, Noah?"

He nodded. "I don't do parties."

"I don't either; I just need a sober person to hang out with," I explained.

He shrugged. "I'm sure someone at the party won't be drinking; you can't be the only designated driver."

"Come on, Noah," I frowned. "It's only a party. You don't drink; you're stubborn, I doubt you'll pick up a beer and drink it, if that's what you're worried about," I told him.

"I'm not worried about drinking; I just don't want to go," he told me.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Thanks a lot, Noah; now I'm going to be trapped in some room playing a stupid game on my phone."

"You're welcome, Kennedy," he shrugged.

<<>><<>> 

Floyd was yawning on the recliner; Marissa was lying on the floor; Noah was sitting on the other end of the couch with his legs extended; I was sprawled on one side of the couch, my short legs stretching across a cushion. Marissa got up, rubbing her eyes. "I'm going to sleep; I have to get up early tomorrow in order to make sure the food is ordered for next Saturday. I should've let my father plan this out instead of insisting on doing it on my own."

"Show me to my room?" Floyd muttered as he stood up.

"Sure," Marissa nodded. "Night Noah; night Kenna."

"Night Noah; night Ken," Floyd repeated as he followed Marissa towards the stairs.

"Night guys," I called. "Happy birthday again, Marissa."

Once they were up the stairs, Noah gave me a curious glance. "Ken?"

"Barbie?" I asked with a small smile.

He rolled his eyes, sipping his glass of soda. "He calls you Ken?"

I shrugged I rested my eyes. "Yeah."

"Hm, it doesn't bother you?" he asked. "You don't mind being called a guy's name?"

"My full name is considered a guy's name." I rolled my eyes, lying back and resting my head on the back of the couch. "I don't mind; he doesn't think of me as a guy, Noah. He called me pretty."

"Pretty?" Noah murmured. I nodded, popping one eye open. Like before, he was stretched out, his legs dangling off the couch and tangling casually on the table; his hands were wrapped around his glass of soda. He had a blue blanket strewn across his lap. "He said that?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

He just nodded as he stared at the television. "Cool."

<<>><<>> 

I woke up to the sound of voices, or a voice. "I'm not cooking."

"You're the only one in this house with cooking skills!" a female voice responded.

"I don't care," a voice I recognized as Noah's responded. "Order food or something."

"Where can we order breakfast from?" Floyd muttered.

"I don't know," Noah replied casually.

"Do it for the birthday girl!" Marissa suggested.

"Your birthday was yesterday," he corrected, "so no."

I stretched awake, finding my hands trapped under something. I opened my eyes and noticed the blue blanket thrown across my body. I smiled at the blanket, remembering that Noah was using it just last night. I must've fallen asleep here and he must've put the blanket over me. Let's hope I don't snore. "Did you know that you snore?"

My face reddened and my eyes widened. Had he read my mind? "Uh, no."

"Well, you do; you're extremely loud," Noah retorted from the other end of the couch. I scratched my head as I glanced around, rubbing my eyes with my free hand.

"What are you guys arguing about?" I questioned.

"Noah's too lazy to cook," Marissa complained.

"I am not cooking for four people," he shook his head. "Especially when two of them are teenage guys and the other two eat like cavemen."

I threw the pillow from behind my head at him and it smacked the side of his head. He scoffed. "Thanks for that; like I was saying, caveman number one—."

"Why does she get to be caveman number one?" Marissa frowned.

"She did the first thing that reminded me of a caveman," Noah explained.

"Me caveman; you Noah. You cook for us," Marissa grumbled, earning an eye roll from Floyd.

"Maybe we should go out for breakfast, that'd be fun," Floyd suggested.

"Sure, I'm fine with that," I nodded.

"Did we ask you?" Noah inquired from the other end of the couch, tilting his head sideways. A small smirk dotted his lips.

"Okay, I'll just stay here with the bleach, and all of your clothes, and your nice laptop, and everything else that's important to you," I grinned.

 Noah's smirk dropped and he glared at me. "Fine, let's get ready."

"Since when is it up to you two to decide?" Marissa smirked. "We aren't your children."

"Thank God," Noah murmured as he stood up from the couch, jogging towards the stairs. "I call the shower first!"

"You're such an idiot!" Marissa called after him. "We really need another shower."

About two hours and four showers later, we were all ready for the day. I dressed simply in a pair of jeans, refusing to wear the pair of shorts Marissa threw at me when she saw me taking the jeans out of my bag. They barely classified as underwear, never mind shorts. Marissa decided to wear a bright yellow sundress, which blinded me the moment she hopped down the steps in it. Like me, Noah wore jeans and a simple shirt, his being dark blue while mine is burgundy. Floyd's outfit matched his personality- cargo shorts and a loud, neon blue t-shirt, which made his blue eyes pop. Marissa and Floyd were dressed for the current weather, whereas Noah and I decided to go for a more just-in-case-it-rains look.

"A day with the fashionistas, can it get any better?" Noah snorted as we exited the house. He locked the door behind him and hopped down the steps, walking beside me. Marissa and Floyd were in a deep conversation about anime, which I know nothing about, so I decided to stay out of it.

"Whose car are we taking?" Marissa asked as we stood in front of her driveway. Noah's car was parked behind hers, so she automatically walked over to his.

"What was the point of asking?" Noah sighed as he got into the driver's side.

Marissa stopped him. "We should let Kenna drive."

Noah laughed loudly, his hand going to his stomach as he hunched over the driver's side door. We all stared at him until he stopped laughing. "Sorry, I'm just laughing because she is never going to drive my car, ever." 

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Just get in the car."

"Where are we going?" Noah asked as the engine roared to life.

"The mall, a cart there has the best breakfast burritos and—." Noah started to speak over her.

"I didn't ask for an explanation," he sighed.

"Okay, rude," she grumbled as she sat back in her seat.

"Why does Ken get the front seat?" Floyd asked with annoyance in his tone.

"I know right! I should get it! It's my birthday!" Marissa exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes. "Your birthday was yesterday."

"And you still didn't give me my gift!" she exclaimed.

"Because your party isn't until next Saturday!" I shot back.

"You can't make an exception?" she frowned.

"No, I'm giving you your gift on Saturday at your party," I replied.

"Did you even get me a gift?" she asked.

"I got two of them, but I didn't get the last one," I told her.

"You get Noah a gift but not me!" she wailed loudly, flailing her arms about. She smacked Floyd in the face and he attempted to bite her arm but she moved it quickly enough.

"Shut up," Noah groaned from the driver's seat. Thankfully, Marissa took his advice.

<<>><<>> 

"Noah. Noah. Noah," I whined as I followed behind him. He glared at me.

"What?" he snapped. "What do you want, Kennedy?"

"I don't know what else to buy your sister," I frowned.

"You spend more time with her than I do," he replied.

"You've known her for a long time," I explained.

"Four years, and the first year wasn't spent on the best terms," he clarified as he looked through the gift bags. The other thirteen years of his life were spent with, I'm guessing, his birth mother.

"That's longer than I've known her," I told him. "What'd you get her?"

"This stupid sweater she's wanted for a while now," he shrugged. "It cost me fifty bucks."

"I don't know what to get her!" I whined. "What should I get her Noah?"

"Well, what did you get her already?" he asked.

"The latest CD from one of her favorite musicians and a pair of headphones, because she's been complaining that hers don't work; I can't give her just that, though," I frowned. "What type of friend would I be if I give her just that?"

"Hey, here's an idea." My ears perked up as I listened to Noah continue. "Why don't you go back with the Marissa and Floyd and do whatever it is they're doing?"

"They're picking up extra pink doilies at the furniture store," I wrinkled my nose.

"Sounds like your sort of thing," Noah replied halfheartedly.

"Come on, Noah, help me out," I muttered as I trailed behind him.

"Nope, you're going to have to do this yourself," he shrugged.

"She isn't easy to shop for!" I told him. "And I'm not a good gift buyer."

"You did a good job of getting me a gift," he told me.

"That's different; you and I have a few things in common. And you put the things that you like out there; Marissa doesn't," I explained.

"Oh well," Noah responded.

"Thanks a lot, Noah," I told him.

<<>><<>> 

We all piled into the car at five o'clock. Originally, we didn't plan on staying that long. Noah and I were together for two hours buying small things like gift bags, bows, fluff that goes inside the bag that no one knows the name of, and other stupid, insignificant yet life changing things. The rest of the time was spent following Marissa and Floyd around; Noah and I took turns complaining.

And I have yet to come up with an idea for Marissa's big gift. Great.

Marissa was talking excitedly, happy that her party is actually going to go through the way she planned. I was practically dozing off in the passenger's seat, nodding off quietly when Marissa slammed her hands on the sides of my seat, causing me to jerk forward. I heard Noah snort and Floyd's annoying laugh. "Huh? I'm up."

"Yeah, you are," Marissa stated as she narrowed her eyes at me. "Like I was saying, when we get back, we're going to get ready for the party."

I sighed loudly, not really in the mood to go. "Dana and Chloe should arrive at the house around 7. We'll all set out around eight, yeah?"

I nodded. "Whatever, I don't really care."

"Are you actually going to hang out with us at this party?" she asked me with a grin.

I shook my head. "No, I'm going to find an empty room and I'm just going to play games on my phone until one of you wants to leave. Then, I'll round you all up and shove you into the car."

"Sounds like a good plan," Floyd replied.

I just nodded, turning towards the window. I'd rather sit at Marissa's house and watch movies and hang out with everyone; I'm not in the mood for a party, especially one where there are alcoholic drinks. "I guess."

When we arrived, Marissa dove out of the car to "get the straighteners and curlers set up" and Floyd followed her, set on starting up the XBOX in the living room. Noah and I were the only ones left in the car; we slowly got out. "You seem excited for this party."

"Is it that obvious?" I told Noah.

He snorted, shaking his head. "If you don't want to go, then why are you?"

"I made a deal with your sister," I told him.

"She hasn't been keeping her end," he muttered as his eyes skimmed my face.

I elbowed him in the side, earning a laugh in response. "Kenna! Get in here so we can paint our faces!" Marissa called excitedly.

I sighed as I walked towards the stairs. "At least promise me that you'll be awake at around two when I have to lug them inside?"

Noah looked at me and pursed his lips, drawing my attention to them. I quickly averted my gaze towards the handrail. "I'll try to stay up until then."

I just nodded as I jogged up the steps, preparing to get ready for the party.

<<>><<>> 

As promised, Dana and Chloe showed up at seven o'clock and Noah and Floyd were hanging out in the living room, so Chloe came upstairs ten minutes after Dana. When Chloe entered the room, she practically tackled Marissa into a hug, muttering about rarely seeing her anymore. Her tackle effectively messed up my makeup; Marissa was standing beside me and when she was yanked into a hug, her side hit my arm and I smudged the mascara across the bridge of my nose and down my cheek.

"Go to the bathroom and get that off; there's some make-up remover in the medicine cabinet," Marissa told me and I nodded, exiting her room and walking towards the bathroom. I have to pee anyway.

I closed and locked the door behind me, opening the medicine cabinet. My eyes landed on an orange bottle with a white childproof cap and I bit my lip. That isn't the make-up remover so avert your gaze, Kenna. I can't. The curiosity is killing me; it's biting at my feet and I can't ignore it anymore. I slowly reached up and grabbed the bottle, my eyes skimming it. It's prescribed to Noah Rivers. My eyes continued to scan it until I saw the label. They're antidepressants. My mouth fell into a frown as I furrowed my eyebrows. Noah has depression? I swallowed the lump of sadness that managed to form in my throat and placed the pill bottle back onto the shelf, making sure to put it the exact way I found it.

Another pill bottle was sitting beside the one I just returned and I pursed my lips. I already looked at one; I might as well look at the other. My eyes skimmed over the familiar words; the pills are prescribed to Noah Rivers, but they're for insomnia. I stared at them, my eyes burning holes into the bottle. I quickly put it back and grabbed the makeup remover, quickly taking off my makeup.

I probably will never know what happened to Noah Rivers, but I just hope that he's okay.

<<>><<>> 

I jogged down the steps, sick of being sprayed in the face with various perfumes and hairsprays. I flopped down onto the couch beside Floyd and Noah, watching as they played videogames. Floyd glanced at me and smiled. "You look pretty, Ken."

"Thanks Floyd," I blushed as I buried my hands in my lap.

Noah snorted and rolled his eyes. I couldn't help but notice his change in clothing. His jeans were replaced with a different, darker pair; his undershirt was gray, he had a flannel shirt over it but it was left unbuttoned and the sleeves were rolled up. Does the boy own any other color? "Guess what I managed to do?"

I looked at Floyd and frowned. "Do I want to know?"

"I managed to beat Noah in three games of—," Floyd started but was cut off by Noah.

"No, you conned me!" he corrected.

"Okay, so maybe I did a little conning. But it was for the good of everyone; if Ken is supposed to bring us all back here and into the house, she's going to die. She's so weak! She won't be able to carry a girl Marissa's size into the house, never mind three girls Marissa's size, and a teenage boy! Do you see her noodle arms? You put her in warm water and boil her at a high temperature, she'll turn into ramen!" Floyd explained as he poked my arm.

I frowned. "B-But I lift."

"Sure you do," Floyd snorted. "Anyway, like I was saying, I managed to beat Noah in three games of Halo and guess what? He's agreed to come to the party with us."

I could jump for joy at the idea of having someone to hang out with who doesn't drink, especially if that someone is six feet of pure gorgeousness. I blushed at that comment but continued listening as the two argued. "No! I'm being forced! We made a deal that if he won three games, I'd go to the party. Six months ago, he was crap at this game!"

I slowly tuned out, thinking about the outcomes of tonight. Everyone could get drunk and I'd have to carry them all inside, potentially passing out in the doorway. No one could drink and we can all go out to Wendy's. I could get drunk and fall asleep in a bathtub. I wrinkled my nose at all of those options. "Come on; we're leaving!"

When Noah stood up, Marissa furrowed her eyebrows. "Are you coming to kick us out or are you coming with us?"

"He's coming with us!" Floyd cheered.

"You did it, Kenna!" Marissa grinned and I blushed, shaking my head.

"What? No, she didn't! I did!" Floyd beamed proudly.

"Well, whoever did it, good job," Marissa told us. I notice Chloe grinning widely in the doorway of the house. She had a little black dress on.

As we were leaving the house, I didn't miss Noah muttering: "I hate you people."