Three days.

It took Kyle three days of utter confusion to realize he wasn't shackled to the floor in some dungeon. Three days in which he tried to understand how he could be as stupid as to throw his phone against the wall and destroy it. He'd gotten a new one, but he didn't know any numbers by heart. Or email addresses. He was terrible.

But then, on the morning of the fourth day, divine revelation came to him. So he walked out of his generic bedroom (he hadn't even bothered to unpack), walked down the stairs, out of the house, climbed into his mother's Mercedes and drove to the airport. Once there, he got a ticket for Dallas, waited patiently, and two hours later, he was on the plane. No one called to ask where he was.

When he landed, he had one missed call from his mother.

Kyle took a cab from the airport, went back home and got out in front of the ranch. He no longer had the remote to open the gate, since it had been in his car, but a wall wouldn't stop him. He climbed over, walked to the house as if nothing had happened, and went in. Max wasn't home, not at this hour and he could hear Rosario fumbling in the kitchen. He walked past her, to the garage and got in his Ferrari.

He found the key next to the speed gear, where he always left it. He also noticed it was the spare key. Which meant Kay still had the other. He frowned, wondering why she'd kept it and who had taken the car from her place back to the ranch. He'd find out soon enough.

The moment he was out the gate, his heart finally started beating again. He'd been so stupid. He should've done this the moment he found out everyone had lied to him. He was going to see Kay in minutes. Hold her, kiss her, apologize for missing. And they could go on their first date.

Once he parked outside her house, everything crumbled. There was a For sale sign perched in front of it.

"No," he whispered.

He got out of the car, hurried to the garage and scrambled on top of it. He rushed to Kay's window and looked inside. It was empty. There was no furniture, no nothing, as if she'd never been there. His heart stopped beating and it felt like he was falling into a bottomless void.

His knees hit the roof of the garage. His head spun, his stomach churned as a sense of numbness engulfed him and his vision hazed. Am I crying? Seriously? But there were no tears, no relief from the pain. From the abandonment, the betrayal. This is not Kay's fault. Of course it wasn't. She hadn't run from him, she'd been taken away.

Anger shot through him and his vision cleared. Anger at Max, at his father, at Kay's parents. At Donnie. If he ever saw that jackass again, he'd wring his neck. Because it didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. Donnie had obviously told Kay's parents about them and they'd taken her away.

Kelly.

He scrambled off the garage, got back into the car and sped over to Kelly's place. He ran to the door and banged his fist against it continuously until Kelly's mother finally opened.

"What's the matter with... Kyle?"

"Hi, Mrs. Lampard. Sorry about the door thing. Is Kelly home?"

Mrs. Lampard stared at him for a few seconds, then moved out of the way to let him in. "Sure. Kelly!" She called towards the stairs. She returned to staring at him. "Kelly was so worried about you. She said you just disappeared." She paused. "So has Kay," she whispered.

Those simple three words killed all hope. If Kelly said Kay disappeared, she had no idea where she was either. So he waited numbly for Kelly to come down. Not that he could any other way. It felt like all emotions had been stolen from him and he was left to function, not live. Living was over.

Kelly squealed when she saw him and jumped into his arms. "I'm so happy to see you. Kay. Do you know where she is?"

"No. I hoped you would." Even his voice came out mechanical. He took in Kelly's disheveled hair, her puffy red eyes and knew it wasn't just about him and Kay. "Mrs. Lampard, can I take Kelly out for lunch?"

Kelly's mother looked worried, but the pleading look on her daughter's face seemed to convince her. "Sure, Kyle, sure."

Kelly grinned and combed her hair with her fingers before darting out of the house, as if she were afraid her mother would change her mind. Kyle took one step towards the door when the woman stopped him.

"I'm sorry about you and Kay. I hope she calls soon."

He nodded absently, certain that Kay would never call, and followed Kelly to the car.

They drove in complete silence until Kyle parked outside the café. He wasn't sure why he'd brought Kelly here, but his numb brain seemed to think it was a good idea, so they went in and sat at a table. It was still homely, the same corny love songs were playing and people still fawned over the cheesecake. Life went on as if Kay hadn't disappeared, as if his world hadn't fallen apart.

"What happened to you?" Kelly whispered.

"My parents remembered I existed and decided that I should move back to Chicago. That's where I've been for the past three days."

Kelly's mouth fell open. "No. They can't do that!"

"That's what I thought, but apparently they can. Max was in on the whole thing. He doesn't want me anymore."

"You're leaving for college anyway. Why does it bother him?" she asked, outraged.

"I don't know, and honestly, I don't care. Max and I are done." He stared into his coffee cup. Why the fuck did he get coffee?

"So you don't know anything about Kay?"

"No. But I can put two and two together. Donnie showed up at the prom, saw us together, told her parents. They took her away."

Kelly's eyes widened. "That's insane! But it explains it. I haven't seen Kay since Joey and I... " Her voice cracked. "At first, we thought you two were together, and we sure as hell didn't want to interrupt you again, but when you didn't show up for check out... I'm so sorry I can't tell you more."

"What's the deal with you and Joey?" Kyle asked, trying to distract himself from calculating the pulling force of the black hole inside his chest. His phone rang again. Six missed calls from his mother. Two from Sam. He looked at it, but made no effort to answer.

"I tried to convince my parents to accept him, but they're still against him after the accident. I haven't seen him since prom. And I can't contact him either because they check. They cut off my internet." She leaned her cheek in her hand, her eyes brimming with tears. "And he..." She sniffed. "He thinks I shouldn't fight with my family because of him. And he... and he..."

"Give me your number and Joey's. I threw my phone against the wall and lost everything on it." Including every photo of Kay he had. It was maybe that he regretted most.

"Sure. You should really start using clouds and social media like normal kids." She pushed her phone to him and stared out the window. "Why must life suck so much?"

Kyle got the numbers he needed, Kay's included, though he was sure it was useless, grabbed a few photos too, then texted Joey to get his ass there and saved his new number into Kelly's phone.

"I can't believe what happened to you and Kay. She was so happy! You made her so happy."

"She made me happy, too." He slid the phone back to her.

Now he was just empty. And not only because he'd lost the only girl he'd ever loved, but because he'd lost his home, his friends and the person he trusted most. He had nothing left. Nowhere to go.

Kelly sunk her face in her hands, tears streaming between her fingers. He knew he should do something to comfort her, but he couldn't. There was no comfort left in him.

The screeching of tires from outside had Kyle standing. Joey had arrived. He stormed inside the café, looking around wildly, and charged at them.

"Kyle!" He grabbed Kyle in a hug. "What happened?"

"Kelly will tell you everything. Fix your shit. I'll call you later." Kyle patted Joey on the shoulder, waved at Kelly and left.

He got in his car and raced back to Kelly's house. His phone started ringing again. His mother. He ignored it. The car screeched to a halt in Kelly's drive and Kyle headed for the door again. Kelly's mother opened up before he reached it.

"Where's Kelly?" she asked.

"I left her with Joey," Kyle answered. God, his voice sounded like a prerecorded message. But he didn't care, not really. Because it didn't matter.

"You what?"

"Just listen, please. Joey is my best friend. I've known him my entire life. Kelly is not a whim. He really, truly loves her. Enough to tell her to stay away from him so that she doesn't upset you. Kelly loves him, too. It's the real thing. Let them be together. Be happy for them."

Mrs. Lampard gawked at him as if he'd grown horns. She shook her head. "Look, that's sweet and I was pretty halfhearted about Kelly keeping away from him until the accident. She's my only child, and I don't feel safe entrusting her to Joey."

"Joey is a great driver. That whole accident was my fault."

"Your fault?"

Lies came so easy. "Yes. I was driving. Joey just said he was to keep me out of trouble. He's amazing like that. Loyal and self sacrificing. And he'd do anything for Kelly."

The woman sighed and put her hand on her chest. "Thank you for telling me."

"Please don't get in their way." He turned around and headed for the car, his steps even as if he were on autopilot. Maybe he was.

Kyle got back in the car and drove off. But this time, he had nowhere to go. He couldn't go back to Joey and Kelly, because seeing them, being there without Kay would tear him apart. So he ended up driving aimlessly, out of town, on the highway, between trees and finally stopped in front of uncle Tom's cabin.

He had no idea why he was there, but he got out of the car and walked to the lake, to the end of the peer and sat down, letting his legs dangle above the water. And as he sat there, staring into the setting sun, he started thinking. He had nowhere to go but back. He couldn't face this town. Not when everything reminded him of her, not when Joey and Kelly would be leaving soon. And going to college with them would just deepen the hole Kay had left in his chest because she wouldn't be there.

Where are you, sweetheart?

He sank his head in his hands. What the fuck was he going to do? Max had abandoned him and every normal little thing caused him a pain which pummeled the gate of his self restraint. He'd been on the verge of blacking out over the past three days more times than in his entire life. The numbness was a defense mechanism, but he wasn't sure how long it would last or how effective it was.

Harvard. He would go to his interview and move away from everyone, wait for a sign from Kay. Anything that could clue him in to where she was. With purpose, he could beat this. He just had to figure out a plan.

His phone started ringing again. Sam. This time, he answered.

"Kyle, thank God. Where are you? Mom's flipping out."

"Just tell her I'll be back soon." Not home, just back. Because he didn't have a home, not anymore.

"Okay..." Sam sounded wary, hesitant. "Can I know where you are?"

Kyle stared over the surface of the lake and he could see it all. Kelly and Joey on their tires, Sonia and Dustin splashing each other, Vincent staying in the shallow water because he couldn't swim. And Kay. Kay rocking her white bikini, walking to him with a confident smile on her face, challenging him to a diving competition.

"Kyle?"

"I'm somewhere I was happy," he answered. "Somewhere I was alive. I'll see you soon, kid." And he hung up. He wanted to spend another few moments with the ghosts. He was one of them after all.

🧩🧩🧩

"You're not going to Harvard." Freider slammed his fist on that big, stupid desk of his. "And if you pull another stunt like that again, I'm putting you on house arest with a tracking bracelet and everything."

Kyle just stared at him blankly. Normal Kyle would be raging at the unfairness, at the lack of compassion and understanding. Robot Kyle just didn't give a fuck. "Why not?"

"Because I say so. And it's about time you learned to listen. To obey. Max has obviously sopiled you silly. None of that. It's time you learned how to be a man!"

"Oh, you mean like you?"

"Don't give me sass, you troublesome brat!" Freider gave the desk another good punch.

"I don't need your approval to get into Harvard."

"Oh yeah?" His father sneered. "Let's see how you get there when I cut off all your funds. You gonna walk there, smartass? And who's going to pay your tuition? Not me. So you can just be a good boy and do as you're told."

Kyle felt like a damn dog. But Freider had a point. He couldn't go to Harvard without paying tuition. His family was too rich for him to qualify for a full scholarship. He hadn't even applied for one. And the last bit of comfort went to hell.

"Is that all?" he asked, and when his father waved him away, he went back into the attic which he'd chosen for his bedroom.

No, he didn't care that it was small and cramped and empty. No, he didn't want any of the other rooms. Yes, he was fucking sure. His mother doted on him as if he were five.

He dropped on the bed and stared at the library body perched precariously on top of it, his mind wondering down dark corridors. He'd never felt so empty, so unwanted, so helpless.

God, Kay, wherever you are, I hope you're better off than I am.

He'd figure it out eventually. Find a way to escape this hell. But for now, all he had was misery.

🧩🧩🧩

Kay's eyes were dry. Not because she was being brave and lucrative with her time, but because she'd probably run out of tears. She loathed her current situation and what hurt most was that she had no idea what to do about it. She still didn't have a phone, the only person she could see except for her parents was Donnie, and it killed her that she couldn't contact anyone.

Kyle must be worried out of his mind. And her friends. She missed them so much. Until now, even if she was grounded and forbidden from seeing Kyle, she'd always had Kelly. Not anymore.

And to top it all off, her parents had signed her up for business school, even if she'd rather shovel horse shit than do that. They wouldn't listen. They didn't care. They called her love sick. Thought it would pass, that not seeing Kyle would yank him out of her soul. There was no way in hell that was happening. He was burried so deep inside her, she couldn't tell where she ended and he began.

She'd hoped against hope that Kyle would find her. Max had money and resources and it wasn't that hard to figure out where she could have gone. But she hadn't exactly shared where she came from with others, not even Kelly. She only told them she came from Arziona. Not the city, definitely not the neighborhood. But Kyle could manage it. It was like he had super powers.

Except, as the weeks dragged on and summer turned to fall, it was pretty damn obvious that Kyle was not coming to rescue her and that she'd completely turned into a vegetable, twisting the key to his Ferrari around her fingers. It was all she had left of him. A silly little card.

That's when she decided it was enough. Because she was stronger than this. She could make something of herself, restart her classes, be a responsible and productive member of society. Find her friend and have someone to talk her beside that bumbling idiot who still tried to get into her pants.

Because she was strong. Kyle had made her that way. And even if it hurt like a bitch and she felt like screaming every hour of every day, she would bide her time and search for an escape. She'd get back to him. If it took a year, three or ten, she'd get back to him.

Because she was in it for the long haul, too. It wasn't a crush, it was the real thing. And when he'd promised her forever, she believed him.

She'd just take it one day at a time.

🧩🧩🧩

And this is it. The end. Of this story at least. DON'T KILL ME! I know it's sad and sucky and depressing, but I warned you in the author's note that I'm just telling their story. And unfortunately, this is how it ends, for now.

I am very worried about this working. Are the reasons they can't talk/see each other anymore good enough? Or do you actually see an easy solution I might've missed? Keep in mind that this is 2013 which was not as social media and internet crazy 😅

Also, I tried to show how Kyle went numb. They kinda crushed his spirit. Was that clear?

And be honest? Did you shed manly tears? Because I did. And I'll tell you where. At the lake. That scene made me go chop some onions.

So... General opinion about the story? The characters? Feelings?

There will be one more part I'm going to post. It's not a chapter per se, because this is the last one, it's not an epilogue because Kyle and Kay's story is far from over. It's just something to tie it up with TY and give y'all some hope that I'm not this evil monster (which is debatable).

So yes, Kyle and Kay's story continues in Too Young, even if they're not the main characters anymore. I mean they're pretty important, but they share the spotlight.

I want to thank my special group of readers for this story. I've never had constant readers or comments and people yelling at me to update until this. You made my experience with this story incredibly pleasant. I've had so much fun with this, I'm extremely sorry it's over. Honestly, I've never enjoyed writing a story more than this one.

But there are bonuses, I promise. So think of anything you'd like to see, especially scenes from all the skipped time or even the future, and it shall be done :)

Thanks again so much, I love you guys and sorry about the kilometric note. I'm just sooo emotional.

Stef💕