SOUNDTRACK:  "Can't Find My Way Home" - Blind Faith

"Come on, Kate. We're gonna be late!" Jared said, tapping on Kate's door frame.

"We? What do you mean we?" she asked, pulling her jacket on. "Samir usually takes me."

"Not today," he said. "Today I'm taking you. And we're gonna be late. So get your skinny ass in gear. I have a meeting at nine-thirty downtown that I can't be late for."

Kate grumbled and grabbed her bag before rushing after Jared. She caught up to him just before he started to back his car out of the driveway. The Hot Wheels car was, mercifully, in the shop for maintenance. She barely shut the door before he had pulled onto the road.

"Your birthday is soon," he started. "Did you think of what you want to do?"

"Uh...not really. I don't think I want to do anything," she answered.

"Come on. You're turning sixteen. Isn't that like a big deal or something?" he asked.

"Even if I wanted to throw a party, it's too late. My birthday is next Sunday. There's not enough time," she replied sullenly.

"You could have some friends over to the house," he suggested. "From San Diego."

"And what are you gonna do? Renovate the entire house in a week? Jared, your mark is all over that place. They'd know who you were in a second," she answered. "They're not stupid."

"I didn't say they were," Jared said. "I just - I know it's been a strange couple of months for you. I want to do something special for your birthday. Plus, I've never even had a birthday with you before. I want to celebrate," he explained.

Kate remained silent until they joined the drop off line at Winterlake. "I just don't feel like doing anything, okay?" she said.

Jared suspected it was because she was missing her mother. And he couldn't blame her. The first time he had celebrated his birthday away from his mom, he felt incomplete. There was something so fulfilling about celebrating with family. He at least had Shannon and friends; Kate didn't have anyone. He just wanted to make her feel welcome into the family and give her a good experience. But he didn't want to be pushy about it. And yes, he felt guilty for missing her first game after promising he'd see her play and he was trying to find a way to make up for it.

"We're definitely having dinner," he said just before she got out. "My mom, Shannon, and you. It's kind of a tradition."

She sighed and nodded. "Sure, fine. Whatever."

"Oh, I meant to ask you, are you okay by yourself Wednesday night? I have an event to go to and I won't be home until early morning," he asked.

"Do I have a choice?" she asked.

He didn't respond. "Samir will pick you up like normal," he told her through the rolled down window.

She gave him a wave over her shoulder before walking onto the Quad. Jared saw several teen girls look his way, but he rolled his window up quickly and drove off. As he drove into the city, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with Kate. Her words about him having to hide everything in the house in order for her to have friends over kept rattling around his already-packed mind. She knew he didn't want to tell people about her. She knew he was trying to hide her. And she was starting to take it to heart.

GOSSIP BOARD

LETODREAMZ324 POSTED: I don't know what to make of this, but I just saw a random anonymous post talking about Jared being at a high school earlier today? Here. I'll link it:

I saw Jared Leto outside my school this morning. He was dropping someone off, like a student. I don't know her name and I couldn't really see her face. But his pink hair was unmistakable. He rolled up his window and drove off before I could get a pic.

OCEANEYEZ POSTED: That's probably nothing. Some teenager trying to get attention. Anonymous sources aren't very reliable. No details, just, 'I saw him today'. Yeah, right.

WWJLD0066 POSTED: I don't know. He has a history of liking chicks young. Maybe he wanted a quick fuck before her English class.

~~~

Kate was sitting on her bed reading when Jared tapped on her door. "What?" she asked, bored.

"Get up. We're going for a hike," he said as he stuck his head into the room.

She looked at her phone. "It's like, ten at night. I have school tomorrow. I can't stay out late."

"Come on. Where's your sense of adventure," he needled her. "Besides, I realized you've been here for over two months and I haven't taken you anywhere in the neighborhood."

"It's dark out, Jared," she countered. "You really think showing me the 'neighborhood' in the dark is the best way to give me a tour?"

"Shut it and get a jacket," he said finally. "And bring the dog. He needs to get out of the house."

Kate grumbled but did as she was told. She pulled a hoodie over her head and slid a pair of gym shoes on. Vedder was bouncing off the walls (literally) as he watched Jared get his jacket on. He knocked over an end table before Kate got him to sit and put the leash on him.

"I thought you were taking him for a walk every day?" Kate asked Jared as Vedder practically pulled her arm out of it's socket.

"I'm having someone take him for a walk," he answered, looking away from her.

She scoffed. "Don't lie."

"Alright, fine. I'm not," he admitted with a smile. "I just haven't had the time and I don't trust any of the interns to take him out."

She looked over at him in surprise. "What? Are you saying you're actually protective of him?" she asked in surprise.

"No. I'm terrified he's gonna break loose and then I'd have to explain to you how I lost your dog," Jared replied quietly.

Kate smiled to herself, grateful for the darkness to hide it. She knew Vedder was growing on Jared, he just wouldn't admit it. They walked in silence through the neighborhood for a while, stopping on the side of the road when a car would come by. Eventually, Jared led her off the road and down a trail.

"I'm not gonna get knifed, am I?" she asked as the street lights disappeared behind them.

Jared laughed. "No," he answered quickly. "I think the hound over there would protect you, though," he added, gesturing to Vedder.

"So where are we going then?" she asked.

"Just wait. You'll see in a minute," he told her over his shoulder.

She sighed and pressed on, not particularly happy that she was out wandering through Cahuenga Pass in the middle of the night. Vedder was loving it though, and Kate had to give him to Jared because she couldn't keep a hold of him any longer. They walked along the semi-developed trail for another five minutes before they came to an overlook.

"Here. This is what I wanted to show you," Jared said, gesturing to the view in front of them.

They were up in the hills looking down on Los Angeles. The lights glittered like little gems below them and she could barely make out cars and traffic along the streets. The sky was clear and she could count each star above them. It was truly breathtaking.

"What do you think?" he asked, looking back at her.

His eyes were shining in excitement, like a child showing his mother the A-plus he got on a school project. His magenta hair was slightly wild and his white smile stood out, even in the darkness.

"It's really pretty," she answered. "How did you find it?"

Jared shrugged. "I like to go for walks late at night. Helps me think," he explained. "I was walking one night and came across that trail between the houses."

She looked around them, suddenly aware of the fact that they weren't in a public place. "Are-are we in someone's backyard?"

He chuckled. "We're fine. I've met the owners. They're never home this time of year."

Vedder sat down, enjoying the slight breeze that blew across the overlook. Jared climbed up on a large boulder and held his hand out to her, helping her up next to him.

"I come here to think," he said, brushing his hair out of his face. "It's nice to remember that you're just one small piece in a much bigger picture, you know?"

She nodded. "Do you bring other people here?"

He shook his head. "Not often. It's kind of a personal spot, you know? Back when I first bought the house, I would come here almost every night with Shannon."

"What about now?"

He shrugged. "Not so much anymore."

"Are you mad at Shannon?" Kate asked, tucking her knees into her chest and resting her chin on top of them.

Jared took a deep breath and kept looking out away from her. "Not mad. Disappointed, I guess." He was silent for a second. "My relationship with Shannon has always been a...challenge."

"What do you mean?"

"He has his demons, like the rest of us, he's just...not as good at keeping them in check," he said.

In truth, he had been thinking about the band a lot lately. They had announced a new album was coming earlier in the month, but he didn't have a timeline set up for it yet. Shannon's unwillingness to participate in the last few shows worried him, to say the least. He was worried that his brother would begin to slip into his old ways and there would be little he could do to stop him.

"Your mom seems to like you more than him," Kate said frankly.

Jared blinked. "Why do you say that?"

She shrugged. "Just the way she talks about you, is all. She acts like you're the second coming, like you're the reason for everything good in her life." She licked her lips. "Shannon seems like an afterthought."

He stiffened. "Well, I mean, it's kind of true. I'm the one who moved him out here and got him clean. I'm the one who has pushed for the band when it's gotten hard. It's my money that basically financed our third album. I bought our mom her house. I've saved Shannon's ass too many times to count. I cover for him with pissed off fans when he doesn't care enough to show up. I'm the one that has gotten us to where we are, not Shannon."

"But do you think that's fair?" she asked. "I don't have any siblings, but I don't think it's fair for a parent to have a favorite."

"She doesn't have a favorite, Kate. She just...Shannon hasn't always been responsible with himself," he started. "She's gotten used to disappointment with him, alright? And I know that sounds really cruel, but it's the truth. There were times when he'd just disappear for days and neither one of us would know where he was. It wasn't always easy. She was scared shitless sometimes, you know?"

Kate had forgotten that Connie was a teen mother. "You and Shannon didn't make her life any easier," she remarked.

"No we did not," he answered, shaking his head. "But it got to a point where I realized I had to make a decision. I could do something for a future or I could keep sitting around and doing stupid shit, end up in jail, and probably die by forty." He paused and looked over at her. "I chose to make something of myself and I dragged Shannon along with me. But our mom doesn't quite see it that way."

Kate had a hard time seeing Connie favoring Jared that much, even though she did talk about him so much. She wasn't a horrible mother, just tired of the bullshit one son seemed to continue to get himself into.

"She loves him, don't get me wrong. She'd support him through anything - both of us, even. But sometimes it's just exhausting to keep up with him all the time," he said.

Kate nodded, seeing that Jared was bothered by the topic, and didn't respond. It had certainly been an interesting education in the Leto family dynamic.

"You know, I really am sorry I missed the game. I wish you had told me sooner. I could have gotten out of those events in New York City," he said after several minutes of silence passed.

Kate didn't respond immediately. "We lost anyways. I don't know why you keep apologizing for it. It's not like that'll change anything."

 "You're right. It won't," Jared said.

They sat there for another fifteen minutes, just looking at the city in silence. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but he didn't know how or where to start. But he did realize that this had been the longest conversation they'd had since she had moved in with him. And he'd be lying if he said it didn't feel kind of nice.