Page 19 of Reviving Kendall

I ask a question that I already know the answer to, possibly just because I just want to hear his voice, “Lucas there too?”

“I’m here,” he says, and I can tell by his tone that there’s a smile on his face.

With their voice having stirred feelings inside me, it’s going to be impossible to go back to sleep now. That doesn’t mean that I can’t have a little fun and let them think otherwise, “Ok, is there a point to this conversation, because I really want to get back to sleep.” I end it with a huge genuine yawn.

There’s silence on the other end of the line, before I start hearing snickers. Probably Teagan and Goose if I had to guess. The baritone of Maverick’s voice turns deeper, “Kendall, don’t make us late to class because I will come over there, drag you out and drive you to school in whatever you’re wearing.”

“So, I won’t even get to put on my pants?” I ask in mock horror. There’s dead silence on their end and my face is turning red from holding in my laugh. “Well guys, this has been awesome, but I’m going back to sleep. Have fun at school.”

I push the end button and let out the laugh that I’ve been fighting. It feels good too. I can’t remember the last time these walls have even heard it. There’s been nothing but a black void inside my heart and head for so long that it’s going to take a while to learn who I am again. I know I won’t be the same person as before, but hopefully something more than the shadow I’ve become.

Dragging my ass out of bed, I take a hot shower and brew some coffee while I make my lunch. I don’t have a lot of time after that, even if I am driving and want to make it to school on time. My hair hangs in a wet mess around my head, but I don’t have time to stop. I’ll throw it up when I get to school. Rushing out, I almost forget to grab my shit off the counter.

I rush out into the cold and instantly regret washing my hair this morning. It’s cold as fuck. I make it all the way down to the second stair before I realize there’s a car parked behind the Malibu. Not just any car, though, a Range Rover and Maverick is leaned against the side with his arms folded across his chest. His pose says his pissed, but I can see the amusement hiding behind the glasses.

“What are you doing here?” I demand.

“You hung up,” he replies.

Trying to keep a straight face, I give him the best sarcastic look I can, “Thanks Captain Obvious.”

The windows are down on our side and I can hear the other guys laughing.

I want to throw myself at his feet and apologize as he throws me one of the stern looks I’ve come to associate with him, “You shouldn’t ever hang up on someone. It’s rude. Plus, what if you’re on the phone with someone and something happens, but they’re so used to you just hanging up that they’d never know because it wouldn’t be out of character.”

Call me stupid, but I want to push his buttons, “So you came by to give me a lesson on manners? My Nana will whip my ass if I ever make it to heaven.”

I side step him heading towards the car. He reaches out to grab my arm, but his hand finds my hip opposite him instead. When he pulls slightly, it causes me to lose my balance and topple right over into him.

“Sorry,” he says directly into my ear not sounding it in the least. The hand not holding my hips runs through my hair. “Why is your hair wet? You’re going to catch fucking pneumonia out here with wet hair.”

There’s some kind of cologne on his shirt and it mixes with the smell of him and short circuits my brain for a second. “What,” I ask stupidly.

A smile crosses his lips, “You need a hat.” I nod without saying anything. The smile gets wider, “Do you have one?”

I pull myself together, take a step away from him and clear my throat, “I do, but I don’t need it. I’ll be fine.”

“Just go get your hat, girl,” Goose says from the passenger seat, “He’s not going to let it go.”

Looking up to Maverick’s face I say, “It’s packed away with some of my winter stuff. I don’t have time to go find it, but I’m putting my hair up anyways, so it doesn’t matter.”

He ignores me and turns back to the Rover, “We’ve got an extra somewhere in there, right?”

The guys scramble around looking in the glovebox and seat pockets. I’m just about to say fine when Lucas says, “Got one.”

“Me too,” Goose says from the front.

Lucas passes his up to Goose, who hangs them out the window, “Take your pick.”

One is a baseball cap with the Atlanta Braves logo on the front and the other is a plain black beanie with faint white lines. I take the latter from his fingers and pull it over my head. “Thanks,” I tell them and then look back to Maverick, “Satisfied?”

His face is unreadable as he says, “Yes. Now we can all be late to school.”

I walk around to the driver’s side door of the Malibu and I turn to see him getting behind the wheel of the Rover. Waving bye to them, I watch them pull out of the drive. Once they’re out of view for a few seconds, I sit and wonder the real reason Maverick decided to come by this morning. He can’t possibly be worried about me making it to school on time. Why would he?

It’s a question that follows me around until lunch time. I’m sure that it would have carried on into the afternoon, but I get distracted at lunch. Sitting at the end of a table in the corner, I never eat with anyone. Normally, I do something constructive like homework or somedays I’ll stare at the wall. Today, I take bites of my sandwich around texting Lucas and Teagan back from this morning. I haven’t even thought to check it until now. They both respond back instantly, which makes me smile.

I get so caught up talking to them that I don’t even notice Billy sit down in front of me until he clears his throat, “Care if I sit here?”

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