Page 3 of Waiting Forever
I don’t bother responding, and I’m sure I’ll get hell for it later. I climb into my Hummer, fire up the engine, and maneuver the beast down the crowded road. Maybe it’s time for a different car, something sporty and fun instead of this tank.
As soon as I clear the brick roads of Park Avenue, I turn onto Fairbanks and haul ass toward the interstate as memories of Kensington flood my brain.
2
Nathan - Memories
Six years ago
I FOLLOW THE sound of sniffling and find Kensi sitting on one of two large rocks in the woods.
Every spring, the family has a company retreat to Lake Tahoe. This gathering is smaller than usual, though. Just the families of the security firm’s two owners: my dad, Colton, and Kensington’s dad, Bryce.
She sits with her head down on her knees, her feet resting on the edge of the rock. Ash-brown hair hangs around her arms and down her back. She’s wearing dark-pink running shorts, a black hoodie, and matching pink and black sneakers.
The outfit is so her.
“Kensi.” I approach her and sit cautiously beside her on the rock. “Why are you crying?”
She lifts her head and peeks up at me through her long strands. Turquoise eyes gleam with tears. Her soaked, long, black lashes stick together in places like triangles. She looks adorable and so sad.
I brush her hair behind her ear. “Tell me who made you cry, and I’ll take care of them for you.”
She laughs but it ends on a sob. “You can’t beat up this person, Nathan. You’re too old to get away with it now.”
She has a point. When I was her age, fourteen, I could shove around any bullies who made her cry. At sixteen, Dad would give me shit. “Who can I threaten then?”
“You can’t do that, either,” she says, her head buried in her arms as she hugs her knees.
Her soft whimpers claw at my heart. “At least tell me what happened so I can try to make it better.”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me, Kensi.” Last year, two girls from other families of the security firm got their brothers to tease Kensington about her hair. She’d dyed it blue, but it turned green after swimming in the indoor pool at the resort. The boys were my age—too old to be picking on a younger girl, especially Kensi.
I did what any other adopted cousin figure would do. I held the boys underwater a few times, letting them up just before they ran out of breath. Maybe that’s why this year’s retreat is private.
“Come on,” I say. “When have I ever let you down?”
“You wouldn’t understand because you’re just like him,” she murmurs into her knees.
“Him. We’re talking about a guy?”
She nods and sniffles.
“What’s his name?”
“Alex.”
“Was he mean to you?”
“No. Not really.”
“Kensi?” I put my arm around her shoulder and try to get her to straighten up. “Look at me.”
She gives in and sits upright on the rock, wiping her tear-soaked cheeks on her sleeve. “If I tell you, you’ll make fun of me, too.”
“No, I won’t.”
