Chapter 3.2 – Hope After All?

Cale’s Point of View

I guess you could say over the last couple of months things have been alright. Except for the fact that I’m still job hunting, and no matter where I apply or what I try to do, I always get turned down! I can’t stand mooching off my mom and Cody. I want to try and make a living, all on my own. For me and for Kitty. Speaking of Kitty… she hasn’t been acting herself lately. Always not in the house, coming home a really strange hours. At first I figured she was looking for a job, or just going out on one of her adventures. That girl hates being kept indoors for too long, but this was different.

I clicked around the website I applied for a job on, and opened up my messages “Were sorry to inform you…” was the only line I read, before I slammed my laptop shut and chucked it onto the floor.

I threw my head into my hands, and let out a deep sigh. “Being an adult sucks.” I said out loud to myself. Sometimes I wish I could just go back to being a kid again. I have so many responsiblites now, and I hate it.

Ethan and Jayla have absolutely no care in the world. I mean just last week E asked Jayla to prom, and she got all excited. Mom and dad were snapping pictures, and getting all babyish over it. I want that again. I want mom to rustle my hair, or stick me in time out when I’m bad… I know I’m only 18, but I’m still not use to it.

When I finally got off my butt, and quit complaning, I walked outside and waited for my love. I had bought her a bunch of pink roses (her favorite) and sat and waited on the porch for her to arrive.

After about 20 minutes, I saw Kitty pull up in her car. She got out, and slammed the door shut, smiling and waving as she did it. “Hey sweetie.” she smirked, walking over towards me. I quickly hid the flowers behind my back and she laughed.

“What cha hidding?” she giggled.

“Can’t show you. It’s a surprise. You have to earn it from me.” I teased, as she tried her hardest to get me to turn around, and show her. After about a minute of trying, she reached in and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

“Now can I see it?!” she laughed, waiting there eagerly like a little kid.

“Oh alright.”

“I don’t know if your gonna like it.” I laughed, poking a tongue out at her.

“SHOW ME!” she demanded, placing a hand on her hip.

“Finnnnne.“

“TA-DAAAAAAA!” I exclaimed, holding the bunch of flowers up towards her. “For you my love.”

“Oh my GOD!” she gasped, snatching them from my hands. “There AMAZING! How did you know my favorite color rose, was pink?”

“Just a hunch.” I laughed, as I watched her squeeze there dear life out of the roses. “Watch it… you might get poked.”

I watched her inhale the scent of the flowers, then cast me the biggest smile ever. “Thank you Cale. I love them.”

“Thought you would…. and since you love them so much, can you do something for me?” I questioned, returning her smile.

“I knew it!” she giggled “Alright, come on. Let’s get to your room. You earned it.”

“Really?” I coughed “No- wait… I actually was going to ask you out on a date with me.” My small brain actually was speaking for my big brain for a second there. As much as that sounded great, I really wanted to talk to her. Keeping her happy was key with the questions I wanted to ask….

We decided that on our date it would be just a walk in the sunshine around the park. You don’t have to go to a fancy restaurant or to a movie. You can simply just bask in your love’s presence and talk with each other. This was my favorite kind of date. I just wish that my mind was more wrapped around it, then the questions I wanted to bestow upon her.

“How about we sit down?” I finally asked, after about an hour of walking with our hands entwined.

“Sure.” she smiled at me, before picking a bench.

“Well this is nice.” she giggled, before wrapping her arm around me.

“Kitty…” I sighed, trying to get out what I had to say. “I really need to ask you something.”

She took her arm off me, and cast me a confused look. “What?”

“Where have you been?” I answered quickly, trying to get it over with.

“What do you mean Cale?” she coughed, staring into my eyes.

“You know what I mean, Kit. Your always out, always come home at werid hours… I just wanted to know what you’ve been up too.” I sighed, trying to sound as reasonable as I could. She gets so angry, so fast… I was trying to butcher things to make it sound better, than what it really was.

“I haven’t been up to anything. I just go out, OK?” she steamed, and I could already tell she was getting pissed.

“Kitty come on. You and I both know your up to something. Tell me what you’ve been doing!” I shouted, this time anger crept into my voice. I wasn’t trying to accuse her of anything or trying to make her mad. But my anger was actually fear. I didn’t wanna lose her.

“W-what you think I’ve been cheating on you? Is that it!?” she boomed, narrowing her eyes at me. I didn’t respond, I didn’t know what to say. She was the one who brought it up, and she was the one who actually said it. I just only let it run through my mind, I didn’t have the guts or the heart to say so.

“Your an idiot! A complete JERKHOLE! Your sweet to me, give me roses, take me on a walk, just to ask me if I’ve been cheating on YOU!? GOD YOUR AN IDIOT!” she raged, before getting up. “I’m going home! You can WALK!”

“Kitty…” I spoke in a whisper. I felt so horrible. I should have said something. But I just had to know… if she wasn’t cheating, then why couldn’t she tell me? I didn’t want to think this way, that’s why I asked what she was doing. If she told me, I would have sighed and just believed her. Instead she said she wasn’t doing anything. What guy is gonna believe that?

Since I had the car keys, and there was no way she could get them from me, she decided to just get in the car with me. She turned and faced the window the entire time, not even a mumming a single word. When we got to the house, she whisked open the door and stomped up the steps.

“KITTY!” I shouted for her “I wasn’t accusing you of anything! I only asked where you were!”

“YOUR SILENCE SAID EVERYTHING CALE!” she screamed back, before I heard our bedroom door slam, and lock. UGH! I really am an idiot..

Before I had even the slightest chance of begging Kitty for her forgiveness, Ethan ran over to me with tears pouring from his cheeks. His eyes with red, and his hair was messy. “What the heck?!” I gasped, before he could say anything.

“C-c-cale! I’m so s-stupid!” he cried “I made a dumb mistake… and… and… mom and dad are g-onna kill me.”

“What did you do to make you THIS upet? I’m sure it can’t be that bad Ethan. Just relax. You didn’t kill anyone did you?” I laughed, trying to calm him down.

“THIS ISN’T A JOKE YOU JERK!” he raged, before throwing his face into his hands. “I got…” he muffled through his cries, that I couldn’t even make out what he was trying to say.

“Ethan I can’t even hear you…” I sighed, putting a fist to my hip.

“JAYLA’S PREGNANT!” he screamed, before more tears came down. “It was an accident! I don’t even know what we did wrong… it just one stupid night!”

My mouth dropped open in shock “WHAT?!” I gasped ” You can’t be serious!? Dad TOLD us all to be careful! Why the heck do you think he bought us protection in the first place?!”

“I know! We did! I just… I guess it broke?” he sighed, rubbing his beat red eyes. “Can you please have Kitty talk to Jayla? She won’t talk to me. She won’t even look at me!”

“Alright.” I answered without thinking. Kitty was pissed off at me, how what I going to have her do this?

I took the spare key we keep under the plant in the hallway, and unlocked the door. Kitty was sitting on the edge of our bed with a box of tissues in her hand, crying. “Kitty?” I said, in a small voice. She through the tissue box at my head, and ran over at me screaming. “GET OUT!! I don’t wan to see your ugly face!”

I held my arms and leg up for defence. She could scare me the way she got so mad. “Umm… Err…” I choked, trying to remember why I came in the room.

“CALE!! NOW! I’m so not ready to look at you let alone speak to you!” she raged, her face turning red.

“Jayla really needs you to talk to her.” I finally said, after I remembered. “She and Ethan slept together, and she’s pregnant.”

“Pregnant?!” she screeched

“Yea… She won’t talk to Ethan so he asked me if you could.” and with that she brushed past me, and into the other room. I sure hope everything is alright.

Kitty’s Point of View

I might have been furious with Cale, to the point I wanted to kill him, but when he told me Jayla was pregnant my whole attitude dropped. I couldn’t believe this! I was so scared for her…

I walked into the room, and heard her crying as she held her head down low.

“Hey.” I said softly, and she didn’t even budge.

I sat on the edge of the bed, and talked to her through the mirror. “Jayla.” I sighed “Are you alright?”

She lifted her head, and stared at me “N-n-no” she cried “I’m 16, and I’m pregnant. Worse is the people who let me stay in their home, eat their food, watch there T.V…. I get pregnant by their son. Their gonna kick me out, and I’ll have nothing but a baby to remind me of it.”

“There not going to kick out their own grandchild, Jayla.” I cooed, trying to calm her down. “They are probably going to be angry, but… they will get over it.”

She got off the bed, and looked at herself in the mirror. “I’m so stupid!” she cried, banging her fist on the wall. I stood up next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Your not stupid Jay. You just made a simple mistake, and your going to have a baby. I’ll be here for you. I promise. We will get through this together. Your my sister and I love you.”

She hugged me, and then looked up into my eyes.

“I really hope so, Kit. I really do.”

I walked outside to cool off a little, and Cale was right there. I was trying to cool off from HIM, and here he is. “So is she alright?” he asked, coming up to me.

“Yea. She was just really depressed. She thought that your parents were going to kick her out and make her live on the streets. I told her that their not like that, and would never make their own grandchild homeless.” I sighed, trying to breath.

“Of course they won’t. They love Ethan, and they love Jayla. If they didn’t they would have never offered for you two to stay and live with us. I’m not saying they won’t be mad, but… they’ll find a way to forgive them. Especially when they see his or her tiny little face.” he smiled, before trying to kiss me.

“Cale just… don’t.” I said, sounding disgusted “I’m still not ready to forgive you for what you said … or didn’t say to me. I don’t feel like fighting about this all over again, so please just give me my space. Either that or your going to make it worse.” At least I was giving him some options, and not totally hating on him. I love him more than air itself, but… he really hurt me.

“I’m so sorry Kitty.” he choked “I wasn’t trying- I didn’t mean- I’m sorry…”

“I know your sorry. But… just stay away from me for awhile.”

And with that I got changed out of my PJ’s and took off in the car. I know that only made him more curious as to what was going on, but I just didn’t have the guts to tell him. I’m afraid of what people think of me, I always have been. If he knew he would probably look down on me, and think I was stupid for even trying.

I was so tired of my P.I beating around the bush. We would meet at Cafe’s or the park, and discuss everything. I was tired of discussing! I wanted ANSWERS! I wanted to know now! He told me he was close, he told me that he had her… but yet again, it was someone else. I pulled up infront of his house (something I never did) and walked up his porch steps.

I held my hand in a knock formation over his door. In my mind I was fighting if I should or not… but the passion I had for this investigation had my brain send signals for me to knock as HARD as I could. When I did this, the door swung open and I walked inside.

I looked around, completely baffled. The house was HUGE, yet the room I walked into wasn’t what I was expecting. It was small, and white. It had only three pieces of funiture and four walls. “What in the world?” I whispered to myself. I turned around to try and get out the front door, but it was bolted shut! I turned and twisted the knob, hitting hard at the door… NOTHING! I was trapped!

I started moving things around, trying to find something to escape with. The plastic flowers were super glued to the table, and the side table was bolted to the floor! “What is this place?! HELLO!? Can anyone hear me?!” I panicked kicking at the wall, and punching the at the door. No use.

Being trapped made feel so claustrophobic. I sat down on the lumpy chair, and tried to hold back the vomitt stirring in my stomach. Dizzyness washed over me, and I laid my head back against the wall. After a minute of doing that, I heard this ungodly noise! The side table spun, and a stair case replaced it! “Holy crap. I really am going mental.” I exclaimed, my body trembling with fear.

I figured I was going to die anyways, so why not just go down the stairs? I started walking down this disgusting and dirty hallway. I ended up at this door. I turned the knob and walked inside, to see this man working at his computer. Now I know I’m losing it.

He closed his laptop, and laughed “Oh so I see you made it down here alright.” When I heard his voice, I then snapped out of my trance and realized it was my P.I!

“Chance?!” I screeched “You sick son of a..! What the heck was all THAT!? I thought I was dying!”

He laughed once more “No your not dying, kid. I have to keep this stuff top secret, otherwise people would find my work! Everything is controlled by me down here. I let you in, I bolted the door, I turned the stairs. If anyone else would have come in they would look at it and leave. Smart right?”

I took a seat across the room, and just glared at him. “More like smart alec.” I grummbled, looking around in disgust. “Aren’t books suppose to go in the bookcase? And why the heck is this place so freaking DIRTY!”

“Well… it’s easier for them to go on the floor for starters, and second off… were under ground?” he laughed, opening his laptop back up again.

“Basements are underground and they don’t look like crap.” I growled, still glaring at him.

He sighed “Kitty, why are you here? It’s late, and I’m pretty sure your boyfriend is worried about you. Just go home. I told you I would call you if I found anything.”

“NO!” I shouted, bringing my chair over to where he was “I want you to get on your stupid computer, look through your dumb files, and FIND her!”

“Kitty” he sighed “I did find her.”

“What do you mean you found here?!” I exclaimed, almost punching him for not telling me. He jumped up right before my swing could penetrate him, and sighed.

“Kitty I just didn’t have the heart or didn’t know how to tell you… that’s why I was still looking, to see if you had anymore family to track down.”

“Tell me what?” I choked, feeling my stomach turn in knots.

“I’m sorry Kitty… but your mother is no longer alive. She died in a car accident, along with your father. I’m so sorry.” I felt like I was going to get sick, and my whole body felt numb. Before I had the chance to say anything he pulled out a file.

“I’m not sure if this man is related to you… but he lives in Bridgeport. He has the same last name, same sap story about raised in an orphanage and his parents died. I didn’t want to show you, because I’m not still sure… but since you caught me off guard and demanded I do my job faster, there you go.” he sighed, showing me the file. There was no picture, but I didn’t care. Here was my chance…. maybe my brother… was still alive.

“There’s still hope.”

 

Thanks for reading.

Kitty didn’t tell Cale because she is a very insecure girl. She cares what people think, and that’s all she knows how to do. She feels if she told Cale she was searching for her family, he would think down on her because it was a hopeless task, and nearly impossible to do.

Hopefully this makes more sense.