Count On Me(54)

As I throw my stuff into the backseat, I pull my phone out of my back pocket and slide behind the wheel. There are two missed notifications and without even looking, I hope they’re from her.

Scrolling through my phone until I get to the messages screen, I see that both are from Dean. Against my better judgment I read them and just like every other time I have any contact with him, I feel sick.

Where the hell are you?

Kayden, answer the damn phone. I need you to go to the liquor store. We’re all out.

It’s times like this that remind me of who I really am and why I’m not the guy for her. That despite all the changes I’ve been trying to make for me and for her, I’m still a stupid idiot underneath.

Dean asking me to drive and get him booze happens a lot more then I want to admit. He’s always too drunk to go himself and honestly, I’m happy he’s at least that smart. It’s so often that I do this that the guy at the liquor store doesn’t even card me anymore. I had that covered pretty well with my fake ID though. It never used to bother me because I used to drink with him half the time. It was a win-win situation for both of us.

At least it was until her.

Now, seeing these messages makes me sick. He damn well knows I have practice after school though with the haze he’s always in, I shouldn’t be too surprised that he didn’t remember. I just know that if I don’t make an appearance soon, at least in text, he’s going to lose it even worse when I do walk through the door.

I haven’t gotten drunk in over two weeks. It doesn’t hold any appeal. Life with Dean makes me want to drink sometimes, but I don’t do it. I want to be better than that. If I keep doing what I’ve been doing, I’m only going to turn out exactly like the very guy texting me now and I want better than that. I always have. It’s just recently that I’m seeing it.

It’s because of her.

Calm urself man. I just got out of practice.

That’s going to have to be a good enough answer because I have somewhere I need to be and it’s definitely not filling a cart with liquor. This outweighs all of that and not even my brother is going to take me away from it. I bailed on her once. I won’t do it again.

I wait a few minutes for him to respond, but when nothing comes, I pull up Isabelle’s messages from earlier and type one out quickly. I could just show up at her door, but I get the feeling she might not appreciate that too much. She doesn’t seem the type and I want to do this right.

Just got out. Omw. <3

Why the hell I put the heart at the end of the message is a mystery, but I can’t take it back and even if I could, I don’t think I want to. It’s strange staring at it because it’s actually the first time I can remember doing it. I’m pretty sure half the girls I dated would have killed for something like this from me, but I’ve never had it in me.

I’m definitely not that guy. At least I wasn’t, until now.

It’s only when I get her response back a few seconds later that I’m even happier then I was when she agreed to see me at all.

See you soon. <3

I’m not sure what’s gotten into me, but I can’t stop staring at the message and the emoticons at the end. I’ve seen her do the happy face before, it’s actually one of the things I really enjoy when we’re texting, but the heart, something new stirs inside of me. I can’t let her message sit there like that, I have to say more. I know for a fact that I’ll put the key in the ignition, start the car and drive to her, but not until I do one more thing first.

Not soon enough. I miss you.

Going through the motions, I toss my phone on the seat and focus on the road ahead of me. The road that will take me to the one place in the world, in this exact second, I want to be more than anything.

With her.



Belle



I hear his car before I see it, but before I can head for the door, I hear my mom call from behind me.

“Take this out to him. If he’s been at practice all night then it’s a sure bet the boy didn’t eat.”

I’m pretty sure there’s more that she wants to say, but she doesn’t. I know she’s aware of the way Kayden lives. She just hasn’t gotten to see it firsthand like I have. I know she’s passing me the slices of pizza because she knows that otherwise he won’t eat at all.

“Thanks Mom.” I answer as I take the plate from her, pressing my body to hers in a weak hug. I mean it though, I’m so thankful that she just gets it and she’s okay with it.

“Remember what I said!” She calls as I turn and start walking toward the front door. “If it gets chilly, come in.”

“I will!”