Hi everyone!
Julia here. AKA, the author of Leo & Kaylee! You've probably noticed that I posted the LAST CHAPTER on Leo & Kaylee recently! Yes, a chapter with 44 chapters... not too shabby. Lol. Well anyways, now that it's over, I wanted to write a short post on what's next? Will there be more stories? Well, I was thinking of making a series, but idea's haven't been floating to me lately. I really want to make a second part to Leo & Kaylee though, really bring it up to the next stair. When they go into highschool, bullies, and all that. I don't want to spoil! If there is any sudden changes, I have made a promise to let this blog know about it first. Check in on my other blog (https://thedreamdoodler.edublogs.org) to check for updates on stories, and more! As for you, the reader(s), what can you do now that Leo & Kaylee is over? Well, something you can totally do is re-read it. But, some people don't like re-reading, so my other choices would probably be to: 1. Read my older stories from when I was little or 2. keep in touch with me and my other blog (leave comments!) And stay tuned! Thanks guys for all the support and check in! ~ Julia
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Chapter 44
Mrs. Fidella drives both of us to the hospital. I remember a week ago Leo begged for me to come as a visitor, the doctor said no a hundred times, but Leo didn’t give up, and here I am now. I get so excited because Leo’s been struggling with his cast a lot, I’m just excited that he gets what he wants on my birthday. When we get there, Leo is almost jumping for joy, almost. If he were to actually jump he would hurt his leg again. Finally after waiting in the waiting room for a little over 20 minutes, Leo emerges from the hospital room with the biggest smile on his face, his leg free. Mrs. Fidella was so happy to bring another one of Leo’s shoes with her to the hospital. “Using only one shoe is weird!” I remember Leo would say. I shake my head and run over and hug him. “It’s off! How does it feel?” “Brand new,” he looks at it, “it just feels weird bending it! Good, but weird.” “You ready to get home and party?” “You know it.” ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… At home, mom and dad congratulate Leo. We eat popcorn and snacks, gummy worms and swedish berries. After we watch a movie, mom calls both of us over to the kitchen table. Leo squiggles with excitement. “Kaylee,” mom starts, “we have one more surprise.” I look at Leo to mom, mom to Leo. “...Okay?” “Wait outside….Come!” Mom and Leo follow me outside. I have no literal idea what’s happening. Bombs explode in my stomach. What’s this surprise? We wait out of the front porch while I glace sadly at Leia’s old house, but I smile on the inside, knowing that someone just as good moved in. A grey car starts to drive down the road, and pull into my driveway. I try to see who it is through the tinted windows. Is it dad? But it’s a millisecond later when those memories start to flood over to me again. Back to my brain, like a fresh coat of nail polish. That’s Leia’s car. Leia’s here. My heart doesn’t believe it for a second, but when the car door opens I know it’s her. I feel my eyes widening, my heart pounding. mom was watching me… so was Leo. Then Leia finally hops out of the car, a smile on her face. I run to her as fast as I can, holding back those tears. Leia is here! We reach each other and hug. “Happy birthday Kay,” she whispers. We part. “Surprise!” She yells and laughs. “You came?” I sniff. “Of course I came,” she smiles as her mom and dad file out of the car as well. Leo walks over. “And you must be Leo,” Leia smiles. “The one and only.” Leo says. My cheeks burn, “Leia, this is Leo. Leo, this is Leia.” “Mhm,” Leia laughs. “Just one question for Leo here though, if that’s okay? WHY THE HECK IS MY ROOM A BUNNY ROOM?” She laughs. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… We talk all day, and it’s the best day ever. I’ve always dreamed that Leia would someday meet Leo. And now my dream has come true. And they really liked each other, couldn’t stop laughing. I guess surprises are good. Leia even sleeps over for a few nights after. When she leaves, she yells one last thing out the window” “Bye Leo & Kaylee!” Yeah. It’s pretty amazing. Epilogue I guess I’ve changed since I was 13. That day when Leia moved. Friendship is weird, it’s different, but it’s also so much fun and special too. I learned how to have fun with Leia and Leo, they’re my best friends. Every friendship is different, unique in their own way. Remember to be friends with different people, too. Don’t let other people judge your friendship! That’s mean. But you know what’s even meaner? Judging your own friendship. And yet here I am, writing this down on a scrap piece of paper. I here on think and hope that friendship would a part of my life for a long time. I wrote this story down because it was a really interesting part of my life, at least Leo says so. In the end, remember to be friend with those good people. Those people who you just click with, they just naturally understand you. Hang on to them. For as long as you can. Chapter 43 I woke up on November 26th feeling honestly pretty gloomy. Until I realized that it was my birthday. When I get up and open the door, there’s a Kit Kat bar on the floor. This is a tradition, and it’s a pretty weird one. On each of our birthdays, there’s always a Kit Kat bar on the ground right in front of our bedroom door. When I was turning 7, I remember waking up really early to eat it in the middle of the night. Mom woke me up finding chocolate on my face. We laughed all day. I take it and smile, memories flying by, in and out of my mind. The downstairs is quiet, and I’m always the last to wake up. But I totally kind of expected it. ` When I walk downstairs, there’s a present bag and a card on the kitchen table. “Okay, I’m not doing this,” Kris stands up from behind the couch. He laughs, “happy birthday Kay.” “Were you going to surprise me?” I ask, laughing a bit. “They made me do it,” Kris points to the kitchen island and the coffee table. Mom and dad stand up behind them. “Surprise!” They laugh. I laugh too, looking down at my Kit Kat bar. Mom and dad come over to hug me. “Happy birthday, we love you.” I honestly can’t believe I’m turning 14. Without Leia. “Thanks guys,” I giggle. When we all sit down, mom brings over a plate of pancakes. We all start to eat while I open my gift. I peek inside. The bag says ‘Happy Birthday’ in rainbow letters. There is pink tissue paper sticking out of it. I start to pluck it out very slowly, enjoying each moment. Then when it’s all out, I pull a tie dye notebook out of the present bag. My mouth hangs open, looking at the front and back, running my hand over the soft surface. Mom smiles, “that’s from Kris.” “Kris?” I gasp, looking over. And that’s when I realized that Kris would spend more than a dime for me. “Well, thanks,” I sputter. Kris smiles as I open the notebook. So why did I want this notebook so much? It’s because Leia had one, too. We were waiting for this day together. Then I pull out a whole Narnia book set. More reading marathons! “Oh. My. Gosh,” I laugh, turning the big box set over, running my fingers through the spines of the books. “The whole book set! Thanks so much,” I hug my mom and dad. “There’s one more surprise in the bag,” Kris says. “Only one?” I joke. Kris rolls his eyes. I laugh and pull out a box wrapped in tissue paper. I unfold it carefully and turn the box over. Wireless headphones! This wasn’t exactly on my list, but they’re so much prettier compared to my black earbuds. Plus, who doesn’t want wireless headphones? After I’m done my million thank you’s, I open the card. On the front, there’s a girl listening to music. The perspective is from a birds eye view. There are music notes flying and fluttering above her head, in the air. Right now when I lay eyes on that drawing, I know that mom drew it. The girl listening to music, with her eyes closed peacefully, had reddish-brownish hair, rosy cheeks, and headphones. Pink, wireless ones. That’s me. I show the card around, hoping that I didn’t stare at it for too long. “This… is the prettiest.” I thank mom. She used to draw way back then, sometimes when I walk into her room to borrow a sweatshirt of hers, I see sketches on her nightstand, her bed, under her bed. Mom said she stopped drawing after me, she said that things got too busy. But I believe that she should start again… and start telling people that she is. Because I know mom still draws. The birthday card was beautiful. I’m so happy she drew it for me. “Made it especially for you,” mom smiles. I open the card and read mom’s curly handwriting: I fold the card, actually realizing how lucky I am.
Once I put the card by my side, I still reach in the bag and pull out a box. “Something else?” I smile and Kris winks, adding more maple syrup to his pancake. When I unwrap the soft pink ribbon, there’s a rose gold MP3 player in the white box. I gasp, “an MP3 player! I love it.” I bring the small device close to my chest and look up. “Oh! And it matches with the headphones!” I realize. I look down at the player. The sparkles glow and I’m so happy I have one. Dad smiles, “you’re welcome.” I spark up, “you got me this?” “Yeah! When I said I was doing some stuff on the car…” he chuckles nervously. “That…. Was a lie.” I run over and hug my dad. “Thanks, but just know that I missed you so much.” “Yeah Kay,” he smiles, “but that was only part of my surprise.” He laughs. I look up, “huh?” “Well…” mom and Kris smile, “I have an offer to work half time now! Stay home on weekends, come back at 4:30 on weekdays!” He exclaims. I almost jump out of my skin. A cold but pleasing shiver runs down my spine and I’m so happy. “Wow!” I yelp. “That’s so awesome!” I hug him again. “Are you excited for today?” Kris asks. “No,” I joke, Kris starts to laugh. “Mom, when’s Leo coming over?” I ask. “One o’clock.” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… And that happened. While I get into my cropped sweater and high waisted jeans, I think about this year. I really thought that I couldn’t live without Leia. But it doesn’t work like that. Everyone is their own separate person. If you can commit and challenge yourself to do something, you’ll be surprised at what you can actually accomplish. As I’m looking out the window for Leo, a ding comes from my phone. Leia: HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAY! Ur the best friend ever, thanks for sticking by my side!! I can’t believe you’re 14! Have the best bday ever <3 <3 I stare at the text sadly. I wish Leia was here. I drop the phone on my bed, texting a quick thanks to Leia’s text, also with some added hearts of course. Then I stare out the window, seeing Leo with his crutches hobbling across the street with a long blue present bag. I run down the stairs and fly open the door. His expression flies from happy to happier when he sees me. “Happy birthday!” He laughs. “Thanks!” I say, taking the present bag and putting it inside on the ground. Mom invites Leo inside so I could open his gift before we go to the hospital. The fact that Leo was finally going to walk without crutches again was unreal, these weeks just seemed to drool by. We plop on the couch, Leo throwing the crutches aside. “So,” he sighs, rubbing his hands together. “You going to open my gift or what?” I laugh, “‘course.” Then I pluck the orange tissue paper out, one by one, there was a lot. Leo’s smile get bigger and bigger. By the time I have most of the wrapping out, mom and dad sit to watch, too. The present bag is huge. Almost the size of a three tier cake. The bag felt heavy, with only one thing flopping side to side in it. Not looking, I grasp into a rubbery material, and then pull a long board out of the bag… A skateboard. My mouth stays open for the longest time, looking at the wheels, the front… everything. “Eep!” Is all I manage to say. I look over at Leo, “a real skateboard?!” He nods a bit, “the one and only. You deserve it!” I look at it again, “thanks so much, like I don’t even know what to say,” I stammer, hugging the board. “Thank you.” Leo smiles, “it’s the least I could do.” “So,” I start. “Are we going to the hospital to get that cast off or what.” “Let’s do it.” Chapter 42
Soon enough, it’s November 24th. Me and mom go to some fancy restaurant downtown. We find this seat near a huge window with a waiter with two buns on top of her head. Me and mom order some kind of fancy fish n’ chips. “Thanks for taking me out,” I say. “Hey! It’s your birthday. Of course. Are you excited to turn 14?” She asks me. What a weird question. I guess I didn’t really consider that before. I think. “Umm… I guess? I don’t know. It’s kinda cool.” I smile. “You’re a teenager now, Kaylee,” mom smiles and stares at me. “Yeah, I know,” I joke. “So, what’s up? How are you? Let's talk,” mom says in a funny British accent. It’s funny, because I am her daughter, but I guess I don’t tell her things as much as I probably should. I should start doing that. Maybe mom’s can be best friends, too. “What’s up? The ceiling. Oh, and my birthday. That’s also up,” I laugh so hard I start to smack the table. Mom rolls her eyes. “You are ‘so’ funny Kaylee,” she says sarcastically. I laugh even harder, tears forming, strangers staring. But I don’t care. This was fun. Eventually, our waiter serves us some fish n’ chips. By then, my face is as red as a tomato. Great. Awesome way to spend your 14th birthday, Kaylee. As soon as the waiter leaves, mom leans forward and whispers, “you look like a tomato.” I dig into the fries, “thanks for that. Now I know where I get my craziness from,” I laugh. Mom starts on some of her chicken, “you are correct.” “So, how's that computer job you like?” I ask, ripping open some ketchup from a packet. “It’s cool. Do you know what I do?” “Umm.. kind of?” “Okay,” mom begins, “I design art pieces for movies.” “On a computer?” I ask thickly over eating some chicken. “Yeah,” mom says, “I like it.” I nod, “that’s cool!” “So, how’s Leo doing?” Mom asks. “He’s… fine. Excited though.” “For your birthday? Or to get his cast off?” “Maybe a bit of both.” “Mmm.” “But anyway,” I continue, “yeah. Leo’s fine. Leia’s cool too. She seems… happier in some way,” I cock my head to one side. “Do you think she got more used to living there?” She sips on her water. “Probably,” I reply. “Yeah,” mom says, “I know how hard it is to move.” “Is it hard?” I ask. I’ve never moved in my life, except when I was 2 years old. It didn’t really matter to me, I wasn’t in school yet. I had no friends to leave. Places to remember. “Yeah,” mom says again, “especially when you let go of really great people,” she says sadly. I remember the first time mom told me that she moved when I was old enough to remember and listen. I know she only told me once because it was painful to talk about. My mom really hated that move. She left her best friend. I never really wanted to talk about it with her, it always made her sad. This was the first time I heard her talk about it again. “So!” Mom snaps me out of my thoughts. “Any boys?” I roll my eyes. “Mom, stop. You know I think boys are too weird for me.” “Leo’s a boy.” I hesitate, “that’s different.” Mom laughs, “I know Kaylee. What do you want for your birthday?” she asks. “Ummm..” I put my finger on my chin. “Well, I want the Narnia book set. Definitely. I also really want this new tie dye journal at Chapters. Oh! Also a new sweater, and candy, of course,” I dream. What’s a birthday without candy? “Of course, we need candy. Of course, Kaylee,” mom rolls her eyes. I have this sensation, or maybe just a wondering, that mom is wondering why I’m not as excited for my birthday this year. I think it’s hard to be excited when you’re not. It’s fake feelings. Call it a hunch, but I wonder if she’s more excited than me? Mom’s been lighter and happier lately. “You okay?” She asks. Called it. I knew she was worried. I shake it off like Taylor Swift. “Yeah!” My voice cracks and mom's face says that I had fake enthusiasm. “I’m fine,” my shoulders slump. “Food coma, ya know?” I lie and eat more fries. Mom nods. Then me and mom talk about more things. Life, therapy, Leia, Leo, Harry Potter, everything. It’s just me and her, and it’s later when I realized and hoped it would be like this all the time. “Wowie,” mom checks her phone. “Already 9:30. Wanna still get ice cream?” I laugh, “have you forgotten it’s November, mom?” I put my arms on my shoulders, mimicking a ‘I’m cold’ position. “It’s freezing!” Mom smiles. We order one more serving of fries and onion rings. Soon enough, it’s 10:00 pm and I get pretty tired. I honestly don’t go to bed that late. When me and mom come back, I get ready for bed and lay there, thinking to the ceiling. Mom is so cool. I love that she took me out today, it was really fun. I wished to my star that it could be more like that. I wished so hard. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Note from author: Sorry I haven't been posting! Things have been busy, but I can say that there are only a few more chapters left of Leo & Kaylee! So stay tuned, I'll post another chapter soon! - Julia Chapter 41
“And guess what?” “What?” “Leo’s getting the cast off on my birthday!” I smile. It’s one of our therapy sessions. Or, one of my therapy sessions. I tell Miss Kit the news. “That’s fantastic, Kay! I’m so excited for you!” She smiles. I play with my hair, “I know.” “What are you doing for your birthday?” I tell Miss Kit the plan. “Mom also ordered an ice cream cake!” I tell her. “I LOVE ice cream cake” Miss Kit laughs. “It’s so good. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Later, at home, me and mom are still planning some small details for my birthday. “What kind of gummies?” We’re sitting at the kitchen table, and mom is making a grocery list. “Ummm,” I think, “Sour Patch Kids and Sweedish Berries,” I say. “Please.” “Cool,” mom clicks her pen. “Well, I’m off. Dad’ll be home soon.” “‘Kay, bye!” Later, dad comes back from mowing the lawn. “Hey Kay,” dad says, “how was therapy?” “Usual,” I take his coat. It’s getting colder and colder every day. “Did you get Sweedish Berries for your birthday?” Dad jokes. I open my mouth, “how did you know.” Dad makes a funny thinking face. “I might’ve gotten a peek at mom’s grocery list.” “Daad!” I mock. He laughs, “gosh. I can’t believe you’re thirteen. My baby.” I hug him, “don’t be like that.” “Teenager alert,” he raises his eyebrows. I roll my eyes, “right,” then we laugh. After eating some dinner, I call Leia on FaceTime. “Hii!” She picks up. Leia looked so different. Her whitish hair grew and she looked much happier. “Hey!” I reply, “what’s up.” “First off,” she starts. “Happy November! B-day month, aye?” “I’m not that excited,” I joke. Leia ignores me, “second, why the heck are you calling me. It’s only once a week you call me!” I lean forward, “well… I have some news.” “About Leo’s leg.” I remember telling Leia the day after Leo got hurt that he did. She was really worried. “Okay?” “I know when he’s getting the cast off..” I chuckle a bit because Leia’s going to freak when she hears the answer. “What? You know? Tell me!” She leans closer. “November 26th,” I say slowly. She squeals, “aah!! That’s literally so amazing! That’s unreal Kay.” I laugh, “I know!” But it’s later when I realize that it’s more than unreal. It’s perfect. Chapter 40
Later that week, I tell mom that I liked therapy and I would like more sessions with Miss Kit. “Really?” Mom seems surprised. “Is that okay?” Mom says that it would be fine, she thinks it’s cute that I like Miss Kit. I don’t want to be cute. Weeks pass by. In school, I try to stay blended the times when Leo was away. I mostly just stayed with Savannah and her friends and tried to follow along with their girly conversations. Me and Leia also call each other every other week. It’s our plan now. I call Leo almost every day. There were days where his leg hurt really bad, he would groan and complain almost the whole call. Then there were days when Leo would feel like a million dollars. His mom bought him the new Nintendo Switch so he talks about that a lot, too. Weeks pass by, therapy sessions fly. Miss Kit actually continues to be my therapist and honestly, she really helps me. Sometimes I would even do my work with her. I like to talk and sometimes draw in the sand pit she sometimes has there. She tells me to talk to my mom about my day at school or the homework I would be having. I start to actually talk to my mom about the stuff in my life and it helps. At last, it’s November the first. Leo comes to school for the first time in a while. By then, the news about him had spread around the whole class. Unfortunately, he doesn’t take the bus to school, but every day he tells me that his leg was healing more and more. My smile gets bigger and bigger as those days pass. Sometimes, Mrs Fidella gives me a ride, too. At school, a lot of people stare and ask questions. Leo needed a lot of help getting up and down the stairs. Sometimes he would get frustrated. “I can do it!” He would yell angrily. “I just… need some time.” Me and my mom start to make birthday plans. Basically, we decided to go out just me and her one night, and then on my actual birthday, I’ll invite Leo over. Normally every year, I’m super excited for my birthday. Kris would always say that I was always so full of myself. But this year feels a bit different. I feel like my birthday won’t be a birthday without Leia. We’ll have FaceTime, but it’s not the same. In fact, somehow, it made me feel even more distant. Leo was so excited for my birthday. He talked about it every day. “I’m going to get you the best present,” he would say. “You told me that!” I would roll my eyes jokingly. At least he’s excited. Leia’s been texting me about it, too. Leo’s leg slowly started to heal. One week on November fifth, I’m lying on my bed, scrolling through Instagram, but half asleep. The next second, Leo calls. I pick up, not caring how lazy my voice sounded, “hey.” “Heyy,” he replies. “So?” “Soo,” Leo starts. “I have the BEST news!” He exclaims. “Should I be excited?” I sit up in a better position and cross my legs. “Well, duh,” he laughs. “So?” “I’m just going to get to the point because you are weird,” he takes a dramatic breath, “you and your dumb comments.” “Just tell me already!” “So,” Leo takes another breath. “I’m getting my cast off on November 26th!” I sit up so fast my back cracks, like when Leia heard new neighbours were moving in. “No way!” I laugh, “seriously?” “Way!” Leo laughs, “I asked the doctor if she was for real, I mean, what are the chances? It’s your birthday! It’ll be so awesome.” “Totally,” I say. “Yeah.” “Oh gosh I’m so excited,” I squiggle, “awesome news!” I sigh. Leo does a happy yell. “Me too! Anyway, yeah. Can’t wait for the 26th! I’ll call you later. Bye!” _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Note from Author: Write in the comments what you think will happen next! We're getting so close to the end of the book! Chapter 39
At the hospital, I’m waiting nervously in the waiting room. My hands are clumped together and my stomach knots from being nervous and hungry. The smell of the hospital doesn’t help. With a startle, Myla walks out of Leo’s room, walking over to sit in the hospital plastic seat beside me. “Oh, Myla. Hi.” Myla says hi and kicks her legs a bit. “How’s Leo doing?” I deflate. “Uh, broken leg. The cast needs to be on for some weeks. That’s… all I heard.” I hug Myla again because she starts crying. “Leo’ll be okay,” I whisper. After a few more minutes, Leo’s parents walk out of the room with half smiles on their faces. Mrs Fidella gasps, “Kaylee,” she walks over and hugs me. “Thank you,” she releases. I smile back as a ‘you’re welcome’. “How’s Leo looking?” I ask again. Mrs Fidella smiles - which makes me relieved. “Much better. Better than we expected. He’ll be using crutches for a while, but that’s okay.” I nod, “totally.” “So do you want to see him? We’ll be driving home in a few minutes,” Mrs Fidella says. “Sure!” Mrs Fidella walks me into the room, where Leo is sitting up in the hospital bed, a cast wrapped around his left leg. He smiles when I walk in. “Hi! How’s it going.” I laugh. “Are you asking me if I’m okay?” He mimics. “Ha ha,” I roll my eyes jokingly. I start to look around, there are a pair of crutches beside the bed, and some drinks for Leo on a mini table in front of him. Leo doesn’t look hurt, in fact, it’s weird to see him in a hospital bed. “So does it hurt? How does the cast feel?” I ask. “Eh, it’s very tight, but in a way I guess that’s good. Also, I can’t really bend my leg, so that’s kinda weird,” he nods. “Have you tried the crutches yet?” I ask. “Yeah,” he frowns, “it hurts.” “You’ll get used to them.” Then, Mrs Fidella walks in, “time to roll my loves. C’mon Leo, try the crutches again.” Leo groans and hops with his uninjured leg to the crutches and tries them on again. While he takes a step with his good leg, he picks up the crutches and swings them over to walk some more. Mrs Fidella gives me a ride home and I can see thick, black clouds forming in the helpless sky. Leo’s parents also mention that Leo won’t be able to go to school for a week or two. When I run into my own house that afternoon, my insides roll with hunger. Mom rushes over. “Kaylee!” I hug her. Dad runs over, too. When we release, mom says, “we are so proud of you Kaylee. You did the right thing.” “Thanks,” I smile, “I’m going to eat and change.” “How’s Leo?” Dad asks. “Cast for a few weeks. It’s not that bad.” …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. After eating, it starts to rain like crazy. I change into some comfy clothes and read in my room. After I read chapter five of book 7 on Harry Potter, I walk over to my window; my favourite place to think. I lean my head on my hand and rest my elbow against the window sill, the rain patting and running down my window. I think about all that’s happened today. I can’t believe that it did. I think about Leo, who did a lot to teach me how to skateboard. But in the end, he was the one who got hurt. It’s just not fair. I stare into the one star I always look at; and that one star is the only one not covered by the big heavy rain cloud. It’s just there, waiting for me. Twinking right down at my window. It’s the brightest one, always catches my attention. And it’s right in the middle of my window. I know it’s childish to wish on stars, but I feel so hopeless right now. “Dear Star,” I whisper, “it’s not fair. I wish that Leo gets better. I wish Leia to be having such a fun time,” I look up, “ I wish therapy could help me,” I close my eyes. “I wish that you could help me.” Chapter 38
Sunday morning rolls around and the second I’m awake I race downstairs to see dad. They’re both in the den. “Morning!” I hug mom first. Then I hug dad. “I missed you yesterday. So much,” I say into his shirt. Dad looks at me with sad eyes, “Sorry Kaylee. I really am. Mom told me everything went well though! I also hear you’re doing skateboarding with Leo. Cool!” I nod, “yeah!” I talked to dad about this week. After some breakfast, it’s soon 10 am and I race over to Leo’s around 10:30. I pound on his door. “Earlybird!” I yell. Leo opens the door soon after. His hair is ruffled and he was wearing a blue hoodie. Gosh. Guys with their hoodies. “Mornin’,” he yawns. “MYLA!” He yells in the house behind him. I hear a distant, ‘coming!’ from a room upstairs. “Sorry she had to come today,” Leo says quickly before Myla comes. “No problem! It’ll be fun.” “Are you suggesting that it wouldn’t be fun with just me and you,” Leo teases. “Shut up.” He laughs. Then Myla runs up to the door with her running shoes already on. “Hi Kay!” Myla says, “Hi Myla!” I smile. It would be more than amazing to have a little sister instead of a big brother. “Okay,” Leo claps, “let’s go get the skateboards.” “And my scooter!” Myla skips to the garage while me and Leo follow. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… When we arrive at the park, Leo teaches me more about balance. I eventually get the hang of being on the penny board for more than 30 seconds. Myla starts to scooter around. Wow. She’s much better than Kris. “Remember Kay, with your left foot, push slightly.. Yeah - like that. Just for starters.” “Right,” I stare, concentrating. “Here, let me show you..” Leo hops on his board and shows me, but then he starts to skate around more than he should be. Show off. “See?” He looks at me and not ahead of him. “Leo!” I yell. “Watch out!” I see Leo rolling his eyes. “I’m basically a professi - WOAH!” Leo goes so fast, right into a park bench. He tries to balance himself again but once he thinks he does it, he tries to smile. Soon after, he loses his balance some more and crashes hard on the concrete floor, toppling backwards, skateboard flying in the other direction. “LEO!” I run to him. He’s wincing in pain as I kneel beside him. “I’M supposed to get hurt, not you! You’re the teacher!” I joke. Leo smiles, “ha ha - AH” “Are you okay?” I ask. “I - don’t know. My leg - OW. That hurt,” Leo is flat on his back and his leg is twisted weirdly. I try to move it. “OW - !” “Oh! Sorry,” I say. I grab Leo’s shoulders and pull him up to a sitting position, hopefully that’ll be more comfortable for him. “Oh.. Ow.. Oh gosh,” he whines. Well. I was wrong. After a few more seconds, he says, “thanks, Kay.” I smile, “no problem-o.” “How does my leg look?” Leo asks, trying not to look at his own leg right in front of him “It looks broken,” I sigh. “Wait, where’s Myla?” Leo tries to see. He boosts himself up with his hands and cranes his neck. “No, Leo, sit. I’ll look,” I stand up from the rocky ground and search for Myla. The park isn’t that big, where could she be? I try not to look worried. Then I run over to the edge of the skate park and see a huge field of grass. Oh gosh, I hope Myla didn’t think to go that far. After squinting a little, I see Myla far, far away, laughing. Her tiny blue dot from her sweater stands out in the distance. Well. She is only six. “KAYLEE!” She yells happily. “LOOK WHAT I FOUND! IT’S A-” Then Myla screams so loud it runs a shiver down my spine, the people in Australia probably heard the scream. “MYLA!” Me and Leo both scream. I run back to Leo, not sure what I’m doing yet. He tries to get up. “I need - to go - to -” “No. Stay. I’ll go.” Wait, who said that? Oh wait. It was me. I stare out on the field. There’s a sidewalk right near it. “You’re… never gonna make it, Kay!” Leo says behind me as I walk confidently to the field, watching Myla’s blue dot running around. I have no choice. I grab my skateboard and pray I don't fall. Then I think about balance. I set my board on the sidewalk beside the field and breath. I can do this. “Kaylee!” Leo yells behind me. “Are you sure?” He says, seeing the skateboard. Without giving him an answer, I push off and fly through the wind, Myla’s blue dot getting larger and larger. She screams again and starts to cry. Her scream pierced my ears more than the blowing wind behind me did. When I get closer, I run off the skateboard, tripping a bit. I run as fast as I could to Myla, who was still crying. She hugs me and sobs. “I-I’m - it hurts,” she whines. “Hey, hey. I’m here now. Calm down. Take deep breaths.” Myla breathes and shows me her arm, which has a big puffy red dot near her shoulder. “Bee, bee - WAHHH” She screams. “Shh, shh,” I huss, looking at the mark. She continues to cry. “Did you get stung by a bee?” I ask gently. No words come out of her mouth. She gives a shaky nod. I hug her again. “It- hurts,” she says. “Aw, come, let’s get back to your brother,” I say. “Where’s Leo? I want Leo!” She demands. “Leo got a bit hurt - hey, don’t scratch it,” I say, seeing that Myla’s starting to pick at her sting. We start to walk back. “But I can’t! It’s itchy,” Myla says. I take a tissue from my pocket and lick it. Then I pat it on Myla’s sting. She wrinkles her nose. “Ew!” She exclaims. “Don’t worry,” I say, “it’ll help.” I pick up my board on the way and we walk back to Leo, the grass tickling at my ankles. “I’m sorry Kay. I saw a butterfly and… chased it. Then a bee stung me I guess,” Myla shrugs and confesses. “Hey! It’s not your fault.” “Really?” She looks at me with big, teary glossy eyes. “Really,” I hug her again. After a while of walking, we reach the skate park again and Leo. “Myla,” he gasps. “Leo!” Myla runs over and hugs him. “What happened?” Leo asks, looking at me. I see he's managed to get himself to sit on a picnic table bench instead of the gravel floor. “She got stung by a bee,” I sigh. Myla shows him the sting. “Ouch,” Leo says. “What happened to you?” Myla asks, looking at Leo’s leg. Me and Leo glance at each other. “Leo… fell. But he’ll be okay,” I say, hoping what I said was true. “By the way,” Leo looks in my direction, “awesome skating, Kay. That’s the way to do it,” he smiles. “Thanks,” I say, proud that I didn’t crash or lose confidence. “Can we go home now?” Myla scratches. Leo hands me his phone so I could call his mom. I take it from him gently and follow Leo’s instructions to the number. I take a shaky breath while dialing and slowly put it to my ear. I’ve never been the talker, I’ve always kind of been the listener. I was a follower. So for me to report to a mom that someone’s been hurt is hard for me. I need to learn how to do it. I’ll be a leader this time. Finally, Mrs Fidella picks up. “Hey Leo!” She starts. “Hi! This is Kaylee.” “Oh! Hi Kaylee. What’s up? Where’s Leo?” I can hear the mom’s code of worriness through the phone. I tell Mrs Fidella about what happened. Every detail. I tried to keep the conversation going, she was quiet for the majority of when I was speaking. Leo’s mom told me to call the ambulance to help take Leo to the hospital while she drives over. I shakily dial 911 over the numbers and put the phone to my ear. “Hi this is 911 what’s your emergency.” Afterwards, I call my mom and tell her that I’d be going with Leo to the hospital. She says she was proud of me. Everything happens quickly: Leo’s mom comes and helps Leo onto the stretcher when the ambulance pulls in. I hold my breath the whole time, wondering how I could help. As Leo was loaded into the ambulance, I rush over and he takes one last glance at me: “Thank you,” he murmurs. Chapter 37
After the call, I hop downstairs and meet mom in the kitchen, eating some leftover eggs from breakfast. “Hey,” she says. “Hi, I called Leia on FaceTime.” “Already?” She spoons some more egg into her mouth. “Uh, yeah,” I laugh, not sure what else to say. Then we sit down. Therapy is just coming to me now. I’m so happy I survived it. But why do I actually need to go? Is it because I don’t know my problems? I suddenly break into tears and start to sob. “Hey!” Mom looks over at me, “what’s wrong.” I sob some more, “d-do I-I have… problems?” I sob. Mom thinks, “Kay, everyone has problems,” mom says softly, “but other people have different ways of solving them.” I shout like a baby, “I don’t want problems!” I cry. “-Nobody does-” “Stop saying that!” I yell. “This is me, okay? Not… everybody else,” I sob. I hear someone walk downstairs and it’s Kris. He grabs an apple from the fridge and laughs at me. “I hate you!” I holler at him. “Kaylee! Stop it,” mom’s face is hard. I don’t know what else to do so I keep crying. I miss dad. It’s Saturday, so why isn’t he here? Where is he anyway? I’ve had enough of mom. I don’t get it. I was so happy a few minutes ago. I run out out of the kitchen and out the door, all the way to Leo’s house. I blink away tears and wipe my face with my sweater as I wrap my arms around myself. It’s getting chilly. I cautiously walk up Leo’s steps and knock on Leia’s old door. Thankfully, Leo opens it. I see his smirk plastered on his face, but after a split second, it changes when he sees me. “Kaylee!” Leo says, “what’s wrong?” “I haven’t been crying,” I lie, sucking in a breath. Leo laughs a little, knowing that I’m okay. I smile back. But then I take a deep breath, “can I … talk to you?” “Sure. Let’s go to the bunny room. It’s kinda cold out here.” “Okay,” I crack. We run up the stairs and I tell Leo about therapy when we retch the bunny room. Angel made me smile the second I walked in. “Do you think I have problems?” I ask, stroking Angel. “Yeah, well, I mean, everyone does.” I nod my head, “right.” We wait in silence. I spark up suddenly, “so if ‘everyone’ has ‘problems’, then why do I need therapy?” Leo tilts his head ever so slightly, his way of saying that he’s thinking or doesn’t understand. “Well because… you’re.. Special.” I sniff, “oh, suuure.” “Well, yeah!” Leo says. “Therapy is for special people. Different people.” I blush through all the redness from my tears. “Thanks, -- I guess.” “So are we cool for skateboarding tomorrow?” “Oh,” I say, completely forgetting about that, “yeah! Of course.” Leo nods, “oh and I forgot to say: we’re going to have to take Myla along with us because my parents need to go shopping or something,” he waves it off, “if that’s okay.” “That’s fine Leo,” I look at Angel. “Oh also,” I continue, “my birthday’s coming up -” “Ooh.” I laugh, “- yeah. So I was just thinking of inviting you over. It’s on the 26th.” “Sure!” Leo says, “I shall get the best present ever. Mwahahahahaaa,” he puts his fingers together like a mad scientist. I smile,”am I supposed to be scared?” I tease. “Oh but you don’t need to get me anything,” I add quickly. “Oh sure Kay,” he says sarcastically. “What’s a birthday with no presents?” Leo laughs like it’s the stupidest thing in the world. I roll my eyes jokingly, “fine.” Then I sigh, “Leo, I miss dad. A lot.” “Hm. It’s Saturday, wasn’t he supposed to be home?” He knows me too well. “He had to go do some stuff on the car,” I grumble. “Why don’t you text him?” “It’s… not the same.” Whatever. Tomorrows still the weekend. I’m going to see him tomorrow. I have to. Chapter 36
When we get home, I get a text from Leo. Leo: How goes it :) I roll my eyes. Sometimes Leo just doesn’t know how to text. Kaylee: All clear:) I practically skip in the house like a three year old. I see Kris in the den watching some sort of horror movie with some cheese. Mom comes in and locks the door. “Kris, get off the TV. Now.” Kris grabs the remote and turns it off, still eating that piece of cheese. “Wash your hands!” Mom calls after me as I race up the stairs. I quickly wash my hands as well as rolling my eyes and then flop on my bed, happy to see it again. A ding comes from my phone. Leo: r we still talking about therapy? Kaylee: sure. Leo: so is everything ok? Kaylee: heck yeah! Leo: :) I smile as Leo sends me another video of Angel eating. Leo: hey, can we move skateboarding to tomorrow? I’m not free next week. Sound cool? Kaylee: sure! Leo: cool:) After that, I doodle a bit. Even though I’m terrible at art, I feel like I could do anything now. Therapy isn’t as bad. Maybe It’ll actually help me. But then I realize that I really don’t want anyone to know I have therapy. Kids would make fun of me. I don’t care how many people do or don’t take therapy, it’s just something I don’t want to share. After a few minutes of staring, an incoming call comes from Leia’s phone. I pick up. “Heyy!” I say, not caring about my messy background camera.” “Hi! Did you crush it?” Leia fixes the big bun in her hair. “I don’t want to brag but,” I laugh, “I crushed it.” Me and Leia laugh just because. Sometimes you just gotta laugh. After we calm down, Leia asks, “so was it that bad?” I take a breath, wondering how many times I’ve said this. Was I that stressed? I guess so. “It was okay. A bit weird, but not horrible.” Leia nods, “that’s cool. What do you talk about?” “Uhh..” I think, “well, just, about your life I guess. Then the therapist gives you advice and… yeah.” Leia looks happy, but then it changes. I hear her dad in the background, Leia starts to roll her eyes. “Ugh, I need to go now. But Kay, I’m so proud of you. Talk soon, ‘kay?” And before I could say anything else, Leia hangs up. |