Hey, Darling.

“Kennedy hasn’t always been like that, you know,” she said as she backed out of the driveway and started towards the main roads.

I set in the passenger’s seat, shifting uncomfortably as I stared ahead. There was so much awkward tension in the car. It was making me breathe heavily.

“He hasn’t?” I asked, even though I didn’t really want to know. I was so pissed off I was shaking, but I didn’t want to seem rude. If she was willing to open up about her son, the list I could do was “hmm” and “ahh” in the appropriate places.

“No,” she shook her head. “He used to be a real gentleman.”

“What happened?” The words sounded rude coming out of my mouth, and I shocked myself, but I couldn’t take them back.

His mother gave me a sideways glance, but didn’t say anything about my rude disposition. “He got hurt, so he put his defenses up.”

“He got hurt?”

She nodded. “He was about fifteen, and he was head over heels for this girl. She was older than him, by a year, but he didn’t care. He did everything for her - bought her gifts, walked her home, called her constantly. He was the perfect boyfriend, but that wasn’t enough for her. She cheated on him, rubbed it in his face, and then he was broken. It took him a really long time to date again, and then when he did he was this different person. He got cocky, and he started saying rude things to ladies.”

Her eyes were concentrating on the road, but I was looking down at my fumbling hands. That made a lot of sense, actually.

“I don’t know what to do,” I admitted honestly. “I feel bad about him being hurt, but then I don’t, because he hurt me.”

She nodded. “That’s how life is, sometimes, honey. But you have to figure out what you want out of this relationship.”

“I don’t know what I want.” I said.

She looked over at me. “Yes, you do.” She argued. “You both know what you want. Kennedy has been infatuated with you since the first time he saw you - he wouldn’t stop talking about the ‘shy girl at the grocery store who tried to break her foot’. I’ll admit, he’s been pretty stupid in the past and he doesn’t show his emotions well, but he knows what he wants.”

“I don’t know, though,” I admitted. “I do want to be with him - when he’s nice and sweet, he’s amazing. We have the best time. But then sometimes it’s like this new Kenny pops out of no where, and I’m stuck on deciding to walk out or put up with it.”

“You wanna know what I think?” She asked as she turned down the street my grandma lived on - I had already given her directions.

I nodded.

She continued. “I think you’re both scared of being hurt, and what’ll happen after the summer ends. I also think that if you both tried hard enough, you could make it work.”

“I don’t know how to make it work.”

“You do.” She stated confidently. “You know exactly how to make it work. Do what your instinct tells you to do. Right now, you’ve got this silly girl pride stopping you - trust me, honey, I’ve had that feeling too- and it’s okay to go sit in your room and sulk, but when he calls you, listen.” She advised. “Because the time he’ll spend in the hospital getting his broken nose fixed, he’ll be thinking about you and the mistakes he’s made. He’ll have a lot to say; just listen.”

I nodded. I thought I could do that much, at least, after I cried a little and did a little retail therapy.

“Thank you,” I said, scooping my bag up off the door as she parked in front of my grandma’s house. John’s car was there, but my grandma’s wasn’t. That was both good and bad.

“Hey, darling, you’re welcome.” She said, and I smiled.

I opened my door, and smiled at her before I shut it again. I heard her wait for me as I walked up the pathway and opened the door. I turned around and waved as she pulled away. She waved back.

She wasn’t so bad, actually. I think she was just cautious. Maybe she didn’t want to get too close to me because she thought I wouldn’t last long.

“Molly!” Mia yelled excitedly as I stepped into the foyer.

I smiled at her, but said nothing. It wasn’t even nine o’clock and I was already exhausted. The crying had really worn me down, and I had a headache over my left temple.

“Yes?” I asked her as she stared at me.

“What’s this I hear about Garrett breaking Kennedy’s nose?” John asked, stepping behind Molly and placing his hands on her waist. He rested his head on the top of hers. We were a really short family.

I sighed. I had been doing a lot of that lately. “Kennedy didn’t know what the word ‘no’ meant, we got into an argument, and then I called Garrett - stupid, I know - and Garrett decided to use the blunt force of his fist to ‘teach Kenny a lesson.’ End of story.”

I ran my hand over my face, before looking at the staircase longingly. All I wanted to do was crawl into bed.

“Oh.” Mia said. “So he tried to get into your pants?”

She was so fucking blunt sometimes. I rolled my eyes.

“Yes.”

I expected some type of rude sexual comment, or maybe a laugh, but instead she narrowed her eyes. “Stupid fucker, trying to get my sister to fuck him. I’ll show him next time.”

I smiled weakly at her and thanked her. John, possibly seeing the tiredness in my eyes, pulled Mia away into the living room. He gave me this small smile, and I gave him a thankful look, before making my way up the stairs. I threw my bag on the floor, and slid off my shoes. I didn’t even bother to change.

I crawled underneath the paisley duvet, and started crying.