Please Be Mine

Kevin’s POV

Mackenzie and I kissed. Slowly and passionately. For the last time for who knows how long. Kenzie pulled away and placed her forehead on mine. I opened my eyes to look at her and she kept hers closed.

“Paul Kevin Jonas the second,” she said. “I love you so very much. Don’t ever forget it.”

I opened my mouth to speak but she turned and walked into the airport, not looking back once. I stood there staring at her. My heart was yelling at me, telling me to run after her. Yell her name; tell her not to get on that plane, to stay with me forever. My head on the other hand was telling me to be more rational. If she disobeyed her mother, who knows what would happen.

“Kevin,” Mom said softly, placing her hand on my shoulder. “Sweetheart we have to leave.”

I nodded my head once and turned, walking back onto the bus. I went straight to my bunk, closing the curtain and pulling out my camera. I looked at pictures from the past few months. One of the best ones was a picture of the two of us with Joe and Steph. I was startled by a knock on the wall of my bunk. I pulled my curtain back to see Joe giving me a sympathetic look.

“Hey Kev,” he said softly. “Want to talk?”

I shrugged my shoulders and climbed down from my bunk. We went to the back, Mom and Dad’s bedroom to talk. I sat on the bed and Joe closed the door and sat next to me, staring at his hands. He was silent, letting me think.

“How do you do it Joe?”

“Do what?” he asked, looking up. I looked at him.

“Keep your relationship with Steph perfect without seeing her every day?” I asked. Joe burst out laughing and I just stared at him and he shook his head.

“I’m sorry,” he said laughing. “Kev, mine and Steph’s relationship is far from perfect.”

“How so?”

“I worry about her every day. I don’t know if there are other guys out there after her. If there are, she’s sure as hell tough enough to fight them off if need be but… I’m not physically there. It’s hard to not be able to hold her every day. Especially after seeing her and then having to leave again. I really miss her Kev. All the time but the important thing is that even though we’re apart we still love each other.”

“Wow. I didn’t realize. You always seem so… fine.” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

“Well, now you know my secret.” He said, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Come on, you should eat.”

****

My plane landed in New York a few hours later and it was a typical August evening. The air was beginning to cool and the sun was setting. I stopped out of the gate to the waiting area and made my way to the luggage pickup. Once I had my things I searched for my parents. They were standing off to the side of everyone looking like they wanted to be anywhere but there. I walked over to them.

“Is that everything?” Dad asked and I nodded my head. “Let’s go.” They swiftly turned and walked towards the airport entrance.

The entire thirty minute car ride was silent you would have thought we were in a graveyard. I think Mom was trying to keep her composure until we arrived home. Home, ha, definitely not where my heart is. Dad pulled into the driveway and I made a beeline for the door, slipping my shoes off in the entryway.

“Mackenzie,” Mom called after me. “Wait in the living room.”

I sighed and dropped my stuff by the stairs, rolling my eyes as I sat on one of the couches. I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my chin on them. Mom and Dad then entered and stood in front of me. I waited silently for Mom to explode.

“Mackenzie, we’re very disappointed in you,” Dad started calmly.

“What were you thinking?” Mom asked. “I only agreed to let you go because Denise assured me that her boys were young gentlemen. She assured me nothing would happen to you. You know you’re not supposed to date anyone unless your father and I feel that he is suitable for you.”

“Mom I really don’t want to talk about this right now,” I said, starting to stand up.

“No, we are discussing this now. Seriously Mackenzie, did you really think that when you eventually came back you could have kept it a secret from us?”

“Probably not,” I said, picking at a loose string on the blanket. “What does it even matter?”

“What do you mean what does it matter?” Dad asked. “You’re our daughter and we need to make sure that you make the right decisions.”

“But you don’t even know him!” I shouted.

“We know enough.” Mom scoffed.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” I said, placing my head in my hands.

“We’re doing what’s best for you.” Dad said.

“But Daddy I love him!” I screamed, bringing my head back up to stare at them. Mom was staring at me in shock.

“Mackenzie,” Dad whispered, pressing his fingers to his temples, “Go upstairs.”

I silently got up from the couch and grabbed my bags walking up to my room. I opened the door and looked inside at my room… it was so different. It all felt so different. I shut the door behind me, dropped my stuff, and flopped onto my bed. I buried my face in my pillow and screamed. However, my screaming was interrupted by my cell phone ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked to see who was calling. Kevin flashed across the screen.

“Hey,” I whispered.

“Is now a bad time?” he asked.

“Now is the perfect time,” I said, sitting up.

“How bad was it?”

“Bad enough to not be replayed.” I sighed. “Kev… I miss you.”

“I miss you too.” He said softly. A tear slipped down my cheek.

“So how are things on the tour front?”

“Dismal. Nothing’s the same.” He said.

“Is that Kenzie?”

“Yes…”

“I want to talk to her! I want to talk to her!”

“Geez, okay Frankie calm down. Kenz, Frankie wants to talk to you.”

“Put him on,” I said laughing.

“Kenzie!”

“Hi Frankers!”

“Kenzie when are you coming back?” he asked. I took a deep breath and shook my head.

“I don’t know honey. I really miss you though. Say hi to your brothers for me okay?”

“I miss you too. I will but Joe’s in the bathroom… do you want to say hi to Nick?”

“Sure,” I said, beaming.

“Hello?”

“Hey Nicky,”

“Kenzie! How are you?”

“Truthfully? Miserable.”

“Aw yeah. Everyone here too. Okay well Kevin is pestering me for the phone back. Ow, Kevin stop pulling my hair! So yeah… bye!”

“Geez babe, way to hurt your brother.” I said, laughing quietly into the phone.

“What? My battery is about to die so I wanted the phone back so I can tell you I love you.”

“Oh well in that case, I love you too.”

“Okay, I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye,” I whispered. A moment later our connection ended and I snapped my phone shut. Not thirty seconds later did my phone ring again. Joe.

“Hey!” I exclaimed.

“You couldn’t wait thirty seconds for me to get out of the bathroom to talk to me?” he asked sadly.

“Kevin didn’t explain? His phone battery was dying.”

“Oh.”

“So what’s going on?”

“Nothing… I’m just really, really bored.”

“I know the feeling.”

“Hey so,” he whispered, “Kevin asked how Steph and I make our relationship work even though we’re away from each other most of the time.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“That it’s hard but we love each other so… it all works out. I believe it will be the same for you guys.”

“Aw Josollena… you’re going to make me cry.”

“I think you’ve had enough crying today Kensington.” He said with a laugh.

“God I miss you.”

“Ditto… hey!”

“What?”

“So you live in New York right?”

“Duh…”

“Steph lives in Connecticut… Woodbury, Connecticut. It’s near New Haven… she’s actually looking into Yale.”

“I didn’t realize she lived so close… or that she was so ambitious.”

“I’m going to give you her phone number and email and then you can talk to her about visiting.”

“That would be great Joe, thanks.”

After giving me Steph’s information, Joe and I talked for a bit longer before hanging up. I shut my phone and lay on my bed staring up at the ceiling, my arms spread out at my sides. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes just thinking about everything that has happened in the past 24 hours.

“Mackenzie,” Mom said, knocking on the door. I didn’t respond she just opened it and stood next to the bed. “I called the finishing academy.” I opened my eyes and glared at her but she ignored it. “They will accept you for the last two weeks. Unfortunately, you cannot participate in the cotillion. No matter how many people I know I can’t get them to let you participate. Start packing, you leave tomorrow.”

And with that, my mother left me in my misery. The pillow screaming resumed. Then, in an instant, an idea hit me. I pulled the pillow away and walked over to my desk, taking my laptop out of my bag and turning it on. I added Steph’s name to my buddy list and waited to see if she appeared. *Ding*… there she is.

“hey steph, it’s kenz… joe gave me your info”

“oh hey kenz! how are you? joe told me what happened =[”

“yeah…. um i’m ok i guess. really sad… i miss kevin…. a lot”

“aw yeah… so what’s up?”

“i was thinking…. what are you doing for the next two weeks?”

“nothing… why?”

“how would you like to go to finishing school?”