Remind Me That We'll Always Have Each Other

I hurriedly answered my phone.

"Hello?"

"Kaydence?" I could hear her loud sobbing through the phone.

"Kirstin, what's wrong?!"

"It's - it's my parents! They're sending me away!"

"What? What are you talking about? Sending you where?" My questions all came out at once.

"They're sending me to live with my snotty aunt and uncle in Florida! I can't live there, Kaydence! I just can't!"

I could hear her breathing becoming shallow, and it was worrying me.

"Kirstin, just - just stay there okay? I'll be at your house in a minute!"

"Hurry! Please!"

"I will! Just hang tight!" I hung up and pulled the drawer of my stand open, throwing the contents in it around, looking for my envelope from the hospital.

The letter contained everything about Kirstin that I should know, including her house address, in case there was ever an emergency.

"THANK GOD!" I exclaimed as my eyes landed on the pale paper. I grabbed it, and reached for my phone once more.

"Kaydence! Baby wh-"

"JOHN! I need you to do me a favor!"

"Yeah, anything. What is it?"

"How fast can you drive?"

"Well that depeneds," I could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

"Well whatever it is, I need you to drive that fast to my house!"

"Why? Is something wrong?" His voice suddenly became full of concern.

"I need to get to Kirstin's house as fast as possible. Do you think you can take me there?"

"Yeah! I'll be there in five!"

"Thank you!" I hung up and grabbed the paper from my bed, and ran downstairs.

"Kaydence, what's wrong?" My mom asked, running up to me from the table.

"It's the girl from my therapy group. I need to go to her house."

Her face became alarmed, "Do you need me to take you?"

I shook my head, "No, it's fine. John's coming to take me there."

She nodded her head, "Well if there's anything she needs or something, don't hesitate to call me, okay sweetie?"

"I won't ma,"

A minute later I heard a car pull into our driveway, and I gave my mom a kiss on the cheek and yelled 'I LOVE YOU', before running out of the house.

"Hey,"

"Hey babe," I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

I could see a smile appear on his face, "So where does this chick live?"

I opened the folded paper and read the address, "325 Coral St."

"Coral street?"

"Yeah, that's what it says," I gave him the paper and his eyes widened.

"Is this chick rich?"

I shrugged, "I guess,"

He nodded his head and backed out of my driveway.

"What's wrong with her anyways?"

"I don't know. She called me crying, and I could barely understand what she was saying. Something about her parents sendind her away."

"Damn. That's tough,"

"I know. I just feel bad. I'm suppose to be her 'mentor',"

"You are her mentor, Kayde."

I snorted, "Some great job I'm doing, if her parents want to send her away."

That statement caused John to stop in the middle of the street.

"John! What the hell are you doing?! Are you crazy?!"

He looked at me, with serious written all over his face, "Listen to me Kaydence. You've done nothing but help this girl. Because of you, she's actually trying to get better in her program. You even told me yourself, that before you started talking to her, she was on the path to death. And look at you now, rushing to get to her house because she needs you. I 'd say that's a pretty damn good mentor, if you ask me."

He put his foot on the gas pedal and we started moving again.

I looked at him, "Thanks John,"

"You're welcome,"

The remainder of the car ride was silent. Partially because I didn't know what to say, and because I was thinking of what exactly to say to Kirstin. When we pulled to her house, I had to take a minute to get over how gigantic her house was.

"I'll be back," I told John.

He nodded his head and gave me a peck on the lips, "Just for goodluck,"

I laughed, "Thanks,"

I ran up to the door and rang the doorbell. It took three tries before someone came to open the door.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Kaydence, Kirstin's mentor from the hospital,"

"Oh, you're the Kaydence Kirstin keeps rambling on about,"

"Um, sure."

She widened the door, allowing me step inside, and I looked at her.

"Kirstin is up in her room. It's the third door on the right."

I nodded my head, "Thank you,"

"Mhm," She walked away.

I rolled my eyes and ran up the long, spiraling stairs. When I reached the top, I counted the doors mentally, and stopped when I got to three. I knocked gently on the door, and it opened.

"Kaydence!" Kirstin's pale, translucent face was covered in tears, as she wrapped her thin arms around me.

I wrapped my own around her, "Hey, it's okay Kirsty,"

She shook her head and sobbed into my shoulder. We stood like for a minute in her doorway, before she invited me completely into her room. I took a seat on her bed, while she shut the door. She turned around and looked at me, and I could literally feel my heart break.

"Do you feel like telling me what's going on?"

She sniffled and wiped away her tears, before taking a seat in her white rocking chair, "It all started when I came home this afternoon. They decided to surprise me, by picking me up for the night. Of course the stupid hospital staff wouldn't disagree with a wad of money being thrown in their face," she hugged her teddy bear to her, "When we came home things were good for about ten minutes, and then the arguments started. First it was about me and my problem. Then it was about my older sister who got hitched in Vegas. Then it came back to me, and my parents told me they couldn't deal with this anymore. That they're - they're sending me to Florida to live with my Aunt Edith and Uncle Roy in Florida."

The nerve of Kirstin's parents almost made me want to march right down the stairs, and give them a piece of my mind. But I know that it'd be wrong ; it wasn't the brightest idea in the world.

"Kirstin, listen to me, okay? You have done nothing wrong here. I think your parents problems go a lot deeper than you realize, and they decide to take their anger out on you. I've seen it happen before. You can't blame yourself for this, hun. It's not your fault,"

"Why do they have to do this to me, Kaydence?" She sniffled, "They're my parents! They're supposed to love and take care of me! They're supposed to be there when I need them! And they're not! They're never there! They couldn't give two fucks if I died!"

Her outburst startled me, and I wrapped my arms around her.

"Don't say that, Kirstin! I love you, and I've only known you for a few weeks. You're an amazing person, Kirsty. You've gone through so much, and you still mangae to be in one piece. If you died, a part of me would die too, because I'd blame myself. I feel like it's my duty to help you, and I'm not . . ."

She looked at me, "No! You have helped me, Kaydence! Because of you, I'm getting better! Because of you, I didn't make myself throw up dinner!"

I smiled weakly, feeling a huge rush of guilt flow through my body.

"And you've helped me too. Because of you, I want to be a better person."

She smiled, "Do you think - do you think you could talk to them for me? Please! I know they'd listen to you!"

I sighed, "I don't what I'd say, Kirstin."

"Tell them that I need to stay in this hospital! That I need you to keep being my mentor! That if they send me away, things will only get worse!"

I stood up and nodded my head, "I can try,"

She smiled, "Please do!"

I walked to her door, "Give me a minute, okay?"

She nodded her head and I walked downstairs. I never knew I could be this nervous talking to someone else's parents. I found her mom sitting in the dining room, sipping on her cup of tea.

"Mrs. Karwowski?"

She looked up at me, "Yes?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

She nodded her head and I took a seat at the table.

"Is this about Kirstin?"

I nodded my head.

She sighed, "I've tried everything with her. I don't know what to do anymore."

"Mrs. Karwowski, if you don't mind me saying, you can't send Kirstin away."

Her eyes narrowed at me, "Oh, why can't I?"

"Because," I gulped, "because she needs this hospital. She needs this program to help her get better, and this is coming from her, she needs me as her mentor."

She laughed, "And why on earth would she need a teenager helping her?'

Okay. Screw being nice.

"Because I've been there, Mrs. Karwowski. I've been the girl that Kirstin is right now. Lieing about my eating habits, making myself throw up, starving myself - I've been there. I was in the same hospital that Kirstin is in now, and I can see that they're helping her, the same way that they helped me. I wish that they had this program when I was a patient in there, because I tell you what, having someone who has been in that place, helping me, would've really helped me. And I know that Kirstin has been changing for the good. I can see some meat on her bones. I can see a light in her eyes, that wasn't there before. She's getting better, Mrs. Karwowski. She's doing it for you, and your husband."

For a minute, I swear I thought she was going to cry - right here at the table, but she didn't. She cleared her throat and nodded her head.

"I'll talk to her father about it,"

"That's all I'm asking. Thank you,"

She smiled, "No, thank you."

I smiled and stood up, "I love Kirstin, just as you and your husband love her. She's an amazing girl, and I know that she can beat this. She will beat this."

Her eyes glazed over, "I know she can too," her words came out in almost a whisper.

I walked away, feeling satisfied with myself. I looked up the stairs, and Kirstin's head peering from around the corner. I smiled and gave her a thumbs up. She mouthed a thank you, and I nodded my head. I walked out to John's car, and got inside.

"So, how'd things go?"

I smiled, "I think Kirstin's staying."