The Past is Only the Future with the Lights On
20 freakin' questions.
What? How could he not be a stranger? This is only my second day here, well, I guess third now. . .
"What?" I asked, looking back at the figure, watching as he stood up and walked towards me, leaning his arms on the railing of his porch.
"I said, 'I'm not a stranger.'" Now that he was closer, I could see his face better with the little light that shone on him from my porch, two facial piercing becoming evident.
"Oh. . . Frank, right?" I asked, even though I remembered that that was his name.
"Yeah, but I didn’t know you were Toni's granddaughter. She said her granddaughter’s name was Kelly," he said, sitting on the railing long enough to swing his legs over and reappear on my porch. Once again, swinging his legs over before sitting down next to me, the fact that my lower half was practically clothed becoming extremely alert to me.
"Yeah, that’s where the ’K’ kinda comes from in KC,[\u] I laughed.
"What about the C?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious as he turned his head to look at me.
"My middle name. . . Cadence" I answered.
"Oh. . . " he said, nodding in understanding. "Why don’t you go by Kelly?"
Why didn’t I go by Kelly? It’s not like I started telling people to call me KC.
"I don’t know. I guess because in forth grade, Monica just realized my initials made KC and started calling me that. And soon, everyone else was, too. But no one ever bothered to ask why I didn’t go by Kelly, so thanks," I smiled.
"No problem. I like Kelly more, anyways," he smiled as he leaned his back against the back of the swing as well.
"Me, too."
"Who’s Monica?" he asked suddenly. What was this? 20 freakin’ questions?
"No one," I shook my head. There was already a part of me becoming comfortable around Frank, but not enough to tell him about them yet.
"So. . . What brings you out at this time?" he asked, yet, another question.
I turned my head so I was looking at him, those hazel eyes already there, awaiting my answer.
"I could ask you the same thing," came my bold reply.
"Alright. . . I wasn’t tired and so I came out here so I wouldn’t be stuck in my smelly room until I finally did fall asleep," he said, as if he had answered that question a million times. "And you"
"Someone called me," I said simply, hoping he wouldn’t push the subject further. Oh how wrong I was.
"Who?"
"God you're nosey," I smiled.
"Not nosey, curious. There’s a difference."
"My dad." There, now stop asking questions.
After about fifteen seconds of silence, I thought he was done until. . .
"Can I ask you a question?"
I laughed at the seriousness in his voice. "Isn’t that what you’ve been doing this whole time?"
He just grinned, showing me those pearly whites as he waited for an answer to escape my lips.
"Shoot," I sighed, placing my hands in my lap when something shiny caught my attention. On my right wrist was a silver chain, along with many other bracelets I wore on a daily basis that covered my wrists, filled with charms; each one being from either my dad, Brandon, or Monica.
"Why did you get in that fight with Kendra?" he asked apprehensively. "That is the reason you’re here, I’m guessing."
An odd smile formed on my lips as I felt my eyes prickle with tears. I blinked a couple times before the dampness left and started unlatching the hooks to the many charms, dropping each of them on the ground, one by one, until it was cleared, leaving an empty looking chain.
"Kelly?" I looked up from the pile of charms lying on the ground, only to become lost in those different shades of browns and yellows. God, why was this guy having this affect on me?
"I was having an off day." Abruptly rising to my feet, I walked back inside my house, still trying to be as quiet as possible, leaving a dumbfounded Frank on my porch.
"KC? You can’t stay in bed all day. You’ve got school today! Oh joy to learning!" my grandma’s voice filled my ears as I felt the sheets covering me being pulled off.
A groan escaped my lips as I slowly opened my eyes, barely able to see anything. I blinked my eyes a couple times so my vision would come back, my first sight being that of my grandmother’s grinning face.
"Come on, Kace. Up," she stated, walking towards my door.
"Grandma?" I said with my slightly hoarse voice, not bothering to clear my throat to rid of it as I continued talking and she turned around to face me, the cheerful smile still on her lips.
"Call me Kelly?" I asked softly.
"Sure thing, doll," she nodded, continuing on her way.
I swung my legs over the edge of my bed, doing a cat-like stretch and yawning before rising to my feet, the events of last night attacking me all at once.
I probably could have been more particular with my word choice before storming off like I had. Or even giving a reason to why I had stormed off to Frank. I have no idea what came over me. Perhaps that was just Kelly being herself.
I walked to my closet, realizing I had fallen asleep with my sweater and shoes still on as my feet made a clonking noise on the wood flooring of my bedroom floor.
"What?" I asked, looking back at the figure, watching as he stood up and walked towards me, leaning his arms on the railing of his porch.
"I said, 'I'm not a stranger.'" Now that he was closer, I could see his face better with the little light that shone on him from my porch, two facial piercing becoming evident.
"Oh. . . Frank, right?" I asked, even though I remembered that that was his name.
"Yeah, but I didn’t know you were Toni's granddaughter. She said her granddaughter’s name was Kelly," he said, sitting on the railing long enough to swing his legs over and reappear on my porch. Once again, swinging his legs over before sitting down next to me, the fact that my lower half was practically clothed becoming extremely alert to me.
"Yeah, that’s where the ’K’ kinda comes from in KC,[\u] I laughed.
"What about the C?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious as he turned his head to look at me.
"My middle name. . . Cadence" I answered.
"Oh. . . " he said, nodding in understanding. "Why don’t you go by Kelly?"
Why didn’t I go by Kelly? It’s not like I started telling people to call me KC.
"I don’t know. I guess because in forth grade, Monica just realized my initials made KC and started calling me that. And soon, everyone else was, too. But no one ever bothered to ask why I didn’t go by Kelly, so thanks," I smiled.
"No problem. I like Kelly more, anyways," he smiled as he leaned his back against the back of the swing as well.
"Me, too."
"Who’s Monica?" he asked suddenly. What was this? 20 freakin’ questions?
"No one," I shook my head. There was already a part of me becoming comfortable around Frank, but not enough to tell him about them yet.
"So. . . What brings you out at this time?" he asked, yet, another question.
I turned my head so I was looking at him, those hazel eyes already there, awaiting my answer.
"I could ask you the same thing," came my bold reply.
"Alright. . . I wasn’t tired and so I came out here so I wouldn’t be stuck in my smelly room until I finally did fall asleep," he said, as if he had answered that question a million times. "And you"
"Someone called me," I said simply, hoping he wouldn’t push the subject further. Oh how wrong I was.
"Who?"
"God you're nosey," I smiled.
"Not nosey, curious. There’s a difference."
"My dad." There, now stop asking questions.
After about fifteen seconds of silence, I thought he was done until. . .
"Can I ask you a question?"
I laughed at the seriousness in his voice. "Isn’t that what you’ve been doing this whole time?"
He just grinned, showing me those pearly whites as he waited for an answer to escape my lips.
"Shoot," I sighed, placing my hands in my lap when something shiny caught my attention. On my right wrist was a silver chain, along with many other bracelets I wore on a daily basis that covered my wrists, filled with charms; each one being from either my dad, Brandon, or Monica.
"Why did you get in that fight with Kendra?" he asked apprehensively. "That is the reason you’re here, I’m guessing."
An odd smile formed on my lips as I felt my eyes prickle with tears. I blinked a couple times before the dampness left and started unlatching the hooks to the many charms, dropping each of them on the ground, one by one, until it was cleared, leaving an empty looking chain.
"Kelly?" I looked up from the pile of charms lying on the ground, only to become lost in those different shades of browns and yellows. God, why was this guy having this affect on me?
"I was having an off day." Abruptly rising to my feet, I walked back inside my house, still trying to be as quiet as possible, leaving a dumbfounded Frank on my porch.
"KC? You can’t stay in bed all day. You’ve got school today! Oh joy to learning!" my grandma’s voice filled my ears as I felt the sheets covering me being pulled off.
A groan escaped my lips as I slowly opened my eyes, barely able to see anything. I blinked my eyes a couple times so my vision would come back, my first sight being that of my grandmother’s grinning face.
"Come on, Kace. Up," she stated, walking towards my door.
"Grandma?" I said with my slightly hoarse voice, not bothering to clear my throat to rid of it as I continued talking and she turned around to face me, the cheerful smile still on her lips.
"Call me Kelly?" I asked softly.
"Sure thing, doll," she nodded, continuing on her way.
I swung my legs over the edge of my bed, doing a cat-like stretch and yawning before rising to my feet, the events of last night attacking me all at once.
I probably could have been more particular with my word choice before storming off like I had. Or even giving a reason to why I had stormed off to Frank. I have no idea what came over me. Perhaps that was just Kelly being herself.
I walked to my closet, realizing I had fallen asleep with my sweater and shoes still on as my feet made a clonking noise on the wood flooring of my bedroom floor.