This One's For You

Kate awoke to a throbbing in her head. Rubbing her gold-green eyes, she blinked a few times to focus. The first thing she saw was the black, worn, metal pot on her dresser, with the paper cups and wrappers from James; she couldn’t help but laugh a little, remembering. As she looked around, she felt more and more thankful to have the guys. Everywhere she looked, she saw something left behind by them.

As she propped herself up on her elbows, she felt something next to it. She turned on one side, picking up the small, smiling lion. She cradled it close to her heart, then smiled; the turn had brought her face to face with the vase of flowers. She brought her face closer to smell them, and noticed a worn paperback book lying on the nightstand.

She picked it up carefully, turning it over in her hands. She recognized the title and author; it was Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. She’d never actually read the book, so she knew it wasn’t from her shelf. She flipped it open, and a small piece of paper fell out. The writing on it was slanted slightly and cramped, but still very legible.

Kate—I figured you might want a distraction. Plus, you said you wanted to teach English because of all of the great literature. This was by far the best book I read in high school, and I figured it would help you out down the road. –Kendall

Kate couldn’t help but smile, absentmindedly flipping through the worn, slightly yellowed pages. Certain pages were torn slightly, or dog-eared, but it was still in good condition. She had just started on the first page when there was a knock at her door, tearing her attention away.

“Come in,” she called, setting the book back on the scuffed mahogany beside her. Jesse’s familiar face appeared, and he stood with his arms crossed, grinning ever so slightly as he looked around her room. She sat up, crossing her legs, watching her brother.

“You win,” he said, and Kate watched him, confused. “Those guys really are nice. I’m glad you made friends with them…even if they are actor-singers.” He shook his head a bit, his mocha strands settling in all directions.

“Yeah?” Kate asked, voice teasing. He walked over to the pot, picking up the bouncy ball inside of it. He held it up, shooting her a confused glance. She just laughed, covering her face with one hand.

“I’m glad they could keep you company. How are you, anyway?” His thick eyebrows knitted together, and he searched her eyes and expression for any distress.

“I’m better. We made it through yesterday, and we’re living today. It’s all we can do, right? Just take this one day at a time?” She sounded much wiser than her young nineteen years, and Jesse couldn’t help but notice it.

“Sometimes, kiddo, I think you’re much smarter than me,” he whispered, and Kate shrugged her scrawny shoulders.

“So, how’d work go?” she asked, watching Jesse’s face curiously. He smiled at her, and she let out an excited squeal.

“Looks like everything’s all good, we managed to save a lot more than planned in the expansion,” Jesse said, shrugging a bit. Kate could see the glimmer in his eye, though, the way his goofy side smile and dimple appeared. It was the way he always looked when he was genuinely happy.

“That’s great. You know what? I’ll make you a celebratory breakfast,” she said, tossing her legs over the edge of the bed, toes grazing the rough tan carpet.

“You know what? How about I take us out to eat instead,” Jesse suggested, and Kate glared at him.

“You start a small fire once and you’re never allowed to cook again,” she grumbled, standing completely. “It wasn’t even a fire, really, just an itty-bitty flame.”

She purposefully bumped her shoulder against Jesse as she walked past on her way to the bathroom. He just laughed.

“Itty-bitty flame, huh? That’s why we needed to replace the wallpaper,” he teased, the sarcasm still hanging in the air as Kate turned on her heel and stuck her tongue out. She then proceeded into her bathroom, slamming the door.

“So, half an hour?”

“Yup!” With that, Jesse walked out to get himself ready. He was sitting on the couch, playing a game on his phone, when Kate bounced into the room, her flowing sundress waving with the movement. Jesse rolled his eyes, picked up his keys, and they set off.

“Where should we go, anyway?” he asked, starting the ignition. Kate pondered for moment, pulling her seat-belt on.

“There’s a really good little diner a couple blocks away. Let’s go there,” she decided. Ska music blasted from the speakers, and Kate couldn’t help but dance along in the passenger’s seat; Jesse sang along, slightly off-key. Kate couldn’t help but feel blessed to have her brother back in her life again. It was almost as he were still in high school, and she was in middle school. They’d go for drives, music blaring, for hours.

They slid into the vinyl booths, laughing and talking, as if the past year was just a dream. It was no use holding on so furiously to something neither could change. A waitress strolled up, her long blonde waves pulled up in a bun. She pulled the pen from behind her ear, giving them a bright smile. Kate noticed her brother freeze, staring into the waitresses huge cerulean eyes. She kicked him under the table, and he glared at her.

“Hi, I’m Jayna, I’ll be your waitress this morning. What can I get you?” she asked, her soprano voice matching her feminine appearance.

“Well, coffee would be good to start with,” Kate said, seeing as her older brother had lost all ability to speak. Jayna nodded, flashing another smile.

“I’ll be right back with that.” As she floated off, Kate turned to Jesse, a huge smirk on her face.

“What was that?” she asked, her voice on the brink of laughing.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jesse mumbled, looking at the laminated menu. Kate giggled, stacking some packs of jelly.

“Sure you don’t. That’s why your voice box all of a sudden stopped working,” she teased in her normal, sarcastic way.

“I plead the fifth,” Jesse said, knocking over Kate’s pyramid, just as Jayna reappeared, coffeepot in tow. She filled both white ceramic mugs, then pulled a notepad from her apron.
“So, what would you like?” she asked, turning to Kate.

“I’ll have the pancakes with strawberries, please,” she said, smiling sweetly at Jayna.

“What about you?” Jayna turned her attention to Jesse, whose eyes widened while the rest of his face froze. Kate chuckled quietly, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

“I’ll have the omelet with hash browns,” he stuttered out, giving her an awkward smile. Kate brought her mug to her lips to hide the expanding smile.

“Anything else?” Jayna looked between the two of them, who shook their heads. She picked up the menus before speaking again. “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes with your orders.”

As soon as she left, Kate burst with laughter. Jesse buried his head in his hands, muttering to himself. His face had turned the color of roses in bloom, a fact his sister hadn’t missed.

“You like her,” she taunted, poking him with her rolled up utensils.

“Do not,” he grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. Kate rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help herself.

“So, if your statement is true, then you’re blushing because…?” Jesse’s features turned bright red, but he never got a chance to answer. Jayna appeared with their plates. She carefully set them down, then smiled shyly at Jesse.

“Anything else?” she asked, her gaze flickering between the two.

“Nope. Thank you,” Kate said, and she turned to go. After a couple of steps, she glanced back at Jesse, then kept on. Kate giggled quietly to herself, but said nothing due to her brother’s scowl. Her phone beeped in her purse, and she searched for it, setting it on the table as she read the text.

Hope today is better than yesterday. If you get time, you should stop by set –Kendall.

Kate smiled as she read it, making patterns out of the syrup on her plate. It was Jesse’s turn to wiggle his eyebrows. Kate ignored him though, typing a quick response. She clicked lightly on the small buttons, her chipped fingernails moving quickly. She sent it, shoving a bite of food into her mouth.

Thanks. It is (: There’s a flaw in your plan though, I don’t know where ‘set’ is… --Kate

“Who was that? Blondie?” Jesse mocked, shoveling a forkful of eggs into his grinning mouth. Kate rolled her eyes, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face.

“It was Kendall. Just making sure I was doing okay,” she clarified, and Jesse just nodded, his seemingly ever-present smirk getting wider.

“I do like the kid,” he said, sipping at his coffee.

“He’s a great guy,” Kate agreed, taking another bite. Jesse pondered this, then looked at her oddly.

“Where does Xavier fall into all of this?” he asked curiously. Kate’s face went from smiling to annoyance to a small frown. It was odd she hadn’t realized it earlier. Than again, with everything going on, maybe not.

“He’s my boyfriend. Kendall knows that,” she stated firmly, then gnawed on her cheek for a moment before continuing. “Jesse…Xavier didn’t call me yesterday. He didn’t even text me.”

“That’s weird, even for him,” he muttered, then laughed when he caught Kate’s furious glare. “Admit it, he’s an odd one. Always talking about the future, never stopping to smell the flowers.”

“Whatever. But he knew what yesterday was. He knew how much I’ve been hurting. Why didn’t he call?” Kate’s voice reached a whisper, as if she were talking to herself more than Jesse.

“You guys really need to talk,” Jesse observed, and Kate shrugged, knowing he was right.

“You’re probably right. If I could get his full attention, that is.” She speared the last bite of pancake, placing it in her mouth. Jesse’s plate was already spotless. Jayna bounced back over, her smile as bright as ever.

“Is there anything else I can get you?” she asked pleasantly, her eyes flickering between the two.

“Nope. My brother and I are fine,” Kate said, and she saw Jayna’s blue eyes light up. She turned to Jesse, batting her eyelashes a bit.

“Well, have a good day than,” she said, and Kate saw Jesse’s icy eyes melt.

“I’ll meet you in the car Jesse,” she said quickly, spying over her shoulder as she left. By the time Jesse strolled out to the beat up Grand Am, he was smiling ear to ear. Kate couldn’t help but smile too; her brother deserved to be happy. They both did.

“Kate, thank you for taking me for a celebratory breakfast,” he said once they were rolling down the crowded streets.

“Any time, big brother. So, did you get her number?” she asked, a teasing tone in her voice.

“Yeah. We’re going out to dinner Friday.” Neither said anything, but both were smiling like crazy.

“Could you drop me off somewhere?” Kate asked, leaning back against the headrest as she let the sunlight bathe her face.

“Sure. Where?” Kate gave him the directions Kendall had texted her when Jesse was still in the diner. He raised an eyebrow curiously.

“Why do you always have to do that?” she asked, a groan escaping her lips. Jesse shrugged, smiling.

“I’m your big brother. It’s what I do.” It was quiet a bit before Jesse spoke again. “You should tell Xavier your friends are all male.”

“When he grows a pair and calls me, I will,” Kate snapped, becoming frustrated with Xavier all over again. He of all people knew about the accident, knew how alone Kate felt. And he didn’t have the decency to call her? His girlfriend?

“Boy, am I glad I’m not him,” Jesse chuckled, turning on to the right street. Kate ran her fingers through her hair, taking a deep breath. She wasn’t going to let this ruin her day, not after she’d already spent so much time unhappy.

“I think this is it,” she mumbled, pointing at a large building. Jesse pulled to the curb, watching as his sister got out.

“Hey, I’m heading into work. I might not be there when you get back,” he called through the open window, and she nodded.

“M’kay. Love you Jess,” she called, trying to smile.

“Love you too, kid.” He drove off, and Kate walked towards the stone building, suddenly feeling very small. She texted Kendall, who quickly appeared at the large, glass doors, smiling. With that smile, she felt alright again.