Promise Me This

Life has a funny way of moving on, even when people feel like they cannot. To Kate and Kendall’s dismay, this was the case. Kendall found himself in the recording booth, starting a third album for Big Time Rush. Every song seemed to bring Kate’s face to his mind. The only bright side to the pain was it was it made one hell of an album. His only relief was filming the newest season of the TV show.

Needless to say, the guys had forgiven him. The only time he felt the need to avoid them was Friday nights, when he hid in his room. He was the reason the all of the DVDs were stashed away, and no one could look at them. There was no movie night without Kate.

Life for Kate moved on at a rapid pace. Her junior year of college began, and with it came the assistant-teacher job preparing her for her student teaching job the following year and her career after that. Her days were split between class and a high school in the Valley, where she was known as Miss Williams, and helped out in sophomore English. Then there were the shifts at the diner. Her mind had little to no time to rest, which she was eternally grateful for.

“So, Miss Williams, how was class today?” Cole teased, walking into the diner. Kate stood behind the counter, wiping it clean idly, watching the few people inside. The dinner rush wouldn’t happen for another hour or so.

“Would you stop with that?” Kate snapped, glaring as he joined her.

“What’s your issue anyway?” Cole asked, grabbing another rag to help her out. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. I don’t know why I did.”

“It’s fine. I get it.”

“Oh? What do you know?”

“I know that you think you should be happy, because all of your dreams are finally within reach, you’re even working at the school now. However, you aren’t happy, because deep down, you know Kendall’s in all of your dreams for the future, even though you won’t admit it.” Kate’s gaped at the ginger haired boy for a few moments. He wore a smug smirk.

“You know what I’m thinking now? How much I hate wanna-be psychologists.”

“Not gonna lie, that hurt a little. But I’m not going to take it to heart, because I know you didn’t mean it.” Kate rolled her eyes, scrubbing a coffee stain against the speckled counter.

“Can we just talk about something else, please? Or better yet, you could go re-organize the stock room and leave me alone.”

“Fine, something else,” Cole said, holding his hands up defensively. “I bet you’re making all those teenage boys’ dreams come true, the whole hot schoolteacher thing.” Kate snapped him with her rag as he ran retreating to the storage room. She could still hear his laughter behind the metal door, and slammed her head against wall, staying there for a moment.

“You okay, dear?” Lacey asked, placing a hand on Kate’s back. Kate nodded, still staring at the peeling, striped wallpaper.

“Your son is a jerk. And a moron. And an idiot,” she rambled, her voice low. Lacey smiled, rubbing her back soothingly.

“I know, darling, I know. It’s something you learn eventually. All men are idiots.” Finally, Kate tore her golden eyes away, looking into Lacey’s warm brown ones. “You have to find the ones that are worth it, putting up with all the stupid stuff they do.”

Kate pulled the small blond woman in for a hug. Lacey had been like a surrogate mother to her the past year, and she never realized it. In reality, the whole Hemmingway family was whom she thought of when family was mentioned. She and Jesse had gone from orphans to part of this crazy, amazing family.

“Thank you, Lace. For everything,” Kate mumbled against the black fabric of her shirt. Lacey pulled away, holding Kate by the shoulders.

“You’re welcome. We’ll always be here for you. And as for my dork of a son, I’ll take care of it.” Lacey winked, then walked through the swinging doors to the kitchen.

Kate allowed herself to inhale deeply, then went to take orders from a young couple that had just walked in. She had to fake the smile plastered on her face. She couldn’t help it, seeing young couples in love brought everything rushing back to her. It was one of the few times her mind wandered back to a sandy-haired, green-eyed boy.

Her voice was strained as she cheerfully asked what they would like. Her brain put her into autopilot, allowing the rest of her body and mind to go numb. It was a defense mechanism she’d developed over the last few weeks. She found it much easier to fool herself and everyone else into believing she was moving on when she wasn’t feeling anything at all.

The hardest part was when she was alone. When people surrounded her, she had distractions. However, it was lying in bed at night when she missed him most. There was nothing to distract her from the photos she didn’t have the heart to throw away. Nothing was there to prevent all of the memories from rushing back: his face, his eyes, his smile, and his laugh, all of it.

She shook her head, bringing a tray of warm food back to the couple. They thanked her, and she gave a small smile before retreating. Her eyes darted desperately to the black circle clock that hung on the wall behind the countertop. She still had nearly an hour to go.

“Now, why is my baby brother hiding in the stock room?” Jay asked as she danced in from the back entrance, cocking an eyebrow at Kate. The numbness flushed away, but she didn’t mind. Jay and her ever-growing belly were two of the few things that made life seem bearable again. Kate walked over, giving the bulging stomach a loving pat before wrapping her arms around Jay.

“He was getting into my head and on my last nerve,” Kate complained, and Jay’s bell-like laughter filled the room.

“He’s been doing that to me since he figured out how to talk. I should’ve dropped him on his head a few more times,” Jay joked, and a faint ‘hey’ was heard from behind the metal door. This time, even Kate had to laugh.

“No objections here. So how was the doctors appointment?” Kate asked, remembering the reason Jay had missed the lunch rush. The blonde’s face lit up, and she dug through her purse, finally holding up the black and white photo triumphantly. Lacey and Dean had appeared behind them, anxious to see as well. Kate even saw Cole poked his head out from the storage room.

The little figure in the sonogram picture was much clearer than the last one, and Kate could make out tiny fingers. Lacey’s eyes welled with tears, and even Dean looked a bit misty-eyed. This baby was a miracle to all of them, and such a precious thing. As Jay traced out it’s little head, Kate watched in awe, but at the same time, her heart ached. Right in front of her face was an example that the world kept spinning, and life had moved on without her.