I Love You Just the Way You Are (Book 1- Rock Canyon Series)

Chapter 33 - Maddie

Chapter 33 – Maddie

I flung myself down on our living room couch with a sigh. It was finally Friday afternoon. No more longing looks from Kellan in the hallway until Monday. It was exhausting trying to avoid the kid. He was everywhere at once. I still hadn't figured out what I wanted or even if I could forgive him. I needed space and school obviously wasn't the place for that.

I went to grab my skateboard, but dad poked his head out of his office. "Hey, sit tight for a little while, we've got dinner plans."

My groan was award-winning, my stomping up the stairs middle-class heroic as usual. But, ugh, it figures! I'm supposed to fixate on my mental health and stay balanced. I stay in all week crying like a little punk and then finally I'm in Skate Park go-mode and I have to go to dinner with my family?

I fired up my Super Nintendo, playing yet another Jets of Time Chrono Trigger seed. It must have been at least my twentieth of the week. It took me away from the pain for a little while, helping me almost forget about Kellan.

After about an hour, I kept hearing weird noises outside my door. At first, I thought it was Charlotte going to the bathroom, but I kept hearing soft creaks like someone was walking back and forth. I paused the game and crept over to the door to check it out.

Was there a pattern? It paused, resumed, then paused. Nothing for like 10 seconds. I swung the door open and found a lot more than nothing.

Shrieking and jumping back into my room, my finger flew up at Kellan's face. He took a step back, hands up, eyes wider than I'd ever seen them.

"I was going to knock... I just..."

"What are you doing here!?" I yelped, still in shock.

Charlotte's door opened with a loud woosh and suddenly she was next to Kellan, hand over her mouth. Shock quickly gave way to boiling rage as his greedy eyes darted behind me, examining my room.

Like you haven't already seen enough of it on stream!

I closed the gap between us and slammed the door. Kellan went primary red instantly.

"Can I come in and talk to you alone?" His eyes pleaded, not quite able to hold mine, as his shaking hand tried to hand me two black roses. I accepted them and feigned shock when they fell the floor, and were smushed by my unicorn socks. Two roses, even if they were black, were not going to cut it. Not even close.

"No. Say whatever it is you wanted to say and then get out. I don't have anything to say to you. You lied to me. I knew you were going to break my heart from the start. I should have listened to myself." I made a pointed face at Charlotte that she didn't deserve before glaring at Kellan from under my eyelids.

Kellan put his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight to the side. I wasn't used to seeing him so out of place.

"So, I saw my letter sitting on your desk unopened. I guess you have no idea why I'm here or what I've planned for us, do you?"

"Yep. Didn't read it. Didn't want to. Don't care what you've planned. You've got one more minute before I drag you out by your ear and slam the door in your face."

He started to get angry under the surface, those honey-browns flaring up like a furnace on a clear night. Good. I didn't like this insecure version of Kellan. If he had any chance he needed to be stronger than this.

He lowered his brow and bore his eyes into mine. "Fine, we'll do this in front of an audience, if that's what you want. Yes, I lied to you. And worse, I'll name it–I didn't tell you I knew about Twitch. I watched and pretended to be somebody I wasn't. And it was absolutely wrong. And I'm owning it.