by J. Bengtsson
Jake laughed. “Come here.”
We hugged. The light mood I was feeling instantly changed the minute his arms wrapped around me. Tears rose up in my eyes once more. This emotional shit really sucked.
“You’re wrong, you know,” I sniffled.
“About what?”
“About being a hero. You saved my life, whether you want to admit it or not.”
After my parents returned, I went back to the apartment. I desperately needed a shower and some protein. I’d been snacking on cookies from the nurse’s station all day and had one hell of a sugar headache. Alone for the first time since getting the text that changed my life, I sank down onto the sofa and zoned out. Mentally, I was just so exhausted. I dropped my head into my hands and shook with relief and happiness and redemption. It had been a long ten years.
When I’d finally cleared my head, I picked up the phone. There was only one person I wanted to call. I keyed in her number.
“Hello?”
Emotion overwhelmed me again at the sound of her voice. I struggled to get the words out.
“Kyle?” Her voice immediately turned to panic. “Kyle, please tell me you’re okay?”
“Kenzie… he woke up.”
Kenzie: Epilogue
“Can you tell me what these are, exactly? They look like tiny pitchforks,” Kyle asked, holding up a few two-pronged skewers. Then, like a kid playing with swords, he actually made swishing and stabbing motions with them.
“They’re for roasting marshmallows,” I called out, as I continued packing every item I could fit in the plastic container.
“Oh.” Kyle studied the skewers, turning them over and over as if his brain just couldn’t comprehend the gadgets’ very useful function.
“Put them back,” I demanded, but I didn’t wait for him to comply before ripping them out of his hands and shoving them back in the container. “I don’t want to forget them.”
“Right, because we can’t possibly use a stick to toast a marshmallow.”
“Are you going to help me or are you just going to pull things out of my already packed container?”
“We’re going camping, Kenzie. What more do you need other than a tent, a sleeping bag, and yours truly?”
He held his arms out for me to admire his wonderfulness. And although I wasn’t immune to his bigheaded charms, I had too much left to pack to argue the point with him.
“Look, why don’t you go make yourself useful by rewrapping the sleeping bags or something? I need to get this done.”
“Fine,” he huffed. From the corner of my eye I watched him walk over to the sleeping bags, nudge them with his shoe, and then untie them and actually rewrap the damn things. I was being facetious with him, but he didn’t always pick up on the subtleties. I had to keep from bursting out in laughter. Sometimes I didn’t know about that guy, but damned if it wasn’t what I loved about him.
The beeping of the horn sent me into a frenzy of activity. I shoved the last of the items in, grabbed the meat from the freezer, and packed it in the cooler. I heard Kyle at the door, and then voices flooded the living room. Excitement fluttered through me. We’d been looking forward to this trip for months. I rounded the corner to find Jake and Casey, both dressed for a frickin’ blizzard, side-stepping the boxes littering the living room.
“Sorry,” I said as I hugged Jake in his big, bulky jacket. “He moved in two months ago and I’m still trying to get Kyle to unpack his crap, but no one can delay like your brother.”
“Don’t I know.” He smiled at me, his eyes flickering in amusement. I had long ago gotten over the awe of being in the same room as a superstar. Over the past few months, he and Casey had become a part of my little world, and I’d grown to love them like family. Sometimes I marveled at my life now. Last year, I’d been bored and lonely, dreaming of adventure and hoping for a new start. When I sent that video of myself into the show, little did I know how much my life would change. I couldn’t remember ever feeling so happy and content.
“You know you love my messy ways,” Kyle said, grabbing me as I walked by and slapping my ass. He always enjoyed putting on a show for his brother.
“Oh, yeah? You want it? Let’s go then, Stud.” I teased, turning to the others. “You two don’t mind waiting, do you?”
“Yeah. I mean, I don’t mind waiting one minute thirty seconds. What about you, Casey?”
“You think it’ll take that long?” she replied.
“I hate you both.” Kyle grinned as he set me free.
“Hey, Kenzie. I say you give Kyle a timetable, and if he hasn’t unpacked by then, call Goodwill,” Casey offered helpfully, as she rummaged through one of the open boxes.
“Dammit, Jake,” Kyle blasted. “How many times do I have to ask you to control your fiancée? I’m getting tired of her trying to corrupt my girlfriend.”
Jake threw his hands up in the air, and we all laughed. He had no more chance of controlling Casey than Kyle did with me. They were both whipped, and they knew it.
“Hey sister,” Casey said, stepping over one of Kyle’s tattered video chairs to give me a hug. “This should be the first to go,” she whispered.
I nodded in agreement. “So what’s with the Eskimo outfits?”
“You said it was cold in Northern California.”
“Cold, not Arctic.”
“Oh, oops,” Casey giggled, and I joined in. She had been my first girlfriend after moving to Southern California. Because Kyle and Jake were so close, Casey and I ended up spending a lot of time together and found that we had many similar interests. It wasn’t unusual for the two of us to plan excursions together without the boys. And since Kyle had moved in with me, getting some quality girl time to bitch about his annoying habits was just what I needed.
Yes, he could be maddening at times, but I was head over heels for this guy and considered myself very lucky to have found my way back into his life. Even though Kyle and I hadn’t become a couple when I left him in December, my plans to move to Southern California never wavered. With some of my windfall, I found a little apartment off the main strip in Venice Beach and got a job at a party rental place. With my fifteen minutes of fame working in my favor, I even got paid to make appearances at Hollywood parties and dance clubs, and I collected occasional checks for social media endorsements as well. Those paychecks more than doubled when Kyle and I started showing up together.
After we separated back in December, I’d kept in touch with Kyle, and we talked regularly after Jake woke up. And when I moved into my apartment, he and his older brother Keith were there to help me carry in the furniture and unpack. They were also there to eat all the groceries I’d stocked in my fridge and drink the entire case of 36 beers I’d bought for the housewarming.
After getting settled in, Kyle began calling me to hang out. Since Jake wasn’t working much, neither was he, so Kyle had a lot of time on his hands. We kept it totally platonic at first, but soon he was dropping by unannounced, and it didn’t take long until we were having sex in all two rooms of my tiny apartment. From there our relationship progressed to the point where he would no longer leave, even when I asked him to. Things of his started appearing in my apartment. I’m not even sure how it happened, but three months after I moved in, Kyle had become a permanent fixture on my couch. It just seemed natural to take the next step and ask him to move in. Yet when I formally invited him, the doofus just stared back at me with a blank face and said, ‘Oh, I thought I already had.’
“So what are we bringing?” Jake questioned me. “Kyle and I can start packing the truck.”
“Oh, I’m glad you asked. So, see everything in the apartment?” Kyle answered dramatically, sweeping his arms in giant circles. “Yeah, it’s all going.”
I rolled my eyes over Kyle in amusement, and then, ignoring his over dramatization of my organization skills, addressed Jake personally: “Just the containers and coolers on the kitchen floor and then all the stuff against the wall.”
“Ju
st promise me you won’t forget the tiny pitchforks, Kenzie,” Kyle begged, hands pressed together in prayer.
“Don’t you worry. They’re all packed up. And I’ll be expecting an apology when you are stuffing your face with s’mores tonight.”
“Never,” he declared bravely.
I smiled knowingly. I’d be getting my apology, or he wouldn’t be getting what he was hoping for in the tent tonight.
Speaking of tents, on our way out of town, the boys needed to stop at their parents’ house to pick them up. As we pulled through the fence, I felt nerves fluttering in my stomach. Sometimes I still had to pinch myself that I was living this life: hot boyfriend, sun-kissed days on the beach, mansions of the rich and famous. If it weren’t for my job keeping me grounded, I’d think I was in another universe at times.
Casey and I had talked a lot about handling the pressures of being part of the McKallister family. There were dynamics in play that neither of us were privy to, and I suspected that this family had many surprises in store for us. Often I looked to Casey for my cues. Although she had come into this life only a few months before me, I wondered if Jake had been more open with her about his childhood than Kyle had been with me. I pondered if that was because he’d been conditioned to keep quiet to protect Jake’s privacy, and safeguarding his family from scrutiny had just become his way of life.
We followed the guys into the house and were instantly met by Michelle, who lavished attention on all four of us. I hugged Michelle politely and watched the fun and vibrant Casey chat her up something fierce. Clearly she was loved by the family and just blended in effortlessly. I wondered if I’d ever possess that ease.
“I’m ready.” Quinn appeared in boxers and nothing else. His hair was wild from sleep, as if he’d just rolled out of bed to greet us.
“I can see that,” Kyle grinned, taking in his little brother’s scantily clad body. “What exactly are you ready for?”
“I’m coming with you. I’ll hang out with your sister,” he said, flicking his head in my direction. “While you guys go camping.”
“You and Caroline are still friends?” I asked in surprise.
“Yeah. We’ve had a Snapchat streak going for ninety-three days,” Quinn said, looking quite impressed with himself.
“Wow, a ninety-three day Snapchat streak, huh,” Jake said, nodding. “Sounds serious.”
“What happened to your girlfriend?” I asked, my motherly instincts kicking in, as I felt a need to protect my little sister from this half-naked teenage player.
“It’s over. She cheated on me with the quarterback.”
Michelle turned away from her youngest son and mouthed, “Thank god.”
“Well, you know,” Kyle replied, “you can never trust a sixteen-year-old with a belly button ring.”
“Nope, it’s a scientific fact,” Casey pitched in.
“Sorry, Quinn,” Jake said. “But Kenzie and Casey did the packing, so we don’t have any room, unless you want to be strapped to the roof.”
“That’s what I figured,” Quinn shrugged. “I can’t go anyway. My band has that gig at the fair this weekend. I was just going to see what you said. And, of course, I wasn’t invited.”
“Geez, am I detecting some poor self esteem? Mom, maybe Quinn needs some therapy,” Kyle stated. He and Michelle exchanged a look, and I got the impression she wasn’t pleased with his comment. It was times like this that I understood there was a lot more to this family than met the eye.
Jake jumped in to change the subject by addressing Quinn, asking, “You’re not playing all cover songs, are you?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“Not just any cover songs. I’m going to bet they’re all your songs,” Kyle said to Jake.
“Shut up, Kyle!” Quinn exclaimed.
“Dude,” Jake shook his head. “If you want to be taken seriously, you need to play your own stuff.”
“Well, funny you mention that, because I have a brother who is this world-renowned singer-songwriter, and he’s been promising me for months to help polish up the songs I’ve written, but he keeps flaking.”
“Oh, wait,” Jake smirked. “Is he talking about me?”
Casey smacked him and said to Quinn, “I promise I’ll make him find a free day as soon as we get back.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Where does this go?” Jake asked, holding up a floppy tent pole. “I think it’s broken.”
“That’s the piece that makes the roof, dumbass,” Kyle insulted.
“If the roof is three feet tall, dickhead!” Jake spat back.
Casey and I exchanged a look. These boys had no clue what they were doing.
“It’s possible we’ll be sleeping in the truck tonight,” she whispered.
“Honestly, I had higher hopes for Kyle. He survived over a month camping with no provisions, and just look at him. I mean, I’m embarrassed for him.”
“I don’t blame you,” Casey shook her head. “Jake I can understand. His idea of camping is a Motel 6 with spotty cable, but Kyle… no, just no excuse.”
We both snickered at our superiority. It had taken nine hours of driving to get to the campground, and if the guys didn’t get their act together soon, the sun was going to go down, making tent building a hell of a lot more difficult.
“Watch this,” Casey said, blocking her voice with her hand so only I could hear. “I love messing with him.” Then she called out, “Jake, I think you put that thingy into the other thingy.”
Jake reached down and picked up another pole, looking totally confused. “Can you be more specific? What thingy are you talking about?”
“That one. No not that thingy, Jake. The other thingy,” Casey said, then turned to me with a wicked smile on her face and said, “I can do this all day.”
“You’re terrible,” I giggled.
“Being an awesome woman just has so many advantages,” Casey teased.
And she was right. There really was no female I enjoyed hanging out with more than her. I loved the way she kept things light and fun. From what Kyle had related to me, she’d changed Jake for the better, and I could see how. For all the hardships he’d suffered in life, Casey was definitely his shiny, beautiful reward.
Once all the ‘thingys’ had found their proper places, we were the proud owners of two very shoddy looking tents. Then came the interior decorating phase of the operation. Jake and Casey went all in and decked out their tent like it was an episode of Pimp My Digs. Jake had bought two very comfy looking queen-size self-inflating air mattresses with triple layers of awesomeness. The damn things even had inflatable headboards attached. I was happily filling ours with air when Kyle pulled me aside.
“I want us to have the full experience,” he’d said. “We’re tough, Kenzie. Let’s just live off the land… like old times.”
Although my preference would have been to use the fancy schmancy mattresses bought by a multi-millionaire, no doubt of excellent quality, I also wanted to make Kyle happy, so I followed his lead. As the others lavishly decorated their home away from home, Kyle and I went the no frills route. It took us no time at all to adorn our tent with two sleeping bags, two pillows, and a pair of flashlights. Because our setup was so quick, we treated ourselves to a beer while we waited for Jake and Casey to finish embellishing their architectural masterpiece.
Kyle and I watched them go back and forth to the truck like it was some sporting event. A battery-powered light, heater, and fan as well as a side table, rug, sheets, pillows, and plush looking blankets.
“What the hell are they doing?” Kyle asked.
“I don’t know. Is all that stuff going to fit?” I whispered back.
“God, they’re such amateurs,” he said and we both laughed with the haughty air of undisputed supremacy.
When they finally joined us, the two looked exhausted by their efforts.
“You sure you got everything?” I teased. “I think you forgot the kitchen sink.”
“We are, baby,” he answered back.
After dinner, Jake and Kyle brought out their guitars, and we sat around the fire chatting and listening to them play. I’d been awestruck the first time I heard Kyle on the guitar. Although he’d told me that he sucked, it became perfectly clear that he’d grossly underestimated his talent. Not only was he incredibly skilled at the guitar but Kyle also had a beautiful voice. He was reluctant to share it with me at first, but once he understood how much I loved hearing him sing, he let his guard down.
Casey and I finagled ourselves a little mini concert, throwing out requests of songs we wanted to hear. I was impressed to discover Jake knew the words to just about every song we pitched to him. Of course, Casey couldn’t help but mess with Jake and conspired with me to request the saddest songs possible for him to sing. After playing Cat’s in the Cradle, Tears in Heaven, and Without You, he finally caught on to our little game and refused to play any more of our choices.
It was after ten o’clock and the guys were still quietly strumming their guitars when the light beam of a flashlight made its way into camp.
“Folks, just reminding you it’s quiet hour now,” the ranger said.
“Okay, thanks, man. We’ll be quiet,” Jake replied.
“You all sound pretty good. I play a little guitar myself.”
“Oh, yeah? That’s cool?”
The ranger puffed out his chest and boasted, “I’m actually quite good. Play in a popular band and everything.”
“Is that right?” Jake sat up straighter, his interest piqued. “What kind of music?”
“Rock, folk, country, even throw in a little rap now and then.”
“Wow, I’m impressed. That’s a lot of genres to master,” Jake replied, and to his credit, kept a totally straight face. The fact that the ranger didn’t know he was talking to an actual ‘popular’ musician had me assuming it was too dark out or that he’d been living his life under a rock. With this particular dude, either option seemed possible.
