Chapter 11
eleven
Thea
September turns to October, and Northport comes alive with fall colors.
If I thought this place was picturesque before, it really is something else with the hints of reds, oranges, and yellows adorning the trees in the streets and on campus.
The semester is in full swing, and I’m really enjoying my classes.
There’s a good group of students in my nutrition class and we all get along well, which is a relief.
Well, apart from Marty Edwards who sometimes makes a leery comment or two, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.
We all know a guy like him. The type who thinks he’s the super-popular jock with people falling at his feet, or the funny guy with the one-liners everyone laughs at.
In reality, he’s the guy who tries too hard to be the class clown and the laughs are probably out of sympathy.
I feel for him. The funny, cocky exterior might be a guise for something more serious going on in his private life so I’m patient with him.
You never know if it might be a cry for help.
And there I go with the pseudo psych analysis.
What is it with me trying to figure out the inner workings of complicated boys?
Speaking of which, after his text exchange with me a few weeks ago, yet again, Kyler Rose has become a ghost. Either that, or he’s simply ghosting me.
I’ve long stopped trying to figure him out.
I’ve had to, because it was consuming me day in and day out, and it was driving me crazy.
The last thing I need is to become obsessed with someone who clearly wants to be left alone.
Jude assures me it’s not me, it’s Kyler who has the issue, and once again said he’s got some things going on in his personal life which are taking up a lot of his time and keeping him away from the house.
I get it. We all have things in our personal life that consume us from time to time, but what’s his excuse for trying to avoid me at school?
He may think he’s stealthy enough to jump behind a tree when he sees me, but I still see him lurking in the shadows.
If that’s the way he wants to play it, then so be it. He’s a distraction I do not need.
As is tradition at this time of year, Halloween parties are at the forefront of everyone’s mind and it’s no different back at the house.
Apparently, it’s our turn to hold the party at our place, as Mikko, Brad, Saul, and Mike had it at theirs last year.
It makes sense we take it in turns as we live on the same street, and at least this means we can be in control of drinks and snacks.
Thankfully, it’s not going to be too wild—my roommates are not the type to say it’s open invite—and the guest list includes the hockey team, my classmates, and some other friends of the boys.
Millie also has her own set of invites since she’s here most of the time and is an honorary roomie.
In all honesty, she might as well move in and take the seemingly vacant room on the second floor, but I guess evicting someone on the basis they are never at home is grounds for being sued.
“So, we need a theme for this year, any thoughts?” Jude asks as we have an impromptu house meeting around the breakfast bar.
“Doctors and nurses?” Nolan immediately suggests, causing groans and a unanimous shout of “veto” from the rest of us.
“I literally don’t understand why this suggestion gets shut down every year,” he complains.
“Because, moron, the sexy nurse thing is so last decade. Plus, you only suggest it so you can see the girls in their tight skimpy outfits while all you guys can get away with wearing a lame shirt and tie and borrow a white coat from a med student.” Millie’s reply comes with a hint of a bite, and I can’t say I blame her; she has a point.
“All right, Mills, don’t get your panties all in a twist,” Nolan teases her.
“You wish I got my panties in a twist over something you said, Noles. Keep trying, sweetie.”
I’ve quickly come to realize this kind of back and forth between Millie and Nolan is usual with them and is a combination of acerbic wit and flirty banter. Neither of them gets offended by the little digs though, so we just tend to let them get on with it.
“Any other suggestions?” Jude patiently continues.
“How about heroes and villains?” Devon offers. “I know it’s been done before, but with the recent onslaught of comic book films being released, at least it’ll be on trend. Which means, there’s bound to be more to choose from costume wise.”
“I’m happy with that,” I agree. “In fact, I’m sure I saw some costumes in the mall the other day, which we can pick up for us. Assuming you’re all happy for us to choose for you?”
“Yes please. You’d be saving us a whole heap of time,” Jude says. “Especially since we’ve got a couple of games coming up, so it’ll be cutting it tight for us to try and get something.”
“No problem. Leave it with us.”
“No screwing us over though, Thea. And especially you, Mills,” Nolan warns us. Millie gives him a wink in response.
“You can trust us, honey,” she tells him, and we grab our purses and leave the house.
* * *
It turns out the costume shop has a ton of costumes for our theme and so we’re a little spoiled for choice on what to get.
It’s proof that it pays to be organized and I’m thankful we’re not scrambling for last minute costumes and having to settle for whatever dregs are left.
Millie settles for an all-in-one black catsuit together with cat ears and tail on the basis she’s going as Catwoman.
I opt for a cute Wonder Woman outfit which comes with truth rope and cuffs.
As for the boys, the choice was fairly easy.
We picked a Joker outfit for Jude, Captain America for Devon, and Thor for Nolan.
Millie had great pleasure in picking Nolan’s out for him, saying the long-haired wig and knee-high boots will suit him.
I’m not entirely sure he’d agree, but knowing Nolan, he’ll take the challenge and rock the heck out of it.
“Sooo, without wanting to talk about the elephant—or elephants—in the room, but are we getting costumes for the broody one and the boyfriend?” Millie asks.
I raise my eyebrows at her before responding. “Kyler, your guess is as good as mine. Adam, no. Apparently, he has to work all weekend so can’t drive up.”
The truth is, I’ve not seen Adam since the housewarming party.
Sure, we’ve spoken on the phone and FaceTimed, but it’s not the same as seeing him face to face.
It’s not as if I can drive to see him, seeing as I don’t have my own car.
I feel funny about asking one of the boys if I can borrow theirs, especially as they are so busy all the time and need to transport their huge amount of hockey gear everywhere.
Besides, it’s not as if I haven’t asked Adam to come and visit.
I have, many times. But each time, I always get an “I’m not sure” or an “I’ve got to finish a project this weekend” and I’m left with a non-committal maybe and a last-minute cancellation.
I’m not sure when things started to change between us, but it’s obvious they have.
We’re not the same Thea and Adam we were in Silver Lake and the thought saddens me.
“Uh-oh, is there trouble in paradise?” Millie continues.
“He’s just busy. His dad made him head of his own team and they’re working on this huge project.
There’s some kind of town council meeting taking place in a few weeks and Adam has to prepare the whole thing.
Hopefully when it’s done, he’ll have more time.
Besides, I’m going home at Thanksgiving, so I’ll be able to spend some time with him then. ”
“And Mr. Broody? What about him?”
“What about him?” I say and as soon as I’ve said it, I realize it comes out a bit snappy.
Millie doesn’t take the bait and continues. “Do we need to get a costume for him, too?”
“I doubt it. He probably doesn’t even realize we’re having a party, since he’s never at home. I don’t know, Mills, my time thinking about Kyler Rose is over. He can do his own thing, which is fine by me.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“What? Yes, of course I am. I’m fine with it,” I quickly tell her.
“Sure, okay. You keep telling yourself that Ross,” she says, referring to the episode of Friends we watched the other night where Ross insists he’s fine with Rachel and Joey dating when he clearly isn’t.
“In the meantime, I’ll just be here, waiting to hear what you truly want to say about Kyler Rose. ”
“There’s honestly nothing to say. He’s never at home, I don’t see him much on campus. He’s a ghost who ghosts people. So, fine. One less mouth to feed and worry about.”
Except it’s not, because I still make enough food for him and plate up a portion every night, even though the majority of the time the plate goes untouched, and the food goes to waste.
I don’t say anything further for fear of saying too much and giving Millie the wrong idea.
We wait for the shop assistant to bag all our costumes and hand them over to us after we’ve paid.
Once finished, we buy a few decorations for the house, and some plastic bowls for the candy we’ll have for trick or treaters.
The guys are in charge of buying those, and no doubt they’ll have gone to town in Walmart buying the special Halloween bags they always have on sale.
We decide to have some lunch at the mall before going back to the house to start decorating.
Sitting down in the restaurant area, Millie opts for a burger and fries, and I have a wrap and a salad.
I’m just about to take a sip of my soda when Millie gasps and drops a handful of fries back onto her plate.
“Holy shit-on-a-stick!” she exclaims.
“What?” I say, looking around, wondering what on earth she’s seen.
“Don’t look now, but Kyler is over there and he’s not alone.”
I discreetly look over my shoulder to where Millie is indicating.
She’s right, Kyler is standing outside a toy store, near to where we are sitting, and he’s definitely not by himself.
Sitting on his shoulders is a little girl, maybe about three or four-years-old in age, wearing jeans, a cute little T-shirt, and blue sneakers.
But this isn’t what shocks me the most. What shocks me is the fact this little girl, laughing away without a care in the world, is the spitting image of the man whose shoulders she is sitting on.
Right down to the color of her long dark hair, which is haphazardly tied up on each side of her head.
Kyler reaches up and gently tickles her sides and the little girl bursts into uncontrollable laughter and it’s the most adorable thing I’ve seen.
He’s like a completely different person.
He looks so relaxed and happy. It’s clear she’s the light of his life the way he’s acting around her.
Kyler picks her up off his shoulders and places her on the ground, crouching down next to her with his arm around her.
I watch, mesmerized, as she points to something in the window—a little pink and light-blue Spiderman costume with accompanying mask.
It’s obviously something the manufacturers have introduced to appeal to their young female fans.
Kyler asks her something and she nods enthusiastically.
He stands up and takes her hand before letting her lead him into the shop.
Looks like this little girl is going to have the best costume this Halloween.
“Wow,” Millie says, interrupting my train of thought. “She looks exactly like him.”
“Yeah, she does,” I murmur, not taking my eyes off the store they went into.
“I guess this explains the absences then.”
I turn around and look back at Millie. “Huh, what?”
She looks pointedly toward the store before returning her attention to me. “Kyler. That’s the reason he’s never at your house. Because he’s looking after his kid, right?”
I look toward the store again and the penny drops.
Of course. Millie’s right. The fact he’s never at home: the late nights, the working all hours, the personal issues Jude says he has, it all falls into place.
It’s because he has a family he needs to take care of.
What I don’t understand is why he hasn’t told the rest of us about them.
It’s not as if we’d change our opinion on him.
If anything, I’m sure all of us would offer to help out if he needed us to.
Kyler and his little girl walk out of the store, and she’s skipping happily while he clutches a shopping bag and a tiny little pink backpack with a mermaid on the front.
If I wasn’t so shocked, my hormones would be going crazy at the sight of this tall, surly, constantly-scowling man clearly doting on his daughter.
A brooding Kyler is one thing, but a baby-daddy Kyler, happily smiling without a care in the world? It’s truly a sight to behold.
“Yeah,” I say, realizing I’ve not yet responded to Millie’s latest comment. “I guess it does explain the absences. I’m surprised he’s never said anything though.”
Millie shrugs. “Maybe he just doesn’t want the fact he’s a dad to take the focus off being drafted to the NHL. That’s his endgame, right? Makes sense he wants to succeed if he’s got a young family to look after.”
“I guess you’re right,” I reply distractedly. I look over my shoulder once again, but Kyler and his little girl are no longer in sight.
We finish our meal and Millie gathers up or trays and tidies them away. As she does, I quickly take out my phone and open the last text exchange I had with him all those weeks ago and type out a message to him.
You shouldn’t have to keep your daughter a secret, Kyler. She’s adorable by the way.
Before I overthink it and change my mind, I press send.
It’s unlikely I’ll get a response but it’s my way of letting him know that being a young father is nothing to be ashamed of.
The three bubbles appear almost immediately, letting me know not only has he read my message but he’s also typing a reply.
I hold my breath, somewhat nervous about what he’ll say.
Ky
Who she is, is not anyone’s business.