When a contract that her brother made keeps Katie from dating his best friend, she has to find a way around it before she leaves for college.
***
Con·tract = A written or spoken agreement. But for Katie, it concerns her love life.
Katie Morrinon is...
You would think I would be on cloud nine, being kissed by my crush. But my only thoughts were about what if my brother finds out.
Whether I liked it or not, the pact between the guys was there and my brother had no thoughts of tearing it up. Not even for my happiness, he didn't want me with any of his friends, he wanted me with someone who would be kind and true to me (and hopefully a lawyer or doctor) that was his hope for me.
But, it wasn't mine.
Being kissed by Levi made me happy, my dream had come true and it was everything I had hoped it would be.
But, if it was then why was I dodging talking to him?
For the past two days, I have been dodging him, making sure he wasn't home when I was, making sure he wasn't in the same room I was walking into. When I told Dani about the kiss she screamed so loud in the girl's bathroom that someone came in to check on us, when I told her I was dodging Levi her reply was simple.
She told me I was stupid.
She was right though, but I wasn't about to admit that.
"Okay, graduation cake is ordered for you and Dani, since you want to have the party together. Invites were sent out, our grandparents are on their way, and we had to give them a couple of rooms in the house so Jul is going to be bunking with me for a few days," Roman said as we sat at the table going through our checklist.
Jul then decided to yell: "Yeah. I get to be kicked off the bed at night."
My brother was a 'sleep kicker' as we liked to call it and make fun of him for it.
Roman looked out the little bar window to the living room where Jul was kicked back in the recliner playing the PS4 "I can always throw your ass outside" he called to him making Jul look at us at the kitchen table.
"As long as you don't kick my back, I'm a good man." I snorted a laugh as I finished up my final math homework I would have from high school and handed it to Roman to be looked over.
I took my binder out to look for more homework assignments and Roman sighed "Grandma and Grandpa Lansen is driving from Texas, they should be here in a couple of days" he said as he handed the paper back to me and I put it in my binder.
"What about Granny and Grandma Morrinon? Is she bringing our ..step-pa?" I asked, using the name my brother used for him when in reality I had another word for him.
It's 'the dick that married my grandmother.'
Roman and I hate Harold, our father's stepfather, he is a real ass towards us and has requested that we either call him grandpa or Harold. Roman pisses him off by using the word 'step-pa' and I just call him Harold. He makes our great-grandmother, granny, so mad that she has thrown a knife at his head before.
No wonder Roman and I have tempers.
Granny lives with them, she is ninety-eight years old and acts like she is in her twenties, she loves me and Roman while she hates her son-in-law. She is very sweet at times, and she loves to cook, but she has an unusual sense of humor for a woman her age.
She enjoys making Heath, Levi, and Jul uncomfortable.
But she means no harm by it, she just loves making men squirm under her glare and humor, she cusses more than Roman and our father put together. And in all honesty...
She is my favorite family member.
Roman sighed "Yes. She is bringing the ass of the family with her and Granny told me to make him a room in the garage or to put him with Champ in the dog house" he chuckled and looked at me "Is the room all set up for Granny?" he asked, I tensed up knowing what room he was talking about.
Their room. The room we never walk into. That room. It sent a shiver down my spine as I thought about it.
I gulped and shrugged "I don't know. I haven't been in there yet. I can find new sheets and wash the comforter for Granny. I don't know if I can make room in the dresser or not," I said and bit my lip.
Roman put his hand on my shoulder "We will go in together. I'll give you the extra bedding to wash and I will clean up to make Granny comfortable" he said as he stood up from the table. I nodded my head slowly as I scooted my chair away from the table and stood up.
It was our parent's room. We never touch it. But, we had to put our grandparents and Granny somewhere, I didn't want them to stay at a hotel, especially Granny. She might murder Harold.
The last time I was in this room was when I was fifteen, I couldn't stand not remembering the last time I got to hug my father, the last time I kissed my mother's cheek. I couldn't bear it.
So, why did I make myself go in there now?
I stood in the doorway watching Roman open the old closet door and drag out a bed bag that was floral print, he threw it at me and I caught it in both hands.
"Go put them in the washer and I will start cleaning up."
I nodded and walked down the stairs, I headed out the back door and into the laundry room, I left the door open so I could see Champ in the backyard and I threw in the bedding with some detergent before dropping the washing machine lid and hitting the start button.
I sighed as I leaned in the doorway and looked out at the backyard, a lot of thoughts were running through my head as I looked up at the sky.
I was about to graduate high school, my crush kissed me, my grandparents are on their way and my brother must never find out that Levi kissed me or he will murder us both.
If only I could find a way around the contract and talk to Levi, then everything would be okay. Right?
Maybe I should tell Levi that I didn't mean any of what I said. It would be better to push him away than to anger my brother.
I frowned as I walked towards the pool and sat on the edge, I dipped my feet into the pool and sighed as I looked down at the rippling water. I wonder what advice Dani or Viv would give me about this?
Or what advice I would get if my mother was here.
A sigh escaped my lips as I sniffed and shook my head of thought. I wish I could talk to her just once right now, maybe even get a hug. Tell her everything that was on my mind and ask for advice.
But, I can't, can I?
I watched the water in the pool shimmer and show reflections of the sky as someone sat down beside me. I didn't bother to turn and look at them, they put their feet in the water beside mine and crossed their arms.
"Kat, we really need to talk."
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