Royal Disaster

the disastrous send-off

a.n. i tenk chu all so very much bc 20K READS OMG AND 1K VOTES THIS IS THE MOST I HAVE EVER GOTTEN AND IT IS OVERWHELMING AND THANK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE YOU ALL.

Three days. That's how much time he'd given me. To do what, I didn't know, but he was going to send me the location of our meeting place in two days. Once I got it, he didn't want me to be late or "there will be consequences." I wasn't willing to test him. Not after seeing what he'd done to my mom.

"I'll be home soon, mama. Tell Kira and Kali that I'll see them soon." Kurt was on a call with his mom in his room. It was their daily call where he updated them on how he was. That was their normal routine for the summer. I was sure he hadn't told his mom what's been happening though. If he did, he wouldn't still be here. His mom protected him as if he were porcelain. "Yes, mama, I love you, too. I'll call you tomorrow."

I leaned on the threshold, a small smile on my face as he hung up the phone. Running a hand through his hair, he turned around, jumping when he spotted me.

"Hey, Kaia," he said with a smile. "What's up?"

"Nothing." I shook my head. Then I nodded to the cellphone in his hand. "Your mom?"

He looked down. "Yeah."

"How are they?"

"Good, as usual. They're, um, they're going on a trip. They're going to visit my cousins in Michigan for a few days." His brows drew down briefly. When he raised his eyes back to me, his lips turned up in a horrible attempt of a content smile.

I frowned. "When do they leave?"

"In a few hours."

"You want to go, don't you?"

Immediately, he shook his head, tossing his phone onto the bed. "No, I'm fine," he tried to deny, but I knew him better than that.

Kurt was a family man, through and through. Despite the fact that he spent most of his summer since freshman year at my house, he loves his family. He would call them every day, visit them every day, and he always put them first.

At least he always did, until everything that's happened. God, I feel like a shit friend.

I shook my head. "Nope, you want to go. You're going."

"No, Kaia, I have to stay and help."

"No, you don't. This is my problem, not yours." Shoving my way past him, I tugged out his duffel bags from the top shelves of the closet and began emptying his drawers into them. He followed, trying to take the drawer from me.

"Kaia, no. I'm goin—I have to stay. I'm your friend, and it's important that we get—that we get your parents back," he grunted as I elbowed him in the side. "You're not playing fair." He lay a hand on his rib, one hand still gripping the side of the drawer.

"Let go, Kurt. We both know that I'm stronger than you."

"No, you're—"

"I am so either you let go—"

"Kaia, it's my decision—"

"You're my friend—"

We were both so caught up with fighting over the drawer that we hadn't noticed the three people watching us in a mixture of confusion and amusement by the door. I paused, tightly gripping the side of the drawer I had while Kurt turned to address them, giving the drawer a firm tug, thinking he could best me. Moron.

"Whatcha guys doing?" Aiko asked, one brow cocked curiously.

"Helping him pack."

"Nothing," he said.