Page 3 of Kay
I’m so fucking stupid.
Shutting down was better than crying.
“Okay, so what did you need?” she asked, tapping her desk with her fingers.
“Nothing. Have a good night,” I said, ending the video call.
Closing my laptop, I stood, grabbed my favorite toy car, and started turning the lights off downstairs. It was only 5 pm, but I was so tired—mentally and physically. We’d been trying to clean out the bakery I worked at part time. A coworker's mother had come in powered by a drug-fueled rage and destroyed part of the shop. It had been so scary, and the co-worker, Ashley, hadbeen hurt. I’d helped her in her time of need and had somehow managed to be granted free tattoos for the rest of my life since her Daddy worked at the tattoo shop I usually visited. That had been the only bright side to the entire situation. It would be weeks before everything was back to normal and the other workers and I had been trying to clean and move as much as we could. We were kind of at a standstill until the vendors could come out and replace the glass she’d busted. My muscles hurt from the physical labor and truthfully, my heart hurt too from being so misunderstood. My eyes stung again and I blinked back the tears. Some days it was hard to believe life was worth living. I wanted to try and bring happiness into everyone's life, but it was hard when I felt like I was pouring from an empty cup.
A knock on my door stopped me from taking the stairs to my bedroom. I turned and wearily trudged toward it. Peeking through the hole, I saw Kay.
“Hey, Kay,” I said, after opening it for her.
“Hey, Little one. I was just dropping by to see how you were feeling.”
Kay had “dropped by” at least three times since our shop had been destroyed. I had originally had some anxiety after helping Ashley when she’d been injured, but I was feeling much better.
“I’m fine,” I said, forcing a smile.
She raised one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows at me in an unspoken warning not to lie to her.
“I am doing fine after the vandalism. I promise,” I told her.
“You look like someone kicked your puppy,” she said.
“I had… I...” I tried. How did I explain what happened to Kay? She was so beautiful and put together. I’d bet she never misunderstood a situation in her life. Her body language screamed confidence and control.
She nudged the door with her foot and I sighed before stepping back.
“Tell me what’s wrong, honey.”
“I just misunderstood a situation, that’s all. I’m embarrassed.”
“Well, tell me about it. Let’s talk it out.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. I kinda want to veg out in front of the television,” I told her. I wasn’t trying to be rude, I just didn’t want to cry… at least not in front of her.
“Okay, what were you planning on watching, Little one?” She shut the door behind her and kicked off her shoes.
I sighed, giving up. I was learning that Kay was as stubborn as they came.
“Lightning McQueen,” I answered.
A smile played on her lips. “The movie about the red car?”
I nodded, running my thumb over the toy car in my hand.
“Is that your favorite movie?” she asked.
I nodded again.
“Okay, so how about you go get cozy in your pajamas and I’ll order us some dinner. We can watch your movie and veg out like you planned, and I’ll be here in case you decide you want to talk about your misunderstanding with your friend.”
My heart felt like it dropped seven stories and my eyes filled with tears again.
“No, thank you. I want to be alone,” I told her, opening the door back up.
“Lennon, I hate seeing you so sad. You’ve been off for a few days now and...” Kay trailed off.
