Breakfast was delicious, and even though I'm sure the Ralston Family had numerous questions to ask me. They manage to keep quiet saving the interrogation for Thanksgiving when the rest of Jasper's family would be in town. One thing I did notice about the Ralston was there habit of  staring not only at me, but at each other. It seemed as if they communicated with their eyes I always knew when they where "talking about me." Because their eyes would go from a staring shamelessly at me, to looking at each other holding back giggles or raising an eyebrow as if their thoughts where synch.

Jack looked down at my plate and scoffed Jasmin watching me oddly as I sipped my orange juice with my pinky up.

Force of habit.

" Kennedy are you sure don't want anything else on that plate? We've got bacon." Diane suggested

​
Ignoring the mispronunciation of my name I force a smile.

" No ma'am I'm actually a pescatarian."

" Oh, honey I don't mind your sexuality." She professed sweetly.

" Wait is that why you won't date my brother?" Jack questioned

I stammered for words for nothing comes out as they look at me waiting for a response.

" A pescatarian is a person who just eats seafood  instead of meat. That's all." Jasper laughed finding the situation comical.

Jasmine gasped clenching on to her tattered Dolphin stuff animal to her chest. " You eat Dolphins!" She exclaimed with terror in her eyes looking at me as if I had just killed Dora
"You monster!"

" No! Of course not!" I declared hoping I hadn't tarnished her impression of me.

" So you eat mermaids!" She cried with terror laced in her eyes.

I was shocked at how much things where escalating. Jasper's grandma thought pescatarianism was a sexuality, Jack thinks it's why I'm not dating her brother. Jazmine thinks I eat dolphins!

" Of course I would never their not even real." I professed hoping it would bring me back in her good grace.

She gasped again this time clenching on to the Ariel dolls that seem to appear out of fucking no where. Where the heck are all these sea creatures suddenly coming from? I swear she didn't have those when breakfast started.

The irony.

"Yes they are!" She cried " How could you say that."

And with that she stormed off stomping off the stairs.

" Minnie!" Jasper called after her, getting up from the table and following his crying sister up the stairs.

An awkward silence fell over.

Way to go Kinsley , you just Assassinated a young girls imagination.

Not knowing what else to do I took a large bite of my pancake and forced a grin. " This is delicious."  I completed with a full mouth

Jack looks at me in disgust, I cover my mouth instantly realizing my misstep.

Could this get any worse.

Diane, forced a polite smile but even I knew it was fake and that she really wanted to say so much more. She sucked in a icy breath before speaking.

" Jack. Why don't you show Kennedy your room where she'll be staying. I'm sure she must be...." She paused still forcing that friendly smile. " Exhausted."

Jack groans and said, " But Grams she can't sleep in my bed ." Jack' eyes  flickered to me before harshly whispering
" We don't know where's she's been."

Diane gave her a stern expression and signed " Be Nice."

Jack huffed and got up from the table. Not wanting on me as she stumped up the stairs.

Th Ralston women clearly weren't taking a likening in me and although Diane tried to be hospitable and remain polite my presence surly was causing dysfunction in the household. I excuse myself from the table and follow after Jack up the stairs. We enter her room which wasn't pastel pink or girly as I had expected. White Christmas lights were hung just over her queen size bed which had Teen Titans go comforter and collect one Comic books nealy on a bookshelf. Her walls were covered in skateboard posters and kids cartoons.

" Rule 1." she stated," Don't touch my stuff."

" Rule 2. Don't touch my stuff." she repeatd

" Rule 3-"

" Don't touch your stuff." I said already knowing the stuff.

" Actually Rule 3 is stay away from my brother."

I looked at her with a confused expression baffled by her statement.

" What?" I ask with light laugh. She had to be kidding

"  You heard me." She folded her little arms. " Stay away from him. Girls like you are nothing but trouble. And Bubba doesn't need any more trouble."

" He had enough of that last summer with Delilah." She mumbled the last part to her self.

Delilah?

I didn't get a chance to ask any questions Jack left the room closing the door shut behind her leaving me in thought.

Who's Delilah?

                                 *       *      *      *      *

                   Once all my bags were out the car. I decided to shower figuring it would give the family time to talk about me in peace. I needed isolation, to be always from prying eyes and judgment. I know I shouldn't care what little kids have to say about me, but I cared for validation from Jasmine and Jack. The 2 most important people in his life needed to love me. Because I figured that if they hated me, Jasper would eventually.

My phone vibrated constantly as I stood in the shower, even though I was suppose to in isolation and cleansing my self from the troubles of home. Home wouldn't stop calling me.

I rejected the group facetime call with Nani and Bee. And even though we had agreeded to give are friendship another try, it hadn't been the same. We weren't the same. I wasn't the same. The amusing gossip-filled conversations we had soon became boring. I realized that people I called my best friends no longer knew anything about me. I didn't tell them half the things I told Gurney. I hadn't told them about the fight with Lucas, or the details about the evolution of Jasper and I's relationships. All the juicy boy crazy things girls usual tell their best friends. I didn't utter a word to them about it. And we use to tell each other everything... well almost everything.

It was me who was drifting, and maybe it was because I had outgrown them. We used each-other to mask are imperfections. Knowing that alone people would see our flaws but together we appeared flawless.

The It Girls.

I scoffed at the ridiculous pedestal we had put our selves on.
We really are no better than Carly.

I took a deep breath as the hot water washed over me.

                               
The door opened to the bathroom catching my attention.

" Hello." I called,

But the only response was no response. I cut off the water and moved back the shower curtain.

" Just fucking great." I grumbled seeing my bag was no longer in the restroom.  I grabbed a towel to cover my self up. I pick my head out of the bathroom door seeing if the coast is clear before tip toeing out and into Jack's room.

" Fuck." I cursed seeing that all of my bags where gone. The hint as to where the could be was the open window in her room.

Oh no.

" JASPER!" I called out.

But nothing. No response.

This can't be happening to me, I clenched onto my towel tightly and opened the room door quietly stepping out. My feet moved fast as I hurried down the stairs. What did I do! Why do they hate me already! I felt like some kind of Ninja sneaking through the house that nobody seem to be in. My wet hair dripped and I shivered as the AC blasted throughout the house.

Finally I sprinted out the front door and just as I thought victory was in sight my channel bags lying against the grass waiting on there Momma to come get them.

Satan struck again.

" Kennedy!" Diane shrieked at the sight of me dropping her bucket of fresh picked potatoes.

Am I that ugly!

I held onto my towel tightly. " Diane!"

" What in the heavens are you doing."

" I- I." Jasmine and Jack could be seen picking out the window worried that I would rat them out the snickers and grins they once held was gone. " I was tanning." I blurt out.

" Tanning?" She asked taking in my appearance " Naked?"

" I uh."

She sighed not believing my lie one bit and looked back at the girls "Girls! What did I say about hazing!"

" That's its a crime." The girls grumbled in unison.

" Now go get Kennedy's bags." She demanded.

" Kinsley." I corrected quietly

The girls pouted as they stepped outside Jasmine aggressively sticked our her tongue at me.

As you can see all the events that day gave every reason to hide in the room for the rest of day "napping." I had Even skipping dinner, wanting to avoid another awkward encounter. Jasper would come in every now and than but order to avoid conversation I would put my acting skills to the test and fake sleep. It's not that I was upset or angry at Jasper, it was just I figured that instead of waisting his time talking to me he could spend it with his sisters. I could hear there laughter and all the fun they had been having.

Maybe me coming wasn't the best idea. Maybe it was something that could have been done later on when him and I where actually dating. That way all the awkward questions would be answered and his Grandma would look at me as if I'm leading her grandson on.

I'm not right? I'm not leading Jasper on.

We agreed.

He knows I like him, that I'm just not ready to date.

A soft knock was on the door.

" I know you're not sleep Kinsley." Jasper voiced.

" Come in." I replied.

Jasper entered the room. " Hey." I greeted sitting up in the bed. Jasper held a small plate in his hand.

" I know you must be exhausted faking sleep all day. So I brought you a grill cheese." He chuckled.

I smile at him " I would love to accept you offer, but one of your sister's 10 commandments it's not eating in her room." I joked.

Jasper took a sit next to me. " She'll be alright." He replied handing me the grill cheese.

I was starving.

" I'm sorry we didn't get to spend much time together." Jasper spoked.

I took a bite of the grill cheeses and covered my mouth before speaking. " You don't have to apologize for spending time with your family."

" I just don't want you feeling left out."

He's so sweet.

" I'm big girl Jasper. You're not hurting my feelings I think you and your family's relationship beautiful. I grew up as an only child, so I don't really no much about sibling bonds." I shrugged

" How was that?" He asked.

" Being raised as the only child?"

He nodded

" Lonely." I confessed. I tried to ignore the look pity Jasper had in eyes, no one ever pities the rich girls. Wanting to change how serious things where getting I lightly laugh
" But I have Hazel." I added brightly hoping it masked how sadden I truly was about not growing up with sibling.

" You are really loved here Jasper. I don't understand why you don't... stay here."

" I can't leave my Mom."

" Why not.. Rehab?"

Jasper scoffed " You think we could afforded that."

I frowned at insensitive my comment was. " Oh."

" And it's not just the drugs. Her mental state isn't right. I can't leave her. And she can't come here."

" What's.." I paused not sure if I should asked

" What's wrong with her?"

Jasper didn't reply, for a moment I thought he didn't see me ask.

" She thinks she's cursed." He paused " She's thinks we're cursed. Jack and I."

I sit there silent. Confused by his words but not wanting to speak. " With everything that happen to her, it's makes since that her mental state starts to diminish. My Grandpa was deaf. But from what I heard he wasn't a nice man. And since than all my Mom's had in her life where a bunch of bad men."

Jasper was no longer staring at me, thinking that I would look at with judgement in my eyes. He stared aimlessly in every direction but mine.

" I want to prove to her different. Take care of her no matter how much she hates me."

Jasper's she's flickered to mine "She hates you?"

He nodded " She didn't always. Not until I went stone deaf. Like her Father. Now I just remind her of the man that hurt her. Mom would never come back to this house. Not after what he did."

I didn't have to ask questions. There was no need for him to elaborate. Chills ran down my back, finding out the dark truth.

" She shoot him. When she was 16, killed him right in the front yard. And now, now she's sick and drowns her self in drugs trying to forget. She thinks God is punishing her for what she did.So she hates me." Jasper sighed ."And she hates Jack."

" But I can't hate her." My heart shattered into a million pieces at his words. He didn't cry not a tear was shied. He was numb to the pain.

I never thought about their being more to it. Sadly enough I figured his mother was just a crackhead. Not thinking about her story, not thinking about what lead her to drugs. I placed my plate down and scooted closer to Jasper. Placing my hand over his. The guy, was so much more than I had ever expected. And it was wrong me to finally notice him during senior year. I should have been saw. I should have noticed Jasper Ralston the second he first came to school.
He was to amazing to special, to blend in with the crowd.

He was starting to become my everything.

The more I learned about him. The more I saw his strength, the more I started to fall for him.

" Why don't you have an aid?"

He shrugged " It would be like a blind person wearing glasses. They do no good. I'm stone deaf Kinsley, I lost all my hearing a few years ago. There is reversing this no special trick. No nothing. Just silence. I'm cursed."

" Don't say that."

Jasper didn't reply, his hand broke free from mine and he had off the bed. Leaving me to feel cold.

" I should go. Night Kinsley." I didn't get a chance to say it back. Jasper had already left the room closing the door behind me.

" Night Jasper." I said to myself.