Chapter 13: The Pictures

Krissy's Point of View

I paced my room back and forth. The nerves were beginning to take over my mind. Blake was coming over in a few minutes and I was freaking out. I have never had a guy in my room before, or in my house. I was more than nervous.

How was I supposed to act? Was I supposed to have a bunch of food? Was he going to try anything on me? I know he likes Kate. So he shouldn't try to kiss me or anything, right?

My thoughts were interrupted as I heard the doorbell ring. I looked in the mirror and saw my messy ponytail and plain purple t-shirt with skinny jeans. I was so not dressing up for this. This was nothing special.

I tightened my ponytail before jogging out of my room. Blake continued to press the doorbell, making me annoyed. How do I stand this boy? I walked into the living room and straight to the door. I swung open the door, revealing my annoyance. He was standing there with a smirk, as if he knew my current emotion.

"About damn time." Blake said walking in. I rolled my eyes. He's so dramatic.

"Thanks for the unwanted music." I said. He only smirked.

"I didn't want to freeze sweetheart." He said taking off his leather jacket. He was left in a pair of dark wash jeans and a long olive green sweater. He placed his jacket on the back of the sofa before taking a seat.

"Anyway," I said ignoring his comment. "Ready to work?"

"Sure. Do you have ESPN?" Blake asked as he reached for the remote. I sighed. We were not going to work. I knew better than to expect him to cooperate 100%.

"Yeah. Channel 206." I said in defeat. He was supposed to come over to help with our Spanish project. I had finished about half of the script last night after the diner.

We came up with the idea of having us act out a scene of me working in the diner and him being a guest. Blake actually came up with it. He said it was ironic since it was true. He comes in way too often. So after we got some of the dialogue, I got straight to work. It wasn't that difficult since we had simple lines. The only hard part was making sure I have the correct endings to the verbs. Blake did help in translating some of the words. Although he was mostly looking up bad words. But, what more could I expect coming from the bad boy.

"Yes. The Patriots are on." Blake said. He turned up the volume and focused his attention on the screen. I rolled my eyes and walked out of the living room. I went into the kitchen to grab snacks. If I was being forced to watch a football game, I needed chips and dip. I opened the pantry and took out a bag of original Lays. I then went to the fridge and took out some sour cream dip and two cans of Coke.

I took my things into the living room before setting it down on the coffee table. Blake looked over at me and widened his eyes. I grabbed one of the cans and handed it to him.

"Thanks." He said with a sincere smile. My insides turned to mush at the small gesture. I know that Blake will never like this side of me, but my small crush was beginning to grow. I was liking him a little more. I stopped seeing the bad in him and started seeing the good.

After our date a few nights ago, I found myself thinking of him. I'd be laying in bed and his blond locks and blue eyes would pop into my head. I continued to replay the scene where he almost kissed me. I wanted him to kiss me but I knew he couldn't. I couldn't let myself fall for him. He was probably only with me to get me in bed, like a challenge. But my heart was beginning to take control, forgetting to let my brain have a say.

I needed to stay away from him, yet here I was. He was in my house, on my couch, watching football. I definitely never thought this could happen. Dreams do come true.

"Touchdown!" Blake screamed from beside me. I looked up at the screen and saw that the score was now 28-14. The Packers were losing. It was barely going to be the end of the second quarter.

"There's chips if you want some." I told him. He looked at me before looking at the coffee table. He reached for a chip before placing it in his mouth.

"Thanks Ka-Krissy." He said. His eyes widened as he almost said Kate.

My heart began to thump. Did he know I was Kate? There was no way he could know. You couldn't even tell. We are nothing alike. Did Sophie accidentally let it out? No, she couldn't have. She would have told me. Why was he going to call me Kate?

"Sorry Kris. This girl Kate has been stuck in my mind." Blake said in defeat. He sighed before taking a swig of his can. My racing heart stopped before it began to beat even faster. Blake had been thinking about me just like I had been thinking about him. The butterflies in my stomach were causing a storm, fluttering even faster. I wasn't sure how to feel about this sudden news.

"It's half time. Want to work on the script?" Blake asked, getting my attention. I nodded. I got up from the couch and went up the stairs to my room. I grabbed my backpack before racing back down. I wanted to get this over with. Maybe my nerves and beating heart will go away.

When I reached the first floor, Blake was standing near the stairs looking at the pictures we had hung up on the wall. Most were of my childhood. It was mostly just my parents and I. My grandparents were in a few before they got isolated from the family. Morgan is even in some.

Morgan and I have been friends forever. She's like my sister. My parents treat her as her own, especially when her parents seem to forget she exists sometimes. She's a part of the family.

"What's this from?" Bake points to a picture. I walked down the last few steps of the stairs and make my way over to him. He was looking at a picture of my parents and I at the beach. I was about twelve and we decided to take a vacation to Ocean Beach Park. It was only about an hour away, but it was the first road trip we've gone on. My parents saved up money to be able to spend a weekend there.

"My parents and I went to the beach. It was our first family vacation." I answered him. My mom and I were making a sand castle as my dad stood behind us. He asked a stranger to take the picture for us. It was the happiest we had been in a while. Not being financially stable took a toll on us.

"You didn't have glasses?" Blake asked as he continued to stare at the picture. I shook my head. I was wearing contacts since I was going to be on the beach. It took me forever that day to put them in. My dad was getting impatient while my mom just took it as a chance to catch up on her social media.

"I was wearing contacts." I said moving away. I sat back down on the couch and took out my belongings. I wanted to finish the script so I could learn it and soon forget about this attractive boy.

"Are these your grandparents?" Blake asked. I looked up and saw the picture he was asking about. My grandmother was having some fancy dinner and my parents and I were forced to attend. Thank god that doesn't occur anymore.

I was wearing a long maroon dress; too expensive for my liking. My hair had been professionally done as well as my makeup. My grandmother made sure I took a picture with her. She said she needed proof that her granddaughter looked like a lady. If you look long enough, you can see my tired and annoyed smile. Hers was also fake, only adding to the horrible occasion.

I don't get along with my grandparents. They have tried, and continue to, try to buy me. They buy me expensive gifts and expect so much more in return. They think that being wealthy is the most important thing in life. It's one of the reasons I agree with forgetting about them.

"Yeah. They live in the next city." I said to him in a monotone voice. His face seemed to have dropped the subject, noticing my change in tone. He continued to stare at the picture before coming over to the couch. He sat down next to me and opened up the Spanish dictionary.

"So what food should I order?" He asked.

-

I grabbed the towel and dried my hair. I then sat at my desk and stared at the script in front of me. Blake left a couple of hours ago. We pretty much finished the script. Now, all we needed to do was memorize it.

I jumped in the shower to wash off the long day and just got out. I changed into some workout shorts and a big comfy shirt. My hair was still soaking wet, laying on my back.

"How was your night?" My mom asked, knocking on my door. I looked towards her and put down the towel.

"We're almost done. We just need to memorize the lines." I told her. She nodded in understanding.

"Don't get too close to the Tyler's. They're just like your grandmother. Manipulative." Mom said. I sighed. She looked at me before giving me a small smile. "Go to bed Krissy."

"Goodnight mom." I told her. She walked out of my room, closing the door behind her. My mom doesn't like Blake's family at all. When she found out he was my partner, she was angry. She thinks that his whole entire family just uses other for wealth and power. That there's nothing good in them.

Sophia has proven that wrong. She's the total opposite. She's sweet, caring, and respectful. She would never even hurt a fly. How she's a Tyler, i'll never know.

Now Blake, I don't know. I thought that he was your typical bad boy. He gets into fights, sleeps with girls, and has a careless attitude. But, I haven't seem that side to him in a while. He has shown me that there's more than one layer to him. He, too, has begun to prove wrong that Tyler's aren't bad people. Based on what i've heard at school, he's stopped sleeping with Adrianna. No one else has been seen on his arm and he continues to pester me. He also is focusing on school, that being seen in this project. And, I haven't heard him cause any chaos. He was changing.

As if on cue, my phone begins to ring. I set up a specific alert tone to tell me it's Blake so I can ignore it. His ring tone has gone off, maybe my heart rate increase. I reached for my phone and opened it to the message.

i miss you already baby

I stared at the message. It sent butterflies to my stomach. My emotions sparked at the words, creating hope. My heart raced as I continued to reread it. How could he miss me? It had only been a few days? Was he crazy about me as I was about him. It can't be possible.

I found myself thinking about his lips. I wanted to so rewind time and forget about everything that stopped me from being with him. I wanted to kiss him and be in his arms. I wanted him.

I shook my head free of those thoughts. I can't think of Blake. He's my Spanish partner and that's all he'll ever be. He won't be my boyfriend. It can't happen. I locked my phone and placed it back on my desk. I had to ignore Blake, as Kate, to get over him. It's going to be hard considering I have to work with him as Krissy, but it has to be done.

No more Kate. She is now dead to Blake and the world. From this moment on, i'm Krissy and only Krissy.

-

Blake's Point of View

I left Krissy's house a couple of hours ago and I still couldn't get her out of my head. She replaced Kate, but only for a few minutes.

Something about those pictures on her wall seemed off. She looked so much like Kate when she wasn't wearing her glasses. She could be her doppelgänger. The one with her grandparents was the weirdest to me. I have seen them at my father's dinners. I wonder why Krissy has never been to one. I'm sure I would have met her then.

The picture of her on the beach also bothered me. She was wearing contacts and smiling with braces, yet she seemed familiar. She resembled Kate in the slightest. I don't think I knew Krissy at that age, but then again, I was in a dark spot during junior high. I could have known her.

I continued to stare at the ceiling before finding the urge to hear Kate's voice. Even though my mind was occupied with weird thoughts of Krissy, Kate was always there. She was like an annoying fly that wouldn't go away, but I didn't want her too. I reached for my phone and texted Kate.

i miss you already baby

It was true. I wanted to see her. I especially wanted to kiss her. I wanted to feel her lips against mine. Crap. Here I go all sentimental again. Something about her just brings out these weird emotions. I can't describe the feeling. I don't know if I like it. It's all new to me.

I stared at my phone screen, waiting for a reply. The little typing bubbles never popped up. My heart sank a little as I stared at the unread message. I sighed before I started typing again. I was determined to get a reply from her. I needed one.

i had fun with you. we need to do it again.

I waited for her bubbles to pop up. I leaned back onto my pillow and stared at the wall again. For some reason, I continued to wait for her to reply. Hours passed before I noticed how long it had been. I wasted my day waiting on Kate and yet I didn't regret it.

"Big brother." I heard Sophie knock from outside my door. I grabbed my phone from off my chest and noticed it was around 11 pm. I spent 3 hours on Kate.

"What Soph?" I called out. I unlocked my phone and saw no message from Kate. My heart sank a little more. It was further down my chest.

"What are you doing still up?" She asked. She opened the door and walked in. She was dressed in jeans and a sweater. Her hair was curled and her makeup was done.

"Thinking." I said sitting up. I continued to stare at her. She seemed different. "Where were you?"

"Wow." She said with an eye roll. I raised an eyebrow. Now what did I do? "You really don't know?"

"Am I supposed to know of your whereabouts?" I asked. I didn't even know she was out. Maybe she was with Kate and that's why she hadn't replied. Why hasn't Kate replied? Did she not enjoy our date? I thought it went great. We were laughing all night. Was it because I didn't kiss her?

Damn. I wish I would have kissed her. If she keeps avoiding my messages, i'll never know what it feels like to kiss her. That's one thing I might regret and I usually don't regret anything.

"I was out on my date with Asher." Sophie said. Her gaze didn't meet my eyes. All my thoughts of Kate disappeared as I took in the idea of my sister and best friend dating.

"How was it?" I asked her. I can't get grossed out by this. If it was any other girl, i'd be congratulating Ash. I need to give this a chance, not for my sister but for Asher. He deserves a girl, one that won't use him to get to me.

"Are you actually interested Blake?" Sophie asked. She was eyeing my every movement. I looked at my phone, seeing no messages. I looked up again, seeing a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

"I want both of you to be happy. Even if this whole situation is really weird to me, you guys deserve a chance." I said to her with all the sincerity I could muster. Her small smiled turned into a huge grin.

"Thank you Blake." She said to me. She crossed the room and came to my side. Her small arms wrapped around my torso. It felt weird having her arms around me. I couldn't remember the last time I hugged my sister. It definitely had to have been before the divorce.

"Go to sleep sis." I said to her as I unwrapped her from my body. She smiled.

"Thanks big brother." She said. She gave me one last smile before she began to make her way to the door.

Sophie left my room, letting me wallow in my thoughts again. I stared at my ceiling once again. Darkness began to take over the entire room, including my brain. The brunette flooded back into my mind, overcoming my thoughts. Kate please don't ignore me. I couldn't take the feeling. So, I texted Kate one last time, hoping she'd reply.

don't ice me out babe

I locked my phone and set it on the night stand to my right. I stood up and got ready for bed. My only thoughts were about her and wishing I was with her.