Chapter 16 - BONUS - Kennedy's POV

A/N: Since you are showing so much love for Kennedy, here's the bonus chapter from his POV that I've been promising you. It takes place on the same day Riley asked Rhys out.

The next chapter will be from Rhys' POV, starting where Ch. 15 left off.

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Kennedy's POV

I kicked the ball between the legs of one of the upperclassmen, ran past him, and kept toeing it, making sure it was within my reach and no one else's. My peripheral vision caught sight of Billy again and I smirked; he was good, but he was only human. Nearing the goal line, I saw a gap in their defense and took my chance: I kicked the ball with force but one of the boys from the opposing team jumped in front of it. The round object - a blur of black and white - ricocheted against his body and rolled off the field.

I chased after it and so did Billy. Before we caught up with the ball, a girl who stood alone outside of a small, family-run shop turned around and saw us; realizing what we were after, she pulled her leg back, then swung it forward. Both Billy and I stopped and watched with gaping mouths as the ball flew above our heads and rolled onto the field.

"Thanks," Billy shouted at the girl and gave her one of his nice guy smiles and a wave, before turning around and running back towards the field.

"I'll be back in a bit," I called after him, then jogged the short distance towards the cute girl.

She looked even better up close. Tall and slender, she was dressed casually in pale blue ripped jeans and a white t-shirt with some Japanese or Chinese hieroglyphs. She was biting her lip as she cautiously examined me.

"Nice kick," I praised her, grinning as I continued to look her up and down.

"Thanks," she muttered and raised a hand to put a strand of her hair behind her ear. The rest of it was held up in a high ponytail by a large elastic, the same pink shade as the foreign writing on her t-shirt. "I play soccer with my friends at school."

"I like a sporty girl," I winked at her and her dark grey eyes narrowed.

"Aren't you too young to be this bold and flirty?"

"We are probably the same age."

"I think I'm older than you," she protested.

"I'm thirteen; you?"

"Fourteen and a half." She seemed a little bit smug for guessing she was older as she looked down - yes, down; she was taller by about two inches - at me.

"That doesn't change the fact that I think you are cute." I gave her one of my charmingly mischievous smiles, something that always made the girls blush and giggle.

She didn't seem impressed.

Was it a Dayer thing?

Come to think of it...

"So, what is a Dayer doing in Woodville?" I asked and her eyes rounded in fear. "Don't worry; I'm a shifter. There's no harm in me knowing what you are."

"I had a feeling you might be." She looked me over again. "I wasn't sure though. And we are visiting. My parents and I, I mean." She nodded towards the family-run shop and I saw a couple - both people pale and very tall - looking at some of the goods inside; the man was by the sodas and the woman was currently standing in front of the home-baked pastries stall.

"The place is small and there were other costumers when we got here so I decided to wait outside," she added and I turned back to her freckled face.

"So, do you have family here?" I was sure there were no Dayers living it Woodville.

"No, our Feeders are here. They are married and just had a baby so we came over to see the little one," the girl explained and glanced towards her parents again. "Mom is really excited; she bought all sorts of presents and when she saw the home-baked pastries sign above," she pointed over the entrance of the shop, "she made dad stop the car so we can buy some of those as well."

"Do all Dayers care about their Feeders that much?" I asked, genuinely intrigued as I leaned on the shop wall. I didn't know much about the species and I definitely wouldn't sit Alec down and ask him about them.

"Depends. It's just like with people who work together - some might have a strictly professional relationship, some might become friends. Most Dayers at least make sure their Feeders are healthy. We are forbidden from feeding on humans who are sick. Or pregnant," she added, putting the same rebellious strand behind her ear again. "We haven't fed on the baby's mother for almost an year."

"And will the baby also become your family's Feeder?"

"When he grows up and if he wants to," she nodded. "It's easier this way because he will know about us anyway and we won't have to tell other humans about our existence. He can, of course, seek employment in another family, if he decides to be a Feeder. The Sentinels will have to approve his Feeder permit first though."

"Feeder permit?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Not everyone can become a Feeder. They have to be healthy and of sound mind."

"Maybe I should become a Feeder," I joked. "If I'd be working for such a cutie like you." I winked at her again and she frowned.

I puffed.

Why was this girl reacting like this to me?

I once again wondered whether it had something to do with her species. I'd never flirted with a Dayer before.

"What?" I asked.

"Two things." She leaned on the wall next to me. "First, being a Feeder is no joke. You are literally allowing people to feed on you. Second, it's so weird that a kid your age would be flirting."

"I like making girls smile." I shrugged.

"That's why you do it?" Her eyebrows furrowed. "To make girls smile?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "It always cheers them up."

"What if one fell for you?" She questioned. "I mean really, really hard. What happens then?"

I laughed.

"Girls know I'm just messing around."

She slowly shook her head, her eyes never leaving mine.

She was really pretty with that heart-shaped face of hers and a cloud of adorable freckles over her cheeks and perky nose.

"You are going to be so much trouble when you grow up." She sighed and looked straight ahead. "Even if they don't take you seriously now, when you grow older, you'll become a heart-breaker, I can tell. The worst part is that you probably won't realize what you are doing to the girls, how you make them feel, and then you'll wonder why so many girls cry over you when they are supposed to know you are just messing around. And some of those girls will forgive you because you didn't mean to break their hearts; they'll blame themselves that they got carried away."

"And on that day I'll remember the pretty Dayer girl predicting my future, fall down to my knees, look up to the heavens and scream 'why, oh, why didn't I heed her warning and become a modest man?'" I chuckled.

"I am pretty, aren't I?" She turned sideways so she could look at me.

I stared straight into her eyes.

"Very."

"Us Dayers often are. That's how I know we can sometimes affect people and make them fall for us even if we don't mean to."

The grin fell from my face, my mouth forming into an o as I stared into her serious expression.

"I wouldn't let it go that far," I muttered, lowering my gaze to my sneakers. "If a girl was in danger of falling in love with me and she wasn't my mate, I'd tell her to move on to someone who could return her feelings."

"I hope you do." We stayed quiet for a moment, then she added: "You know there are other ways to make girls smile, right?"

I turned towards her.

"You can tell them a funny story, ask them about their hobbies..." She suggested.

"What are your hobbies?"

"Me? I like watching anime and reading manga. I like playing soccer with my friends. I like surfing in the summer with my dad, then the two of us and mom would go for ice cream and eat it while we walked barefoot on the beach." By the time she finished, she was already smiling.

"Good," I grinned back and she tilted her head to the side. "You are smiling. I was beginning to think you didn't like me."

"That must've been confusing for you." She laughed and my grin became even bigger at the melodic sound.

"Yep." I admitted and this time she didn't frown when I winked at her.

I was winning her over.

Of course I would. I was Kennedy Flemings. Even a Dayer couldn't resist me.

"And what are your hobbies..."

"Kennedy." I offered my hand. Her two thin fake silver bracelets rang when she shook it. "Kennedy Flemings."

"Veronica Craig." Her delicate hand let go of mine. "So, what are they?"

"Soccer. I'm crazy about it. I also like food, running and winning... Which, of course, I do often."

"Now that's a surprise." She rolled her eyes and giggled.

A bell chimed and the door to the shop opened.

"Sorry, Vero, your mom got carried away..." The tall blond man laden with three large shopping bags halted when he saw me.

"Hello." His redhead spouse greeted, readjusting her grip on a forth paper bag.

"Kennedy kept me company while you shopped. He's a shifter." Veronica filled them in.

"Oh, from the Silver Bullets. We informed your Alpha we will be in town for a few days. We didn't want to intrude on your territory." The father lowered his head so he could push his glasses up without dropping the bags. His dark grey eyes landed on mine.

"Striking, aren't they?" It took me a second to realize Veronica was talking about my eyes.

"Quite," her mom agreed. "Well, we should be going." She headed towards a silver car that was parked nearby.

"So, you'll be in Woodville for a few days?" I asked Veronica as I walked beside her and opened the door for her mom to put her bag on the back seat while the dad placed the other three in the trunk. Both ladies seemed impressed at my gesture and I suppressed a satisfied grin - Vero seemed to prefer a more modest version of me - for scoring a few more points with the redhead girl. "Maybe I'll see you around. We can play soccer together." I nodded towards the field.

"Sounds good, but I don't know if I'll have the opportunity." I was pleased she seemed a bit disappointed. "We'll probably spend all the time with our Feeders and the baby."

"I see." I stepped back so she could get in the back seat. Her dad was already behind the wheel with her mom beside him. "We'll be playing tomorrow and the day after that at the same time as today. I hope we'll meet again."

"Bye, Kennedy."

"Bye, Vero." I poked my head inside the car. "Bye, Mr. and Mrs. Craig."

The adults both said goodbye. Veronica waved at me when I closed the door and her dad started the car. I watched the silver vehicle until it turned a corner then ran towards the field just as everyone else was leaving.

"'I'll be back in a bit', huh?" Billy asked as he put on a light jacket. "The game is already over and that wasn't a bit, Kennedy."

"Did you see that girl? She was really pretty. And she has one hell of a kick."

"That she does." He agreed with a laugh.

A familiar tone beeped from where some of us had placed our backpacks against a tree and I rummaged through my bag to take out my phone. What greeted me was a message from Rhys.

Riley asked me out

My eyes rounded and I typed a response right away.

Bro, please tell me you remembered to say yes...

I wouldn't put it past him to just stare at Riley speechless.

My phone beeped again.

I'm not that much of an idiot

I smiled and leaned against the tree. Now relaxed, I was back to my normal typing speed.

Aha. That's why last time you forgot to tell him when and where. Just keep it cool, okay, bro? If you got any questions, ask the pro ;)

I waited to see if he'd respond and when he didn't, I put the phone in the pocket of my shorts.

Rhys was probably busy with Riley.

Now they'd go out, Rhys would hopefully not do something as embarrassing as Friday's handshake, then Riley would see what an amazing and loving guy my brother was, he'd fall in love and then Rhys could tell him what we were and Riley would move into our neighborhood...

"Are you dreaming of her?"

"Huh?" I couldn't understand what Billy had just asked me.

"The girl you were talking with," he clarified. "You have this really dreamy expression on your face."

"No." I laughed. I realized we were the only people around; everyone else had left. "Remember Riley?" I swung my backpack over one shoulder and we began walking.

"The guy Rhys has a crush on?"

Billy was human so 'crush' was the word I had to use when we talked about Rhys' feelings. 'In love' was more accurate, but I'd told my friend Rhys and Riley had only just met so it would've been weird to say my brother was already in love.

I nodded.

"Rhys just texted me to tell me Riley asked him out."

"That's great." He smiled. "Did you text him back?"

"I told him that if he had any questions, he should ask the pro." I proudly pointed with both thumbs towards me.

"Girls do find you charming." He agreed.

"Yep. Even Veronica - that's the redhead's name - even she seemed sad that she couldn't take me up on my offer to join us for soccer tomorrow. It's one of her hobbies."

"Then how do you know she wasn't just upset because she wouldn't be playing soccer tomorrow?"

"I..." I froze.

Wait... Was that why Vero was disappointed?

Not because she wouldn't see me?

Surely that couldn't be it! It was probably a combination of the two... Right?

Billy's loud laugher made me turn towards him and glare.

"What's so funny?"

"You looked absolutely mortified that a girl might be more interested in sports than she is in you."

"That's not funny, Atkins." I kept glaring.

"Is the famous Kennedy Flemings losing his charm?" He teased, walking backwards.

"Billy... I'm not losing my charm. I made her smile."

"Maybe she was smiling to be polite." He was walking faster now.

"No, she smiled because she liked me." I felt my face heat up and he halted.

"Are you... blushing?"

"Shut up."

He laughed again.

"Oh, my God, you are! You are blushing."

"Billy, I'm going to punch you."

"Only if you catch me." He turned around and dashed off.

I swooped after him. He was fast and I had a heavy backpack on my back, but I eventually caught up with him. I pulled him in a headlock and rubbed my knuckles on his hair.

"Say you apologize!" I demanded.

"For what? You were blushing." He kept laughing and I rubbed his head harder before I let him go.

"Did you like her that much?" He asked, pulling down his t-shirt which had climbed up while he was in my hold.

"No."

"Then you felt silly when you realized she was probably upset about not playing soccer instead of not seeing you?"

"No." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Yes, you were. I know you too well." He chuckled. "Boy, oh, boy. A day has come when a girl did not succumb to your charm."

"She did," I insisted grumpily. "I made her smile."

"Aha." He was definitely not convince.

"I did and I will do it again tomorrow," I promised.

"If she comes," he reminded me.

If she comes...

I hoped she came.

I wanted to see her again.

I wanted to prove Billy wrong and show him I could make Vero smile not just because she was polite.

I also wanted to make sure she'd been disappointed at the idea of not seeing me again.

It couldn't be just because of the soccer, right?

It was weird to feel so insecure when it came to girls. Veronica was different from the ones I usually spoke to... In that aspect anyway. And she liked soccer; I liked soccer... I liked sporty girls...

I hoped she came.

I spent the next two days looking around the field instead of concentrating on the game. Billy teased me about it, of course.

Veronica didn't come.

Maybe I would never know if she'd liked me, even a bit, even as a possible friend.

And she wasn't from Woodville after all.

Would I ever see her again?

*****

A/N: So what did you think of the chapter? Did you enjoy Kennedy's POV? Please VOTE if you did!

How about Veronica - what's your opinion of her?

Did you think any girl could make Kennedy doubt his charm?

Would you like for them to see each other again and do you think that would happen?

What's your opinion of Billy?

Are you excited for Rhys and Riley's upcoming date?

PS: More info about the Dayers and Feeders is available on facebook. I'll give the link in the comments and as an External Link.