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KIM Leery had underestimated the power her lips held. As she had moved on from the intimate moment she had shared with Pacey Witter, the boy in question could not forget the kiss so easily. Never in a million years did he think he had the hots for Kimberly Leery. Not just the attraction but genuine feelings of butterflies that fluttered around his stomach.
She, however, didn't seem to return his feelings. For him, what seemed like a moment of revelation was just a heat of the moment kind of affair for the noirette.
Kim had breakfast with her parents for the first time this morning. Purely, coincidental when Kim thought her parents had already left for their jobs. However, when she went downstairs to make her coffee and cinnamon toast crunch, her parents already sat around the table, sipping their coffees, throwing glares back and forth.
Kim's body froze at the sight of them. It was too late to make it a break for it, she had been seen. Silently, she made her breakfast, not uttering a word to the two. She joined them at the table, facing Gale. The girl swiftly stuffed herself with cereal, her crunching beginning the only sound in the whole house. "Is that all you're having?" Gale asked, having seen her daughter have cereal, two slices of toast, and a croissant before she left for school.
Kim licked the droplet of milk that hung on her lower lip as she turned her lips in. "I'm working on having more balanced meals."
She was careful not to cause any suspicion. "That's great, honey. Enjoy your food while you can, when you're my age you can't eat a Snickers bar without looking puffy."
Mitch took his opportunity to lean forward between the two. "Not that it would be a problem if that were the case."
Gale sighed. "That's not what I'm saying, Mitch."
"I didn't say it was but in any case, we will love you unconditionally." Mitch looked his daughter in the eyes. The glint in his eyes seemed like he was trying to one-up his wife, seem like the better parent. Kim feared where this was leading to.
Feeling the tense atmosphere almost swallow her up, Kim made a swift exit. "I'll keep that in mind."
Kim reached for her backpack that sat on the kitchen island. She dashed as fast as she could towards the door. As she walked, she felt a linger of guilt. Despite the hostile air for the Leery household, her parents meant well. It almost made her want to tell the truth, maybe she owed them that much.
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Kim entered the school in a daze, still imagining the look on her parents’ faces. Should she tell him? What would she sacrifice to tell them? Was she ready? She had made the speech to Pacey about not being ready but she saw the reality in her disorder. She knew the pain she was causing, she knew how bad it was. In a perfect world, she wouldn’t hurt herself like this. She would be able to face her truths without fear. But this is not a perfect world. The fear of disappointment hovered over her like a dark cloud. Fear of not being loved, of being abandoned for the second time. It was something that loomed over her. But maybe she needed to have faith in her family, the family that cared and loved her for the past fifteen years without fail.
