The Girl in Cleats

⚽️Chapter 23⚽️

~Kiera POV~

As I scan through a few articles about Aiden, my dad knocks on the door. I switch the screen to Netflix and shut my laptop. I really hate doing this to my dad, but how do I know that he won't lie to me again? Was that his problem? Lying?

"Come in." I call out.

But the person that pokes their head in is not my dad, it's actually two people. Alexis and Dustin. I smile at them and they smile back. I gesture them in with my hand and they walk in.

After a few moments of silence, Alexis speaks up.

"So, Kiera." she starts.

I glance up at her and she looks at Dustin.

They better not be dating...

"We're worried about you." Dustin finishes.

I swear, if they're dating... I'm gonna rip their heads off. Woah, here comes the violent side of Kiera.

I narrow my eyes at them and Dustin raises an eyebrow.

"Are you two dating?" I blurt out.

Alexis drops her jaw and looks at me with wide eyes. Does she really think I wouldn't-

"No! Ew no!" She sticks her tongue out and pretends to gag. "Sorry Dustin, but I don't think I'd be able to do that if that's what you want."

Dustin looks back and forth between us with a bewildered expression on his face. "What? No, why- I don't want to date you!" He looks purely grossed out. "You're like my sister! "

I can't help but laugh at my silly mistake. The anger that I was starting to feel dissipates and my muscles relax.

"So what did you want to tell me?" I ask, still laughing.

"Well, you just seem so distant recently. Is everything ok?" Dustin asks.

My shoulders slump and I let out a sigh.

No I'm not doing well. I feel like everything I've been living is a lie. I've been living in a giant lie. I miss Asher and Aiden, I miss my mom, and even though my dad is here in the house, I miss him too.

I look them both in the eye and figure that I should tell them everything. And by "everything" I mean the mysterious text, the meeting with Mr. Wesley, Asher being in Florida, and finding out that my brother is possibly alive. So I do.

When I'm finished, my head drops and a single tear slips down my cheek. Alexis had come over to sit next to me on the bed during my little story and Dustin joins us now, wrapping all three of us in a hug. Alexis runs her fingers through my brown hair.

"It's ok, babe. We will sort all of this out. Don't you worry. But, why didn't you tell us before? You're obviously falling apart behind that beautiful smile of yours." Alexis says, her bright blue eyes soft and motherly.

"I honestly don't know. I thought I could do it on my own. I didn't want to bother you guys with it." I say with a sniffle.

"Bother us?" Dustin asks with a snort. "Kiera, you will never, ever bother us. What put that silly idea in your head?" He says, lifting my chin up.

"I don't know. I really don't. But I promise I will always come to you guys with everything from now on." I say.

"Good." Alexis says with a smile. "Now lets find your brother." She says, grabbing my laptop.

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~Asher POV~

"What do you guys usually eat for dinner?" I ask Jordan.

"There's a schedule on the wall next to the kitchen." Jordan says nodding his head in the direction of the kitchen. His hands are crossed over his chest and he wears a somewhat determined grimace on his face. He didn't look like this in the room while talking to Chase and I. I shrug it off and look at the chart.

Monday- Spaghetti with garlic bread

Tuesday- Macaroni and Cheese with fruit salad

Wednesday- PB&J sandwiches with applesauce

Thursday- Chicken with salad

Friday- Pizza with salad

Saturday- Deli meat sandwiches with mashed potatoes

Sunday- Hamburgers with fries

Wow they really got this under control. I feel a presence next to me and I look at the figure from the corner of my eye. The face looks feminine while the shoulders are broad and muscular. I decide to turn and face the girl. She looks at me with a scowl. I smile and hold my hand out. "Hey, I'm Asher. And you are...?"

"Scarlett. Don't talk to me ever again."

Well isn't she just peachy.

I decide to leave her alone and go find Chase. I finally find him in our room, drawing what seems to be a horse. The horse is black with white spots. I think I heard someone call this breed an Appaloosa. The horse is running, its mane and tail flowing majestically behind in the wind.

"That's good." I say quietly, startling Chase.

"Holy crap, man. Don't scare me like that." He says, holding a hand to his heart and panting heavily.

I chuckle and decide to ask him about Scarlett.

"Oh dang. You ran into Scarlett?" He asks with a shocked expression.

"No, I didn't. I was looking at the dinner chart and she was standing next to me. When I turned to talk to her, she basically shot me down and walked away." I say, looking down.

"Not used to being rejected aye?" Chase asks me with a smirk.

I roll my eyes and continue to ask questions. "Why is she so closed off?"

"Nobody knows, dude. What we do know is that she was the second kid here. The first one was a guy named Derek. She supposedly liked him and he liked her. They were together for two years and then he got adopted by a family that lives in Hawaii. They talked over email for about a year, but the fire that had once burned so bright became nothing but a tiny spark fading away into the night. But I don't think that's why she's so closed off. I think something happened to her family that she can't live with and doesn't want to talk about." Chase informs me.

I process this knowledge and decide to talk to her. "I'm going to find out her story." I say to Chase.

"What? No, thats just stupid." Chase retorts.

Of course, this makes me want to try even more. This will be quite the challenge because she told me never to talk to her again. You can't exactly learn a person's story by looking at them across the room.

I decide to talk to her during dinner, and then I can call Kiera afterwards. Excitement courses through my body once again.

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Hey guys, good news for you! I went to the doctor and he says that I'm doing well. Of course, I'm not completely done with everything, but I've made progress. The medicine (I call them happy pills) are working, and I just feel better about myself as a person. I still have to be with someone all the time because I can't trust myself just yet. But I have a lot of exciting things coming up. My 15th birthday is this Friday, and I'm having a soccer party on Thursday with a bunch of my friends. Then on August 10th, I'm going to Cedar Point with a few people, including my BEST friend. I am so excited. On October 6th-11th, I'm going to Guatemala with a group from my church. We're helping some of the people out, like the new church plants there and stuff. I'm so excited, but pray for me because I don't want to get sick there. I'm small in height (My 13 year old sister has already grown past me) and I get sick easily. Thanks again for all your support, you guys are honestly the best. :)

Ily!

-KD Montague ;)