A Second Chance [COMPLETED]

Chapter 23 - "You should go."

After two weeks of being ignored by Kade, Lennon had given up. Given up trying to figure out the reason behind his sudden distance and accepted it as reality for the time being. She had exhausted herself trying to make sense of it, but it never got her any closer to an answer or changing the way things were.

Now, even more then before, Kade was willing to be loving in public. Lennon was now immune to the kisses. They no longer took her by surprise. He went through the motions of being a caring boyfriend and even though it had always been an act, it felt more so now.

As much as it all confused Lennon, once she accepted it, it wasn't a hard reality to live with. On a good day, she could convince herself this situation was for the best.

The fact that Thanksgiving was fast approaching made her nervous. She was going with Kade to visit his family. She didn't think the relationship they had would be able to stand up under a family's scrutiny but she told herself she still had time to figure that out. But that idea of time was ruined when Jordan reminded her Thanksgiving was a week and a half away.

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Lennon entered the party, already feeling weary. Tired of putting on an act one more time. It felt like most of the parties she had been going to with Kade over the last two weeks. She realized it didn't really matter if she knew what the party was for. It just mattered that she was there and got photographed with Kade.

Music blared through the house, the sound seeming to shake the whole building. Groups of people huddled together, drunken laughter filling the air around them. Bodies swayed to the pounding beat, cups clenched in talon like hands. Lennon pushed her way through the dense crowd looking for Kade. She found him talking with a group of friends.

"Hey babe," he said, giving her a kiss.

She barely said hi before he had started up the conversation again.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked, after a little bit.

"Sure. Soda is fine," she said.

"Ok," he said, and walked away.

Lennon struck up a conversation with Josh Stone. They laughed about the time Lennon had been bombarded by fans at one of his concerts at the mall.

After a little while, she left Kade's group and was walking through the party when the girl from the Halloween party stopped her. Lennon racked her brain for the girl's name as the girl, again,  excitedly greeted her and asked about Kade. Lennon played it off like she had before.   

As the conversation was ending, Lennon remembered the girl's name was Brianna. But Brianna was pulled away by a drunk friend before Lennon could make use of that info. As she set out to find someone new, Devon grabbed her arm and gave her a wildly curious look.

"Were you just talking to Brianna?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?" Lennon asked.

"Did she throw a punch?"

"No."

"That's surprising. She is known to be territorial about the guys she has slept with."

"What?"

"I don't even know why she still gets like that," Devon said. "She only hooked up with Kade a few times and it was more then a year and a half ago."

"Oh," was all Lennon could say as she tried to keep her face neutral.

"She tried to come after me but I said no. Girls cause enough problems without being crazy."

Devon laughed and Lennon forced a smile until she could get away.