A simple favor

Part 9

"I got this." Cinder whispered to Kai. "You just finish this."
Cinder turned around to face Levana. "Hi."
"What are you doing here?" Levana asked with a fake smile.
"I'm buying my prom dress." Cinder said.
"Prom?" Levana looked from Kai to Cinder. She leaned forward and fake whispered. "Is he doing this for charity?"
"Actually." Kai turned around and handed Cinder a bag. "I'm doing it because that's what nice boyfriends do."
Levana let out a weak laugh. "Wait you guys are actually a thing?"
"Yes." Kai nodded his head. "It was a surprise to see you. But we must get going if we want to get home at a reasonable time."
Kai placed his hand on the small of Cinder's back as he ushered her out.
"Oh one more thing." Levana said.
"Yes?" Kai asked.
Levana stepped up to them and whispered in Cinder's ear farthest from Kai. "I would watch your back," She stepped back and said the last part aloud. "Selene."
"Let's go." Cinder sped up.

When they got to the car Cinder got in her seat and looked out the window.
"Hey." Kai said as he grabbed her left hand. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah I just hate that name." Cinder shook her head as she looked at him.
"You know what. I heard Thorne is having a party tonight since it's MLK weekend." Kai said as he started the car.
"Oh yeah but I never go to any of those. Too many people." Cinder shrugged.
"Nah come on let's go to it. It will be fun." Kai punched her arm lightly.
"Ok fine." Cinder laughed. "What time should we be getting home?"
"Well assuming we have light to medium traffic hopefully around 6:00."
"Ok." Cinder nodded. "Can I play music?"
Kai handed her his phone.
"Thank you." Cinder smiled at him.

Kai pulled up to Cinder's house around 5:30. "Hey." Kai tapped Cinder's shoulder, waking her up.
"Hm?" Cinder looked up at him.
"Hi there." Kai smiled.
"Hi." Cinder spoke tiredly.
"Do you still want to go to that party?" He asked.
"Yeah." Cinder sat up nodding.
"Ok, I will pick you up around 7:00?"
"Yeah." Cinder said.
"Ok seen you then." Kai leaned in to give her a kiss.
Cinder placed her hands in his hair, deepening the kiss. Kai leaned in a little more wrapping his arms around her waist. Cinder felt like she was on cloud nine every time their lips touched. She let him turn her in her seat so he could pull her closer. Cinder took the liberty of turning the rest of her body ninety degrees so she was sitting on her legs while facing him.
Two knocks on the window made them jump apart, Cinder hitting her head on the roof in the process. She turned to face the window to see Iko patiently waiting outside.
"We need to watch our surroundings more." Cinder laughed as She opened the door. "See you tonight."
Kai nodded as he drove off, his ears a bright pink.
"Were you guys playing tonsil tennis all weekend?" Iko laughed as they walked into her house.
"You are so gross, and no." Cinder said as they walked into the house.
"Your least favorite is here with a friend she will be in her room if you need her." Cinder yelled.
"Why do you always do that?" Iko asked.
"Because it is a way I express my anger at this house." Cinder closed the door to her room before turning to Iko. "Kai is taking me to Thorne's party. He should be able to give you a ride if you want to go."
"Hell yeah let's get you partied up." Iko said as she raided Cinder's closet. "Oh and will Peony care if we use her makeup?"
"Nah. By the way I'm gonna face time her while you plan my outfit." Cinder said as she plopped down on her bed.
"Hi beautiful." Cinder said when Peony picked up.
"Hi." Peony said tiredly. "Mom said you went on a trip with Kai."
"Yeah he is also taking me and Iko to a party tonight." Iko came up and waved at the camera. "Do you want us to come visit before we go?"
"Yes please." Peony smiled.

    Cinder and Iko walked into Peony's room with a bouquet of peonies.
    "Why did you get me those?" Peony laughed as they placed them on the table.
    "Because we are hilarious that's why." Iko said as she sat in one of the chairs.
    "I'm starting chemotherapy tomorrow." Peony sat up. "And they said that with extra care they may actually be able to terminate the cancer all together.
    "Really!" Cinder shot towards her and enveloped her in a hug. "That's amazing!"
    "Knock knock." Kai said as he stepped into the room.
    "Hi stranger." Peony said.
    "You know what Kai and I will meet you outside." Iko said as she shoved him out the door.
    "I'm getting you a wig for your birthday." Cinder said as soon as Iko and Kai left.
    "Well if I'm not going to have hair then I want you to have this." Peony grabbed a scrunchie. "And look it will go perfect with your outfit." Peony put it on Cinder's wrist. "By the way this seventies look is amazing."
   Cinder looked down at her outfit. Iko has somehow managed to find her a pair of bell bottoms, stole a velvet shirt from Pearl, and finished the look with some booties that were in the back of Cinder's closet.
    "Oh and give this to Iko." Peony handed Cinder a ribbon. "I know it's not much but think she will find a way to use it. Now go don't keep your peps waiting."
   Cinder walked outside to find Kai waiting by the door. She gave him a quick peck before heading to the car. Cinder sat in the passenger side and turned around to look at Iko.
    "Peony wanted you to have this." She handed the ribbon Iko.
    "She is too sweet." Iko laughed as she tied it around her wrist.
    After a few minute drive they pulled up to Carswell Thorne's way to extra house.
   Kai And Cinder walked slowly taking their time while Iko practically ran into the house.
   Cinder pulled her hair up into a ponytail with the scrunchie.
    "No. Your hair looks nice down." Kai reached behind to grab the scrunchie from her head.
   "Hey be careful. That's my favorite scrunchie." Cinder reaches forward to grab it.
   "It's fine I got it." Kai placed it on his wrist. "See? Now let's go." He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the party.
    "I'm going to get us some drinks." Kai said as he let go of her hand.
    "Cinder!" One of Levana's goonies called her.
     She turned around to see Levana with the girl and a few others and a very uncomfortable Winter and Jacin.
    "Come sit with us!" The girl said again.
     Cinder sat down next Jacin and gave him a weak smile.
    "So how did that happen." The girl asked.
    "What happen?" Cinder asked.
    "Please. You and Kai." Another girl said. This one she knew, Sybil Mira.
    "I don't know. It just did." Cinder shrugged.
    "Hey. Kai came in and handed Cinder a cup."
    "This is ridiculous." Levana stood up, taking the other girls with her.
   Cinder took a sip of her drink before putting it down.
    "What did you get me?" She asked Kai.
    "I got punch but now I think it might be spiked." Kai said as he put his drink next to hers.
   "So Cinder." Winter leaned over to look at her.
    "Yeah?" Cinder turned to look at Winter.
    "What is that one story you like to tell with the bear?"
    "Fuzzy Wuzzy?" Cinder asked with a raised eyebrow.
    "Yeah!" Winter clapped.
    "I'm gonna go to the bathroom." Kai stood up, mostly to avoid the weirdness.
   "Ok." Cinder looked up at him as he walked off.

   Kai stood in front of the mirror washing his hands. He started to hear the door open.
    "Hey the bathroom is occupied." Kai said as he stepped towards the door.
    "It's just me." Levana said as she stepped in.
    "What do you want?" Kai asked.
    "I just want to talk." She said as her eyes landed on his wrist. "Oh that's cute!" She pulled the scrunchie from his wrist and put it in her hair.
    "Give it back that's Cinder's." Kai said as he tried to grab it back.
    "I will give it back to her I promise." Said Levana as she stepped out.
    Kai stepped out of the bathroom to see Cinder with Thorne, Winter, and Jacin.
   "Again? Seriously Winter?" Cinder laughed.
   Winter shook her head viciously.
   "Fine. Fine. Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair, Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't very Fuzzy was he?" Cinder shot out her hands and shook them.
   "Oh what a beautiful story." Winter smiled.
   Kai came up and stood next to Cinder. "Yes what a wonderful story."
   Cinder shot a glare at him before letting a small smile slip.
   "Are you ready to go?" Kai asked her in a whisper.
   "I have been ready to go since we came here." Cinder grabbed his hand. "It was nice seeing you guys. I'll see you on Tuesday." Cinder waved to her friends as she dragged him out of the house.
   "You ok?" Kai asked.
   "Yeah I'm fine. Do you want to get something to eat?"
   "Yeah sure. Where do you want to go?" Kai asked as they walked to the car.
   "Let's go to the Rampion."

   Cinder and Kai walked into the coffee shop taking a seat in the middle.
   "I hate crowds with a passion." Cinder sighed.
   "I'm sorry." He said as he grabbed her hand.
   "Nah it's fine. I had fun telling that nursery rhyme to Winter three trillion times." Cinder laughed.
    "How often does she do stuff like that?" Kai asked.
   "Not a lot but sometimes she can't help herself." Cinder shrugged.
   "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to her. To you?"
   Cinder slowly moved her hand from him. "We were abused. Quiet a lot actually." Cinder shuddered. "My mom, her aunt was a drug addict and my dad tried to get us out of there but he could only get me. He and my mom, Channary got a divorce not long after I was born. My mom got custody over me and then became addicted to meth and yeah." Cinder stopped to look up at the roof, making sure she wouldn't cry.
"Then Winter's step Aunt Levana, That's were our wicked witch gets her name, but anyway; after she moved in with us and she had custody over Winter after her parents died in a car crash. And Soon Channary, Yes I call my mom by her first name, soon died so it was just us." Cinder let out a delirious. "The worst part is that most of the abuse came from Levana herself. That's why Winter has those cuts on her face. Levana screwed her up so bad by age 12 she had to put pain somewhere else and her face was the closest thing. And of course it didn't make it any better that Winter was so abused by my family that it literally mad her go crazy."
"Cinder. I'm so sorry." Kai let his tears fall.
"And then my dad remarried and was able to get custody of me. But then he soon died and Adri isn't great by any means but it's a whole lot better than before."
"Why... how are you and Winter functional?" Kai asked.
"We have been going to eight years of excessive therapy. And also Jacin was there to drag Winter out of there when needed. So, yeah." Cinder said as a year slipped out. "But anyway, that's enough depression for me."
   "I will always be here for you. Don't you worry." Kai have her a small smile.
   Cinder's phone went off and excused herself to go outside.
   She came back with a dazed look on her face.
   "Are you ok?" Kai stood up.
   "Peony just passed away." Cinder looked up at him.
   "They said that there was a tumor on her brain they didn't pay enough attention to."
   Kai grabbed her as she fell, breaking her fall. Everyone in the cafe looked down at them. Then Cinder let out the most painful scream before the tears fell.

A/N
This was a really hard chapter to write. I didn't expect me to be that depressing but here we are. I think the next chapter will be a few months in the future so there will probably be a weird gap in things.