She was so late. They had been waiting outside for over 10 minutes, but she just needed to check her things one more time.
"ID, check. Jacket, check. Phone and charger, check. Wallet, check." Kaycee enumerated the things in her backpack, trying to locate all her essentials. She reached into the side pocket to check for her sunglasses when -
"Hey, ready to go?" Kaycee yelped and clutched her heart, quickly taking in the sight of Sean standing in her bedroom doorway. At 2 in the morning. Dressed in all black.
"Geez, Sean. You could have turned on the lights!" She said, trying to calm her racing heart. He eyed her curiously, fighting the smirk that tugged at his lips.
"Oh, shut up. Put those dimples away." Kaycee moped, tossing a pillow at him. Sean easily caught it, and strided into her room.
"Keep it down. Your family is asleep." He said, putting the pillow back on her bed. Kaycee sighed, having finished checking her carry-on backpack. She was about to put her ID into her back pocket, when Sean caught her wrist.
"Uh uh, not a good idea." He took her ID and put it into his jacket pocket instead. "That could easily fall out when you sit or something."
Kaycee shrugged and let him keep it. Finally, she was ready to go. Sean helped her haul her suitcase down the stairs as quietly as they could. After double checking that all the doors were locked and windows were closed, the pair bounded down the Rices' driveway, and into the awaiting vehicle.
"ARE YOU READY FOR BOSTON YEAR 3, KAYCEE RICE?" They were greeted by an ecstatic Alex, scream-whispering from the driver's seat. Bailey and Kenneth waved from the third row of the van, and Jade from the passenger's seat.
"I'M SO READY, ALEX CHUNG!" She replied, jumping into the back seat. Sean loaded her things at the back of the van, took his place next to Kaycee, and headed for the airport.
When Alex finally found a parking spot, they piled out of the van and quickly gathered their belongings. Standing outside the van, Kaycee was trying to wrestle herself into her hoodie. Her arm was caught in this weird angle, because of her backpack, and her hair was pushed into one of the sleeves. She couldn't really see anything because her head was stuck halfway through, so she attempted to push herself into the hoodie by jumping around. Not like it was of any help.
"What the hell are you doing?" She turned to the familiar, amused voice, and deflated.
"Seaaaan!" Kaycee laughed, waving her stuck arms around. That was enough of a hint for him. She heard his booming laughter, followed by his hands over her hoodie. She felt him pull here, and tug there, until her head finally popped through the hood.
"You're a mess." Sean said, helping her pat her hair down as she gracelessly spat out loose strands from her mouth.
"I don't even know how that happened!" She whined as Sean pusher her hair back from her face, and pulled the hood carefully over her now-fixed mane.
From over his shoulder, Kaycee caught Jade and Bailey exchange a look. It was a look also acknowledged by Alex, who squeezed Jade's arm as he locked the van. Like he was telling her "Don't start."
What's going on with them?
"Okay, is everyone ready?" Alex said. "Are all Kaycee's body parts in order? Then let's go!"
Alex had way too much energy for 2:30 in the morning. He practically skipped all the way to the check-in counter, like a mad pied piper leading a bunch of zombie teenagers.
"IDs, guy. Give 'em here. Ken?" Alex said, collecting the IDs one by one. Ken gave his.
"Bailey." The girl gave her ID when she was called.
"Jade." She gave hers too.
"Kaycee." Sean reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out both their IDs. He handed them to Alex with barely a glance.
There's that look again.
Sean didn't see, but Kaycee caught them. Kenneth eyed Sean's jacket, and looked at Bailey, who quirked her eyebrows at him.
What's going on?
Kaycee tried to catch Bailey's eye, but the girl just chuckled and brisk-walked away.
"Did you see that, Sean?" She whispered, grasping Sean's elbow. He looked around, and leaned into her.
"See what?"
"They just exchanged a look." She said, gesturing to Kenneth and Bailey.
"What look?" Sean asked. "And why are we whispering?"
She rolled her eyes at him, and mildly hit him on the chest. "Nothing, nevermind."
Two looks might not have meant anything. But if there was a third one, she was going to start demanding some answers. You do not mess with a sleep-deprived Kaycee Rice.
~~~
Author's Note: Just a short pre-lude to set the stage for what's to come. I hope you stick this ride out with me. And for those who have followed me here from "Trust Issues", thank you for being here.
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Make Up Your Mind • Sean & Kaycee
Fanfiction"Stop doting, Sean. You're not my boyfriend!" Kaycee said, half joking and half embarrassed. She took the bag from him, and watched his face fall. "I'm just trying to help." He mumbled and walked away. She immediately knew that she did the wrong thi...
