Just A Rebound (BWWM)

twelve

The light from the TV blazed us all in the face as we sat in the pitch-black living room watching the second scary movie of the night. I was tired an hour ago but Logan was too hung up on not being left down here alone despite Kit who was already knocked out on the other end of the couch. Brett couldn't stop texting Loya updates on the movie and I swear it felt like she was here with us.

"It is a school night," I finally came out to say. "We should probably go get in our own beds."

"Aw, bro! It's late! You really want us driving at night after three pizzas and a beer?" Logan looked at Brett and then at me as if he was expecting the both of us to break out into an argument. Ultimately, Brett was right. I was more concerned with Logan hopping in a car with him than anything else. So I sighed which gave a good enough answer. "Oh yes! This is the most we've hung out in months!"

I paused the movie when the two jumped up and over the couch to head to my room. I knew if my mom saw that she would fall into cardiac arrest.

"Kit?" I shook his shoulder to wake him. "You can sleep in my bed."

He groggily rubbed his eyes and looked at his watch. "Oh, yeah. That's cool too." I smiled and grabbed the pizza boxes off the coffee table. "So you have two of them, huh? Maybe we got it from dad."

I tried not to respond since it would only cause tension. Kit and I were close back when we were young especially since we could never be as close as Maya and Tyler. As he got older and got his first girlfriend, I was put on the back burner and he moved his social ranking to the front. We still get along and sometimes we agree. When it came to dad, we were never on the same page.

"Yeah, maybe."

Just as we finished putting the dishes away, two pairs of footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. Maya and Tyler were in their pajamas and looked as if they were just headed to bed. "We wanted to see Kit before he left," Maya admitted. He gave her a hug and Tyler a sloppy hug. "How is Nova?"

"You saw her just a month ago," he chuckled. The nervous look on his face made all of us stare at him as if he was losing it. "Just a month ago..."

Tyler squinted his eyes and used the counter to lean his hip on. "Why are you really here, Kit?" He and Maya crossed their arms over their chest.

"Nova is... pregnant." My knees almost gave out form under me. "When she told me, I panicked and headed straight here."

Tyler then hit him in the back of the head. "You dipped?!"

"It's just that easy?" I blurted. All eyes were on me as I tried to find the words to explain myself. "I mean... just after a month. Were you two trying?"

Kit scoffed before turning his back to me. "Of course not! This is such bad news. She just started her volleyball career. You can't play in paid tournaments when you're pregnant."

Maya looked dumbfounded then a smile snapped on her face. "Oh my- I'm going to be an aunt?! Kit this is great news! Does mom and dad know?"

"No! No! Do not tell mom or anyone. I wasn't even supposed to tell you guys but I felt the pressure on my chest. I'm trusting you guys to keep this to yourself until we're ready. Please!" From youngest to oldest, we lined up in front of Kit and held up our pinkies. He accepted the promise one by one until we ended with Maya. "Thank you."

The kitchen got silent as we all stood in our thoughts. If Kit was upset then equally we would all feel for him. No one wanted to admit it but he was more of a father figure than our dad. I always got a tinge of excitement when he came around. But that was the little kid in me.

"Let's go to bed," he finally announced. Maya jumped on his back the moment he tapped her arm. "You know muscle weighs more than fat is a myth." Maya booped him on his head as he pretended he couldn't take her up the steps.

Once everyone was in their respective places, Kit and I walked in to see Logan and Brett watching a show off one of their phones.

Brett sat up on his knees which caused Logan to put the phone away. "What was going on? The two small ones bursted in here like the police."

"I don't think anyone goes to bed at a reasonable time around here," Kit answered.

"Woah, dude. Like I used to watch your highlights when y'all busted every school in baseball tournaments. Second Ryan told me his brother was a fucking beast!" Logan clapped a hand over his mouth which he continued to blabber into.

"My last year wasn't so great. Biggest advice is girls can wait."

Brett nodded as Logan pushed him down. Everyone was now in their respectable sleeping spaces and I was left with the sound of Kit's thoughts consuming me. "I know you're stressed," I whispered. I could feel his head turn on the pillow next to me and I knew he was looking at my silhouette in the dark. "But Nova is good for you. For all of us. I can't even tell you how fast she picked up the phone whenever I had a question. She was always there to help. Best advice all the time. Just wished I listened to her."

"She is fucking great. What's crazy... I always knew she'd be the best mother and she never hesitated to tell me it was her biggest fear." He sighed. "She thinks she won't know what to do. So... keeping it is still on the table but no sure answer."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want her to be happy. Sometimes I feel like I'm such a screw up. I might not be able to give her what she wants. My mind is never made. I just agree and go with the flow. I want her all the time but sometimes too much. I love her to death. And I'm scared she might change her mind."