I Love You Just the Way You Are (Book 1- Rock Canyon Series)

Chapter 26 - Kellan

Chapter 26 – Kellan

I woke up early the next day. It's funny how that works; you get a day all to yourself, no worries, no pressures, no schedule, and yet you find yourself ready to go bright and early. Why couldn't I feel like that on a normal day?

It's not like I could relax and sleep much anyway, not after kissing Maddie. I kept waking up with the stupidest grin. At one point I had so much trouble going back to sleep that I went into the backyard and sat under the stars. I felt like one of those animations from a lo-fi music station on YouTube, minus the obligatory cat.

I watched the handful of stars that were visible from Rock Canyon wheel across the sky and pondered existence. I thought about how it wasn't possible to have a beginning or an end to life–you could always imagine that there would be something before or after. And in the vastness of creation, with however many universes spread across an infinity of time, I was here at this moment with Maddie. Somewhere, somehow, I had earned a blessing that I didn't deserve.

I sat up in my bed, hearing mom rustling about in the kitchen. I yawned and lazily threw open my curtain as far as it would go without having to move any further from the warmth of the bed. I hadn't told my mom about my suspension, but I assumed she had listened to her voicemails last night once she sobered up for work. While I wasn't looking forward to that discussion, I could get through it. I doubt she cared too much about the suspension; the football would be a different story.

I tossed the covers back and allowed myself to put one foot in front of the other toward the kitchen. Mom was leaning back against the counter, arms crossed, a beer resting next to her. From the smug smile on her face, I could see that she had listened to the voicemails.

"Heard you got the week off. Going on a vacation? Any good plans?"

I ignored her tone and moved for the coffee pot. I had a lot of drawing planned for today and needed the fuel. I intended to finish the manga book I had made about Maddie, putting the picture she requested of me as one of the last scenes. I probably wouldn't eat between now and then, the thought of handing her the finished book making me feel like it was two seconds before the start of a big game.

"Did they tell you what happened?" I asked over my shoulder as I fumbled with the controls of the coffee pot.

"I didn't have a chance to speak with the principal yet. Planned on calling her back today. All it said was that you were in a fight and would be suspended for the rest of the week. The second voicemail said they had reached your father and he would be picking you up. I figured seeing your father was probably punishment enough, so I've decided not to punish you any further." She chuckled and then took a large swig of the beer.

I considered telling her about what happened after he picked me up but let it go. "Yeah, well, a couple of kids were picking on a girl I liked. They were saying the nastiest things and I unloaded on one of them."

Mom made an expression that I hadn't seen in a while, a look of inquisitiveness that told me she wasn't fully drunk yet. "What kind of things did they say that made you that angry?"

I clicked the button marked BOLD on the machine and turned to face her. "She's transgender."

Mom's beer was in motion toward her face and abruptly stopped, returning to the counter quietly. She looked at me, her eyes traveling around my face, as if searching for an answer that might be there. She finally nodded, looking away and out the kitchen window.

"Okay, that makes sense why you got upset. Is that where you were last night, with her?" she finally said. Of all the reactions, this wasn't the one I expected.