Free UN-RELATED (UN-RELATED SERIES) by Kimberly Schwartzmiller

funny way of showing it. How could you…? Come on Abby, we’re leaving!”
    “Kellan! I’m sorry. I just couldn’t think of any other way to keep you. I’m…failing most of my classes. They’re kicking me out of school. I know you’re getting straight A’s, and I thought you’d fall for one of those smart girls that are always falling all over you.”
    “I never cheated on you, Brianna. I came home to you every night.”
    “But, you weren’t really with me, were you?” she asked, silent tears running down her cheeks.
    “I don’t know what you want from me,” he said.
    “I want you to tell me that you love me. I want you…to love me.”
    “I don’t know what to say…”
    She closed her eyes and said, “I guess there’s nothing left to say.”
    “I’m sorry, Brianna. I wish I could tell you what you want to hear. I care for you…I do.”
    “Just go! Please!” She was openly crying now.
     
    Kellan motioned for me to follow him downstairs. We were heading out the door but were stopped by Mr. Benson before we could make our escape.
    “Where do you think you’re going? You get my daughter in trouble and then just run off…like nothing happened?”
    “Daddy, he didn’t get me into trouble. I’m not pregnant,” Brianna said from the bottom of the stairs.
    “What?” Mr. Benson asked.
    “I’m not…pregnant. I…” she started to tell him she lied, but Kellan interrupted her.
    “It was a false alarm. I have to get Abby home. I’ll see you later, Bree,” Kellan said, offering her a chance to save face. 
    She smiled weakly at him and said, “Yeah, okay. I’m sorry…for everything.”
     
    We walked home in silence. The next day was Thanksgiving, and we had planned on having dinner with Brianna and her family, but suddenly that didn’t seem like the best plan. Nancy and Joe were off again, as usual. They weren’t due back until late Sunday evening after Kellan’s flight left. 
    Managing to avoid the topic foremost on our minds, Kellan said, “Do you think we can cook a turkey and all of the fixings if I go out and get the stuff?”
    “We can just have turkey sandwiches or something. It’s no big deal.”
    “It is a big deal. You’re always missing out on the important things. I hate that you live here…” he said, refusing to talk about Brianna.
    “Kellan, I’m okay. Are you?” I asked.
    “I’m…fine. I’m just…why the hell did she lie to me? It doesn’t make any sense. I never cheated on her…I was always…”
    “Do you love her?” I asked, getting to the heart of the matter.
    He sat down on one of the dining room chairs and sighed, “I care for her.”
    “Kellan, do you love her ?”
    He sighed, “No, not really. I thought I would grow to love her in time. But, she’s been so…clingy. And now, I don’t know what to do. I just don’t understand why she would do this.”
    “She told you why. She was afraid of losing you. She loves you, even if you don’t feel the same for her. She must have sensed it was over.”
    “She has a funny way of showing it. I never gave her any reason to doubt me. I mean, I never cheated on her.”
    “I believe you. But, how many girls were hanging around you? How many girls did you talk to? And, just because you didn’t cheat on her doesn’t mean you were really there for her, either.”
    “I was there. I was faithful…and I was there!”
    “I’m sure she knows that, but I’ll bet she was jealous of every other girl that looked at you or talked to you,” I said, knowing exactly how Brianna felt.
    “So, that means it’s okay to lie to me and to trick me into marrying her? How could she do that? Yeah, I talked to a few girls…friends, but she had a lot of guy friends, too. And I didn’t try to trick her into marrying me.”
    “You wouldn’t have had to. She loves you.”
    He paced around the dining room for a few minutes and then said, “When did you get so smart? I guess I should go talk to her, huh?”
    “Yeah.