She might as well have kicked me in the stomach with one of those huge black boots, the tone of her voice was so cold. Void of any other emotions.
She had heard my apology last night and she still hates me?
I think I�m going to cry.
Glancing around the waiting area, I saw entirely too many people milling around to allow my tears to flow. It�s not like it would help anything. I�m pretty sure her heart turned into ice somehow in the past twenty-four hours.
�They�re saying the plane should land in about fifteen minutes.�
She might have nodded. I don�t really care anymore. In order to stay sane� I can�t care anymore.
*
Keeping a good grip on the armrest with one hand, I felt Xander attempting to crush the bones in my other as the plane descended in a steady downpour.
�I thought planes couldn�t land in the rain.�
I glanced over at Trevor, who was steadily looking out the window as we descended closer to the water and the city beneath us.
�Nah, just can�t if there�s lightning and stuff. Might get hit.�
A loud rumble of thunder somewhere near the plane followed Marc�s words, which had already freaked Xander out.
�Xandy, man, we�re going to be okay. Five more minutes in this thing at the very most.�
�I�m driving back to Texas!�
Laughing, I just shook my head at him.
�Are you trying to make up for the fact that Kara isn�t so afraid to fly anymore?�
He glared at me before leaning his head back on the headrest and closing his eyes. Taking up a similar position, I willed the plane down faster, nervousness coursing through my body at what mess I might find myself having to deal with once we found Kara in the airport.
It wasn�t until the plane had stopped and the pilot gave us permission to disembark the plane that Xander released my hand; immediately flexing it, I came to the conclusion that he hadn�t broken any bones.
So he is weaker than Kara.
When I jumped up from my seat, Ryan grabbed my shirt and pulled me back down.
�Calm down. I�m not about to let you go out there yourself, and I don�t think all these people would appreciate it if you mowed them down to get to her.�
Nodding, I strapped my backpack around my shoulders and patiently waited for the other guys to get their stuff before we all tried to get off the stupid plane.
*
The moment the plane pulled in, Kara sat up, feet bouncing anxiously as she twisted her fingers together. Her condition got even worse when people started exiting. Jumping up from the chair, she stood on her toes in hopes� of seeing the guys before they saw her?
I wish she wanted to see me this badly.
No, Carter. Stop. We�ve gone over this a hundred times in the last twenty minutes. She doesn�t care about you. At all. Stop wishing she did.
*
My heart started racing the moment I saw actual people getting off the plane and entering the terminal, meeting people or rushing off to get their luggage.
Where are they?
My eyes were immediately pulled to a bright yellow shirt the moment it came into view. Swallowing hard, I tried to look around it, making sure it was Marc and his soccer jersey. Finding a smaller boy with a mop of brownish blonde hair walking next to him, I couldn�t stop myself from rushing towards them, finding Xander and Trevor behind the Cabrera brothers and� Toby on the other side of Ryan.
Before they really had a chance to see me, I�d pushed my way past some college aged boys and jumped into Toby�s arms, immediately feeling his shoulders jerk as he dropped his backpack into the floor and wrapped them around me.
�Hey, baby sister. I told you we�d come as soon as we could.�
*
Getting up much slower than Kara had, I took a deep breath before approaching the group that had inadvertently circled around her and Toby, who even when he seemed to let go, she clung to as though he could save her from something.
From me?
*
Oh man, something�s wrong. Something is really wrong. She�s shaking really bad.
�Kara, what happened? He came back. Nick�s here.�
�It�s not him.�
Shit. Her voice was so small, and it was glaringly obvious she was fighting tears.
I pulled away from her again, more forcefully so she had to look up at me.
Holy fuck�
Pushing her hair away from her face, I looked at the damage as she stared up at me in fear � like I was about to hit her too. That�s the part I probably hate the most. Every time something like this happens, she looks at me like I�m going to join in.
�When?�
It looked new. She would have told me if it�d happened last night. Even if she hadn�t, I would have known. I would have flown out last night.
�This afternoon.�
*
Say something, Toby! Just stop looking at me like I�m a ghost!
He kept staring down at me, the muscles in his jaw clinching every once and a while as he brushed his fingers against my cheek.
�I�m going to kill him. I told you� if he did this again, I was going to kill him.�
Before I could reply, an arm had wrapped around my shoulders, causing me to flinch in fear that it was Nick.
�What�s going on, baby sister?�
Closing my eyes, I let out my breath slowly and turned towards Ryan, whose eyes immediately grew concerned as he mimicked Toby�s movements and ran his fingers down the side of my face.
�Oh my god� Kar��
Pulling me away from Toby, Ryan hugged me, kissing my forehead.
�I told you something happened.�
The words were mumbled under Toby�s breath.
�Is that why you weren�t answering your phone?�
I pulled back and looked up at him, knowing that if I stayed in his arms, I�d fall apart and I couldn�t cry off my disguise again.
�No, I left it at Nick�s. I got your messages when we were driving here.�
Ryan�s face scrunched up for a second before he looked over my head at something behind me.
�Nick�s?�
I nodded and turned to Toby, who obviously hadn�t informed everyone who I was staying with by the look on his face.
�So you�re telling me that the boy talking to Xander, Trevor, and Marc is actually, beneath the ball cap, Nick? The Nick?�
*
By the look on her face, I knew she�d done exactly what I�d thought she�d do. Add in the backhand-right hook combo Mike seemed to prefer when he beats people up and she probably hasn�t said two words to him today.
�I screwed up. He hates me.�
I glanced over at Nick, whose eye I immediately caught considering he was watching Kara. He looked like he was about to fall apart, too.
My god, what do we have to do to get these two together for good?
�Why do you say that?�
Staring at the floor, Kara messed with the ends of her fingerless gloves and it drew my attention to her choice in dress. The makeup had made sense the moment I saw it. It�d keep complete strangers from walking up to her and asking if she was okay as they glared at whatever boy was accompanying her � in this case Nick, which could turn into a dangerous media fiasco. But the clothes? Her power clothes. Her I-need-some-confidence-so-I�m-going-to-dress-up-as-a-totally-different-person clothes.
Nothing good has ever happened when she�s worn those clothes. Separately, nothing happens. Combined� never good.
She does become a totally different person.
�I just� I� he hates me. I keep leaving him, and I haven�t told him what�s going on. He has to hate me.�
Her voice broke as she bit into her lip, flinching when she felt pain from the already swollen skin. Reaching her fingers hesitantly to the wound, she touched her bottom lip, only to find blood on her fingertips when she pulled away.
�What did he do when he found out?�
She shook her head.
�He doesn�t know. That�s why I keep running and hiding and not talking to him. He can�t know. Mike is his best friend. He�ll probably think I did something to deserve it.�
Glancing back over at Nick who had turned half his attention to the guys while continuing to gaze longingly at Kara with worry, I sighed.
�Kara, I don�t think you have much to worry about. That guy is crazy about you.�
She shook her head and looked back up at me, her eyes freakishly dead.
I don�t know how it happened, but it appears she�s gotten worse.