Understanding Caitlyn -Chapter 11-

Eleven1

"Jackie," Caitlyn said into the phone with a serious tone.2

"Cait? What's wrong?" Jackie stood up from sitting on the couch and turned the television on mute.3

"Well, first of all, my name is Cait-lyn. Not Cait." In the background Kyle chuckled and shook his head.4

"Don't try pulling that with me Caitlyn Reye. What else did you want to tell me?" Jackie laughed. 5

"Oh." She paused, then took a deep breathe. "I want to talk to my father."6

"What?" Jackie had completely forgotten about the judge granting Caitlyn's father permission to see her.7

"I want to talk to my father, on one condition." Caitlyn sat up and leaned her elbows on her knees. Kyle went to put her arm behind her but she stood up before he touched her, she held up one finger, meaning hold on.8

"Do you?" She sounded surprised.9

"Yes, but one condition." 10

"What's that?"11

"I want Kyle to be there with me." she said, hoping that she added force behind her words.12

"Cait, I don't think that's a good idea," Jackie sighed deeply.13

"Why not?" Caitlyn narrowed her eyes.14

"Because, you just met Kyle, this isn't his business."15

"It is his business Jackie; he's been here for me."16

"And I haven't?"17

"It's not the same, Jackie," she said awkwardly.18

"No. He can't be there, Caitlyn."19

"What? Why not Jackie?! You can't tell me what to do, I'm seventeen years old!"20

"It's just not a good idea," Jackie said quietly.21

"Please Jackie,"22

"Caitlyn. You haven't seen your father in seven years. Do you really want your boyfriend to be there? You and your father have a dark history; you need to talk to him alone first." Jackie pressed her thumb and pointer finger against the bridge of her nose, a headache pressed behind her eyes.23

"But... He wants to protect me Jackie,"24

"You need to do this alone Caitlyn, you need to."25

"Okay. Fine." Caitlyn gave in, she didn't know what to say anymore, and Jackie made sense. "When can I meet him?" A deep intake of breath, goose bumps hit her skin, a chill up her back.26

"Soon, I'll talk to the judge and his probation officer."27

"Okay," Caitlyn's voice was shaky, unsure, and then hung up with Jackie after a brief good-bye.28

"What did she say?" Kyle asked from the couch.29

"I need to do this by myself, Kyle."30

"I want to go with you." Kyle said strongly.31

"I need to do it by myself; I haven't seen him in seven years."32

"But I want-"33

"Kyle, I can't always rely on you protecting me, I love you but I need to do this on my own. Jackie won't even let you anyway. I can't do anything about it, and she's right."34

Kyle glared at the ground, and then looked up. 35

"Kyle, please don't be mad at me,"36

"I'm not mad! Baby, I just, I just want to protect you, that's all." Kyle came up and hugged Caitlyn, pressing his hard body against hers. She gladly welcomed the embrace; she was relieved he wasn’t mad. She rested her head against his chest, and his head on hers, standing like that. Then Kyle lifted his head slowly and lifted Caitlyn’s chin and mouth to meet his. Her hands went around his neck and his around her waist, pressing her against him until she stayed like that. Kyle’s hands roamed her back, until they slowly moved forward to Caitlyn’s stomach. Caitlyn murmured something so Kyle took his lips from her; he put his hands back on her waist pulling her to him. He looked down at her and smiled. “Hmm?”37

“Nothing,” Caitlyn blushed deeply and looked down.38

“I believe I made Caitlyn Reye blush,” Kyle said quietly, amusement in his voice.39

“So?” She put her chin back up defiantly.40

“So it’s cute.” He winked at her and kissed her again. A deep kiss that they both got lost in. But this time Caitlyn moved her hands from his neck to his waist. Kyle withdrew his lips from hers, and murmured, “Let me show you something,” and he placed kisses down her neck. Caitlyn automatically moved her neck for him in a surprised movement. He went back to kissing her lips, Caitlyn’s hand moved down to Kyle’s thigh, then rested on his inside thigh. The movement came at a surprise and Kyle stopped kissing her. He turned bright red this time, even more so when Caitlyn felt something pushing his leg. 41

Caitlyn and Kyle both jumped a part when Dylan ran through the door. He stopped where he was when he saw the two jump a part. “Hmm, I wonder what Caitlyn and Kyle were doing in here.” He rubbed his chin in a mock-pondering pose.42

Caitlyn turned a deep, deep red and murmured something about going to the bathroom and hurried up the stairs two at a time. 43

“There’s a bathroom down here too,” Dylan laughed, not hiding his amusement. 44

“I hear you're moving out soon,” Kyle said, as him and Dylan walked into the kitchen. They had become friends, sometimes Dylan, Kyle and Caitlyn had watched movies together, just hanging out.45

“Yup, I turn eighteen next month.”46

“That’s cool, how long have you been in… foster care?” He stuttered at saying the word ‘foster care’ still a tough subject for Kyle to ask others about.47

“Since I was about four. I can’t wait to be on my own.” Dylan grinned.48

“Kyle? Do you want to go now?” Caitlyn called from the living room.49

“Sure, I’ll be there in a second.” He called back. “If you need help or a place to stay just give me a call man.” 50

“Thanks,” he said. Kyle was about to exit the kitchen. “Hey wait,” Kyle turned around and Dylan threw a little dark blue package at him. “Just to be safe” he winked. It was condom. 51

“So you really want to go through this?” Kyle and Caitlyn sat in the parking lot of a restaurant a week later. Jackie’s car was next to them, she stood by the doors, waiting for Caitlyn. Caitlyn’s father was probably already in the restaurant, with the one security guard the judge had required for the meeting, and her father’s lawyer. 52

“Yeah, I’m sure. I think.” She took a deep breath in and then let it out. “Yeah, I’m ready. I’ll call you when I get home.”53

“Okay,” Kyle hugged her and she got out of his truck.54

“Hi Jackie,” Caitlyn said quietly as she walked up to her, Jackie held open the door.55

“Let’s go girl.”56

They walked around a corner and Jackie pointed to a big table in the back. It was a semi dark, candles lit and low yellow lights everywhere. Her father, Cait assumed, sat on the outside of the table, a man in a suit sat next to him, and a security guard stood in the corn. Caitlyn paused before she got to the table, she took a deep breath and Jackie’s hand rubbed her back.57

“Let's do it.” Jackie said to her softly.58

The two men stood when Jackie reached the corner of the table, Jackie shook hands with both men, muttering greetings. Caitlyn just sat down, staring at her folded hands in her lap. When the two men and Jackie sat down, Caitlyn stared straight into her father’s eyes; neither terror nor challenge was in her eyes, just a blank questioning look.59

“Hello Cait,” Her father said softly, his smooth voice over-whelmed her. 60

Caitlyn looked at her father; his hair was dark brown, like Caitlyn’s, combed back casually. His eyes, not like Caitlyn’s brown, were incredibly blue. Willy resembled their father in looks, Caitlyn from both their mother and father. His mustache had tiny bits of gray. He looked good, better than Caitlyn thought he would. Instead of his skinny figure he had when she was younger, his muscles were more noticeable, yet not big and intimidating. Before he had gone to jail, Caitlyn remembered his skin being flabby, loose on his face; he had the look of someone sick. He had had the look of the drug addict he was. But now he looked healthy, clean, and maybe even handsome. 61

“My name is Caitlyn, not Cait.”62

“We had always called you Cait before,” he smiled slightly. “How have you been?”63

“Great, actually.” She answered shortly, and sat up straight in her chair. “How was prison?” she hadn’t meant to say it, her eyes opened wide, “I didn’t mean to-“64

“No, its fine, I understand” he chuckled. “It was a long, well deserved sentence. I cleaned up," Caitlyn nodded, and then looked down. She hadn’t meant to be rude. “Did you hear about your mother?”65

“If you mean if I heard from her or not, no.” Caitlyn said it casually, it didn’t faze her.66

“You never heard about…” he faded off. He looked at his lawyer, then at Jackie. Jackie too, had a confused look, “You didn’t know? Caitlyn,” he paused and took a deep breathe, “your mother killed herself four years ago. It was shortly after our divorce was final. I’m sorry Caitlyn,” his eyes were sad, worried about what Caitlyn would think, what she would do. Everyone waited for her to say something.67

“What am I suppose to say? Am I supposed to cry, Michael?” Caitlyn said quietly, and used her father's first name. “My mother almost killed me, and then she kills herself, oh well.” She took another deep breath. “I didn’t mean it like that, but, I never thought I’d see her again anyway.”68

“It’s okay Cait, you’re allowed to feel that way,” Jackie said. 69

“I know our relationship will never be good, but I still do want to see you, Caitlyn. Do you think we could be friends' maybe?” Michael had tears in his eyes.70

“I, I don’t know yet.”71