Understanding Caitlyn -Chapter 5-

Five1

“Yo Kyle!” a familiar voice shouted out to him.2

“Holy shit! Hunter! Damn, long time no see!” Kyle yelled back to his best friend.  “How’s it going? What happened to Utah?” Hunter had gone to Utah to visit his dad there for a few months, and had planned to move there.  As Kyle walked up to Hunter, he shook his hand then Hunter brought him into a friendly hug.3

“Too many Mormons!” Hunter said jokingly, “Nah, just couldn’t stand living with my dad. This is the last place I thought I’d see you!” 4

"Why's that?" Kyle asked Hunter, curiously.5

"I dunno, I just heard you weren't much of a partier now."6

"Oh, well I'm here with my friend Caitlyn." Kyle told Hunter and laughed, "Well, I was here with her, she's dancing with this guy, Vernon."7

"Why aren't you with her?"8

"Haha, cause I'm big and scary I guess, she just now started trusting me, and then right when she meets Vernon, the next second she’s dancing with him. It took me forever her to even talk  to me." Kyle laughed again but looked agitated. "She's really moody sometimes, but I care for her, you know?"9

"Hmm.“ Hunter said sympathetically,10

"Do you want to meet Caitlyn?" Kyle asked Hunter.11

"Sure, why not, if she’s open and all," Hunter said and winked to Kyle.12

"Haha" Hunter didn't say anything knowing it was a joke. "I gotta go find her though, I'll be back."13

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~14

"Caitlyn," the voice on the telephone echoed and her heart skipped a few beats.15

"who- who is this?" she stammered, keeping her voice low, to be sure that no one heard her.16

"its Will, Caitlyn" the voice was cracking, crying.17

"Will?" Caitlyn didn't believe it, tears rolled down her face.18

"Yes, how are you?"19

"Will, I- I miss you, where are you? Daddy, daddy got mad at me because you left, he, he hurt me Will" Caitlyn was quietly sobbing into the phone, the bruises on her face were still there from when Will left.20

"I'm so sorry Cait, I love you! You know that right? Remember that I love you! I'm going to come back for you, I promise" Will said, he was crying into the phone.21

"Will, I love you too, when are you going to come get me?" she cried even more, then heard footsteps coming downstairs. "Will, someone's coming! I got to go!"22

"Caitlyn, I love you! Don't ever forget that! Whatever they say! I love you! I-" Caitlyn hung up the phone and ran into the living room.23

"Caitlyn, who were you talking to?" her fathers drunk voice came to her ears.24

"No one daddy,"25

"Who was on the phone?"26

"No one."27

"DON'T LIE TO ME CAITLYN REYE! It was Will wasn’t it! WHERE IS HE? TELL ME WHERE HE IS!" he screamed at her advancing on her.28

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~29

"Caitlyn, you okay?" Vernon called to her. She was sitting on a couch, looking into oblivion, Vernon looked down at her with laughing eyes. "Haha, I thought we lost you for a second!"30

"No, just thinking,"31

"Oh? About what?" Vernon asked and winked then sat down next to her.32

"Haha, just stuff."33

"Does that stuff include me?"34

"Maybe, maybe not" Caitlyn said and smiled, trying to forget the day mare.35

"Caitlyn, where have you been" Kyle walked up to the couch that Caitlyn and Vernon sat on.36

"Hey Kyle," Caitlyn got up and rolled her eyes then looked at Vernon, making herself face Kyle so that Vernon wouldn't see.37

Kyle raised his eyebrow at Caitlyn then looked at Vernon, “You two having fun?” he asked and forced a smile.38

“Yeah, loads of fun,” Caitlyn said, “Kyle, I think its time for me to go home now though, bye Vernon, nice talking to you” she said and smiled at him.39

“That was the longest two hours of my life.” Caitlyn said as they walked towards the door.40

“Then why did you dance with him all those times?”41

“Because,” she started, “I dunno. I wanted to have fun.”42

“I don’t understand you sometimes,” Kyle said and cocked a eyebrow.43

“I’m sorry?” Caitlyn looked up at Kyle, her eyes were laughing.44

“Well, my long lost friend who went to Utah a year ago is back. Want to meet him? Me and him have been through hell and back.”45

“Sure, why not.” Caitlyn said and smiled.46

“Hey, Hunter, this is my friend Caitlyn Reye. Caitlyn, this is Hunter Terrell,” Kyle said and introduced them. Caitlyn stared at Hunter, perplexed. 47

“I know you from somewhere,” Caitlyn said.48

Caitlyn stared at Hunter in utter shock. Hunter just looked at her with a blank look. Kyle looked at Caitlyn then Hunter and then Caitlyn again, confused.49

“Uhh?” Kyle offered.50

“You don’t remember do you?” Caitlyn asked Hunter softly.51

“No, I don’t,” Hunter said and raised his eyebrow.52

“You don’t remember Will? Or me? Or anything?” Caitlyn asked, tears swelling up in her eyes. Kyle touched her shoulder, still not knowing what to do. The party was still going in the background, though all three of them were oblivious to it.53

“Willy? Willy Reye?” Hunter said shakily. He studied Caitlyn. Her plain brown hair that was long and beautiful, her light brown eyes, almost amber, were filled with tears and hope. “Cait?” Hunters eyes widened.54

Caitlyn nodded as a tear fell down her pale face and down to her mouth, where she wiped at it. She looked at Kyle, and remembered he was here. Kyle looked lost.  “Oh my gosh, Caitlyn! What,-where,-who? Where’s Willy?” Hunter started pulling out questions, looking confused and shocked. 55

Caitlyn looked at Hunter again and smiled weakly, trying to make it a joke. “I don’t know,” another tear fell.56

“Okay wait. Hunter and you and your brother were friends a long time ago?” Kyle asked, confused still. As they all sat at the same diner that Caitlyn and him had gone to after the first anonymous beating she had gotten. “I don’t understand,”57

Hunter’s eyes were red, he was trying not to cry. “Caitlyn’s brother and I were best friends about nine years ago.” He wanted to ask what had happened to them. One day the whole Reye family had just left, with no goodbyes or explanation. Nothing. 58

“When Willy and I were fourteen, Cait was eight, we were best friends. Then their family just, left, one day. We never knew what happened to them” Hunter said, trying to come up with the words. He looked at Caitlyn again. She had changed so much. He remembered her and her brothers bruises. The yelling that he heard from next door. The cops. Caitlyn and Willy staying at his house for days, only his parents knew why, they never told him. “Caitlyn, what HAPPENED to you guys?”59

“I don’t know,” Caitlyn sighed and tears started falling again. “Willy left when he was sixteen, and, I’ve only talked to him once when I was ten,“ Caitlyn squeezed her eyes shut and looked down at the table.60

Kyle wrapped his arms around her, and brought her closer, not knowing what else to do.61

“When he was sixteen? He left? Why?”62

“You don’t know? Isn’t it obvious Hunter?” Caitlyn said, looking up from her hands in her lap. Anger was in her eyes.63

“Because you’re parents?” Hunter asked sheepishly. When he was younger he never understood what all of it was. Of course he knew that their parents hit them, but he never really thought about it. He felt extremely stupid.64

Caitlyn turned her head into Kyle’s shoulder, hiding her face. “Kyle, your so understanding, you never expect anything do you? I should have told you all this a long time ago, but you never pushed me. You never got angry with me when I pulled away from your hugs,” she said randomly. 65

“It’s okay Caitlyn,” Kyle said and rubbed her back.66

“Caitlyn, tell me what happened,” Hunter told her.67

“That’s pretty much it. Will left me, said he’d come back when he was eighteen. But, he never came. Only called once. I really paid for that call too. My dad always knew, Hunter, he always knew.” She said sadly, remembering every detail.68

“Knew what?”69

“Everything, I could never keep a secret from them. It was like he could read my mind.” Caitlyn paused and sat up, and grabbed Kyle’s hand underneath the table and squeezed it tightly, he squeezed it back, silently responding. 70

“Your parents beat you and Willy didn’t they,” Hunter said, looking sadly at Caitlyn. Kyle looked shocked.71

“But you aren’t living with them anymore, and, everything that’s happening now..? Kyle asked, confused again.72

“That’s from someone else, I guess I’m a good punching bag,” she said and laughed weakly. 73

Kyle winced in reaction, Hunter looked at her with sad eyes. “I should have known. I did know. I just never realized, Cait, I’m so sorry, I…” Hunter searched for words.74

“Hunter, it was never your fault.” Caitlyn said irritated. She thought about all the times she stayed at Hunter’s house when their parents were gone for days, probably passed out at someone’s house. Or when Willy brought them over there because he knew that their mom would come home drunk, and mad.75

Kyle checked his was it was twelve am. Caitlyn said she had needed to be home at twelve thirty. “Caitlyn, its twelve.”76

“Shit, okay, you want to give me a ride home Kyle?” she looked up at him and asked him. She was still leaning against him in the booth. Hunter had drove his own car here, she didn’t want Hunter to offer, it’d be awkward.77

“Sure,” he said as Caitlyn scooted out of the booth. He looked at Hunter. He was still trying to understand everything. “Hunter, I’ll talk to you later, k?”78

“Okay,” Hunter stepped towards Caitlyn and gave her a little hug. “I’m glad we found each other” and gave her a weak smile, touching her dark blonde hair, then her eyebrow ring and gave her a lopsided grin. He turned around and walked out the door.79

“Wow,” Kyle said, “What are the odds” he looked at Caitlyn and grabbed her hand and started walking to his truck. Kyle was pleased that Caitlyn held his hand too. 80

“Kyle, I’m sorry,” Caitlyn said to him when he started his truck. Kyle turned his head and found Caitlyn staring at him intently, her brown eyes burning him.81

“For what?”82

“For being a bitch,”83

“Caitlyn, your not a -”84

She cut him off, “Kyle hush. I know I am, you deserve better Kyle.” She looked at him and smiled. She leaned forward and hugged him tightly. “Thank you Kyle,” she pulled away then kissed him on the cheek.85

“No worries,” he said and pulled out of the diners driveway. He was still shocked that she kissed him, it meant a lot to him. She’s starting to trust me, he thought to himself as he pulled in her driveway. He looked at the clock, 12:45. “Is Keri going to be mad that you’re late?” 86

“I don’t think so,” she said and turned to him. She gave him another hug. “Thank you Kyle,” she said to him, when they pulled away a tear was falling down her cheek. She then got of the truck and ran inside.87