FicWad

Chapter Four

Fifteen-year-old Hilary Tatibana stared in shock at her older cousin and sister. What was he talking about. There was no way that her whole family, except for Kenny, was dead.

"What are you talking about?" she asked him hollowly. "They're not dead. They can't all be dead."

He looked at her gravely. "They're all dead Hilary. Everybody is gone except for me, you, Terri, and Jane. They're all gone."

"No!" Hilary screamed as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "They're not dead! You're lying and it's not funny! Tell me the truth! Where is everybody?"

Tears began rolling down Kenny's cheeks as well as he moved over and held his cousin in his arms. "I wish I was lying, Hilary, I really do. But I'm not. I'm so sorry."

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Tyson looked curiously at Hilary. Her face was a ghostly white and she seemed lost in thought.

The bluenette placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump. "Are you okay?"

The ruby-eyed teen stared blankly at him for a few seconds before shaking her head clear and nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

He causally lifted a brow. "I asked because you don't look so hot."

She narrowed her eyes. "And what, pray tell, do you mean by that?"

He held up his hands in defense. "I didn't mean it as an insult! I just meant that you look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm fine," she repeated sternly and got off of the couch and walked into the kitchen to start breakfast.

Tyson followed her with his eyes, but didn't make a move to follow her. She had been staying at the apartment with him and the others for a week, and he had come to learn when she was lying. Now was one of those times.

I really shouldn't be worrying about other people's problems when I have ones of my own, he thought. Like how my heart seems to skip a beat every time Hilary comes near me.

He stood up and followed her to the kitchen, determined to figure out what was bothering her.

When he walked into the kitchen he noticed her at the sink washing out a pot with a scowl on her face.

"Can I help?" he asked her, noticing the full sink of dishes.

She glared over her shoulder at him. "It's the least you can do. Seeing how you had dishes last night anyway."

He shrugged and walked up beside her and began washing dishes as she dried them and placed them in the strainer. "I guess I just forgot."

The brunette scowled. "You seem to do a lot of that."

They washed dishes in silence for a few minutes before Tyson asked, "What was bothering you earlier?"

Hilary hurriedly caught a cup that she was about to drop. His question had totally caught her off guard. "I told you, nothing is bothering me."

Tyson frowned at her. "You've been living here for a week. I know when you're lying or not."

"Well," she replied angrily, "you're obviously wrong this time. I am perfectly fine!"

The bluenette angrily pursed his lips together. Hilary was so infuriating! He had just come in here to figure out what was bothering her, he was even helping her with the dishes, and she has the nerve to get angry at him!

Well, he thought angrily, it's not like I care whether she's upset or not.

After a few minutes, Tyson was surprised when Hilary spoke.

Her voice was soft and far off. "I've been remembering."

His ears pricked up as he noticed the tightness in her voice. "What have you been remembering?" he asked softly, not trying to push her.

"My family reunion...Kenny."

Tyson stiffened at the mention of the name. But decided to push his emotions aside for the time being. "Who was Kenny?"

She looked at him with tear-filled eyes. "Kenny Sanchez. He was my favorite cousin...What's wrong?"

Tyson's face had gone a ghostly white. "D-Did you just say that Kenny Sanchez was your cousin?"

Hilary nodded slowly. "Yes. Why?"

"Kenny was our other roommate. Y-You're sleeping in his old room."

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Hilary dropped the plate she had been holding and shattered on the tiled kitchen floor. She was sure that her heart had stopped. For the last week, she had been living in her cousin's old apartment. Actually sleeping in his room! She had even, sort of, become friends with his old friends.

Tears began rolling down her cheeks. She wasn't sure if she could deal with this knowledge. It had taken her a year to get over the death of her family - or at least act like she was - and now here she was standing in the kitchen that her favorite cousin, and best friend, had stood in.

Kenny had eaten off of these plates, he had eaten with these forks and spoons, he had cut his food with these knives.

How was she supposed to live here now when she suddenly felt like his ghost was surrounding her? How was she supposed to get over his death when she now felt his presence surrounding her?

"Are you okay?"

Tyson's voice brought her out of her rambling thoughts.

"Yeah," she said shakily as tears streamed down her cheeks, "I'm just fine. I just learned that this is my favorite cousin's old apartment but I am perfectly okay. It doesn't matter that I was just starting to move on, even with all of these stupid memories," her voice began to raise. "I am just peachy!"

She didn't even bother about the plate she dropped as she backed away from the sink slowly and felt herself sinking to the floor. She had tried so hard to keep it all locked up, but she couldn't anymore. Not knowing that she was in his apartment, that she slept in his room, that she was friends with his friends...

Tyson knelt down beside her. "Hilary?" she didn't try to acknowledge him. "He use to talk a lot about you," he continued softly, trying to get her to acknowledge him, "but he never said your name. He was always talking about how one day he was going to introduce us to his favorite cousin, who was more like a little sister," he brushed at tear from her face tenderly, as if afraid he'd break her. "I had just wish that he had been here to introduce us to you properly."

Hilary didn't know what to say. So she just let Tyson wrap his arms comfortingly around her as she sobbed, as she let all of the pain of losing her family come out.

He rocked back in forth, rubbing her back in a comforting sort of way. "Shh, it's okay. Just let it all out."

After a few minutes, she began to calm down and was trying to catch her breath through her hiccups.

"I'm sorry," she said in a soft voice, "I got your shirt all wet."

He shrugged casually as he continued to rub her back in comforting circles, neither of them moving. "It doesn't matter. I need to was this shirt anyway."

Hilary could tell that he was lying for her benefit and felt grateful. She leaned against him more and wrapped her arms around his neck and he tightened his grip around her waist. It was strange. She felt so safe with Tyson, as if nothing could ever harm her.

They were still in that position when Ray walked into the kitchen three minutes later. He froze when he saw them sitting on the floor like that.

"What is going on in here?" he demanded.

Hilary and Tyson jumped apart, their faces turning a deep shade of scarlet as they explained the situation.

"And so," Tyson finished, "I decided I had to shut her up some how so I did the only thing that I could think of: I hugged her. It's not my fault she climbed into my lap."

Hilary felt her cheeks go red with rage. "I climbed into your lap? Don't be ridiculous! Why can't you just admit that you pulled me into you lap? Why? I have absolutely no idea!" a slow smile made its way across her face. "Maybe it's because you like me."

"Like you?" Tyson exploded. "Don't flatter yourself! I could never like a girl like you! You are way to difficult."

Ray interrupted before Hilary could reply to Tyson's last comment. "So, you're Kenny's cousin?"

The sixteen-year-old's attitude changed from anger to sullen in a matter of seconds. "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell us?" he demanded angrily.

She glared at him. "How was I supposed to know that you were my cousin's best friends? Sure he talked of all of you, but he never used any names."

His anger visibly faded. "Oh. I'm sorry I exploded."

Her smile was soft and forgiving. "It's okay."

Tyson had moved to the sink and was picking up the broken plate. "Should I wake up the others and tell them, or are we going to wait for them to come in here on their owns?"

Hilary walked over to him and began helping him pick up the pieces. "Do we have to tell them? I really don't want to talk about this."

Ray took Tyson and Hilary's place at the sink and began washing dishes. "We have to tell them, Hilary, it's only fair," he glanced quickly at Tyson. "I think you should wake them and tell them now before Kai has a chance leave."

The bluenette nodded. "Right."

Hilary pressed her lips firmly together. She really didn't want to talk about her cousin, but Ray was right. It was only fair that she told the others. After all, Kenny had been one of their close friends. They had a right to know.

She closed her eyes, forcing the tears back. She was not about to cry again. She had already let her guard down once that day, and that was enough. She as not going to do it again.