Pretty Girl-The Way (Kevin Jonas) [3]

The next morning, I rolled over to my other side and saw that Blake wasn't there, but a note was. I sat up and took the note and read it out loud:

Oh dear best friend of mine,

I have to work an early shift, hence why I'm not here. You know where to find me.

Love ya, Blake

She's probably at the diner. I glanced at the clock, it was 8:43. I got dressed, brushed my hair as best as I could. I went over to Joe's room and woke him up.

"Dude, get up," I said, hitting him.

"Why?" Joe mumbled, putting a pillow over his head.

"Cause I'm going to the diner to see Blake, thought you'd wanna come," I said.

"Okay, okay, I'm up," Joe said, jumping off of the bed. I did the same for Nick, who had the same reaction.

We got to the diner and Gene was at the counter like yesterday.

"Back so soon?" Gene asked us, filling up coffee mugs infront of us. "Wait."

"What?" I asked.

"You guys saw Blake again didn't you?" Gene asked.

"Yeah," Joe said. "She's looking pretty good."

I rolled my eyes and Gene chuckled. "Guys look, Blake's been through a lot since you guys left."

"She told us," Joe said. "School and work right?"

Gene looked confused. "She didn't tell you anything else?"

"No..." I said. "Is she hiding something from us?"

"I don't think I should be the one to tell you," Gene said. At that moment, Blake came out from the kitchen, her hair in the same bun as yesterday.

"Morning boys," she said, setting our plates down.

"Morning Blake," Nick said. He looked confused like me. Joe, being himself, was oblivious. He just kept staring at Blake.

"Something wrong?" Blake asked me when she noticed the look on my face. Gene immedietly went into the kitchen.

"Is there something you haven't told us about the last four years?" I asked her. Her expression changed.

"Gene slipped something by, didn't he?" Blake sighed.

"Yeah, what are you hiding from us?" I asked.

"I'm not gonna tell you guys right now. My shift ends at noon, I'll come by your house then, okay?" Blake said. I nodded and she gave a small smile. Something was bothering her and it was what she was hiding.

At 11:50, I opened my window so Blake could just climb in. I went onto my computer and checked our Myspace to pass the time. I spend it adding friend requests and messaging as many people back. Then I heard a crash outside my window. I ran to it and saw Blake laughing on the balcony floor.

"I really gotta get better at that," she laughed. I helped her up and we climbed into my window and sat on the bed.

"Where's Joe and Nick? They wanna hear this too don't they?" Blake asked. I called them into my room and we all sat around in a square on the floor. Blake was right infront of me, Joe to my left, Nick on the right.

"So what did Gene say to you guys?" Blake said.

"That you've been through a lot since we left," I told her.

"That sure is true. Well, here is goes. A year after you left, there was this guy who moved here named Drew," she said. She had trouble saying the name. I knew this wasn't gonna be good. "He asked me out to a party and made me drink. I did, regrettably, resulting him, raping me." I couldn't believe that. Someone did that to Blake, our Blake, my Blake. "Uh, yeah, so a month later, I was throwing up like crazy and I found out I was pregnant. I didn't tell Drew but somehow he found out. He hit me and I fell on my stomach and I miscarried."

She lifted her shirt to reveal a permanent scar. It looked extremely painful. "So after that, my mom died and I lived with Gene, working at the diner."

I hadn't realized that Blake went through so much, so many painful things in her life in the four years that I left her.

"Blake, I'm sorry," I whispered.

"It's fine now," Blake said, a little upbeat. "I mean, it's the past. Of course I miss my mom, I'll always miss her. That baby though, I knew I was gonna take it on when I had it but when I miscarried, I was relieved. I know that's horrible to say but that was just my feeling."

"That's understandable, being knocked up by some guy you barely know," Joe said. "Must've been the worst time of your life."

"Yup," Blake sighed. "So that's my sad little story. But it lightened up when Gene offered for me to live with him, becoming my guardian. I felt like my life was falling back into place. And then you guys showed up and I knew my life was back to where it should be."

"How are you so strong Blake?" I blurted out. "All of that happened to you and yet, you're absolutely fine."

"Experience," she said. "The worst has happened to me. Rape, miscarraige, loss of mother. Everything's just gonna be better from now on, right?"

I loved how she was extremely optimistic. "Right," I replied, smiling.

The four of us spent the day, talking again. We got food from Sonic and went back to the house. Late that night, Joe and Nick went to their rooms again, leaving Blake and myself.

"It's just like the good old days," Blake said smiling.

"Yeah it is," I replied. Like Joe, Blake never knew how much I liked her and still do. She and I were best friends and she made it clear before that we're best friends, always.

"Except for a few scars along the way," she said, laying down.

"I still can't believe you went through all of that," I said, laying down next to her. "I can't believe I wasn't here for you."

"You're here now Kevin," Blake said, taking my hand. "That's all that matters. I have my best friend back."

I held her hand tight and smiled at her. It was nice being with Blake again, four years after I left. She smiled at me, her gleaming teeth shining. She really wasn't the 16 year old girl I left behind. Now she was the 20 year old, beautiful woman, who had my heart, but didn't know it.