Chapter Fifteen: Kayla

"Hey honey, could you take these burgers over to table six?"

I grabbed the tray from my mom and dutifully served the customers, then ran back to the grill to help make more food. It had been really busy at the diner that afternoon, and I hadn't been able to talk to my mom, even though I could tell something was wrong with her. Her smile seemed forced and she kept staring out the windows. Finally, when all the customers were momentarily take care of, I went back and found her in the kitchen.

"Hey, is everything okay?" I asked.

She took one look at me and broke into tears. "I don't know, Kayla. Everything is a mess since your father got out of prison."

I stiffened. "Did you see him?"

"Yes, he came to the house this morning."

I recoiled at the thought of my father in my house. "What did he do? Did he hurt you?"

"No, no," my mother replied, waving her hand. "It's just hard to see him. It brings back a lot of pain that I thought I had buried."

I took my mom's hand. I had been so self absorbed lately that I hadn't fully considered how all of this would be affecting her.

"Anyway," she continued, taking a shaky breath, "He told me he didn't want to be in contact with me, which is completely fine, but he said he does want to be a part of your life. I told him you didn't want that, but he said he wasn't giving up."

I chewed on my lip, remembering what Frog had said about his dad, how they had made amends. "I'll talk to him," I said quietly.

My mom's eyes widened. "Kayla, are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm not going to trust him just yet, but I'll hear what he has to say to me. I can at least give him that."

My mother closed her eyes. "Okay. But you will be careful?"

"Of course."

She took a few breaths and then opened her eyes. "You are an incredible young woman, Kayla." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thank you for this. I think it was good to tell you about it, to get it out. Now let's get back to work."

She gave me a quick hug and walked out of the kitchen. I stood there for a few seconds to collect myself, then followed her out.

A couple hours later, when things had calmed down some at the diner, I saw Milo Kowalski walk through the doors.

"Hey Kayla," he said sheepishly as he approached the front counter. "I was wondering if I could get your help on some English homework."

I furrowed my eyebrows. I wasn't used to people asking me for help with their studies, but things were under control at the moment and I was pretty sure my mom could spare me for a half an hour. Plus, talking to Milo would be a welcome change.

"Sure," I said, coming around the counter and pointing to an empty booth in the corner. "Let's sit there." After we had both settled into the booth, I looked at Milo expectantly. "So, what's your homework?" I urged.

Milo pulled a notebook out of his backpack, where I could see he had two or three sentences written. "I'm supposed to write a paper about modern day fairytale equivalents, but I just can't…" he trailed off, staring down at his notebook.

"Milo?"

He snapped his head up. "Sorry," he said, "it's just that… I usually used to do this with Frog. I'd go over to his house to study, even though I didn't really get a lot of studying done, and we would watch TV or he'd make dinner or something."

I held back a smile. Milo hadn't come to get my help with homework. He had come because he missed Frog. He was lonely.

"Was Frog a good cook?" I asked.

"Oh yeah," Milo replied. "You wouldn't believe the stuff he made. Chili and grilled chicken and lasagna… his mom was out of town a lot, so I think he got pretty comfortable in the kitchen."

I leaned forward, intrigued by this new information. "I never knew that."

"Did you know he could dance, too?" Milo said with a mischievous smile.

"No, I didn't."

"I don't think he wanted anyone to know, but I caught him a few times. He's actually really good."

We sat there and talked about Frog for about an hour until a large group came into the diner and I saw my mom motion for me to help.

"I need to get back to work," I said regretfully. "You're welcome to stay here as long as you like."

"No, I better get home," Milo said, packing up his things. "Thanks for your help."

I nodded, knowing that he wasn't talking about his schoolwork. "Anytime," I replied. "Good luck with that paper."

The rest of the evening seemed to fly by. Not only were we relatively busy, but I kept finding myself thinking about Frog. He had been a really good friend to Milo, and I had been impressed to learn about all of his hidden talents. I thought about him so much that by the time we closed the diner I was filled with an intense desire to talk to him, to hear his voice. I went back into the kitchen and tried to prepare the dishes to wash them, but I couldn't concentrate. Finally, in a moment of bravery, I pulled out my phone and called him.

"Hello?"

I flinched. His voice sounded deeper, huskier.

"Frog? Is that you?"

"Kayla! How are you?"

I looked at the time and realized that it was probably in the middle of the night in Gulbrania. "Oh no, did I wake you up? What time is it there?"

He chuckled. "It's five in the morning. But don't worry, I couldn't sleep anyway."

"You sound… different."

He cleared his throat. "Um… it must be the connection. Or maybe I'm going through puberty again or something."

I laughed. I had missed his casual jokes. "Maybe you'll get even taller." I teased.

"I hope not. I hit my head on enough doorways as it is. What are you up to?"

"I'm about to wash the dishes at the diner."

"With that big power sprayer?"

"Yeah."

"I think that is one of my favorite memories of you."

I made a face. "Really? In gross clothes and soaking wet?"

"You were blasting those dishes like they'd personally offended you or something. It was awesome! And I thought your clothes actually made you more attractive, if that's even possible."

I felt my pulse quicken. "I guess I ought to wear dirty sweats more often."

"You should. You might start a fashion revolution."

I smiled and felt warmth spread throughout my body, but I decided to change the topic before things got too uncomfortable. "So how are things over there? Are you going to school?"

There was a pause. "I'm not, actually. They, um, do things a little differently in Gulbrania, so I'm being tutored."

"Tutored? Wow, fancy."

"Hardly. I spend most of my time getting my butt kicked."

"By your tutor?"

"Yeah. He's really big on physical education."

I laughed, wishing I could know more about what it was like in Gulbrania, what Frog was doing on a day to day basis.

"How are things for you at school?" Frog asked, sounding a little more serious.

"Oh, it's fine," I replied, not really wanting to talk about it. "I'm handling it, but every day I get more excited to leave and go to college."

"I can understand that."

"So, do you think you'll ever make it back to Indiana?"

"I hope I do someday. Why do you ask?"

I felt my breath catch in my throat with sudden emotion. "Well, I miss you. And to be honest, Frog, I… I love you."

I waited breathlessly for his response after that hasty admission, but he didn't say anything. I heard some shuffling and a loud noise, and then the call was disconnected.