"Here you come again
Just when I've begun to get myself together
You waltz right in the door
Just like you've done before
And wrap my heart 'round your little finger."
—Here You Come Again by Dolly Parton

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

| KENZIE |

It was the 24th of December.

I'd told my boyfriend, Brandon, that I couldn't come home to Denver for Christmas and that I'd arrive on the 30th instead. What he didn't know was that I was already here in Denver. It was my plan all along to surprise him this holiday week.

Tee-hee.

After paying the driver, I got out of the taxi with a box in my hands. Inside was my freshly-baked chocolate cake; it was my early Christmas gift for him.

As I stood in front of the Colfers' house, a giggle escaped from my lips. Brandon would be so thrilled to see me ahead of schedule.

I was about to press the doorbell button, but then the door was suddenly opened by Lindsey Colfer, Brandon's mother. She blinked when she fully saw me while adjusting her eyeglasses.

"Kenzie?" she started, clearly surprised. "Goodness!" Lindsey hugged me carefully because of the box I was holding. "How are you, love?"

"Hi, Lindsey. I'm doing good, thanks," I replied, ending the embrace. "Wow! You still look the same."

"Stop flattering me, Kenzie," Lindsey joked, twirling her blonde hair. "We just last saw each other, like, three months ago."

We both laughed at that.

"Anyway, I thought you were coming back to Denver next week," she said.

"I lied when I said that. I'm sorry. It's just that...I wanted to surprise you guys."

"Especially my son," she stated matter-of-factly.

I blushed, looking down at the floor. "Um...erm..."

Lindsey chuckled. "I don't mind that you lied. Anyway, I was just about to head out when you came. My best friend, Jocelyn, wanted to hang out with me on this lovely Sunday afternoon. It's so tiring to just be in the house anyway, so I agreed to meet up with her."

"Ah, I see."

"And my husband has work today."

"Oh, okay." Then my eyes widened in realization. "Wait, don't tell me--?"

"You and Brandon will have the whole house to yourselves. It's the best time to catch up with each other." She winked.

I was sure my blushed turned redder when she said that. "We-we're not going to do anything...you-know-what..."

Lindsey chuckled. "I know, Kenzie. I was just kidding. Well, go surprise Brandon now. He's in his room. My son misses you a lot, you know? He always tells me that he's so stoked to see you again." She looked at her wristwatch and kissed me on the cheek. "Anyway, I'd better go now. Make yourself at home, all right?"

Nodding, I gave her a grin, then stepped inside the house. After closing the front door, I exhaled. I missed being here. But I missed Brandon more. Long distance relationship was hard, but we've managed to maintain it with the help of Skype. Then again, nothing could beat live conversation, kisses, hugs and romantic moments spent together.

In the living room, I saw our pictures in the photo frames that were placed on top of the credenza, causing me to smile widely, flattered.

While heading to Brandon's room, I felt nervous and excited at the same time. What would I tell him? Should I surprise him with a kiss, or by calling him on my phone, telling him to come out of his room? But maybe that'd give me away.

Meh, whatever. As long as I'd finally see him and spend some time with him again, that was all that mattered.

Brandon's door was ajar. I took a deep breath, exhaled, then got my phone from my skirt pocket. But before I could call him, I heard him talking to someone. I hoped he wasn't talking to something supernatural, though.

"What're you talking about, man? Of course I don't love her; I'm just playing around with her feelings."

I heard a muffled reply, probably from his phone. I dialed his number, but the line was busy, so I guessed right. I had a bad feeling I wasn't going to like what I'd hear from Brandon next.

"No worries, man. Kenzie's still in Los Angeles. She'll be back in Denver next week...Yeah, I know! She really thinks I love her! She'll never know that I only courted her because of a dare. Surprisingly, Kenzie didn't turn me down and the rest is history. Now, I'm so famous at El--"

I dropped my phone to the floor. I couldn't help repeating what Brandon had said in my mind, like I was listening to "Never Gonna Give You Up" on repeat.

He stopped talking immediately because of the noise, then the door opened rapidly.

Brandon was shocked to see me in front of him after I picked up my phone from the floor. I surprised him, all right, but in a way I couldn't imagine.

"K-Kenzie!" He gulped, realizing I'd heard their conversation. "What you heard...it's not what you thi--"

Then everything went red.

I slapped him hard in the face, tears now streaming down from my eyes. "A dare, Brandon? Our friendship...our relationship...it was all just a dare? A DARE?!"

Brandon quickly recovered from the impact and reached for my hand, but I swatted it away, wanting to slap him in the face again. "Kenzie," he pleaded, "please hear me out--"

"How could you do that to me, Brandon?! All those things we did...all those promises we made to each other..." I sobbed.

The grasshole was now also crying.

Like I'd believe you again, I thought angrily.

"Please let me explain, Kenzie, and--"

"And then what?" I snapped. "Listen to your lies again? Do you seriously think of me as a fool, Brandon, huh?"

"But--"

"I love--" I shook my head. "No, I loved you with all my heart!" Stepping away from him, I shouted, "I don't ever want to see you and hear your freaking voice again!"

Then I threw the box of cake in his face and ran away from the first person who broke my heart into pieces, not daring to look back.

🎹 🎹 🎹

I suddenly woke up from my dream with cold sweat on my forehead. It'd been a long time since I last dreamed about that. But why now? I also noticed that dried tears stained my cheeks, and I felt numb.

Gods, I hoped it wasn't a bad omen.

Checking the time on my phone, it was 10:10 a.m.

I overslept, huh?

After taking a shower, preparing myself, and going to the kitchen, I saw Mom putting a plate of sunny-side up eggs and bacon onto the dining table. She also prepared a mug of hot coffee for me.

"G'morning, Mom," I greeted with a yawn, not wanting to share with her what I'd dreamed of. She was in a good mood, and I didn't want to ruin it.

"About time you woke up, Grace." Mom chuckled. "Eat your breakfast now. And since you're well-dressed, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Sure. What is it?" I asked as I stood beside her.

She gave me a paper; it was a grocery list. "The new season of my favorite TV show airs at noon, and I don't wanna miss it."

"But you could watch it online later after it airs on TV," I said back.

Mom waved me off. "No, I don't wanna watch it online. 'Sides, it's more exciting when you watch it on its first release. And if I remember correctly, you said last night that Lance wouldn't be tutoring you today because he had to go somewhere important, so you have a not-so-stressful Sunday today," she cheerfully said.

"Oh, right. Today's Sunday." I gazed out the window with a sigh. I was getting the hang of playing the piano now, all thanks to Cocky Violinist Freak. Two weeks had passed since the "bedroom incident." After that, the two of us didn't speak of it ever again, which we were both grateful for. Who knew what would transpire if the rest of the gang found out about it. And I didn't bother asking him what he and my dad had talked about.

Still, for some unknown reason, gazing at Lance's chocolate-brown eyes intently when the incident happened had made me feel...sort of...

"I'm your mother, Gracie," Mom said, bringing me out of my train of thought. "Just reminding you."

I chortled, folding the paper and putting it into my pocket. "Of course I'll do the grocery shopping for you, lovely mother."

"Don't worry. You're free to go wherever you want to for the rest of the day. But be home before seven, okay?"

I nodded.

"And I'll cook your favorite chicken curry for dinner."

I gave her a hug. "Then I can't wait for dinner."

🎹 🎹 🎹

When it was my turn at the checkout counter, the cashier lady beamed at me. I guess she was in her early twenties.

"Gosh, this is the first time that I saw you in person, Mackenzie!" she said while ringing up each item. "The Ring of Truth is my favorite movie of yours so far. You and J.P. were so cute and lovely there. I hope you two will have another movie together."

I smiled. "Thanks so much for your support..." I looked at her I.D., "Lana. And yeah, I hope so, too."

Even the woman behind me was starting to fangirl with her.

After taking a selfie (or groufie, whatever) with the kind cashier lady, I thanked her again and got my reusable bag.

As I was about to head out of Target, I felt someone gazing at me. I should be used to this by now, since I was a famous celebrity (I'm not being arrogant here, mind you), but this felt different; I couldn't put it into words.

Something in the back of my mind was trying to raise a warning flag, but I still turned around. At checkout lane twenty-two, a guy was staring at me longingly and with...regret.

Blond hair, gray eyes, and a defined jawline.

For a moment I forgot how to breathe. Denver was a large city, but how ironic for this to happen to me right now. The guy looking at me wasn't just any guy; he was my ex-boyfriend.

Brandon Colfer.

The last time we saw each other was when I found out he was just using me to boost his popularity at his school. Looking at those gray eyes that I'd always adored before sent my world crashing down instantly. Different kinds of emotions that I couldn't properly identify were starting to swirl inside of my chest, and I felt a tear drip off my chin.

When Brandon realized I was staring back at him, he gulped and prepared his stance, like he was going to march into a gruesome battle. The cashier just finished putting the last item into his reusable bag, and then he picked it up and walked in my direction.

My eyes widened because of his action.

Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!

I don't ever want to see you and hear your freaking voice again! I remembered shouting that at him when I'd overheard his I-don't-love-Kenzie-it-was-just-all-a-dare conversation ten months ago.

I suddenly jerked back to reality and hurried outside. I cursed when there was no taxi in sight.

Please, God, not now, I prayed, almost on the verge of crying. I don't wanna talk to him, especially in public. I'm not yet ready.

Just then, a hand landed softly on my shoulder, making me gasp. Thinking the hand belonged to my ex, I prepared myself to kick him in the shin. But, surprisingly, the guy behind me wasn't Brandon.

"Hey, Mackenzie," Spencer said with a grin, holding a reusable bag in his other hand. He was wearing all black--Imagine Dragons T-shirt, jeans and running shoes. Noticing my face, he asked, "Why're you so pale? You look like you've just seen a ghost." Then his blue eyes brightened, looking giddy all of a sudden. "Wait, please tell me you've really seen one at Target! Where is it?"

A laugh almost came out of my mouth. Spencer was so innocent. Then a thought came to my mind: if Brandon reached us, I'd pretend that Spence was my boyfriend.

But I immediately scratched the idea, because there was a chance that Cindy would murder me in my sleep if she knew about it.

Ha-ha!

However, when Spencer got a better look at my face, he frowned, but quickly regained his smile again. "Anyway, have you had lunch?"

"Not yet."

"Are you in a hurry to go home?"

I willed myself not to look back at the entrance doors when I heard them open. "Um, no. Why?"

"Shall we go get something?"

Thank God for Spencer!

I gave him a smile. "I'd love to, Spence."

Leaving Target with Spencer in his black sports car, which, according to him, was a Chevrolet Corvette, I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw Brandon standing in front of the building's entrance while gazing steadily at the retreating vehicle.

🎹 🎹 🎹

"Are we gonna eat at Royal Crown, Spence?" I asked him after a few minutes when he turned to the right lane.

"Yep," was his only response, keenly keeping his eyes on the road.

So much for trying hard not to remember your ex, Kenzie.

I couldn't blame Spencer, though. He didn't know that my ex and I had had dates at his restaurant before.

After that, we fell into a comfortable silence.

Throughout the ride, Spencer didn't ask me questions. He gave me space and played Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K.467 on his phone (I'd bet it was to calm me down). He just let me be in my own private world.

Several minutes passed and we finally reached Royal Crown. Thankfully, the traffic wasn't heavy because it was a Sunday. Spencer continued driving to the back of the building--to the parking lot. He parked in a space with RESERVED painted on it and turned off the car engine.

"Many people are eating at the restaurant right now," he told me. "You're a very famous person and I don't want for us to make a commotion, so I thought we should enter through the back entrance."

"That's what I also prefer, honestly," I said, unbuckling my seat belt.

I was about to thank him, but he held up a hand with a playful grin. "Don't thank me just yet. I haven't wiped off that glum look on your face yet."

Before I could respond to that, he unbuckled his seat belt and opened his car door.

Even without me saying what I was currently feeling, Spencer knew something was up and wanted to make me feel okay. Truth be told, I was already thankful that he was making an effort.

Spencer and I got out of the car and headed to the back door with his reusable bag in his hand. I left mine in the car. Good thing Mom had only asked me to buy canned goods.

When we were inside Royal Crown, a security guard was sitting on a chair near the biometric finger scanner that was attached to the wall. She looked like she was in her thirties. Spencer greeted her and told her that I was a VIP. I smiled as she inspected us by using a hand-held metal detector. The guard greeted us back with a warm smile.

We continued walking down the hallway and stopped in front of a large silver door. Above it was a signage that said KITCHEN.

"Just a moment," he told me and entered first. I could smell something delicious from inside, making me almost drool.

"Good noon, Sir Spencer!" was what I heard from the kitchen.

"Hi, everyone!" Spencer greeted the employees. "I hope you're doing great today."

I heard positive replies from them.

"Anyway, we have a special guest for today," he announced, and I thought, The heck, Spence. I'm not a special guest! "And it's none other than..." Spencer came back for me, held my wrist and gently pulled me into the kitchen. "The one and only--Mackenzie Adams!"

As I fully saw the kitchen, I couldn't help gaping at the sight. It was huge and divided in sections. Everything was in order, and I'd bet you couldn't spot a speck of dirt on the white floor. The cooks were dressed in their white uniform and toque.

I stopped gaping before they'd think I was a retard, and started, "Um, hi."

And just by that, some screamed with delight when they saw me. Others just greeted me in a normal way and went back to what they were cooking.

"Hey, Spence, what happened to the I-don't-want-for-us-to-make-a-commotion part?" I whispered while nudging him on his side.

Spencer sheepishly apologized to me and did his best to keep them quiet. Then he also introduced me to the head cook.

A waiter (well, judging from his apron, vest and tie) just entered from the front door of the kitchen and said, "What's with all this racket? The customers are starting to wonder if we've a cult in here--" Then his eyes landed on us and he froze in his tracks. "Oh, Sir Spencer! And M-Mackenzie Adams...?"

I waved at him, smiling.

He straightened his uniform and walked to me. "My gosh! I'm an Adamster and--"

"Don't leave your post, Samuel," Spencer joked. "You still have customers to attend to."

"But Mackenzie Adams is here in front of me," he said with awe in his voice. "I can't let this opportunity pass me by! I remember she ate here months ago with a blond guy--"

Fortunately, a waitress called for him from the window and that she didn't see me, since Samuel was covering me with his tall and bulky body.

Remember that I'm five-feet, people. That's already tall enough.

"Don't worry, Samuel," I assured him. "We can take a picture together on your break, if you want to."

"I...that would be great." Samuel started hyperventilating while going back to his post after I'd told him that.

"Great way to make the employees fired up, Mackenzie," Spencer teased.

I swatted his arm with a laugh. "Shut up, Spence."

Shifting his attention back to the cooks, Spencer said, "Anyway, I'll just give my friend a tour of the kitchen, so if you'll excuse us..."

So Spence gave me a brief tour of the Royal Crown's grand kitchen, like the dish and pot wash, where the workers made sure that the plates were thoroughly clean and hot; and the cold kitchen, where they prepared cold dishes and other foods stored under refrigeration. They had complete tools and equipment.

"The main point here is that they serve each food item in a synchronized manner so that it's freshly served to the customers," Spencer told me.

Well, Royal Crown was a five-star restaurant, after all. They had a reputation to maintain.

Lastly, he led me into the section that was divided by a wall. Just by looking at the equipment, I already knew this was the pastry section.

Pastry chefs were concentrating on rolling dough and other kinds of pastries. Spencer introduced me to them just like what he'd done earlier, which made me feel kind of awkward. Some let out squeals of glee.

We went back to the main part of the kitchen and Spencer gave me the menu.

"What do you want for lunch, Mackenzie? Don't worry; it's all on me."

My eyes widened. "S-seriously?"

"Yah," he said, chuckling a bit.

This was a rare chance, so I grabbed it without second thoughts. Looking at the list of oh-so-yummy foods, I decided to order New York strip steak, Cabernet butter, and roasted fingerling potatoes and vegetables.

Spencer nodded as he wrote my order on a paper. "You're in luck, 'cause I'm the one who's gonna cook your main course."

"Cool! This is the first time I'm gonna see you cook in action, and it's like I'm in a cooking show."

He chuckled as he wore his uniform and toque. "Ya got that right."

"Guess Dee and Nis are the only ones in the group who can't cook," I said in a joking manner, causing us to laugh out loud.

Watching Spencer cook was totally amazing. He was flexible and didn't miss a beat on what he was doing, and this was where I noticed that he was ambidextrous, so he had the edge in speed.

Just by looking at Spencer's eyes, one could tell that cooking was really his main passion. The other chefs were cheering him on.

When he was done, I asked, "What do you love most about cooking, Spence?"

"Well, I get to wow the guests," he answered truthfully as he put the steak onto a plate with care. "That's my biggest goal, you know--to make people happy with my cooking. And the feedback I receive from them is really heartwarming. I also want to live in the moment, so sometimes I help here in the kitchen and enjoy the adrenaline rush when things get busy, and have fun with my fellow chefs."

I smiled at his answer. Cindy was very lucky to have Spencer as her future boyfriend, and then husband.

Squee!

🎹 🎹 🎹

It was almost six-thirty in the evening when Spencer and I arrived.

"Thanks so much, Spence," I told him as we got out of the car and walked to the front door of my house with the reusable bag in my hand. "And yes, you did wipe off the glum look on my face."

Well, we'd mostly talked about Weyral's horror stories while eating his delicious food, so that'd easily taken my mind off of Brandon.

Spencer let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad. Actually, there's another reason why I treated you a while ago."

"And what's that?"

"It was also my way of saying thanks for making Lance find joy in playing music. He's grown as a musician because of your positive influence on him."

I blinked, surprised. "Um, what do you mean by that?"

"From what Dee and I told you before, Lance was lacking a natural tenacity in his playing," he told me. "He was mostly into practice and technique--not into actual feelings. For him, music was only about contests and winning.

"But now, it was changing bit by bit and...er, no offense, but you're just a newbie when it comes to piano, but Lance wanted you as his accompanist and is making a big effort to teach you everything he knows about music," Spencer continued. "And one time, when the two of us were alone, he told me how much you've improved since the day he started tutoring you. He seemed proud."

I snorted. "Heh. I'm sure he just told you that to prove to you that he's an awesome and brilliant piano tutor."

He guffawed while shaking his head, disagreeing with me. "He doesn't give compliments often. Aside from being a fast learner, Lance must've seen something in you."

My cheeks reddened. Good thing Spence didn't notice it.

"And never forget that we're always here for you, Mackenzie."

I knew that, but ever since Brandon broke my heart, it caused me to have a hard time trusting people nowadays. But I was sure that being with Rachel and my new friends, I could get through this phase and share with them my problems when the right time came.

He looked at his phone for the time. "Anyway, it's my schedule today to cook dinner for the fam, so I'd better go now. See ya tomorrow."

"Sure. Drive safely, okay?"

Spencer gave me a thumbs-up as he headed back to his car.

Before he could open the car door, I called, "Oh, and Spence!" He looked back and I beamed at him. "Thanks. For everything."

"No prob, Mackenzie." Spencer raised his right arm to his forehead, put two fingers down and stuck two fingers out, saluted with a smirk on his face, and then went on his way.

I inhaled the fresh, clean air. Even with Spencer's encouragement, though, seeing Brandon earlier still made me think that something bad was going to happen.

🎹 🎹 🎹

After Lance had told me that he had a special announcement after practice, even with his playful smile and positive aura surrounding him, I couldn't help but feel it wasn't a good news for me.

Because of this, I was anxious and couldn't concentrate properly on his lessons. Then he let me choose a song to play as a warm up, and it helped me somehow take the uneasiness feeling off of me until--

"Hey!" I yelped when the freak banged his hand on the piano keys, causing me to abruptly stop playing. I turned to him with an annoyed look on my face and demanded, "What the Hades was that for?"

He raised an eyebrow. "For your information, Midgetzie, you started playing a crappy version of the first movement of 'Moonlight Sonata' in the middle of 'A Whole New World.'"

"Wait, really? And sorry that it was crap," I sarcastically said.

He nodded. "It was like you were mourning over the death of your favorite fictional characters."

"Oh, dear. They could fill an entire cemetery, like Hedwi--"

"Let's not go there!" he cut me off.

I shrugged. "You started it."

"And your playing was overflowing with wrongness. Anyway, it seems your mind is somewhere else, so let's end our lesson for today." Then he suddenly grinned. "Before I forget, about my announcement..."

I was starting to be nervous again.

"You see, Principal Reynolds told me earlier that the organizers of the 40th Annual Denver Music Competition changed the venue for the contest--from Denver Turnverein to Eldreez Point High School."

"Oh, okay." I simply blinked at him, uncomprehending, until Lance's words came rushing back to me like three consecutive slaps across the face, making me freeze on my spot. Every muscle in my body was coiling tight as my stomach turned inside out.

He was still talking, but I grew deaf to his words after hearing him say the name of that school.

I hesitated, hardly believing I was going to say this, but fear got the best of me.

"Lance, I quit."

He stopped talking, his smile faltering. "I beg your pardon?"

My brain whirred to come up with an excuse I could think of, but there was none.

Gazing away from him while closing my eyes, I said, "I'm backing out as your accompanist."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dun dun dun dunnnnnn~!

I honestly had a hard time writing this chapter har. Anyway, if you're a fan of Bridge to Terabithia, feel free to read my fanfic Unearthing Secrets. Just go to my profile and you'll see it there. :D

Thanks so much to everyone who's still reading LLL. You guys are awesome! Mwahugsss~!