A/N: It occurred to us today that some of you guys are probably reading Basil's name as in Basil, like, the plant. (Jules did it all of the time when we first started writing the book) So yeah, Basil is pronounced Baazil, and therefore Bas is pronounced Baz, not Baes XD Also, Ky is pronounced Kai, if any of you were wondering.

CHAPTER 9

A few days later, I found myself walking around the neighbourhood with Wes. It was freezing out. My skin was dry and cracked and my fingers were numb, ready to fall off. Wesley looked worse. He had a timeworn coat, no gloves, and a pair of old sneakers. "You sure you don't want my scarf?" I managed to say through chattering teeth.

Wesley just forced on a smile and shook his head. Why couldn't he just admit that he was freezing? "I'm good, Ky. Thanks."

Soon, Bas' home came into view. I began to jog towards it, eager to step into its warmth and let it seep in through my frozen clothes, feeling my skin thaw. Wes jogged too, catching up to me and shouting, "Shouldn't we call him first? What if he's not home?"

Wes was right, to some degree. There were no cars in the driveway. Still, Bas wasn't the kind of guy that liked going out. Usually, he stayed locked up in his room, curled up and sleeping or watching some TV. I made my way to the front door and forced a hand out of my pocket, pressing my frozen fingers to the doorbell and pushing it.

Wes and I waited, chilled to the bone and trembling, for five minutes before Bas answered. Five whole minutes. Wes kept nagging and tugging at my arm, telling me that he wasn't home, but I stayed put. I needed warmth.

Bas finally opened the door, his face a little flushed and surprised to see me standing outside. "Ky? Wes?" he said. "What are you two doing here?"

I didn't answer him. I stepped in and grabbed Wes by the arm, pulling him inside, too. Then I slammed the door shut behind us with a gust of wind helping me out, patting my feet on the floor to kick off some excess snow. "It's fucking cold," I grumbled.

Wes just rolled his eyes and smirked. "Kylie's cold," he corrected. "...Hearted."

I shook some snowflakes out of my hair and punched Wes' arm lightly. Wes glanced elsewhere. "You got company?" he asked. "Well, I guess we better get going then."

My gaze followed his, only to see a blond girl standing further down in the hall, watching us. She offered me a tight-lipped smile, but for the most part, she kept her eyes fixed on Bas. A bolt of jealousy rushed through me, engulfing me and pressing its weight against my chest. She was the blond girl from support group who kept flirting with all of the guys and pressing up against Bas, twirling her hair and grinning at him. He fell for it.

"No, no," Bas said. "It's all good. You guys can stay. The more the merrier, right?" He let out a half-hearted laugh, beckoning for Alexis to come closer.

She did, putting on a smile, her blond hair falling over her shoulders and swaying behind her as she walked towards us. She glanced at Wesley and said, "Hi."

He replied with a charming smile, along with a, "How are you?"

And she said, "Not bad, yourself?"

And he said, "Not bad."

I stood awkwardly behind them, sticking so close to Bas I could feel the warmth of his skin brush up against mine.

Alexis didn't acknowledge me. I didn't acknowledge her either.

Suddenly I needed to get out of there. I could feel it - anger mounding in my blood, jealousy spearing into me, toxic and dangerous. I didn't know why. I wasn't attracted to Bas, and I had Tyler. Still, I needed to leave.

I whispered to Wes and he looked at me, a little confused. "We uh, we gotta go," he said, his voice slightly hesitant.

Bas didn't say anything, just eyed me suspiciously. I didn't say anything either. I just adjusted my coat and scarf, kicked my boots against the carpet and grabbed the door handle, twisting it and making my way outside.

I left quickly.

Wes caught up. "Hey, Ky! What happened? I thought you wanted to stay!"

"She's an obnoxious bitch," I muttered, assuming he hadn't heard me. He did, though, and my face reddened once I realized it.

"Harsh," he laughed.

I shrugged it off, masking my embarrassment and jealousy, masking everything I felt and kept walking, directing myself towards his house. There was no point in going home anyway.

--

The wind speared through my winter coat and made me shiver, coursing through my lungs and brushing goosebumps along my skin.

"I'm thinking about breaking up with Summer." Wes said suddenly.

I looked at him, frowning a little. "Why?"

"Because," he shrugged. "I don't know. She's kind of lost interest in me, I guess."

My eyes widened. "Are you kidding? You're in love. I've already planned out your wedding in my head!"

"I wish."

"You guys can't do this! I've already made a shipping name! Wesmmer! Wait, no... Susley!"

He breathed out a laugh. "Yeah, no, Kylie... I think it's mutual. I prefer talking to you over her, which can't be a good sign. And she's been hanging out with Tyler a lot lately. So yeah, it's mutual... I think."

I stopped in my tracks, squinting at him. "Tyler?" I repeated. "As in Tyler, like, the guy who kissed me?"

Wesley nodded slowly, watching me carefully with eyes that showed he regretted telling me.

"What do you mean they've been hanging out?" I asked.

Wesley just stared at me for a few seconds, before mumbling, "I thought you knew."

"Knew what?"

"Bas caught them together one day after school."

"Caught them together?"

"Kissing."

"Oh."

Suddenly it dawned on me, and I felt stupid for having fallen for him so quickly. It was my mother and father all over again. My mother had fallen for my dad, but my dad didn't care nearly as much, and bam -- over. He left her with two kids and barely any money to go and marry another, younger, prettier woman. Boys didn't care. Not for girls like me. I felt a pang of guilt, and a rush of anger spreading in my chest. My throat tightened. I swallowed hard and started walking again, straightening my posture and pretending like I didn't care.

"Whatever," I said. "I saw it coming anyway."

--

Wes' lips were blue, but he didn't complain. We just kept trudging through the snow until we finally made it to his house.

Once we made our way into his small, cramped home, we heard the tapping of small feet, running towards the entrance. Little Grace appeared from a corner, a smile stretched across her face. She bolted towards Wes, hugging his leg. "You're home!" she giggled. "You're home! You're home! You're home! Wesley! Wesley!"

He smiled and scooped her up, lifting her as she laughed. I laughed, too. Grace's laugh was soft and so filled with pure joy, it was impossible not to love. She was happy and enjoyed everything in life -- she enjoyed the simplicity of it all and found beauty in everything. Wes loved all of his siblings, but I think he cared about her the most. I could tell with the way he treated and protected her, making sure that nothing in the world could hurt her. She was delicate and innocent. Wes wanted to make sure that her spirit never changed. He pressed a kiss against her cheek and placed her back down.

Then she looked at me, grinned, and hugged me, too. "Kylie," she said. "Your sister's here."

Grace was right.

Skylar was there, undoubtedly with Jack. I saw her when we walked into the living room. She was just sitting there, smiling up at him, her head resting on his shoulder. I cleared my throat.

She sat up, frowning at me. "Kylie? What are you doing here?"

I did not approve of Skylar and Jack's relationship. Wes didn't, either. We'd spoken about it one day after school. Wes knew very well that his brother was a bad influence, especially for someone vulnerable and innocent like my little sister. Skylar never understood. She saw me as a negative, angry person. She saw the good. I predicted the bad. I wanted her to predict it, too, so she wouldn't get hurt in life -- so she'd know what to expect. Jack didn't love her. She'd created this image of him and how she wanted him to be. That wasn't the real Jack. The real Jack was about to break her heart.

"Skylar," I said sternly. "We're going home."

I grabbed her by the arm tightly, pressing my fingers to her skin deeply, yanking her towards the main entrance. With that, I took down her coat from the hanger and chucked it at her, pushing her boots forward and pulling on my own.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, Wes," I said.

He just nodded at me, his lips pressed together tightly and his eyes slightly crinkled, like he was holding in the urge to laugh.

I waved at him one last time without looking at Jack, then shoved Skylar out of the door in front of me and left.

--

Skylar barely spoke to me on the way home. She just trudged through the snow, leaving me with an angry, bitter silence floating through the bone-chilling air.

The only time she really did say something was when we passed by Bas' house, and she stopped in her tracks and stared at it for a minute. "Bas has a girlfriend?" she said.

I looked where she was looking.

Through a crystallized window of ice fog and frost, I could see Bas, his hands tangled in blond hair. He was kissing her, and she was kissing him. I stared for a minute, something stirring inside of me. Bas kept kissing her, and she kept kissing him, and I couldn't look anymore, so I walked away.