Twice Lost, Thrice Found
She stood out in the middle of the crowd, she was the tallest but that was probably she was the only one in the crowd over ten years old. Her blue green eyes looked around trying to find someone else who was her age. She stops spotting the group of boys who look to be her age or older, standing in front of the crowd of screaming ten year olds. She makes her way to the front of the group, knowing that the little kids will kill the boys if she doesn’t and turns to scowl them all.
“Guys we are just here to get supplies for the presents for your parents that is all. So leave theses guys alone will you,” she asks turning to the about twenty kids she was suppose to be ‘counseling’?
“But Kiwi,” one of the girls in the front of the group drags out, “they are the Jonas Brothers. The hottest boy band since like Hanson how could you even suggest that?”
Her eyes ran over the boys in the group not seeing anything special until she spotted a familiar face in the back of the group. She had been on Broadway with him way back in the day and had missed it when he stopped auditioning. She racked her mind for his name and suddenly it hit her like a semi hitting a bicycle.
“Nick.”
He looks at her and she realizes that he is trying to figure out exactly who she was, it had been almost four years since she had last seen him and there he was standing in front of her looking as gorgeous as ever. She blushes and flashes a perfect grin at the little kids, she went through six years of pain for that smile, before grabbing one of the girls hands. She pulls her hand free and somehow manages to produce paper and pen for the boys to sign it. Kati stares shocked as the boys as they all sign the little things the kids are carrying and then they look to her.
“Sorry I don’t carry around paper for boys to sign. Come on kids!”
“Wait... If you didn’t know who we were how did you know my name,” Nick asks her?
“Let’s just say there is a past between the two of us,” she replies softly.
“Kati you never told you that you knew Nick,” the other counselor says giving her a look.
“It was a long time ago,” Kati answers.
“How do we know each other,” Nick asks?
“Broadway,” Kati says softly before turning and walking away from the group.
She continues her walk as the kids follow after her and then feels a little hand slip something into her hand. Her eyes drift down and she realizes it’s a little boy who was standing back while everyone else was getting autographs. She smiles and walks swinging his arm back and forth happy for the distraction. As all the other kids buy their supplies though he stands there just holding her hand with a little grin.
“You don’t like those boys either,” she asks him?
“No but I think they are overrated. And overplayed. Plus I kind of live with them,” he shrugs.
“What?”
“Nick, Joe and Kevin are my big brothers,” he says matter so factly.
Kati scans his face and spots the resemblances between the three boys and the little one automatically. She looks down at his clothing and realizes unlike most the other kids, who are wearing shorts and a t-shirt with some form of sandal he is wearing skinny jeans a Ramones t and converses.
“This is just a guess but your brothers picked out your clothing,” she laughs.
“Nope Kiwi I picked it out all by myself. You know Kevin says he is allergic to fruit and you are a Kiwi so I wonder if that means he is allergic to you,” Frankie says looking up at her.
Kati laughs at that and ruffles the little boys hair. Soon the kids are back at the camp and making their crafts for their parents. She watches over them for the day and after they are done she stands waiting alone for her kids to be picked up by their parents, soon Frankie and Kati are sitting alone, playing rock paper scissors. A hand places down on her shoulder and she looks up spotting the three boys who are no doubt Frankie’s big brothers.
“Well kid it looks like our time together is over,” Kati says softly.
“Yea. Hey Kevin I have a question,” Frankie says drawing a laugh from Kati, she knows exactly what it is going to be.
“Go tank.”
“Since Kiwi is a fruit and you are allergic to fruit are you allergic to her,” Frankie asks drawing a laugh from all of his brothers.
“No Frank I’m not allergic to Kiwi,” he laughs.
Kevin, Joe and Frankie walk off then leaving Kati alone with Nick. He looks at her, she is still sitting on the ground, before sitting down next to her. She sighs and scoots a bit away so that she can look at him knowing that he is going to be talking to her.
“What did I do to you on Broadway that was so bad,” he asks softly?
“Nothing Nick. It’s just Broadway for me wasn’t the same without you. I mean you were amazingly talented and I always looked up to you as an inspiration. I mean you are only what a year older than me but still. I don’t know. I guess it was a bit of a hard thing for me to get used too that’s all,” Kati replies.
“So I didn’t do anything to you right?”
“No Nick,” Kati laughs.
They sit there talking for hours until Kati’s phone rings, her mother calling asking where exactly she was. With a little laugh Kati gets in her car, offering to give Nick, who was abandoned by his brothers. The next day when Frankie was picked up Kevin dropped Nick off to talk with Kati again. Soon they had a blossoming friendship. When camp ended Nick gave Kati his number and they talked, no matter where in the world he was. But then he doesn’t call and when Kati tries to reach him she gets an odd message. And then she just stops trying.
One day, walking down the street trying to find a decent place to shop for the day she spots a familiar curly head but shrugs it off, pulling her collar up higher and continuing her walk. She had found him that day but she let him go on his way, some mystery blond attached to his arm. Weeks without talking turns to months and those months slowly become a year. Soon she’s back at summer camp again, this time helping with the 11 year olds. She spots a very familiar brunette boy sitting in her group and flashes him a huge smile ruffling his hair. It’s not until lunch that he gets the chance to talk to her.
“You know Nick misses you,” he tells her.
“Which is why he doesn’t call me anymore. By the way when you see him tell him I was always sure he would go for the blonds,” she says a finger playing in her brunette hair.
“Kati,” he starts.
She turns to walk away and stops dead in her tracks spotting that familiar bush of curly brown hair attached to a very fit boy. Her eyes fly over him trying to remember everything and when he wraps her into a hug she sort of just stands there to shocked to do anything else until he whispers in her ear.
“I missed my fruit.”
Kati laughs, wrapping her arms tightly around him and then says her part of their little inside joke.
“I missed my dairy.”
His obsession with milk had won him that name. She really had missed him and she knew for sure that he was twice lost, thrice found and the only girl in the world to be the one who found him. When he leaned in and gave her a small peck she realized that she was deff the luckiest girl in the world.
