Chapter 50): 4..3..2..1.. (2)

Chapter 50): 4..3..2..1.. (2)

(Aged Carl just for some more believable things, everyone else is the same though)

{I own nothing but my own ideas and OC character's.}

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(A/N: Remembered I wanted to do this after I finished writing the chapter before and just didn't feel like switching them around. Anyway, I wasn't to clear on the time between the last two chapters so just take it at face value.)

"A Ballet? Like a real life no joke Ballet, right?" Lip asked him with a raised brow as Ian held in a chuckle.

They were all standing in the kitchen at the moment, Carl was in his pants but he was shirtless as he was eating before hand, the performance was two and forty something minutes long, with two intermissions. Carl was going alone to this as it was some time he was spending with Kassidi, he also had some time set aside for Sophia but this came first.

He was actually a little nervous, the ballet was being done at her school, they had their own stage and area where they held these things, it was a big program at her school apparently. It would be his first time inside Saint Michael's Academy, which was a little nerve wracking, it was such a high class school he was thinking about all the different things he would be seeing.

William was due to pick him up in the next twenty minutes, the drive there would have him arriving ten minutes before it started, well barring traffic but he didn't really expect much of that.

"Yes a Ballet Lip, because some of us like girls who don't sleep with half the neighborhood." Carl bit back while rolling his eyes, Ian laughed.

Lip's mocking smile dropped as he stared at Carl, "Do you have a problem with me?"

Ian's smile dropped as he saw the room get serious with that question, "Come on Carl, he was just joking around. Weren't you Lip?" He commented trying to diffuse the situation that was brewing.

Carl scoffed, "Lip, I have had a problem with you since you couldn't answer my question last time. I don't expect you to make it big and take care of our family, I don't see you as a golden ticket but,"

Carl turned to him his eyes looking right into Lip's own, "I do expect you to want to do better. You can't bitch and moan about what Monica and Frank do but can't even do better for yourself when you have a shot at doing it. Don't sit here and act like you have to be a Southsider your whole life, you have a year left of school after this, even less if you want it that way.

You just need to realize that you can really be free if you actually try hard, so stop acting like a victim and do something about it. Because if you don't fix something soon, like cutting out your little 'friend' then you might as well change your name to Frank Jr. cause that is the rode you're headed down."

After his little speech the room was quiet, Carl didn't care as he put his plate in the sink before walking away, he wasn't going to deal with family problems tonight, nope it was time for him to get ready to go. Although Kassidi might have some overzealous tendencies, she was a million times better then Karen, and it wasn't just because she had more money or a longer name spelled with the letter 'K'.

Shaking those thoughts he put on his Royal blue dress shirt and threw on the blazer Kassidi gave him, thankfully he knew how to tie a tie so he put on the black one with white roses on it. After checking himself out he grabbed his trench coat and walked upstairs, the kitchen was empty when he was locking his door and he was thankful for that.

Send a quick message to Fiona he walked out the door and saw William already waiting on him, "Good evening Carl."

"Good evening William. Can we stop for some flowers or something? I want to have something for Kassidi for when the show is over." He asked as he was stepping into the car.

"There should be some room. I will take you to a florist near there." William grinned before shutting the door and swiftly getting to the driver seat.

Carl smiled, he didn't know what part Kassidi was playing but no matter what he planned to buy her those flowers, his knee was bouncing as he sat in the back. He was really nervous about this, he was excited too to see her in the ballet, but he also didn't want to embarrass her.

From the front seat William smiled at the boy who was going to see Kassidi, at first he was questionable about the intentions of the boy, but over the past month his worry had faded. He had seen the two of them grow closer and knew that this young man, Carl, was more then just looking to get money and gifts from Kassidi, he was actually showing her affection, something she didn't get much from her parents.

Carl didn't notice the smile, he was looking out the window as they approached the florist, he smiled at William before getting out and waving the man off as he said he wanted to pick them personally. He already knew what he wanted, he was just hoping that they would have the flowers he wanted, it was still a little time away from spring, he could only hope that they were in.

"Hi, Welcome to 'Fleur's Flowers' are you looking for anything specific? Or do you need help?" A nice blonde woman with almost silver hair asked while smiling at him.

"Actually can I please have one Burgundy rose, one red rose, one purple rose, one salmon rose, one cream rose, one light pink and finally one yellow." Carl said with a shy smile as the woman's smile grew wider as he kept listing the colors.

"Oh, and I am sure you know the meaning of each since you are asking." She said as she moved to start wrapping them.

"In order; Devotion, Love, Infatuation, Desire, Charm, Appreciation and Friendship. Trust me I know, the person they are for inspires all of this in me." Carl said with a goofy smile as he thought of Kassidi, something that had been happening a lot more recently.

"Lucky girl then. So big date tonight?" She asked as they walked to the front counter.

Carl shook his head, "Nope, she is in a Ballet tonight. I just want her to remember how I feel about her and how much I care for her. No matter how she does."

"That is so sweet. Well that will be $92.75 handsome." She said with a wide smile.

Carl smiled but paused before paying, "Umm, is there any way to set this as a standing order? I want to make it where she always gets these same flowers delivered every Monday."

The ladies eyes went wide before she, surprising Carl, rushed around the counter and hugged him close spinning him, "Oh my gosh, aren't you just the cutest thing ever. Of course we do that here, let's get your order in."

"Thank you." Carl coughed while fixing himself after being set down. After paying for the weekly flowers which would charge his card he left, William raised a brow having seen everything but didn't ask as he hurried to the school.

Carl was glad when they got there with plenty of time to spare, he would have been beating himself up for even missing a moment of this, "Leave the flowers, I will bring them in for you ten minutes before the ballet is over. No need to hold them the entire time." William said as he went to take them with him

With a grateful smile he nodded and walked towards the building that was advertising the ballet, others were also going in at the time and no one paid him any mind as he walked in alone. He did look as though he belonged though so it wasn't really a surprise that they didn't, walking inside he showed his ticket before being escorted to his seat, which was numbered.

The lights dimmed as Carl took his seat, as promised the on next to him was empty so he could enjoy it without someone being next to him, his seats were thankfully on the aisle which helped a lot.

From her first scene from now what he knew she was playing, which was The Lilac Fairy, Carl was entranced by her, every graceful movement burned into brain so he could never forget what he was seeing. He had seen in the middle of the performance that she had smiled at him, if he didn't know her well enough he would have believed it was just her smiling to the crowd, but he had seen the quick flick of her eyes.

"Here you go sir." William said as he handed Carl the roses he had gotten earlier, the older man was crouching as not to disturb others.

Nodding Carl took them and waited as the finale came to and end, he clapped politely along with everyone else as it finished, they then sat through each part announced and cheered for. He cheered the loudest when Kassidi took the stage, the healthy blush on her cheeks had him guessing it was not just from dancing all night.

Once the lights came back on he followed some parents who were heading back stage, as he passed other dancers he got some glances, it wasn't only middle schoolers the biggest main performers was from the high school section. Carl walked over to where Kassidi sat, no one else was near her at the moment, which made sense as only people who sat in the front row could get back there.

Him being the person for Kassidi meant only he could get back there, two girls who looked their age and the lead in all this who was a high school sophomore watched Carl as he got close to Kassidi, "Hey Kass, I got you something." He smiled showing off the roses.

Kassidi tuned quickly and her eyes went bright seeing them, she grabbed them tenderly bringing them to her nose for an inhale, "Carl they are perfect and beautiful, you know rose colors have meanings right?" She was almost bouncing in her seat as she said this.

"It's why I picked them after all."

"Oh, and did you know the number of them mean something too?" Carl did not know that so he shook his head, Kassidi giggled at that, "Well you have seven here which roughly says 'I'm infatuated with you', which I am with you too."

He chuckled some, "Well it still works, Infatuation means; a feeling of foolish or obsessively strong love for, admiration for, or interest in someone or something. Well at least Webster defines it that way, which is one I thinks fits us perfectly."

Kassidi beamed as she hugged him.

"Oh and if it wasn't enough show you by the flowers then still let me say, you were amazing out there Kassidi, I am so proud of you."

The girls who had been watching them 'awed' as they saw the scene, sometimes during their talk the three girls had huddles together and were whispering at the scenes. They were just so surprised to see someone around Kassidi, from class they didn't see her as a bad person, but rumors kept them away from her.

Now though they were questioning those rumors, she wasn't at all like they described her to be, and she obviously had someone who cares about her, otherwise he wouldn't be there for her.

Carl didn't mind them and set Kassidi's roses to the side as she got her coat on, Carl helped her out like any good boyfriend would do, he ven carried her bag so she wouldn't need to as they left. With their arms interlocked they took off to the car, William smiling as they approached and opened the car door for them.

Sitting in the back seat Kassidi leaned her head on his shoulder as the city lights were the only thing shinning in the car, the warmth of the car made it where they didn't need to be close. Neither seemed to care though as they sat there holding one another.

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A/N: Guys there is officially 3 chapters, including this one left until season one is over. After the last one is posted I will be posting something that will be taking action for the next part of the story.