Night Cat | Night Cat #1 (CURRENTLY EDITING)

Night Cat - Chapter 11

Kill Me Now

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I arched an eyebrow, annoyed. It was taking every ounce of self-control in my body to keep me from yanking one of Keegan’s dreadlocks.

“It means, Avery,” Keegan said, crossing his arms over his chest. “That you have to make a choice.”

“Get over yourself Keegan. I’m not choosing.” I took one step closer to him, my fists clenched at my sides. “What the hell is your problem anyway??” I was so pissed at Keegan. No, wait... Pissed didn’t even begin to describe how mad I was. Who the hell was he to tell me what I could or could not do? WHO? I mean, really. Keegan and I had been friends since third grade. He knew better than anyone that I hated it when people tried to control my life – and yet, here he was telling me that I couldn’t be friends with Xander anymore.

Yes, you read that right. He wanted me to choose between him and Xander.

“I’m not the one with the problem here Ave.” He replied darkly, his normally pleasant features forming a scowl. “It’s that Hawk-freak that’s the problem.” Hawk-freak? Problem? I found myself getting angrier and angrier with each millisecond that passed. 

“Why?” I couldn’t understand it. Keegan had nothing to be jealous about. Yeah, sure, Xander and I spent a good amount of time together, but it’s not like I’d ever ditched Keegan or anything. In fact, it was just the opposite. The past couple of weeks, I’d been constantly cancelling on Xander for our after-school investigation sessions – partly because Keegan kept nagging me into doing stuff with him after-school and partly because I didn’t want to end up making Keegan feel like I’d forgotten about him by hanging out with Xander too much. I’d been racked with guilt because I knew how much it was upsetting Xander, but there was nothing much I could do. I was torn.

“Because I don’t trust him, I don’t like him, and he’s not good enough for you.” He replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“That’s not for you to decide Keegan.” I said with a slight hiss. I was aware that all the people in the park had stopped to stare at us, but I didn’t care – I was that angry. I had come here to hang out with one of my oldest friends, and I certainly had no intention of sitting idly while Keegan gave me third degree. No way in hell was I going to take any of the crap he was dishing out today. “If I want to keep hanging out with Xander, I’ll damn well keep doing it. You can’t make me stop.” I gritted my teeth as I said that last sentence, in desperate attempts to keep myself from screaming at the guy.

“So you’re choosing pretty boy over me? Is that it Avery?”

“NO!” Why the hell did Keegan have to be so infuriating? I was an inch away from ripping my hair out of my head. “I’m not choosing anyone!!!”

“Well, that’s not going to work out. It’s either me or him.” Keegan’s green eyes narrowed at me, and I could feel hate drip from every word. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I know you’re going to choose him.”

“You know what? I’m really sick of this Keegan. Ever since you got here, you’ve been a completely different person. You’re being an ass!” I yelled, stomping my foot on the ground. Childish, I know – but hey, I was mad. “If you don’t cut this crap out right now, I’ll make you regret that you ever met me.”

“I already do.”

That shut me up. His tone was so completely calm – he sounded so sincere. Keegan wished he’d never met me? I couldn’t believe my ears. I loved Keegan. Not in a way that he’d ever be happy with – but I did. How could he possibly wish he’d never met me? After all those years of being his friend...didn’t they mean anything to him?

“Y-y-you what?” I stuttered, feeling more hurt than I ever cared to be. “You wish you’d never met me?”

“Yes.” Keegan uncrossed his arms and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his Levi’s. “That way I wouldn’t have to feel all these crappy, crappy feelings and I wouldn’t have to watch as the girl I’ve been insane about since fifth grade falls for some jerk she met only a couple of weeks ago. I know he likes you. I mean, please, you’d have to be blind to miss that lovesick puppy-dog look he gives you. I see how he doesn’t even notice his friends when you’re around. And I also see how, despite your constant denial, you seem to like him as more than ‘Just a friend’...or you’re starting to, at least.

“And now I have to stand here and watch you refuse to choose between the two of us. And it’s not even because you love both of us the same – it’s because you care about him way too much to even think about letting me go. I didn’t even enter you mind when you were making that decision.”

My mouth fell open. Of course he entered my mind!!! Why the hell was everyone in this damn school so convinced that I was in love with Xander? I wasn’t. I thought this through like any rational person. I didn’t want to give either of them up.

“For the love of God, Keegan – would you please move your dreadlocks away from your ears because I think they’re ruining your hearing.” I closed my eyes, rubbing the sides of head. That damned headache was back, and I felt as if some evil gremlin was trying to knock my eyes out with a hammer. “For the last time. Xander and I are just friends. That’s it. I’m not – I repeat, NOT – falling for him”

That’s when it hit. The big flash of lighting struck the centre of my brain, sending shockwaves of pain to all parts of my body. My head felt as if was about to explode – as if someone had just whacked the back of my head with a baseball bat or something. The world rocked and swayed and I watched as blackness crept all around me. Dizzy and unable to bear the pain, I kneeled over onto the sidewalk, my arms clutching the air, looking for something to prop me up.

Then I blacked out.