Making our Future in History

Day sixty-nine: After school

I ran across the courtyard while putting on Bennett's jacket. It was the last day before our week long thanksgiving break.
Leave it up to today to rain.
I was late. Really late. I was supposed to meet my mother, Bennett, and his father for an afternoon lunch thing.
I was running from the ninth grade building all the way past the main. That's when I tripped over the curb and fell into the mud on the side of the parking lot.
Fuck.
*****
I walked into the cleaners at the corner of second and main and brought the jacket over to Shelby. She looked as horrified as I did.
"Please tell me this isn't Bennett's."
I just smiled and handed it to her. She took it and examined it.
"This will be very expensive."
     I sighed and leaned over the counter.
"I don't care as long as he never finds out."
"Alright. Well, I'll call you when it's ready."
"Thank you so much, Shelby." I said then left.
He is going to kill me.
*****
I sat next to Bennett and across from my mother. He kissed me on my cheek and pushed in my chair.
"Where is my jacket?"
"Oh... I must have left it at the house. I had to change before tonight."
     He smiled and nodded. I kicked myself under the table.
     "So, have any plans for Thanksgiving?" His father asked me.
     "No. Just me and my mother... Why?"
     I had an immediate love-hate relationship with the look on my mother's face.
     Oh God. Please don't tell me that you and... Bennett are joining us.
      I swallowed and let that sink in.
     If our parents marry then we would be step brother and sister, but we're also (shuttering) dating.
     "Are you cold?" Bennett asked me.
     "Yeah, a little."
     He took off his jacket and handed it to me. I laid it out over my lap.
     "Thank you."
     He smiled at me.
     "Don't mention it."
*****
     "Is my jacket really at your house or did you lose it?"
     "One time and now I'm always getting harassed about it, and you were the one that hid it from me to begin with."
     "Yeah." He said laying his arm across my shoulders.
     I looked up at his side profile. Yes he was good looking with teddy bear brown eyes, noticeable check bones, and a very generous amount of muscle tone, and not to mention that he is also one of the top percentile in the school. He is smart. He had always been. That made me Envy him for most of our school years together, and I had crush on him at the same time, but Freshman year changed my perspective on him. Then junior year changed it again.
     "You are being quiet."
     "How is wrestling practice?"
     He sighed.
     "It is the same as the other three years. Football is not quite over so I'm doing double duty with two sports running simultaneously."
     I nodded my head at him. I knew it was hard on him when he had two sports run simultaneously and I loved that he did it, but by the end of the baseball season he was usually too tired to care because football cranked right back up again afterwards.
     We kept walking in silence for a few more blocks. Then we showed up at my house. He kissed my temple at my front door. I handed him his other jacket.
"Goodbye. I will see you later." He said, "thanksgiving break starts tomorrow and I will see you on Thursday."
"Okay, bye." I said waving to him as he walked away.
I went in and waited on him to be gone before I walked out and back to my car. I drove to the dry cleaners. I walked in and Shelby was standing there.
"It looks like it all came out." She said handing it to me, "that will be $200."
I felt like I was going to have a heart attack.
"I didn't know that you really meant that it was going to be that expensive." I said looking at her, "Can you give me a second?"
"Of course."
I set it down on the counter and walked outside. It started to rain again.
Just freaking wonderful.
I stood under the awning and looked though my contacts. The only person I knew that could afford that was Kyle. I thought for a moment then taped his name and waited.
Please pick-up. Please. It is cold, raining, and I need this jacket... And I never thought I would be saying this...
"Kyle Parker speaking."
"Kyle, hi, this is Kate..."
"I got that."
"Right... I need your help."
"Wow, you need my help? What did you do? Get arrested?"
     I would somewhat rather.
I looked around.
"I got mud all over his letterman jacket, and I'm at the dry cleaners picking it up. It cost $200."
He whistled on the other end. Then it was silent.
"Fine, I'll be there in five."
"Thank you so much, Kyle, and please don't bring Kendal."
"I won't."
     I stood there and waited until his truck pulled up.
"Thank you." I told him when he step out.
"Stop being so nice to me." He said, "it's weird."
"I can't help it. I'm really happy because I'm not getting killed by Bennett for ruining his favorite thing in the whole world."
"That's good that I finally saved you since you hate me."
     "I don't completely hate you..."
     He held open the door for me and we walked in and over to the counter.
     "I'm paying for the jacket." He told Shelby, "how much?"
     "$200."
     He pulled out his wallet and paid with two one hundred dollar bills. Then put his wallet up.
I put on Bennett's jacket and we walked to my car.
"Goodbye." I said unlocking it, "and thanks again."
"Don't worry about it, and bye. I guess I will see you the Monday we get back."
     "Alright."
     I got in my car and cranked it. It just kept getting colder and colder outside. After the car warmed up I contemplated where to go.
I don't want to go home, or Kendal's... I guess I could go to Fred's.
     I drove to Fred's, parked, walked in, and saw Mr. Hanes sitting at a booth.
I should sit with him? He seems lonely.
     I sat across from him.
"So, how are you?" I asked him.
"Good, you?"
"Great. I almost ruined this jacket, but I went to the dry cleaners and fixed it."
"That is great."
     We sat in a semi-comfortable silence until the waiter came by and took our order. We ordered original hamburgers and French fries and we both ordered a Coke to go with it.
     "So, a hamburger?" He asked.
     "Yes. They are my favorite thing."
     "My favorite thing is pizza."
     I nodded my head.
     "Why are you still here? You don't have any family here."
     "Yes, but I have nothing to return to. My best friend and fiancé cheated and my mother is with my father who is serving as a highly decorated officer in the United States Navy."
    "That is awesome."
     "I guess, but I was a military brat my whole life. That got irritating, but I guess it is okay."
     "My dad was in the Navy."
     "Then we have something in common."
     The waiter came back with our food.
     "Thank you, Mike." I told him.
     "No problem."
     He left and I started to eat my French fries. He went straight for his burger. We ate in silence for a while. Then my phone went off.
     Bennett:
Where are you?
     Me:
At home... Why? That's where you dropped me off.
     Bennett:
That's funny...
     "Because I'm looking at you."
*****
     I started to cry. He looked like he was going to hit me. I knew he never would, but that still scared me.
     "What the fuck are you doing here with him?"
     I wiped my eyes, crossed my arms and looked at the ground.
     "Kate..."
     I looked up into his brown eyes.
      "I'm not here with him, okay? I wanted something to eat. Is there something wrong with that?"
     "There is when it is with a teacher."
     "I'm not doing this..." I almost yelled at him.
     "Apparently we are."
     We stood there for a second then I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. I thought that would have been simpler than telling him that I had almost ruined his jacket. And I was here because I didn't want to go home just in case our parents were at my house.
     He deepened the kiss and pushed me up against his jeep. I pulled back to catch my breath.
     "Kate..."
     "I'm not here with him. I went out for a while then got hungry. I wanted my favorite hamburger, so I came here. Mr. Hanes was already here. He's lonely being here in this town with no one. I'm sorry."
     He hugged me and I hugged him back.
     "You better tell him that his coffin is almost nailed shut." He whispered in my ear.
     Fuck.