Finding it

16

I shift in my seat at our table during dinner watching from across the room as Travis stares at his plate. As he laughs at his brother's joke. As he rolls his eyes when Jake almost knocks over his drink. As he chooses to not sit with us, yet again.

"How are you Kates?" Angelo asks, eying me.

"Can everyone stop asking me that?" I sigh.

"Sorry, it's just you keep staring."

I mumble so that only Kia, who is at my side while Alex is at my other. "Is it wrong to stare off into space now?"

I see Alex turn his head ever so slightly so that I realize he is listening to what I was saying, but there is nothing for him to hear nor know. I turn and poke Alex's jaw. "Stop listening to my conversations, nosy."

"Did you just invade my jawline?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

I laugh at how that subtle conversation played out, and take a bite out of my salad that has been untouched due to the thoughts that trailed into my earlier this evening. I can't let this get to me too much, I think to myself, Travis will speak to me in time and until then, I cannot let it get to me too much.

Catching Miranda's smirking eyes from across the table, I shake my head. I will have to talk to her later, I decide, as I pick off some of Angelo's story he was telling.

"—So the mom told her daughter to get to bed and the daughter obeyed, bringing her new doll with her. Mom tucked her in and gave her a good night kiss and then left to go to her own room, and for a couple hours they did get their well needed beauty sleep. But--"

"Hah! You said butt." Miranda says like a four year old.

"Oh shut up," Angelo laughs. "As I was saying: But, sometime in the middle of the night, the mother heard a scream. Coming from her daughter's bedroom!"

"Whatever shall we do?" Alex mocks in an accent.

"Should we freeze in terror?" Railyn plays along.

"Should we hold our breath?" Kia gasps.

"Or better yet," I say, adding suspense, "go back to bed?"

This causes Angelo to whine,"You guys are ruining the story!"

"Then by all means, bro," Alex motions with his hands, "lead the way. Continue."

"The mom rushed outta bed and opened the door to her daughter's room. It was all dark inside, but from the lights that she turned on in the hallway on her way to the room it showed a dark red coloring all around the body of her dead daughter...with the doll smilingly, moving mechanically and scarily, as it cleaned off the bloodied knife."

It's quiet for a second before Railyn asks, "Is that all?"

"Yes. That's all." Angelo gets upset. "Did none of you get scared?"

A courous of no sounds and he pouts his lower lip. Dinner continues and when we finish eating, Railyn, Kia, Miranda, Angelo, Alex and I decide to hang out.

Our hanging out with this new found group of friends continues all the way throughout the next week. Railyn talks to Jake. I talk to them both. Miranda talks to Connor. I talk to them both. Alex, Angelo and Kia talk. I talk to them also. The one person, though, that I want so badly to talk to to me...doesn't.

They haven't asked me the how are you, Katie question because I've started to not let the whole issue get to me too much. The only thing though that has been aching at me is the fact that I still care for Travis. My Travis.

So if it is space and some time to have a break...then he will get his space. And we will have our break.

8• 29 • 17
hahaha another short chappie
i get the feel u all (will) hate me (soon)
love u