Tainted: Origins of a Psycho

Feelings

"Oh." I said, rubbing the back of my head. "The bell is about to ring, but we can talk again at lunch if you want to."

"Sounds good." She placed her hand on my shoulder and smiled. "I'll see you then."

She walked away and I rubbed my shoulder, closing my eyes and savoring her touch for a moment. My heart was fluttering inside of my chest and it felt like it was about ready to burst out. What kind of feeling was this? I never felt like this when I was around Katherine when we were kids, but ever since she came back I couldn't stop thinking about her.

Her beautiful blonde hair, those light blue eyes, and those pouty pink lips. They haunted my thoughts all day and all night, even when Violet was crying on my chest. I'm sure it was because I was glad to see her again after so many years. She was my best friend in the world and I didn't want to complicate that with these feelings. I had to suppress them so that they would not cause me any heartache in the future.

Of course, that was easier said than done.

We spent the next few weeks eating lunch together, and both of us even joined the marching band. She played the baritone and I played the saxophone, and we were able to ride the bus together when our team played football out of town. I still haven't told Dad about her being back, and it was getting harder to keep the secret since we were pretty much joined at the hip. I figured that Katherine would allow me to tell him sooner or later, but until that time came I had no intention of telling Dad the truth.

Another Friday night came and our team had just won another game. Katherine and I walked to the parking lot and sat in the front seat of my car for quite some time, talking about everything from school to our families. The time I spent with her was the happiest I've ever felt and I didn't want it to end.

She looked over at me, smiling as she leaned her head back on my seat. "What are you going to do after you graduate?" She asked.

"I want to become a psychologist."

"Really? How come?"

"I want to help people."

"That's nice." She said, closing her eyes. "I want to be an archeologist. There are so many cool things from the past that I would like to learn about."

"You would make a great archeologist. You're so smart."

"Thanks." She laughed, "But I'll have to improve my math grade if I ever want to get a good scholarship."

I leaned back in my seat. "You'll be fine. All you have to do is-"

My sentence was interrupted when there was a knock on my window. Violet was standing there with a huge smile on her face. "Who have you got in there, baby brother?" She asked, laughing along with a boy who was standing behind her.

Katherine gasped and turned her head away. "Don't let her see me!" She cried, "She'll tell your dad!"

I nodded and turned on the engine. "It's none of your business, Violet!" I growled, "Leave us alone!"

"You don't have to hide it!" Violet pressed, banging her fist against the windshield. "Let me have a look at your sweetheart!"

The words tumbled clumsily from her mouth and I could tell that she had been drinking. I rolled down my window, just low enough that she could hear me, and said, "Get the hell away from my car or I'll tell Dad that you've been drinking again."

"You wouldn't dare!" She gasped, slapping her hand on the top of my car.

"Oh, I would. Now leave me alone."

"Ugh, fine...." She slurred, "You don't have to be so sensitive about it."

She started to walk away until the boy standing behind her took a step forward. "Hey, I know who that is!" He said, pointing into my car. That's a girl from my math class. Her name is Katherine."

My heart froze in my chest as Violet leaned closer to my window. "Oh my God...." She said, mashing the palm of her hand against her forehead. "Katherine!"

Katherine shook her head and waved her hands in front of her. "No, you have the wrong girl-"

"It's so good to see you!" Violet shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "It's been sooooo long! How have you-" She froze mid sentence and threw her hand over her mouth, leaning over and vomiting all over the parking lot.

"Gross!" Her boyfriend shouted, laughing.

"Sorry." She said, "Guess I can't hold beer down like I used to."

"Great." I said, "Well, we have to go."

I pulled out of the parking lot and stared into the rear view mirror. Violet was puking again and her friend was still laughing at her. I looked over at Katherine and said, "She's drunk off her ass. I'm sure she won't remember seeing you."

Katherine stared down at her lap with terror all over her face. "I hope you're right." She said, "Because if she tells your dad..." The words died in her throat and she looked out of the window.

"I'll make sure she doesn't." I said, "I promise."