CHAPTER TWELVE.
narrative
kate's pov
july 7, 2022: iowa city, iowa
Caitlin, Mon, Jada, and I go out to lunch before going to an outside basketball court to shoot around. It's a court we often play at during the summer, getting a few 1v1s in or just like a game of PIG.
"I need to hear about your night at Freya's. I'm the only one in the dark," Caitlin says, fake pouting as she takes a shot which she makes, the ball going to Mon.
Jada looks at me, resting her arm on Caitlin's shoulder, "I haven't heard about it either," she adds and the two of them stare at me. Monika's really the only person I told about it. Freya and I have hung out quite a bit since then and have ended up cuddling a few times.
I shake my head as Monika passes me the ball and I take a shot. It hits the rim and bounces to the ground, "There's not much to tell."
"You liar," Monika says.
"Come on, Kate," Caitlin urges, pushing my shoulder.
I let out a sigh, shrugging my shoulders, "We just talked a lot. We talks about who we've dated, our families, her music, basketball, she invited me to a festival she's playing in a couple of weeks," I explain to them.
"You're going to see her perform? And she invited you?" Caitlin asks, almost in shock and I nod, "What else happened?"
"Nothing. She asked if I wanted to watch a movie, so we went to her room, turned on High School Musical, and fell asleep," I say.
Monika chuckles, "Yeah and woke up cuddling with her!" the blonde adds. I smile a little, surely my cheeks turning red.
There's a small grin on Jada's face, "Kate, you like her! Why don't you tell her?" Jada asks.
"'Cause I don't like her like that, Jada."
"Says the blush on your cheeks right now," Caitlin spits out. I give her a look and she raises her hands, "I'm just saying."
We're silent for the next few moments, the only thing that could be heard was the dribbling of the basketball. Did I like Freya? Well, obviously, but it wasn't more than a friend. Was it? I liked waking up next to her the other morning, her laying in my arms. I liked listening to her talk about things she was super passionate about. Her laugh and smile were infectious.
I couldn't like her.
I point at Caitlin and Monika, "Do you guys remember when Connor got slapped at that party?" I ask.
They both nod and Caitlin smiles, trying to keep in a laugh, "Yeah, when he came into practice the next day all pissed off."
"Freya is the one who slapped him," I say with a smile.
The two of them and Jada stop in their tracks, "You're serious?" Monika asks.
I nod, "She told me the other night," I tell them.
"Oh, I like her already," Jada says, not having met Freya yet. She has met Connor and absolutely hates him.
I go on and explain what happened to lead to her slapping him. Caitlin loves every second of it. We all haven't had the best experiences with him. He's really just a bitch, really rude too. No one likes him, except for his dad and a few boys on the men's team.
We shoot around for a little while longer, going back to our cars to get ready to leave. I slip into Monika's car, Jada and Caitlin get into their own.
Monika starts driving away, looking at me every few seconds, "Do you like her?" she asks. They've all been asking me that recently. I never know how to answer.
I lean my head back against the seat, "I don't know, Mon," I say and Monika just nods.
"You look like you're in love with her every time you talk about her. That's why I ask."
authors note
this isn't proofread but
i love them sm