“Psst, Cate,” another voice tried to get my attention. I look over my shoulder and see Nicole DeLuca leaning over her desk as she tries to talk to me. “Are the rumors true? Are you going on a date with TJ?”
I groan. “No, I’m not going on a date with him.”
It was midmorning and so far I’d had to set almost twenty people straight about my ‘relationship’ with TJ. Ever since he went and shouted ‘It’s a date’ yesterday, the rumor mill had gone into overdrive and I had become the object of everyone’s fascination.
I should really kill TJ for getting me into this mess.
“Oh, really?” Nicole smirks, obviously not believing a word I said. “Because I heard that he’s taking you out on Saturday.”
We were in Calculus and Chris was sitting behind me, tuned in to the conversation if the fact he’d stopped working was any indication. I sighed and rolled my eyes to Nicole, then announced as loudly and firmly as possible that I was not dating, nor going on a date, with TJ Rushing.
“I’ve got plans for Saturday anyway,” I tell Nicole, but it was more for Chris’ sake than anything. I didn’t want him getting the wrong impression about what TJ and I were. After all, I was working on the theory that Chris is Theo, and therefore should be the only guy I’m interested in. Not that I’m interested in TJ. “I’m going to watch a rugby game.”
Nicole frowned. “Rugby? What’s that?”
“A game played with an oval ball,” Chris announced, chiming in on the conversation.
“So, football?” Nicole scoffed.
“A little more brutal than that,” I say, remembering the hours of videos I’ve watched on YouTube. Chris eyes me peculiarly, but I shrugged it off. “I’ve done a little bit of studying. I don’t want to look like an idiot when I watch you play.”
“You’re watching Chris play?” Nicole squealed from her chair next to him. “So, you two are dating, huh?”
I looked at Chris, and he looked at me, but neither of us spoke. Instead, we just let the awkwardness simmer until Nicole made a sound that summed up just how uncomfortable this had become. She dropped her head back to her work and carried on solving the problems like the last five minutes didn’t just happen.
Chris smiled at me and motioned at his work. He got back to the worksheet and started writing out his answers, leaving me to wonder about us. We’d been messaging for the better part of last night and had Saturday all planned out, but I’m not sure if that made us friends, let alone anything else.
I turned back to face the front and waited for the bell to ring. The worst part of being a math professor’s kid is that you’re a bit of a math genius yourself, and work that kept the class occupied for the whole session rarely kept me busy for ten minutes. Today’s work had taken me a quarter of an hour at the most, and I’d been sat here for the past half an hour willing time to move faster. It hadn’t.
Mr. Ennis usually gave me extra work to do but he was off sick today and Mrs. Pratt was covering his class. She was old and was almost certainly deaf, and blind. After I finished my work earlier, I’d raised my hand to request something else to do but Mrs. Pratt had ignored me. Now I was beyond bored and couldn’t wait for this period to end.
I felt my cell vibrate in my pocket, and with a quick glance up at the teacher, I decided it was safe to take it out. There was a new message from an unknown number, but from the tone I could guess who it was pretty quickly.
Apparently we’re dating. Did you know? :)
I roll my eyes at the message but hit the reply button anyway. People have been asking me all morning. Getting sick of setting them straight. I blame you.
I knew placing the blame at his feet would get TJ riled up, and I couldn’t help the smile that worked its way onto my lips. Technically it was his fault so he should just be man enough to take the blame, but he was ridiculously stubborn.
Yeah, sorry about that. P.S. Your douchebag ex is sitting in front of me in Economics- want me to take him out for you?
Funnily enough, TJ is the second person in a week that’s offered to hurt Adam in my honor. I laugh at how people could automatically hate Adam without getting to know him, but then I remember that this is Adam and even after you get to know him, you’ll still end up hating him.
By all means. He wasn’t that good of a boyfriend. I reply.
I sense a story… TJ messaged me. What happened?
The bell rang just as I started to type. I quickly finished the message, Tell you about it at lunch, and packed up my books. I had French fourth period and dragged myself over to Madame Pilon’s office. I liked French, but I wasn’t any good at it, at least not in the way Madame Pilon wanted me to be. I only studied it because I wanted to travel to Paris this summer and thought it would be rude to go without learning some of the language. So far, all I could say fluently was ‘Savez-vous trouver la Tour Eiffel?’ and even then it came out shaky and unsure. But Paris in the summer would be worth it.
When lunch finally came around, I headed for the cafeteria, bought a salad and went straight for the table in the corner. Usually if TJ and his friends were here before me, I went and joined them, but seeing as I was the first out of class, I chose my table. I liked sitting in the far corner because it was out of the way and from here I could see everyone. I could see who came and who went, and who I wanted to avoid.
Like, right now, I can see Adam walking in with Gillian. He does his usual glance in my direction and I know I have three seconds to grab my lunch and run. I pick up the salad pot, throw my satchel across my body and make my escape out the fire escape at the rear of the cafeteria.
There was only one place I liked to go when I needed an escape, and it wasn’t to the library. I walked across the quad and headed for the Art building, expertly walking the intricate hallways until I finally arrive at Miss Allen’s studio. She was sat at her table and looked up when I entered. She gave me her usual polite smile and motioned to the small room at the back of her studio. I nod appreciatively and make my way towards the door, taking out my personal key for the room.
I let myself in and flick on the light, illuminating the tiny room in a red hue. Miss Allen’s dark room was my favorite thing about Capshaw, and I was the only one who used it. There was a bigger dark room for the other students, but I was a little more than paranoid about my talents, which led to a talk with Miss Allen who allowed me to have my own dark room. She and my mother came to an agreement whereby if I converted the old store room into a fully equipped dark room, then it was mine to use whenever.
I set my satchel down on the floor just inside the door, and head through the black curtain into the inner dark room where my work bench ran along the back wall. I set my lunch down on the little work desk I’d hid in here and went over to inspect my latest photographs which hung on the pegs. They were good, but they weren’t great. There was one of Georgie and a few of my Dad, but there was something about them that didn’t resonate with me. They lacked any emotional attachment for me despite the faces belonging to my best friend and my father.
I took a step back and jumped up onto the bench, taking my salad in my hands as I continued to critique my work. My cell vibrated again, making me jump and almost covering myself in lettuce. I groaned and took out my cell.
Rumor has it that you like to hide in the Amanda’s studio… but I’m here and you’re not. Where’ you go, Sunshine?
Before I got the chance to reply, the door to the black room opened, and from the other side of the curtain, I heard a voice. “Sunshine?”
*~*~*
So, this is what Amanda’s storage room looks like. What exactly is this?
“Where are you?” I ask Cate, who I’ve been assured is hiding in here somewhere.
I felt someone grab my hand, and for a second I almost scream, but then I remember that it’s only Cate that’s in here and she isn’t about to kill me. Or actually, she might, depending on how annoyed she is by the rumors circulating about her. It was my fault that people were talking about her so I could understand if she wants to hack me to death in this… what is this room?
“Where am I?” I ask as soon as I’m pulled through heavy curtains and see Cate propped up on a work bench. I take a look around the small space and see tens of photographs tacked to the walls, hanging from a line and scattered on another bench. “I didn’t know this was a dark room.”
“It wasn’t until last year,” Cate said as she took a bite of something green and healthy looking. I scrunched up my nose at the rabbit food, and quirked an eyebrow to Cate. “It’s salad.”
“I know what it is,” I scoff. I’m not that stupid. “Why are you eating it? You’re way too skinny as it is.”
She shrugs. “I don’t like processed things, I guess. Where’s your lunch?”
I delve into my backpack and take out some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I’m pretty sure they were meant for Noah, but I switched them for turkey loaf. I liked Noah and I would die for him, but I’d still take his PB&J sandwiches any day of the week. They remind me of my childhood.
Cate shuffled over on the work bench and left me enough room to jump up next to her. I ate the first sandwich in the same amount of time it took Cate to chew a forkful of her salad, and was soon polishing of the second when I remembered why I had come out here.
When I arrived for lunch, everyone was sat at my usual table. I’d arrived late after Miss Stravkoski had kept me behind in Chemistry, and the whole table was occupied, but the one person I wanted to speak to wasn’t there.
When I asked about Cate’s whereabouts, Zachary explained that Cate had been here but had left pretty quickly. He didn’t know why but mentioned that she looked pretty angry when she bolted out the door. He pointed at someone across the cafeteria, and when my eyes fell on Adam Dayton, I could take a shot in the dark as to why she fled.
“Did she talk to him?” Georgie asked, her eyes hard as she glared at Adam. When Adam turned and waved to Georgie she stood and looked as if she were going to go over, but Grey took her by the wrist and made her sit back down. “Like he didn’t mess with her enough. I can honestly say that I’ve never wanted to maim anyone as bad as I want to maim him.”
The table went quiet and confused looks were passed around.
“What’s the deal with that?” Spiller asked Cate’s best friend. “And where did Cate go?”
“They dated,” Georgie dramatically gagged at the word ‘dated.’ Then she sighed heavily and brushed a hand through her hair. “It’s a long story and I don’t tell it well. Knowing Cate, she’s gone to her happy place. The art studio.”
When it looked like Georgie was about to go and hunt her friend down, Grey’s face soured. I volunteered my services, which wasn’t all that selfless of me because Cate had promised to tell me herself what the deal with her and Adam was. Which is how I ended up here.
“So, this ex of yours?” I say as an opening. “Want to talk about him?”
“Not really,” I feel Cate shrug from next to me. “There isn’t much to say. We dated, he cheated, he finished with me and now he likes to terrorize me every time he accidentally bumps into me.”
“That sucks,” I muse.
“Yep,” Cate says, popping the ‘p’ for emphasis.
We sit in a comfortable silence and for once I don’t feel the need to speak or goof around to fill the void. I reach over to the old CD player that sits on a small side table and switch it on, pressing play for whatever CD is in there.
The first song that sounds out takes me by surprise and I sit up straighter as it continues to play. When I turn to face Cate questioningly, she looks at me with amusement before she starts singing out the words, including the curse words.
“Really?” I say, impressed by her balls to swear in front of me. The first song ends and another, almost identical one starts. “This is the kind of music you like? Who is this, anyway?”
“Blink-182,” Cate smiles as she starts to move her head in time to the music. “And, yes, this is the type of music I like.”
“Cool,” I nodded with a polite smile. I hated this kind of music and started moving through the tracks until I found one that I recognized. When a familiar song played, I laughed. “I know this one.”
“Say it ain’t so,” Cate started to sing as she flicked her hair in a wild frenzy. “I will not go, turn the lights off, carry me home.”
I laughed as she got up and started dancing, pulling me to my feet to join her. I am a horrible dancer, but as Cate started to bounce around I mimicked her movements. Every now and then I saw Cate look free as she danced, and her smile was infectious. By the end of the song we were both panting for air and doubled over from laughing.
“You cannot dance,” she tells me as she leans against me for support.
“Well, neither can you,” I tease as I playfully push her away from me. “Feel better now?”
She nods gratefully. “Yeah. Thanks for… this.”
It goes quiet again, but unlike before it feels strange. I don’t know what it was, but something felt eerily familiar about our situation. Cate smiles and moves in to hug me, and as I loop my arms around her, my heart beats against my chest. It was an unfamiliar feeling, one that I hadn’t felt before and it scared the crap out of me.
When Cate pulled away, she looked down at her watch and frowned.
“The bell’s gonna ring now,” she tells me. “We should go.”
I nod, pick up my backpack and follow her from the room. She takes out a set of keys and locks the door, smiling at Amanda as we leave. Amanda doesn’t talk about her students when she’s out of school, but from the smile she shoots Cate, I can tell Amanda is fond of this particular student. My step-mom smirked at me and I rolled my eyes in return. I could see her mind turning and I knew that I was going to be interrogated tonight over dinner.
Not that there was anything going on between me and Cate.
That racing heartbeat thing was just… I mean, I’m in love with Catherine. I can’t be thinking about other girls, and about how adorable they look when they rock out, or how they nestle so perfectly in my arms.
I walk Cate to her fifth period class before headed towards the music room. I had a free period now, but Spiller was in the music studio where he’d been forced into providing the drums for Erin Whittle’s music portfolio. I still don’t understand why Spiller felt like he owed Erin anything, but for some reason, when she demanded he play for her, Spiller didn’t decline. I suppose he didn’t have much of a choice, but it wasn’t like he tried to get out of it; he just gave in.
I found Spiller sat at the back of the studio, where he looked bored out of his mind. Erin wasn’t anywhere in sight, so I decided it was safe to slip in through the door and vent my frustration to my friend.
“Get out,” Spiller half smiled at me as I approached. He sat up straighter when I took a spare drum stool and moved it closer to him. “Why do you look guilty?”
“Because I think I kinda fell for Cate a little,” I say quickly. Spiller just nodded. “I’m being serious here, Colt.”
“I know, Theo,” he nods like he understands. “You’ve never had a friend that’s a girl before and you’re just confusing friendship with relationship, that’s all.”
“So, you don’t think I should worry?” I ask him. He stares at me and waits for me to speak more. “I guess you’re right. Jeez, Colt. I need to find Catherine.”
He laughs. “Well, I think I can help you with that,” he nods towards a girl strumming a guitar in the corner of the room. “Her name is Catherine Addison. You’re welcome.”
I watch as the girl looks off into the distance, playing a tune on her acoustic guitar and starts to smile. When she starts laughing, my heart does that quick beating things again and something inside me flips. She turns towards me and smiles, her pretty green eyes shining as she blushes and turns away from me. Then she looks up at me from under her lashes, and that’s when I knew.
Catherine.
*~*~*
Somtimes men are just too blind to see what's standing right in front of them...
Sarah, xx