“Hey, Katherine!” He waved, but I didn't wave back. His eyebrows lifted and he walked towards me. “Umm, Katherine, is there something wrong?”
My hand reached up to my cheek and I slapped myself. Oh my gosh! Could you be more pathetic?
“I thought I saw a bee. And I'm allergic.” I'm not sure if I actually am allergic to bees, but it was the only excuse I could come up with.
“I don't see any bees so I think you're safe.” He chuckled and I’m pretty sure I experienced a pre-menopausal hot flash if the heat in my cheeks was any indication.
“Wow, Dillon, it's so great to see you!” I reached out my hand like a dork for a handshake.
“Come here,” he said and pulled me in for a hug. He smelled like sweat and soap. I had to refrain myself from licking his shoulder. Ugh, Alissa must be rubbing her boy crazy on me. “Look at you, Katherine, all grown up.” His eyes roamed over my entire body, making me blush.
“Look at you! All muscular and stuff.” I need a hole to crawl in.
His grin got even bigger. “Yep, I had to workout so I didn't get my ass kicked.” Would it be wrong to run my hands over his chest?
His face turned serious and I was afraid he could read my mind for a second. He ran his hand over his buzzed black hair and got so close I had to look up at him. “Alissa kind of filled me in on what happened and I just want you to know I'm sorry you had to go through all that crap.” I'm going to kill her.
“Yeah, well it happened. I'm over it.” I'm sure he could tell I was lying because I’d grown up alongside Alissa, practically an unofficial extension of his family.
“I'm sure you are. You've always been strong and won't take any crap.” His smile was reassuring and I couldn't help but smile back.
“Well, hey, we should catch up. I'm only in town for a couple more days, but maybe we can talk tomorrow or sometime.”
“Umm, yeah, that would be great. I better go in before Alissa thinks I ditched her.” Unless you need help washing the car?
“Okay, just let yourself in and I'll see you later.” He started walking back towards the house and I couldn't help but watch the muscles in his legs flex. This is going to be a long night.
The first thing I did when I walked into Alissa's room was smack her on the arm. “Why did you tell Dillon what happened? Like I'm not embarrassed enough,” I said, seething through my teeth.
“Hey! Why would you care if I told Dillon or not? It's not like he'll repeat any of it,” she said rubbing her arm.
“That's not the point and you know it!”
“Then what is the point? He's my brother and…” She tilted her head and stopped mid-sentence, studying me. “Oh, oh, oh, hang on a second!”
I felt my body blush when I realized she was on to me.
“You have a crush on my brother!” She started jumping up and down clapping her hands together like we were back in kindergarten.
“Do not!” If it wasn't obvious before, it was now. I giggled and hid my face in my hands.
“It's about damn time! Do you have any idea how long I've waited for you to crush on someone so we can talk about boys?” She stopped jumping and threw herself on her bed. “Eww, why did you have to pick my brother, though?”
“Oh, stop,” I said moving her curtain just a little, hoping I could sneak a peek at Dillon down in the drive way. “I mean, who wouldn't notice a tall, built, sweaty guy washing his car without a shirt? His buzzed dark hair all wet? Not to mention his grey eyes,” I sighed and fell to the floor in the most dramatic way I could muster up.
“So, do you want to hear about what Matt did to me the other night?” Alissa flung her head over the bed and flashed me a huge smile.
“Nope.” I covered my ears.
“Oh, come on! I thought we were gonna talk about boys?”
“Your version of talking includes way too many details that my virgin ears don't want to hear.”
“You're no fun, Kat.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me off the floor. “Let's go downstairs, raid the fridge and find a movie to watch.”
~*~
Just after midnight, we finished my all-time favorite movie, So I Married an Axe Murder. Actually, it was my mom’s favorite movie first, but it makes me laugh so much, it never gets old.
Alissa yawned and said, “Man, we are getting old! I can't believe how tired I am.” Her phone started playing some stupid song. “Hey Matt!” I couldn't hear what he was saying, but she had a goofy grin on her face. “Don't you remember me telling you Kat's here for the night?” I strained to hear what he was saying. “Okay, be down in a second, but only for one kiss.” She ended the call and looked at me with the puppy dog face she always used when she wanted something or was about to talk me into doing something. “Matt is here for a kiss.”
“Okay. You're not going to leave me up here all night by myself are you?”
“No! I'll just go give him a kiss and be right back. I promise.”
I rolled my eyes at her. “Fine, but us old ladies need our sleep, so don't be too long.”
Alissa jumped up, threw on her sneakers, opened up her window and started climbing down a small ladder that hung just below her window.
“What the hell are you doing? And where the hell did you get that ladder?” I grabbed onto her arm so she wouldn't fall.
“It's not like I can just go out the front door. It's fine, I do this all the time. I told my parents I wanted a ladder just in case our house caught on fire.” She wiggled her eyebrows and smiled, proud of her deception.
“Alissa, we are on the second story!” I looked out onto the grassy lawn and didn't see anything that would break her fall if she missed the ladder.
“There's plenty of things to grab onto and like I said, I've done it before. Just watch.” She climbed down so fast she looked like a professional stunt woman. Once she was down, she gave me the thumbs up and ran around the corner.
I can't believe I just watched my best friend climb out her window. What was up with her lately? I suddenly had to pee.
Walking out of the bathroom, my face hit a wall. No, not a wall, just Dillon. “Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry.”
He grabbed both my arms to steady me. “Don't be. Totally my fault.”
I giggled like a dork. “Hey, you didn't try messing with us tonight! Did you run out of good ideas?” I was so thankful we were in a dark hallway so he couldn't see how short my night shorts were. Being alone with him was making my heart race as I pictured him pushing me against the wall and kissing me.
“I never run out of good ideas. But I figured if I did anything to make you mad, you wouldn't want to talk to me the rest of the time I'm home.”
“I would talk to you no matter what.” Ugh, I’m so cheesy.
“Better to be safe.” I could almost hear his smile. He walked towards his room. “Well goodnight, Katherine.”
“Goodnight.”
I walked back into Alissa's room just as she started to climb back into the window.
“I told you I wouldn't be gone long. What were you doing?”
“I went to the bathroom and ran into Dillon, literally. Hey! What is wrong with you, jumping in and out of second story windows? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
Alissa just shrugged and climbed back into bed. “Someday maybe you'll be as awesome as me.”
“Oh no, you're not getting out of this that easy! Spill it! What's going on with you?” I sat myself down on the chaise lounge next to the bed.
I watched Alissa pull her hair into a bun on top of her head as she stalled answering. “Scott is teaching Matt and me how to defend ourselves. That way we can protect ourselves and anyone else that needs help.”
“Defend yourselves and others against what?” I asked, concerned.
“Against people like Kelly and all the other creeps out there doing things to people who can't defend themselves. Everywhere you go people are taking advantage of each other.” She stood up from her bed and started pacing back and forth on her
carpet. “We haven’t gotten to the mental part yet, but that may be my favorite part.” She moved her eyebrows up and down like she always does when she has a bad idea.
“Okay, I get the physical part but mentally, how?” I looked at her like she was crazy, but really I was worried she could get hurt doing something stupid.
“I’m not really sure.”
“So, what does climbing in and out of your window have to do with anything?” I was trying to keep my voice down but it was difficult because I wanted to scream at her.
“I have to work on training myself to be brave.” Her face was serious, not scared at all.
“Just know if anyone messes with you or makes you do something you don't want to do, I'll break out my mad fighting skills.” I punched my pillow and it barely made an indent.
We both started laughing. “You? Fighting skills? That'll be the day.” Alissa kissed my cheek and we both crawled into bed.
“Goodnight, love you,” I said in the middle of a yawn.
“Love you, too. Don’t drool on the pillow when you dream about Dillon,” she joked while making kissing noises.
“Shut up.” We both giggled.
Sleep came easy. I really was getting old.
~*~
I never got to talk to Dillon because he had to go back a day early. I tried to convince myself that it was better that way because I didn't need any distractions while I was getting ready for the first day of school. Not having Matt there anymore was nice on one hand because I would get more Alissa time but he had come in handy when it came down to warding off people looking to do verbal harm.
Only one more semester, Kat. One more semester.
Alissa always dragged me along for school shopping with her and her mom. It was fun because the two of them looked more like sisters than mother and daughter. They tended to act that way, too. It took hours for them to shop. I, however, tended to shop in one store for my entire wardrobe. I did occasionally change up where I bought my underwear but only because I followed the sales. Alissa liked brand names and even if we had been the same size, I would stick with comfort over style.
Only one more semester, Kat. One more semester.
Chapter 9
Alissa
I got a car over the summer, but Kat and I decided to stay on campus for lunches anyway. It took too long to drive, order, pay for food, eat and drive back to campus. We’d venture out for special occasions, but not every day.
“Why do I feel like we spent all summer doing homework?” Kat asked while she stuffed a corn dog in her mouth.
“Probably because that’s all we did. I’m just glad I got plenty of workout and pool time in, too.” I emptied five mustard packets onto my plate. The corn dogs at school only tasted good when they were drowning in the stuff.
“I feel like I barely got to see you.” She pouted while chewing, which made me laugh. “How’s the man?”
“Good. He’s getting a little clingy though.” Kat just shrugged at me. It’s hard to talk to her about boys because she doesn’t know anything about them.
“Clingy, how?” she asked.
“Everywhere we go, he has to hold my hand or have his arm around me. Even at the gym.”
“As I recall, you couldn’t keep your hands off him in the beginning. He loves you. You should be happy about that,” Kat said.
I really wanted to tell her about Scott but he was my secret and I still wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about him.
“I’m really excited about my journalism class this semester. I’m hoping I’ll get a really great story and maybe you could co-write some with me!” Kat wasn’t a joiner but she loved to write, so I gave it a shot.
“If you find a story worth writing about, maybe I’ll help you,” Kat said between mouthfuls.
“How are you ever going to get into publishing if you don’t have any stories to show off?” I scolded her.
“I think I’ll get into editing first and then use that experience. It may take longer, but…” Kat shrugged.
“You could start now?” I didn’t want to push her, but why wouldn’t she want this opportunity to see if it was the direction she really wanted to go in?
“If it’s that important to you, I’ll help but I’m not going to any meetings or getting roped into any clubs.” She was getting irritated. I could tell because her voice always went up two octaves.
“Okay. Is something bugging you Kat?” I asked raising my brow.
“No,” she grumbled. “I just don’t want to write about stuff that has anything to do with school or the people here.”
“All right, I get it.” I held up my hands in defeat.
“Hey, you never told me what you got on your bullying story.”
“I got a ‘C’ thanks to being sidetracked by Matt. I was late turning it in and it wasn’t detailed enough,” I rolled my eyes remembering the teacher giving me a very disappointed look after he handed me back my paper.
An announcement came over the intercom reminding us to go to the gym instead of the classroom after lunch.
Kat growled under her breath. “I’m really excited to be a senior, but all these pep rallies and crap really should be optional.”
“Maybe you should steal the spirit stick.” We both laughed.
“I’m sorry I’m grumpy, but this place really feels like a jail,” Kat said.
“That’s how my dad feels about his job sometimes. Do you think it’ll get better when we’re older?”
She shook her head. “I’m beginning to think we’re only in the first level of hell,” she groaned.
“At least we’ll be there together.”
Kat smile. “That’s for damn sure.”
~*~
Wednesday night I met Scott at the gym for the first time without Matt. I grabbed a bottle of water before I left the house because my mouth had a tendency to go dry when I got nervous and I would definitely feel nervous being alone with him. I shaved my legs and wore my favorite yoga pants, hoping he’d pay a little more attention to me. Why he would, I don't know, but just in case.
At the gym, I showed the front desk my membership badge.
“Miss Sullivan, Scott asked you to meet him in the meeting room instead of the weight room.” The guy behind the desk said with a smile that stopped every girl in their tracks. Unfortunately my nervousness wasn’t giving me the ability to smile back.
The meeting room was in the back of the gym across from the entrance to the pool. Scott didn't look that much older than me and I wondered how he could afford to build and run this place. I opened the door and there he was, standing in the middle of the room pacing back and forth, talking on his phone. The door shut behind me making a loud sound within the quiet space and he looked up and waved, not pausing his side of the conversation.
I walked over to a lone table that had been set up to put all of my stuff down. As I was turning back toward Scott, I felt a hand on my back and I froze at the contact, my eyes sliding shut at the sensation. He turned me around and led me to a door that he unlocked with a set of keys he pulled from the pocket of his gym pants. Inside there was a staircase that led up to a second story I hadn’t even realized was there. He led the way up the steps, ending his call just as he opened the second door at the top of the stairs.
“I hope you don't mind if we take a break from the norm today?”
“No, of course not.” It didn't even dawn on me to question why, just being close to him left me in a daze. Thank goodness no one was around to notice my reaction to him: sweaty palms, rosy cheeks, and I couldn’t stop smiling.
The office looked like it could be an apartment, aside from the large desk. There was even a huge flatscreen TV mounted on the wall with a couch facing in its direction.
“I hope this doesn’t sound too rude, but how old are you?” I asked shyly. “I’m only asking because you look so young, especially to have built a place like this.” I didn’t look at him because my eyes were wandering all over the place searchin
g for pictures of a possible girlfriend.
He laughed at my question. “I’m twenty-four. I worked hard to get this place. I’m glad you’re impressed.”
“Why did you decide to buy the gym?”
“Exercising has always been a release for me that turned into a passion,” he replied, not leaving me satisfied but I didn’t want to get pushy.
“So what's on the agenda for today?” I said turning to look at him. He was sitting against his desk, smiling.
“First, I apologize for the phone call. It was rude not to say hello when you walked in the room. As to why we are in here? I just thought we could finally talk without any interruptions.” He motioned towards the sofa and said, “Please, have a seat.”
“Oh, okay, sure. What did you want to talk about?” I started to reach down for my purse, but remembered I had left all my stuff in the other room, including my bottle of water. My mouth was bone dry.
“How are things going with Matt?”
“Good,” I said, not sure where this line of questioning was going.
“I don’t know what Matt’s told you, but if we are going to be working together, I would like us to get to know each other better,” he said. His past actions hadn’t given me any indication of his request.
“He doesn’t seem to know too much about you. He hasn’t shared anything other than that he enjoys working with you on the meetings.”
Scott smirked as if he was surprised by my answer. “I usually don't work with couples because you normally would distract each other.” He paused for my reaction.
“What do you mean? Have I been doing something wrong?” I’d finally asked the question that I’d been thinking every time he made an abrupt departure. The relief that came from saying it out loud made me glad I was sitting down.
“No. I just don’t want Matt to get uncomfortable while I’m helping you. Sometimes, while working out, I have to touch you and I don’t want him getting the wrong idea,” he explained. “The testosterone can run a little high in gyms, if you hadn’t noticed.”