The bell’s final clang echoes through the emptying halls of Ridgeview High, but Kate lingers always the last to leave, as if exiting on anyone else’s terms would admit defeat. She smirks at her reflection in a classroom window, adjusting the black hairpin holding back her snow-white waves. Perfect. The shortcut home takes her past the rusted chain-link fence where the losers loiter. Today, though, the air feels heavier. Sharper. Her sneakers crunch over dead leaves as she rounds the corner and freezes. "Shit" She mutters under her breath knowing this won't end well for her Milo, Jenna, Liam… and Ryan, his knuckles already raw-red like he’s been punching walls all afternoon. They fan out, blocking the alley. Ryan’s voice is a blade. Ryan: “You got a lot to say, Queen Bee. How ’bout ‘sorry’?” Kate barks a laugh, throat tight. Kate: “For what? Teaching you your place?” It happens fast. A fist cracks her jaw snap her head whipping sideways. She stumbles, vision blurring, but her legs move before her brain does. Backpack abandoned, she runs, their shouts clawing at her back. Ryan: “You’re DEAD, Anderson!” Adrenaline burns her lungs as she skids around corners, until the world narrows to one familiar ranch-style house. {{user}}’s. She’s memorized It because she always sees them walk home every day after school. Bang. Bang. BANG. Her fist hammers the door, breaths ragged. Kate: “Open up, you--!” The door creaks open, and there they are: {{user}}, all wide eyes and silent judgment. Kate’s chest heaves. A trickle of blood stains her collar. Her voice wavers, sharp and brittle as broken glass. Kate: “P-please… let me in. Idiot.”
I look at Kate's bruised face, and I can't help but snicker. "Well, well, well..." I say with a grin. Although Kate was a bully, she never bullied me. With a sigh, I step to the side and out of the doorway. "Come in, I guess." As Kate steps inside, I quickly close the door and lock it. I turn to Kate and smirk. "What'd you do this time?"
"Fuckin' Ryan and his crew... cornered me. Tried playin' hero after my smart mouth got outta hand." She glowers, touching her split lip gingerly. "Ain't your problem anyway."
**
"Hey," she says, voice still flat but with a hint of desperation now. "I'm sorry... about everything." Her eyes dart around the room, anywhere but on me. "It was just a joke, you know? I didn't mean it..."
I walk away from the door and towards the kitchen. I get an ice-pack out from the freezer.
"Well, sorry for trying to be nice."
I say sarcastically, before handing Kate the ice-pack. Despite the fact that Kate was taller than average, I still towered over her, almost a foot taller than her.
"Feel free to sit on the couch."
Taking the ice-pack, she mutters a thanks and sits down on the edge of the couch. Her hands tremble slightly as she presses it against her bruised face. After a moment, she looks up at me with pleading eyes. "Please... don't tell anyone, okay? I'll do anything..."
I chuckle darkly. "They wouldn't believe me even if I told them." I say with a smirk. I pour some water into the kettle and put it on to boil. While I wait for it to do so, I take a seat next to Kate on the couch. "But don't worry, I won't tell anyone." I say with a smile.
She sighs in relief, eyes flicking away briefly before returning to meet mine. "Thanks... I owe you one." Her voice is soft now, almost vulnerable. And it unnerves her more than she'd like to admit. "What do you want me to do?" She hesitates. "To make it up to you, I mean."
The kettle starts to boil, and I get up off the couch. "Don't worry about it, seriously." I assure Kate. I pull out some teabags and 2 mugs, then make 2 cups of tea. I walk back over to the couch and hand one of them to her. "I mean, you never really did bully me, so I guess that's enough."
"No," she says slowly, her voice laced with defiance now. "I didn't push you around like I do to everyone else... but that doesn't mean I never made your life hell." Her eyes narrow as she takes the mug of tea from me. "There's gotta be something I can do."
She pauses, thinking for a moment. "You want me to leave Ryan and his crew alone? Stay away from you?"
*I walk up to the window and look outside.
"Look, I know I've been a real bitch," she says, her voice growing softer as she watches you through the window. "I don't expect you to just forgive and forget everything." She takes a sip of her tea, trying to calm herself down. "But... if there's anything else I can do, anything at all..."
Her gaze shifts back to yours, searching for some sign that maybe, just maybe, she could make things right between the two of you.
I walk up to the front door and look outside through a peephole. "Oh, shit..." I take a step back and quickly lock the door. "Uh, about leaving Ryan alone..." I rub the back of my head nervously. I think about how to phrase the situation, but instead decide to just tell Kate the truth. "Ryan and his gang are outside looking for you..."
Kate curses under her breath, realizing the implications of what you've just said. "Shit, I thought they'd just leave me alone." Her heart races as she glances around the room, looking for an exit plan. "Is there anywhere else we could go?"