Everlasting Bond (25 page)

“But Jake—” Katrina tried to refute, tears welling in the back of her throat.

“I can’t talk long, but do something for me.”

“Anything.”

“Be very careful and don’t trust anyone!”

“No. Not until you tell me what’s going on.”

“Don’t be so stubborn,” he chuckled. “I have to go.”

“Wait!” she screamed into the tiny receiver, but it was too late. Jake’s end had gone dead.

Once more Katrina was left confused, frightened, and alone. Tears came faster this time. Loneliness was killing her. She had been going crazy, waiting for any news from them and all Jake could do was leave her wondering, scared and alone. Frustrated, Katrina decided the best thing for her to do was to keep herself occupied.

She wiped her tears on her sleeve and grabbed her backpack on her way into the living room. Catching up on the schoolwork she’d been behind on was the huge distraction she needed.

Before she plopped down on the floral sofa, she emptied the contents of her school bag out onto the small wooden coffee table. The next hour or so she forced herself to devote to coherently writing her English paper, which was already a week late. Mr. Marsh had been understanding, granting her an extension in lieu of her mother’s accident. She was grateful to him for the understanding, but she still had no desire to finish the paper.

Everything went smoothly until she worked on the last page. Katrina heard the Jenkins’ dog, Scooter, start to bark.
Annoying dog!
She’d recognize his high pitched yelp anywhere. He rarely ever barked and Katrina wondered what had him going so crazy.

She walked over to the window and looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Brushing it off, she sat down and threw herself back into her paper.

Before long, the sun was beginning to set and the living room was becoming dark. Katrina took that as a sign to take a much needed break. She packed up her stuff and threw them back into her backpack.

Hunger started to creep in and Katrina headed into the kitchen. Glancing over her options for dinner wasn’t very productive. Since the accident, her mother had been staying with Alaric and the cupboards were pretty much bare. Katrina herself had no desire to go grocery shopping, so this left limited choices. She was forced to decide between either peanut butter and jelly on stale bread or a can of chicken soup. Neither option appealed to her,
so she shut the cupboard door.

She moped back into the living room and tried to take her mind off thing
s by watching some television; that did little to help. With all of the food advertisements her stomach only groaned louder. Her hunger was starting to scream at her for food. It felt like her stomach was beginning to eat itself.

Annoyed, she shut off the television and was about to go upstairs, when she was startled by the loud echoing of her doorbell. At the same time she could feel the warmth of the amulet against her chest. It flickered a fiery red color against her shirt. The sudden noise mixed with the fire of pain made her jump. She took a moment to steady herself. Pushing the feeling of uneasiness the amulet brought to the back of her mind, she went to the front door. As it opened, Donovan was waving two overstuffed white plastic take out bags from Chow's Chinese restaurant in front of her.

His chocolate eyes glistened against the moonlit sky. “I thought you might be hungry.”

“Starving actually,” Katrina smiled. “Come on in.”

“Hope you don’t mind? I didn’t know what you liked, so I got a little of everything.”

“A little of
everything sounds good.”

Katrina felt a bit guilty accepting Donovan’s dinner invitation, but at the moment, she was grateful to have his company. Then there was the groaning in her stomach. Her hunger outweighed any coherent thought she had at the prese
nt moment.

Finishing up dinner, Katrina felt much better. She was happy to have a full stomach again. It made
her think much more rationally.

She and Donovan both went into the living room and sat on her mother’s
floral sofa. It barely fit into the petite room, but her mother had to have it—even if it did look like someone threw up pastel flowers all over it. Sitting up, Katrina realized just how full her stomach was. She had to adjust herself to keep the feeling from becoming uncomfortable.

“Thanks again, for dinner.”

“Don’t mention it,” Donovan smiled back at her.

The two sat quiet for a little while, as the sound of the nightlife just outside the window invaded the tiny space. The stillness stiffened into uncomfortable stares and Katrina sat tryin
g not to fidget with her hands.

“Katrina.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t think I’m being nosy, but my aunt wanted me to ask.”

“Ask what?”

“She’s worried about your brother. She said he’s been out since your mother’s accident and she just wanted to make sure he’s all right?”

Uh-oh! She wasn’t expecting him to ask that. She had to think of a believable excuse and quick. “He’s been really sick and since my mom’s accident he went to stay with my grandmother two towns over.” She forced herself to believe the words as she said them.

“So, you’ve be
en home alone this whole time?”

“Pretty much.”
Don't bite my lip!

“That has to suck. Aren’t you lonely?”

“A little, but I don’t want to ask Stacy to stay with me every night. I know she has a life.”

“True, but you know I’m here too.” He reached out for her hand. Staring down at his hand, Katrina was taken by surprise at how different it felt compared to what she was used to. His touch wasn’t the same arctic feeling as Cole’s. Instead, it was like holding warm soft velvet between her
fingers.

“I appreciate that. Thanks.”

“Believe me. No one understands better than I do about being alone.”

“Being the new kid has to be tough.”
How could I be such an idiot? He probably thinks I’m a selfish brat.

“It can be. But, it also has its advantages.” Donovan lifted one
side of his top lip into a slight grin.

“Like what?”

“I get to be the mysterious new kid.”

“Ah. A man of mystery,” Katrina laughed.

He joined in her laughter. “Exactly.”

“Sometimes I wish I could have a fresh start like that. It’d be nice.”

“Yeah, I totally get it. But, I meant what I said. I’ll be here.”

“That means a lot.”

Donovan looked at the clock and jumped up. “It’s getting late, I should go.”

“Okay.” Katrina stood up an
d walked him to the front door.

Before Donovan left, they went over their plans for tomorrow night. He was halfway out the door when he stopped and turned. His eyes looked right into hers as he grabbed her hand and pressed it to his mouth in a gentle kiss.

“Good night.”

“Good night,” Katrina said, blood rushing to
her face.

Still a little shocked, she watched him walk to his car. He gave her a friendly smile and waved before getting inside. Katrina waited until his car made it onto the highway
before closing her front door.

She was exhausted. All she wanted to do was sleep. She walked upstairs and went right into her room. Changing clothes took much energy that she didn't have. Instead, she threw herself on her bed and passed out on top of the plum comforter
.

Katrina hadn’t moved an inch. Rolling out of bed she realized she was still wearing her clothes from the night before. Exhausted, she slowly grabbed her toiletries and headed towards the bathroom. Not feeling up to spending most of the morning bathing, Katrina made her shower quick.

Refreshed and ready to start her day, Katrina strolled into her room. As she finished throwing the last of her clothes on
, a car horn honked out front. Then the sound of Stacy’s loud voice yelled for her. “KAT-KAT, YOU BETTER BE UP!”

Katrina winced.
Great, she's going to piss off Mr. Jenkins.
Katrina grabbed her bag and hurried down to meet them.

Stacy was too much that early in the morning. She was an overdose of excitement that Katrina wasn't ready for. Her hands were propped on the edge of the window and she was leaning out head first. One slip of her grip and she’d be kissing the ground. Donovan was sitting calmly in the driver's seat, hu
moring Stacy and her big mouth.

“Morning.” Donovan’s voice was smooth and gentle. Katrina smiled at him and climbed into the back
seat.

“Hey Kat, we brought you breakfast. I snagged the last of the blueberry.” Stacy held out a brown paper bag proudly.

“Thanks.” Katrina nodded a silent thank you in Donovan’s direction.

Soon the smell of Rosie’s fresh baked scones filled the car and made Katrina’s mouth water. Rosie made the best in town.

The ride to school was as filled with the same shrill chatter, as Stacy talked a mile a minute. She was going on about the plans they had made for later in the evening and how perfect the weather was supposed to be. Katrina quietly chewed on her scone and nodded at Stacy when she needed to. Stacy would stop just long enough to turn and give Donovan a flirtatious grin. Donovan concentrated on the road, but would occasionally glance back at her.

Katrina smiled to herself, but almost choked on her scone when the pain hit. Warmth from her chest started to spread throughout her entire body. The amulet was burning against her skin again.

“Kat?” Stacy called from the front seat.

“Hmm?” She cleared her throat and tried not to spew pieces of her breakfast everywhere.

“Did you forget something?”

Katrina had no idea what Stacy was talking about. She looked from Stacy over to Donovan. His dark purple shirt made his smooth skin look even more flawless. Katrina turned her attention back to Stacy. She was dressed from head to toe in pur
ple and black. Then it hit her.

“Oh crap! I totally forgot.”

“It’s a good thing I have face paint.” Stacy rummaged through her bag. “It’s in here somewhere.”

“Uh, no. That’s okay.” The last thing Katrina wanted was to look like an Easter Egg.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“All right.”

Katrina followed Stacy’s lead out of the car and headed into the school. As, she did, she found herself lost in a sea of purple. It seemed everyone else but her remembered
to wear school colors that day.

*    *    *

School was as obnoxious as Katrina had expected it to be. All day long was one big pre-game party. The entire cheerleading squad dressed in their purple and black uniforms and would walk around the halls chanting one of their cheers. Katrina found it to be more annoying than anything else. She spent most of her day taking the long way around to
her classes just to avoid them.

After school ended, Katrina walked out towards the front and found Donovan lounging next to his car. Katrina knew the exact moment he saw her because he pulled his sunglasses down his nose a
bit and gave her a big smile.

She walked a few feet towards him when she suddenly stopped. She felt the warmth once again of the necklace through her shirt. It was becoming more of a pain in the ass. She wondered if it was really worth it. Katrina’s thoughts were interrupted, as she heard Stacy’s voice.

“Man, I thought today would never end.” Stacy walked up behind her.

“Couldn’t agree with you more. I’m so ready for the weekend.” Katrina hadn’t realized how much
the past week had worn her out.

As the girls talked, Katrina’s eye caught Donovan. He looked like his mind was elsewhere. Instead of adding to the conversation, he stayed quiet. He was lost in his own world, twirli
ng his keys around his fingers.

“Donovan?” Katrina waved her cast in front of him.

“Hmm?”

“You look like you’ve got something on your mind?”

“Just thinking about the game tonight.”

“You’re going to have a blast.” Stacy batted her eyelashes an
d rested her face on her hands.

“Can't wait. Ready to get out of here?” Donovan quickly got up and gave both girls a smile.

“Yes,” Stacy  answered.

On the way to Katrina’s, the three of them finalized the last of the details for their night ahead—well, mostly Stacy. Always thinking ten steps ahead, she had thought about everything. She even brought her clothes with her to change at Katrina’s and told Donovan to p
ick up both of them from there.

Pulling into the gravel driveway, Katrina could see Stacy ready to jump out of the car. Katrina was surprised, Stacy even waited long enough for him to stop before undoing her seat belt. Both girls thanked Donovan for the ride and climbed out of the car. Waving Donovan off, Stacy grabbed Katrina by her good arm and
skipped happily into the house.

Stacy raced through the front door and up the stairs with Katrina in tow. She dumped the entire contents of her bag onto the bed. Katrina sat and watched her rummage through the mess for something to wear. Clothing was scattered all across Katrina's bed, which made her laugh. Stacy was never one to pack lightly, for any occasion.

“Did I miss something? Are you moving in?” Katrina stared at the massive pile covering her bed.

“I didn’t know what to wear and it’s always better to be prepared.”

“For a disaster?”

“Funny.” Stacy arched an eyebrow. “Come on. This is our first official school function together. It’s a big deal. I want to look super cute.”

“Let’s take a look at what you brought.”

“Well, I have some cute dresses.” Stacy held up a petite floral one against herself.

“No. That looks like a giant table cloth.”

“Well, he could ea—”

Katrina put a hand up to Stacy‘s mouth. “Please don’t finish that thought.”

“Help me,” Stacy whined, changing the subject back to her.

Katrina rummaged through the pile until something caught her eye. “Found it.”

“That? It’s so—”

“You.” She tossed the clothes to Stacy. “Now go try it on.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Katrina put her left hand on her hip and gave Stacy the best mother imitation she could.

“I’ll be right back
.” Stacy ran into the bathroom.

“I’ll be waiting.” Katrina pushed a part of Stacy’s pile to the
side and lay back on her bed.

She started to daydream about Cole, but was distracted. Her cast was starting to really bother her. She found a wire hanger and bent it as best she could with one hand. As soon as she stuck it in her cast the scratching never felt so good. She was so caught up she ne
ver heard Stacy enter the room.

“What are you doing?” Stacy asked.

“It was bugging me.”

“You should be using that powder Dr. Aldrich gave you,” Stacy scolded.

“Well, this was closer and feels much better.”

“How much longer do you have to wear that anyways?”

“Four more weeks.”

“If you’re going crazy this soon, I’m not sure you’ll survive,” Stacy giggled.

“Ha ha, funny,” Katrina mocked. “You try wearing this and not going crazy.”

“I’m g
ood thanks. So, how do I look?”

The sleek, long sleeved black top and skinny jeans made Stacy look elegant. Katrina was proud of her choice. Though her fashion sense was often questioned, she had hit a homerun with that outfit. Jake would have been so proud of her. Jake. Just the thought of him not being there made her eyes tear up. She quickly wiped th
em away before Stacy could see.

“You look beautiful.”

“Thanks, Kat.”

“I’ll go throw myself together.” Katrina slowly went into the bathroom and got ready. When she was done she came out and found Stacy staring at her reflection. “You know if you stare at yourself long enough you can go blind.”

“Ha ha! Are you ready?”

“Yup.” Katrina leaned against her door jam and folded her arms over her chest. “Why? Do I look homeless?”

“No. You look fine.” A smile spread on Stacy’s face.

“What?”

“I was just thinking about all the crazy stuff we’ve done together over the years. Remember making mud pies with Todd Russo?” Both girls giggled.

“That’s right. I forgot all about that. We would always get in trouble by my dad. He would say we looked homeless.” Their laughter started to die down, when two things happened at once. The doorbell rang and Katrina’s chest started to sting.
Not again!

“Come on. Time to go have some fun,” Stacy raised an eyebrow.

Katrina grabbed the scarf Jake bought her last year and then followed Stacy downstairs. She wrapped it around her throat a few times and flipped the amulet over it.
Much better.
It was a nice relief.

When she reached the last step, Stacy had already opened the front door. Donovan was leaning against the porch pillar with his arms crossed. It was eerie how much he reminded Katrina of Cole at that moment.

“Ready?” He gave both girls a half-cocked grin.

“Yup.” Stacy rushed out the door.

From the time they were inside the car until they got into the school parking lot, Stacy kept the conversation going. Katrina would throw in an occasional, “Uh-huh” when she directed something towards her, but for the most part Katrina kept to herself.

Katrina followed the dirt path up towards the stadium. A few feet behind her Stacy and Donovan followed having their own conversation. Katrina walked a little further when she stopped and was blinded by a huge cluster of lights. It had been so long since she’d been to the stadium that she had forgotten just how bright it was. It took a few seconds for th
e swirls in her vision to stop.

Katrina rubbed her eyes and was finally able to focus on the large crowd. The entire town was there. Clusters of people lined the rows of aluminum seats. Each was dressed from head to toe in school colors. It was like looking out
into a sea of purple and black.

Katrina laughed at the humor of it all and kept walking. She was halfway up the ramp
when a voice stopped her cold.

“What are you doing here?”

“Watching the game, like everyone else!” Katrina snapped. Mason towered over her like a big purple troll.

“Where’s your lame-ass brother or that freak he’s with?”

“Not here.” Katrina could see a hint of fear behind Mason’s eyes when he talked about Andrew.

“Hey, come on. We need to get inside the locker room.” Robby interrupted from behind him.

“In a minute!” Mason shrugged him off and turned his attention back to Katrina, but before he could speak someone else cut in.

“There you are.” Stacy’s voice
never sounded so good to hear.

“Is there a problem?” Donovan glared at Mason.

“Nope. Just having a friendly chat with Kat.” Mason clenched his fists and gave him a callous stare.

“Doesn’t look friendly.” Donovan stepped closer to Mason. His jaw tightened, but he stayed calm, never losing control.

“You need to know your place,” Mason said, through gritted teeth. “Around here, we call the shots.”

“You wouldn’t last two seconds where I come from.” Donovan edged further towards Mason.

Both of them folded their arms over their chests and stared at each other. It was obvious they were fighting over territory. Neither one of them was going to let the other win. It was like watching two dogs facing off before a fight. And Katrina felt something oddly familiar about all of it.

“Coach is calling us,” Robby finally intervened. “We need to go.”

Mason gave Donovan one last hard look before turning to Katrina. “The crippled section’s that way!”

“You’re such an ass!” Stacy took Katrina’s good hand and moved forward. “Come on. There are seats over there.”

Donovan hung back, watching Mason leave. Katrina went with Stacy over to the last set of seats. They started climbing up the steps, but didn’t get very far.

“Aren’t you a sight?” came a familiar voice.

Katrina plastered on a fake smile, while Stacy let go of her hand and kept moving. “Trudy. Hi.” With her brunette curly hair and long fake nails she was as cliché as you could get for a salon owner.