Chapter Six - Cat
CHAPTER SIX
Cat
AFTER SADIE AND I were both examined and cleared, we followed the crowd deeper into the building. We went down a long hallway that eventually opened up into the main part of the stadium. Covering the entirety of the green grassy field was a sea of identical beige tents set up in neat uniform rows.. We waited in line again before we were handed our bedding and directed to a tent that held only four basic cots.
Two more women in the line behind us were assigned to our tent, introducing themselves as Cindy and Rachel. They were friends prior to this, in Rotlington for a big concert happening downtown, but they never made it there. As they got further into the city, it became more and more apparent that they had to try to get back out, but they had gotten trapped just as we had.
“Do you want to leave our stuff and go see if there’s food anywhere? I haven’t eaten since before my shift today, so I’m pretty hungry,” Sadie implored.
It was at the moment I remembered I had around $100,000 in cash in my backpack that I couldn’t just leave lying around. Not that I didn’t trust Cindy or Rachel to not go through my belongings. They seemed innocent enough. As much as it might make sense on why someone might have their entire life savings on them during a disaster, I really didn’t feel like answering any questions. Also, if word got around the contents, it would paint a pretty big target on my back.
“I, uh, actually have some sentimental stuff in my bag, so I’d rather keep it on me. I don’t mind carrying it around. But totally, let’s go,” I replied.
I felt kinda bad for being deceptive to Sadie so soon into our prospective friendship, but I’m sure she’d understand. If she really had meant what she said about sticking together, a target on my back was one on hers as well. It was better for her not to know. What you don’t know can’t hurt you, right?
We walked to the outer part of the stadium that surrounded the field where the food stands and restrooms were located. With a state of emergency having been declared within the city, all events being held here were canceled for the immediate future, so there had been plenty of food that needed to be cooked before it went bad.
While the chicken fingers and soft pretzels we managed to snag weren’t the most nutritious meal, I’m sure it was better than whatever rations the military had for us after this ran out. Instead of going right back to the tent, we decided to sit at a table in a seating area next to the concessions.
“How long do you think we’ll be here for?” Sadie asked.
“I’m honestly trying not to think about it because when I do it starts to freak me out. I’m definitely more than a little claustrophobic,” I replied.
“Yeah, I can see how this would get to you then,” she gave a light laugh. “I’m sure it can’t be for too long. They said it was just to get us off the streets. Without the healthy people out and about, hopefully that’ll make it easier to contain those that are sick.”
“Yeah, hopefully,” I responded without nearly as much optimism as her.
I took my cell phone out of my pocket. I still had no service but I tried to make the call to my dad, anyway. It didn’t go through. I thought maybe since the stadium still had power maybe it’d have wireless internet, but when I went to try to connect one, there wasn’t any. How could both phones and internet be out already? I spoke to my dad and Rhi just a few hours ago.
“Do you know those two guys over there or something? They keep looking over here and it looks like they’re talking about you.”
Sadie pointed over to the food line we had been standing in not too long ago.
When I looked in the direction she was pointing, I froze in my seat. The piece of pretzel I was holding dropped from my hand when I lost control of my motor functions from shock momentarily. Sadie was trying to say something to me, but I couldn’t hear her over my heartbeat pounding in my ears. Standing twenty feet away were my two childhood best friends. Julius Andino and Dominic Wade. I hadn’t seen them in over four years, ever since the night of the one party we hadn’t said a word to another.
They had been my best friends since elementary school back when I still lived in Efferville. I met Julius first since he’d grown up two houses down from me. He was two grades above me and an only child like me. Our street didn’t have any other kids on it, so one day he saw me outside on my swing set and asked me to play. After that, we’d been inseparable. Then he met Dominic when he’d moved to town in fifth grade. He had a single mom who worked a lot and with his five other siblings in a cramped apartment; he ended up at our houses more often than not.
Julius’s parents never minded because after him, his mom wasn’t able to have any more children and she always dreamed of having a large family. She loved having us around. She was always cooking for us and made the best Greek food I’ve ever had. Better than any restaurant and I’d bet all the money in my backpack on that. I never felt comfortable at my house, so his house was the hangout spot. Every second I spent at home I spent getting criticized. I was always being too loud, saying the wrong thing or something was my fault.
As long as I went to church without a fuss, my dad didn’t care for the most part. Not until I hit puberty. Then he started ridiculing me for how much time I was spending alone with two boys. I never saw them like that. They were like two protective older brothers, always watching over me and making sure no one messed with me.
My dad could see them turning into young men, though he noticed before I did. I didn’t notice until one night my freshman year. My parents were in the middle of a horrible fight and when they got into it like this, I’d hide in my room, praying they’d forget I even existed.
I heard my father coming up the stairs towards my room but I had already locked my door at the first sound of raised voices. He jiggled the handle, finding it wouldn’t open, he started screaming my name and pounding on the door. I had already taken a beating two days ago after I accidentally broke a plate while putting the dishes away and apparently that’s a capital crime. I just couldn’t stomach facing him again so soon, consequences be damned, I opened my window and slid down the gutter. Dealing with him was a tomorrow problem.
I crept through the backyards between Julius’s and mine, then picked up a few pebbles and tossed them at his window. After the second one, he appeared and opened it.
“What’s up, Kitty?” He whisper yelled down.
“My dad’s on one tonight. Can I stay with you? I’ll sleep on the floor, I don’t care. Just til the morning, I’ll dip before your parents wake up,” I replied.
“Yeah, one sec, come meet me at the back door and I’ll sneak you up.”
Once we were up in his room, he sat down on his bed and motioned me over to sit with him. When I sat, I was suddenly self conscious. I had left in such a hurry I didn’t put on a hoodie or anything on over my pajamas. I was in a skimpy shorts and tank top set due to the weather starting to heat up as summer approached.
Usually, I kept pretty covered up in public to hide the bruises peppering my arms and legs. Even though he’d kept the light off to avoid drawing his parents’ attention, there was still plenty of light from the moon shining through the window to illuminate the room.
His eyes were searching my face but my nervous fidgeting drew his attention to my hands, which in turn led him to gape at my arms. His eyes darkened as they took in all the bruises. He grabbed my wrist gently and lifted it directly into the moonlight to get a closer look. His hard gaze returned to my face and a chill ran down my spine. He looked so angry.
“Please don’t tell me these are from who I fucking think they are,” he ground out.
I just hung my head, not wanting to admit the truth, but unable to deceive him. Again.
“You promised,” he breathed out, sounding pained. “You swore he wasn’t hitting you, only yelling a whole bunch. You said you’d tell Dom and me if he ever started hitting you.”
I didn’t know what to say. What could I say? I was a filthy liar and had broken a promise to my two best friends in the whole wide world. Maybe my dad was right about every opinion he had of me. That I was a horrible, selfish girl.
What was I supposed to do, though? Tell my friends and have them tell their parents? What happens then? My mom would never leave my dad, so where does that leave me? Foster care most likely, it’s not like I had any other family members to take me. Then I’d never see my friends again and most days, they were the only thing that kept me going.
“Please don’t be mad at me,” my voice broke. Tears were starting to leak from my eyes. “If you tell your parents, then I’ll get taken away and I’ll never see you or Dom ever again. You’re my family. Not them. I don’t care, it’s not that bad. Three more years and I’ll be off to college and I’ll never have to see or worry about him ever again. Please Jules, please. Don’t tell your parents.”
His eyes bounced back and forth between mine, weighing the two choices laid out before him. I hadn’t been this up close and personal with him in a long time. Since we used to play hide and seek, desperately squeezing into the tightest places and giggling about how Dom would never find us this time.
We were just inches apart now and he still held my wrist in his hand. The way the bright white light of the moon was hitting his face made his steely gray eyes shine in a way I’d never noticed before. When I actually took a long look at him, I realized he really was turning into a man right in front of my eyes. And quite a handsome one at that.
“I just care about you, Cat, that’s all,” I winced at him calling me that. He only deviated from Kitty when he was upset with me. “What if one day he does more than just hit you? Does he hit your mom too?”
I gave a small, reserved nod. He closed his eyes and covered his face with his other hand, clearly struggling with digesting that information.
“I won’t tell my parents but we have to tell Dom. He’d want to know. Actually, I don’t think he’d ever forgive us, especially me, if he found out I knew and didn’t tell him. He cares about you just as much as I do. You’re our family, too. We love you.”
“I love you too, Jules.” I said, with tears still streaming down my face.
Something about the way he was looking at me was giving me butterflies. Yeah, we were best friends, but he’d never been this serious before when telling me how much he cared about me. I didn’t expect him to get so upset when he found out I’d been keeping this from him. He shifted his grip, taking my hand in both of his, then raising it to his lips, kissing the back of my hand with his eyes boring into mine.
“Please don’t cry. I can’t stand looking into your big, beautiful eyes when they look so sad,” he said.
Did he just say my eyes were beautiful? My face started to feel fuzzy and I just knew I was blushing. I’m sure he was just trying to cheer me up. No one had ever called me pretty or any deviation of it in my life. Boys never had crushes on me, I was too plain. My father was always upset I looked more like my mother’s side of the family rather than his fairer side. I wasn’t some confident blonde haired, blue-eyed bombshell.
Instead, I had boring dark brown hair with pale green eyes that I had to argue with him weren’t gray most of my life. One time in a beauty magazine I read girls with blonde hair naturally have more estrogen, resulting in them having more feminine features than brunettes. I’ve had a complex about it ever since.
“Yeah, right, nothing about me is beautiful,” I stammered out.
“I disagree, I think you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” he stared deep into my eyes.
“Really?” I asked skeptically.
There’s no way he could honestly find me attractive. He just wanted me to stop crying, surely. He was tall with the shaggy black hair all the girls went crazy for and his boyish face had started to get sharp in all the right places. Every female in his grade thought he was the hottest. He could date any one of them he wanted. Also, he’d been by my side through my heavy twilight phase, braces and when I refused to wear any color other than black every day. Yeah, my hormones were hitting me like a ton of bricks and I was finally starting to look like a woman, but still I was still a long way from beautiful.
“Really, Kitty, anyone who can’t see it is clearly blind,” he chuckled warmly.
He still held my hand with one of his, but reached the other up to brush a strand of hair behind my ear. I had only seen it in TV and movies, so I wasn’t the best judge, but I could have sworn he was looking at me like he wanted to kiss me. His eyes darted back and forth between my eyes and lips.
“Thanks, you’re pretty beautiful too,” I replied softly, then instantly wanted to palm my face. Seriously? He’s a dude. I couldn’t have come up with a better word than just spitting his back at him? He just smiled and laughed breathily, amusement bright on his face.
“I’m trying really hard not to kiss you right now,” he said once silence fell back between us and fixed his eyes on my lips for a long moment. His gaze came back up to my eyes and I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it or if it was truly getting hotter in here.
I had never been kissed before. What if I was bad at it? He’s had girlfriends before, so I’m sure he was more experienced than me. What did I have to lose, though? He’d never lied to me before, so I doubt he’d chose tonight when I was this vulnerable to start. I’ve always been able to trust him, so why was I finding it so hard to believe him now? I decided to stop being such a wimp for once in my life, say fuck it, and stop doubting myself so much. If he wanted to kiss me, I was going to let him because I found that I really wanted to kiss him back.
“Do it then,” I rushed out before I could lose my nerve.
That was all he needed to hear. He closed the gap between us, cupping my cheeks in both of his large hands and placing his lips to mine. It was shy and exploratory at first, he pecked my lips a few times gently. He pulled back for a moment, looking deeply into my eyes, trying to read if I was still okay with this.
The absence of his lips against mine was crushing, so I rushed forward and climbed onto his lap. I threw my arms around his neck and reunited the kiss hungrily. One of his hands came up and slid into my hair. The other wrapping around my waist and sealing my body tightly to his.
He deepened the kiss, parting my lips with his to allow access for his tongue to tangle headily with mine. I didn’t know if I was doing a good job or not, but if the hard bulge in his pants I was poised over said anything: he was enjoying this as much as I was. The hand on my waist started exploring, traveling to the small patch of bare skin between my shorts and shirt. It slipped under the hem and danced around to my front, barely cupping the side of my breast.
I moaned slightly and tried to push myself even closer to him, grinding myself against his bulge in the process. All of a sudden, it felt like I couldn’t get close enough. I wanted every possible point of contact I could get. Everywhere we were touching felt like it was setting little individual fires across my skin.
He let out a small growl in the back of his throat, then swiftly flipped us so that I was on my back with him hovering above me. He kissed a line from my mouth to my cheek, then all the way down my exposed throat. I ran my hands down his chest, disappearing under his shirt to run them over the hard, smooth skin of his abs.
I dared to move them south, reaching his waistband, when he suddenly stopped kissing my neck. He grabbed both my hands and pinned them above my head. Before, his eyes were clouded with lust but now looked suddenly sober as he took a couple ragged breaths.
“We should stop. You had a hard night and I don’t want to take advantage of you, Kitty,” he said.
“You’re not taking advantage of me, I want you.” I rushed out, wincing at the slight desperation in my tone.
I sounded pathetic, almost like I was begging. He let go of one of my wrists and brushed his hand gently down my cheek.
“You have no idea how many times I’ve dreamed of hearing you say that. Believe me, it’s not cause I don’t want you too. I do. So Bad . But not like this. If we lose our virginities to each other, I want it to be special,” he admitted.
“You’re a virgin?!” I gasped, absolutely shocked.
His last girlfriend, Mallory, was kind of serious. They dated for a year. I had just kind of assumed he would have already had lost it. It’s not like he was lacking in the willing participant department. It also wasn’t lost on me that he’d just said lose our virginities to each other like he’s thought of it before. My cheeks heated once again when that thought sunk it.
“Don’t look so shocked,” he teased. “Have some faith in me, just cause Dom is a man-whore doesn’t mean I am.”
“I never said that. I just mean you’re seventeen. Most guys your age have already lost it, that’s all. I thought at least you would have with Mallory, you guys were together for a while. It’s not that uncommon for me, I’m fifteen.”
“Nah, she wasn’t the right one. She was cool to hang out with, but we were better off as friends. At the end of the day, I didn’t like her like that. I couldn’t, not when there was someone else I had my eye on,” he said as he gave me a timid look then a quick peck on the lips so there was no confusion about who he was alluding to.
I just blushed and hid my face in his neck. Suddenly too shy to look at a boy I’d spent nearly every day with for the past ten years.
“We should get some sleep. I’m sure you’re gonna need to be home for church in the morning if you don’t wanna be in even deeper shit,” he paused for a moment. “You can sleep in the bed with me if you want. I promise to be a gentleman, scout’s honor.”
He made a goofy hand motion, some boy scout shit that I had no idea what it meant.
I just giggled and rolled my eyes playfully. We stood up so he could peel back the covers. After he got in, he scooched over toward the wall to make room for me on his tiny twin sized mattress. He laid on his side then held the blankets open in invitation. I crawled in next to him as he tucked the blankets around me, leaving his arm encircling my waist when he was done. He pulled me into his chest then rested his face in the crook of my neck right next to my ear.
“Just promise me if it gets bad with your dad, you’ll tell me. We’ll figure something out, okay? And I promise I won’t ever let anything happen to you. I’ll never let anyone take you away from me.”
“I promise,” I whispered.
He kissed the spot behind my ear and said nothing further. I fell asleep with him wrapped around me and I’d never felt safer in my life. Jules loved me and perhaps more than just a friend. I thought maybe, just maybe, for once I could have something good in my life. I could have maybe not just best friends but a boyfriend too.
But of course, just like everything else, it fell apart in front of my very eyes. After the night of the party, I didn’t have either and was left completely alone. He may have been upset with me for breaking a promise that night, but he broke his too.