*****
“Hey, Katelyn. Need a ride?” Emily said as she came up behind Katelyn just as she reached the doors of the school’s main exit.
Katelyn looked up from her phone where she had been reading her last texts that came during English class. She hadn’t dared to read them in class. She finally had her phone back; she wasn’t going to blow it now.
“Oh,” Katelyn said with genuine surprise. Emily had been ignoring her since the bathroom scene. There were no messages on Katelyn’s phone from Emily when she checked it after Gorman handed it over. Besides a couple of messages from Jenny and many from Tim--sent before he knew she was grounded, there was only one from the friend category. Even though Katelyn knew most people probably heard that her phone was taken away, she couldn’t help feeling disappointed that no one tried to contact her.
Emily fell into a slow walk after pointing into the back rows of the parking lot. “I’m parked over there. Got here kind of late this morning.”
Katelyn wasn’t going to turn down a ride, especially since it was Thursday and her mom would be at work. Tim would be over in an hour. That would give her some time to study for her last tests tomorrow. “Sure, thanks,” she offered to Emily and followed her out to the mob of activity in the parking lot.
“How were your finals?” Emily asked.
Katelyn questioned Emily’s sudden acceptance again. “Not too bad. I might pass a few classes,” Katelyn joked.
“What do you have tomorrow?”
“Science and math,” Katelyn slightly groaned.
Emily turned her face into a wince. “Oh, yuck. I remember that test. Beef up on your elements.”
“Yeah, I don’t have a prayer in science, but I should do okay in math.” Katelyn had been able to catch up on a few late assignments during her in-school suspension, and Mr. Brooks came in at least 10 minutes during his prep period each day to get her started on the daily lessons.
They reached Emily’s car, actually her dad’s car. Emily had gotten her license this year. Katelyn had to wait another year, but her dad let her drive on the highway sometimes, when he was around.
Katelyn looked around. “Is Maci coming?”
Emily didn’t look up, but opened her door. Just before she ducked in, she said, “I don’t think so,” in a disgusted voice.
During the ride to her house, Emily dished out the latest fight between herself and Maci. It involved a boy, of course, and Emily hadn’t come out as the preferred party. She was just finishing her accusation that Maci had told lies about her in order to hurt her chances. Katelyn played naïve.
“Maci doesn’t seem like the kind of person to do that.”
“Oh, I should know, she’s the biggest liar.” Here, Emily reached her hand over to place it on Katelyn’s arm. “Um, like, you know that iPod she said you had stolen?” She paused for effect. “Well, it turns out that her older brother pawned it for pot money or something. She actually thought that she’d get a new one from the school or insurance or something if she reported it stolen.” Emily’s eyes were wide in disbelief and offense.
“Is that so?” Katelyn tried to calculate which bit of information Emily knew first, the iPod truth or the disinterest of the latest boy.
“Yeah, she’s something else.” And just like that, the topic was over. Emily pulled into Katelyn’s driveway and changed focus. “Anyway, what are you doing tomorrow night? Jake, JT, and Collin Sawyer are throwing a big end of the year party, bonfire and everything out at Rollins Dam. You don’t know Jake, but he’s a junior like JT and Collin—oh, I guess their seniors after tomorrow,” she exclaimed with a high pitch laugh.
“Oh my God! I can’t believe we’re going to be Sophomores.” Emily was already off topic. “We should come up with some mean things to do to freshman.
“Anyway, it’s not until nine or ten and there’s going to be a lot of people there.” Emily was finally silent.
“Um,” Katelyn considered. Katelyn glowed inside from having her friend back, like being fed after a hunger strike. And, Emily was choosing her to come with her to a party. Katelyn could meet so many other people there and could set things right after the rumors of the past two weeks.
But, Katelyn was hoping to spend the evening with Tim. Maybe he could go, she thought. “Can I bring my boyfriend?”
“Katelyn, you’ve been holding back on me,” she said in mock offense. “Tell me all about him.”
Katelyn told a brief version of meeting him and that they’d spent the better part of two weeks together. Emily was all questions, but Katelyn stayed brief, aware of both the time left before he’d show up and the caution she couldn’t help feel in talking to Emily again.
“Have you done it with him?” Emily boldly asked with a sly grin on her face.
Katelyn blushed and laughed. “No,” she protested. “Not yet. Geez, Em.”
“What did you say his last name is? Where does he go to school?”
Katelyn hadn’t, but she figured there was nothing to hide here. “Felske, and he doesn’t go to Northrup. He goes to some alternative school in Ames.”
“No shit. Why?”
“I dunno,” Katelyn grunted her reply, dismissing the topic. “Listen, I have to go. What do you think?”
“Well,” Emily considered, “we’d already be kinda crashing Collin’s party. He didn’t really invite me personally, but he kind of smiled at me in the hall this morning. I guess if Tim showed up out there, then it wasn’t necessarily us who brought him. Does he have a car?”
“No, but his friend does. I’ll ask him tonight and let you know, okay?”
Emily looked slightly put off, sitting expectantly in the driver’s side. She obviously expected Katelyn to jump on the chance. “Oh,” she blinked hard. “Okay, um, text me tonight.” Emily gave one last plea. “It’ll be fun, plus you need to help me with Collin. I think he really likes me. Come on, Katelyn.”
Katelyn hated to say no or to leave her without an answer. Emily seemed to actually need her. But, things were different. It hit her then. She was now part of a couple. She didn’t want to make a plan without Tim. She wanted him to be there with her. She was used to him being a daily part of her life now.
“I’ll text ya later, Em,” Katelyn said more solidly, and closed her door. She leaned back in through the open window. “Thanks a lot for the ride.”
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