Rebel With A Cause

by Ashleigh Neame

  She’s so beautiful, he thought admiringly.

  He cupped her cheek and tenderly kissed her on the lips. Back when they were happy, this was the best way to wake her up. Hopefully, she’d remember this and wake up.

  She didn’t wake up immediately, but Carter could tell she was slowly awakening by the way her eyelids danced.

  “Baby, it’s time to wake up,” he said quietly. “Come on, wake up, Katie.”

  She groaned and rolled over onto her back. Her eyes flickered and she blinked quickly. The sun hurt her eyes and she hastily raised a hand to shield them.

  “Carter?” she asked tiredly. “What am I doing here?”

  He moved away. “You came here last night. You were screaming and crying, saying Deangelo hurt you.”

  Katie frowned. “I don’t remember. Or at least, I don’t want to remember.”

  He sighed and softly kissed her again. “I know. I also know you’re probably still tired, but I’ve put clothes in the bathroom and a towel, so you can go have a nice warm shower while I make breakfast. Believe it or not, I actually have food in the fridge.”

  She laughed. “Now that I’d like to see, but you’re right, a shower is exactly what I need right now.”

  Carter smiled. “I knew it. Hurry up and get in there, and I’ll have breakfast ready when you’re done. Any preference?”

  “Eggs!”

  Carter laughed. “Marcus told me about your fascination with eggs. Every morning, in any way, shape or form.”

  Kaitlyn grinned. “Yeah, definitely, I love eggs.”

  He smiled. “I hope you like scrambled, because that’s all I can do.”

  She laughed again, but her laugh was almost instantly replaced by a frown. “Where did we go so wrong, Carter?” she asked unhappily.

  Carter shrugged. “It was probably my fault. But hey, forget about that right now. Go and get ready to face the day, and after breakfast we can talk. I have something to ask you anyway.”

  She did as he said, getting out of bed and walking into the bathroom. She’d been lying earlier, when she said she didn’t remember how she’d ended up at his place. She knew what Deangelo had done to her. She could still feel his hands gripping her tightly, telling her not to fight, or it would be so much worse for her.

  She shivered. Intuitively she knew that she’d have bruises.

  In the bathroom, she switched the shower on and started to undress. Catching sight of her naked self in the mirror, she whimpered. Once again, tears streamed down her face. On her arms were dark hand-shaped bruises. There were hickeys all over her chest and stomach. There were also another lot of bruises on her hips and legs.

  She covered the mirror with the hand towel Carter kept in the bathroom, and climbed into the shower. She closed her eyes and let the hot water wash away the physical traces of last night.

  In one sense, she was lucky. She was on the pill, so she couldn’t get pregnant. She didn’t know what she would have done if it had happened. The thought of abortion made her cringe, but she was in no way able to raise a baby.

  But that was the least of her problems right now. De hadn’t used protection last night, and she didn’t know if he had any diseases. She’d have to go and get tested, and pray for the best.

  She washed her hair, rinsing the grimy sweat and oils out. She scrubbed hard on her body, wincing when she pressed too hard on a bruise.

  A soft knock on the bathroom door alerted her to Carter’s presence.

  “Katie?” he asked. “Are you ok?” He sounded worried.

  “I’m fine,” she called back. “Be out soon.”

  “Ok,” he replied. She heard him walk away, his footsteps gradually getting softer.

  She stepped out, switched off the water, and wrapped the towel Carter had left for her around her body. She hurriedly patted herself dry and wrapped the towel around her hair. She dressed in her ‘fat pants’, her fitting black singlet, and her oversized black cardigan. She pulled on her socks, towel dried her hair, and went to find Carter.

  He was in the kitchen, pulling her scrambled eggs out of the microwave. He saw the wary curiosity in her eyes.

  He smiled ruefully. “I know, I’m no Marcus, but in my defence, I’ve never had food in the house before. It’s always been take-out and beer.”

  She shrugged and sat down at the breakfast bar. “Oh well.”

  Carter sat down next to her and handed her the bowl. She looked inside it, expecting the worst. She laughed.

  “Wow, I’m surprised,” she teased him. “It actually looks edible.”

  He grinned. “I hope it tastes alright. I followed the instructions.”

  She found a fork, dug in, and lifted a piece to her lips. She tasted the cheesy deliciousness of the eggs. It was heaven.

  But teasing Carter was fun, and she decided to continue joking around.

  “Are you sure you followed the directions? It doesn’t taste like eggs. I don’t think it’s edible.” She pushed the bowl away from her and watched Carter’s face change from an expression of laughter, to an expression of utter horror.

  “Oh, god, Katie I’m sorry!” he cried. He made to snatch the bowl away but she grinned and pulled it back to her.

  “Just kidding!” she laughed. “It’s amazing. Best scrambled eggs I’ve ever had.”

  She took another bite and watched in amusement as he realised what she did.

  He suddenly let out a rip-roaring belly laugh. “God, Katie, you got me good!”

  She grinned and he leaned into kiss her. Their lips met for a very brief moment, before she realised what they were doing and pulled away.

  She gasped. “Oh, god, I’m sorry, it’s just…”

  Carter sat back and looked away. “I get it,” he said despondently. “We were having fun, just like old times. I forgot we broke up. I’m sorry.” He looked into her eyes with such intensity that it scared her.

  “You’re sorry? You broke up with me, Carter, in a note. You didn’t even have the decency to say it to my face.”

  He wanted to cry. He’d pushed her away, terrified that she would leave like everyone else he cared about, and in the end, he’d been the one who hurt her.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. He didn’t know what else to say.

  She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, but quickly looked away. He’d disappointed her, and she would do well to remember that.

  “Forget it,” she said. “It’s in the past. What’s done is done, and I think it’s best if you take me back to T-Man’s.”

  She got up and emptied her eggs into the plastic bag hanging on the door handle of one of the cupboards. She placed her bowl in the sink and rinsed it, along with her fork, and placed them in the dish rack on the bench. The whole time she was doing this, she could feel Carter watching her.

  When she stopped busying herself with the dishes and just stood there looking out the window, Carter spoke.

  “I’m sorry, Katie. I was an idiot. I was just so afraid that you’d leave me, that I pushed you away first. I’m sorry.”

  She sighed. “Whatever. It’s over. It’s fine.”

  He bit his lip nervously. It was a bad habit he’d picked up from a girl he’d once dated, and he found it annoying.

  “Katie, we still haven’t talked. You know I needed to talk to you.”

  She turned around, looked him in the eyes, and pursed her lips. “I don’t want to hear it,” she said in clipped tones. “We’re done, so we have nothing more to talk about.”

  He was practically begging her now, and they both knew it. He got up from his seat and walked over to her. He grabbed her hands in his and brought them up between them. He looked her right in the eye.

  “Katie, I love you,” he said intensely. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Please, stay with me, here, and let’s talk.”

  Kaitlyn felt dead. She should have been hopeful, excited at the prospect of getting back together with Carter. But last night, something inside her had died. She felt worthl
ess, not up to people’s expectations. Carter was trying, but she knew she’d always be wondering when he’d leave her again, or when he’d cheat. A relationship wasn’t supposed to be like that.

  “Why should I, Carter?” she asked flatly. “What’s in it for me?”

  He frowned. “I swear, I will love you every day until I die. I’m yours, forever and always, no matter what.”

  She sighed. “Putting all that aside, what is it you wanted to talk about? Or was that it?”

  He dropped her hands and walked into the lounge. Katie followed, and saw him sitting on the sofa with his laptop open on his knees.

  “What’s up?” she asked. Carter patted the seat next him and she went over to sit down. He pulled up his e-mails and opened one.

  “From the realtor?” she asked curiously, after reading the screen.

  He nodded. “Yeah, they want to know what our decision is with the house. They want to know are we going to rent it out or are we going to move in?”

  Kaitlyn looked up at Carter. “You keep saying ‘we’. Why?”

  He shrugged. “I bought the house for us. It was always half yours.”

  She pursed her lips again and looked back at the email. “We’re not together anymore. Why didn’t you just rent it out?”

  He looked back at Katie. “That was the plan, until you showed up here last night in tears. I think it was then that I decided that we should go and live there.”

  “Again, we’re not together Carter. Why should we live together?”

  “You have nowhere else to go. You’re staying at T-Mans, which means going home isn’t an option. You can’t go back to T-Mans, because De knows that’s where you’re staying. I guarantee that he’ll show up there looking for you. He also knows where I live, and if you’re not at T-Man’s, he’ll assume you’re here with me. We need to leave. As soon as we can.”

  She frowned. “I don’t want to.”

  Carter tenderly grabbed Katie by the neck. “Babe, this isn’t open for discussion. We’re moving into this house. I don’t care if we have different bedrooms and we never see each other. I just need to make sure that you’re safe, and the only way I can do that, is if we’re living together.”

  Chapter 11

  Moving in with Carter was a huge step. Yes, she’d moved in with Carter before, but that didn’t last long, and their relationship was more of a flirt fest, than a love fest.

  This time around, things would be different. Last time, Kaitlyn was moving into Carter’s ‘bachelor pad’. It was never going to work, because it was a symbol of his ‘free’ lifestyle.

  Now, moving into a family home with Carter, it was like a whole new beginning. They were moving in together, into a house that they could make their own. It was exciting.

  In the afternoon, Kaitlyn devoted herself to packing up Carter’s rented flat, while he made the necessary arrangements to get himself out of the flat and into the house. He phoned the real estate agent, his landlord, and a moving company. He would be moving out the next day.

  In a couple of hours, everything that they wanted to take was boxed up and stacked in the lounge, where the moving van could get it easily.

  It was afternoon the next day when they finally moved into the house. The moving van had picked up the big furniture they wanted to take with them in the morning.

  Carter and Kaitlyn had taken the smaller boxes in his car.

  “My own house.” There was a faint glimmer of a smile on his face as he stared up at the weatherboard structure. Kaitlyn smiled at him.

  “You’re proud, aren’t you?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

  He looked at her and grinned. “Oh hell yeah. I never thought I could do something like this. I always assumed I’d end up in jail, or worse.”

  She laughed. “Be careful, you still might,” she teased.

  He laughed with her and slung an arm around her shoulders. “You’re so mean,” he said, kissing the top of her head.

  She sighed with happiness. Moving into a house was exciting, and Carter said it was half hers! She felt giddy. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that at seventeen, she would be living in a house that was half her own. Legally it wasn’t, but Carter had intended it for the both of them, and while they were on good speaking terms, it was half hers. Especially when it came to the interior redecorating.

  She moved around to the back of the car and started removing boxes. She placed them on the ground for Carter to pick up and carry in. It was all Carter’s stuff at the moment anyway. They hadn’t bothered picking up her clothes or her car yet, as there was always a chance Deangelo would be at T-Mans. They were really good friends, after all.

  Carter came around and grabbed Katie by the waist. He tenderly kissed her shoulder and rested his cheek on the top of her head.

  “I love you,” he said intimately. “I don’t know if it’s too soon after De for me to say that, or if you don’t want to hear it after all that shit I put you through, but it’s the truth. I love you, and nothing is going to change that.”

  The dizzying elation had disappeared. She suddenly got a lot colder and shivered, despite being in Carter’s arms. All she wanted to do was be away from him.

  “Whatever, Carter,” she said quietly. “After all we’ve been through, it just feels like another game. I’m sick of games.”

  She pulled away from Carter and grabbed a box. She took it inside and left him standing there.

  Carter was worried. He and Kaitlyn had a messed up history, and it took De’s ruthless actions to make him realise that he wanted to fix everything. He was just afraid that it was too late. Carter hadn’t been there when Kaitlyn needed him. He’d been too busy screwing with her mind, and other girls. He realised now that if he could change that, he would.

  He bent down and picked up another box. He carried it into the house and looked around. They really needed to do this place up. Hopefully if they did it together, it would bring them closer, and maybe one day they could start again.

  He walked into the master bedroom and found Kaitlyn holding one of his t-shirts.

  “You ok?” he asked. He set the box down and went to stand behind her. She turned around and looked up at him.

  “I miss you,” she said quietly.

  Carter wasn’t expecting that. He ran his hands up her arms and pulled her into what he hoped was a comforting embrace. “I’m right here,” he said quietly. “I’m not leaving you.”

  She pulled away. “That’s not what I meant.”

  Carter sat down and pulled Kaitlyn down to, so she was sitting on his lap. “Then what did you mean?”

  She buried her face in the shirt she was holding. “I miss the way we used to be, when we first got together. You were nice.”

  Carter had no reply. He knew when things had changed. He’d become bored, and he’d started pulling away.

  “The first time,” Kaitlyn was saying, “the first time you cheated, I thought it was just a slip up. I let it go. But then it happened again, and again and again.”

  Carter looked away. He wanted to cry. He knew he was a screw up, but he didn’t realise how badly he’d hurt Kaitlyn. There was nothing he could say that would make it better.

  “When I stopped coming to the races, and when I stopped returning your calls that was the first time you came around to see me” she continued. “And that’s when I realised that if I wanted to keep you interested, I had to act as if I wasn’t interested.”

  He started playing with her hair. Nothing he said could make it better, so he said nothing at all.

  “And I bet the only reason you’re moving into this house with me is because you feel guilty.”

  That caught Carter’s attention. He stopped twirling Kaitlyn’s hair around his finger and pulled the t-shirt away. He gently but firmly grabbed her face between his hands and turned her to face him.

  “Yes, I feel guilty,” he said. “But that is not why I wanted us to move into this house together.”

  She tried
to move away. When she couldn’t, she closed her eyes and pretended she was on the other side of the room.

  “Then why?” she whispered brokenly. “Tell me why we’re moving in together.”

  He pulled her close to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He planted a light kiss on her hair.

  “I regret hurting you Katie. I’ve done it too many times, and if you ever forgive me, it would be a miracle. But believe it or not, I’ve grown up a lot since I met you. I no longer only think of myself. You are my number one priority.”

  “I’m still waiting for the explanation.”

  “I’m getting there.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “Breaking up with you was the worst mistake I ever made. Cheating on you was just as bad.”

  “Still waiting.”

  He took a deep breath and shook his head in frustration. “I’m not explaining this right. I don’t…I don’t know how to. But bear with me; I’m giving it a go.”

  She didn’t interrupt and he took this as consent for him to go on.

  “After we broke up, I still watched you. I made T-Man keep me up to date with what was going on with you.”

  “It’s been two days. Stop the dramatics.”

  He frowned. Had it really been only two days?

  “I don’t care,” he said. “I love you, and letting you go was the dumbest thing. Anyway, when I saw you messing with De, I went nuts. He has a history of abuse, and I wish I’d done more to keep you from getting in that car. I was too afraid of you hating me. Right now, I’d rather you hate me and be safe, than have you like you are now, and still hating me.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t hate you. But even if you had stopped me getting in that car, I wouldn’t have stopped trying to get with De. I noticed how much it bugged you when I messed around with him before the race, so I knew he was the perfect way to get back at you.”

  Carter tilted her face upwards and lovingly kissed her on the lips. “I get it,” he whispered, before kissing her again.

  It was a sweet kiss, quite short, but it was enough for them both. There was a mutual understanding in that kiss. They both knew that one day, they would be able to get past all this silly teenage nonsense.