Until Next Time (The Shooting Stars Series)

by Michelle Maness

  “Maybe,” he smiled.

  “So you don’t want to call me Kattie but I don’t like Katherine; it sounds so stuffy,” she crinkled her nose.

  Adam studied her a moment. “Kaitlyn?”

  Katherine considered it and smiled. “I like it, it’s kind of sophisticated.”

  “There you go,” he nodded; her smile widened. “Where’s the best place to grab a bite around here? Mom hasn’t been to the store yet and is working late tonight.”

  “Why don’t you join my family for dinner?” she invited.

  “I couldn’t intrude,” he shook his head.

  “You wouldn’t be. Come on,” she grabbed his hand and dragged him after her. Adam liked the feel of her small, slender hand in his; liked how easily she accepted him even better. She dragged him into a classroom and dropped his hand.

  “Hi, Mom,” she greeted her mother.

  Adam had her for English; he hadn’t realized she was related to Katherine.

  “Hi, Kattie, hi, Adam,” the woman greeted them with a smile.

  “Hello, Mrs. Mayfield.”

  “Do you mind company for dinner?” Katherine asked her mom.

  “Since when do I mind? Do me a favor and run to the store for me, please?” Julia dug into her purse for a list and money.

  “I can do that,” Katherine assured her mother. “I’ll see you in a little bit. Come on, Adam,” Katherine ordered.

  Adam followed her and watched her turn to survey him.

  “I haven’t thought to ask you if you need any of your books. Are you driving or do you have a bus to catch? I hope not because you likely missed it.”

  “I’m driving and as I have make-up work in every class I am carrying every book.”

  “Okay,” she nodded. “You can follow me to my house and then ride to the store with me.”

  “Works for me,” he nodded and followed her outside and across the parking lot. It turned out they weren’t parked too far from one another.

  “Kattie, wait up!” the guy from first period called as he jogged their way.

  Adam watched Katherine sigh.

  “What do you want, Nathan?” she demanded.

  “I miss you. Can’t we talk?”

  “You dumped me, remember? You said we are going to school on separate sides of the country and that it was pointless to drag it out when it wouldn’t last. I am still going to UT and as far as I know you are still going to UC Berkley. So what would the point of talking be?”

  “I was wrong,” Nathan returned.

  Adam watched Katherine drop her things into her car and sigh.

  “I think it was a good decision and after I got over the initial hurt I realized you are right. We are going to be on opposite sides of the country and it wasn’t going to last. It’s better to make the break now. Besides, I think we both know that isn’t really why you dumped me,” Katherine’s smile was brittle.

  “Kattie, I’m sorry about that. I…can’t we just talk?”

  “We’ve said all that needs saying. Now if you will excuse me, Adam and I have plans for the evening. Best of luck, Nathan,” Katherine climbed into her car.

  Adam hurried to get into his own car and prepared to follow her.

  “So who was that guy?” Adam asked after he had left his car in her drive and was seated beside her.

  “Nathan, my ex-boyfriend of three years,” she shared.

  “Wow! Three years? Are you serious? I don’t think I’ve ever even stayed friends with someone for that long,” Adam was shell shocked.

  “Yep.”

  “What happened?”

  “He claimed it was because we were going to be on opposite sides of the country but it really boils down to sex,” she shrugged. “He wants it and I won’t give it.”

  Adam studied her a moment. He couldn’t decide if he respected her for her resolve or if she was crazy.

  “Yeah, I suspect that has more to do with it than school,” Adam agreed.

  “I think I knew it was over before it ever ended. Trouble is we had become a habit and everyone at church and school thought we’d be high school sweethearts and grow up and marry. It hurt in a way and in another it was liberating.”

  “So if he’s a church boy isn’t he supposed to be a nice guy?” His smile came off as more a smirk.

  “He was and then he went to California and…I haven’t told anyone this but I think he cheated on me. He was all fine with our relationship; he agreed we were too young to jump into bed together. Then he goes out there and comes back constantly groping me and pressuring me. I think he discovered he likes sex while he was out there.”

  “Sorry, Kaitlyn, that has to hurt.”

  “Yes…no…it does but like I said, I think I already knew we were unraveling.”

  “Still, cheating is about as lousy as it gets; I’ve been on the receiving end.”

  “It is lousy,” she agreed as she parked. “So you do like lasagna don’t you?” She was smiling again.

  “Yeah, I love lasagna,” he assured her.

  “Great, let’s go get the stuff; my mom makes great lasagna.”

  They arrived back at her house just as her mother was stepping from the car.

  “How’s that for timing?” Julia smiled at them.

  They helped her carry the groceries in before she shooed them off to do their homework. Adam followed Katherine into a basement den and seated himself beside her.

  “Why don’t we start with Advanced Math since we have that together first period,” she suggested.

  “Works for me,” he nodded.

  They worked for some time before Katherine stopped and smiled at him.

  “You are full of surprises, you know that?” she asked him.

  “How so?”

  “You have this kind of negligent air about you like you don’t care about anything and yet you are breezing through your work,” she noted.

  “Mom freaks if my grades slip,” he shrugged.

  “I don’t think you are as tough as you act,” she informed him.

  Adam smiled in amusement. “You’re an optimist.”

  “True,” she conceded, “but I still don’t think you’re so tough.”

  Her mom called them to dinner before he could respond.

  Adam followed Katherine back into the green and white kitchen and a small breakfast nook that sat tucked into bay windows overlooking the yard. An older gentleman with graying brown hair was pulling a chair for Katherine’s mother.

  “Hi, Daddy,” Katherine stood on tiptoe to kiss her father’s cheek.

  “Hi, Princess; it looks like we have company.”

  “Daddy, this is Adam Ellington. Adam, my daddy, Walter Mayfield,” Katherine introduced them.

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Mayfield,” Adam greeted as he politely shook the man’s hand.

  “Likewise, are you new to the area?” Walter queried as they started passing bowls.

  “Yes, sir; we just moved here from Pittsburg,” Adam admitted.

  “What do your parents do for a living?”

  “It’s just me and mom; she works as a medical transcriptionist.”

  “How do you like Jackson so far?” Julia asked.

  Adam smiled, “We arrived quite late last night and until I went to the store with Kaitlyn this afternoon all I had seen was the road between home and school.”

  Katherine watched her father frown at the nick name; then smile.

  “I hope ya’ll get settled soon and like it here. Pittsburg the only place you lived?” Walter asked.

  “No, we’ve lived in the north, east, and west; this is our first time in the south. Thank you for agreeing to have me to dinner, Mrs. Mayfield; this is some of the best lasagna I’ve had,” Adam offered.

  “Why, thank you, Adam and you’re welcome any time. I like having Kattie’s friends over, it keeps me young,” Julia assured him.

  As soon as they had finished eating, Katherine set their plates in the sink and they returned to the basement to fini
sh their work.

  “Uh oh,” Adam said when she abandoned her shoes and sat down in the floor at the coffee table.

  “What?” Katherine frowned at him.

  “Purple nail polish? I think you may have a rebellious streak hidden in you,” he teased.

  “What?” she frowned at her toes and wiggled them. “My aunt gave it to me for Christmas; it isn’t exactly a color I prefer for my fingers.”

  “I sometimes paint mine black,” he admitted.

  “So you have an identity crisis,” she noted.

  “In what way?”

  “You want to mix rap and rock and you dress like you’re into grunge stuff. You don’t know what you want to be.”

  “True enough,” he conceded. “I like to think of it as having eclectic taste.”

  “Clearly.”

  “What kind of music do you like?” he asked her.

  “I’m a big fan of the Cranberries, the Smashing Pumpkins, the Lemonheads, and I have to admit, thanks to my aunt; I am big fan of eighties music,” she shared. “What about you?”

  “I am into Nirvana, Cypress Hill, House of Pain, Alice in Chains; stuff like that. Oh yeah and the Violent Femmes.”

  “I’ve never heard of the last one,” she admitted.

  “They aren’t real main stream but I love their music,” he shared.

  “You’ll have to let me hear it sometime,” she suggested.

  “I will,” he agreed. “Your parents are nice.”

  “I like them,” she smiled.

  Adam studied her. She was an interesting mix. She was open and kind, a hint sweet but she had a little sass too; it was an appealing combination. Her genuine friendliness was refreshing. He didn’t know how to explain so he didn’t but she rather reminded him of his “Grandma Kaitlyn” in Boston, right down to nearly identical green eyes. The woman had actually been no relation to him but she was the closest thing to a grandmother he’d ever had. Kaitlyn didn’t remind him of a grandparent though, not by a long shot, but she did share the older woman’s kindness and beautiful eyes. By the end of the summer she had baby sat him he had believe in kindness and goodness in the world again. Then they had moved and he had begun to doubt that again; Kaitlyn made him think otherwise.

  “I guess we should get back to work,” Katherine suggested as she pulled her books back close.

  They worked for a while before Adam glanced at the clock and realized he should call his mom before she left work; their home phone wasn’t on yet.

  “Hey, Mom; I just wanted to let you know I’m at friend’s. I’ve eaten and we’re going over homework right now,” he shared.

  “I’m glad you made a friend; don’t stay too late.”

  “I won’t,” he promised.

  Adam turned back to Kaitlyn; her curls were brushing the table where she leaned over her books. She was very pretty and very out of his league, no use in even letting his thoughts go there. He rejoined her and they talked and joked before she helped him with his last assignment. They had become fast friends by the end of the night.

  Two

  Katherine peered into the mirror on the inside of her locker and freshened her lip gloss as she prepared for first period. She smiled when Adam leaned in beside her and pretended to check his hair.

  “Hi,” she greeted.

  “Hello,” he grinned.

  “Don’t you have your own mirror?” she teased.

  “Nope, never have bothered; besides, it more fun to aggravate you.”

  Katherine smiled as she closed the locker and led the way into their first period class together. She slid into her usual seat and Adam slipped into the one behind her. He had been in town for one week as of today but Katherine already felt as if he had been there the whole year. He was already a part of her regular routine. They talked and joked before first, he joined her and her friends for lunch, and they sat together in Drama and were currently working on a project together for that class. After school, if Adam didn’t have to work, he was often at her house.

  “Here’s your CD back,” Katherine pulled it from her book bag and handed it to him.

  “What did you think of it?” he asked with a smile.

  “I liked it; interesting lyrics and had my mother heard the language she would have flipped her lid but it was kind of cool,” Katherine smiled in return.

  “Don’t guess your mom would approve,” he admitted. He could imagine her mom freaking out, he realized.

  “She’s a little old fashioned,” Katherine acknowledged.

  “Your mom is a really nice lady, Kaitlyn.”

  “She is,” Katherine nodded, pulled her book from her bag and twisted to place it on her desk as she brushed her hair over her shoulder.

  Adam watched with a smile as Kaitlyn opened her notebook to her homework assignment. He still couldn’t figure out how they had hit it off as they had. Adam admired the way her hair hung down her back to brush at his desk and gave into the temptation to play with a curl.

  “What are you doing with my hair?” Katherine looked over her shoulder.

  “You have really silky hair,” he informed her.

  “Leave my hair alone,” she laughed.

  “It was on my desk,” he teased.

  Smiling as she did, Katherine reached back and pulled her hair over her shoulder. Adam was a flirt; it hadn’t taken her long to figure that out. She found Nathan frowning at her and ignored him. What she did was no longer any of his business; he had dumped her.

  “I don’t think he’s over you,” Adam leaned forward to share.

  “Too bad because I am over him,” Katherine shrugged.

  The bell rang and students who were still lingering in the hall rushed to drop into their seats.

  “Alright class, get out your homework,” Mrs. White wasted no time getting started.

  After class, Katherine swapped out her book for the next two she would need since she wouldn’t be back by her locker until after lunch. Adam had finally been assigned a locker just down from her and was exchanging his books as well. After he had finished, he came to stand beside her. Her next class was in the same direction and they usually walked together until they had to part ways.

  “Hi, Adam,” a girl nodded at him, her jet black hair hung in a straight sheet down her back. Her face was pale and her clothing all black.

  “Hi,” he nodded back.

  “Do you have an admirer?” Katherine teased as she closed her locker.

  “Maybe,” he shrugged, “we have Spanish together.”

  “She looks like your type,” Katherine’s eyes were twinkling now.

  Adam shook his head; he was starting to prefer sweet red heads though he didn’t say so.

  “I prefer my girls to not look like they’re ready for the graveyard,” he finally quipped; it made Katherine laugh.

  “I’ll see you at lunch, Adam,” Katherine waved as she turned off toward her class.

  “See you,” he waved.

  Adam entered his Spanish class and found the girl from the hall seated behind his usual seat. He slid into his desk with a nod in her direction.

  “Hi, I’m Angela,” the girl introduced herself.

  “Hi,” he returned.

  “You have lunch at the start of next hour don’t you?” her dark blue eyes were studying him intently.

  “I do,” he admitted.

  “Want to join me and my friends?” she invited.

  “No, thanks; I already have some friends I sit with,” he returned and watched her frown.

  “Not exactly your crowd,” she noted.

  “Didn’t know I was supposed to limit myself,” he shrugged.

  “Guess you prefer red heads,” the girl looked irritated as she stood.

  “Sorry,” he shrugged again.

  Angela stalked off across the room and Adam opened his book to flip to the page they had left off with the day before.

  After class was over, he moved on to his next class and dropped his books on his desk before turni
ng around and heading for the cafeteria. Adam spotted Kaitlyn in line and moved to stand behind her. He tapped her on the right shoulder as he ducked to the left.

  “I hate it when you do that,” she reminded him yet again.

  “I know,” he grinned at her. He followed her through the line, grabbed his own tray, and followed her to the table.

  “I am so ready for today to be over!” Tessa plopped her tray on the table. “Nothing, and I mean nothing, has gone right.”

  “Sorry, Tess,” Katherine offered her friend. “What’s up?”

  “I forgot my homework for Chemistry and you know how Mr. Lorne is and then I had to call Mom for a change of clothes when lab didn’t go well; I ended up with acid on me. That was before I forgot about my math test today…I’m ready to call it quits,” Tessa related.

  “Sorry,” Katherine offered empathetically.

  “I’ll live. How is your day going?”

  “Mine is going fine,” Katherine shrugged.

  “Why is that pale faced, half dead looking chick shooting darts our way?” Stephanie, her eyes on a nearby table, seated herself.

  “Isn’t that the girl who greeted you in the hallway?” Katherine asked Adam.

  “Yes; I turned down her invitation to sit with her and her friends for lunch. I guess I’m supposed to stay with my own kind,” he shared.

  “Don’t walk down any dark alleys without checking over your shoulder!” Tessa teased.

  “No joke,” Stephanie laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” Brandon folded his lanky frame into a chair.

  “Death chick is giving Adam the evil eye because he isn’t sitting with her,” Tessa explained.

  “Her name is Angela,” Adam supplied.

  “Leave off the second a and you have angel of death,” Stephanie joked.

  “I’m sure she’s nice,” Katherine came to the girl’s defense.

  “You don’t mind her making a move on your man?” Mandy joined the conversation; she had seated herself at the same time as Stephanie.

  “Adam and I are friends,” Katherine informed them.

  Mandy glanced between them and shrugged before returning to her food. Katherine glanced at Adam where he sat beside her and noticed for the first time that his arm was on the back of her chair. Okay, so they flirted. He was a cute guy; it was hard not to flirt.