“GIRLS! COMPANY!” Mrs. Reynolds shouted from downstairs.
Stacy immediately went into hysterics. “Oh my God! He’s here! Mirror check!” Stacy turned and ran over to the mirror and fixed any stray pieces of hair. Then she turned her attention to Katrina. “Come on, Kat! Let’s go!”
Katrina grabbed her phone and followed Stacy down the cherry-colored staircase. The burning in her chest was throbbing. Like a bad toothache, it made her entire body ache. Part of her wanted to go lie down and forget about going out, but she knew Stacy would be crushed. Being the friend that she was, Katrina sucked it up and forced herself to continue down the stairs after Stacy.
Mrs. Reynolds was in conversation with Donovan in the foyer when they stopped and turned their attention to Stacy and Katrina. “There you girls are.”
Stacy was so excited she looked right past her mom and eagerly waved at Donovan. “Hey.”
“You ladies look nice.” His lips curved into a large grin.
“Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.” Stacy bit her bottom lip and eyed him up and down.
Looking at Donovan, Katrina had to agree. With his seamless black jeans and olive green shirt, he looked like a male model. Against the green of his shirt, there were subtle hints of yellowish undertones in his eyes. For a moment she felt she could get lost in those childlike oceans, but she was distracted by the burning sensation in her chest, as it intensified and throbbed uncomfortably.
“Ready?” Donovan held the door.
“Of course,” Stacy gleamed. Her excitement was blatantly obvious.
“How about you, Katrina?”
“Yeah. I’m ready.”
“It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Reynolds.”
“Same here.” Mrs. Reynolds nodded her head at him and then looked over at Stacy. “Don't be home too late.”
“Actually, I was wondering if I could spend the night at Kat's tonight?”
“That's fine, just text me when you guys get in.”
“Sure thing, mom.” Stacy was already pulling Katrina towards the door.
“Have fun,” Mrs. Reynolds said, as she shut the door.
Following Stacy out the door, Katrina started to sweat. Her insides felt like they were on fire with anxiety. Trying to get a handle on her nerves, she wasn’t paying attention and walked right into Stacy.
“Kat, you don’t look so good.” Stacy gave her a worried look.
“It’s nothing,” Katrina brushed off. When Stacy wouldn’t stop staring she added, “I’m fine, honest.”
“If you’re sure,” Stacy let it go and turned back around. “Wow!” she gasped in shock. “Kat, look. Is that what I think it is?”
“Yeah, that’s the new Mercedes. Is this your car?” Katrina asked.
“It is.” Donovan grinned.
“Really?” Katrina cocked her head in disbelief, briefly forgetting the pain she was in.
“What?”
“It’s just you don’t see many white convertibles like this in town.” Katrina couldn’t stop staring at the car. She had seen it advertised on television, but up close it was even better looking. No one in Morgan Springs could ever come close to owning something that ostentatious—even if they spent their entire life savings and then some. She couldn’t fathom the thought of someone her age owning a car this expensive. Yet, the longer she stared and admired his vehicle, the more she felt there was something vaguely familiar about it.
“It was a gift,” Donovan said, interrupting her thoughts. His eyes glistened against the moonlight, as he flashed both girls an intrigued smile.
“From who?” Stacy’s eager voice rang through.
“My parents. It’s sort of an L.A. thing.” Donovan held the door open for both girls and motioned for them to climb inside. Katrina glided in as she slid against the slick grey leather interior. Stacy anxiously took the passenger seat. While Donovan made his way to the driver side, Katrina giggled to herself catching Stacy amidst another mirror check.
“So, where are we going?” Stacy’s excited voice asked.
“It’s your town, so lady’s choice.” Donovan turned and gave both girls a one-sided grin.
“It’s a perfect night to see some stars.” Stacy blushed and spoke quickly, “The party in Deep Creek is nearby, if you’re interested?”
“Sounds interesting,” he nodded his head. “Just tell me the way.”
Katrina kept her eyes shut the whole ten miles. She didn’t need to see the same scenery replayed for the millionth time. Plus, it was less uncomfortable being a third-wheel that way. Her chest still felt heavy like she was buried underneath a huge pile of stone. There wasn’t much she could do about the pain, but she was easily able to tune out most of the conversation from the front of the car. Except for Stacy’s occasional offering of directions, there wasn’t much that broke through.
“We’re here, Kat. Come on, wake up. I want to go show off my date,” Stacy whispered.
Katrina let out a deep sigh. She was tired of being in pain and just wanted to get this night over with. “I’m awake. Where’s Donovan?” Before Stacy could answer, Donovan opened her door.
“Thank you.” Stacy took Donovan's hand and he helped her out of the car.
Katrina used her good hand and attempted to scoot along the inside of the car towards the door. With her cast sticking to the interior, it was more of a daunting challenge than anything else.
“Here, let me help Katrina.” He came around Stacy and reached inside.
“Thanks,” Katrina smiled, as Donovan held her good hand and helped her to her feet.
“Anytime.” Unnerved by the odd undertone in his response, Katrina caught up with Stacy and stuck by her like a Siamese twin.
Arriving amongst the already gathered and somewhat rowdy crowd, there were the usual introductions. Most of the people were ones Katrina had known since grade school, though none were real friends like Stacy. Off to the right, a group with identical purple jackets complete with the standardized white lettering on the back’s caught Katrina’s attention.
“I’ll be right back,” Katrina said, before heading off into the direction of the crowd of jocks. “Hey, Mason!” Katrina shouted just loud enough to get his attention over the music.
Mason grew nervous and skimmed over the crowd. “Where’s Andrew?”
“He’s home with my brother.” Katrina watched Mason fidget with his lighter. Andrew must have been extremely persuasive. “What did he do to you?”
“You know, you should really lay off the crack pipe. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mason shrugged off, stepping closer to her.
Katrina’s nerves were kicking in, but she couldn’t help what she said next. “You’re scared of him.”
“I’m not scared of any—thing.” Mason’s angry hot breath slapped against her cheek. His face went ghostly white. His eyes glared at her with such disdain, she thought for sure he might slap her.
She didn’t look away, but knew that’s all she was going to get out of him. And he had already given her a big enough hint of exactly what Andrew did.
“Look, I just came over to see if you’ve seen Brody?” She took a step back, still a little unnerved by him.
“Why? Miss him?” Mason cocked a blonde eyebrow at her, obviously still pissed. With his curly blonde hair and rugged features, he was rather good looking, until he opened his mouth.
“No. I just thought it was strange that he’s missed so much school. Don’t you?”
“His parents left for vacation. He’s probably out partying somewhere. When he gets back, I’ll let him know you were extremely concerned.” Mason shot her a devilish wink. “Oh and how’s your hand?”
“Just fine.” She waved her cast at him, wishing she could give him her middle finger.
“Next time, you shouldn’t mess where you don’t belong,” he snickered. Katrina didn’t have a chance to argue back. He gritted his teeth and spat, “Run along!”
She rolled her eyes and left. The
jocks laughter echoed behind her and she knew without turning around it was at her expense. Stacy was off with Donovan somewhere and she needed to get out of there. She wasn’t sure where she was going, but she wanted to be alone and away from all of the chaos. Mason’s attitude frustrated her and the pain she felt in her chest wasn’t getting any better.
Coming to the creek, Katrina stopped. The rushing of the water drowned out all of the annoying sounds behind her. A sense of peace washed over her, at the sound of the water crashing into the large boulder’s that lay in the middle of the stream. She figured this would be a good a place as any to think.
She laid back and gazed up at the stars. It was the one thing that always calmed her. Being able to see them night after night was the one thing she loved about Morgan Springs.
The night of her father’s accident, Katrina had been so distraught that she ran into the field and sobbed like a baby. She stayed out all-night and gazed up at the bright lights. It was then that she first found refuge in the night sky and every night since.
Losing her father had definitely taken its toll on her. He had always been there when she needed anything and it was something she deeply missed. She wondered what he’d say if he knew who she was or the fact that she was in love with a vampire?
Wanting to forget about it, she looked up towards the dark sky, inhaled the crisp cool air, and let the purring of the crickets fade into peaceful background music.
At first everything was dark and then she was there amongst the crowd standing off in a dimly-lit corner watching from a distance. Glancing down at herself, Katrina noticed her hands were covered in some rather expensive material.
The gloves were a beautiful cream color and the seams were embroidered with fancy gold thread. Looking closer, she noticed the ornate antique lettering on the side. They were two elegantly scripted letters: C. R. Katrina could feel the rigid fabric beneath, as she lightly traced her finger over the script.
Looking down at her bodice Katrina also noticed the elaborate outfit she was wearing. Like the gloves, her dress too was outlined with the golden thread. The material felt like heaven against her skin. She knew it was of fine quality and probably very costly. Catching her reflection off of the iridescent flooring, she stood in awe at the beautiful creature staring back at her.
“Katrina,” a gentle voice startled her.
“Hmmm,” Katrina cracked her eyes open, unwilling to move.
“Wake up. You’ve been asleep a few hours,” the same voice chuckled. Opening her eyes completely, Katrina was staring up at Donovan’s chocolate puppy dog eyes.
“What time is it?”
“It’s almost 10:30,” he said. “I couldn’t find you and Stacy got pretty drunk, so I had to take her to your house. I hope you don’t mind?”
“No, that’s fine. How did you guys get in?”
“She showed me where the spare key was.”
“Right.” Katrina slowly sat up and looked around. Everything looked empty. “Are we the last ones here?”
“Pretty much. Mostly everyone’s gone home. So, I came out here to look for you.”
“Oh—Ouch!” Katrina let out an uncontrollable wince in pain, as the fiery feeling against her chest had come back to the surface, full force.
“What’s the matter?” He bent down beside her.
“My hand fell asleep.” She bit down on her bottom lip and looked up at him. Donovan stared back at her for a brief second, but after a moment, he let it go.
“What are you doing way out here anyways?” He sat himself down and occupied the space on the ground next to her.
“Just wanted someplace to think.”
“You’re really worried about your mother aren’t you?”
“Yeah, among other things.”
“What else is bothering you?”
She looked down and began picking at the weeds while she answered him. “Oh you know—just life in general.”
“Like what?” His voice was so warm that it diverted her attention back to him.
“Just stuff.” Her face grew warm the longer he looked at her. His eyes were warm and inviting, like a lost puppy. Every time she looked into them, they almost sucked her in.
“Katrina, I know what it’s like to want to escape who you are. Why do you think I moved out here with my aunt? Try me. I’m a good listener.”
Katrina debated whether to trust him or not. They just met, but there was something about him that made her want to open up and tell him everything. Before she lost control and did, she broke eye contact.
“It’s mostly how fast things can change.” She tried not to clench her teeth, as the pain became too much. This time it wasn’t just her chest that scorched in fiery flames—her whole body had become one massive inferno.
“But, that’s what makes life more interesting.”
“Yeah, but if you spend your whole life thinking you’re one person only to find out you’re really someone else and nothing is what you thought, it’s a lot to take in at once,” Katrina blurted out without realizing that she’d even said it.
“You lost me,” he smiled coyly. “Are we speaking hypothetical or multiple personality disorder?”
She looked away to hide the hurt in her eyes and shrug off his sarcasm. “Never mind.”
“Katrina,” he put his hand on her shoulder. “In all seriousness, I get it. That’s one of the reasons I came out here, to find myself again.”
“Oh.” Katrina turned back around. She felt comforted that Donovan was so understanding. She began to wonder if Stacy was the right person to talk to.
“That’s pretty.” Donovan broke the uneasy silence and pointed to her amulet. “Where did you get that? It looks really old.”
“It is. It was a gift passed down through the years,” Katrina explained as best she could without giving the whole story. Even though he was being very understanding, she didn’t think now was an appropriate time to divulge everything.
“Interesting.” Donovan’s coffee eye’s sparkled back at Katrina. The way his eyes glistened in the moonlight was magical. They were like looking into a chocolate ocean and if she wasn’t careful, she might dive right in.
Distracting herself from him, she started glancing around for her phone. She couldn’t believe she was even contemplating the idea of him. He was the object of Stacy’s affection and she was in love with Cole. What's wrong with me?
As soon as she thought of him, she knew the answer. She missed Cole. She missed the way her body felt when he touched her and the way he made her feel whole. Donovan’s flirtatious attempts seemed to make her feel wanted and special. The attention he was giving her helped ease some of her loneliness, but it just wasn’t the same.
“Have you seen my phone?” Katrina asked, as a distraction. They started searching through the field for it. Looking for a black phone in the dark wasn't the easiest thing to do.
“Katrina,” Donovan whispered.
“Hmm?” Katrina turned to find him standing much closer than she had been aware of.
“Here,” he smiled, handing her the black rectangular piece. As her hand grasped the phone, she noticed his warm hand lingered against hers a little longer than necessary.
“Thank you.” Katrina quickly pulled her hands back and placed them at her sides.
“Ready to go?” Donovan asked, seeming unaware of Katrina’s discomfort.
“Yeah.”
Katrina made haste as she all but ran to the car. Donovan was right behind, matching her stride for stride. Katrina could feel his coffee eyes on her the entire way back to the car. It was different than the way Cole watched her. She couldn’t explain it, it just felt odd.
“Let me get that for you,” Donovan said, opening the passenger side door.
“Thank you,” Katrina smiled, as she climbed inside.
Donovan made his way to his side of the vehicle and started the engine. Katrina looked up and found his eyes fixated on her. His stare made heat rise in her cheeks, and she was
glad it was dark out. He hardly took his eyes off her, as he drove out of the windy dirt path and onto the pavement. This only added to her awkwardness.
“So, what do you think of Stacy?” she asked, in a poor attempt at small talk.
“She’s great. A lot of fun to hang out with—”
“She’s definitely a lot of fun to be around.” Katrina quickly tried to hinder the “but” he was about to throw in. “And she’s really into you!”
“True, but I’m looking for more. For someone who has depth—who captivates me in more ways than one.”
“Uh-huh.” Katrina tried to hide her anxiety in hopes he wouldn’t say what she was expecting. She would have an easier time keeping her feelings for him bottled up if he would stop talking right now.
“Someone like you,” he finished.
Flinching as if she'd been punched in the gut, Katrina tried to swallow the new, but not entirely unknown revelation. “Donovan, that’s sweet, but Stacy’s my best friend and I’m not going to hurt her like that.”
“If she’s truly your best friend, she’d understand and want you to be happy, wouldn’t she?”
“True, but I would never ask her to do that.”
“I’ll tell you what—why don’t the three of us hang out and just let the chips fall wherever? I like you and if being friends is the only way to spend time together, I’m okay with it,” he shrugged his shoulders. “For now.”
“Donovan, I won’t change my mind. I’m kind of seeing someone.” Her chest began to burn.
“Where is he?”
“It’s complicated,” she explained, as he pulled into her driveway.
“Life usually is.” He got out and headed to her side of the car. She let his words resonate in her head. He was right. Cole wasn’t there and he was. Still, that was a line she wouldn’t cross.
“Thanks.” Katrina gave Donovan an awkward smile, as he opened her door.
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ll see you around.”
“Looking forward to it.”
She gave him a polite smile and began making the never-ending journey up the porch. The whole way, she could feel Donovan watching her. She kept it together and walked through the front door without looking back.
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