by Jamie Loeak
house.
Kate nodded even though her mom couldn’t see her. She felt the intense need to pretend that she was brave, that she was all right. If she didn’t, she feared that she would fall apart, and if she fell apart she wouldn’t be strong enough to figure out what happened just moments ago; and Kate needed to find out what happened.
3
Kate attempted to catch up on some sleep that night. Naturally, she didn’t sleep well, but she tried her hardest to get some rest - and there was no way she was going outside again. She counted sheep, remembered the most dramatic parts of her television shows, and even fantasized about being Cinderella. None of it worked, and Kate found herself tossing and turning, playing the horrible memory in her mind over and over again, trying to remember the man’s hands being cold. She couldn’t remember anything of the sort; in fact, she remembered her body heat rising because of the attack; it was probably a result of her adrenaline, but it still didn’t end in freezing skin.
When dawn approached, Kate was relieved. The night was over and no one came to break down the front door. Kate pushed the memory to the back of her mind, convinced that she had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. She rolled out of bed and padded downstairs, too eager to find a way out of the humid house. Her parents had ignored her argument, neglecting to turn on the air conditioner again, and Kate welcomed the cool morning breeze; it tangled in her hair and kissed her skin. This time, Kate walked to the edge of the deck and sat on the top-most step. She was outside, but she wouldn’t allow her feet to touch the sand yet. She was afraid that it would trigger her memory, and she wasn’t quite ready to face it.
Kate bit her lip and focused on the crashing waves instead. The monotony of the motion lulled her into a false sense of relaxation, and she rested her chin on her hands while she watched the water kiss the shore. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two silhouettes running along the distant horizon. Kate smiled to herself, happy that there were two carefree people in this small town. She watched them for a while; the pair danced back and forth, chasing each other down the sandy expanse. Kate marveled at the way they moved, with quick, graceful twists and turns. She was so engrossed in their movements that she didn’t notice that they were heading her way. One of the figures looked up at her and tilted his head to the side, as if wondering why Kate was looking at him. Kate blushed and turned away, pretending to focus on the waves at the other end of the beach.
“I’m surprised you didn’t yell at me to get off of your neighbor’s property,” a familiar voice commented. “I was sure you would stand up and run around, screaming at me to leave,” the voice added in a slick, matter-of-fact manner.
Kate turned to see Rico standing at the bottom step, a young girl next to him. She was gorgeous, with long hair that fell around her waist. She had impossibly white teeth and dark eyes that matched her thick, raven hair. Kate couldn’t tell the difference between the girl’s pupil and iris; the two melted together, creating the illusion that her eyes were endless pools of darkness. She, like Rico, was wearing dark colors.
Kate glanced down at her own clothes. She, once again, found herself in a sports bra and shorts; this time the shorts were a pale pink. She suddenly felt self-conscious of her appearance and ran her fingers through her tangled curls.
“So, you aren’t going to force me off your beach this morning?” Rico asked with a smirk.
“No,” Kate replied. She looked into his eyes, curious as to whether this was his normal behavior - insulting strangers. Once again, she noticed their impossible shade of icy blue.
“Ignore Rico,” the dark-haired girl remarked. She had a quiet voice that sounded like water flowing over rocks in a stream. She punched Rico’s arm and the pair laughed. The girl looked back up at Kate and smiled brightly. She pulled her hair over her shoulder, twisting it around until it formed a knot that touched the top of her left shoulder. “You aren’t from around here either, are you?” she asked.
Kate shook her head, too embarrassed to speak. Although she wasn’t afraid, she felt an odd sense of shame. The feeling always crept up her throat when she met new people, closing it and threatening to choke her. She hated the nervous energy that buzzed in her veins and tried to look down at the ground to stop from shaking. Somehow, the beauty of both Rico and the girl seemed to hold her unwavering attention.
The girl giggled after a few awkward seconds and turned to Rico. They looked at each other before the girl began speaking to Kate again. “Why don’t you hang out with us today? We’re going fishing at the dock down the road.”
Kate looked at the couple. There was no way they were going fishing right now. First, they neglected to bring fishing poles or bait. Second, the girl was carrying a pair of extremely tall wedges. Kate arched her eyebrow at them, curious as to what they were really going to do at the dock, wondering why they needed to lie.
“Well?” Rico asked impatiently. “Have you lost your nerve today? You seemed capable of talking yesterday. What happened to you after I left?”
Kate grew defensive. “Nothing happened to me after you left,” she retorted. “I was just noticing that you have nothing to fish with. How are you supposed to fish without any poles or other supplies?” Kate felt triumphant at finding her ability to speak and couldn’t help but smile down at them. Something about the comment gave her a sense of confidence.
The dark-haired girl smiled again. “You rent the equipment. My dad owns the place so I get it for free.”
“Oh,” Kate said, her cheeks burning, her confidence gone forever. She bit her lower lip and messed with her chipping fingernail polish. She kind of hoped they’d leave her alone so she could wallow in self-pity for the afternoon, and when Rico cleared his throat, she looked up hopefully.
“So are you going to tag along?” Rico ended up asking.
Kate stalled for a moment. “No,” she said a moment later. “I’m busy today. I’ve got a lot of stuff to do,” she lied. She really disliked the way she lied so easily lately, but it was necessary. She didn’t want to find herself spinning like the third wheel on a date. It would be uncomfortable for all three of them.
Rico nodded and started to step away. He smiled up at Kate, lifting his hand up to wave goodbye.
At that moment, the conversation was interrupted by Kate’s mom. Perfect timing. “Kate,” she called, “your father and I are leaving now. Don’t bore yourself by watching movies all day again, okay?”
Kate turned toward her mother, her eyes large. A look of astonishment crossed her face as she pleaded with Blaire to stop. Unfortunately, her mother didn’t stop; in fact, she proceeded to ruin Kate’s whole life.
“Why don’t you hang out with your new friend, Rico? He and his friend could show you around Dolphin Bay. Then, you won’t be bored all summer. I hate leaving you here every day. Go, have fun.” She smiled at Rico and his friend before waving and shutting the door.
Kate sat frozen. She stared at the closed door a moment longer, composing herself before turning around to face Rico’s snide remarks.
“It looks to me like you’re not busy anymore,” he said. “Go get dressed. We’ll be waiting here when you get back. I promise.”
Kate sighed, knowing that she didn’t really have a choice at this point. Her mother had practically given her permission to do whatever she wanted with these strangers. Standing up, she turned and walked inside her house, and when she emerged minutes later, wearing her best jean shorts and a white, flowing shirt, she was surprised to see that Rico and his friend were sitting on the deck talking. She assumed they’d still be flirting or running around the beach like kids again. Part of her was sad they weren’t running around but the other half of her was relieved.
Rico turned as the door closed behind Kate and smirked as he took in her appearance. His eyes moved up her legs until they reached her face. “You look stunning,” he stated.
Kate blushed and pushed her sunglasses on. In her hand, she carried a straw fedora, an old hat of her father’s that she l
oved with all of her heart. A thick, black ribbon was tied around it; it was something that Kate had added to represent the piece of her that was like her father, quiet and serious. She pushed that hat on her head to stop the sun from lightening her chestnut hair, arranging her curls so that they tumbled over her shoulders. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she stopped suddenly. Rico and the girl stared at her with wide eyes.
“What is it?” Kate asked. “Is there something on my face?”
“No,” the dark-haired girl said quietly. “You’re kind of beautiful. Didn’t you know that?”
Kate suddenly felt uncomfortable. She didn’t want to offend the girl, or make her feel as if she was any threat; she wasn’t planning on taking Rico, and she didn’t want this girl to get mad at her for it. Kate twisted from side to side, unsure of what to say next.
“She’s just saying that you clean up well, Kate. There’s no need to feel shy about it,” Rico said with a small smile.
Kate nodded once and fell into step alongside them. As a comfortable silence fell around them, she let her mind wander back to the summer before this one. Kate’s friends in Australia hadn’t quite reacted to her beauty in the same manner. Back then, she had been so-called friends with superficial girls that hated to be