“We didn’t do it, Mimi,” Cat covered her face with her hands. Somehow, this made it easier to say. “We didn’t have sex. We didn’t do anything other than kiss. He even slept above the covers.”
Mimi tapped the brakes until the truck came to a stop, “You didn’t have sex?”
Cat still couldn’t bring herself to look at her. She was certain her face was red as the cherry tomatoes in Mimi’s garden. She simply shook her head in her hands, until she felt her grandmother’s light touch on her shoulder. She looked up.
“I’m glad, Catie,” Mimi said. “This means I don’t have to shoot Luke and bury him in the holler.”
Cat playfully swatted her grandmother’s hand, “Mimi, that is not even funny.”
“Might’ve happened,” Mimi continued driving once more. “I would’ve been sad to see him go. He’s good help … and not bad looking.” Mimi grinned at her granddaughter.
Cat shook her head, “You are terrible.”
“I really am glad, Catie.” Mimi put the truck into four-wheel drive to make it to the steepest part of the ridge. This was the place on the farm that had the best mountain views.
Cat was looking straight across to the profile of Grandfather Mountain. It was breathtaking. She had some faint recollections of coming up to the top of the ridge with Mimi and Pop when she was little. Even though their visits to North Carolina were few, they were memorable.
“This is my thinking spot,” Mimi said brightly, as she hopped down from the truck. The news that Cat had not actually “slept” with Luke seemed to cheer her up immensely.
“It’s so gorgeous up here, Mimi,” Cat said while hopping out to join her grandmother.
They stood shoulder to shoulder taking in the view. The breeze was steady on the ridge. She could see most of the farm from here. All eighty acres of it. Even though Cat was a self-proclaimed “city girl,” she thought that this corner of the world must be the most beautiful, peaceful spot on the planet. She breathed it all in.
“I believe you, Catie,” Mimi reached over to squeeze her hand. “About what happened last night and what happened in New York.”
Hearing those words from an adult that Cat cared about meant so much. She didn’t even realize how much they had meant until the words were spoken. She felt her eyes fill with tears.
“But, Mimi,” Cat turned to her, “you haven’t even heard about everything that happened back home yet.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Mimi squeezed her hand again. “I don’t need to. It doesn’t change the fact that I believe you. And I believe in you.”
The tears were flowing liberally down Cat’s cheeks at this point.
“Sometimes, we just need to hear that someone believes in us,” Mimi’s arm pulled Cat in closer, so that their heads touched.
“I love you, Mimi.” Cat leaned into her embrace before pulling back, “You’re not going to fire Luke, are you?”
“Well, I thought about it,” Mimi looked serious for a moment before laughing. “I’ve never seen that boy move so quick in his life as when he jumped out of that chair.” She whooped, “Moved like his pants were on fire!”
Cat couldn’t help but join in the laughter.
“No, I can’t fire my best farm hand,” Mimi winked. “He’s a catch, Catie. And I’m glad to hear that he’s as much of a gentleman as I would’ve expected. I knew his momma well.”
“Thank you, Mimi,” Cat blushed. “And he was. The perfect gentleman.”
“Until you were straddling him in that chair,” Mimi interjected, walking back towards the truck. “I’m sure he wasn’t thinking gentlemanly thoughts then!”
“Oh my gosh! Mimi! You weren’t supposed to see that,” once again Cat buried her face in her hands.
“Just promise me one thing,” Mimi looked her granddaughter straight in the eye, “take it slow.”
“We will,” Cat nodded, unsure of what exactly she was promising.
“Things can move quickly at that age, I know.” Mimi sighed. “I had your mother just when I turned eighteen.”
That fact had never registered with Cat until now. She nodded again to Mimi, “I promise.”
“And, Catie,” Mimi added before getting back into the truck, “try to keep your clothes on.”
Fall 2008
Chapter Twenty-Four
Pant, pant, pant. Cat could feel the sweat dripping from her face. Her shirt was drenched, her legs were on fire, and her feet had gone numb half a mile back; but at last she could see the finish line. It was the first meet of the season against Wilkes High School and she was in third place. Rachel had crossed first about a hundred yards ahead and the second runner was about ten feet ahead of Cat.
Out of her peripheral vision Cat could see Luke waving his hands like a lunatic, “Take her, Cat! Push it! Come on!”
Cat really just wanted to yell for him to ‘shove it,’ but that would have taken too much effort. Instead, she pushed her aggravation through her legs and used every last ounce of energy to push herself just a little bit harder. She was gaining on her. With fifty feet to go, Cat could reach out and touch her. The girl had noticed her now and was matching Cat’s energy. It was a dead sprint to the finish. Cat loved when races ended like this, except she enjoyed watching them rather than being the one in the action. She loved running, but it was something she’d rather do for pleasure than competitively. She cursed herself for letting Luke talk her into cross-country. She pushed forward once more, with the last ounce of energy she could muster, and launched herself across the finish line, her competitor following by a few feet.
The voices of the crowd, that she had done so well of tuning out during the race, hit her instantly. The men’s cross-country team, which was racing next, were whooping and hollering the loudest of all. Cat slowed but kept jogging around for a minute more to get her heart rate down before stopping. She had made that mistake the previous week during practice and had passed out cold. Thankfully, Luke had been close enough to catch her before she collapsed on the cement. Cat tried not to think about how painful that would have been.
She slowed down but continued in a brisk walk to the refreshment table. She needed something to eat. She tended to get slightly hypoglycemic at times and wanted to make sure she didn’t have another incident. Though, getting swept off of her feet by Luke certainly wasn’t the worst thing that could happen. She smiled to herself and reached for a banana.
“You were awesome!” he exclaimed. A bear hug from behind was Luke’s signature greeting now. It didn’t catch her off guard anymore.
“Ew!” Cat gasped. “I’m disgusting! Don’t touch me!”
“In half an hour I’ll be as sweaty as you are, Cat. Probably more,” Luke laughed at her and squeezed her tighter.
Cat turned and kissed him gently on the lips, not wanting to drip sweat on him, “Yes, and in half an hour, I won’t be hugging on you.”
“Is that right?” Luke raised an eyebrow. “Well, what if I come get you?”
“Then, you’ll just have to see what happens,” Cat chugged Gatorade from a bottle Luke had just given her. “I’m warning you, though. It won’t be pretty.”
Cat kept a look of seriousness in her eyes until she dissolved into giggles.
“Good luck,” she said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek as they called the men to approach the starting line.
“Cheer for me,” Luke said as he turned to go.
“I will!” Cat called, mimicking him. “Push it! Come on!”
Luke turned back laughing, “Hey, it worked!”
Cat stuck her tongue out at him and turned to find Rachel. She spotted her at the far booth by the finishing line, waiting for the times to be posted. Since there were still runners out on the field, they hadn’t posted the times yet.
“You did great!” Cat called as she approached her.
“Likewise, f
riend!” Rachel smiled. “You almost gave me a run for my money there.”
“Hardly,” Cat shook her head. “You finished a full minute ahead of me.”
“I really hope I broke the Watauga record,” Rachel looked nervously to the computer screen where the results would be posted any minute.
“Who holds it currently?” Cat asked.
“I do,” Rachel admitted sheepishly.
“So, you want to beat yourself?” Cat couldn’t help but smile as she asked.
“That is correct,” Rachel admitted.
“Wow,” Cat shook her head. “Is everyone so competitive here?”
“Not everyone,” Rachel laughed. “But we do take sports rather seriously.”
“I’ll say,” Cat watched as the numbers came across the screen.
Rachel let out a whoop of joy and nonsensical bouncing that strangely reminded Cat of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. Cat found her own number: 19:23. Her best time yet. Cat joined Rachel in her celebratory bouncing, even though her legs did not want her to.
“What was your time?” Cat asked as they held hands and bounced joyfully about.
“My new record — 18:38!” Rachel squealed.
“My record, too!” Cat shrieked. Then, she was squeezed into a hard bear hug by Rachel until she found it a little hard to breathe.
“Can’t. Breathe. Rach.” Cat gasped.
“Oops!” Rachel quickly let her go. “Sorry. Got a little carried away there.”
Cat breathed deeply, “Quite alright.”
“Hey! The guys are about to race. Let’s go see how your man does,” Rachel locked elbows with Cat and led her toward where the boys were lining up.
Cat couldn’t help but feel ecstatic. Even for a non-competitor like herself, it still felt great to run her best time. She also couldn’t be happier about her relationship with Luke. Every time she thought about him, she got butterflies. She liked how it sounded when Rachel had called him ‘her man’. Just about everyone thought they were the perfect couple — except Clarissa and her minions.
The pop of the starting gun shook her from her daydreams and brought her back to reality. She watched as Luke took off at a smooth, steady pace. He was masterful at running, Cat realized as she watched him. She and Rachel walked from point to point on the course to watch him pass and cheer him on. He knew exactly when to make his move, exactly when to increase his speed. Just when the strength of others who had started out strong seemed to be waning, Luke kicked it into gear. He moved up from fifth, to fourth, to third, and now into second. He was rounding the last corner and climbing the last hill of the course.
“TAKE HIM, LUKE!” Cat shouted at the top of her lungs. “Push it! Come on!”
She found that it was much more exciting being on this side of things. She hoped she hadn’t thrown him off by yelling, but she desperately wanted him to come in first.
A smirk crossed his face as he breezed by her, along with a look of determination.
“He’s got this,” Cat leaned over to Rachel.
“I don’t know,” Rachel breathed.
“No way!” Rachel exclaimed as he began to gain on the leading man.
“Come on! Come on!” Cat called.
Since when has running been so exciting? Luke was neck and neck with his opponent. Fifteen feet to the finish line. Ten.
“Come on baby! I love you!” Cat called out suddenly. She didn’t know what had possessed her to yell it.
Luke’s step faltered only for an instant, and the other guy crossed the finish line a moment too soon.
“Ohhhh!” Rachel groaned, along with half the crowd. “Cat, I don’t think you should go to him just yet.”
“Crap … he’ll be mad at me, won’t he?” Cat could feel the tears building in her eyes. It was all her fault, she knew it.
“Cat, he can’t blame your yelling for his not winning,” Rachel patted her on the back. “He should be better at tuning out the crowd by now.”
“Maybe,” Cat shrugged.
“But, just the same, Luke is very competitive. You won’t want to be around him for the rest of the day … maybe the week, just to be safe,” Rachel informed her.
“But he came in second!” Cat was astonished by this revelation.
“That’s as good as last place to Lucas Presnell,” Rachel grimaced and left Cat alone with her thoughts.
Why did I have to yell that? Cat scolded herself. She looked past the finish line and saw that Luke had jogged on a bit further to cool down. He put his hands behind his head and stretched back. Then he leaned forward with his hands on his knees, panting. Cat approached him cautiously. She was the only one. Everyone else seemed to know that it was better to give him space. She was the only person within fifty feet of him, as he had retreated to the edge of the woods. She could hear him swearing to himself; she stopped short, unsure whether or not to go any closer.
“Jiminy Cricket!” Luke shouted and turning towards her, he was caught by surprise.
Cat stifled a laugh. She had never heard that expression before. Wasn’t that the little cricket in Pinocchio?
Luke seemed to realize what she must have been thinking.
“My mom used to say it when she was angry,” he said as he stomped past her.
“Whatever works,” Cat shrugged her shoulders.
“I need to be alone right now, if you don’t mind,” Luke said with frustration, as he grabbed water from the nearby refreshment table.
“You did great. Amazing, Luke, honestly,” Cat said sincerely.
Luke grunted as a response.
“I’ve never seen anyone run like that before,” Cat continued, hopefully. “It was incredible.”
“Yeah, well, not incredible enough,” Luke spat out, and poured the water over his head after chugging half of it.
“Luke, I’m being honest,” Cat responded. She was beginning to get a little aggravated. “You should be proud of yourself. I’m proud of you.”
“Of course, you are,” Luke turned away.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Cat rounded on him.
“Come on baby! I love you!” Luke imitated her in a high-pitched voice. “What were you thinking, Cat? How am I supposed to focus when you’re yelling stuff like that?”
Cat could feel the tears about to spill over. She quickly turned away from him and hurried in the other direction before he could see the effect his words had on her.
He didn’t come after her.
Cat went and sat on the school bus while the rest of the team finished up, enjoyed the awards ceremony, and changed clothes. Slowly they began to filter back onto the school bus for the half hour journey back to Watauga High. Everyone had returned. Everyone except for Luke, of course. No one had sat beside her. Cat knew they all assumed Luke would be sitting with her for the ride home, just as he had sat by her side for the ride there. She had just decided to look for Rachel and ask her to switch seats with her, when she saw Luke climb the steps onto the bus. He had his cross-country hoodie on with the hood up, though it wasn’t really cool enough outside for that. With his iPod in the front pocket and his earbuds in his ears, he made it clear that he had no interest in engaging with anyone. Cat still looked at him hopefully as he sat down beside her. He didn’t acknowledge her. Cat was infuriated. She wanted to kick him out of the seat and throw her phony wire engagement ring in his face, but she didn’t. Instead, she turned and faced the window so he couldn’t see the tears that streamed silently from her eyes. She could hear the prolific lyrics of Lupe Fiasco blaring through his headphones. She leaned her head closer to his so she could listen in.
He didn’t speak to her the entire way back. Cat started to wonder how she was getting back to Mimi’s. It seemed clear that he would not be giving her a ride as planned.
When they arrived back at the high school, Cat lag
ged behind getting off the bus so she could ask Rachel for a ride.
“What are you waiting for?” Luke yelled to her from his truck.
Cat felt confused. Did he really expect her to ride back with him after he’d yelled at her after the meet and ignored her the entire way back on the bus? She turned away from him as though she hadn’t heard. Rachel was coming down the steps of the bus, and Cat nearly jumped on her.
“Can you give me a ride?” Cat practically shouted.
“Lord, Cat,” Rachel clutched her chest in surprise. “You just gave me a heart attack.”
“Sorry,” Cat apologized and repeated her question. “Would you mind giving me a ride, Rach?”
“No, of course not,” Rachel looked past Cat to where Luke had started his truck up and was staring at them. “Why aren’t you riding back with Luke? Or should I not ask?”
Cat groaned, “I’m not speaking to him at the moment.”
Just then, he pulled up beside them in the truck and Cat turned her back to him.
“Hey, Luke,” Rachel acknowledged him, “I think I’m giving Cat a ride.”
Luke looked from Cat to Rachel, then back to Cat.
“Cat, get in the truck,” Luke sounded exasperated.
Rachel looked from Luke to Cat, who still hadn’t acknowledged Luke’s presence.
“I really should get back,” Rachel said quietly to Cat. “Since you guys are neighbors, it does make more sense for you to ride with Luke.”
Cat gave Rachel a look that was supposed to convey just how much she didn’t want to ride with Luke. It didn’t work. Rachel walked around Cat towards her car.
Rachel leaned over and whispered as she walked past, “Just make up with him, Cat. You know you want to.”
Now Rachel was officially on the black list. Cat stared after her feeling utterly deserted, but her feet remained firmly planted.
“Cat,” Luke tried to get her attention. “Do I have to physically put you in the truck myself?”
Cat looked around. There were still quite a few people milling about. Cat decided being put into the truck kicking and screaming would be embarrassing, so she begrudgingly walked around the truck and climbed into the passenger seat.
What Cat Lost (The Last Life of Cat Book 1) Page 21