She heard footsteps and felt Rachel’s hand touch her shoulder, “Here she comes,” she whispered.
“Oh, Cat! I’m so sorry! I can’t believe he would break up with you like that … and for HER!” Rachel said loudly, as Cat ‘sobbed’ into her hands.
Rachel turned around and, as expected, Clarissa was happily watching the scene unfold.
“I hope you’re happy now!” Rachel shouted to her. “Luke just broke up with Cat because of you!”
Clarissa looked shocked but could not contain her overcome joy, “Aww, well isn’t that too bad. Guess he realized what he was missing.”
With that, Clarissa strode past them, but not in the direction of the concession stand as she usually did, but towards the announcer’s booth where Luke always sat to read out the half-time announcements. Rachel looked at Cat and smiled, so far everything was going as planned.
Luke had just finished reading the list of team sponsors, when he heard a knock at the door. He clicked off the loud speaker and turned around. He was alone in the booth now that the announcers had left for their break. He took a deep breath. He knew what was coming would require some acting on his part. He didn’t think it should be too difficult; he’d pretended to like her half the time they were dating.
“Come in,” he said, hoping the trepidation in his voice didn’t show through. His teeth were practically chattering from the cold, maybe he could pass the shakiness off as that.
“Luke?” Clarissa peeked her head in the door. “Are you alone?”
“I am,” Luke rolled his eyes, before he got up to open the door the rest of the way, “Come in. It’s so windy out there.” Luke locked the door behind her.
“Oh, thanks,” Clarissa’s voice became saccharine-sweet. “I just heard … I knew she wasn’t the right person for you.”
“You did?” Luke knew his best bet was to play along with her for a minute or two, he only hoped he could stand her long enough.
“Of course, how could she be. We always belonged together,” she came forward and put her hands on his shoulders. Luke forced himself to allow that.
“I guess I realized it, too,” Luke whispered. He felt like gagging, as Clarissa began to run her hands through his hair.
“When did you realize it? This is so sudden,” Luke could hear the uncertainty in Clarissa’s voice, he knew he would have to try harder.
Luke took her hands in his, “I’m so sorry I hurt you, Clarissa. Cat was a bitch, just like you said.”
“Don’t forget a Yankee whore,” Clarissa piped up happily.
Luke faked a laugh, “Yeah, that too.”
“You’re just now realizing this?” Clarissa moved in to kiss him.
Luke spoke before she could get the chance, “Yeah, well, ever since she fell and hurt her knee, she’s become so whiny and helpless. I can’t stand girls like that.”
“I’m not like that,” Clarissa moved towards him again.
“I know,” Luke stepped back towards the sound system until his back was against the table, “you take charge of your life, that’s one thing I like about you.”
Clarissa smiled and leaned in.
“You see what you want and you get it … no matter what it takes,” Luke continued, he reached his hand behind him and started groping for the microphone button.
“Does this mean I’m finally going to ‘get’ you, Luke?” she asked suggestively, her hands stroking his chest.
“You can ‘get’ whatever you want Clarissa,” Luke said, he felt his stomach churning nervously. “I’m just glad you pushed her down the stairs. It helped me see what a complete loser she really is.”
Luke prayed that the next words out of her mouth would be something incriminating, and he pressed his hand down on the loudspeaker button. Clarissa didn’t even notice.
“She only got what she deserved,” Clarissa purred. “Now, let’s get your pants off so I can give you a little bit of what you deserve.”
Luke really wished the entire stadium hadn’t heard that last part. He took a breath and pressed on, he had to get her to say that she pushed Cat down the stairs. He didn’t have much time. Luke was certain that the announcers would be on their way back up to the booth now that the loudspeaker was on, along with Principal Weaver, Vice Principal Clare, and God-knows-who-else.
“I can always count on you to make sure people get what they deserve, Clarissa,” Luke chuckled, “I really am glad you pushed Cat down those stairs.”
“Me too,” Clarissa laughed. “You should have seen the way her feet flipped over her head. It was classic.”
Luke joined in her laughter. He had gotten what he needed. He knew he would never be allowed to do the half-time announcements again; good thing it was the last football game of his senior year. It had been completely worth it.
Clarissa jumped at the sudden banging on the door. Luke smiled and clicked off the loudspeaker.
“They’re back early,” Clarissa frowned, as she watched Luke walk to the door and unlock it.
Principal Weaver walked in, followed by the two regular announcers, and the school resource officer.
“Clarissa,” Principal Weaver said tersely, “I believe I have to remove you from school grounds until your expulsion hearing next Monday morning.”
“What?!” Clarissa looked at them, then back to Luke who was smiling broadly. “You?! You set me up? They heard me?”
“The entire stadium heard you, Clarissa,” Principal Weaver amended. “It was over the loudspeaker. Which means you will also be facing some detention time, Luke, for abusing that privilege.”
Luke shrugged, “That’s fine. I kind of expected that.” He turned to Clarissa, who was seething like some demon-possessed cheerleader. “Clarissa … sucks to be you.”
Luke had barely gotten down the stairs from the booth when he felt Clarissa land on his back — screaming, punching, and tearing at his hair. He could see the men scrambling down the stairs to get to her. Luke leaned down and flipped her over his back, so that she landed on the cold, hard ground.
“You’re an asshole! ASSHOLE!” she screamed, as the resource officer helped her up and held her back. She continued yelling obscenities at him as she was escorted through the sea of onlookers.
Cat emerged from the crowd and limped over to where Luke stood, straightening his torn shirt.
“I’m guessing both of you are responsible for this,” Principal Weaver came up to them.
“We are,” Cat said sheepishly. “We get detention, right?”
“You do,” he nodded. “But I am glad that the appropriate person is being punished. Maybe only one afternoon of detention is needed.”
“Thank you,” Cat breathed. For the stunt they had just pulled, she had been expecting more.
As the crowd dispersed, Luke and Cat remained. He took her hand and led her over to a bench by the concession stands. The game had commenced and only a couple of people lingered nearby.
“So,” Cat leaned close to him, “she didn’t get your pants off, did she?”
“You heard that, did you?” Luke rolled his eyes.
“Luke, the entire stadium heard it,” Cat said with a disgusted look on her face, “I almost puked!”
“Me too,” Luke laughed.
“I knew you wouldn’t let her do that, though,” Cat smiled.
“No way,” Luke agreed. “The only person taking my pants off is me … and you, someday.”
“Someday,” Cat sighed.
“At least now all of our Clarissa-troubles are over,” Luke leaned over and kissed her sweetly. “She will be expelled and it will be just you and me.”
“I really like the sound of that,” Cat kissed him back.
“You and me,” he repeated, touching her wire-wrapped ring lightly.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The sound of the bell on
the front door had Cat jumping out of bed and hurrying to put her clothes on. She didn’t pay attention to what she threw on as she quickly brushed her hair, her teeth, and skipped down the stairs. Lately, her inner fashionista had taken a back seat to Luke’s girlfriend. She didn’t bother with makeup half the time, as it just took time away from getting to see him.
“Hey, babe,” she greeted him with a kiss as she entered the kitchen.
Mimi cleared her throat from where she sat with the newspaper at the kitchen table.
“Sorry, Mimi,” Cat blushed, as she sat down beside her. Luke scooted her chair in for her.
“If I am pretending that I don’t know anything, you need to make sure that it looks like there is nothing for me to know,” Mimi said, as she peered at the two of them from behind her newspaper.
“That’s fair,” Luke nodded and winked at Cat.
“Luke, that is my foot,” Mimi informed him with a barely contained laugh turned cough, as she got up to refill her coffee.
Cat laughed and it was Luke’s turn to blush, “Footsie at the table is not the best idea, perhaps,” Cat chuckled.
“So, what work do you have for us today, Mimi?” Luke asked, changing the subject.
“Well, I don’t know how much Cat can help. It might be best if she stays put,” Mimi said thoughtfully.
“No! I can help. My knee is almost all better. I can do it! What is it?” Cat sputtered.
“Lifting rocks out of the river bank,” Mimi said with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah, not so much,” she sighed dejectedly and sat back down.
“She could keep me company while I load them on,” Luke recommended.
“Oh, I can do that!” Cat said happily, that sounded better to her anyway. She really didn’t care what she did, as long as she was with Luke.
“Well, I just need enough river rocks to make a raised flower bed at the end of the drive,” Mimi informed, “just one load should be enough.”
“No problem,” Luke nodded.
“You need a whole truck load of rocks?” Cat raised her eyebrows. That seemed like a bit much to her.
“Well, I want to stack them about three or four feet high to make the flower bed, so that does require a lot of rocks,” Mimi smiled. Her granddaughter never ceased to amuse her.
“Ready to go, babe?” Luke asked, pushing away from the table.
Cat nodded.
“You’ll need to get a pair of waders out of the barn, in case you need to walk into the water a bit. Also, grab some extra sweaters and scarves from the hallway closet, the temperature is supposed to start dropping this afternoon. It’s going to be in the low teens tonight.”
“Is it supposed to snow?” Luke asked.
“Not until tomorrow,” Mimi answered, “but you best not take too long, just in case. If it started snowing while you were down at the New River, your truck wouldn’t get back up to the highway, four-wheel drive or not.”
Luke nodded.
“What’s wrong with the road?” Cat asked. She couldn’t fathom a road paved or unpaved that Luke’s truck couldn’t take.
“It’s just a bumpy dirt road,” Luke shrugged.
“But it’s steep, driving from the highway down the five-mile road to the river bank,” Mimi said warily. “Luke, maybe you guys should just hang out around here today. The rocks can wait until another day.”
“Mimi, we’ll be quick,” Luke smiled. “Besides, the snow’s not due in till tomorrow anyways.”
“I’ll be fine,” Cat reassured, as she walked with her slight limp to the closet for extra layers.
Cat was glad they were getting away for a bit. Even though Mimi pretended that everything was the same as before, she could sense her grandmother was a little bit wary of letting them spend extended periods of time alone together. Recently, their chores had been confined to the area directly around the house. Cat was certain this was so she could keep an eye on them. Maybe she was trying to ascertain the seriousness of their relationship. Or perhaps, she felt guilty for not noticing it earlier and she was trying to catch up on her role as Cat’s guardian? Whatever the reason, Cat was relieved that they finally had some time alone together now. Even if it meant Luke doing manual labor while Cat watched on.
She scooted close to him in the truck, as they drove through the winding mountain roads. They passed the small road where they usually turned for Luke’s barn, and then about a mile down from there, they turned onto a narrow dirt lane.
“This isn’t very steep,” Cat remarked as they began to descend.
“Not yet,” Luke winked at her.
The truck bounced and bumped through pothole after pothole; Cat thought she might get whiplash from all the jostling about. Finally, the road curved so sharply down that Cat extended her arms and held herself from falling into the glove compartment.
“This is the only way to get to the river?” Cat said wide-eyed.
“No,” Luke laughed, “but it’s the only access road that Mimi has the right to use. She has some riverfront property and this is the road that leads there. It was probably a logging road 50-some years ago.”
“Uh-huh,” Cat pressed her back against the seat, “This truck can’t fall forward can it?”
“I love you, Cat,” Luke laughed, “You amuse me.”
Cat blushed. She took a deep breath to make sure her temper didn’t rise. Even though she’d spent a considerable amount of time with Luke during the last few months, they still had their little spats. They still could make each other’s tempers flare quicker than anyone else they knew. She knew she would always ask ‘ridiculous’ questions from time to time when it came to rural living, but she was anxious to get him on her turf, where she would be the expert and he would be the novice.
The truck continued down until the ground leveled out, beside a steadily moving river.
“I used to go tubing down this river in the summer,” Luke smiled at Cat. “I’ll have to take you sometime.”
“Not anytime soon,” Cat laughed. The water looked absolutely frigid.
“Well, let’s get this done before any snow moves in,” Luke said, with his eyes on the sky.
“But the weather said the snow wouldn’t be moving in till tomorrow,” Cat looked up as well.
“Those are snow clouds, Cat” Luke said. “And they will be here before nightfall.”
“How could you possibly know that?” Cat asked intrigued.
Luke just smiled, “I’m a mountain boy, remember?”
Cat found it so interesting that he knew little things like that. Things Cat couldn’t begin to understand. They had been raised in two completely different cultures. Sometimes, it seemed like they were worlds apart. Yet, she still had never had anyone who understood her so well. Not since Landon. The thought of his name caused her eyes to burn. She hadn’t thought of him in a long time. But she knew she wasn’t forgetting. Landon would always be a part of her, just as Luke had become.
She and Luke laughed and talked all morning, as Cat watched him pull rocks out of the riverbed. She knew his hands must be frozen solid by now. She watched them plunge into the water and pull out another large, flat, smooth rock.
“So, when Mimi said river rocks, she really meant straight out of the river,” Cat commented.
“Sure did,” Luke smiled at her.
Cat didn’t have to ask what he was thinking. His expression said it all.
“Honey, your hands have to be freezing,” Cat said. “Let’s take a quick lunch break … I have a surprise.”
Luke raised an eyebrow, “Oh really?”
“Not that kind of surprise,” Cat giggled. “I made a thermos of hot chocolate for us before we left.”
She pulled it out from behind the seat.
“Cat?” Luke asked.
“Yeah, babe,” Cat responded, filling up two
Styrofoam cups for them.
“Next year,” Luke began, “how will we stay together?”
Cat looked up, “What do you mean?”
“We’ll be so far apart. I’ll be running cross country for App and you’ll be up north in some Ivy League …”
Cat interrupted him, “I’m not going anywhere Luke. I’m staying here … with you.”
“But Yale …”
“I didn’t apply,” Cat cut him off. “I mean, my parents think that I applied to all the schools we had discussed, but I didn’t apply to any of them.”
“What?” Luke looked at her in shock.
“I applied to ASU and one other school,” Cat looked up at him, “I didn’t want to tell you till I was accepted, but I just got the letter yesterday.”
“You’re coming to App with me?” Luke looked astonished but excited.
Cat nodded. Luke put down his hot chocolate and wrapped her into a bear hug for a kiss.
Lately, their kisses had been short and sweet. They had been trying so hard to keep things under control. But the knowledge of being together for the next four years, made this moment impossible to resist.
Cat suddenly felt warm, despite the cool air on her face, as Luke leaned her against the seat of the truck. He didn’t resist as she pushed down the suspenders that held up his waders. He stepped out of them, with his jeans on underneath. She grabbed his sweater with both of her fists and pulled him to her. Reaching his hands around her waist, he let them slide lower until he could easily lift her legs to wrap around him.
“I think we should move this into the truck,” Cat said quietly through chattering teeth.
What Cat Lost (The Last Life of Cat Book 1) Page 24