Don’t Forget To Take A Breath Before You Fall

Katherine walked down the cold streets of New York with her oldest brother, holding a warm cup of Starbucks coffee as her brother walked besides her, carrying the exact same cup.

“I told you there was a Starbucks around here,” Kevin said childishly.

Katherine childishly poked her tongue out at him. “Whatever Kev. That radar of yours is so weird,” she said. “Let’s just get back on the bus before my butt freezes.”

“Ew, your butt.”

“Shut up, Kev…”

Katherine stopped mid-sentence when she saw the newspaper stands filled with pictures of her and Damien. The couple were on the front cover, kissing passionately. There were two other pictures on the side of the focal picture. One, when Katherine was stepping out of the car and Damien holding the door for her. The other one, when Katherine and Damien were having dinner.

“Kevin…” she said speechlessly.

“Yes?” he said, completely oblivious to the pictures meters away from him.

“Look,” she pointed to the newspapers in their stands. “Over there.”

Kevin walked up to the stand and took the paper out of its stand and quickly threw a green note to the man behind the counter. He walked back to Katherine and opened the paper.

“You’ve got some explaining to do when we get back on the bus,” he said earnestly, folding the newspaper back into quarters.

They started walking again, and minutes later they were back in the bus, where Joe and Nick were watching re-runs of Friends on the television.

“Listen, dearest brothers,” Kevin said angrily, who through the newspaper to Nick who caught it. “Look what was sitting in the newspaper stands this early morning.”

“It’s nothing big,” Katherine shrugged. “Joe already saw me kissing him last night-”

Nick violently unfolded the newspaper and read it. “You’ve already kissed him?”

“It was just a kiss,” she said defensively.

“What’s this guy’s name again?”

“Damien.”

Joe clenched his fist into a ball. “Where does this Damien live?” he asked, red in the face.

“No, Joe! I am not telling you where he lives or what his number is because I am not going to let you, Kevin or Nick bash him up!”

“Now what’s this arguing about?” Denise asked, walking into the room.

“It’s nothing.”

“Katherine May, do not use that tone on me.”

Katherine was about to say something back to her mother, but a voice from the television cut her off.

“And now, welcome back to E! News,” the male host said. “Now we’ve got some last minute gossip from New York City-”

“Joe, turn it up,” Denise said, as everyone in the room turned their attention to the television.

Katherine felt a knot in her stomach, hoping that this wasn’t what she was thought it was, or, that was all over the newspapers this morning.

“-Last night, Katherine Jonas – the Jonas Brothers’ sister – was seen out with a mysteriously handsome looking guy, it’s rumoured that this was her first date with him. Is this going too far for a first date? Send in your thoughts, and stay turned for more.”

The screen suddenly switched to a picture where the skinny torso of Katherine was facing the camera and had her head up passionately kissing another male. It was Damien. She had her skinny arms wrapped around his neck, like she was pulling him down to her.

Denise switched the television off and looked at Katherine straight in the eye. Immediately, Katherine’s head lowered, and she found herself staring at her worn-out green converse. She already knew what was coming.

“Katherine,” she said softly, yet alarmingly. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”