We Could Make It Right

I could knock on the door – that would be a good start. I’ve been standing outside this door like a kid who left his keys at home; for a little while it was fine ,but this, it’s just getting ridiculous. No cars in the driveway, but I’m taking my chances. My hand formed into a fist as I brought it closer to the dark oak. The thought of backing down and going home came and went. Eventually, my knuckle got to the door and thumped against the door, creating an echoed sound and a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. My shoelaces suddenly became really interesting.

I heard the shuffling of keys – this is it. There she stood by the opened door in her little pajamas and her vaguely wavy hair in a loose ponytail. Her cheeks slightly rosy – she was more than likely expecting Vee.

“Hey Gare,” she said pulling and slightly tugging at her flowery shorts and black camisole. It actually looked cute on her.

“Katie,” I smiled. We engulfed each other in an awkward hug – after a few seconds of not knowing where our hands were meant to be, they eventually found a place. “Can I come in?”

I followed her into the living room where the speaker complied with the DVD player. Sprawled onto the coffee table were her textbooks and – much like mine – very few notes. On the TV screen: a still frame of The Breakfast Club. She left the room within seconds after the sound of the microwave beeped. I fell to the couch; onto a sea of cushions and a soft, wooly blanket. I easily could’ve fallen asleep here but thankfully I didn’t.

“Popcorn?” she offered, plonking herself onto the seat next to me. She curled up her legs and took the blanket away from me. With the AC on and flowing through all the vents, it was quite cold in here. As much as I wanted to keep the blanket, she did have priority over me especially in her own home.

Mumbling a short ‘Yeah, sure’, I grabbed a small handful. Not too buttery or too salty, this shit was good.

“So what are we tackling this afternoon?” I asked after I finished my final bite.

“I was thinking languages; a bit o’ English and a little bit of Spanish. And just for fun, the fundamentals of film-watching in between studying.” She replied pressing the play button on the DVD player.

“Bit o’ Spanish and English – kinda like you” I said partially without thinking.

“10 points for memory,”

“What can I say, memory of an elephant.”

I watched as she kept both eyes on the screen – almost, completely enthralled in the movie. I reached over into the bowl of popcorn resting in the bend of her leg. Amidst the rustling of the popped kernels, the softness of her skin, a feeling I’d almost forgotten. I quickly retracted my hand from the bowl. As I felt my cheeks flourish, I halted, quickly diverting my gaze to the side; before so catching a glimpse of Katie’s little half-smile.

“I’ve missed seeing you around…y’know,” I started, keeping my eyes glued to the screen. I tried to ignore that feeling in the pit of my stomach, it wasn’t helping.
“Vee’s been making fun of me…she keeps saying that I’m less functional without you around…”

She laughed – a slight blush crept onto my cheeks.

“I’ve missed being around.” She replied, sighing. She paused the movie and moved the bowl out of her way. I wanted so much just to keep her closer – I know that makes me sound needy, but I couldn’t really give two shits right now.

“Cm’here, tell Gare what’s up.” I patted my thighs. She scooted closer without hesitating and rested her head on my lap. Everything felt comfortable; for a second I almost forgot the bullshit that happened at school. Katie clung onto my arm as it rested above her hip. With my other hand, I started to run my fingers through her hair. It was one of those moments that without a doubt could last for a lifetime.

“Do you want the extended or the condensed version?,”

“Everything, Katie. I’ve got time.”

It didn’t seem relevant to tell her about Catalina; with the stuff she’s gone through with Evan, it felt like nothing. Evan and his run-in with the law, the fight for custody, her step-sisters and something as innocent as the pick-necklace I gave her. I will admit, hearing it in that sort of context really makes you wonder sometimes. Those words ‘no one would understand’ is probably one of the most underrated sentences.

“My family’s just too complicated, Garrett” she exhaled. “If I could run away for a bit of emancipation, I’d be doing it, and not a moment too soon.” She looked me in the eyes, her face pale, she almost looked as though she was looking for answers – some of which I wish I could give her.

“Katie…”

“Garrett, my family’s fucked up! My brother who should be my saving grace is making it so damn hard to trust anyone in my family – Christ – he even asked me if I wanted to come home with him.”

Come home with him? What?

“What do you mean ‘home’? You are home, right?” I gulped. I could feel my heart in my chest; a part of me was expecting her to tell me that she didn’t belong here, and as much as it pains me to say, she even looks it too.

She turned to face me and sat up slow and slightly.

“Home is…home is where…as stupid as it sounds Garrett, home is where my heart tells me it is. I’d be lying if I said it was Arizona, but I’d also be lying if I were to say that it was back in the UK.”

“It doesn’t sound stupid, Katie. It doesn’t make you any less human either” I sent her a short and brief smile.

“Then why do I feel so stupid?” she replied with dismay in her tone, turning her body away from mine. She didn’t stop me from rummaging through her silky waves and she didn’t let go.

I could be so much for her if she’d let me in – more than she already has. I’ve never believed in being someone’s everything; especially when it comes to girls. There was always something about that statement that told me that it was absolute bullshit. But god dammit, if there was something I could say or even do for her to get out of this train-wreck, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

“Katie, look at me.” As she turned back to face me, I pushed away a strand of hair that was covering her now-almost red face that was practically welling in tears.

“You’re not fucking stupid, you’re allowed to be emotional sometimes, it’s a part of this fucked up journey we call life. You gotta break down that wall, k’now? Make a few mistakes and know that the world we live in is shit, god dammit Katie-"

“Shut up, Garrett.” She pulled my face down and connected my lips with hers.

"You're perfect Katie. Seriously just wow-"

I didn’t realise how long we’d actually been kissing for until I could feel how swollen my lips were becoming. It could have been her smiling that kept me going; before I knew it, we weren’t in the position we started in. My hands caressed her hips – it felt like the night at the park all over again. I couldn’t continue – this wasn’t like her – not like this, not now.

“I-uh…I really, really like you but um…” I stammered. I felt my cheeks heat up and my chest beating a mile a second. I almost couldn't look at her, but I did and thankfully it was a mutual feeling.

“No – it’s fine, Garrett…Can we just stay here like this?” she looked at me willingly. Her beady child-like eyes stared into mine and you can't really deny these small things that make everything feel okay again.

And so we did; for a little while anyway. Her head rested on my lap as she continued to tell me of all her woes. Everyone needs a set of ears sometimes and maybe it was my turn to do that for her. I didn’t tell her about Catalina; and maybe that’s what my intention was for coming over. For all that it’s worth, I’m glad I didn’t tell her. When Vee arrived home, she didn’t flinch. At first Vee didn’t notice we were even in the living room; she yelled out random death threats probably under the impression that there were intruders in the house or something. As soon as Vee realised it was only us; she threatened to kill us and skin us alive. At the same time, she looked relieved, seeing that Katie was having "social interaction". Not even 10 minutes later, John came to the residence; it was actually pretty fascinating that he was here in the first place seeing as he's generally scared shitless of her dad. He brought with him Jamba so all was well.

We were invited to stay back for dinner once the rest of the Stephenson clan and Evan arrived back. Even though John was practically out of school (according to him, anyway), we had a small study group. I’ll admit that it was hard to concentrate after the afternoon that I spent with Katie, but thankfully Vee and John only knew the latter. John knew something was up – he had that ‘I wasn’t born yesterday’ look on his face, but to my luck he didn’t bring anything up.

At the end of dinner, I offered to help clean up. Since Evan was doing dish-duty, I figured that this would probably be an easy way to gain some browny-points. I couldn’t help but notice how similar Evan and Katie really were aside from their physical appearance. Even with his stints, he did have a low tolerance for bullshit, he’d randomly burst into song and they were both sarcastic at times. But when they wanted to be, they were serious. And if Evan is anything like Katie when it comes to seriousness, I’d be worried.

“Garrett, right?” he initiated looking at me with a broad smile.

“You can call me Gare if you want” I replied wiping the little scraps of food that seemed to fall onto the table.

“Okay, I don't want to put you on the spot; but I just need to know what your intentions are with my little sister."

“They’re nothing but good, sir.” I halted.

“Look, you seem like a good lad. I don’t know what Katelynn’s been telling you and as long as I can see that she trusts you, I have no problem with it. But please, if not for her, for me, don’t screw her over. She’s already had 2 crappy men in her life…” he sighed, stopping the tap water. “Please, don’t be a third.I've messed up pretty badly and I don't want her to think that all men are useless.”

"You've got my word…and I always stay true to them."