No Shame (Book 2 - No Regrets)

Chapter Fifty - Before We Part

JUNE 2017
ONE MONTH LATER

KATIE'S POV

My sophmore year of high school concludes without anything worth noting. I earn high marks in my classes and am given the green light to advance into junior year. Summer break begins and offers me little to nothing in the way of a distraction.

I lay in my bed, staring up at the ceiling and listening to the night's song, waiting until physical exhaustion subdues me. Without having school to distract me, I find the world around me to be even more gray and dreary.

Dominick and I, unsurprisingly, are still not speaking. Not in the way that counts. He feels he has nothing to say to me and he doesn't want to listen to anything I say to try to make amends. Therefore, there's nothing left to do or say. Not even Mollie can bridge the gap between us. We pretend that the tension doesn't exist when we're around her together. We go through the motions of normality, exchanging hugs, greetings, and conversation; but his words are void of any sincerity and his embrace is cold and stuff.

  A small dull yellow-white circle of light appears on my ceiling a couple feet toward the front of the room. I sit up slightly in bed, feeling perplexed. The circle dances around in a small circle. I follow the stream of light from the ceiling to my window. I cautiously approach my window from the side and glance out, concealing myself as much as I can from view.

I do not immediately recognize Christopher standing outside in the backyard. He's hardly visible from behind the flashlight in his hand. I only recognize him by his slightly tall figure and the way his feet are planted spread apart. Now that my curiosity is satisfied and nerves are settled, I walk over to turn on my bedroom light. I walk over to the window and give Christopher a small wave.

Christopher lowers the flashlight, he steps forward into the light coming from my window.  He gestures with the flashlight toward the side, over to where the back door is. I don't even take a second to debate with myself, I raise a finger to gesture for him to hold on. Quickly but also quietly, I exit my room, turning the light off behind me, and make my way downstairs.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" I ask worriedly, stepping outside. I turn on the back floodlights and make sure the backdoor is unlocked before quietly closing the door behind me.

"I should be asking you." Christopher says. "You haven't responded to any of my calls or messages."

The worry inside me dissipates, "Oh, yeah. I'm grounded from my phone and laptop. Indefinitely." I explain.

On the last official day of school, the second I got home, my phone and laptop were confiscated, my punishment which had been delayed until I no longer required either for school-related matters. Until further notice, my only way to contact the outside world is using the home phone. I didn't have the energy mentally or emotionally to put up a fight, nor did I have any motivation to fight, there was no one I thought I could talk to.

"Oh well... I guess that makes sense." Christopher says, he turns off the flashlight.

"Thanks for checking on me, I guess." I say.

"Yeah. Glad you're okay." Christopher looks down at his feet, he lights kicks the blades of grass with his right foot.

"Is that it?" I ask. Please don't go yet.

"No." Christopher says looking back up at me. "I came to also apologize. I have been wanting to ever for a while, ever since the night of your party. I wanted to apologize to you in person, at school, immediately but you moved desks and then you- never mind none of that matters . I am sorry, I hurt you and then I left. That wasn't right, especially not to you, there's no excuse."