Skinny • Book 1 In The Reality Series

Katy

Tears blurring my vision I pushed open the large, metal front doors of the school and walked out in the pouring rain. Stopping only momentarily to wearily watch a streak of lightening flash across the sky in the distance, I hurriedly took the cement front steps two at a time.

Reaching the sidewalk, I pulled my hood over my head against the rain, and bowing my head started home. I was aware of someone calling my name in the distance, but I ignored them.

“Katy!”

Keep walking.

“Katy!”

Don’t stop.

“Katy!”

“Don’t turn around.

“Katy!”

I felt someone’s fingertips wrap around my arm and then I was being turned around to face Calum.

“Let go of me.” I snapped, jerking my arm out of his grasp and wiping the moisture off of my face, unsure of how much was rain water, and how much my own tears.

“Katy, you have to listen to me.” Calum pleaded, jogging around to stand infront of me as I turned my back on him.

“I don’t have to do anything.” I replied.

“Actually you do.” Calum panted, winded from running after me, “You need to listen to me.”

“Why?” I demanded, “So you can get some more extra credit?”

“No! Damnit it! I’m not getting any extra credit!”

A bit taken aback by his outburst, I looked down for a moment before speaking, “Then get out of my way.”

“No Katy.” He sighed, “I want to talk to you.”

“Why?” I whispered, looking up at him, “Look at me, and look at you.”

Wincing, Calum ran his fingertips through his hair which was slicked down with rain water, bringing it back to life, “Katy…I…I shouldn’t have said that.”

“You did.”

“I know and I’m sorry. I just was so scared that Sierra would hurt you that I….”

“Beat her to it?”

Shoving his hands, in his pockets, Calum looked down.

“What am I to you?” I questioned, my voice wavering with emotion, “An assignment?”

“No!”

“A charity case?”

“No!”

“Then what?”

“My friend.”

“Calum, save it. Just….leave me alone, please.”

Watching him watching me from his hair which was plastered against my forehead, I sighed before turning on my heel to go. Shoving my hands in my pockets I started home when I felt Calum’s hand wrap around my arm once again, turning me around to face him.

“Stop!” I snapped, “What are you do….”

Before I could finish my sentence I was cut off by something being pressed against my mouth. Startled I felt my eyes widen, finding Calum’s face inches from my own, his hands cupping my cheeks lightly, his lips touching mine, kissing me.

I just stood there for a moment, stunned. Not only was this my first kiss, it was in the rain. This wasn’t any ordinary front door peck, this was a Notebook style kiss. The kind that graced the tops of bucket lists everywhere and filled the pages of cheesy romance novels.

Finally realizing that Calum Hood was kissing me, me of all people and was probably suffering from some kind of undetected closed head injury from the accident, I pulled away breathlessly.

Breathing heavily, Calum’s eyes snapped open and he stared hard at me with the sort of confused terror I could tell graced my own features.

“What the heck was that?” I asked.

“What?” he questioned.

“That is not what friends do!” I informed him.

Chewing his lower lip, he ran his fingertips through his dark hair and nodded.

“I’m sorry.” He said after a moment of silence, “I… I don’t know what I was thinking you were just there, and you were leaving and I panicked.”

“And your knee jerk reaction was to kiss me?” I asked carefully.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled, “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Nodding slowly, I reached up and wiped away the raindrops which blurred my vision.

“I um…I have to go.” He said quickly, scratching the back of his neck, “Back inside, I’m going to be late for class.”

“Yeah…I have to get going too.” I mumbled.

Nodding, he looked at me awkwardly for a moment before raising a hand in a half hearted wave. Then turning on his heel, he jogged up the front steps and into the school, leaving me alone in the rain my mind abuzz with everything that had just happened.