Cat & Drew's Whirlwind Adventure

8. The Duality of Cat and Troy

It's weird how it works sometimes, like how one thing can stay exactly the same, while everything around it changes to become something completely different. That's what I feel like—I am the thing—never changing, never evolving, just standing right here in the same spot while the world spins faster and faster around me until it's something I don't recognize. Each day is a gift dad says, even if it's not the kind that comes with a receipt so I can return it. To me each day feels like another mile on a car I stole, I don't know how far it'll take me, or how long this ride will last, but my foot is pressed all the way down on the gas and I'm driving forward recklessly with no clue when I'll eventually crash. That's hard to think of as a gift, but, if nothing else it's a good exercise in something I can practice being grateful for.

It's a brand-new month, and another thing I can choose to be grateful for is that some of the chatter surrounding my mysterious disappearance over summer has started to dissipate. Not nearly enough for my liking, but I'll take what I can get, I never thought I would be so happy for Goodbury High's annual talent show. Signups will start soon, and by the time they conclude the talentless and unlucky shmucks sucked into performing will get a little over a month to rehearse before their so-called talents are put on full display for our entire school to mock and laugh at.

After my last period ends I'm stuck in the hall behind two of my classmates who are gushing excitedly about trying out together. It makes me a little sad hearing that, it takes me back to last year, to what somehow seems like an entire lifetime ago. Lisa had tried getting me to audition with her, failing to grasp that even if I had any degree of interest—which I didn't—that I lack any real talent outside of the water. She was great though, outstanding in fact, I wish I would've told her that. Shame she didn't win either. Shame, too, that I can't go back to when worrying about my friend being in a stupid competition was the most I had to be concerned about.

I suppose that's quite obviously the biggest thing that's changed for me, one summer and I was pulled from my natural order, the progression my life should have taken. I was ripped out of time, out of place, put on a shelf. And here I've stayed. I don't want anybody to feel bad for me, I came back from Resthaven and did almost everything I'm supposed to; I get out of bed each morning, I come to school, go to work. I've even made new friends. As for the rest, well, I'm trying not to dwell, so as easy as life had been one year ago, I put it out of my mind and step around the couple ahead of me to hurry outside where I see both of the new friends in question.

Troy is right on the wall where I knew he'd be, but I'm a little more surprised to see Cat too—though the goods that I catch exchanging hands, even from way back here, tells me everything I need to know. Neither of them seem to notice my approach, not when they're so heavily invested in one another.

"What, no tip?" Troy jokes, shoving the wad of cash that Cat no doubt stole from her aunt into his pocket haphazardly. He knows she doesn't have a job, I can't be the only one wondering where the money comes from, but apparently those pesky scruples he espouses only apply when it comes to me.

"You want a tip? How about you lose the guitar, you John Mayer wannabe. Seriously you look like a douchebag, nobody's going to think you're cool. And what's with the stupid backwards hat?" She grouches back, picking apart his whole look while he sits there and laughs, good-natured. I wouldn't dare pipe up and advocate that I do actually think he looks kind of cool, a little bit I mean, or that the backwards hat he wears unironically has grown on me. What I do end up doing though, unconsciously, is laughing right along.

"Hey, look who turned up," all of Troy's attention shifts to me as he holds up his instrument. "What do you think, guitar or no guitar? My good friend Cat here is under the impression that I'm a talentless hack, even though she's never even heard me play. You know what, that's not a bad idea, pick a song, I'll play something for you right now. It'll be good practice."