Number 15 - Katie McCabe

6

"Please?" Katie turns around sighing with a glare, before walking and sitting down beside me. I really don't know why she would be mad at me, I haven't done anything to her. The thought makes me mad, but I push it down, remembering what Beth said.

"Well? What is it then?" She asks impatiently, her blue eyes piercing into my skin.

"Can we please start over?" I finally get out. Although it takes me a lot to actually say it, I know it will be better for the team, even if I find it hard.

"Start over?" She scoffs. "You were the one who had a deal with me in the first place." She says, continuing to glare at me.

"Don't act as though you didn't have an issue with me either." I start, anger building in my stomach, but I know I shouldn't lash out, it'll only make things worse. "Look, I don't want to fight. I just think it would be good if we could at least get along. For the team's sake." I say, trying to calm the conversation. I see her shoulders tense up. She's stubborn, but I think she knows that I'm right.

"I just don't understand the shift in opinion." Katie replies, looking at something else while speaking.

"I guess I could say the same for you." I say, making her look at me again, confused this time.

"What do you mean?" I can tell that she's starting to get riled up again, but I need to find out why she left the car without a word yesterday.

"When I dropped you off last night. Why did you storm off?" I ask her, causing her to sneer.

"What do you want me to say? Thank you for driving me home?" She says back stubbornly, in an attempt to close the conversation down.

"No, what I want to know is, why were you upset? I'm sorry if I hurt you, but I really don't know what I did. I'm just trying to understand." I say empathetically, trying hard to crack open the shell that she guards so protectively, but she just shakes her head, looking down at her feet.

"You just don't get it do you?" She replies now looking back at me in... Disbelief?

"Get what?" I ask, trying to find an answer through her deep blue eyes.

"Never mind." She says, turning back to look down at her feet, and I shrug it off, not wanting to push the subject. The last thing I want to do is to end up in another argument with her.

"Can we please just start over? We could at least try and be...Friends." I spit out through gritted teeth. Friends. Ugh. Hopefully, it won't be as bad as I think it is, but I know that I just have to let those feelings go.

"Friends? Mm, I think you've crossed the line there." She replies to my awkward tone of voice, laughing slightly as she speaks.

"So, is that a yes?" I ask, surprised by the quick change in attitude, I was expecting her to say something rude or immature, but I'm not complaining.

"I guess we could try." Katie says, forcing a smile. I think we both cringe at that moment, but we know that it will be better for everyone else if we at least try to be civil with one another. Even if it means we hate each other on the inside. If we keep getting into fights, the only people who will look bad in the end will be us.

"Are we okay now?" I ask with a laugh while scratching the back of my neck.

"Yeah, I think we are." She smiles and I breathe a sigh of relief as we get up to walk out of the changing rooms together.

"Thank god for that." I say, making us both laugh.

"You know, I think that's the first time you've used my first name." She says while looking at me, raising her eyebrows.