Bad Luck Katie

Star Crossed

"Jules, there's something I need to tell you."

Katie mentioned this to Jules over the phone during their brief conversation. After that, he didn't hear from her for a few days. Suspecting that whatever she had to tell him was important, he decided not to press the issue and to wait until she was ready to share, since she didn't provide any further details at that time.

In his last-period class, his phone buzzed with an incoming message.

Meet me by the tree.

The sycamore tree. He knew exactly where to go.

He bit his lip nervously. This would be the first time they had spoken face to face in ages. Of course, he did catch a glimpse of her in the hallway while grabbing a few things from his locker, but this was different.

The bell rang. He got up from his seat and rushed towards the doorway.

Pushing his way through the packed hallway, he exited the building and sprinted all the way to the sycamore tree, anticipating seeing Katie there. She hadn't arrived yet.

As he turned, he noticed the dark-haired girl approaching, which made him take a shaky breath.

She was breathtakingly beautiful.

The bruise on Katie's face has nearly disappeared, leaving only a quarter-sized mark near her eye. Her pupils were dilated, and she moved sluggishly.

He frowned; something seemed off with Katie.

She stopped just short of standing before him, keeping a distance between them, her eyes darting back and forth, scanning the surrounding area.

Jules withdrew his hand from his pants pocket and awkwardly waved. "Hi," he said.

"Hi," Katie replied with a stoic face. The silence between them deepened.

Jules waited to see if Katie would mention her living situation. If she didn't bring it up, he wouldn't either.

Her hands trembled as Katie clasped them together to steady herself. "I don't know how to say this," she said.

She took a deep breath while Jules waited, his eyes fixed on her.

"I was raped," Katie said, swallowing, "Kyle, my foster brother did it," she gestured to her arm with the grubby cast, "He did this to me too."

Jules staggered backward as if the wind had been knocked out of him. His eyes stung.

"That motherfucker did that to you?" he said, his bottom lip quivering.

"Yes," Katie said, her voice squeaking. Though she tried to hold them in, the tears started to fall.

"I didn't remember it until after you kissed me. I'm not blaming you," she continued. "I just...," her words trailed off.

Jules looked down as a gentle wind blew through the budding leaves in the nearby trees. A teardrop fell from his eye and clung to the bridge of his nose. "I wanted to know what happened," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I know the courage it took for you to tell me." He looked up at her, his eyes tear-stained. "Believe me when I say this: None of this is your fault."

Katie sobbed, releasing her pain with a mournful wail as she buried her face in her hands.

Pained to see her in distress, Jules longed to cross the invisible barrier between them and hold her in his arms, but he restrained himself.

"It's not your fault," he said, clenching his fist, wanting to throttle the man who caused her so much agony. Just wait until he finds out where the bastard lives.

Katie turned away, feeling embarrassed by her blubbering, and wiped her nose on her shirt sleeve.

She heard retreating footsteps. "Just as I thought," she thought forlornly. "He didn't want anything more to do with me because I'm tainted."

"Katie," Jules said, standing behind her. She jumped, startled by his closeness. He grimaced at her knee-jerk reaction.

"You thought I was going to turn my back on you and walk away, didn't you?" he said, his voice cracking.

Katie looked down at the ground, feeling ashamed.

"I'm not going anywhere. Do you hear me?" he said. "Nowhere."

Katie gaped at the boy, who stood in a defiant stance, in shock, her eyes wide.

Prudence stared down at her plate of stuffed peppers with a mixture of soggy vegetables, picking at the unappetizing food. "I hate this place," she mumbled to herself. "How much longer do I have to put up with this shit?"

The plan was to monitor Katie and report her movements. However, since Katie moved to her own room, monitoring her has become more difficult. Something had to happen to expedite the process so she could leave this dreadful place.

She noticed Yvette leaving the cafeteria with a tray as she headed back to the front desk. She quickly jumped up from her chair, realizing this was her chance to put her plan in motion.

"Yvette," she yelled, catching her breath, "I've been debating whether I should tell you this, but I think there's something you should know about Katie."

"I'm listening," the woman replied with a wary stare.

"I think Katie has been drinking," the girl said with a sniffle for added effect. "I smelled alcohol on her when we were roommates."

The woman tightened her lips into a thin line and responded, "I see."

"I'm not trying to get her in trouble," the girl said. "I'm just concerned about her."

"Thank you for informing me," the woman said. "We will take care of it from here."

The girl smiled faintly and said, "You're welcome."