lonely heart - k.bishop

s e v e n t e e n

Kate was in her room at her mother's penthouse, staring up at the ceiling. The events of the past few days played on a loop in her mind, each moment bringing a fresh wave of frustration and confusion. Jack had been arrested when she returned home, and everything felt like it was spiraling out of control. Her mom was downstairs, probably dealing with the police or trying to cover up whatever mess Jack had gotten into. But up here, in her room, it was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that made her thoughts echo louder than they should.

Kate sighed and sat up, scooting over to the end of the bed. Her eyes fell on her childhood bow resting on the wall in front of her. It was a reminder of simpler times, of when she first picked it up and decided she wanted to be just like Hawkeye. Kate could almost hear her younger self's voice, so full of determination and excitement. She missed that feeling—the certainty, the confidence.

Her eyes narrowed, a new resolve hardening in her chest. She wasn't going to give up. Not now, not when things were just starting to make sense. She reached for her phone again, ignoring the tight knot of anxiety in her stomach. She needed to do something.

She dialed Clint first. The phone rang several times before it went to voicemail. With a frustrated sigh, she waited for the beep before leaving her message.

"Hey, it's me. Um... Listen, I know you said, 'It's over,' but it's not. Not for me. Call me back." Kate said, spinning around in her desk chair. A small coin flicking between her fingers.

Frustrated that Clint wasn't calling her back, Kate decided to leave him another message, "We need to talk about the other woman on the roof. Not Maya, no, the other one. I don't wanna say much on the phone. Call me back."

"So, the police arrested Jack, which is all pretty crazy. Would be great to discuss. Yeah, okay, sure, I've screwed up a few times. Okay? Fine, whatever, I'm still learning." Kate said annoyed and flung a coin across the room, just like Eden had taught her, breaking the small lamp on her bedside table, "Oh, shit."

Kate picked up her phone again, her frustration only growing stronger. "Do you think I wanna do this, Clint? You think I wanna leave these messages like a crazy person? No, this is your fault. This isn't over, Barton. I'm gonna find you."

An automated message let her know that the voicemail was full and ended the call automatically.

Kate let out another sigh and got up from her chair, throwing the phone on the bed. Clint wasn't the only one who could help her figure this out. Someone, Kate dreaded talking to a lot more right now.

Kate never meant to hurt Eden. She never meant to make it personal. But she had, and now Eden wasn't answering her calls.

Kate took a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves twisting her insides. She had to make this right. Eden meant too much to her to let this hang over them. And if Eden wouldn't answer, then Kate would leave her a message—one where she could actually say what she meant, without the heat of the moment clouding everything.

With a shaky exhale, she dialed Eden's number and listened as it rang. The familiar sound of Eden's voicemail greeted her, and Kate waited for the beep.

When it came, she hesitated for only a second before speaking.

"Hey, Eden... it's Kate. Um... I know you're probably busy or avoiding my calls, and I get it. But I need to say this, so... here goes."