Project: High School

Chapter 23 - "Whatever you say, kid."

The boy blinks a few times in surprise, not having expected such a confident response to come from her. Unbeknownst to him, she had been watching him and his group of friends attempt the climb and fail pretty badly. He shakes off his shock after a few seconds, grinning like mad.

"Your confidence is one hell of a turn on, I can tell you that. Sure, that sounds like a plan to me. If you fall off after making it about halfway, I'll be waiting for you."

Katy smiles, knowing that she won't have to give him her number, since she implemented that she'll only give him it if she falls off. Not that she's planning on doing that. "Then i hope you'll be watching me."

The boy chuckles and nods, "Of course, I'll be watching. See you soon, i guess."

He then walks back to his group, all of which practically pounce on him because they're all surprised he actually managed to talk to her without turning into a puddle of nerves. Katy watches this with great amusement as she waits for her turn to attempt the climb.

Nelly, who has been watching the whole interaction from beside Richerson, just laughs quietly to herself. It's rare to see Katy this animated and talkative, especially outside of the base.

Once, a few months after meeting Katy, Nelly had asked Richerson why he always looked so surprised when Katy acted like a normal teenager around her.

"Katy has spent her whole life on base, surrounded by soldiers and drill sergeants. Her father and mother was deployed for a majority of her life so she was mainly raised by her grandparents, her grandfather being the four star General who oversees the base she grew up on.

But then her father went MIA on a small skirmish that an Ally Nation asked for assistance ending. The loss killed Tyler, her mother, and affected Katy more than she'll ever admit to anyone. And...as for the rest of her story, you'll have to ask her because it's not my right to tell"

Nelly had taken several weeks to process all of this information, unable to see Katy without feeling this crushing ache in her heart. It was then, with this new knowledge, that Nelly swore to be the best mother figure that she could be for Katy.

Nelly's reminiscing is adruptly interrupted by Katy calling out to her and her husband.

"Hey, Richy! Watch me absolutely crush this!"

Richerson immediately frowns, his competitive nature kicking into high gear as he calls back, "Uh huh. Whatever you say, kid."

Katy laughs brightly at his response as she approaches the hammock climb, rolling her shoulders out as she examines the set up. Between the slope that the framed net is set at and the overall unstable nature of the whole thing is due to the net only being held up by two poles, Katy can tell that this is going to be a fun little challenge for her.

After a few seconds, she grins widely as her eyes sparkle with amusement, already knowing exactly how she's going to tackle this challenge.

Once it's her turn, she steps up and rocks the net with her hand to see just how sensitive it is. With a nod to herself, she grabs the support pole to hoist herself up. She carefully rests her weight in the middle of the net, finding the balance point. Once her footing is firm, she bolts forward, keeping only her toes on each rung to minimize the risk of catching her feet.

In less than a blink of an eye, Katy completes the challenge and leans back against the second support pole to scan the crowd. There's a mix of shock, mild anger and frustration, and pure awe on the faces of the people who'd just witnessed her.

The boy from earlier looks positively floored and extremely embarrassed, which leads Katy to think that he won't be approach her again. And when she glances over at Richerson, she can tell that he's torn between just accepting defeat or still trying.

She hops down, ungracefully tripping over her own feet once she lands and stumbles several steps. Once she balances herself out again, she trots over to rub her victory in Richerson's face.

"So, Richy, still think you can beat me~?" She asks with grin that would make the Cheshire cat jealous.

He, rather blankly, looks between Katy and the booth several times before letting out a heavy sigh. "No, Katy. I know that I can't beat you."

Nelly pats her defeated husband gently on the shoulder as Katy cackles with triumph. As Katy goes to collect her prize, which is a coupon to one of the barbecue food trucks, Richerson let's out a quiet sigh of relief.

"I'm really happy you suggested this. And, yes, I know I already said it. Just shush and accept it." He stops Nelly before she can protest and gives her a light kiss on the forehead. "It's been too long since I saw her smile or laugh that brightly. Her grandparents will be happy to hear about today."

The three of them spend the rest of the day just wandering around and enjoying themselves. It's not often that a fair comes to their town, so Katy indulges herself in various junk foods and teases the hell out of Richerson for no apparent reason.

By the time the three are driving back to Katys small apartment, Nelly is fast asleep in the backseat and Richerson and Katy sit in a rather comfortable silence.

That is, of course, until Richerson speaks up.

"Katy..." He starts slowly, choosing his words carefully. "I know that you know the dangers of this mission they're assigning you to. So why are you letting them use you?"

Katy is very quiet for the next 15 minutes as she mulls over her thoughts. Richerson, not knowing why she's so quiet, drums his fingers on the steering wheel nervously. Finally, she speaks up.

"While I don't like being used, this mission will give me the chance to answer questions that have been burned in my mind ever since I was ten. Questions that I need answers to."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hello, hello, hello! Long time no see. I'm trying to pick this back up, so hopefully I'll post more often.

To whoever stole my copy of Microsoft Office, I will find you.

You have my Word.