Seeing You - Boys of Tommen

Something's Wrong with Katie Wilmot

November 8th, 2001

Patrick:

Something was wrong with Katie.

She was acting normally on Friday, when I saw her at lunch, but since then she's been quiet and closed off, in a different way than usual. She's always reserved and shy, but now it's like if talking to anyone besides Hugh, it's going to kill her.

Yesterday, Johnny asked her a question and she looked genuinely scared to answer, at first I thought maybe Hugh said something to her, but I knew my best friend and I knew he would never make a girl feel like that, he could be jealous and protective, but he would never make his own girlfriend scared of him. Something else must be going on.

The issue was, I couldn't exactly speak to her about it, and if I brought it up to Hugh, he might question why I was paying attention to his girlfriend's moods. 

I decided I had to something so I tried to slip it in casually to Johnny and Gibsie, they spent all of lunch with her, so they were probably noticing the same thing I was. We were all sitting in the second year common room in between school and practice.

"Have you guys, noticed something with Katie?"

"Do you mean Katie Kat?" Johnny asked chuckling.

"Like what?" Gibsie asked.

"I don't know, she's been all jumpy and quiet."

"She's always quiet." Johnny  says thinking, "but, I get what you mean, yesterday I was going to the same building as her, when Hugh was at his appointment, so I offered to walk with her and she looked like she was going to cry and practically ran the other way."I nod solemnly.

"Maybe, it's something at home? Her parents could be separating or something like that?" Gibsie offers.

"They're already divorced." I say.

"I don't know lad, you could ask her or Hugh if you're worried about it."

"Yeah I guess, it's probably just a bad week." 

I'm taken back by Gibsie's expression he looks solemn, but then as if a switch has been flicked, his permanent smile has returned, "Well, maybe we could sing to her?" He says looking to me. 

"Piss off, I was drunk." I reply annoyed, which results in Gibsie and Johnny breaking into the chorus of "With or Without You" as we got up to walk to the locker room.

After practice, I decided to swing by the music room, where to my surprise I found Katie sitting on the piano bench writing annotations on a sheet of music. 

"Hey, Katie I didn't know you were still here." I say.

She turns around quickly and her face pales, she's immediately standing and haphazardly shoving her music sheets into her bag, making a beeline for the door.

Concerned, I grab her arm as she's opening the door, I expect her to turn around but instead she just keeps walking, and I have to speed up so I can block her path. 

Finally she stops, but rather than looking at me she's scanning the hallways for something or someone. Nobody else is in the hallway, some of the rugby team is still here, but no one else is. 

"Hugh's not here." I say trying to calm her down.

"Hugh? I know, he's with his Mam." 

"So who are you looking for then?"

"What? I'm not looking for anyone." She states defensively.

"Uh... Katie, I'm worried about you, did Hugh say something about it?"

"About what?"

"I don't know you being friends with me and Johnny and Gibs."

"No."

"Why then?"

"Why what?" She asks, she no longer looks defensive just sad and guilty.

"I don't know...You've just been acting different."

She looks at the ground, "You've known me for two months."

Her comment is like a punch to the gut, before I can say anything she steps to the side but falls right into me, I think she might have fainted.

"Katie, oh my God, are you okay?" I say holding all her weight, I twist her around and move her thick hair out of her face, she looks pale and frail. I carry her back into the music room and place her on one of the chairs, still holding her in place. "Katie, can you hear me?"

Her eyes opened then and I could finally breathe again, "Oh God, I'm so sorry." She was apologizing, she just fainted in my arms and was apologizing to me. Every time I thought I was close to figuring her out, it became painfully obvious that I never would.

"Don't say sorry, should I take you to the hospital? My Mam will be here in a few minutes, we can take you." I say, removing my hands from her. She could sit up on her own now, which was obviously great news, but I wouldn't have minded holding her for a little longer. She's your best friend's girl ya eejit! In the recent months that exact phrase had been on somewhat of a constant loop.

"No, I'm completely fine, my Da's probably here already, I'll just go home and sleep."

"Do you faint often?" I asked surprised by how unaffected she was.

"No, just when I'm really tired."

"Do you want me to call Hugh?"

"No, that's fine."

"Okay, well I'll walk you to your car then." I say offering my hand.

"No" She says loudly, "I mean you came here to practice, and I'm fine on my own."

"You couldn't sit upright in a chair two minutes ago." 

"Thanks for your help." She says, making her way to the door with wobbly steps. 

"Have I done something?" I ask.

"What?"

"To offend you? Did I do something at the party?" I ask desperate for an explanation.

"No, you didn't do anything, I just..." She sighs and exits the room.

Against my better judgement I follow her into the hallway, "Was it Johnny then? Or Gibs?" I ask and she shakes her head.

She's looking around the hallway again, I put my hand on her shoulder, "What's going on with you?" 

Before she can respond, her face pales when she see Pierce walking towards us, "I...Have to go" and all but runs the other way, her steps are still a little wobbly.

"What was that about?" Pierce asks me eying Katie's retreating body.

"I don't know." And I really didn't.

"Women." Pierce said rolling his eyes and I just turned and walked back into the music room, not wanting to speak to him any longer than I absolutely had to. 

Thanks for reading! More chapters to come!  - H <3