Band Aids Don't Fix Broken Hearts

Chapter7

I kept on walking and walking. I loved how the trees hold no leaves, and the ground was filled with snow. The cloudy sky, the silent streets. It was beautiful, without humans ruining the scenery. I unlocked my phone, and saw that it was already 12am. The only person I told that I was leaving was Jamie. Just in case. She sometimes accompanies me on my walks, but this one was too late for her.

I see a ginger cat, just sitting under one of the naked trees. I get closer to it.

I sit there with it for some time, then return back home. I didn't expect any of them to be up by then, they're all early sleepers while I can't sleep before 12. It's weird.

But it turned out Jamie did. She heard me coming. I smoothed down her hair.
"Why are you still awake?" She looked sad.
"What's wrong?" I locked the door.
"Come with me" she finally speaked.
Pouting slightly, she showed me a page of her sketching book that was torn. "Emily did it."

"Don't worry, Strawberry. I will come now, wait". I go get a clear tape from my room. She opened her strawberry-patterned  sketchbook. I cut a piece about 6 inches, fold it in two, and then place it in the space between the two pages.

I handed it back to her. "Thank you" she smiled. I smiled back awkwardly. I hate smiling if it's not natural, like when someone asks me to smile to have my photograph taken.

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Turns out Joe stayed the night here. bleh. I woke up feeling like taking out all my negative energy out on him. Why in hell does he thing he has the right to tell Jack or Jonas or whatever it is  that I'm going to tutor him? I can barely even tutor myself. Ugh. Stupid, stupid people everywhere.

I wondered if I should just throw a fit here, in the dining room, or take it to some other room. I went with the latter just for the sake of Mom and Emily.

"Joe, could I talk to you for a moment?" I gave him my best fake smile.

"No." he managed to get out while his mouth is stuffed with cereal.

I got up and grabbed his arm, dragging him with me to the living room. I'm fed up of his bu*l***t.

"What do you want?" he spitted out.
"Question one. Who is James?" I finally managed to remember his name.

"He's the son of a fr-" 
"I'm not done yet. Two. Who gave the right to tell him I'm willing to tutor him?"

"I-"
"Three. Do you think I'm some two year old you can arrange and make decisions on my behalf without me even knowing?" I'm yelling by now. So much for not letting anyone hear this.

"Well if you stopped being a whiny entitled b**ch for a second maybe I'll be able to explain!" he shouts back.
"I could care less about what you have to say. You will end this thing. Today."

He sighed. "I'll try to, I guess."
"Good." I glared at him one more time before turning around and exiting the room.

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I made my way to the backyard. pausing to sit on one of the cheap plastic chairs, I took the little card that guy gave me out of my pocket. I diall the number.

"H-Hello?" he seems nervous. Weird. He came across as fairly confident last time.
"Hey. It's me, the girl you wanted to tutor you." I said in a flat tone.
"S-so when are w-we starting?" Woah. he's that nervous? Why?
"Are you okay?" I asked, only partially concerned.
He let out a shaky breath. "I'm assuming you're t-talking about my s-stutter. Don't worry about that. I've always h-h-had that." he explained.

"Oh, okay." I softened a bit. "About the tutoring thing, I can't tutor you, I'm sorry." I told him.

Silence. An awkward one, that is. I tried to break it.

"Hey wanna hang out?" I suggested.
"M-me? yeah, sure. When?"
"Today maybe?"

"O-okay. M-meet me at my house at f-four." He said.
"Sure. See-"

"W-wait!" he interrupted

"What?"
"What's y-your name?"

"Seriously? Now you ask?" I sighed. "It's Katherine. Katherine Rivers. But just call me Kate." I continued.

"Well, n-nice to meet y-you Kate."

I smiled, a genuine one this time. "You too, James."