Hide & Seek

Cathryn

"How was your day, Cathryn?" Mum asked carefully.
I smiled sadly. "It was okay."
"Yay! Big sis is home!"
Justin and Blake both came running to me and hugged me. Laughing, I hugged them back and held them tightly.
"Big sis? Are you okay?" Justin asked. Bless his soul, although he was so young, he always knew when I was down.
"I'm okay, Justin. Don't you worry about me."
I looked at Mum. "Hey, is it okay if I head out for a walk?"
"Sure, go for it."

As I was walking down the path, breathing in the clear air, a familiar face stood in front of me. Kimberly.
I sighed. "Kimberly, please, if you're here to insult me or make my life worse, please leave. Don't waste your time."
"No, I just... wanted to talk."
Talk? Kimberly wanted to talk?? With me??
"Please," she pleaded, her eyes big.
The shock silenced me so I just nodded.
"Cathryn, I've been a bitch to you and everyone else, but that's because I've been protecting myself. I didn't want anyone to see how broken I was. Two years ago, before I moved to this school, I was in love. His name was Sam. After we met, life seemed to make sense. I always smiled and laughed whenever he was around. He just made me happy. But then he cheated on me. And I just broke. I broke. And I thought I had to cover it up. So I was mean to everyone. After I kissed Luke, I realised just how much you both loved each other. Seriously, Cathryn, don't deny it. It's obvious even to a blind man. I saw both of you break apart, even though you did pretty well to cover it up. But I could see through it, because I'd been there before. And I felt so bad. I didn't want you to suffer like I did. You're innocent and kind, you don't deserve this kind of heartbreak. I'm not expecting you to forgive me, but I'm sorry."
I stared at her in disbelief. Who was this girl? Kimberly or a nice doppelgänger? I merely nodded, not knowing how to respond. As I turned to go, she called out, "Wait."
I looked back at her.
"Give Luke another chance. He really does love you."