Katie

Chapter 16

Katie stayed home from school one more day, giving herself the extra time to settle her nerves and secretly hoping that her bruises would fade a little. It was one thing for Ashley to know about everything but she wasn't willing to let anyone else in. Not that there was anyone else who would genuinely care anyways, but the less questions, the better, in her mind.

Pulling up into the school parking lot, Katie nervously walked into the building, her eyes searching for Ashley and fervently hoping to avoid Ben. She hadn't seen him since that night at her house and she wasn't quite ready to face him yet. She knew she needed to end things with him and soon, but she wasn't sure yet how to go about it. She didn't want a scene but she also wasn't comfortable with being alone with him either. What if he snapped?

Trying to shake off her fears, Katie made it to her locker without incident. Fumbling with her lock, she finally managed to unlock it and yanked open the door. She quickly stuffed her books she didn't need inside and grabbed the ones that she did need and stuffed them into her book bag. Swinging her bag over her shoulder, Katie shut the door to her locker and turned in the direction of her first class. She jumped in surprise when she nearly ran into someone standing right by her.

Nearly dropping her bookbag, Katie stumbled back and yelped, "Shawn! What are you doing!?"

Raising one eyebrow, Shawn replied sarcastically, "Um....waiting to talk to you. What are YOU doing?"

Katie yanked her shoulder strap back up and narrowed her eyes at his response. "Funny." She started walking off.

Shawn fell in to step beside her. "I was actually going to remind you about this Friday."

Glancing at him from the corner of her eyes as she continued to walk down the hall, Katie questioned, "What about Friday?"

"I'm moving my things in. With you. Or did you already forget?"

Katie came to a sudden halt. She had somehow completely forgotten all about that. After her fight with Ben, everything else had just slipped her mind. Although, ironically, that fight had technically begun over Shawn moving in her house. Running her fingers through her hair, she sighed and closed her eyes for a brief second. "Right. That. Of course."

Shawn stuffed his hands in his front pockets and just stared at her in disbelief. "You really did forget!" He shook his head slowly, back and forth. "I didn't realize I was so unforgettable. Usually I tend to have the opposite affect. Especially on girls." He grinned crookedly, "but then again, you ARE my sister. Maybe that has something to do with it."

Katie looked up at him with disdain written all over her face. "You really are full of it, you know that?"

"So I've been told." He shrugged, one corner of his mouth tilting into a smile.

"Whatever," Katie said. "Friday is fine. I will be there. You can come over with your stuff whenever you get ready. There's two spare rooms upstairs, excluding mine and the Master suite. You can take your pick."

"Great!"

Katie turned and started back down the hallway when Shawn called out to her, "Love the scarf, by the way! Oh! And I'm going to need a key of my own! ASAP."

She groaned inwardly and kept walking, pretending that she didn't hear him. But they both knew that she did. As soon as she turned the corner her hands flew up to her neck, self-consciously adjusting the scarf she had carefully put on today, in hopes of covering up the bruises on her neck.

Katie rushed into the classroom and sat down in her seat just as the bell rang. She let out a puff of air that blew her hair out of her face. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed Logan looking at her. "What?" she asked rudely.

With a raise of his eyebrows he said, "Cutting it a little close today, aren't we?"

"Mind your own business, Logan."

"Sure. No prob. Just making an observation." he smirked.

She rolled her eyes. She concentrated on ignoring him while the teacher started his lecture for the day. Opening up her notebook, she started taking notes, all the while feeling his stare on her. After about 10 min she couldn't take it anymore. Fed up, she turned her head towards him and hissed, "Do you mind!? Stop staring at me!"

Logan chuckled, "And here I thought you loved attention."

"From anyone but you!" she huffed.

Logan shrugged. "I was just trying to figure it out."

Katie frowned, confused. "Figure what out?"

"Why you, of all people, would wear a scarf that doesn't match your outfit. And on a warm day, at that." He narrowed his eyes and said mockingly, "Don't tell me you're losing your touch!" He widened his eyes in shock, "Is the world coming to an end!?"

"Seriously!? You have got to be kidding me! Since when did you become the fashion police, Mr.-I-Shop-At-The-Thrift-Store?" Katie snorted. She deliberately looked him up and down, slowly, with a sneer on her face.

"What's wrong with thrift stores?" Logan folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair.

Rolling her eyes, Katie replied, "Oh please....that doesn't even warrant a response from me." She tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned back to face the front.

She had almost managed to forget about his annoying presence beside her when she felt him lean closer towards her. Her face heated up as she felt his breath on her neck. "I may get my clothes from second hand stores these days, but I still know when something looks good or not. And this scarf," he whispered, running a finger over the scarf, "does nothing for you."

She tried to suppress a shiver she felt when he fingered the fabric at her shoulder. His breath lingered at her ear for a moment longer and she breathed a sigh of relief when he leaned back into his seat. Not knowing how to respond, she chose instead to ignore him. Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus all her attention on what the teacher was saying. Unfortunately, as hard as she tried, she was way too aware of the annoying boy sitting next to her. And that, more than anything, disturbed her.