The Secret Life of Katherine James

Chapter II

After I got Angel out of that awful sweater, turned on her happy song, Perfect by Pink, and helped her pick out her party clothes, I called Jemmy. Jemmy, Sampsen, Angel, and I have been friends for years. We all found one another at different times. First it was Sampen and I in the fourth grade, and then Angel found our odd due-o and made it a trio in the 6th grade. About two years after that, Jemmy found me, and she quickly became the fourth part of our little odd ball mix.

Sampsen is, and always has been, complicated. He has all this hyper active energy burning in his piercing blue eyes, but he has this glassy, still calm on the outside. Angel is the exact opposite, she has this angry fire running wild just below her skin, but, down in her heart, she's calm, mellow. Ever the same. Now me, I'm, well a little bit of both I suppose. Nervous and Calm. Fire and Ice. Angry and Happy. I can adapt to almost any situation when others need me to. That's why we all work so well. When Sampsen gets fired up us girls would calm him down. When Angel hits rock bottom, like with Matt, we can pull her back up.

But with me it's different, I need them both. When I get upset, Sampsen gets upset, and Angel helps us think clearly. They don't much work together, but they work with me. I can choose which side I need to be. I always think to myself is this situation something I should get angry about, or is it something I need to think through more clearly. However, when I fall low, Sampsen and Angel work like Yin and Yang. Sampsen uses his passion for my well being to help him remember I need a sensitive kind of love, he knows me better than anyone. Angel channels her inner calm to soothe whatever hurt is happening inside and it calms me down.

However, there is one difference, Jewel. Jewel pushes us all in a way that other people just can't. With Sampsen, she brings him all the way to the edge of his patience. Forcing him to face his emotions and even lose his cool a little bit. Angel is forced to let someone in besides just me. Jewel is so innocent that Angel has to take the time to calm down and look after her otherwise she might get herself into trouble. As for me, I simply can't try so hard. I have to just let it happen with Jemmy. She teaches me to be me, and not cater to her every need. No matter what I do, she's going to do it her way. Not mine. She also helps me open up. I know that she's going to be honest with me, but she's never harsh. That's just who she is. She makes me laugh, but she's just very simple.

Somehow Jemmy found her way to me. When she came to our school, I knew that we were getting a new girl, but never really thought about it much . People come and go in this town, like the seasons. One day, eighth grade year, she sat next to me in Math. She got called to the front of the class as soon as she sat down. Stupid move, I thought to myself never sit in the front on your first day. He introduced her as Jewel. People snickered, some were sleeping, some didn't much care. I however, thought her name was beautiful. Since we were in math, the poor girls torture was drawn out. He made us go around the class, a total of 57 kids, and introduce ourselves. It went on and on, and when the teacher called on me, I gave my less frequently used nickname, Kitty, people laughed, some gave me strange looks, but others that knew me well didn't pay a second glance. She looked right at me and smiled bright. I was second to last in the rows of chairs I sat as far back as I could in math, and the seat to the right of me was still open after her torture so, she came and sat down in the back with me. I grinned to myself at her drastic change in seat choice.

"Hey," I said, "I know they laughed, but I think your name is beautiful." She smiled and threw her head back in this care free way and laughed.

"Trust me, I'm used to it. When you have a strange name, people tend to judge you at first. However, not very many people can say they were there mom's rarest gift." She winked at me, telling me it was a joke, however bad it may be, then laughed the same bright sounding laugh in the same careless manner and, I will admit, I was intrigued. Most people, let alone a small pink and blonde haired 13 year old girl with glasses, wouldn't be able to laugh and joke after standing in front of our judgmental 8th grade class or fifteen minutes being made fun of.