Take me away

Chapter Two: Unexpected Company

So if you're reading this then I have managed to capture your attention and I hope I still have enough of your attention at the end of this chapter to keep you interested so you continue reading!

~~~

The walk to school wasn't a long one which Kat was grateful for during the winter, but come springtime, the journey didn't seem long enough. The weather was pleasant with the sun rising quickly as she treaded towards school enjoying the soft April breeze that kept her cool. She entered the high school through the main entrance with her backpack draped across one shoulder and her head bent low as if not to draw attention to herself, she didn't like to be noticed and most of the time she managed to stay out of sight and out of mind. She was afraid if people looked too closely at her body then they would notice the scars and if they looked into her eyes then they would be able to read her emotions like an open book which would raise eyebrows and questions. Kat didn't want this, she didn't want people to figure her out or try to understand her. She couldn't even completely figure herself out, but the parts she had were dark and she didn't know too many people who preferred the dark over the light. She just wanted to graduate high school having never been noticed, and for the longest time she had laid low and that is exactly how she preferred things to be.

She kept her eyes on her worn out sneakers which she was surprised hadn't fallen apart years ago when she heard a voice call her name, the only voice that called out to her. The voice belonged to Sara, someone who had taken Kat under their wing in elementary school when they noticed she was playing by herself during recess. Ever since that day, Kat and Sara had become friends. They were the sort of friends that would pass notes during class and occasionally sit together at lunch, but that was where Kat drew the line. She had never told Sara about her living situation nor did she ever plan to. Perhaps it was simply because she didn't know how to talk about something so deeply personal or perhaps she had lived in silence for so long that it seemed easier to continue living in silence. She couldn't imagine Sara understanding anyway, Sara seemed to have the life that Kat could only dream of having with her bouncing blonde curls and an enviable tan that she claimed to be natural. Sara's father was a doctor and her mother was a real estate agent meaning Sara was the stereotypical rich white girl with a cherry red convertible and a house that looked more like a miniature castle.

Sara smiled waving to Kat before extending her arms towards her and pulled her into a hug. The unexpected physical contact made Kat flinch instinctively before relaxing slightly reminding herself that Sara would never intentionally cause harm to Kat or anyone for that matter. After a brief moment, Sara parted from the hug and looked at Kat, "Try to smile." She nudged her lightly, "It may be Monday, but you don't have to look like the grim reaper." She joked making Kat crack a smile. Sara smiled in return looking somewhat proud that she had been able to make her friend smile. A guy walking past them cat called Sara who turned on her heel giving him the middle finger, "I have a boyfriend, pervert!" She yelled after him. To say the very least, Sara was attractive with a perfectly proportioned body and an even more beautiful face. She was the type of person that guys wanted to date and girls wanted to be and this certainly didn't disclude Kat who was secretly a bit jealous of her friend. Kat wished she could live a life as extravagant as Sara for a variety of reasons though she would never voice this aloud. Sara turned back to face Kat rolling her eyes and readjusted her backpack, "Boys." She laughed linking her arm with Kat's, "Come on, we'll be late for class." She said as the warning bell rang throughout the halls. Unfortunately, their first period class was on the other side of the building and they ended up arriving to it late. Kat hated being late and how everyone stared when someone entered the class room after the final bell had rung. She felt like their eyes could see right through her as she entered the room.

Sara smiled apologetically as she quietly excused herself to the teacher before she found a seat among her other friends whom she had never bothered introducing Kat to. Sara didn't seem to have anything against being the center of attention which Kat assumed was because she was used to people staring at her unlike Kat who enjoyed her privacy. In a much clumsier way than Sara, Kat stumbled to a seat in the back of the class tripping over people's backpacks as she went. The teacher's facial expression made it obvious that he was annoyed about his lesson being interrupted, but he didn't give them a late slip. Instead, he let them go with a warning before returning to the board with an audible sigh and continued drawing a right triangle as he explained a geometric formula. Kat pulled a notebook from her bag before dropping it to the floor, she opened the spiral notebook flipping to the nearest blank page and began to doodle. Though she may not have had a special talent for drawing, Kat enjoyed it and as doodled absentmindedly she was simultaneously attempting to form an excuse to not go home after school. She figured she could extend her walking route to pass time plus it would be a chance for her to clear her mind.

At lunch, she didn't bother asking Sara to sit with her because she was already seated with some cheerleaders gossiping and giggling about how attractive the quarterback of the football team looked with his new haircut. So, Kat found a spot to be alone in a corner of the lunch room where she sat on the floor. With her back against the wall, she watched everyone around her find their friends and sit down with a tray of food that the school had provided. Her school like most others had a bit of a clique problem meaning jocks sat amongst other jocks and popular people surrounded themselves with those alike, but Kat had never been categorized into a specific group which left her to sit alone at lunch. She began unpacking the plastic Walmart bag she had filled with food for herself earlier that morning. She didn't notice the boy coming towards her until he sank down the wall beside her and bit into the apple he had in his hand making a juicy crunch. Kat's entire body stiffened and she took a deep breath rolling her shoulders forward so her hair would fall down to conceal her face so there could be some sort of barrier between them. "Hey." She heard the boy say, but she didn't respond. She didn't understand why someone would come over here in the first place let alone attempt to strike up a conversation with her. She pursed her lips to a fine line hoping he would leave, but he continued to sit beside her eating his apple casually as if they had been friends their whole lives. She snuck a sideways glance at him after a moment and recognized him as a boy in one of her classes though she couldn't remember which one.

After a few moments, he attempted to speak to her again, but it remained to be a very one sided conversation as he told her about his day and Kat simply sat there eating her lunch in silence wondering why this boy sitting next to her was even bothering to talk to her. She blushed hard realizing they were starting to recieve some weird looks. She listened to him ramble and all the while hoped he would give up trying to speak to her and find someone else to talk with him about how rude the Biology teacher could be. Finally, lunch came to an end and Kat stood without a word taking her empty plastic bag as she exited the cafeteria.

She couldn't put her finger on why, but she was almost angry at the boy. Why hadn't he just sat somewhere else? Was he talking to her as a joke or a dare? He had only brought them attention and he must've had some ulterior motive for it. She shook her head and went to her next class deciding not to think about the boy which she succeeded in doing for a total of five minutes until she saw him in her next class. She tried to avoid the boy by sitting in the back row, but he sat right in front of her. He's like a leech, she thought wishing he would leave her alone. Had Sara put him up to this? Sara had always been eager on setting Kat up on a date so it wouldn't be too surprising if she had sent a guy to stalk her, but that would be crazy right? Kat knew she was probably reading into the situation more than she should.

After school, Kat began her journey home taking the scenic route. This little detour lasted for an hour an a half and she could have happily continued walking for longer, but she knew that she couldn't stay away forever so she reluctantly returned to her house where her father was waiting for her inside.

~~~

Second chapter finished. I hope I still have your attention and that you are enjoying the story so far!