Aaron and Kat (Wattys 2017)

Chapter 9

KAT Tuesday February 16th

'Okay, so Stacy is being manipulated by Sheila and Marie is being manipulated by Carter.' Riley says. We're Skyping for the first time in ages and I just told her everything that has happened in the past few weeks. Riley studies finance in Ottawa but she also helps out in a dance studio. She loves dancing and it's her dream to own her own studio one day but this means that she can disappear of the face of the Earth for a while sometimes, totally absorbed in her own bubble of dance and studying.

'Yes.' I confirm.

'Okay.' She looks pensive, twisting a blonde ringlet curl around her finger. Her hair is something she inherited from her father, who passed away when she was still a child. For the rest, she is the spitting image of Elise.

'So?' I ask her. 'What am I supposed to do now?'

'That's not up to me.' Riley says. 'But if I were you I would probably try to talk them.'

'Yeah, right. I went up to Stacy today and she gave me the cold shoulder.' It's true. I was trying to do what she had wanted me and Marie to do ages ago: give Sheila a second chance. 'While I was going to give Sheila a second chance. But she wouldn't talk to me.' I sigh.

'And Marie?'

'Haven't seen her all day. And she hasn't said a word to me since Friday. And she hasn't responded to my texts either.'

'Then I think you guys just need some time.' Riley says. 'Just some time on your own. If they don't want to talk to you, you can't force them anyway, that will only make things worse. You just need to wait and see what happens. Maybe they want to talk to you in a few weeks.'

'Weeks?' I say incredulously. I've never been apart from my friends for so long.

'Yes, weeks, Kat. Or were you going to keep texting them every day? Because then Marie will probably accuse you of momming. And I would like to point out what happened the last time she accused someone of that practice.' Riley has a point. Of course she has a point. Sometimes I forget that Riley is 20 and like to believe that she is actually an old wise oak who can solve all my problems.

'Okay.' I say reluctantly.

'But you have been hanging out with other people, right?' Riley says. 'Because you need to do that. Otherwise you'll just be miserable. And maybe it will show Stacy and Marie what they're missing out on. They see you have fun with other people and are like 'wait we want that back'.'

'Yeah or they think 'o she's fine we'll just carry on with our lives.'

'If they think that than you need to carry on with your own life.' Riley says sternly. 'But have you been hanging out with other people or what?'

I laugh. 'Yeah and you never believe with whom. Does the name Aaron Reynolds ring any bells?'

Riley squints her eyes at the screen, thinking. 'Is he related to Will Reynolds? He was a few years above me.'

'Yeah, he's his brother.' I say.

Riley nods. 'He was captain of the hockey team. But then he got some kind of accident during a game.' I vaguely recall something about that. 'But back to Aaron: you're friends with him now?'

'We work on a law report together, but he's really nice. And his friends are too. We played GTA V last weekend and I made them watch When in Rome.'

'Cool.' Riley nods. 'So he's into gaming and rom-coms?'

I laugh. 'No, they hated When in Rome. I think this was a one time thing. He's on the hockey team.'

'Wait, rewind. Kat Casey, the person who is least interested in hockey of all Canadian citizens, is hanging out with the hockey team?' Riley laughs.