Katie

Chapter 22

"Argh!!" Katie slammed her locker shut and leaned her forehead against the metal door. She knew Mondays were notorious for being bad but this was ridiculous! First, her alarm had not gone off, so she had woken up late with only ten minutes to get ready and out the door. Definitely not a good way to start the day. Shawn had already left before she even came downstairs and he and Ashley both had been avoiding her all day. Or maybe it was the other way around. She wasn't really sure but she definitely hadn't sought either of them out, unsure of what to say after the way she had acted Friday night. She cringed just thinking about it. Forcing those negative thoughts from her mind, she straightened up and turned, only to nearly collide with Sarah. She took an involuntary step back.

Sarah glared and crossed her arms in front of her. "We need to talk."

"No thanks," Katie attempted to walk past her, only to find her way blocked by someone else. Looking up, she saw Kevin standing beside Ashley, cutting off her path to freedom. "Look, I have nothing to say to either of you. If you want to know what happened, ask Ben. If he ever comes back."

"Oh he'll be back, I can promise you that. I don't really care what happened. I just wanted to tell you what an idiot you are." Ashley sneered.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, you heard me. You screwed up with Ben. That makes you an idiot. Do you know how lucky you were to be dating him? Ben is the hottest, most popular guy in this school. Every girl here would kill to have him even look at her. Somehow, you managed to catch him, only to screw it all up! What is wrong with you!?"

"What is wrong with me??" Katie asked indignantly. "Maybe you should be asking what is wrong with him. Did you even think about that? Besides, why do you even care? You weren't dating him. I would think you would be glad he's back on the market."

Ashley rolled her eyes and Katie heard Kevin stifle a laugh. She glared over at him and then turned her attention back to Sarah.

"Seriously?" Ashley shook her head in mock sympathy. "You really are stupid, Katie. I had a good thing going while you were dating Ben."

Katie frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I got to have all the fun you weren't giving out." She smirked at Katie's expression. "That's right, Katie. I begged him to ask you out, give you a chance. Within a few weeks after the two of you started dating, he realized what a prude you were and came running to me. I was more than happy to give him what he wanted. I've continued to keep him 'happy' for you ever since. Did you really think he didn't pressure you to have sex because he 'loved' you?" she sneered and said, "You really are so naive, Katie. It's pathetic really. But now you've screwed everything up."

Sarah pushed Katie up against her lockers and held her there, pressing her face way too close for comfort. "You better stay away from Ben when he returns. Understand? It's my turn to have him completely to myself. I've decided I'm tired of just being the 'good-time' girl. I don't care what happened between the two of you. Stay away from him and don't try to cause him anymore trouble. Do we understand each other?" She glared into Katie's eyes.

Katie could feel anger boiling up inside of her. She shoved Sarah back and spat, "You want him? He's all yours, Sarah. The two of you deserve each other."

Sarah sneered and replied, "I'll take that as a compliment. We both know you didn't deserve him, loser." She looked Katie up and down and shook her head, "You're not even worth my time. You never have been. The only reason any of us have even pretended to put up with you is because of your family's money, and then because of your so called 'relationship' with Ben. Now we don't have to and let me tell you, that is a huge relief. Your nothing more than a pathetic little girl who couldn't even keep her mommy and daddy around. It's amazing you managed to keep Ben for as long as you did." She lifted her pert nose into the air and turned on her heels to walk away.

Katie face heated up and before she could stop herself, she lunged after Sarah, grabbing a handful of hair and yanking back as hard as she could. Sarah yelped and grabbed at Katie's hand, trying to force her to let go. Katie tightened her grip and pulled. "How dare you!? You are nothing but a skank! I can't believe I ever considered you a friend." She hissed.

With a yell, Sarah tried to turn and kick at Katie but was unable to with the death grip she had in her hair. "Let me go, you worthless piece of crap!!"

Katie pulled harder and then felt herself being ripped away from Sarah, her hand losing its grip. Hands held her arms tightly and she fought against their hold, trying to get back to Sarah. She was so furious she was unable to even think clearly.

"You idiot!!" Sarah hauled back and slapped Katie across the cheek as hard as she could. "Don't you ever put your hands on me again!"

Katie grabbed her face as her eyes stung with tears.

Sarah turned to walk away and then hesitated. Turning back, she looked at Katie with malice in her eyes. "Oh, and by the way, about me and Ben hooking up all this time?" She smiled, watching Katie's expression closely. "Yeah, everyone knows. Everyone." She added with emphasis on everyone. With a snicker, she turned and continued down the hall.

Katie felt all the fight leave her as she stood there, letting the implication of that statement sink in. She was barely even aware of Kevin releasing her arms and walking away. Everyone? Did that include Ashley? And Shawn? Would they have known about that and not have said something? Especially Ashley, who was supposed to be her best friend? Katie sagged against the lockers and then slowly slid down to the floor. Surely not. She refused to believe it. The betrayal would hurt too much, if it was true.

Looking around the deserted hallway, Katie realized for the first time that she was missing class. The bell had rung right before Sarah had accosted her. Too weak and tired to care, she slowly dragged herself up and headed for the nearest bathroom. Pushing open the door, she made her way over to the sinks. She turned on the cold water and splashed it over her face several times, trying to soothe the sting she still felt in her left cheek. She raised her head and stared at herself in the mirror. Skipping past the redness developing where Sarah slapped her, she stared into her eyes. "What is wrong with you, Katie? Why do you keep letting people hurt you?" She closed her eyes, "It can't be true. Ashley could not have known that Ben was sleeping with Sarah all this time. She would have told me." She opened her eyes and stared at her reflection. "Wouldn't she have?"