Take me away

Chapter Eight: Home alone

If you're still with me then I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Comment your favorite moment so far!

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Upon entering the house, she kept quiet and her eyes scanned around cautiously, but to her surprise her dad wasn't home. She sighed walking in and going to her room. Questions started circling in her mind. How come he wasn't passed out on the couch or hunched over the kitchen table with a half empty beer bottle in hand? If he wasn't home then Kat could only assume he had found a woman to occupy his time which happened from time to time; and this was the first time in a long time she was able to wander throughout her house freely without any fear. She changed into short shorts and a light blue tank which she had been wanting  to wear for a long time especially since the humidity had worsened lately, but she refrained from anything too revealing whenever was her father around; she didn't want to give him extra initiative to take advantage of her. Kat walked out of her room after she had changed clothes and felt a smile-a real smile!- spread across her face. She ran and jumped on the couch already enjoying every second of her father's absence.

~Days later~

Kat walked into school wearing the loosest pair of jeans she could find paired with an oversized t-shirt in hopes that nobody would notice how much weight she had lost in the past few days. Her father had yet to return from his mini vacation leaving Kat to fend for herself which was fine except for the fact that money was scarce and so was food. The cabinets in the kitchen were slowly emptying out and the milk in the refrigerator was spoiled, Kat had tried to pick up a few extra shifts at the grocery store, but with no luck. Her stomach growled and she frowned crossing her arms over her chest as her body ached for food. She set her lunch sack in her locker which only had an apple and a small bottle of water inside. Kat couldn't pretend like she wasn't worried about her dad's disappearance, but she wasn't going to complain much either. No one should walk in their own house with fear, but thats how Kat had lived most of her life.

Now, being alone it was strange to be able to do as she pleased without the fear of her father. She had noticed things about the house she never had before and came to realize it was in much worse shape than she had thought. The chairs in the kitchen were falling apart and Kat didn't even want to think about the paint job which was almost completely worn off. Her mother had once painted the living room a beautiful soft green, but now it was all peeled away just like the memory of her mom. With the house to herself, Kat went exploring and even found pictures of her mom hidden away in a box that was stashed inside her dad's closet. She took a picture for herself, but just one so her dad wouldn't notice and placed it underneath her pillow for safe keeping. Kat was still thinking about her mother when the bell rang for lunch, she jumped at the ringing sound and glanced around feeling slightly confused and probably looking dazed. Her mind had been so distracted and she felt like she had just walked around like a zombie for half the day. She stood slowly and staggered a little before swinging her back pack over her shoulder. Kat smiled a little when she remembered who was waiting for her at lunch. Jake and Kat had been on talking terms since he found her asleep on the side of the street.

Kat hadn't exactly opened up to him, but she wasn't just sitting there silently anymore. Jake would ask her questions and she would answer as she saw fit though some questions she couldn't give him an honest answer for...Her stomach growled and Kat cursed under her breath as she pulled out her lunch sack from her locker. She entered the cafeteria and her eyes immediately found Jake in their corner. She smiled and walked over sitting beside him. "Hey." She said as she pulled out her apple from the Walmart sack. "Hey." He smiled at her, his eyes looked her over though they weren't prying. She glanced at him as she bit into her apple. His eyes were still watching her as if they were analyzing her. Kat lowered the apple and chewed slowly starting to feel uncomfortable. "Kat." The moment he said her name like that she knew something was wrong. She looked over at him and their eyes met which made her heart skip a quick beat. 

He looked in her eyes and she caught the concern in his. "You've lost weight." He said, his voice soft. Kat lowered her head and gave a small short nod knowing she couldn't hide what he had already noticed. Jake moved towards her and placed a hand on her arm, "Why?" He asked, but he sounded like he already knew the answer. "I-I..." She was at a loss of words. How could she explain her father's disappearance without telling him everything else? She sighed biting her lower lip. Jake watched her patiently waiting for an answer, but she knew she couldn't give him one. "I'm sorry..." She said avoiding his eyes.

Kat felt his soft hand cup underneath her chin and lift it so they were looking into each other's eyes, he was now kneeling in front of her, "Kat." He spoke gently, "Talk to me."
She pursed her lips knowing he wouldn't give up until he got a solid answer. Lying would be useless because when he was touching her and their eyes were locked it was impossible for her lies to be convincing, "Meet me after school...." That was all she said, all she needed to say and with that she stood and walked out of the cafeteria .

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