County Falls

Chapter 14: Fall Heard 'Round the World

I was fuming as I rushed to the bathroom, so enraged that I could feel tears threatening to fall down my face. I grabbed a bunch of paper towels and started cleaning as much of the mud as I could, but there wasn't enough paper towels in the world to get me clean. There were spots that were too difficult to reach and I didn't want to stand there in my bra and underwear in case people started coming in. I thought about calling Lauren but then remembered she had lab and wouldn't hear her phone. I dropped to the floor and let the tears fall. Vanessa had been torturing me for years but this was the first time that it actually turned physical and with the exception of the threat earlier in the year, I thought she might've grown bored at me. The door swung open and I jumped up, afraid that it was Vanesa here for round two.

Dana Montgomery stood in front of me, staring and putting the pieces together in her head. She was a senior and one of the elite girls in our school. Her boyfriend, Damon Crawford, was captain of the football team before he graduated and Jason took over. She was blonde and gorgeous, and I just stood there like an idiot with mud all over me.

"Did you slip and fall?" she finally asked. Her voice was higher than I thought it would be. I just nodded my head and wiped my face with a clean towel. I didn't want to admit that Vanessa got to me. "Here let me help you." She grabbed some paper towels and ran them under water. "You gotta be careful out there especially in those shoes."

"You're right. I'm too clumsy for my own good." I said when I finally found my voice.

She continued to help clean my back and I felt grateful that it was someone helpful who walked through the door.

"You're Jason Summers friend right? Kaia?" Was that how people knew me? I nodded again. "Thought so. He use to mention you all the time last year. The team use to make fun of him for following you around." She laughed. "How come I never see you at games and parties and stuff?"

"It's not really my thing" I answered truthfully. "Although I did go to one last month and I'll be at the halloween party."

"Thats a good one to go to. Brian always has the best halloween parties. Everyone is wasted by 10." She laughed again. After a few minutes she dropped her hands in defeat. "Theres not much more we can do aim afraid. Maybe you should go home. Class is almost over anyways." I checked the time on my phone and saw that she was right. I hadn't realized how long I'd been in here. Seth was probably wondering where I was since I never skipped a class of his.

"Thank you for your help. I can be a bit of an oaf sometimes."

"No problem. Take care Kaia, see you tomorrow." She grabbed her bag and walked off.

I called my mom and asked her to pick me up before class let out. I didn't need to suffer more humiliation if the whole student body saw me in this state. I shot a quick email to Seth explaining what happened and that I was going home and then waited outside in the rain, hoping that it would magically clean me off.

My mom arrived shortly and gave me a worried look. "Are you hurt?"

Just my pride, I thought to myself. "I'm fine mom, I just slipped in the quad on the way to class."

"Its those damn shoes of yours. Next week you're wearing rain boots." I didn't say anything and just remained quiet for the duration of the drive home.

When we went inside, I immediately ran upstairs to take a shower and change. The warm water washed over me and put me at ease. When I was done my mother pulled me to the table and handed me my secret stash of Oreos. I really needed to find a new hiding place for them.

"Kai, someone responded to my add and I'm going out with him tomorrow night." She rattled off quickly like she was afraid to tell me this. I poured myself a glass of milk and started dunking.

"That's great, mom. It's nice to see that the website is doing its job."

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad? I helped you with your profile."

"I know but it happened rather quick and I thought you might need more adjusting."

"I'm adjusted. I think you're the one who needs adjusting."

She exhaled. "You're right. What was I thinking? I haven't done this in 10 years. Tell me not to go."

"No can do. I want you to go, in fact, I insist on it. What's the worse that can happen?"

"He murders me."

I covered my mouth to keep from spitting out my milk. "True but at least you get a free meal out of it." We laughed and continued to talk for a while which made my mom finally relax.

Since it was friday, we decided to prepare dinner together and watch a movie. Mom bugged me to invite Jase over since she hadn't seen him in a while. I sent him a text.

Me: my mom wants you to come over for dinner but I told her you'd be too busy

Jase: I'll be right there.

That was easy. "He'll be here in a few." I called out to my mother.

Jase arrived 15 minutes later, still dressed in his jersey. He must've just come from practice. He came around to my mom and gave her a hug, kissed me on top of my head, and pulled out a chair beside me. He and my mom chatted about everything from college to her date tomorrow. It was like watching two old friends catch up. After dinner my mom excused us from having to clean up even though we insisted and sent us to the living room to put on the movie.

"What are we watching?" Jase asked. I showed him the cover to the latest romantic comedy. "Do I get a say on that?"

"Nope." I put it on and grabbed the cushion next to him.

"So Dana told me she ran in to you today." My heart started beating faster. Did she tell him about the fall? "She said that you were really cool and that I should bring you around more."

"And what did you say?"

"I told her she should tell that to Justin. I guess she hadn't heard that you two were going out." That surprised me, as small as this town was, I would think news would travel fast. "Dana's pretty cool." He continued. "I could see you two getting along."

"I didn't expect her to be so nice." I admitted.

"That's because you judge everyone right away."

"That's not true!" I was kind of hurt that Jase felt that way about me.

"Maybe not everyone but definitely my crowd. Don't worry about it, most of the time you're right about them. Dana is part of the reason I'm captain. She introduced me to Damon and forced him to take me under his wing." He chuckled.

I looked away from him. I didn't know that about Jason and Dana. It was strange, he could read me like a book but, when it came to him, there was still so much I wasn't aware of.

A loud crash came from the kitchen and we looked over to see my mom on the floor picking up the pots she dropped. Jase got up quickly and headed towards my mother. "I'll help you out Kat, Kaia will probably make things worse since she cant even walk without slipping and falling." He gave me his cocky smile. Shit, she did tell.