SHIFTED.✔

18

About an hour later Katie and Trent came back. He was holding her hand. They were grinning at each other.

"Hey, Brownie. Can you take the girls home? They've got to be back by eleven," he threw his keys to Robert.

"Sure," Robert stood up and grabbed my hand. "Come on little one," he said and grinned at me.

Trent walked out to the car with us. He kissed Katie goodbye. "I'd drive you home myself," he said. "This is my parents place so I better stay. Brownie hasn't been drinking."

Katie kissed him again. She climbed into the back seat and let me sit in the front. When we got to her house Robert let her out of his side of the car and walked around towards me. Katie must have thought we wanted privacy.

"I'll see you upstairs, Charlie. See you, Brownie. Thanks."

"Yeah thanks," I smiled at him. "Thanks for looking after me."

"Not a problem," Robert leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. "You're a nice kid, Charlie. The first girl whose ever let me rave on about football and not gotten shitty," we both laughed. He went back to the driver's side, "See ya."

Katie was in bed when I got inside. She started at me about whether I liked Robert or not. I crawled in beside her.

"This isn't about Robert and me, Katie. I think you have some explaining to do."

"What?" She grinned at me and tried to play dumb.

I snapped at her, "I'm supposed to be your best friend. Robert had to tell me you went to the movies with Trent last weekend and you've been flirting for ages."

"Keep your voice down," she hissed then added, "I don't want to fight about this. I didn't tell you because...well...I didn't think you'd understand."

"What do you mean?" I sulked.

"Because you don't like Trent. Every time I tried to tell you, you said he was a jerk."

I laid quiet for a bit. Katie continued, "Besides you've had a lot of stuff going on. I didn't want to dump my crap on you too."

I turned my head toward her, "But I'm your best friend. Best friends are supposed to tell each other everything."

She rolled on her side to face me and brushed some of my hair behind my ear. "If I tell you everything you won't get mad. Promise."

"Promise," I whispered afraid of what she was going to say.

"We did it...tonight."

I felt my mouth drop open. I didn't know what to say. I thought, please don't let Katie be pregnant too.

"Well aren't you going to say something?" she said.

I looked at her face. She seemed happy enough. He mustn't have forced her. "Did he use protection?" I whispered.

Katie laughed at me, "Of course."

"Did you want to do it?"

She nodded, "Do you want to me to tell you about it?"

"Okay...I guess...maybe not everything."

She giggled and got comfortable then looked at me seriously, "I decided I wanted to do it about a month ago. Around my birthday, but I didn't want it to be someone our age. I heard Victoria telling Kellie, Trent wouldn't force a girl if she didn't want too. I figured if I backed out...you know...half way through. Well anyway I figured I'd choose him because I'd liked him half of last year and think he's hot anyway." She lay on her back and looked at the ceiling. "So I've been flirting with him. He asked me to the movies last week end. He asked me to the party then." She rolled her head to look at me. I didn't say anything so she continued, "It hurt a bit, but he was good about it...you know...kind."

I was horrified. In my eyes you didn't just say I'm going to do it and then pick someone, "Why did you want to do it? Didn't you want it to be someone you loved and they loved you?"

"God! Charlie! Life's not a fairy tale. Look at my Mum and Dad. Look at your Mum and Dad...and Kerry." Then she got angry with me, "Don't make out I've done the wrong thing. I wanted to do it so I did and I did it because I wanted too. Not because some boy said he'd drop me if I didn't." She rolled towards me again and touched my hair, "I didn't want it to be with someone I liked a lot because if they did drop me afterwards then I'd feel like a real jerk. You know. Doing it with someone and thinking it was all special and them saying thanks very much now fuck off."

I had to admit she had a point. Lots of girls our age had that happen to them. I recalled my mother's words about boys treating it like a game.

"Please don't be angry with me about it," she said.

"I'm not," I whispered. "I just thought you would have talked to me about it before you did it."

She laughed and patted my cheek, "Right, Charlie. So you could talk me out of it."

I grinned at her words because she knew me so well. I definitely would have tried, "Is he going to see you again?"

"I don't think so. If he does ask me I'm going to say no anyway."

Katie looked so confident. I wondered if that's what having sex did to a person. But I couldn't understand her logic. I'd definitely want to see the boy again. All I could say was, "Why?"

"Well for a start he'd only be asking me because he'd want another root and I'm not a slut. I'm not going to be used." She was quiet for a bit then said, "I'm going to do it again though," she paused. "I'm going to be one of those people who do it because they want to. If I see someone I think I'd like to do it with then I'll choose them."

"Now you're confusing me. Who wants to do it with who?" We both had a bit of a giggle because I think she confused herself.

Trent did ask her out again. He got shitty when she said no. I figured Katie was pretty smart because I would have thought he was in love with me and then have gotten hurt. I think Katie has done the right thing for her. I know it's not the way for me or for lots of other girls but that's Katie. She does exactly what she said she would. She makes the choice. I've never seen her upset over a boy but I guess one day she'll fall in love and then it might be a different story.

One thing is for certain.

I'll be there for her when it happens.

Copyright © 2017 by Donna Fieldhouse. All rights reserved.

Did Katie make the right decision?  I hope so ♥♥