Chapter Nine - Cat
Eyes closed, Cat played back everything she had recorded from her tutoring sessions with Aaron. Quotes. Analysis. Thesis statements. They all flooded back to her mind as new interpretations were built upon. She couldn't help but think Aaron was right - that every time she was to revise the book, something new would always pop into her mind.
December meant mock exams and Cat was definitely more prepared than she thought she was. Her only reason for that was Aaron. Sure, she was an advanced student but she had definitely been struggling before Mr. Roberts had suggested Aaron tutoring her.
"Some say the reason that they didn't end up together was because they were much too similar for their own good," Aaron's voice rang through her headphones. Soon after, she contradicted him, by mocking the two characters' speech.
The pair of them had grown closer since then, especially when he figured out that she was the lead singer he was searching for. Twice a week, he would tutor her but also joke around. She learnt a bit about him, as he did about her, but Cat definitely knew that he was hiding something from her. Whenever she would try to bring up the topic of family, he would shy away from it; she knew about Joseph and Laura, thanks to Henry, yet there was a sense of coldness whenever they were mentioned.
"I think they didn't end up together because of their pride and prejudice," her voice giggled. He had tickled her as soon as the words left her mouth, as she knew how much he loathed that novel.
On the day it was recorded, the pair were at their local park. It wasn't so long ago, probably even last week, Cat realised. She had seen Aaron many times since the previous month that she couldn't even count them. Sometimes, Henry joined them as they were all in the same class, yet majority of the time, it was just Cat and Aaron.
"Pride and Prejudice, the worst book ever written."
"I don't know about that. I'd love a Mr Darcy in my life," she teased, "better than a Heathcliff, any day." As she had said those words, she knew that she was teasing Aaron, as he was a Heathcliff.
In a way, Cat saw that Aaron was similar to Heathcliff: he had a certain persona that made people avoid him. His close friendship with Henry made it worse, as the two were like peas in a pod, with Aaron trailing behind as Henry's shadow.
"Come on, that's not fair -"
Suddenly, she switched off the recording. There was movement in her room; she sensed it through the change in the atmosphere. Her window was open but the wind was silent, strange for a December evening. Any movement coming from that area was bound to be sensed by her. Worried, she jumped up from the bed. It could have been a burglar for all she knew.
"Help!" A masculine cry called from the balcony. She panicked, refusing to move anywhere close to the window. What idiot expected her to help them climb up a balcony at night?
Cat wanted to call Henry, but as she tried to form his name with her lips, no sound was coming out. Paralysed in fear, she was stuck with the stranger trying to climb up.
"Cat, it's me!" The voice whisper-shouted. Processing the words, she realised that she recognised his voice. Loud, somewhat obnoxious. It could have only been one person.
She rushed towards the balcony, fumbling her way round until she felt the hand gripping onto the balcony. It took all her strength to pull him up and with his built body towering over her tiny frame, she tripped over her own feet, falling backwards against the floor, dragging him along with her.
"Ouch," were the words that slipped out of her mouth.
Rapid breathing followed from the two of them, with Cat's void eyesight blocking her from truly
