Getting to Know You

Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

When we got to Kat's, Ashton and I walked straight to the office.  I knocked, not surprised to see Kat on the phone when she opened the door.  "Sit, sit."  She waved her hand toward the chairs against the wall, closing the door behind us.  "No, not you sit.  I have Natalie and..."  She trailed off, nodding toward Ashton.  
"Ashton."  I finished, glancing over at him nervously.  I relaxed a little when he smiled at me, leaning into his side.  
"Natalie and Ashton are here in my office.  Yes, I'll let you know.  Thank you."  She hung up the phone and sat down, crossing her legs as she stared at us.  "Natalie, I just need to ask you some questions."  Kat said.  I was suddenly nervous, and I glanced down at my hands.  They were shaking, but only just.  I wiped my palms on my jeans trying to calm down.
"Okay..."  I nodded.  I didn't want to talk about Scott.  I wanted to put what happened behind me and just keep going.  But obviously that wasn't going to happen.  I curled my hand into a fist as I waited for Kat to ask me whatever the hell it was she wanted to ask, but she didn't.  She just sat there giving me the I-feel-bad-for-you eyes, slightly shaking her head side to side. 

I tightened my fist and felt my nails digging into my palm, the stinging sensation doing nothing to distract me from my nerves. 

Please don't look at me like that... Please stop looking at me like that... I thought, biting the inside of my cheek. 

"Natalie, I have relieved Scott from our staff."  Kat started, and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.  "For his future employers, I need you to tell me what happened with Scott so that I can fill out the proper paperwork for an incident report."  She straightened up, looking at me expectantly as she finished. 

I was quiet for a while, not sure where I should start.  Ashton looped his arm through mine wrapped his fingers around my fist, running his thumb across my knuckles.  I relaxed somewhat and slowly uncurled my fingers, twining them with his.  I looked over at him and smiled.  This is exactly why I had asked him to come. 

"Why don't you start from the beginning, with the sketchbook?"  He said, giving me an encouraging nod.  I crossed my legs and held Ashton's hand in my lap, playing with his fingers as I began. 

"A few weeks ago, when Ashton first moved back, Scott stole my sketchbook while I was away from my register."  I started, ready to tell her everything. 

I had just finished telling her about our run-in with Abby and Scott at the arcade when she stopped me.  "Why didn't you tell anybody about this before, Natalie?  Why didn't either of you?"  She accused.  "You could have prevented this incident yesterday if we knew about his early on."  She said, staring disapprovingly back and forth between Ashton and I...  And that made me mad. 

"I couldn't have prevented Scott from doing anything.  They were his actions, not mine."  I said, looking up from Ashton's hand in my lap.  It is never a victims fault.  He would have found another opportunity if he hadn't yesterday.  And if he never got to me, he would have moved on to somebody else. 

"And I did try to tell somebody."  I said, glaring right back at her.  She looked at me like I was lying, like I was making it up. 

She was wrong. 

"Yesterday, I tried to tell you."  I said.  Ashton looked over at me, a surprised look on his face.  He didn't know about this part.  I nodded and looked back at Kat, her eyes wide. 

"Don't you remember when I knocked on your door and told you that I needed to talk?"

"I do..."  She admitted, wondering what I was going to say next.