Hellcat

Chapter Seventeen

I managed to get myself to the office around 10 o'clock. Late, I knew, but I couldn't focus. My thoughts kept wandering to Matt. Him and Foggy. Him and me. Just... Matt. When I stepped into the office, Karen was pacing. "Hey," I called, catching her attention. She stopped and instantly turned to me. "Hey, is Matt okay? Foggy told me about his accident," Karen bombarded me. I just stared at her in confusion for a moment. An accident? Did Foggy come up with an alibi for why Matt wouldn't be in?

"You do know about that, right?" she asked me when I didn't respond. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I know. Uh, I'm just... just distracted, you know? Worried about Matt," I told her with a small nod as I shrugged off my coat and hung it on the rack. "Have you seen him? Is he okay?" she asked me, her voice a little frantic. "No. Foggy called, told me what happened. I, uh... I just needed some time to process it," I explained to her, nodding grimly. She returned the gesture.

"Yeah, I mean I just can't believe that someone hit him. How can you just hit a person?" she ranted, going back to pacing. Was she talking about a car accident? I sighed and shook my head. "I know, right? Listen, I'm, uh..." I trailed off, gesturing towards Matt's office. "I'm gonna do some work in Matt's office. Hopefully I can be a little productive," I said. She nodded once more before I moved into the office. I didn't close the door. I didn't want to block her out. I had to be here for her. Maybe she could even serve as a distraction for me.

16 years ago...

"Sophomore year is already ruined!" I whined to my father. I was pacing in the kitchen as he started cooking dinner. He laughed at my words. "How so?" he asked me, not even looking up from the avocado he was cutting. "Weren't you listening? No one is going to ask me to Homecoming," I groaned, flopping down in one of the dining room chairs.

"Oh, thank God. Thought you'd never stop pacing," he teased me, flashing a smile. I groaned, folding my head up as I stared at him. "This is serious, okay? It's not like freshman year. You can't just go with friends, that's weird," I said, earning a raised eyebrow of confusion.

"Ugh, okay. So, Freshman year you're expected to not know enough people to get a date. It's normal. Sophomore year, you've had enough time to meet people. I can't just show up at the dance by myself. I'll be a pariah for the rest of the year!" I whined. I know, it's a shallow thing to complain about, but it felt so important.

"Now where did you learn that word?" my father asked, flashing a proud smirk at me. "Matt told me," I said simply. My father's eyes lit up, glimmering as he turned his gaze onto me. "Now there's an idea. Why don't you ask Matt?" he suggested. My eyes practically popped out of my head, jaw dropping as I stared. I couldn't stop the blush from passing over my cheeks.

"Matt? I-I-I can't ask Matt to Homecoming," I stammered, shaking my head. My stomach fluttered at the thought. "Why not? You and Matt are practically inseparable. Besides, I'd think he would like a night away from the orphanage," he suggested, shrugging one shoulder. "Dad, this is supposed to be a date. Matt's my best friend, I can't go on a date with him," I explained to my father, but he just shook his head, smiling a knowing smile.

"Allison, have you every maybe thought about Matt as more than just your best friend?" he asked me. Shocked by his question, I just stammered out random vowel sounds. He laughed at my response. "That's how I reacted when Grandma Aggie asked me about your mama," he said, smirking. I groaned. "Dad, I can't like Matt. Not like, like him. We've been friends forever. I don't want that to change," I sighed, eyes locking on the table top. Why did my dad have to bring it up? Why did he have to know about my secret crush? He always seemed to know, though.

"You can't be afraid of change, Allison," my father started to say. Glancing up, I saw him pull out the chair beside me and sit down. He reached out and took my hand in his. "Baby, there is nothing permanent except change and that's the truth. The world is going to change and shift all around you. The only question is, will you change with it? Or will you let yourself fade away with the old?" My father was a wise man. He didn't go to college, but he knew a lot. He taught himself practically everything he knew. He was an idealist. Someone who was purely good and only saw good. Though, he knew there was bad in the world, he preferred to hold that off until the bad things were necessary or staring him in the face.