The Nothings

Kate (Chapter Twelve)

(TW: suicide mention)

        Harper didn't stay mad at Kate for long, and she now acted as if their confrontation had never happened. Harper also a new boyfriend. She was now dating Julius. She said that she knew he slept with her sister, but her feelings for him were so strong that she couldn't hold that against him. She cried when she told Kate about the new relationship, and she said she hoped Kate's feelings weren't hurt. Kate lied, and she said she didn't mind. She did, but she didn't want to fight with her sister anymore.

  Harper explained that she and Julius finally figured out they had feelings for each other after five years of friendship. She talked about it as if it was a romantic story, and not completely weird which Kate thought it was. Harper brought him home for dinner, and he met their parents. Their parents were instantly fooled by his nice boy routine as he wore a dress shirt and khakis and called them 'sir' and 'ma'am.'

 He was sickeningly polite the entire dinner and incessantly complimented them and their house. Kate only joined them after Harper pleaded and begged. She said she wanted Kate to be good friends with him, and she hoped it wouldn't be awkward between them. Kate didn't feel awkwardness. Just white hot anger at her sister for being so fickle.

   He started to come over to their house all the time. Kate would excuse herself to her room as she couldn't stand to even be around them. She wasn't jealous. It just made her feel like her sister didn't care about her feelings at all. She thought about how much of a joke her life was as her Mom drove her to group, and she wondered if she should mention this new, pathetic situation she was in. She figured she wouldn't as it was just too weird, and she didn't want people to know her life had become even more pathetic.

   Joan was standing outside the therapy office when Kate got out of her mother's SUV. Her Mom waved goodbye and honked the horn as she drove away. As Kate walked across the parking lot; she noticed that Joan looked upset. There were tears in her eyes. Kate wondered if she should ask what was wrong, but she didn't get a chance as Joan ran to her the moment she saw Kate approaching the building. 

  "Ellis tried to kill himself," Joan blurted out. "I heard Sara and Gia talking about it inside. They don't want us to know, but apparently he tried last week."

  "Oh my God!" Kate felt like someone punched her in the stomach. "Is he okay?"

  "Well, he's alive, and he's home from what they said, but I'm still freaked the fuck out. He's my friend," Joan said with a sniff, and she hid her tears behind her long, dark hair. "I want to go see him."

  "Uh, I don't know about that..." Kate felt sick thinking about her last confrontation with Ellis, and she couldn't help but wonder if she had any part in what had happened. She hoped to God not. "I don't even know where he lives..."

  "I do," Joan said quickly; pushing her hair out of her eyes. She was no longer crying, and she looked eager. "It isn't far. C'mon, we got to go see him."

  "See who?" Tabitha asked as she walked towards them with her rainbow bag over her shoulder. "Are you okay Joan?"

  "No, Ellis tried to kill himself," Joan told her.

  "Holy shit..." Tabitha was stunned. "Is he okay?"

  "He's home apparently, but that's all I know," Joan explained again. "I want to go see him."

   Tabitha looked at Kate. "... What do you think?"

  "I don't know," Kate said honestly; feeling awkward as she put her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. "He probably wants privacy. His Mom too. I don't think we should go barging in..."