Happy Place - A KathNiel Story

Chapter 3

Kath led DJ around for the entire day, the two of them only separating at lunch when DJ sat with Arisse and he looked around for Kath, but he couldn't see her anywhere in the cafeteria.

"Hey! How's following Kath around going?" Arisse asked and DJ shrugged his shoulders.

"It's going fine - she's pretty quiet and shy, though, so we haven't talked too much... she knows you, though," DJ said and Arisse's eyebrows creased together in confusion, setting her water bottle down after taking a sip.

"She does?"

"She said you helped her last year." DJ shrugged his shoulders and Arisse slowly shook her head.

"I don't even know who Kath is, to be honest - maybe we were partnered for something." Arisse guessed, shrugging her shoulders but it didn't surprise DJ too much that Arisse couldn't remember her. Not only did Kath seem very reserved and private about herself, but Arisse was constantly helping people. It was rare that she'd pass a homeless person on the street without giving them something - a couple of bucks or buying them a hot drink.

"Maybe." DJ agreed, but he kept looking for her every now and then as they ate lunch together - she definitely didn't come to the cafeteria and it was only once lunch was over that DJ found her again for their next class. She'd been waiting for him by his locker, ready to tell him what set of books he'd need for their next couple of classes. "Where were you?" DJ asked her and Kath played with her own fingers, her eyes back on the ground as a lock of hair was in front of her face.

"I called my sister and went to the stage... lost track of time." Kath breathed and DJ looked over at her, raising an eyebrow.

"You perform?"

"Yes... it's my dream to be on Broadway someday, but... I gotta stick to a more realistic life goal." Kath said, surprising herself with how open she was being and DJ couldn't help but smile when he saw her own shock on her face at her reaction.

"I wanna be a midwife like my Mom," DJ said and Kath couldn't help but smile, looking up at him.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Oh yeah, the ultimate dream! That is if a University is willing to take me since as I was held back in my senior year." He said, walking beside her towards their Math class.

"I'm sure they will because you'll graduate with Honors." She said, determined and DJ smiled at the hope she had for him - the confidence. He couldn't imagine someone so shy wanting to perform, but he knew from experience that the Performing Arts department didn't let anybody use the stage outside of class time unless they were good at their chosen art form.

DJ grinned as they walked into the Math classroom and he saw Arisse sat at the back of the room at a table on her own.

"Our first class together!" Arisse cheered, giving DJ a high-five as he immediately took the seat beside his best friend and Kath hesitated before taking the seat on the other side of DJ, her eyes in her lap as she played with her fingers.

"I knew it'd be bullshit if we didn't have at least one together. But hey, Arisse this is Kath. Kath, Arisse." He introduced the girls and Kath slowly looked across DJ and over at Arisse, forcing a polite smile on her face.

"Hi." She breathed and Arisse's eyes widened.

"Hey! I remember you now! That kid Jason-" Arisse started, but she saw the pleading look Kath was giving her and stopped talking, subtly nodding her head to silently assure her that she wouldn't say anything in front of DJ.

"What? Who's Jason?" DJ asked.

"Captain of the football team," Kath mumbled, starting to get her things out of her backpack as the teacher came into the classroom, providing her with a distraction that she was beyond thankful for - the class starting meant that DJ couldn't ask any questions.

Kath seemed impossibly more shy as they headed towards their next class together.

"Hey, listen... I'm not gonna demand you or Arisse say anything about this Jason kid, okay? The same way I know you're curious as to why I was held back, but you're not asking any questions... we'll be open when we're ready to be, if at all." DJ said calmly and DJ looked up at her, biting her lip.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Why would I be a dick?" He questioned rhetorically, and he smiled as Kath continued to walk beside him and although it was silent between them, her head wasn't quite as low as it was before.

=

Kath waited outside the high school for DJ the next day as they'd agreed to the previous day, looking up from her phone just in time to see DJ coming towards her with a boy she could guess was his brother and she recognized Arisse on his other side.

What really took Kath by surprise, though, was the fact that DJ was using crutches to help and support him as he walked.

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