Moving Forward (Completed)

Chapter Fifty Three

Katherine smiled when MJ entered the apartment after she'd beat her home for the third time that week. Eighth grade hadn't been that much different than sixth when it came to the amount of effort MJ needed to put into studying, but the kids were older and group projects tended to consist of meetings at a coffee shop close to their school... something she was sure the employees of said coffee shop loved. The decision on whether to get MJ a phone or not was made for them when Katherine realized she'd be staying after school more often now that she was grouped with older students.

"Did you guys get a lot done?"

MJ shrugged, dropping her backpack by the hall leading to the bedrooms before sinking into the couch next to Katherine. "They gossiped most of the time."

"Anything interesting?"

"It's a group of girls... they spent the entire time talking about who they liked or who they thought was cute or some other useless conversation." MJ grumbled and crossed her arms across her chest.

Katherine chuckled at the reaction. "Not interested in boys yet?" Middle school had been nothing but drama and boys for her. Friends liking the same guy, going on 'dates' which were more or less parents dropping their kids off at the movies so they could meet up with a group that contained a boy they liked. An eighth grader named Mike had nearly been the undoing of her friendships with both Erin and Rodger in seventh grade. Erin and Mike ended up a couple... something she pretended to but didn't truly get over until they were in eighth grade and Rodger finally started talking to her again. She'd liked Rodger, but hadn't realized he was mad because she'd been so vocal about liking someone else. He became her first kiss a few weeks later.

"Boys are a distraction."

"You won't always feel that way." Katherine smiled.

"Yes I will," MJ huffed, "I won't end up like my mom."

Katherine's smile faded. "Oh, MJ... liking a boy won't... not all guys are..." She didn't actually know how to approach this topic.

MJ exhaled, deciding to end the deliberation Katherine was having internally on what to say next. "I know what my mom's main source of income was, and that's not what I meant."

"What did you mean?"

"There are things I want to accomplish and I don't intend to let some boy distract me from doing so. My mom moved in with a guy right after being kicked out of the system... didn't even consider continuing her education. She said she loved him or some other nonsense, of course it didn't last, just set her on a path of relying on guys to provide for her. I only meant I'd rather focus on things that matter."

Katherine nodded, patting MJ's thigh. "You can't always control how you feel."

"Maybe not, but as of now I have no interest." MJ shrugged.

"You have no interest in what?" Neither of them had noticed Rafael arrive home. He'd already dropped his briefcase off in his office and was now leaning against the wall close to MJ's backpack.

"Boys" Katherine smirked.

His eyes widened as though boys hadn't even entered his mind as a possibility. "That's good... I think."

MJ chuckled for the first time since arriving home. "I'm going to finish my part of the project." She stood, grabbing her backpack as she passed Rafael on her way to her room.

"What brought up boys?" He asked, taking MJ's spot next to Katherine on the couch.

"The group of eighth grade girls she's been assigned to work with." She snuggled into his side when he lifted his arm to place around her shoulder.