Where Two Collide

Chapter Fifty-Nine - Cat

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Cat

The week passed quickly. With our parents reporting Owen and setting up the process to press charges against him, Alice had had to talk to various people, jumping in and out of school all week to do so. Owen hadn't been in at all, and as much as people wanted to ask questions, the only person they could really aim them at was me and I wasn't in the friendliest of moods.

A few people had tried, but I had chased them off with a growl and they soon stopped approaching me. When Friday rolled around, my mood hadn't much improved.

As I pushed open our front door and stepped inside, I threw my coat onto a hook and pulled my phone out of my pocket to look at the screen. Nothing. No calls, no texts, just nothing. I fought the urge to launch it across the hallway in front of me.

Addie had been calling and texting me for days since the party, wanting to know why I'd run off and what was wrong and why I was ignoring her. I hadn't replied to any of it and yesterday, she'd just stopped. Like she'd finally given up. A part of me was relieved, but that was a very small part, mostly I was annoyed she'd given up so easily. Not that I wanted to talk to her. I couldn't not after what I'd seen at the party, I was too embarrassed to say anything now.

I sighed internally as I went into the bedroom, finding Alice sprawled out on the rug with an open bag of popcorn next to her.

She tipped her head back to look at me upside down. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," I said as I flopped down onto the floor beside her. I ran my fingers across the rug, it was soft and comforting, like lying on a sheep. I could really get why she was lying there. "How did it go today; you were seeing that lady policewoman again today right?"

"It was okay," she said, letting her eyes droop shut. "She wanted me to go over all the same stuff again though. It was exhausting."

I lifted my arm into the air, looking at my bracelet, and letting the charm swing loosely. "It'll be over soon; they just need all of the information for your case or they won't be able to enforce him to keep his distance." I let my arm drop to my chest and began twisting the bracelet around my wrist.

Alice opened her eyes lazily, turning her head to look at me. "Yeah I know. I'll be glad when I don't have to talk about it anymore though." Her eyes settled on my bracelet and she frowned. "I've never seen that before, when did you get a new bracelet?"

My hand closed over it protectively. "It was a birthday present," I said defensively, probably too defensively.

Alice eyed me warily. "You're being weird still."

I turned to face her too, so we were face to face. Twin to twin. "What do you mean, I'm not being weird." I knew that wasn't exactly true, but at this point why bother telling her about my sexuality, Addie was otherwise engaged, and it just didn't matter how I felt.

"Lies," stated Alice. "I thought all your secrecy was because of the job thing, but you quit that and you're still being super mysterious and weirdly shifty. Is there something else?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "Maybe I'm just depressed because the circus told me I wasn't fearless enough to be a lion tamer."

She shook her head. "Nope. We both know that's not true; you are the most fearless person I know."

"I found a treasure map and I'm on the run from the pirates who don't want to share the booty."

"Nope. Just tell me what's wrong."

"My French lover returned to his wife after he'd promised to leave her and marry me under the Eiffel tower," I said with a smirk. I'd never been to France, but there was something romantic about the idea of the Eiffel tower.

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and quickly fumbled for it. It was just an email offering me twenty-five percent off a pizza delivery. I dropped my phone on the rug with a sigh.

"That," Alice said, sitting bolt up right and pointing at me accusingly.

"Erm, what?"

"You've been doing that all week, every time it goes off you practically throw yourself at your phone and then get all mad at it like it's burnt you."

"Oh, that," I said, looking down at my phone. "That was just my French lover. He's rethinking our relationship."

"Cat!" Alice looked at me expectantly. "It's obviously bothering you, whatever it is. If we've learned anything from this whole thing with Owen, it's that keeping things to yourself just hurts you more. Just tell me what's wrong, maybe I can help."

Maybe she was right. Maybe it was time. I covered my face with my hands. "I-I'm gay," I stuttered, feeling all the blood rushing from my face. I couldn't look at her.

"Really?" Alice said uncertainly. "Is this one true?"

I couldn't blame her for not being sure, after all the stories I told her, it sounded kind of like a fantasy too. "Yes, I only really knew for sure recently," I said letting all of the air out of my lungs in a whoosh. "I like my friend Addie, more than a friend."

"That's great!" Alice exclaimed, throwing her arms around me. "I'm so happy for you."

"It is?" I peeked out at her between my fingers.

"Of course it is," she said, a smile stretching across her lips. "How does Addie feel? Is she, you know-"

"Gay too?"

Alice peeled her arms away from me and nodded.

"Yes, she is." I hesitated, sitting up and looking back at my phone, the events of our birthday party rushing back like a nightmare. In my minds eye she was dancing up against Sammy, laughing together as they saw me standing there awkwardly. Which wasn't exactly how it had gone down, yet that's the image that kept flashing up. "She doesn't like me like that though."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Alice giving me a sympathetic look. "What did she say when you told her?"

I blinked a few times. "Actually, I haven't told her."

Alice went from sympathy to confusion in two seconds flat. "What?"

"Don't look at me like that," I replied, brushing my fingers over the charm on my bracelet. "I was going to tell her, then I kind of lost the courage and then it was too late."

"Well that's just stupid," scoffed Alice. "If you like someone, you should tell them. Nothing hurts more than keeping it to yourself, not even them telling you you've got no chance with them. Least then you know, and you can move on."

I scowled. "What if she's already interested in somebody else?"

"I mean...if they are with someone then I guess you apologise to that person later, but you still make sure your feelings are heard, because you never know." She reached out and squeezed my hand. "I have a feeling you're wrong though. Why would she want somebody else when she could have you?"

"It's not as easy as that," I said shaking my head at her. How I wish it were that easy. The good things in life, the things that make you genuinely happy, are rarely ever easy to come by. "I've been screening her calls and texts all week, and I just left without any explanation at the party. I doubt she wants to even speak to me now."

"So, fix it?"

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