Falling

T W E N T Y - S E V E N

I am currently rushing around my room, trying to get all of my things together for school.

I've been sleeping past my alarm this whole week. School, cheer, hanging out with Will, and then FaceTime with Will until late hours has been leaving me exhausted. Hence the sleeping in.

As I search my closet for sandals to wear with my outfit, my phone buzzes for the third time in the last 20 minutes. Ignoring it, I continue on with my quest for matching shoes.

After slipping my feet into them, I spritz myself with some body spray, cram my binder into my my bag, grab my phone and rush down the stairs.

This is how my mornings have been the past few days, isn't it lovely?

As I'm jogging down the stairs I hear voices in the kitchen followed by quiet laughter.

It's my dad.

But what shocks me is that I can hear Will laughing right along with him.

I walk into the kitchen slowly, suspicious as to what is going on. Am I hearing things correctly?

My dad is laughing. With Will. In my kitchen. And Will is alive.

Once they notice me standing there looking utterly confused, they shift their attention to me and they sober up.

"H-hey dad. Will. What's going on?" I look between the two. I'm trying to act casual and completely unaffected by them being in the same room and getting along. I didn't even know that Will was coming over.

"Hey, Katelynn." Will leans against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest looking like a model from a magazine. "I texted you." He adds. The way he says it sounds like it's supposed to be an explanation.

But it doesn't really clear up any confusion that I have.

"Good morning Princess." My dad kisses me on the head before refilling his coffee mug behind me. "Will came to drive you to school today." He sounds awfully chipper this morning considering the fact that there's a teenage boy standing in his kitchen for his daughter.

"Okay." I shoot Will a 'what the heck' look and he just grins at me. I open the fridge to rummage around for some breakfast.

I pull out some fruit salad and OJ and set it on the counter to begin my search for a plate, fork, and cup.

"So what were you guys talking about?" I ask, curious to know why they were laughing like best buds before I came in.

I scoop some fruit salad onto my plate, waiting expectantly for an answer.

"Oh just stuff." Will sips from the coffee mug in his hand. My dad must've offered it to him. Will watches me with playful eyes as he sips from the mug.

"Stuff like...?" I shove a piece of strawberry in my mouth and urge him to continue. He just smirks at me in response. He knows that curiosity kills me.

"We were talking about guns and hunting. Will told me that he hunts too. I told him about when I took you hunting last year." My dad informs me, taking a seat at the island.

My mind flashes back to the time when Will declared that he would make my dad like him and my face transforms into a knowing look as I peer at Will across the kitchen from me.

"Yeah? What did you tell him?" I listen for my dads response while I pour myself a glass of OJ to wash down my fruit.

"I just told him about how you got your Elk." He says.