Krista's heel drummed against the floor as she leant against the linoleum walls of the ward. She raised her coffee to her lips with a steady hand, taking a sip. Then another. And another. It was still hot, so she honed her focus onto that mild burn, hoping it'd distract her from the heavy reality that her little brother was just down the hall being poked and prodded by doctors.
Maxwell was brave, that opinion tended to cling to her mind like hot wax that never seemed to dry. She rarely said it aloud, that would make it all the more real that he had something to be brave for in the first place. Plus if she voiced her admiration she would never hear the end of it.
During the regular blood tests, he would hold her hand, clinging to it as if it were a lifeline. She wasn't sure if he realised when he first did it, too busy maintaining the brave face he was putting on for the family. When she told him he was allowed to look upset with it all he simply reminded her that he had 'a rep to uphold'.
What rep? She hadn't a clue.
Having allowed herself to wander on autopilot, Krista found herself fishing for loose money in her pocket, coming out victorious with a single dollar.
She inserted the paper into the machine, punching in the number after little contemplation, the vending machine let out a few happy whirs in response. Her content expression fell as she was forced to watch as the edge of the confectionary became caught in the mechanisms. It dangled before her eyes as a sugary taunt - a challenge that she gladly accepted.
A frown settled on her face as she gave the glass a few thumps before shaking the machine. After a few more mildly humiliating attempts, Krista decided to cut her losses. She too had a reputation to uphold.
She turned to leave, only to walk right into someone.
And that someone happened to be holding a fresh cup of coffee.
Krista let out a gasp as she felt the cup's contents spill onto her sweater, the now-sticky fabric clinging to her skin.
"Oh my gosh- I am so sorry-"
The dark haired girl glanced up from where she was inspecting her sweater to see a blonde-haired girl fretting before her.
"Oh, don't worry about it. It was my fault really. Besides, I'm never one to turn down free coffee." Krista sent the girl a sheepish grin.
"No, it was completely my fault-"
"Agree to disagree?"
She was about to respond once more only to settle for a long exhale, shoulders slumping, a small smile playing on her lips.
Krista shifted in her place as silence fell between the two.
"Uh, I'm Krista." She held out a hand, smiling up at the taller girl.
"I'm Katie."
"Well, Katie, what brings you here? I assume it's not the coffee." Krista held her hand up to her mouth to avoid any potential dirty looks from passing nurses, "It kinda sucks."
Katie let out a snort of a laugh, nose scrunching up in a way Krista could only describe as endearing.
"You can say that again. I'm just here visiting my best friend, Alexa. What about you?"
"My brother. I'm only here as his designated comic-carrier." Krista gestured to the messenger bag hanging from her shoulder, visibly filled to the brim with bursts of color and shiny pages.
"I haven't seen you around the hospital before?" Katie's head lolled to the side, her short hair falling with it.
"My family and I actually just moved here a couple of days ago. It's a nice town." Krista paused for a moment as a thought crossed her mind, "Wait, do you go to Kennedy High School by any chance?"
"Yeah, do you need someone to show you around?"
Krista smiled at the offer, feeling a small weight lift from her shoulders.
"That'd be great. It'll be nice seeing a familiar face."
Katie grinned as she retrieved her phone from her pocket.
"Uh- Could I have your number? So that I know where to find you at school, obviously."
Krista let out a quiet laugh as she accepted the device, fingertips brushing over the back of the girl's hand as she did so.
"Smooth."
Katie could only hope her face hadn't turned pink at the remark.
"Okay, Katie from the hospital, here's my number."
Krista watched expectantly as the blonde glanced over the contact with an amused smile.
"Coffee-spiller? "
"What?"
Katie was about to respond when a girl appeared at her side.
"Katie, we're all finished." She glanced at Katie before turning to Krista with a small, but warm, smile. "Who-"
Katie looked between the two, "Oh, this is Krista."
The girl raised an eyebrow, prompting further elaboration, "I spilt coffee on her."
The dark haired girl let out a chuckle, "Of course you did." She diverted her focus back to Krista, offering her a hand, "I'm Alexa."
"Krista."
"Krissy!" A familiar voice called out from down the hall, Maxwell's face appearing around the doorway of his room, "Why have you stolen my comics?"
Krista rolled her eyes, turning back to the girls who looked mildly amused as they connected the dots. "Well, I guess that's my queue. See you guys at school."
"Bye, Krista!"
Maxwell sat looking far from impressed as she entered the room, lips pursed in disapproval, "Okay, dumbass, calm down. Your comics are right here."
His facade melted as he took ahold of the graphic novel, murmuring a quiet thank you.
Krista watched as he smiled, flicking through the pages before looking down at her phone, her expression mirroring the boy's beside her as a new message appeared on her home screen.
unknown number
hi, it's katie, from
two minutes ago.
krista
hi katie-from-two-
minutes-ago, missing me already?
katie
you wish :p i just
thought i'd text you
so that you could save
my number. don't want
you forgetting about me
already!
krista
you're quite unforgettable
YOU ARE READING
GIRL CRUSH - KATIE COOPER
FanfictionA Katie Cooper story "That's why I love fall, looking at the stars, admiring from afar. My girl." Krista Tandy had grown up with the hospital as her second home. She wasn't sick, but her brother was. That meant long nights in the ward, and a diet c...
