“Kat! Kat wake up!”
I roll over. I don’t want to wake up. Not yet. Let me lie here forever, let me forget what the day brings.
“Katarina Elizabeth Ryan wake up right now. You have class in exactly one hour and I will not let you miss it.” Natalie’s tone is as firm as I’ve ever heard it. She’s not one to get mad, she’s stern and proper. She likes precision and she’ll tell you if you upset her, but it’s in such a gentle, childlike way that never leaves you feeling truly chided. However right not Natalie sounds pissed.
I pull the doona cover away from my head and peak up at her. Her blonde hair is out and dead straight like usual. And she’s wearing her typical attire consisting of a sweater and jeans. But I notice something new, make-up. I’ve seen her put on a bit of concealer, a dab of mascara, a hint of lip gloss every now and again. More so in the last few weeks. But today she has on a lot more than she’s ever dared to don before. It doesn’t look bad, just a bit jarring after seeing her clear faced all semester.
She glares down at me, hands on hips. “You know Kat, I’m not your alarm clock.”
“I know.” I mumble, I throw off the covers and stretch.
Natalie startles. “Why are you wearing your clothes from yesterday?”
I look down and see I’m still in jeans and a t-shirt, the very outfit I was wearing when I fled from James’ apartment last night. As I swing my legs over the bed I notice that I’m still wearing my boots. I must have been dead tired.
“Sometimes one forgets that it is not suitable to wear ones day clothes to bed.” I say trying to smooth my hair.
“And that includes boots?” She asks.
“Indeed.”
“Well, if I didn’t know better it would be because you came home at nearly a quarter to four in the morning. What is it that you get up to exactly?” Natalie isn’t a busy body, she lets me live my life and doesn’t ask too many questions. Which is the exact opposite of me I suppose. I’ve grilled her on who she’s going out with, and where, on more than one occasion. But Natalie is the type of person to get herself into trouble and not know how to get out of it. She needs people like me to look out for her. I myself on the other hand, know how to handle a little bit of trouble. I think.
“I am a creature of the night.” I say. “Now can you move out of the way, I need to get a shower.”
She steps aside, leaving me to get my bag of toiletries. God am I tired. I am going to need a lot of coffee this morning. I’m not proud of this, but I have to look at Natalie’s calendar hanging in the space above her desk to remember what day it is. Thursday. Shit. Is it Thursday already? This week has flown by. Actually, this whole semester has flown by. Getting swept up with boys like James will do that to you though.
“You missed breakfast by the way.” She says picking at her nails. “You know I’m beginning to worry about you Kat. You’re not in any kind of trouble? You can tell me, I’ll help you. You’ve done so much for me since we met. It would only be fair.”
I give a jokey type of laugh, like “As if.” But she’s right. I’m in trouble. But it’s my own damn fault. “No, just had one too many late nights. All is good in Kat Land.”
She looks me up and down, not believing me. But she nods curtly. “If you say so.”
I cock my head to the side and notice that not only has she got make-up on but she’s wearing a necklace. One I haven’t seen before.
“That’s a nice necklace. Where’d you get it?” I ask.
She looks down in surprise and gives a small smile. “Ugh, Joe gave it to me. Last night actually.”
YOU ARE READING
This Is How It Goes
Romance"Once upon a time there was a girl. She was an idiot. The end." Katarina Elizabeth Ryan, a self confessed heart breaker, lover of doughnuts and a worshipper of felines is about to have the strangest year of her life. College, the experience she's be...
