Georgia Rainstorms: Chapter 2
Justin
Thoughts swirl through my head as I lay here on my bed. I had stood there in front of her. I could have said something.
Why didn’t I stop her from going? Why didn’t I tell her how I feel? I could have blown my only chance to tell her… I may never see her again.
God it hurts to know I may never see her again… I already feel incomplete without her; life without her seems so… alien. She has to get better; I can’t lose her, not yet. I want to scream, to yell to the sky above about how it was unfair to torment Katie like this. To let her hear that she won’t live was cruel, like a punishment. She did nothing to deserve it.
Picking up the sketchbook by my bed I flip through until I find the picture I am looking for. This was Katie’s sketchbook that she never got to keep from when we were in art together. The first day of class she drew me while I was sitting there doodling in my own sketchbook. I had been leaned back against the wall behind me, intently concentrating on my doodle. She had asked me to get her sketchbook for her and I haven’t ever gotten around to giving it back. Just as I’m setting it back down my mom calls me from downstairs.
“Justin! Come down here!”
“Coming mom” I yell back. This will be interesting.
When I get to the bottom of the stairs I notice one thing right off the bat, Katie’s mother is standing in the doorway.
“Do you know where Katie is?” my mother asked.
“No I don’t mom. I haven’t talked to her in months. Not since she was forbade from talking to me. She’s probably at home where she always is though.” I say letting the pain and anger slip into my voice. Spinning I go to walk upstairs only to have my sister standing there.
“How is Katie anyways?” she asked in her cute little innocent voice.
“She needs to be at home and she isn’t right now. I’m trying to find her.” Her mom said from the doorway.
“Why don’t you just tell her the truth? She deserves to know what the fate of her friend is. I’ve already heard from Kathleen!” I yell at her.
“She’s only six. She wouldn’t understand the complex terms involved in this.” Her mom said looking shocked.
“Oh I’m pretty sure she can understand what it means when people say their medication and treatments aren’t working.” I say bitterly.
“Katie’s treatments are going fine,” her mom said, obviously under a lot of pressure, “why don’t I talk to you outside?”
“Fine then” I say walking out onto the front porch.
We stand there, glaring at each other for quite a few minutes. Finally I break the silence.
“Are you going to stand here glaring at me or are you going to speak?” I challenge.
“Where is my daughter?” she demands.
“Like I said, for all I know she’s at home. I haven’t talked to her in months.” I reply leaning back against the railing.
“You know more than that if you know her treatments aren’t working,” her mother snapped back.
“Like I also said, I still talk to Kathleen and she tells me how Katie is. I don’t know any more than that. Except for the fact that she’s miserable and lonely, that’s a given and everyone knows that.” I say standing back up.
Her mom stood there watching me for a few minutes, probably deciding her next approach when all of the sudden her shoulders dropped and she started crying.
Wrapping her arms around me she whispered in between sobs, “I’m so sorry Justin. I don’t know what I was thinking, and now she ran away and I’m so sorry.”
I stood there and patted her back. It was so weird to have a full grown mother crying on my shoulder like this. Finally I reply, “If you want the truth then she really is at home, probably asleep in her bed. I’ve been talking to her on occasion under a different screen name she made up for me. She wanted to come over here tonight so I went and sat with her for awhile at your house.”
I had just made a pretty big lie to cover for Katie and I hoped her mom would believe me. It had been hard to say with her mother crying all over my shoulder.
“Thank you so much Justin! I can never thank you enough!” she said wiping her tears away and running back down our front walk towards her car.
“She’s not happy with you right now!” I call after her.
I stand there in the rain, looking out over our front yard. It’s been raining the last two weeks like this and no doubt the bay was flooding by now. Maybe we won’t have school tomorrow if we’re lucky. Maybe I can go see Katie again…
I walk back into the house and back up to my room, closing the door behind me. My clock reads 11:13 pm. Time for me to be in bed. Just then I heard soft knocking at my door.
“Justin…” my sister whispered poking her head into my room.
“You can come in Sarah” I say walking over and picking her up.
“Is Katie going to die?” she whispers snuggling into my chest.
“I don’t think so Sarah, I’m pretty sure she’s too strong for this to kill her.” I reply sitting her down on my bed.
“I hope she’ll be okay… I would miss her drawing pictures of her kitty for me…” My sister whispers, starting to nod off to sleep.
“I would too Sarah…” I whisper, sitting down beside her.
In the morning I wake up and find Sarah still tucked in against my side. My older sister is sitting in a chair at the end of my bed.
“Well good morning sleepy head, I thought you were never going to get up” she hisses, her mouth curling into a cruel smile.
“What do you want Amanda?” I reply coldly.
“I want to see you squirm… So is it true that girl you’ve been crushing over isn’t going to make it past thanksgiving? Or is that just another rumor?” she says getting up and walking around the bed to stroke my cheek.
“Katie is fine Amanda. Her condition isn’t any of your concern.” I hiss snapping at her fingers with my teeth.
“Vicious, vicious little boy… Didn’t mother teach you any manners? You’re supposed to respect adults.” She replied smiling devilishly.
“You’re only seventeen, I can snap at you if I want to. That and you’re my sister, it gives me motive.” I say flashing my trademark smirk at her.
“Oh well this gives me opportunity and I’m taking it. So tell me, is she going to make it tough guy?” Amanda asked sitting back down on the chair.
“No” I reply dropping my eyes.
Just then Sarah sat up, gave me the “how could you” look and runs out. I jumped up to follow her only to have Amanda close the door behind her and say, “Now I can actually talk to you.”
Walking over she pushes me back onto my bed and sits on my chest. “So where were we? Oh yes… the cowboy doesn’t think his girl will make it to Thanksgiving…”
“Damn it Amanda, why did you do that? If you knew she was listening then why ask that question?” I say trying to throw her off.
“Because I wanted an honest answer out of you,” she replies jumping off and walking out, leaving me lying on my bed.
Amanda enjoys torturing me because of the fact that for once I have feelings for someone that I probably shouldn’t have any feelings for. She likes watching me get more depressed with each passing day. She enjoys seeing my life end before me, my true love die before my eyes slowly and painfully.
That’s when I notice the note tucked into my shirt pocket. Reaching up I pull it out and unfold it, it’s from Amanda.
“Whenever you want I’m here to talk” was all it said in her perfect cursive handwriting. She has a habit of not choosing her words well unless it’s on paper.
It turns out we don’t have school today so I’m going to see if Katie is home… even though I already know she is. Walking over to my desk I sign into my laptop and open my chat server.
RckStr48: You there Kat?
KateyCat24: What do you want?
RckStr48: You.
KateyCat24: How could you?
RckStr48: How could I what?
KateyCat24: How could you tell my mom about us?
RckStr48: I haven’t told her about us…
RckStr48: I told her you were at home when she came by last night and I told her that you were mad.
RckStr48: that’s all I said.
KateyCat24: Well you aren’t both singing the same tune Justin…
RckStr48: I’m sorry Katie… She started crying all over my shoulder and kept apologizing
KateyCat48: that doesn’t sound like my mother
RckStr24: I can tell you for a fact she was… Just ask Amanda.
KateyCat24: You know I can’t stand her.
RckStr48: I know that but she can tell you your mom was bawling all over my shoulder.
KateyCat24: I’ll ask her about it later.
RckStr48: Would you like some company?
KateyCat24: My mom is home. No I wouldn’t.
RckStr48: R u mad?
KateyCat24: Yes.
And then in a flash she’s gone. With one simple word she’s gone. Just like that I know it’s over for me. Signing off I turn around and throw myself across my bed, content to let sleep carry me away…
Why didn’t I stop her from going? Why didn’t I tell her how I feel? I could have blown my only chance to tell her… I may never see her again.
God it hurts to know I may never see her again… I already feel incomplete without her; life without her seems so… alien. She has to get better; I can’t lose her, not yet. I want to scream, to yell to the sky above about how it was unfair to torment Katie like this. To let her hear that she won’t live was cruel, like a punishment. She did nothing to deserve it.
Picking up the sketchbook by my bed I flip through until I find the picture I am looking for. This was Katie’s sketchbook that she never got to keep from when we were in art together. The first day of class she drew me while I was sitting there doodling in my own sketchbook. I had been leaned back against the wall behind me, intently concentrating on my doodle. She had asked me to get her sketchbook for her and I haven’t ever gotten around to giving it back. Just as I’m setting it back down my mom calls me from downstairs.
“Justin! Come down here!”
“Coming mom” I yell back. This will be interesting.
When I get to the bottom of the stairs I notice one thing right off the bat, Katie’s mother is standing in the doorway.
“Do you know where Katie is?” my mother asked.
“No I don’t mom. I haven’t talked to her in months. Not since she was forbade from talking to me. She’s probably at home where she always is though.” I say letting the pain and anger slip into my voice. Spinning I go to walk upstairs only to have my sister standing there.
“How is Katie anyways?” she asked in her cute little innocent voice.
“She needs to be at home and she isn’t right now. I’m trying to find her.” Her mom said from the doorway.
“Why don’t you just tell her the truth? She deserves to know what the fate of her friend is. I’ve already heard from Kathleen!” I yell at her.
“She’s only six. She wouldn’t understand the complex terms involved in this.” Her mom said looking shocked.
“Oh I’m pretty sure she can understand what it means when people say their medication and treatments aren’t working.” I say bitterly.
“Katie’s treatments are going fine,” her mom said, obviously under a lot of pressure, “why don’t I talk to you outside?”
“Fine then” I say walking out onto the front porch.
We stand there, glaring at each other for quite a few minutes. Finally I break the silence.
“Are you going to stand here glaring at me or are you going to speak?” I challenge.
“Where is my daughter?” she demands.
“Like I said, for all I know she’s at home. I haven’t talked to her in months.” I reply leaning back against the railing.
“You know more than that if you know her treatments aren’t working,” her mother snapped back.
“Like I also said, I still talk to Kathleen and she tells me how Katie is. I don’t know any more than that. Except for the fact that she’s miserable and lonely, that’s a given and everyone knows that.” I say standing back up.
Her mom stood there watching me for a few minutes, probably deciding her next approach when all of the sudden her shoulders dropped and she started crying.
Wrapping her arms around me she whispered in between sobs, “I’m so sorry Justin. I don’t know what I was thinking, and now she ran away and I’m so sorry.”
I stood there and patted her back. It was so weird to have a full grown mother crying on my shoulder like this. Finally I reply, “If you want the truth then she really is at home, probably asleep in her bed. I’ve been talking to her on occasion under a different screen name she made up for me. She wanted to come over here tonight so I went and sat with her for awhile at your house.”
I had just made a pretty big lie to cover for Katie and I hoped her mom would believe me. It had been hard to say with her mother crying all over my shoulder.
“Thank you so much Justin! I can never thank you enough!” she said wiping her tears away and running back down our front walk towards her car.
“She’s not happy with you right now!” I call after her.
I stand there in the rain, looking out over our front yard. It’s been raining the last two weeks like this and no doubt the bay was flooding by now. Maybe we won’t have school tomorrow if we’re lucky. Maybe I can go see Katie again…
I walk back into the house and back up to my room, closing the door behind me. My clock reads 11:13 pm. Time for me to be in bed. Just then I heard soft knocking at my door.
“Justin…” my sister whispered poking her head into my room.
“You can come in Sarah” I say walking over and picking her up.
“Is Katie going to die?” she whispers snuggling into my chest.
“I don’t think so Sarah, I’m pretty sure she’s too strong for this to kill her.” I reply sitting her down on my bed.
“I hope she’ll be okay… I would miss her drawing pictures of her kitty for me…” My sister whispers, starting to nod off to sleep.
“I would too Sarah…” I whisper, sitting down beside her.
In the morning I wake up and find Sarah still tucked in against my side. My older sister is sitting in a chair at the end of my bed.
“Well good morning sleepy head, I thought you were never going to get up” she hisses, her mouth curling into a cruel smile.
“What do you want Amanda?” I reply coldly.
“I want to see you squirm… So is it true that girl you’ve been crushing over isn’t going to make it past thanksgiving? Or is that just another rumor?” she says getting up and walking around the bed to stroke my cheek.
“Katie is fine Amanda. Her condition isn’t any of your concern.” I hiss snapping at her fingers with my teeth.
“Vicious, vicious little boy… Didn’t mother teach you any manners? You’re supposed to respect adults.” She replied smiling devilishly.
“You’re only seventeen, I can snap at you if I want to. That and you’re my sister, it gives me motive.” I say flashing my trademark smirk at her.
“Oh well this gives me opportunity and I’m taking it. So tell me, is she going to make it tough guy?” Amanda asked sitting back down on the chair.
“No” I reply dropping my eyes.
Just then Sarah sat up, gave me the “how could you” look and runs out. I jumped up to follow her only to have Amanda close the door behind her and say, “Now I can actually talk to you.”
Walking over she pushes me back onto my bed and sits on my chest. “So where were we? Oh yes… the cowboy doesn’t think his girl will make it to Thanksgiving…”
“Damn it Amanda, why did you do that? If you knew she was listening then why ask that question?” I say trying to throw her off.
“Because I wanted an honest answer out of you,” she replies jumping off and walking out, leaving me lying on my bed.
Amanda enjoys torturing me because of the fact that for once I have feelings for someone that I probably shouldn’t have any feelings for. She likes watching me get more depressed with each passing day. She enjoys seeing my life end before me, my true love die before my eyes slowly and painfully.
That’s when I notice the note tucked into my shirt pocket. Reaching up I pull it out and unfold it, it’s from Amanda.
“Whenever you want I’m here to talk” was all it said in her perfect cursive handwriting. She has a habit of not choosing her words well unless it’s on paper.
It turns out we don’t have school today so I’m going to see if Katie is home… even though I already know she is. Walking over to my desk I sign into my laptop and open my chat server.
RckStr48: You there Kat?
KateyCat24: What do you want?
RckStr48: You.
KateyCat24: How could you?
RckStr48: How could I what?
KateyCat24: How could you tell my mom about us?
RckStr48: I haven’t told her about us…
RckStr48: I told her you were at home when she came by last night and I told her that you were mad.
RckStr48: that’s all I said.
KateyCat24: Well you aren’t both singing the same tune Justin…
RckStr48: I’m sorry Katie… She started crying all over my shoulder and kept apologizing
KateyCat48: that doesn’t sound like my mother
RckStr24: I can tell you for a fact she was… Just ask Amanda.
KateyCat24: You know I can’t stand her.
RckStr48: I know that but she can tell you your mom was bawling all over my shoulder.
KateyCat24: I’ll ask her about it later.
RckStr48: Would you like some company?
KateyCat24: My mom is home. No I wouldn’t.
RckStr48: R u mad?
KateyCat24: Yes.
And then in a flash she’s gone. With one simple word she’s gone. Just like that I know it’s over for me. Signing off I turn around and throw myself across my bed, content to let sleep carry me away…