haven’t been over in so long.”
Katrina accepted the invitation without any sign of hesitation. That worried me even more. It was like she was looking for a reason to not go home.
“Meet me on the front steps when the bell rings. I have to wait on Eric. He has to get some papers from the office on our way out.” I explained.
“Ok .” she said as I went back to my desk and gathered my things.
Eric came back to his desk a few minutes later. He looked at me funny and it kind of made me nervous.
“Are you alright?” He asked genuinely concerned.
“I’m fine.” I explained to him that Katrina was going to walk home with us today.
“The more the merrier .” he laughed as the bell rang.
“Go ahead and get your stuff from the office and I'll meet you out front .” I said as I gathered my things and walked to the door.
I looked around the room for Katrina, but she had already left. I went straight to the front steps of the school. She was standing there waiting for us. “Where’s Eric?” she asked. It was impossible for me to ignore her voice quivering.
“Oh, he'll be out in a minute. Will your parents mind if you come over or should you call them and let them know?” I asked.
As she replied I saw that she was staring at the ground. “My parents are out of town until Friday. My uncle is staying there while they’re gone.” She looked away at something off in the distance, but quickly turned back. “Just to watch over the house and things. I can’t wait until they get back.” she said.
I felt the overwhelming need to rescue her. I just couldn’t let her know that I already had a slight idea that she was in some kind of trouble.
Eric came out and we all walked to my house. We talked and Eric picked up on how Katrina was acting. He told some of the most idiotic jokes I had ever heard. I mean, they were horrible. We couldn’t help but laugh at him. They weren’t funny at all, but the way he was telling them made listening worthwhile.
We came to the street corner at mine and Eric’s houses. Eric gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and went home. Katrina and I went in my house and put our things on the counter. It was too nice of a day to stay inside, so I asked her if she would like to go out to the garden.
“Sounds good to me.” she said. I think she would have agreed to anything at this point in time.
“I’m real sorry about the way I have been acting lately.” Katrina said.
“That’s ok. Things happen I guess.”
The silence from her had begu n again. This is my chance to get her to open up. That is the only way I am going to be able to help her.
“What's wrong Kat?”
“It’s just some stuff going on at home.”
“Are you and your parents fighting?”
She took a brief moment before answering. “No. Not at all. They’re great.”
“Is it something I can help out with?”
“I wish you could.” She sat there in silence and I was trying to think of something to say to her that would get her to talk to me more. But what could I say that was not going to give me away? Nothing, nothing at all.
“Kat, I can’t help you if you won’t tell me what ’s wrong.” I said, knowing that it was all that I could get away with at the time. Every word that I spoke was carefully calculated. She remained silent.
CHAPTER 6
What Katrina said next will be something I will never forget. Not even if I lived to be one hundred years old.
“My uncle keeps making passes at me. I’m scared he is going to do something to me. I just wish Mom and Dad would hurry and come back home. ” She said as she started to cry.
I didn’t know what to say. What could I say? I instantly became sick to my stomach. How could anyone want to hurt her? Her uncle, her very own flesh and blood wanted to do such a despicable thing to her. Bile rose in my throat as my panic set in, but I had to
Katrina accepted the invitation without any sign of hesitation. That worried me even more. It was like she was looking for a reason to not go home.
“Meet me on the front steps when the bell rings. I have to wait on Eric. He has to get some papers from the office on our way out.” I explained.
“Ok .” she said as I went back to my desk and gathered my things.
Eric came back to his desk a few minutes later. He looked at me funny and it kind of made me nervous.
“Are you alright?” He asked genuinely concerned.
“I’m fine.” I explained to him that Katrina was going to walk home with us today.
“The more the merrier .” he laughed as the bell rang.
“Go ahead and get your stuff from the office and I'll meet you out front .” I said as I gathered my things and walked to the door.
I looked around the room for Katrina, but she had already left. I went straight to the front steps of the school. She was standing there waiting for us. “Where’s Eric?” she asked. It was impossible for me to ignore her voice quivering.
“Oh, he'll be out in a minute. Will your parents mind if you come over or should you call them and let them know?” I asked.
As she replied I saw that she was staring at the ground. “My parents are out of town until Friday. My uncle is staying there while they’re gone.” She looked away at something off in the distance, but quickly turned back. “Just to watch over the house and things. I can’t wait until they get back.” she said.
I felt the overwhelming need to rescue her. I just couldn’t let her know that I already had a slight idea that she was in some kind of trouble.
Eric came out and we all walked to my house. We talked and Eric picked up on how Katrina was acting. He told some of the most idiotic jokes I had ever heard. I mean, they were horrible. We couldn’t help but laugh at him. They weren’t funny at all, but the way he was telling them made listening worthwhile.
We came to the street corner at mine and Eric’s houses. Eric gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and went home. Katrina and I went in my house and put our things on the counter. It was too nice of a day to stay inside, so I asked her if she would like to go out to the garden.
“Sounds good to me.” she said. I think she would have agreed to anything at this point in time.
“I’m real sorry about the way I have been acting lately.” Katrina said.
“That’s ok. Things happen I guess.”
The silence from her had begu n again. This is my chance to get her to open up. That is the only way I am going to be able to help her.
“What's wrong Kat?”
“It’s just some stuff going on at home.”
“Are you and your parents fighting?”
She took a brief moment before answering. “No. Not at all. They’re great.”
“Is it something I can help out with?”
“I wish you could.” She sat there in silence and I was trying to think of something to say to her that would get her to talk to me more. But what could I say that was not going to give me away? Nothing, nothing at all.
“Kat, I can’t help you if you won’t tell me what ’s wrong.” I said, knowing that it was all that I could get away with at the time. Every word that I spoke was carefully calculated. She remained silent.
CHAPTER 6
What Katrina said next will be something I will never forget. Not even if I lived to be one hundred years old.
“My uncle keeps making passes at me. I’m scared he is going to do something to me. I just wish Mom and Dad would hurry and come back home. ” She said as she started to cry.
I didn’t know what to say. What could I say? I instantly became sick to my stomach. How could anyone want to hurt her? Her uncle, her very own flesh and blood wanted to do such a despicable thing to her. Bile rose in my throat as my panic set in, but I had to
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