Kate was out and in a bar. How did that happen?
The past 4 years hadn't been an easy road, but here she was out celebrating fall break with her friends.
Yes that right friends. Kate looked around the 3 girls with her, Pam, the eldest by a number of years, Clare the geek and Cazz the rebel. Pam was in grad school and worked part-time in the local coffee house near the uni, tall, blonde, blue eyed and definitely striking. She had a tendency to mother them all. Not sure if it was an age thing or just Pam's underlying personality. Clare was dark haired like Kate and had her nose constantly in a book or tablet, but heard everything and was first to add to the conversation. Cazz was, well today she had red hair and she had a look that could send the most confident of guys away with their tail between their legs.
These guys were her team, her back up and the only reason she was here tonight. Well them and Freddie.
"So we're here, we're young and we have 5 days to enjoy the freedom of this sunny part of Mexico, before school starts again! So what will it be?" Cazz exclaimed as she trotted up to the bar.
"Shots all round?"
"Hell Yeah!" Kate couldn't have agreed more with Clare's statement. It was time to let loose, it was time to relax and it was absolutely time to have a little bit of fun.
Kate had met Clare and Cazz her first year at Uni. Cazz had been in her Statistics class and Clare was in Cazz's Chemistry. She'd sat down next to Cazz and her dyed Honey blonde hair on the first day. She was so nervous, not because of any school girl worries about this being new or fitting in or even if she was in the right place, but more was she able to do this normal thing. Could she appear normal, act normal and even to talk to people in a normal way?
After the events of the Titty Twister, the months on the run in Mexico, the time looking for Scott and the Culebras. Kate didn't think she was ever going to be normal again. Actually scrap that, Kate knew she was never going to be normal again, death, blood and being a sacrifice changes a girl. I mean who sleeps with stakes under their pillow and a loaded gun in every room of the house? Well other than Buffy that is. Kate just wanted to act normal, do some normal stuff and maybe get a degree whilst she was at it.
Cazz had looked up from her bag smirked at Kate and offered her some gum. It had not been best buds from the get go, as Cazz didn't talk much and was not the easiest person to get to know, but once you'd got past that stand offish demeanor. You found the most loyal and fierce friend you could get. In some ways Cazz and Kate were very much alike, if you ignored the rock music, wicked hair colours and the athieism.
Clare came with Cazz, a package deal, not like that, but apparently they had bonded over the need to make things explode. There girls had discovered Fran's coffee shop part way through first year and it had become their regular place to study and cram for tests. That's where they had met Pam. She made great coffee and was quick with words of encouragement, a shoulder to cry on and basically an all round good friend to help them navigate uni.
Kate looked around the bar they walked into, it was a bit on the dark side, but that didn't matter as it was deliciously sunny outside and the bar was only a ten minute walk away from the Villa they were staying in. Freddie's Mum used to live there and he'd let the girls use it for their fall break. Kate had been retisent about returning to Mexico. The nightmares about the past were much less frequent than they had been. Life had been really settled for the past two years and maybe, just maybe it was time to start living again.
"So ladies lets toast to a few days of sun, tequila, no classes and maybe a hot bod or two" Pam said as she raised her glass to connect with Cazz upraised one.
"Hell yeah!" exclaimed Clare, apparently it was her new favourite saying. Maybe she was leaving her clever ideas and smart remarks at home to be a hell raiser this week. Kate smirked at the 3 of them. It felt good just to be and she agreed with Clare, "Hell Yeah!"
3 rounds later Kate was starting to feel the buzz of the tequila starting to hit and the bar was starting to get busier. The girls had discussed plans for the next few days, which looked a lot like beach, swim, beach, dinner, bar booze, hook up, bed, sleep and begin again the next day.
Kate thought that generally sounded like a fantastic plan no thinking, no worry, no hook ups and a great tan. Kate had absolutely no interest in Hooking up with anyone. One broken heart in a life time was enough for any good girl and she had plenty of love in her life she didn't need all that extra angst. Not that she was going to stand in the way of her girls, happy as always to play wingman.
