Degrassi in the early morning was slightly quieter and Katie needed all the quiet she could get, even though the Matlin house was quiet it was a deafening quiet where no one really spoke unless they had too. Everyone was walking on eggshells around Maya even though she pretended nothing was wrong. After Cam's suicide Maya's attitude has gone from bad to worst and last night it hit it's worst when her mother asked if she needed to talk to someone. Maya lashed out and Katie just wanted to help running after her younger sister who was no doubt hurting but refuse to admit it. Glancing down at her hand that sat palm up in her lap where the door was slammed on it she sighed, Maya wasn't only in pain but she was causing it her parents worried and Katie noticed her father sleeping less and less sitting up in the kitchen into the early morning and still going to work the next morning, she pitied him. Her mother sitting at Maya's bed side because the girl's nightmares woke her up repeatedly and she was always there to soothe the sleeping girl back to sleep. Blinking Katie tried to focus on the work in front of her.
"Write about your sacred place- a place that you feel most comfortable." Katie blinked again staring at the blank word document in front of her, her home wasn't sacred right now she could hear a pin drop and it made it uncomfortable, she loved her sister but it was making it hard to do things around her because the slightly hint of emotion over anything and Maya scoffed and stomped away. Katie leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, searching her brain for her sacred place she took a deep breathe and could feel the turf under her feet like she was there, opening her eyes the goals on either side of her she smiled a little, Katie missed soccer and being on the team. Touching her knee she felt the twinge of pain shoot from her fingers to her knee, "Ow- shit!" she yelped and realized she gripping the seat with her bad hand. Jumping up the chair slid back and Katie stared down at her hand realizing she dropped her phone and notebook that was in her lap. Kneeling down to get it she sighed, her hand stun something fierce and she gave up and just sat on the floor exhausted from all this.
"Katie? Here." she heard and looked up at Drew, it had been months and she was over it but still she was uncomfortable taking his hand and his help to standing holding her free hand to her chest she sat back in the chair he pushed back to her. "Uh- I'm sorry about Cam well for- for Maya." he seemed just as uncomfortable as she was and wasn't looking at her when she looked up at him after seating herself.
"Yeah- we're all sorry for Maya." she shrugged, Maya was the only one who wasn't sorry for anything- her sister turned into this shell with nothing in there but a bitter taste left in your mouth every time she spoke to you and Katie was close to sick of it. "so sick of it." she mumbled to herself not realizing she was thinking it silently.
"What?" Drew had moved himself to the a computer at a different table but in eye shot from Katie.
"Huh? Oh I'm just sick of-" she didn't know why she was talking to him, she had no reason really too. "Um, thanks for the help." she said and turned back to her computer. But the pain in her hand felt like it was making her whole arm ache. Rubbing her wrist trying to avoid touching the center of the pain she winced a little looking back at her blank document.
"What happened to your hand?" she heard and looked back over at Drew who was looking from his screen to his notebook probably copying something down.
"Uh, got caught in between a angry Maya and a door last night." she said and looked around again talking to Drew for what reason?
"Ouch." he said and he still didn't look away from his computer, he didn't sound all that concerned but when he looked up at her he did look a little upset.
Coughing a little Katie faced her computer again. "Uh- how's Dallas holding up?" she asked though she hated that hockey player so much she still knew he had to be dealing or like Maya not dealing at all.
"He's…angry- and not sleeping. So neither am I." Drew sighed a little and Katie felt his pain Maya kept her up with the nightmares she had the arguments her sister had in her sleep kept her out up until they all just gave up and either went to tend to her or joined in the kitchen for humus and chips or something in the fridge. Katie's favorite and normal snack was Nutella snack packs her mother bought lately.
"He refuses to sleep so he'll keep me playing video games until I pass out at the controller." and again Katie knew that pain Maya watched a ridiculous amount of movies after Cam, and Katie as her sister didn't just let her sit there alone- she always felt terrible leaving her alone. "Same, but it's movies- she watched all four Twilight last night."
'Five."
"What?" Katie raised an eyebrow.
"There's five, the last one was broken into two. We saw the first part together, remember." looking around Katie smiled a little, throughout the movie she turned to Drew and pointed at the screen.
"It's like looking at twins." she said absentmindedly. She heard Drew chuckle and she laughed as well. The Lautner comparison was one of Katie's favorite things about Drew because who didn't love that guy's face and Drew always played along even though she knew he was sick of it. "I'm surprise you remember that." she said slightly quieter. She didn't think Drew thought about their past ever, at least she pretended she didn't even though some things just reminded her of them, like the soccer field.
"You called me Taylor for a week." and their eyes actually met for the first time in this conversation. Katie looked away and smiled a little.
"Sorry- not sorry." she shrugged and he chuckled again.
"Of course you're not." he said and she smiled and looked back at her computer, they sat in silence for a moment, at least a few minutes before she started humming 'A Thousand Years' from Twilight, from their relationship- Katie had to have played that song a million times in front of Drew and by herself.

"Dance with me." Katie said hopping off her stool, the house was empty other than the two of them, her parents went with Maya to dinner because Katie begged to have the house alone even though her dad said they will pop in unannounced because he was her dad and over protective but her mother assured Katie she'd keep him away until at least midnight with dinner and a movie.
"But these potatoes are calling me. Listen- Drew…eat me….Drewww." he whined and Katie came back from turning their song on and started waltzing by herself.
"Drew. Come on…pleaseee." she pouted as she spun herself dancing around him before resting her head in the crook of his neck picking up his arms and counting in her head the waltz box step waving his arms as she did so. Keeping his fork in hand just out of reach of his beckoning potatoes, not that Katie was happy he was enjoying what she cooked but she loved this song.
"Katie- come on the potatoes!" he whined trying to drop his fork between his two fingers so he could reach them.
Katie hummed against his shoulder, still dancing counting in 8's behind him. "Katie come on one more potato. Two more- maybe three." she continued to hum as she laid soft kisses trails up his neck. "That's not fair- th-the potatoes. Jesus fine." she smiled against his neck and skipped a little over to her ipod and restarted the song. With a smile she walked back over to Drew, and pushed up his elbow with the back of her hand, her father took his girls to a dance class four times a week and Katie's favorite to dance with her father was the waltz in practice for her older sister's wedding. Drew's form was terrible, but she giggled at him as she stepped into her position. Lifting his chin as he head started to drift down to his feet, "I can't-" Katie cut him off with her finger.
"What?" she asked again and Drew stared at her, he knew how she felt about the words, 'I can't' Drew had latched onto them since the gang of problems he had in the last year. They moved slowly backward Katie taking the lead staring up at him, she watched his eyes flick from her to his feet and back over and over again. She kept the lead until she felt he got it, with a nod at him she let him go and started the song over again, if Bella Swan could waltz so could he football player or not. She walked back into his arms and adjusted his hands again, looking up at him as she moved his hand lower to the small of her back as the music started. She watched his eyebrow raise and then she nodded along to the song, and waited for Drew to take the first step and just as she was going to he moved, and they moved over the small space because her kitchen counter and the dinning room table. Katie was surprised when he moved a lot more gracefully and kept and upright posture. "What is-" this time Drew cut her off with a low 'hush'.
As the song sped up Drew's lead kept right up with the song, Katie was lost now- not only in his gaze but how he was actually waltzing. She let her head fall back as she closed her eyes, Bella Swan for a moment until she was spun out as the song ended her eyes opened as she stopped herself back at her seat. Drew sat down silent and went right back to his potatoes.
"I'm sorry- when did you learn how to-"
"These potatoes are delicious." she scoffed and he looked back up at her with a smile. "You doubted me Matlin- what have I told you about that. I have my tricks up my sleeve too Ms. Susie Homemaker." with a jerk of his elbow at her spread. She invited Drew over right before Football practice that day, she remembered the conversation.
"Drew- before you go. Come over again practice. I have a surprise for you."
"I like surprises. But what about the parents?"
"They're out, with Maya until I say so- but Drew." she recalled him cut her off with a stolen kiss. "Shower before you come over- please." she giggled looking back at him, lucky for her he cared for her enough to shower because after football he smelt like- a football player and that wasn't what she wanted for this date.
So maybe she did put on her apron and cook for the three hours she had, with a instruction from her mother here or there but mostly on her own. Drew continued to eat as Katie put things away, taking a break after fighting with him for the leftover potatoes Katie walked behind him again resting her head in the same place wrapping her arms around him as he sat back against her full. "So what do I have to do to get you to cook for often?" he asked and Katie laughed a little.
"I cook when I feel like it- you'll just have to be patient. My lasagna might be better than your mothers." she said smirking to herself, Katie was good cook she just never had time with soccer and student conciul and the paper. But pushing all that stuff until tomorrow morning and some on Marisol she had a little time to spend on Drew.
"Lasagna better than Mama Torres? I will- yes I will be the judge of that." Drew said poking his chest proud of his mother's cooking.
"That you will be." she said as he turned to face her and she leaned against him pushing herself up on his legs.

"I never got to try that rival lasagna." Drew must have heard her humming and was thinking the same thing as she was.
"No you never did- but I still hold my word. Better than Mrs. Torres." Drew grunted.
"I don't doubt you." he said and Katie smiled to herself. Looking back down at her hand then at the computer.
"Katie I-."
"Drew are we going or…was sup Matlin." Adam always knew when to come into the room, that hadn't changed. Katie looked up at Drew as he got up, and walked out of the room pushing Adam ahead of him. He looked back over his shoulder at her and waved and Katie sighed and waved back at him. Watching him walk away she bit her lip looking around then back at her computer, still with nothing on the page. Groaning she put her head down, "Katie."
She popped her head up and turned back to Drew, "Yes."
"I'm really sorry- for everything. Including your hand and Maya, but like you told me- it will get better." he said before giving her a small smile.
"Thanks. Taylor." she smiled wide. He shook a fist at her with a chuckle before walking out of the room. Smiling she watched him walk away even as he turned back to her and flipped her off a little, still to this day that got under his skin, but she smiled and returned the finger back at him. This would get better even between them, and Maya would hopefully accept it and let herself feel soon before Katie grew into a nutella filled balloon and her family lost their minds.