Even angels need angels
Rachel was sure Kate was an angel. She was as sweet as could be, and, if Rachel was to be so bold, absolutely beautiful. On any given day Kate could easily be found helping out with any noble cause. Ms. Marsh also did more than her fair share to help out around Blackhell too. She was caring, and somehow saw good in everyone, even people like Victoria Chase. Yes, if there ever was an angel on Earth, it is Kate Marsh.
Rachel was still unsure how someone so sweet and innocent could have become friends with her, Rachel having gotten into her own fair share of trouble around said time. But then who was she to question what was surely fate? Somehow or another, Rachel and Kates' paths manage to cross after Rachel and Chloes' friendship was almost destroyed, due to Rachels thing going on with Frank. It was also after Nathan Prescott had drugged her and god knows what else, which Rachel shuddered to think about.
Kate and Rachel ended up speaking one day, they shared photography and a few other classes, Kate expressing concern for Rachel, who hadn't really been herself since the whole fight-with-Chloe-drugged-by-Nathan thing. Rachel played it off as stress, and the two began to talk more. This eventually led to tea date and other hangouts, and Rachel going into Kates' room every morning to listen to her amazing violin playing. This new-found friendship made Rachel feel happier than anything else ever had in her life.
Kate was truly an angel, a light in the dark, a beacon in the dim. Many days, Rachel would tell Chloe about the time she spent with Kate, and of course when Max came back into Chloes' life she was filled in too. On a particularly uneventful day, the three were at their usual junkyard hangout, and Rachel was again regaling them with her moments with Kate. "Okay, so while we were having tea, I told Kate this really funny joke. she was drinking as I told it, and she almost spit out her tea trying not to laugh. It was so cute." "Mhmm. You know, Rachel, I think you've got a crush." Chloe remarked. "I second that." Max chimed in.
Rachel crossed her arms. "What gives you two that idea?" "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that you spend copious amounts of time with her, talk about her all the time, call her cute and beautiful, used the word 'angel' several times,, stare at her in Mr. Jeffersons' class when she isn't looking.." "That's enough, Caulfield." "Come on Rach. You.." "I don't want to hear it from you either, Price." Rchel sighed, looking at the ground. "It doesn't matter anyway. I doubt she feels the same way." "Come on Rachel. Don't think that way." Chloe said comfortingly.
"There isn't any reason Kate wouldn't like you." "Look Max, even I don't like me at times." "Maybe you should talk to her." "Not happening, Price. What if I do, and she freaks out and does't want to be friends any more? I don't think I could handle that." "Rachel, I don't think she'd be like that. You should really talk to her." "Fine, Max. I'll do it..eventually." Rachel wished she could find the confidence to talk to Kate. But she never could.
Rachel agonized over this for the next few days. On the one hand, she would love to be with Kate. Kate made her feel things she'd felt before, with Frank or Chloe. Kate brought a happiness into her life she didn't think she'd ever have again. But at that same time, Rachel didn't want to do anything that could jeopardize their friendship. almost losing Chloe had been so fucking painful. Losing Kate would be like the end of the world.
On one of these days, Dana came to Rachels' room to invite her to a Vortex club party. It was an invitation Rachel declined. "Rahel Amber doesn't want to party?" Dana questioned. "That is correct. I'm just not feeling it." "Okay Rach. Well, if you change your mind, you're free to come." "Thanks, Dana." After Dana left, Rachel looked at a drawing of herself that Kate had made. Kates' art was so amazing. She was so amazing. 'Maybe the party would take my mind off her.' Rachel thought, then shook her head. 'I don't think I want my mind off you.' However, Rachel would end up regretting not going.
Rachel spent that weekend out of town, but tried to talk to Kate. Her calls and texts were ignored, and even Max and Chloe couldn't get ahold of her. This had Rachel very worried. She'd never been so happy to see a weekend end. But her happiness at seeing Kate again was short-lived when she saw the state her dear friend was in. That aura of positivity she usually carried was gone. She was a lot more quiet, and Rachel didn't see that beautiful smile anymore.
She tried to find out what was wrong, but her prying attempts made Kate more upset, so she backed off. But Blackhell had it's own way of giving her a rough idea. People kept talking about a viral video going around, about Kate and that damn Vortex Club party. Rachel didn't know exactly what was on the video, but she knew Kate wasn't like that. The fact people watched it and thought such awful things about Kate sickened Rachel. She snapped at people for watching it several times, even nearly hitting a few. But that wasn't even the worst of the problems, oh no. The worst went by the names of Victoria and Taylor.
First off, Rachel was more than sure Victoria was behind the video. It seemed like the kind of thing she'd do. Making things worse, she and her two little slaves everything they could to make Kate even more miserable. While in class, Taylor threw a paper ball at Kate when Jeffersons' back was turned. Rachel saw this, and threw a pen at Taylor, hitting her forehead. Taylor glared at her, but said nothing as Jefferson had turned his attention back to the class. Rachel glanced at Kate, and saw a small smile of her lips.
After class, Rachel went to Kate. "Um, hey Kate." "Hey, Rachel." "Do you want to go get some tea later?" "No, I'm not really in the mood." "Oh, okay. That's fine. I'll see you later." Rachel started to walk off. "Rachel?" Rachel looked back at Kate. "Thanks." "Anytime, Kate." Rachel once again came to Kates' defense that day. She saw Chloes' step-douche harassing Kate, and stepped in. David was irritated, to say the least. "This doesn't concern you, Rachel." "Yes, it does. You're bullying my friend." "I'm not bullying anyone! I'm doing my job." "No, you aren't." "You just keep getting yourself in deeper and deeper." David said before walking off.
"Oh Rachel, thank you so much! I think you scared him for once." "It was nothing. He needed to be taken down a peg." "It is something. I do have to go, but I apprieciate this so much. Thank you." Kate gave Rachel a kiss on the cheek before she left. Rachel put a hand over that spot, feeling herself blush, and smiled. It had been only a friendly gesture, but made her heart race just the same.
The next day, things got bad again. Rachel was heading to the shower when Kate went past her, visibly upset. Rachel tried to talk to her, but she walked away. Heading into the bathroom, Rachel saw Victoria writing on one of the mirrors with lipstick. "Oh, hi Rachel. You're just in time to check out the link to Kates' vid. It's awesome." she said, earning a snicker from Taylor. Rachels' patience had worn thin. "Fuck you, Victoria." "Aw, your just mad because your little girlfriend set a tounge record on video." "You could have gotten in on the action if you'd been at the party. You'd both be viral then." Taylor added.
"Shut the fuck up, both of you! Kate isn't like that!" Rachel snapped "Well, you would know, wouldn't you?" Victoria stepped very close to Rachel. "You know, I almost feel sorry for you. You spend so much time pining for this perfect little angel, and you can't get out of the friendzone. And yet she has no problem getting all over these guys. It must be so hard for you." She taunted. Rachel couldn't handle it anymore. With one movement, she backhanded Victoria. "Screw you! You're just a pathetic bitch!"
"You'll regret that, Rachel." Victoria threatened, her and Taylor walking out. "Fucking blow me." Rachel murmured. She walked up the the mirror, and erased the link written on it. "I wish I could do more." "You can be there for her." Rachel turned around, seeing Max. "Oh, hi Max. You heard everything, didn't you?" "Yes, I didn't. Are you sure hitting Victoria was the right choice?" "No. It felt pretty damn good, though. I'm just sick of what's been going on. Kate doesn't deserve this." "I know. But you flying of the handle won't help." "I know, I know. I..I need to shower." "Okay. We'll talk later.
Rachel normally felt relaxed after a shower, but today wasn't one of those times. After getting dressed, she decided to go talk to Kate. She erased the crap written on her whiteboard, replacing it with a heart, and knocked. "Kate, it's Rachel. Can I come in?" "Yeah, sure." Kates' normally bright room was dim. The blinds were closed, and a cloth covered her mirror. Some clothes sat in a messed up pile, and torn-up drawings were scattered about. 'Holy shit..It's like a like a fricking Tim Burton film in here..' Kate was lying on the bed, expressionless. She sat up, and motioned for Rachel to sit.
"Rachel, am I worth getting in trouble for?" "What?" "You threw a pen at Taylor, talked back to David, and Max told me you slapped Victoria. I don't want to be the reason you get in trouble." "I know, Kate. But I couldn't just do nothing. Taylor was being a bitch, David was being an asshole. And fucking Victoria was writing a link to that damn video on the mirror!" "She was? Of course she was..." Kate sighed, looking away. "I erased the link, Kate." "You did? Thank you, Rachel." "You're welcome, Kate. Um, I hate to say this, but I don't really know what this video is even about. I might be able to help more if you tell me what happened."
"If you want to know. I..I went to the last Vortex Club party, and ended up kissing a bunch of people..but I don't remember it." Rachel looked at Kate, surprised. "You went to a Vortex Club party? Why? No, wait,..what else happened?" "Well, I had a small sip of wine, and then I had water. Then I starting feeling sick and disoriented." "Fuck...then what?" "Nathan said he'd take me to the ER.." "Nathan?! That is not good.." "I remeber driving for a long time..then a room, white and bright, I thought it was the hospital, but then I heard Nathans' voice, and a sharp sting in my neck..." Kate was on the verge of tears. "Oh, Kate.." Rachel couldn't bear to see her like this.
"Rachel, what am I going to do? What if my church sees it? My mom and aunt are already saying..saying mean things...I..I.." Kate was in tears by this point. Rachel put her arms around her. "Kate, listen to me: We'll go to the police, okay? We'll go to them and get it all figured out." "But what if they don't believe us, or don't find proof? Max is afraid it will back-fire on us. We're just going on my story.." "No, we're going on OUR stories." And Rachel shared her story with Kate. "Oh my god...Rachel, why haven't you done anything yet?" "I'm not exactly the most respected person nowadays. But the two of us together, that bastard won't get away with this."
"You really think we can do this?" "Yes, Kate." Rachel hugged Kate a little tighter. "It'll be okay. I promise." Kate looked at Rachel, genuine hope in her eyes. Their faces were so close. Rachel could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks, and her heart was racing so much it hurt. 'Should I say something?' Rachel wondered. She didn't get a chance to say anything. Kate put her hands on Rachels' cheeks and leaned in, kissing her. Rachels' eyes went wide, a jolt going through her. Kate was kissing her. This was real, it was happening, and Rachel had wanted it so much.
Rachel leaned into the kiss, placing her hands around Kates' midriff. Her lips were so soft, and the kiss was so warm, so perfect. Kate was so perfect. This was perfect. But then, Kate suddenly pulled away from the kiss. There was shock and confusion across her face. "Rachel...I ..I think you should go." "Kate.." "Rachel, please go." "...Okay." Rachel left the girls' dorm. She leaned against the wall, and let out a sigh. She wasn't sure how she felt at this point. Her phone went off. Texts from Chloe
.
Chloe: Rachel. Two Whales. Now. Max is gonna dazzle us with her new power.
Rachel: Be there soon
The delicious breakfast waiting for her at the diner, and Max showing off her new rewind abilities took Rachel mind off things. But, just as they were about to leave, Rachel got a call from Kate. Max and Chloe went out to the truck to wait. "Hey, Kate. What's up?" "I wanted to thank you for earlier. I really think the police will take this seriously." "Of course Kate. We'll get through this, together. Um, Kate about.. about the..what happened.." "Rachel, I have to go." And with that, the call was over. Rachel looked at her phone, a picture of her and Kate as her screen saver. Things weren't so simple any more.
Rachel was quiet the whole drive to the Junkyard, and couldn't bring herself to be so excited about Maxs' new powers. Max and Chloe picked up on Rachels mood, so they all sat down together in the shack. "Rach, what's the matter?" "I..Kate and I...we..we kissed." "You kissed!?" "Yes, Chloe." "And you're upset?" "What happened exactly?" "Max asked. "We were talking about what happened to her at that party, and going to the police with our stories. And then she just...kissed me. And I didn't stop her." "Did you want to stop her?" "No. But, maybe I should have. She looked so confused, and then asked me to leave.
Rachel looked at the ground. "What do I do now?" "Maybe you should talk to her. She's probably very confused. She needs you." Rachel nodded. When Chloe took them back to Blackhell, Max went to see Warren in the science lab, some experiment he was working on, so Rachel headed to photography. She saw Kate walking away, visibly distressed, and tried to talk to her, but she walked off. She tried to go into class, but Jefferson asked her aside.
"Rachel, are you okay? You seem troubled." "I'm worried about Kate. This video has her really freaked out." "I understand, but maybe Kate brought this on herself." "What?" "Maybe she doth protest to much." Rachel couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Why would you even say that!? She's going through so much shit right now, and you don't even care!" Rachel walked into class, sitting at her desk. 'Bastard.' She though. Going over to the window, she watched the rain fall.
She saw Kate walking off, and noticed David taking photos. 'What the fuck is his problem? Kate doesn't need this crap.' Rachel started to turn around, and noticed something etched on Kates' desk. She froze when she saw the words scratched in: I Want To Die. It was as if time itself stopped, everything around Rachel becoming meaningless. She felt numb, the word she was seeing seemed to echo in her mind. Kate. And then Rachel took off running.
She didn't care that she almost barreled someone over, didn't care about the rain pelting her as she charged outside and headed for the girls dorm. She prayed she was wrong and she headed for the stairs to the roof, to which the door was unlocked. Rachel raced up the stairs, fear gripping her heart. 'Please let me be in time'. She burst through the door , ending up on the roof with Kate, who whipped around in surprise. She was so close to the ledge.
"Rachel?! Why are you here?" The rain was mixing with Kates tears. "Kate, please, don't do this." Rachel begged, tears of her own falling now. "Oh Rachel, I know you want to help me, but you can't. No one can.." "Kate, I can help. Please, let me help, like I've been helping." "Rachel, I love all that you've done, but it doesnt' matter. Nothing matters." Rachel took a step towards Kate. "That's not true. You matter. And not just to me. You matter to so many people." "Nobody gives a damn about me! Nobody.." Kate took a step back.
"Fuck everybody else, okay? Fuck Nathan, fuck Victoria, fuck David, fuck Jefferso, fuck the other hypocrites that go here! Max cares about you. Your little sisters care about you. Your dad cares about you. They all want you to pull through this." "They do care, don't they? Even if I'm letting them down." Kate looked away. "Katie, you are stronger than this. You pulled me out of a bad place, remember? You are my light in the darkness. Please, don't let that light fade away."
"You sound so persuasive..." Kate spoke softly. Rachel stepped closer. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Kate looked at Rachel. "You..you just quoeted my favorite verse..." "I believe in you Kate. Will you believe in me?" Rachel pleaded, outstretching her hands. Kate looked at her a moment, then reached out to her, falling into her arms. "I'm so sorry..so sorry..." Rachel held her close. "Don't be. You spared me one of Jeffersons' lectures."
Rachel didn't feel the chill of the rain. She only felt Kate in her arms, here and alive. At some point, she vaguely registered Max showing up, and the rest was a numb blur, talking to Principle Wells and the police. Rachel didn't want to stay in her dorm room, so she stayed at her house. She turned on the star light Chloe had made for her. It comforted her. 'So much beauty out there.' she mused to herself.
She was able to go visit Kate in the hospital a couple days later. Going into the room, she saw Kate sitting on her bed, drawing. She looked up at Rachel, and smiled, that beautiful angelic smile that she hadn't seen in so long. "Rachel!" Kate ran over, hugging her. "Thank you so much for coming." "Of course, Kate. How are you doing?" "I'm much better, especially now that you're here. And I am sorry. I feel ridiculous." "You have nothing to be sorry for. Other people do." Kate smiled, and went to sit down, motioning for Rachel to join her.
"It's nice to see you smiling again. I missed that." Rachel said. "So did I. And seriously, thank you for coming up to the roof. It means so much to me." "Of course Kate. I care about you." "I know you do. I...I have a question." "What is it?" "Back before, when I kissed you...why didn't you stop me?" Rachel looked away, nervously. "I didn't want to. Kate, I..I have have hella feelings for you. I was afraid you'd freak out if I told you, so I never did, and then all that crap happened, so...And then you kissed me, and it was all I wanted, so I kissed you too. And then you were so confused, and that made me confused..."
"You like me? Like that?" "Yes, I do. But, it's more than that. Being up on the roof with you, I was so afraid I'd lose you. I couldn't bear that thought. And holding you, I never wanted to let you go. What I'm trying to say is...I love you, Kate." Rachel looked at Kate, whose expression was rather calm. "Kate?" "Rachel, the reason I kissed you..was because, what we have is special. You did so much for me, and I realized how much it meant to have you in my life. I freaked out because I was just...really emotional about everything."
"Are you saying..that you...you.." "Rachel Amber at a loss for words?" "Very funny.." Kate gently took Rachels' hand. "Rachel, you're my angel." Rachel blushed at the compliment, turning her head. "You're the angel." "Even angels need angles, Rachel. And to answer your question, I love you, too." Kate plaved her other hand on Rachels' chin, turning her head so they could look at each other. Rachel tried to speak, but was too overcome with emotion for words.
Kate smiled, then leaned in, pressing her lips to Rachels'. Rachel leaned into the kiss, interlocking her fingers with Kates'. This felt right. It was easier this time. No stress or confusion. Just them. Rachel smiled as the kiss broke. "After you get out of here, I'm taking you on a trip around Oregon, all day. Wherever you want to go. It'll be our first offical date." "I can't wait." Rachel pulled Kate into a hug, holding her tightly. No matter what the world threw at them, they would get through it together. They were watching over each other, and nothing would tear them apart.
