Disclaimer: NOTHING IS MINE! They all belong to Mike White, and the producers at dear god, I forgot which film outfit.
Anyway, here it is Chapter Four:
Freddy held on to his bottle of champagne, which he had nicked from the chiller in his father's office, so tightly that if he had squeezed a millimeter more, his hands would be swathed in shards of glass and blood. The yellow synthetic light bathed his naked chest. He felt hard marble floor beneath the soft Persian rug that lay around him like a mass of screaming rock devotees. His eyes rest on the gold trimmings that lined the ceiling. They were angels, beautiful golden angels who hung uselessly, with no other purpose than aesthetics. How could they be so beautiful when there was so much ugliness?
He heard the pitter patter of feet coming nearer and nearer, and thought how threatening the gradual increase of its volume sounded. The feet now stood just above his head and he could smell the apples and he was rest assured. She bent down, straightened the seat of her skirt and sat on her calves, and moved her face closer to his obliterating the yellow chandelier lights from his eyes. The smell of apples on her hair became stronger and he closed his eyes to bask in it. She had called him earlier and said that she was going to drop by his house to 'hang'. "Hang is such a stupid word," he had said, "why don't you just tell me you're coming to gawk at my angelic face and my god-like body."
"What're you doing?" Katie asked him.
"I'm contemplating on the difficulties and quandary of life," he said, his eyes still closed.
"You realize that you're lying on a thousand dollar Persian rug and that's a bottle of Cristal on your hand?" she asks sardonically.
"Security and happiness does not lie on the material possessions alone," he answered.
"And it's easy to overlook security and happiness when you insist on just considering yourself and refusing to look around you," she replied, flicking his nose in the process.
This time he opened his eyes and looked up at the warm pupils of her own. "Why must you always contradict me?"
"Because you don't see how lucky you are. You walk around all day depressed as an empty bottle of Prozac as if the world has cast all its problems on you and to be absolutely honest it's rather annoying," she answered.
"Isn't depression an artist's prerogative?"
She tilted her head to the side in a thoughtful expression and finally said, "When you're young and everything dramatic is exciting, you start to believe that hype that, in order to be an artist, you have to suffer. I've graduated from that school."
"I didn't know you were a Lauryn Hill fan," he mused.
"I didn't know you were either. But she makes perfect sense, doesn't she?" She crawled to his right side, lay down next to him and rested her head on his outstretched arm. She didn't seem to mind that he was half-naked and clad only in his black boxer shorts. "I lied; I haven't graduated from that school."
"Technically, you weren't lying; you were just quoting Lauryn Hill. So what's bothering you?"
"A boy," she said lowly.
"Want to talk about it?" he asked her calmly although the pinch in his heart said otherwise.
"Not really," she said.
"Okay."
Silence took over them and for a long while the only noise there was, was breathing. His breathing, for that matter, which sounded quicker and airier than usual. If that was the case, she didn't seem to notice.
"You know, Lauryn Hill hasn't come up with anything lately. Maybe that's what happens when you graduate from the school, you run out of material and drop off the face of the planet," Freddy mused.
The weight on his arm stayed still and he thought perhaps that she had fallen asleep but when he had turned to look, her eyes were wide open, her eyelashes seemed to be curled in attention. He followed her gaze.
"My mother wanted those angels there. To protect me from evil, I think," he volunteered.
"It must be nice to be so beautiful," she said as if he hadn't said anything.
He looked at her intently. "You are beautiful."
"Freddy, can we rest from the semi-flirtatious crap for a while? It's getting a bit tedious," she said with a snicker.
"What's so semi-flirtatious about telling you you're beautiful? I mean I'm just stating a fact. Was Einstein flirting with the entire scientific community when he told them that e=mc2?" he said without removing his eyes from her face. She had reddened a bit and he wondered if she does that every time someone gives her compliment or just when he does.
"Fine," was all she said.
"Fine what?"
"Fine, thank you," she said, finally turning to face him.
And once again he was awed by her slightly parted lips. If he had his wits about him last night he should've kissed her, it didn't matter that the entire ordeal was a prank on her part. If he had kissed her she probably would've forgotten about that nonsense, because the kiss would be good. Good, he thought, that would be an understatement. It would be magnificent, fireworks, pyrotechnics, blowing up of cars and buildings, the whole ten yards; he could tell that just by looking into her eyes.
She held his gaze, as if she had read what he thought and was now challenging him to put his thoughts into action. Yes, he thought, now would be as good a time as any. It was perfect really, the light was just right, not blaring, the champagne in his hand was cool, the room was warm, very warm indeed, she was beautiful and he was, well, naked. He couldn't think of a better scenario.
And yet somehow his neck refused to budge. He really did try very hard to will it to just move forward and just kiss her, but it was stuck like a stupid, rusty hinge that hasn't been used for centuries. He felt the perfect moment slip by him; in slow onerous motion nonetheless and too soon it became just an awkward moment.
Katie bit her lower lip and sat up. "It's really warm in here," she proclaimed, fanning herself with her hands.
"Yeah, well the heating system is busted. So it's like Hawaiian tropical in here," he explained.
"You want to go take a walk outside? It's cooler out," she asked him.
"We could just wade our feet in the pool," he suggested.
She considered this for a moment before finally shrugging, "Okay."
"Hold on a sec, I'll go put on a shirt," he said as he stood up.
"Why? We're only going to your indoor pool?"
"Seriously Katie, you have to stop getting me to walk around naked and objectifying me. You're taking advantage of my innocence," he said while posing as if he were in a bodybuilding pageant.
"You're an idiot," she mouthed.
"Is that code speak for take off your boxers?"
Katie punched his arm which earned her a sincere "Ouch!" from Freddy. She turned her heels and walked towards the door. "I'll be lounging in your pool, if you need me."
~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
Katie swirled her naked foot on the water's surface creating ripples around her biggest toe. Ever since they were kids, before the whole shebang with Dewey happened, she would hang out at Freddy's house just so she could use the pool. Although he would like to think that she was fond of him too back then, not just the pool.
"Temperature's just right," she said, smiling at him as if she was a nine year old kid and he just handed her a bag of candy.
She removed her other boot and
was about to sit down when she thought better of it. She turned to Freddy with
what looked like a naughty glint in her eye. "You know, this waddling thing's kinda stupid. Why don't we just take a swim?"
"Did you bring your suit with you?"
"No," she answered looking pointedly at him. She began to unbutton her blouse.
Freddy gulped, "You know just yesterday you were so uptight about me seeing you in your underwear?" He could feel the sweat coming out the pores of his forehead.
"Mind's change," she purred. That's what they call it right? When you could hear that little meow underneath the words? She purred. Katie purred. He gulped. Then she dropped her blouse on the floor. He had never been so upset about anticlimax.
"Or maybe it's because you decided to wear your grandmother's drawer's today?" he asked sarcastically.
"Sorry to disappoint you," she said with a giggle, "I was planning on going to the park to run a bit after this, but I thought, nah, what the heck, I'll just let you stare at me all day."
"If you really wanted to do me a favor, wear a little less clothes," he said with all seriousness.
"Only if you get an A in chemistry."
"You always have to have the last words don't you?"
"Yes." She blew him a kiss before diving into the pool. He had to take note that despite the fact that she was wearing track shorts and a tank top, he could still see her curves. Granted that she was not voluptuous, as actresses in the fifties were disposed to be, she wasn't so thin either, like actresses in the now are disposed to be. She was just right, really. And when he thinks about everything about her is just right. Not perfect, but right.
Her head emerged right smack in the middle of the pool. She smoothed her wet hair away from her face and called to him. "Well? Aren't you going to join me?"
He answered by jumping wrapped like a cannon ball into the water splashing water all over Katie's face.
"Bastard!" she screamed at him but she had a large grin on her face. She began to splash water on him with her hands and they started a rather innocent, juvenile water fight.
Katie was moving towards Freddy when she suddenly cried, "Aw, crap!" and looked as if she was checking to see her feet.
"What?" Freddy asked the creases on his forehead showing worry.
"I think I stepped on something," she told him.
He swam nearer her until she could put her arm around his shoulder. He checked to see what she stepped on and saw what appeared to be a dismembered plastic doll lying serenely underneath the light waves.
"That must be my sister's Barbie," he said.
"I think Barbie's are the bane of my existence," she said in an incensed tone.
"Sorry about that," he said, looking at her. She was holding onto her leg with one hand, looking over her shoulder and checking her feet, while her other hand was wrapped around Freddy's shoulder.
"No biggie," she said.
But this time she looked at him. At the right moment. Her hair hung limply around her, but her eyes were bright. They shone, like they would when she's playing her bass in front of a mad cheering audience. Except now, there was no bass, no audience. There was just him. And her. And her hair hung limply around her and her eyes were bright. And she looked at him at just the right moment.
"It's just a kiss," she said, her voice light and airy and it tickled his ear.
He bent down and touched his lips to hers. She tasted like water, like nothing but everything. For a moment, he couldn't say how long or how short, they just stayed like that, their lips touching, neither moving to deepen it nor stop it.
She had both hands around him, her finger lazily tracing circles on his shoulder. She moved her lips away but not her hands. Their foreheads touched each other and he could feel his smile broaden.
"See? That wasn't so bad," she whispered.
And for the first time in his life he didn't feel the need to have something smart or snarky to say to her. He was there, what else needs to be said?
A/N's: Again, no betas, all mistakes should be blamed on the ungodly hours. Thanks to a four day weekend, I am able to update regularly. Unfortunately that might not be the case in the next few weeks. But at least I didn't leave you guys with a cliffie ^_^ Though I think I'm going to have to stir a little trouble into the formula in the next chapter. Don't worry, I promise no clichés! Special kudos to funkiechick and starlitestarbrite who also write wonderful Freddy/Katie fics! You girls make my day!
Thanks so much to those who reviewed. (AlannaBanana, Dolly, TheCheezHead, Illyria09, Princess642, Sara Sidle Stokes hP fAn Fo LyFe and Nessa's Ruby Slippers –Love, thanks so much for pointing out that little blunder! I suppose I was rather callous in writing the last chapter. Taught me to be a bit more mindful this time, as I should be since I have no betas!) Hope this one lives up to your taste :)