Chapter 4 – Katie
"Wake up, hun!"
I open my groggy eyes and Mom is sitting in her chair in front of my bed.
"Mom, it's so early... What's wrong with you?" I say.
Mom rolls her eyes and informs me, "Its one o'clock in the afternoon, drama queen. Why did you come home so late anyways?"
I spent all night getting absolutely fucked up with Pauly, Chloe, and Imogen. Bianca wants to steal my boyfriend? Whatever. I stole all your fucking friends, bitch. They told me they like me better. When those two break up, she'll have who, Adam? She treated him like shit. Bianca. Fuck, that name.
"I was at Chloe's. We just watched movies and stuff. The two of us fell asleep and I woke up at like 4, I'm sorry!" I fib, while scratching my tired eyes.
"Well, Katie, I don't think you staying 'till eleven, even, is good for you, right now. If you decide to do anything tonight, please come home at ten? Promise?" my mom requests.
"Fine," I moan.
Looks like I'm coming home at twelve!
I check my phone and there are tons of texts.
A couple are from Bethany talking about a soccer camp. Fuck that.
The next like, five are from my mom. Oopsie.
The last two are from Bianca and Drew.
Drew said: 'Call me sometime cuz I feel awful, B wants to be friends k?'
Bianca said: 'Please reply to Drew. He's really concerned about you.'
Fuck. Off. Bianca.
I take a whiff of myself and I smell bad. I suppose we were all probably puking. Imogen, the most. Haha. I like that girl.
I can hear Maya singing in the shower and I yell, "Get out, band geek!"
Maya calls out, "In a couple secs. Oh my God, I mean a second!" I start to laugh and I hear her say, "Not... sex," very quietly.
After what seemed like ages, I finally get my turn.
I hop into the tub and turn the showerhead on. At first it's hot as hell, but soon after a few lefts and rights at the knob, it's freaking bliss.
My mind runs away and I begin to imagine many things in my mind. I see a pack of piranhas eating a body in an ocean and soon a ship approaches and it's... Haha! It's fucking Captain Crunch. Oh, God. I think this shit is still in me. I hear knocking on the door and I open my eyes. Funny, look at the little pink blob thing in the corner of my eye. It won't go away.
"Katie, you've been in there for almost twenty minutes!" Dad belts out, "We are trying to save water, remember?"
Shit. "Sorry, Dad!"
Well, great. I didn't even get washed. I'm going to look like a hobo today.
I get out and dry myself off with the same towel I used yesterday. We need to buy some more for crying out loud. Soon enough after getting dressed whatever caught I saw first, I force myself to walk to the Dot and grab a skim Macchiato to keep myself up for the party tonight at Pauly's.
Finally. I made it. I have little to no time for all this exercise. What the hell did I love so bad about soccer? Hey, one good thing came out of it! It introduced me to the painkillers. Ha.
After I placed my order, I peek at who's at the Dot today.
Zig, I think? My sister liked him for a while. Oh? With that Tori bitch? If she ever hurts Maya...
Oh, cool. Fiona is here. Actually... Why don't I just talk to her? Marisol even said that they patched things up. I'm sure her and I can do the same. Besides, I actually wanted to be friends with her.
"Hey, Fiona," I greet her.
"Oh, Katie," she smiles, "Hey there. How was the surgery?"
"Perfect, actually. I'm honestly really happy right now! How are you these days? How's your... post-addiction? I'm sorry. I wasn't sure what to uh, call it? I'm sorry. Ugh. Wow, I'm off today. I just really..." The blob is blue now...
"Skim Macchiato for Katie?" I hear some worker yell.
He's kind of cute. I grab it from his hands and peer at his name tag. "Thanks, Peter," I say with a wink.
I sit back down and Fiona eyes narrow down on me. "What?" I ask her.
"Sorry!" she apologizes, "Uh, the alcoholism thing is going good. Yep! Totally fine."
"Great," I say trying to sound as cheerful as possible.
"I've just been really worried lately..." Fiona starts.
Fiona's perfect life has a curveball thrown her way? Let's hear about this. "What do you mean?"
"Imogen came over so messed up last night. At like five in the morning! I don't know who even dropped her drunk, high, whatever ass off. Clearly, they weren't good enough people to be getting smashed with if they weren't even nice enough to help their friend up to their place. She woke up with blood on her pillow. Blood! I begged her to see a doctor and she admitted that she snorted last night. I have no clue what, but I suppose MDMA. That's what she's been experimenting with as of late. I wonder when I will ask her to stop," Fiona tells me, mused.
"Why wonder?" I say. I'm such a hypocrite. Imogen and I definitely tried cocaine last night.
"Exactly. Snorting crap is just going to mess up your head. Anything going straight to your brain is just stupid. I don't even know where Imogen even gets the MDMA! Fuck, I need to talk to her now," Fiona panics as she gets up.
"Fiona, wait! Text me and keep me updated! I want to be there for you in case things get bad," I tell her, truthfully. This is kind of my fault...
"Of course! Let's hang tonight, maybe?" Fiona suggests.
I doubt she'll be impressed by my scene. "Not tonight! I have, uh, barely anytime to chill these days because of my mom. She's so strict now that I'm out of rehab. Soon, though!" I wasn't lying about my mom or wanting to hang with her.
Fiona puts on some lip gloss and says, "We'll have to share our rehab stories, together! I'll see you, Katie."
What a gem.
That little blob's gone now.
I notice Fiona left her lipstick on the table when she picked up her makeup bag. It must've fallen out, or something. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I used it before I get it to her. I roll the product up and put it on. The colour was a light shade of maroon called 'Intense Cinnamon'. I pick up a napkin, and kiss it, and it thankfully doesn't stick to my lips. Then I walk up to Peter and ask, "May I have a pen?"
"Sure thing," he beamed, pulling a pen from his pocket of his dark blue jeans. Fuck, he's hot.
I write my number and as I return the pen, I invite him with, "I'm going to a party tonight and you should come. I'm going to be looking cute, though. Not as hag as I do right now," I admit yet fishing for a compliment.
"C'mon," Peter justified, "You look great!"
"Back to work, Mr. Stone," said a tall guy who is just cheesing from cheek to cheek.
"Sorry, Spin. This is..." he trails off and smiles waiting for me to finish.
"Katie!" I tell him.
"Gavin, but everyone calls me Spinner," he says. We shake hands.
"Why?" I quizzed.
"ADHD," he answers, then spins –ha– to Peter's attention, "Anyway, Emma and I are going to look at new apartments so can you lock up when your shift is over?"
"Sure thing," Peter replies.
Spinner walks over and kisses a beautiful, thin blonde girl over the counter whom I assume is Emma.
"So, tonight?" I ask.
Peter confirms with a, "You bet."
"So, who'd you invite again?" asked Imogen.
"He said his name is Peter! By the way, Fiona is really concerned! You think you can talk to her?" I shouted over the blaring music. Dubstep is always great to get high to.
"Sure thing, Katie Matlin!" Imogen yelled close to my ear.
"Ah! Too close, Imo! Haha!"
I feel a warm, strong pair of hands touch my waist and I already know it's him.
"Hey, you," I coo and I turn around to see something very much unlike what I was expecting.
"You finally want me, don't you? I heard about you and Drew." Owen says with much too high hopes.
"God, no, you pig. I thought you were someone else. Can you leave us alone?" I say it like a question, but he better know it was a demand.
"Really, Katie?"
"You're dating Anya!"
Owen pushes his gel-moist, long hair out of his eyes and says, "She sent me an e-mail saying how hard it is for her. Anya dumped me. I'm lonely, Katie."
"Go away, Owen," Chloe barked.
"Seriously? You?" he returns with a growl.
"Uh, yeah. You can go shave your back now," Chloe sneers. All three of us girls laugh but Imogen looks uncomfortable right now.
"No. Don't even talk to me, Chloe. You got Anya hooked on coke and it ruined a lot of things for her," Owen said.
Wow, even I didn't know Anya liked to party.
"That was her choice, Owen," Chloe defends herself.
"Just leave, alright, man?"
It was Peter.
"You came!" I shouted.
"Yeah!"
"I was going to text you asking if you found the address okay!" I said.
"Don't worry," he said, joyful.
"Alright. Bye, bitch," Owen darts to Chloe, "You two lovebirds have fun. Keep the circus freak in control."
That was it. "Owen, you're a dick! I fucking apologized to Imogen and look, we're great friends so how about you back off for once, you selfish ass!" I can't believe I had the balls to say that.
Imogen pours her drink over Owen's head as he stopped walking. "I'm a fucking person!" she yelled.
Owen let out a scream and I just couldn't fucking handle his stupid ass. Everyone at the party was looking at us now.
I ran up to the jerk and yelled, "Go to hell!" and punched the bastard in the face.
I was trying to catch my breath while I heard Imo and Chloe chanting my name and soon others joined in, cheering for me, the girl who just punched Owen Milligan in the face. He was on the floor with a black eye. The jerk deserves it for what he did to Adam.
Peter picked me up, while laughing with that cute grin of his, and we went to a room upstairs, secluded from the commotion. He looks deep into my eyes and says, "That was so sexy." We both laugh and soon he leans in for a kiss. It was delicious. He has the perfect breath. "Minty!" I flirted. It was delightful and probably one of the best kisses I've ever had. I wanted to kiss this Peter guy some more.
He began to take my sweater off as he kissed my neck. I was burning with desire and that's when he stopped and said something I wasn't so sure about myself.
"Is this legit, or are we just having a good time? 'Cause I actually wanted to get to know you better," he tells me.
"I could, let you know, I suppose," I tell him. Whoever that is. Katie Matlin is just a name. Katie Matlin isn't who I am inside. I'm either a bunch of secrets, disappointments, and pills all blended together by some crafty mother-fucker that makes up who I am. A confusing soul. Sometimes I think I'm just an empty shell, though.
"Let's get creative, first," I hinted.
Peter can never stop smiling. I fucking love it. "What do you mean, Katie?"
I pull out my mom's codeine that she stupidly decides not to hide even after the overdose. "This is what I'm talking about."
"You want to get high?" he asks, sounding like he disapproves.
"You don't want to?" I say.
"No, I don't fucking want to! Jesus. I finally nab a girl and she is just like the last one. A sad, pathetic druggie. Her name's Victoria. Probably your dealer?," he rants, blowing things way out of proportion.
"Excuse me? Are you trying to say I'm pathetic? Get out," I demand him.
"Gladly," he responds.
After I hear the door slam, I have to let all of this frustration out. All of it needs to just get out.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!"
I get into my covers, makeup on, clothes on, because I really don't give a shit anymore.
"Katie? Is that you?"
I quickly put some eye drops in my eyes and say, "Come in! Can you leave the lights off?"
"Sure, hun," Mom says. She opens the door and as she rolls towards to my bed, I can make out bits of what she is saying... "Katie ... I really ... Imogen ... it's ten thirty, you know?"
Did I tell her I was at Imogen's? "Imogen's clock is slow! Sorry, Mom."
"I thought ... at Chloe's?" she murmurs.
"Oh, sorry. I meant Chloe's. Imogen was there, though!" I shriek.
I feel her put her hand on my head. It's freezing.
"Katie, are you okay?"
"Mom, I'm happy. There's absolutely nothing g-going on," I tell the woman what she wanted to hear.
"Night, Katie," Mom wishes.
Maya walks in, I think.
"I wanted to say good night," Maya says sweetly.
"Awe," I say, "Come here!"
Mom leaves and Maya rest in my arms.
"I love you, Maya," I confess.
Maya sounds disappointed when she says, "I know."
"Wait..." I feel dizzy. I get up and the room is spinning, it's spinning...
My bedroom is like spinning plates.
I feel the crap come out my mouth.
Fuck, this is awful. I feel so sick. I'm burning up. Oh, God...
"Mom! Mom! Katie's sick! I don't know!"
"Katie!"
"Come on ... Hospital? ... Katie ... truth ... I'm so worried."
"... at her! ... She's not breathing! ... Oh my God!"