Nine
"Long day, huh?" Sam asked Kate while he poured her some more iced tea with her dinner.
For the rest of the day, Kate was pretty quiet. Actually, she was silent. The only person she said anything to was Claire, and now, her Dad. She had never been so confused in her life. How could she be falling for a boy she had only known for a little over a week? It didn't make sense. It was times like these, she needed someone to talk to. She had Claire, but Claire had done enough for her already. It would be too awkward to talk to Sam about it. And she wasn't extremely close with Shannon yet. There was no way she could call Sayid or Charlie. She really didn't have anyone to talk to. It was times like these… she wished her mom was alive.
"Yeah. Long day." Kate sighed.
Sam was concerned. He didn't know why Kate was acting so strange. She was awfully quiet, unlike her usually happy and perky self.
"You okay Katie?" Sam asked.
Kate looked up from her plate, where she was playing with her food in a childish manner. 'Should I tell him?' She asked herself. 'Would he understand? What if he thinks I'm crazy?' She took a deep breath.
"Have you…..have you ever….felt…..ever….have…..have you ever felt feelings for someone, that you haven't known for a long time?" Kate asked nervously.
Sam looked at Kate sympathetically. He was about to speak, but she continued.
"I mean, what if you just met someone, but there is something about them….something…..different. Something that you have never seen before….something so rare…but so attracting and unforgettable at the same time? What if…..you think….you know…..your falling for someone. But you barely know them? Is that wrong?" Kate asked.
Sam could tell that Kate was extremely nervous and confused. She was going through a phase. But he knew exactly how she felt. It sounded somewhat…familiar.
"Katie." Sam started, and sat down at the table, directly across from Kate. Kate looked up at him shyly, even though it was her own father. It was an awkward situation and an even more awkward conversation for a father and daughter to have.
"Katie. I know how you feel. And I'm not just saying that cause I'm your father…. I've been there. Done that." Sam took a deep breath. "When…..when I first met your mother…she….. I was at the movies with some of my buddies. We… we were on the ticket line, paying for our tickets, when I saw a blonde girl digging through her pocketbook. She looked….distressed. So, I walked up to her…and I gave her some money for a ticket….." Sam shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"She was…..beautiful." Sam said with a sigh. "There was something…so breathtaking about her. I could not believe I had never met her before. So….I offered to buy her ticket and some food, and we watched the movie together….and we were friends ever since." Sam smiled to himself. "Of course, we became more than friends and had you after high school was over, but from the moment I met her, I knew……I…. I felt something….a flutter in my heart. And the moment I saw her striking green eyes and shiny blonde hair, and her flawless beautiful face…….I was falling….."
Kate looked at her Dad admiringly. She knew how difficult it was to talk about Diane. For the both of them.
"And the more I got to know her, the more I learned about her, and the more I discovered the person she really was, the faster I fell. And the best part of falling…..of falling so fast?" Sam asked.
"There will always be that one person there to catch you."
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"Good morning students. Today is Thursday, September 27th. And now for today's announcements…." The PA blasted across the school.
All of the students sat in their homerooms, talking and chatting with each other quietly while the announcements blared in the background. Jack, Kate, Boone, and Michael sat together in their desks, chatting about school and football, when the class went silent. Everyone was listening to the PA.
"Attention all students!! It's that time of year!! Everyone grab a date and dance your way down to the Homecoming Dance!! It's tomorrow night!! If you don't have a date yet, get one now!! Tickets will be sold at the door, and food and refreshments will be available at the dance!! Dress nicely too! Girls, get some dresses, and guys, get some slacks!! It's one of the biggest events of the year! So guys! Grab a gal! Girls! Grab a guy! And dance your way down to BLHS tomorrow night, for a night to remember!!!"
That's when the class went into an uproar. "I need a date!" "Who are you going with?" "What should I wear!?!?!" "I'm going with Joey!" "Should I ask her?" "I need a dress!!!"
Jack, Kate, Boone, and Michael all looked at each other, when Jack spoke up.
"So, you guys have dates yet?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm going with Sally, the red head from the cheer team." Michael spoke proudly.
"Boone, what about you?" Jack asked.
"I'm going with Theresa, she's another cheerleader. She is smokin…" Boone said dreamily.
Michael spoke up. "What about you Jack? Do you have a date?"
Jack looked down and blushed. "No…not yet…"
Boone and Michael starred at him as if he was wearing make-up and a blonde wig. Kate just looked down and thanked the lord to herself that he wasn't going with anyone. 'Why should I care who he is going with? It's not like he would ever ask me…' Kate thought to herself.
"Wait. Jack Shepherd is….dateless?" Boone asked, shocked.
"For now." Jack corrected. "I still have time."
Michael added in. "But Jack, I constantly hear girls saying that they asked you, and you turned them down. What, are you holdin out for someone special, Jack?"
Jack blushed and looked down, while Boone, Michael, and Kate starred him down.
The bell rang, signaling the end of homeroom, and everyone exited the class.
'Saved by the bell.' Jack thought to himself.
"Yeah, saved by the bell, Jack, but we have some catching up to do later." Michael said to his friend.
"Catch you two later!" Boone chimed in.
"See ya!" Jack and Kate called back, and they started walking off to their classes together.
They walked close, and Kate thought she was going to explode from the constant rubbing their arms kept doing. It gave her chills. They were those good chills.
Ever since Sam's talk last night at the dinner table, Kate felt a little more comfortable with her confession to Claire. It was okay to like Jack. But she understood that he might not like her back. But just the thought that she wasn't crazy for having feelings for someone she didn't know for very long, was comforting on its own.
On the other hand, Jack was having an inner battle with himself.
'Oh God. Oh God. Jack! This may be your last chance! Do it! Do it!'
Jack looked down at Kate while they were walking through the hallways and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Jack, what's up?" Kate asked, when Jack pulled her off to the side of the hallway against some lockers.
'This is it. This is it. Just do it.' Jack told himself.
"Kate….ummm." Jack started.
"Jack, are you okay? Is something wrong? Do I have something on my face?" Kate asked and Jack laughed.
"No… no. no. no. no…that's not it. Your face is perfect….i mean….well, it's always perfect, I like..….uh….." Jack stuttered, but he was interrupted by someone sprinting down the hallway screaming at the top of their lungs.
"SHE SAID YES!!!! BLOODY HELL, SHE SAID YES!!!!!!! OH GOD I AM GOING TO FAINT. BLOODY HELL…..CLAIRE SAID YES!! SHE SAID YES!!!!!!"
None other than Charlie. He was jumping up and down in front of Jack and Kate and some other people he didn't even know.
"Congrats Charlie!!!" Kate said, and gave him a huge hug, while Jack starred daggers into the back of Charlie's head.
'I'm gonna kill him for this.' Jack thought to himself.
'WOO HOO!!!" Charlie yelled at the top of his lungs, and then ran off down the hallway singing to himself out of complete joy.
"Aww, isn't that sweet?! Look how happy he is!" Kate said adoringly.
'Hehehe, how cute!' Jack thought to himself in a squeaky, sarcastic, sing-song voice.
Jack turned his attention back to Kate, who was still watching Charlie dance down the hallway.
"Uhh, Kate. Um, what I was going to ask you was….ummm." Jack stuttered.
Kate looked confused at Jack. He was stuttering. He was obviously nervous.
'Just say it you imbecile!! You look like an idiot. Oh wait, you've been looking like that a lot recently!'
Jack took a deep breath.
"Kate, would you like to go to the dance with me?"
'You said it.'
'He said it!?'
'Thank God.'
'Oh God.'
Kate stood frozen in her spot, just staring at Jack with a slightly open mouth.
'Jack……Jack Shepherd just asked me to the dance. Holy cow.'
'Uh oh, she isn't saying anything…I knew it! She thinks I'm an idiot! Why would she wanna go with someone like me!?'
'Say something you idiot!'
"I…I…..I would love to go to the dance with you….Jack Shepherd." Kate answered Jack was a broad smile.
'Thank you my Lord.'
'Thank God.'
Jack smiled broadly back and gave Kate a huge hug, while made her squeal out loud, out of surprise. His strong arm's wrapped around her petite body, and her arms wrapped around his neck, as they hugged each other.
They pulled apart and Jack spoke up.
"Great. Wow. Uh. Awesome!" Jack said, which made Kate giggle, and that made Jack melt.
Kate smiled at Jack. "I can't wait till tomorrow night now." She blushed and looked down.
"Me either." Jack said, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
They both stared at each other, smiling like idiots when the bell rang.
'Crap!'
'Crap!'
"Uhh, I've gotta go…" Jack stuttered.
"Yeah…uh, me too…see you in lunch!" Kate shouted while walking towards her class.
"And in History!" Jack called as he walked the opposite way.
"And in History." Kate confirmed, practically running to her class.
"Bye Kate!!" Jack smiled.
"Bye Jack!!" Kate giggled.
Those chills that Jack and Kate had been getting recently? They were back.
And stronger than ever.
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"He asked you?!" Claire asked, obviously excited.
Kate couldn't concentrate in Chemistry or Math. All she could focus on was Jack. He had asked her to the dance. All of those girls he had turned down. All for her. Did that mean that Jack liked her? It didn't matter. Kate Austen was going to the Homecoming Dance with Jack Shepherd. And no one was going to stop her.
Kate stopped by her locker right before lunch, only to be greeted by an ecstatic Claire waiting for her. Kate knew about Charlie asking Claire to the dance, and how Claire had said yes. She also knew how much Claire liked Charlie. She was happy. Very happy.
"CLAIRE! OH MY GOD! I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!! COME HERE!!!" Kate yelled and wrapped Claire into a huge hug. Kate was so happy for her best friend. She knew how much Claire liked Charlie, and after all Claire had done for her in the past two weeks, Kate couldn't feel anything but joy for her friend.
Claire pulled out of the hug, and placed her arms on Kate's shoulders.
"I thought I was going to collapse." Claire said, still shaking from the excitement.
Kate smiled at Claire's happiness.
"Claire, I am so so so happy for you. You have no idea." Kate said genuinely.
Claire smiled back.
"No, I think I have an idea." Claire giggled back.
Kate giggled and looked at Claire.
"I have some good news too."
Claire's face lit up with excitement, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions.
"What is it?" She asked, practically jumping up and down.
Kate took a deep breath and then smiled.
"Jack asked me to the dance."
Claire's jaw dropped to the ground, and she squealed so loud, Kate thought she would need a hearing aid.
"He asked you?!"
"Yep."
"OH MY GOD! KATE! OH MY GOODNESS! AHHHH!!!!" Claire was squealing so loud, Kate thought the walls were going to cave in on them. Claire then practically jumped on Kate and wrapped her in a big hug.
"Well, I guess you can say today is a good day." Claire said giggling.
Kate smiled over Claire's shoulder.
"Yeah. Today is…….. perfect."
i hope you guys liked it :)
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thanks again for reading, guys :)
