Not That Simple - Chapter 4
Things at lunch that afternoon were tense. Kay shifted some pasta around on her plate with her fork, not hungry enough to eat anything. She glanced at Simone, Miguel, Charity, and Reese who were absorbed in some trivial conversation about football.
Usually she would have joined in, but right now she didn't feel like she had the energy. Everything seemed to take a lot of effort these days.
"Kay? Kay?" Miguel's voice was filled with concern, and for a moment it pulled her out of her depressing state. Then she noticed that his arm was lazily draped around Charity's shoulders.
"Is something wrong Kay? You haven't eaten a thing, and this is your favorite dish. Something's up," The voice of her best friend was equally filled with concern. Good old Simone. Through all of her crazy schemes Simone still hung around with loyality that began at their old sandbox days. The days of youth, long forgotten now.
Kay wished she could tell Simone the entire truth. It would be nice to have a shoulder to cry on in the eternal blackness that was now her life. But the pain was still fresh and it burned every time she spoke of it.
Kay made a face. "I think there's some moldy cheese on it or something,"
"If you don't want it, I'll eat it for you, Kay," Reese offered, and then, without giving Kay a chance to respond he grabbed her plate and shoved a big forkfull of pasta into his mouth. He chewed hungerily and when he was finished Kay couldn't help but laugh. Reese would eat anything that was put in front of him.
"Don't blame me if you get food poisoning," she told him with a smirk.
"Kay, are you sure YOU are not the one with food poisoning?" Charity asked with mock concern as she took a bite of her cheese sandwich. "You aren't acting like yourself. You totally bit my head off in English class. What was that all about, anyways?"
"You mean the difference of opinion?" Kay shrugged. "No big deal. Let's forget about it."
But Charity wouldn't let up. "I always thought you were pro life. You know what the church taught us..."
"Isn't a girl allowed to change her mind?" Kay snapped, unshed tears springing to her eyes. She ducked her head down, not wanting the others to see how emotional she was. "Uh, I think I'm going to go freshen up. I'll be right back."
She pulled back her chair from the table and ran out of the lunchroom with a blithering speed. Simone just watched in silence, with her mouth hanging open. She had never seen her best friend behave this way. Kay usually had it together.
"I'm going to go after her," Simone said after a silence-filled minute.
Reese pushed his glasses up on his nose. "I'll go with you," he offered with a lopsided smile.
"Man, you can't go into the girl's room!" Miguel said slapping Reese on the back. "Nice try though,"
"Yeah, it was worth a shot."
Simone shook her head at the boy's perverted conversation. She rose from her seat and headed to the bathroom to find Kay.
When she arrived all she could hear was a faint whimpering noise coming from one of the stalls. Instantly she knew it was Kay, trying to surpress her sobs. She debated if she should say anything at all, knowing that Kay hated anyone to see her cry.
Finally she made a tentative tap on the stall door. A moment later Kay's tear stained face appeared. Wiping at her face frantically, Kay tried to appear as if nothing had happened.
"Kay, what is wrong with you?" Simone asked, searching Kay's eyes for a shred of truth. "Come on, we've been tight since childhood, you don't have to pretend with me."
Kay felt her chest tighten and a burning sensation crept over her whole body. "It-it's," she started to say, but the room was starting to turn fuzzy and everything was a blur. She grabbed hold of the side of the sink to steady herself.
"I was raped," was all she managed to say before she dissolved into a puddle of tears.
***
It was about 15 or so minutes later and Kay had spilled the entire story to Simone. She had to admit it felt good to get all that off her chest, and to have someone to confide it.
"So what are you going to do?" Simone asked, a worried expression on her face. The truth had hit her hard, she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. She couldn't believe that Kay was carrying around that awful burden for so long with nobody to talk to.
"I don't know, Simone. I mean, I do, but I don't know if I can go through with it. I can't stand the thought of carrying that bastard's baby."
"Maybe you should tell your parents before you do anything rash," Simone suggested timidly. She knew that her friend must be going through hell, but she couldn't let her do anything that she would regret for the rest of her life. She owed it to their 14 years of friendship.
Kay started pacing back and forth nervously. "You know my Dad, he would force me to press charges against the guy...who-who raped me. And Simone...I-I don't think I could stand to look at his face again." Kay's voice trembled and those unshed tears started to fall. Simone just stood there, a little akward, not really knowing what to do. She wasn't trained for this sort of thing.
The bell rang just then signaling that it was time to head back to class. "This is supposed to be the happiest time of my life. Ha. What a joke."
Simone gave her a quick hug just then, and Kay was truly touched. It wasn't too often that Kay recieved any kind of affection.
"Take care of yourself, okay?" Simone said before leaving for class.
"Okay," was Kay's tiny, distant reply.
For some time afterwards Kay just stood there, alone in the empty bathroom. Trying to find some quick answer to the problems the haunted her. She realized there weren't any. She was going to have to face this problem head on without anybody by her side.
But you have to do it, Kay, she told herself firmly. You have to be strong.
She skipped class that day. Too many overwhelming thoughts were invading her mind, she knew she would never concentrate on school work.
She walked out into the brisk cool breeze that day with a plan. A plan that would change the course of her life forever.
Things at lunch that afternoon were tense. Kay shifted some pasta around on her plate with her fork, not hungry enough to eat anything. She glanced at Simone, Miguel, Charity, and Reese who were absorbed in some trivial conversation about football.
Usually she would have joined in, but right now she didn't feel like she had the energy. Everything seemed to take a lot of effort these days.
"Kay? Kay?" Miguel's voice was filled with concern, and for a moment it pulled her out of her depressing state. Then she noticed that his arm was lazily draped around Charity's shoulders.
"Is something wrong Kay? You haven't eaten a thing, and this is your favorite dish. Something's up," The voice of her best friend was equally filled with concern. Good old Simone. Through all of her crazy schemes Simone still hung around with loyality that began at their old sandbox days. The days of youth, long forgotten now.
Kay wished she could tell Simone the entire truth. It would be nice to have a shoulder to cry on in the eternal blackness that was now her life. But the pain was still fresh and it burned every time she spoke of it.
Kay made a face. "I think there's some moldy cheese on it or something,"
"If you don't want it, I'll eat it for you, Kay," Reese offered, and then, without giving Kay a chance to respond he grabbed her plate and shoved a big forkfull of pasta into his mouth. He chewed hungerily and when he was finished Kay couldn't help but laugh. Reese would eat anything that was put in front of him.
"Don't blame me if you get food poisoning," she told him with a smirk.
"Kay, are you sure YOU are not the one with food poisoning?" Charity asked with mock concern as she took a bite of her cheese sandwich. "You aren't acting like yourself. You totally bit my head off in English class. What was that all about, anyways?"
"You mean the difference of opinion?" Kay shrugged. "No big deal. Let's forget about it."
But Charity wouldn't let up. "I always thought you were pro life. You know what the church taught us..."
"Isn't a girl allowed to change her mind?" Kay snapped, unshed tears springing to her eyes. She ducked her head down, not wanting the others to see how emotional she was. "Uh, I think I'm going to go freshen up. I'll be right back."
She pulled back her chair from the table and ran out of the lunchroom with a blithering speed. Simone just watched in silence, with her mouth hanging open. She had never seen her best friend behave this way. Kay usually had it together.
"I'm going to go after her," Simone said after a silence-filled minute.
Reese pushed his glasses up on his nose. "I'll go with you," he offered with a lopsided smile.
"Man, you can't go into the girl's room!" Miguel said slapping Reese on the back. "Nice try though,"
"Yeah, it was worth a shot."
Simone shook her head at the boy's perverted conversation. She rose from her seat and headed to the bathroom to find Kay.
When she arrived all she could hear was a faint whimpering noise coming from one of the stalls. Instantly she knew it was Kay, trying to surpress her sobs. She debated if she should say anything at all, knowing that Kay hated anyone to see her cry.
Finally she made a tentative tap on the stall door. A moment later Kay's tear stained face appeared. Wiping at her face frantically, Kay tried to appear as if nothing had happened.
"Kay, what is wrong with you?" Simone asked, searching Kay's eyes for a shred of truth. "Come on, we've been tight since childhood, you don't have to pretend with me."
Kay felt her chest tighten and a burning sensation crept over her whole body. "It-it's," she started to say, but the room was starting to turn fuzzy and everything was a blur. She grabbed hold of the side of the sink to steady herself.
"I was raped," was all she managed to say before she dissolved into a puddle of tears.
***
It was about 15 or so minutes later and Kay had spilled the entire story to Simone. She had to admit it felt good to get all that off her chest, and to have someone to confide it.
"So what are you going to do?" Simone asked, a worried expression on her face. The truth had hit her hard, she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. She couldn't believe that Kay was carrying around that awful burden for so long with nobody to talk to.
"I don't know, Simone. I mean, I do, but I don't know if I can go through with it. I can't stand the thought of carrying that bastard's baby."
"Maybe you should tell your parents before you do anything rash," Simone suggested timidly. She knew that her friend must be going through hell, but she couldn't let her do anything that she would regret for the rest of her life. She owed it to their 14 years of friendship.
Kay started pacing back and forth nervously. "You know my Dad, he would force me to press charges against the guy...who-who raped me. And Simone...I-I don't think I could stand to look at his face again." Kay's voice trembled and those unshed tears started to fall. Simone just stood there, a little akward, not really knowing what to do. She wasn't trained for this sort of thing.
The bell rang just then signaling that it was time to head back to class. "This is supposed to be the happiest time of my life. Ha. What a joke."
Simone gave her a quick hug just then, and Kay was truly touched. It wasn't too often that Kay recieved any kind of affection.
"Take care of yourself, okay?" Simone said before leaving for class.
"Okay," was Kay's tiny, distant reply.
For some time afterwards Kay just stood there, alone in the empty bathroom. Trying to find some quick answer to the problems the haunted her. She realized there weren't any. She was going to have to face this problem head on without anybody by her side.
But you have to do it, Kay, she told herself firmly. You have to be strong.
She skipped class that day. Too many overwhelming thoughts were invading her mind, she knew she would never concentrate on school work.
She walked out into the brisk cool breeze that day with a plan. A plan that would change the course of her life forever.