Adam and Chris thought it would be best if they went to Chris' hotel room to sleep. They wouldn't have to worry about Jay
pulling some shit during the night.
It was about 1 in the morning by the time Adam, Chris, and Katheryn got to the hotel and settled down. Adam offered that him
and Chris could sit and watch the movies with Katheryn, but she simply refused and said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
Katheryn was already in comfortable clothes, so she just got in one of the beds and silently cried herself to sleep.
Adam and Chris were aware that Katheryn was crying, but they decided to leave her alone. She needed time to herself and now
would be a perfect time. Adam looked exhausted so Chris said, "Man why don't you go to bed?"
"I gotta stay up, just in case Jay comes. If he comes he'll have to face me."
Chris put his arm around his friend and led him to the to the narrow hallway in the hotel room by the door. "You need your rest. I
understand where you're coming from, because even I want to stay up and protect her. But you can't do it without sleep, you
know that. Tomorrow is another day where Jay will probably threaten her again. How you going to do that when you got no sleep
the night before?" Chris asked.
Adam sat on the floor. He shook his head. "If I can't run on energy I'll run on adrenaline. That's what we're trained to do, Chris.
If you're not feeling well before a match, you're running on adrenaline, not energy because you really don't have any."
Chris sighed and joined Adam across from him on the floor. "Look, I think we should all get some sleep. That's my opinion."
He looked over at the bed where Katheryn was lying in. "Why do you feel obligated to protect her like that? Do you honestly
think Jay will hurt his own flesh and blood?"
"It's instinct I guess. That girl is like my sister. I'd gladly give my life for hers. And as for Jason, I couldn't tell you." He let
out a huge breath. "I grew up with Jay, and you don't know him like I do. When he is honest to God pissed off about
something, he will do anything to fix it and/or get even. Since what Katheryn did cannot be reversed, he wants to get even.
Flesh and blood or not, he will try to get even. If I lose her, I blame only myself."
"But why do you blame yourself if something happens to her?" Chris asked.
"Because right now I'm all she has. She knows it, I know it, and Jay knows it. If Jay can get me away from her, he will take
that chance to get her. Their parents know that they have their differences, but they don't know how bad it really is. Even they
can't protect her." Adam getting emotional, let a tear slide down his face. "If I lose her, I lose a part of me. Now that I look
back on our childhood, she taught me so many things. It wasn't things you could learn in school, it was more like the things you're
supposed to learn from your heart." Adam looked up and saw Chris confused. He was staring at him blankly and not saying
anything. "Ok, there was this one time when I was like 9 years old, and it was raining outside and Jay and I were upset cause
we wanted to play outside. Kate told me that the rain helps plants grow. Jay just said 'Yeah who cares I want to play
outside.' But it always stuck with me."
Chris scratched his head. "I learned in 5th grade that everything survives on water, and why is she telling you this and why
is that so important to you?"
"It wasn't that, it was…maybe I should use a different example." Adam thought for a moment. "There was this one time in
high school where I was a senior and Kate was a freshman. I remember one time cutting class to talk to her during her lunch
because I was upset because my girlfriend back then dumped me for another guy."
"And how is this relevant? I got dumped by so many girls for other guys. What's the point?" Chris asked.
"The point is that she first yelled at me for cutting class, and she took the rest of her lunch period to talk to me about it. The one
thing she told me that I never forgot is that as long as you love yourself, you don't need a boyfriend or girlfriend."
Chris raised his eyebrows. "My mom told me that when I was 4."
"Yeah me too, but since when do teenagers listen to them. It's just she's not like any other person I met. Like her idea of a
good Saturday is going to a quiet lake in the mountains with a book and reading the whole thing cover to cover. Who else do
you know does that?"
Chris shrugged. "That I know? Probably no one."
"Exactly." Adam looked at the clock. "Now, I'm tired. I think I'm going to go to bed."
"Yeah me too. It's really late." Chris yawned. "You can take the bed and I'll sleep on the floor."
Adam shook his head. "Don't worry about it man. I'll just share the bed with Kate. We used to do it all the time when we
were kids, so she shouldn't have a problem with it."
"As long as she's ok with it. Night man."
pulling some shit during the night.
It was about 1 in the morning by the time Adam, Chris, and Katheryn got to the hotel and settled down. Adam offered that him
and Chris could sit and watch the movies with Katheryn, but she simply refused and said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
Katheryn was already in comfortable clothes, so she just got in one of the beds and silently cried herself to sleep.
Adam and Chris were aware that Katheryn was crying, but they decided to leave her alone. She needed time to herself and now
would be a perfect time. Adam looked exhausted so Chris said, "Man why don't you go to bed?"
"I gotta stay up, just in case Jay comes. If he comes he'll have to face me."
Chris put his arm around his friend and led him to the to the narrow hallway in the hotel room by the door. "You need your rest. I
understand where you're coming from, because even I want to stay up and protect her. But you can't do it without sleep, you
know that. Tomorrow is another day where Jay will probably threaten her again. How you going to do that when you got no sleep
the night before?" Chris asked.
Adam sat on the floor. He shook his head. "If I can't run on energy I'll run on adrenaline. That's what we're trained to do, Chris.
If you're not feeling well before a match, you're running on adrenaline, not energy because you really don't have any."
Chris sighed and joined Adam across from him on the floor. "Look, I think we should all get some sleep. That's my opinion."
He looked over at the bed where Katheryn was lying in. "Why do you feel obligated to protect her like that? Do you honestly
think Jay will hurt his own flesh and blood?"
"It's instinct I guess. That girl is like my sister. I'd gladly give my life for hers. And as for Jason, I couldn't tell you." He let
out a huge breath. "I grew up with Jay, and you don't know him like I do. When he is honest to God pissed off about
something, he will do anything to fix it and/or get even. Since what Katheryn did cannot be reversed, he wants to get even.
Flesh and blood or not, he will try to get even. If I lose her, I blame only myself."
"But why do you blame yourself if something happens to her?" Chris asked.
"Because right now I'm all she has. She knows it, I know it, and Jay knows it. If Jay can get me away from her, he will take
that chance to get her. Their parents know that they have their differences, but they don't know how bad it really is. Even they
can't protect her." Adam getting emotional, let a tear slide down his face. "If I lose her, I lose a part of me. Now that I look
back on our childhood, she taught me so many things. It wasn't things you could learn in school, it was more like the things you're
supposed to learn from your heart." Adam looked up and saw Chris confused. He was staring at him blankly and not saying
anything. "Ok, there was this one time when I was like 9 years old, and it was raining outside and Jay and I were upset cause
we wanted to play outside. Kate told me that the rain helps plants grow. Jay just said 'Yeah who cares I want to play
outside.' But it always stuck with me."
Chris scratched his head. "I learned in 5th grade that everything survives on water, and why is she telling you this and why
is that so important to you?"
"It wasn't that, it was…maybe I should use a different example." Adam thought for a moment. "There was this one time in
high school where I was a senior and Kate was a freshman. I remember one time cutting class to talk to her during her lunch
because I was upset because my girlfriend back then dumped me for another guy."
"And how is this relevant? I got dumped by so many girls for other guys. What's the point?" Chris asked.
"The point is that she first yelled at me for cutting class, and she took the rest of her lunch period to talk to me about it. The one
thing she told me that I never forgot is that as long as you love yourself, you don't need a boyfriend or girlfriend."
Chris raised his eyebrows. "My mom told me that when I was 4."
"Yeah me too, but since when do teenagers listen to them. It's just she's not like any other person I met. Like her idea of a
good Saturday is going to a quiet lake in the mountains with a book and reading the whole thing cover to cover. Who else do
you know does that?"
Chris shrugged. "That I know? Probably no one."
"Exactly." Adam looked at the clock. "Now, I'm tired. I think I'm going to go to bed."
"Yeah me too. It's really late." Chris yawned. "You can take the bed and I'll sleep on the floor."
Adam shook his head. "Don't worry about it man. I'll just share the bed with Kate. We used to do it all the time when we
were kids, so she shouldn't have a problem with it."
"As long as she's ok with it. Night man."