"Kat…." someone yelled, I sat on my front porch, a brand new day a brand new week starting. Tears fell from my eyes. Mel sat next to me.

"You weren't in school,"

"I couldn't go, I couldn't see their faces," I said. "I decided to leave and go back to Ohio."

"What, you can't, you're my best friend you have to stay," Mel said.

"There is nothing left here for me," I cried.

"Kat…yes there is, maybe not Teddy, but Chris….Chris loves you he told me," Mel said. "Last night he came to my house looking for you and he looked like he was crying. He told me he loves you and he didn't know what happened that night with Georgia, he was drunk."

"But Teddy…"

"Teddy will always act like that, he thinks he is mister popular cause he got hot, but Chris, Chris isn't like that, he cares for only you," Mel said

Then someone else came walking around the corner, they stopped and looked at me.

"Hey Mel, can I talk to Kat," Chris said.

"Sure, don't leave Kat, stay here in Castle Rock," she said, she gave a quick smile to Chris then walked away in the direction of Gordie's house. Chris sat down next to me not saying anything at first.

"Kat I am so sorry, you don't know how sorry I am," he said. The clouds covered the sun and it got cold all of a sudden. I shivered and looked away from Chris.

"Are you cold," he asked.

"No," I lied and shivered again.

"Yes you are, here take this," he said taking his jacket off and putting it around me.

"Now you will be cold," I said.

'Doesn't matter, all that matters to me is you," he said. "Why did Mel say stay here,"

"I am leaving," I said.

"Don't leave me again, Kat if I could take back what I did, I would," he said, a tear falling from his eyes. I looked into his eyes, I knew he was sorry, I knew he cared. And it scared me to know that someone liked me that much, that they would risk everything to be with me. I smiled at him.

"I am sorry Chris, for not believing you,' I said. Chris smiled to; he then hugged me and gave me a quick kiss. He put his arm around me and we just sat there, not caring about anything or anyone but each other.

ADDED OCTOBER 16TH 2002

"I am glad everything is working out," Mel said as we sat outside on a beautiful spring day. Soon summer would be coming, and a new life would be starting.

"Hey Mel…what are you doing after school," I asked.

"Gordie and I plan to get married after senior year, move away, get out of this little town," she explained.

"What are you doing?"

"I have no idea, I might spend my senior year back in Ohio or maybe here I haven't decided yet," I said.

"Hey Ladies," someone said. Gordie, Vern, Teddy and Chris came up to us and sat down. Gordie next to Mel and Chris next to me. I caught Teddy looking at me from the corner of my eye. I looked at the Ice cream shop down the street.

"Hey I want Ice Cream," I said.

"Yea me two," Chris said.

"Hey Kat go get it for all of us" Mel said.

"No you," I said.

"We will all flip for it," Chris said taking out six nickels. We all flipped and got all heads.

"A goocher" Vern said.

"Verno,"

"Remember last time Teddy when we got a goocher at the junk yard we almost got shot by Ace and Eyeball," Vern explained.

"Flip again," I said. We all flipped and I was the only one who got heads.

"You lose, Kat! Kat loses! Kat go get the ice creams," Teddy yelled.

"Does the word retarded mean anything to you," I said as I got up. Chris gave me the money and I headed to the direction of the ice cream store. But I was soon stopped by Ace and Eyeball.

"Do you guys have anything better to do than bother me," I asked.

Ace thought for a minute, "no," he finally said.

"Get out of my way," I said. I looked towards the direction of my friends but they where to far away to notice anything.

"Your boyfriend Chris can't help you know," Eyeball laughed.

"I don't need his help," I said.

"Why don't you just leave Kat, why do you keep coming back," Ace asked. The question startled me. I didn't know why I kept coming back to a life here. I had less problems back in Ohio.

Ace pulled out his knife and I pulled out my brothers pocket knife.

"Now what are you going to do Ace," I asked.

"Kill you," he said.

"If I die you do know that they will come after you, even if you didn't kill me," I explained.

"Hey she is right," Billy said.

"Shut up," Ace yelled. Ace came up to me.

"ready to die," he said. he brought the knife up.

"Hey leave her alone...."

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