Hey Everyone! It's been a while.I hope you remember what this fic is even
about. Well I've decided to change the route of where I was originally
going to make it more happy, though to get there Kat experiences something
REALLY sad. But don't worry; I assure you, good will come of this. It's
basically a chapter that introduced us to a little bit more about Kat's
past. I'll be ending the fic soon and you guys will ultimately be
determining how it ends up. Which boy? Well enjoy!
Chapter 18
It was dark when I woke up. I knew that I must've exhausted myself crying and fallen asleep somewhere along the way. I looked around and the room was completely dark except for the crack of light that broke that darkness coming up from the bottom of the door. Slowly getting up, I realized that I heard voices, and people laughing. Only they weren't all male, the majority was actually female. Sliding out of bed I walked over to the door and opening it quietly, I listened. The voice speaking now had a strong southern accent and as soon as I heard it, I knew who it was. Elle. Smiling I opened the door all the way and made my way down the hall. Stopping to check myself over in the mirror, I fixed my hair and moved on. As soon as I reached the doorframe, the talking stopped and all three girls looked up at me smiling.
"Well Katty Randle," Elle said suavely, "This Oklahoma lifestyle sure did you well. You look absolutely stunning."
I looked down sheepishly at myself and flattened the wrinkles on my skirt, which I usually did whenever someone complimented me. Although she too looked amazing, I couldn't get over the fact that she was actually here. It hadn't even been that long since I'd seen her but I still missed her terribly as I did the other girls.
"Not exactly." I replied, "Just same old Katty."
She flashed me her award-winning smile and ran over to hug me, as I knew she would. She'd been doing those exact things whenever she saw me since we were ten.
"No way Kats," Molly added, "There's something about you that's making you glow. Although you always were the pretty one of our little group."
I knew she was lying. We were all genuinely pretty in our own way. Allie for example had the most beautiful features I'd ever seen and her personality and gestures just added to her overall appearance. I smiled and winked at her as I made my way over to the couch to sit between the two.
"Where's Molly?" I asked noticing that out foursome wasn't exactly re- united.
Both girls looked at the ground when I said this. I knew them long enough to know something wasn't right here. Instantly I became worried,
"What's wrong?" I asked, "Did something happen. She's alright isn't she?"
"She's fine sweetie." Allie told me comfortingly, and then she took a deep breath, "It's Charlie."
I stood up to show my concern and practically sat down as soon as I'd stood up. The blood rushed to my head and I couldn't believe what was going on. I knew one day this would happen but I didn't know when.
"Who's Charlie?" Ponyboy asked innocently. I had practically forgotten that the whole gang had been sitting in the living room witnessing this.
"He's," I started, "He was a very-" I looked over at Elle and she knew I couldn't explain it. She smiled and nodded at me and then began to tell the story of Charlie.
I knew what she was going to say so I hardly even listened. I couldn't believe this was happening. I mean now of al times. See Charlie was Molly's brother. We'd all known him about as long as we'd known each other. We grew up together, all five of us. He was always the sweetest boy I'd ever met. Even when we were younger and all the little boys would throw mud at us and say we had "cooties", Chuck would always stick up for us. As we grew older, Charlie and I grew closer and closer. I remember the day Molly ran over to my house and was just crying incessantly. It took her about a half hour to tell me what was going on, until finally it came out. Charlie had cancer. I remember trying to comfort her but the tears just ran down my face and we cried most of the day. That was the day I started questioning my faith and my life. Why did bad things always happen to such good people? I kept asking myself that question. Of course I was only twelve at the time but I still knew that cancer was horrible and it would eventually lead to death. That day sticks so clearly in my mind. I'll never forget it. Or what Charlie said to me when I saw him for the first time after the news.
"Don't you dare pity me Kathryn Randle," He said seriously, "We'll just go on livin' our ordinary lives like none of this ever happened. Doc, says the more I experience life, the longer I have and I'll be damned if I die before livin' all I want to. We gotta make everyday count, Kat, like it's our last."
That was the day we first kissed, and form that day on we never talked about his illness again. We went on leading our ordinary lives. It was Charlie who was there to comfort me when my mama left. Charlie again was there to help me deal with my daddy. He was the first boy I ever loved and now he to would leave. I never truly let myself love him though. I refused to get emotionally attached to that boy but even I couldn't help myself. His charm and good nature took me over and he was the only true best friend I ever had. Now, just like everyone else, he too was leaving.
"-so now he's lying in a hospital bed and that's how he's living out his last days." Elle finished.
There was silence in the room. I could see sympathy caked on everyone's faces, but just as I'd learned in the past, no amount of sympathy was going to help.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked my friends, feeling a bit betrayed.
"Katty honey," Elle began, "It's not something you can just tell someone over the phone or in a letter. We knew that we had to be here to support you. After all, you're going to take this the hardest."
"Why is he in a hospital bed?" I asked, not directly responding to her previous reply.
"So he can stay alive longer, naturally." Allie said.
I thought about that for a while. I thought about all the times we'd talked about how we'd promised each other to always live life to the fullest and never let a day pass us by. I already broke that promise and I wasn't about to let him do the exact same thing. He was my best friend and I'd learned so much form him. I wasn't about to let him die in some hospital. But I couldn't just get up and leave here. He needed to live, the longer he truly experiences life, and the longer her genuinely lives.
"How long?" I asked simply.
"What do you mean how long?" Allie asked not understanding my question.
"The doctor said he has about two weeks if he stays in bed." Elle replied, knowing what I meant, "But if he's actively living, then it could only be a matter of days."
Visions of Charlie's carefree smile kept flashing through my mind. Visions of his optimistic nature, of his care for others before himself.
"Make everyday count."
"You go back to Kansas and tell him to get the hell out of that bed and get down here, because I'll be damned, if he dies before he's done livin' all he wants to."
*Please Review*
Chapter 18
It was dark when I woke up. I knew that I must've exhausted myself crying and fallen asleep somewhere along the way. I looked around and the room was completely dark except for the crack of light that broke that darkness coming up from the bottom of the door. Slowly getting up, I realized that I heard voices, and people laughing. Only they weren't all male, the majority was actually female. Sliding out of bed I walked over to the door and opening it quietly, I listened. The voice speaking now had a strong southern accent and as soon as I heard it, I knew who it was. Elle. Smiling I opened the door all the way and made my way down the hall. Stopping to check myself over in the mirror, I fixed my hair and moved on. As soon as I reached the doorframe, the talking stopped and all three girls looked up at me smiling.
"Well Katty Randle," Elle said suavely, "This Oklahoma lifestyle sure did you well. You look absolutely stunning."
I looked down sheepishly at myself and flattened the wrinkles on my skirt, which I usually did whenever someone complimented me. Although she too looked amazing, I couldn't get over the fact that she was actually here. It hadn't even been that long since I'd seen her but I still missed her terribly as I did the other girls.
"Not exactly." I replied, "Just same old Katty."
She flashed me her award-winning smile and ran over to hug me, as I knew she would. She'd been doing those exact things whenever she saw me since we were ten.
"No way Kats," Molly added, "There's something about you that's making you glow. Although you always were the pretty one of our little group."
I knew she was lying. We were all genuinely pretty in our own way. Allie for example had the most beautiful features I'd ever seen and her personality and gestures just added to her overall appearance. I smiled and winked at her as I made my way over to the couch to sit between the two.
"Where's Molly?" I asked noticing that out foursome wasn't exactly re- united.
Both girls looked at the ground when I said this. I knew them long enough to know something wasn't right here. Instantly I became worried,
"What's wrong?" I asked, "Did something happen. She's alright isn't she?"
"She's fine sweetie." Allie told me comfortingly, and then she took a deep breath, "It's Charlie."
I stood up to show my concern and practically sat down as soon as I'd stood up. The blood rushed to my head and I couldn't believe what was going on. I knew one day this would happen but I didn't know when.
"Who's Charlie?" Ponyboy asked innocently. I had practically forgotten that the whole gang had been sitting in the living room witnessing this.
"He's," I started, "He was a very-" I looked over at Elle and she knew I couldn't explain it. She smiled and nodded at me and then began to tell the story of Charlie.
I knew what she was going to say so I hardly even listened. I couldn't believe this was happening. I mean now of al times. See Charlie was Molly's brother. We'd all known him about as long as we'd known each other. We grew up together, all five of us. He was always the sweetest boy I'd ever met. Even when we were younger and all the little boys would throw mud at us and say we had "cooties", Chuck would always stick up for us. As we grew older, Charlie and I grew closer and closer. I remember the day Molly ran over to my house and was just crying incessantly. It took her about a half hour to tell me what was going on, until finally it came out. Charlie had cancer. I remember trying to comfort her but the tears just ran down my face and we cried most of the day. That was the day I started questioning my faith and my life. Why did bad things always happen to such good people? I kept asking myself that question. Of course I was only twelve at the time but I still knew that cancer was horrible and it would eventually lead to death. That day sticks so clearly in my mind. I'll never forget it. Or what Charlie said to me when I saw him for the first time after the news.
"Don't you dare pity me Kathryn Randle," He said seriously, "We'll just go on livin' our ordinary lives like none of this ever happened. Doc, says the more I experience life, the longer I have and I'll be damned if I die before livin' all I want to. We gotta make everyday count, Kat, like it's our last."
That was the day we first kissed, and form that day on we never talked about his illness again. We went on leading our ordinary lives. It was Charlie who was there to comfort me when my mama left. Charlie again was there to help me deal with my daddy. He was the first boy I ever loved and now he to would leave. I never truly let myself love him though. I refused to get emotionally attached to that boy but even I couldn't help myself. His charm and good nature took me over and he was the only true best friend I ever had. Now, just like everyone else, he too was leaving.
"-so now he's lying in a hospital bed and that's how he's living out his last days." Elle finished.
There was silence in the room. I could see sympathy caked on everyone's faces, but just as I'd learned in the past, no amount of sympathy was going to help.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked my friends, feeling a bit betrayed.
"Katty honey," Elle began, "It's not something you can just tell someone over the phone or in a letter. We knew that we had to be here to support you. After all, you're going to take this the hardest."
"Why is he in a hospital bed?" I asked, not directly responding to her previous reply.
"So he can stay alive longer, naturally." Allie said.
I thought about that for a while. I thought about all the times we'd talked about how we'd promised each other to always live life to the fullest and never let a day pass us by. I already broke that promise and I wasn't about to let him do the exact same thing. He was my best friend and I'd learned so much form him. I wasn't about to let him die in some hospital. But I couldn't just get up and leave here. He needed to live, the longer he truly experiences life, and the longer her genuinely lives.
"How long?" I asked simply.
"What do you mean how long?" Allie asked not understanding my question.
"The doctor said he has about two weeks if he stays in bed." Elle replied, knowing what I meant, "But if he's actively living, then it could only be a matter of days."
Visions of Charlie's carefree smile kept flashing through my mind. Visions of his optimistic nature, of his care for others before himself.
"Make everyday count."
"You go back to Kansas and tell him to get the hell out of that bed and get down here, because I'll be damned, if he dies before he's done livin' all he wants to."
*Please Review*