The Second Week of School: Monday
Laverne heard one of her daughters rustling around in the bathroom. She glanced at her bedside clock and groaned. It was only 6:00 am.
Laverne massaged her temples. Her head throbbed, a consequence of too much wine the night before.
She threw open the bathroom door and was surprised to find Cate in workout clothes pulling her brown locks back into a ponytail. "What in the world are you doing?"
"Going for a run," Cate replied.
Laverne stared at Cate as though she'd lost her mind. "You just had a baby!"
"So?" Cate asked. She put headphones on and moved past her mother.
"You should take is easy for a few days," Laverne suggested.
"No. I'm fine," Cate said. She left Laverne standing there in shock.
When her feet hit the pavement, Cate started running as though her life depended on it. She sprinted until she couldn't anymore. She collapsed on a bench, breathing heavily.
Even as Cate gasped for air, she felt better than she had in days. She finally felt in control. She turned the volume on her Walkman up, focusing on the radio show and blocking out everything else around her.
Cate listened intently as two male co-hosts, Ken and "Slacker," mercilessly teased their female co-host, Jennifer, about her boyfriend. She laughed at Jennifer's witty comeback. Jennifer sounded so smart, sophisticated and fun.
Cate continued listening as she jogged home.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Laverne asked, as she pulled up to Westmonte High School.
She'd told Cate to take another week off and recover, but Cate had insisted on returning to school.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Cate replied, hopping out of the car.
Laverne sighed. "Have a good day."
Cate doubted it would be good.
She entered her first class and approached her teacher, Mrs. Greene. "Hi. I'm Cate Cassidy. I've been sick with Mono."
Mrs. Greene frowned. "This is an AP course. You won't do well if you miss class."
"I know. I'll get notes from a friend and get caught up," Cate promised.
"You'll need to read chapters one through ten in the textbook and make up a quiz," Mrs. Greene said.
Cate nodded. "Thanks."
Cate scanned the room, looking for a friendly face. She didn't see one. However, she did see Alice and decided to make an effort to be friendly.
Cate sat down next to Alice. "Hi. How was your summer?"
Alice stared at her blankly. "I'm sorry. Are you speaking to me again?"
"I was flaky last year. I know that. I'm sorry. I had a lot going on," Cate said.
"What?" Alice asked curiously.
Cate sighed. She couldn't tell Alice the truth. "Just…family stuff."
Alice smiled sympathetically. She knew Cate's mom was kind of a mess.
Cate returned the smile. "Can I borrow your notes from last week?"
Alice nodded. "Where have you been anyway?"
"Sick," Cate lied.
"For a whole week?" Alice asked doubtfully.
"Mono," Cate lied again.
"My cousin had that. She was sick for a month. Do you feel better?" Alice said.
Cate nodded.
Cate and Alice had most of their classes together, a bonus of being in all honors and AP classes. When the bell in their last class rang, they headed toward the door together.
Cate bumped into someone in the crowded hallway. "Sorry," she mumbled, looking up and into the face of Baze.
Baze stared at her, looking like a deer caught in headlights. His eyes skimmed her body, stopping at her stomach.
Cate noticed and glared at him. Enough of the weight had disappeared when she had the baby that Cate could hide her stomach from classmates, but she was still much heavier than usual.
Baze blushed and looked down.
Alice pulled Cate along, gossiping as they pushed their way through the hall. "Do you want to go to the coffee shop and do homework together?"
"Huh?" Cate asked, her mind still on Baze.
Alice frowned. "I knew you weren't listening."
"That's not true!" Cate said quickly, not wanting to tick Alice off all over again. "I'm just still not feeling that great."
Alice studied her friend, trying to figure out if she was lying. Cate didn't look so good. Her face was swollen and it looked like she'd gained weight. Cate had bags under her eyes and looked exhausted. Alice nodded. "Feel better."
"Thanks. See you later," Cate said, waving as they parted ways.
Cate walked to the mall. She passed a billboard for the radio show she'd listened to that morning on the way. Jennifer was wearing a revealing black dress and looked gorgeous.
Cate wandered through the mall, window-shopping as she passed her favorite stores. She stopped when she saw a dress similar to the one Jennifer was wearing on the billboard.
Cate looked up curiously and noted that the display was in the window of a trendy boutique, Paula's, that Cate had never shopped in. She'd heard it was really expensive. She decided to check it out.
On a whim, Cate approached the salesperson. "Hi. Are you hiring?"
The salesperson studied the young girl. She was cute, but not very stylish. She nodded. "We're accepting applications." She handed Cate a paper form.
"Thanks!" Cate smiled. "Do employees get a discount?"
The salesperson nodded. "Yeah, we get 25% off."
Cate's smile widened. If she could get a job there, she could buy a ton of cute dresses to wear our in college next year.
She was tired of being the unpopular girl that none of the guys liked. Things would be different in college, Cate decided. They had to be.