Steps of Courage

Chapter 7

On my way out of my last class of the day I walked through the quad as I always did at the end of the day. I spotted Alexa across the quad and when she saw me she came rushing over.

"Hey, Katie!" she says, hurriedly. 

I managed a hesitant smile, confused as to why she was speaking so quickly. 

"Hey! What's up?" I asked. 

Alexa glanced around nervously, her eyes darting across the whole quad. 

"Have you seen Bree? I need to tell her something, ASAP." she said. 

"Uhm, no, sorry." I said, confused. 

"Okay well, thanks anyway." she says, avoiding eye contact, "I'm going to go find her now."

Before I could respond, she dashed off. I watched her rush off, notice Bree waiting for her at the cafe doors and then run towards her. 

"Okay, that was weird." I muttered to myself, still watching her. 

I continued my walk through the quad while also keeping an eye on Alexa. When she finally caught up to Bree she started talking with her hands, like she always did when she was sharing big news - or gossip. Then they both locked eyes with me. Their joint gaze made me feel uneasy so I broke it and hurried home alone. 

I went to the library to study one day, without having to work. I flipped through my notes for that day and wrote down key points from the lesson. There was a group of three girls next to me and their conversation shocked and intrigued me. 

"Did you hear about Katie, Alexa and Bree?" one girl asked, her voice low. 

"Yeah, Bree and Alexa have been saying that she only got the job here at the library for attention and to make herself look better!" another girl says, in a hushed tone. 

My heart began to race, and I had to do some breathing exercises before continuing to listen. 

"I overheard Alexa and Bree yesterday saying that Katie was two-faced." the other girl says, sounding like she couldn't believe it, "I thought her and Alexa were best friends?"

"Looks like she's changed. Poor Katie." The first girl says. 

The information hit me like a punch in the gut. I froze, my chest tightened, I started feeling sticky and the room felt like it was closing in again. 

"No, not again." I whispered to myself in regards to my panic attack. 

I grabbed my things and rushed all the way home and into my room. Once the door clicked shut I pressed myself against it and slid to the floor. I clutched my knees to my chest as I struggled to breathe. The feeling of betrayal enhanced my panic. I sat there, so alone, crying until I fell asleep again.