Confessions of a Teenage Caffeine Addict

13 // Just Pancakes

I want to hold your hand

but you are the sun

and I am the moon...

...and we will never collide —Unknown

____________________________________

KATIE

JANUARY // WEEK 5

I closed the door to Isabel's silver car and started walking across the parking lot towards school. I was actually looking forward to sitting in class all day because there was heat and somewhat edible food.

School: 2

Katie's House: Like, negative one million

"So yeah, then Amanda banged on the bathroom door and Jake and I left," I finished telling Isabel what happened the other week. I hadn't seen her all weekend because my mother had basically declared it was Spring Break, and that she was going to drink the entire football team under the table...

News Flash: It's friggan December, and no Mom, the people at the bar are not not on the football team.

"This is like the beginning of an epic romance story!" Isabel gushed, like my life was one of her sappy romance novels. She was convinced that if she didn't meet a boy who had walked right out of a romance novel—shirtless—then she would never find the perfect boy... ever.

"It was nothing." I tried to brush off the rush of emotions that visited me whenever I thought of him. I shrugged my shoulders, readjusting the black backpack I'd had since 7th grade.

"I don't believe you," she replied, only half-convinced.

"Then start writing, Is." One side of my mouth curved up into a small smile.

"Holy tits, that's a great idea!" she said, realization washing over her like my cold shower did to me a few hours ago. The only difference between Isabel and me, was that her shower was warm this morning. "We need to hurry up and get to English so I can start writing before I freaking forget everything!" Isabel grabbed my sweatshirt and started tugging me along, but something—no, someone—made me stop walking, like cinderblocks had just been tied to my feet. "Katie! Come on!" Isabel tugged harder but stopped only to stare at him with me. "Oh..." The word escaped from her mouth so quietly, I almost missed it. The sight of Jacob Roswell put her into a trance. Yeah, he kinda had that effect on every girl at King High.

I watched with a pain in my stomach as Jake Roswell walked up the front steps with his girlfriend, Julianne Vanderbilt. He had his arm around her like she was his everything and that made it so much worse.

"Yeah, it was nothing." Isabel threw my words back at me, before finally managing to drag me towards the door.

She and I arrived at our ugly purple lockers that looked more on the blue side if you stared at them long enough. I opened my locker only to have something tumble out.

"What if it's a note from him?" Isabel asked quite loudly, not even needing to say his name because we both knew who she was talking about. I nervously unfolded the note, my eyes darting around to see if anyone else in the hall had stopped to look on. Then I remembered that I was completely invisible and no one cared except Isabel.

Well Isabel was right: it was a note from him... just not the him I had hoped it would be. I read the note with shaky hands. Dinner this week. Let's talk. Love, Dad. I shoved the note inside my Calculus book and closed it forcefully. Then, I slammed my locker shut with even more force and marched off towards English. Isabel, being the good friend she was, didn't even ask me about it. Because anyone who received a note from Jake Roswell wouldn't act how I just did.