☆Featured in Teen Fiction's "Soul Deep" reading list☆
☆Featured in New Adult's "Mental Health" reading list☆
//COMPLETE & EDITED
I send him a string of paper airplanes: You're the sum of all tomorrows. And I'll say that tomorrow. And the day after...
" 'Cause underneath the darkness There's a light that's trying so hard to be seen And I know this 'cause I've noticed A little bit shining through the seams "
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She looks at me for a few long seconds, and I'm dimly aware of a faint, unwelcome twist in my stomach. I realize that I'm almost nervous.
"Lunch," she repeats slowly.
"With me," I add cheerfully. "Yeah."
She stares at me for a while longer, but then the sides of her mouth tilt begrudgingly upwards, and she gives a small nod. I can feel the bewildered stares of my friends on my back as I walk over to a free bench. This has to be the first time I've really spoken to her, let alone gone up to have a chat. Or whatever it is that I'm about to do.
I fight back the strange urge to hold Katherine still as she jolts her knees up and down, fingers twisting together. After all, fidgets are like yawns, like my mom always says; they're pretty damn contagious. "Where's your lunch?" I ask, attempting to break the silence.
"What?" She stills momentarily, eyes snapping back to mine. Then she gives me another small smile. "I'm not hungry."
I frown, then offer her Mat's plate of fries. There's something about the small flicker in Katherine's expression as she eyes the food that causes my frown to deepen. I push the plate further towards her.
"You sure you don't want any?" I encourage. "They're not even mine, anyway." I tilt my head towards where my friends are sitting. Katherine bites her lip and looks at the plate again. For a moment she looks anguished, but it's gone from her face almost before it's there. She finally takes one and gives the end a tentative nibble.
"Thanks."
I nod, and a long silence follows. The question hovers on the tip of my tongue, but I'm scared to open my mouth and say it. I can feel it squirming to get out, and I mentally grab it with both hands and stuff it back down my throat.
Katherine's the first to break the silence. "Well done on the success with your baseball game last week."
"Thanks."
The surprise must be a little too evident in my voice, because she says, "I do hear some of the things that get around, you know."
My hand stills on its way to pick up a fry. "No, I swear I didn't mean it like that. I was just surprised because I figure this school's much more into football, that's all. There aren't a whole lot of people who actually care about baseball." I shrug. "It just doesn't have the same glamor. Trust me to pick the wrong sport."
She laughs a little at that, then waves a hand. "No, my bad. I didn't mean to react like that, I'm so sorry."
"Why? What's wrong?"
Silence.
"Come on, Katherine, I'll listen," I protest. "I may look like a shit listener, but-' I gesticulate vaguely with my hands and come up with, 'I was born with two functioning ears and I promise I'll use them-"
