Katie's Angel (3 page)

On the counter there was a note from mom that said
, “Katie, I will be home early from work today. I thought we could go do a little shopping today. We both could use a little time away from the house. I will be home by 330 and we can leave shortly after that. Have a great day. I love you! Love, Mom.”

             
Katie laid the note back on the counter and glanced at the clock. It was 930 and she had plenty of time to get to the library and talk to Mrs. Smith. She grabbed her bagel and her keys and walked out of the house closing the door behind her; still shaking from the dream she had the night before.

Chapter 5

Katie walked down the driveway to the sidewalk and took a right. She
started towards the library to talk to Mrs. Smith. She could use something to do to keep her mind off the odd things that have been occurring in her life since Jackson left. She just couldn’t bring herself to say that he died. It just seems way to final by saying it that way.

Katie walked to the end of the block and turned to the right. She could see the library straight down the street. It wasn’t very far, and Jackson and Katie used to go down there every day during the summer. They loved to spend hours trying to find the right book. Jackson was only eight but he always was an exceptional reader. He would read autobiographies and true inspirational stories that she had
never heard of. Katie liked to read mysteries and love stories. She never could get into the true stories, because it was just too boring for her.

As sh
e reached the front door of the library, she reached for the door and stopped. She couldn’t bring herself to go inside. She hadn’t been there since Jackson left and she found it was much harder than she expected to go in now. She went to the bench on the front walk and sat down. She got the feeling that there was a hand on her shoulder again. She looked around and didn’t see anyone, so once again she brushed the odd feeling off. She just attributed it to the dream she had last night.

She couldn’t believe how real that dream felt to her last night. It was like Jackson was sitting on the bench next to her and she was able to reach out and feel his touch. She
reached for his hand not really realizing what she was doing, and was surprised when she felt her hand touch another hand. She pulled hers back so fast she almost fell off the bench. She was snapped back to reality when she heard a voice say “Hey I don’t even know you and you’re trying to hold my hand.”

Katie looked over and saw what she could only describe
as probably the best looking boy she had ever seen. She had seen him in school last year a few times. She could not believe that she had just grabbed his hand. She looked away trying to hide the fact that she was very embarrassed.

“Sorry, I
...uh didn’t mean to do that,” Katie said in almost a whisper. She didn’t even want to look at him because she knew that he must think she is an absolute weirdo.

“
It is ok. Usually it is me making the first move with a girl and that isn’t until we go on our first date together,” he replied, looking at how embarrassed she was, and stifling a laugh. “My name is Jack Mullens,” he said as he held out his hand.

Katie lifted her hand to his, as she stared at him in amazement. Jackson always preferred to be called Jack until he got into second grade and was tired of correcting everyone. She shook Jack’s hand, without uttering a word. When she let go of his hand she was still staring at him.

Jack lifted his hand to his face and started to wipe it off. “Do I have something on my face?” Jack asked as he continued to wipe off his face.

Katie couldn’t speak, she just shook her head.

“Then why are you staring at me like you have seen a ghost or something,” Jack asked her.

Looking away finally, she said
“I’m sorry it’s just that you remind me of someone. Someone who I was really close too and it was just a little disturbing at first, I didn’t mean to stare at you.”

“Are you going to tell me your name, or do I have to guess?” Jack
asked Katie, with a smile on his face.

“Oh yeah, sorry my name is
Katie. Didn’t you start school here the last two months of the year?”

“Yes, we moved from
Denver last year. My dad wanted us to be closer to my mom’s family,” he replied.

Katie kept looking at him. There was something different about him
, but she could not figure out what it was. “So they just up and moved and you went willingly? No one comes from a big city like Denver to a small town like Maroa, Illinois, without having an opinion on it,” she said.

Jack
chuckled and said, “No I didn’t come here without a fight. I grew up in Denver and that is where all my friends are, so I didn’t want to leave.” He stopped talking and looked around at the city that he had honestly really grown to like. It was so easy going here. In Denver everyone seemed to always be in a hurry to do something, go somewhere, and see someone. This town couldn’t have been more different. However, he wouldn’t dare let his parents know that he actually did like it here.

“Do you often come to the library to sit outside?” he asked her.

“Well no,” she said shyly, realizing how ridiculous it would sound that she couldn’t bring herself to go in the building without Jackson.

Just then she got the feeling that she had been having for a few days now, the feeling that she was not alone. Sure, she was talking to Jack but lately even when someone was there, she still felt alone. She had felt this so much these days that she started to wonder if she would ever feel like normal again.

Katie was off in her own little world that she had not noticed that he was asking her a question.

“Um
I’m sorry, what did you say?” she asked him.

“I was wondering if you wanted to go to get lunch at
the diner down the street?” he asked again.

Katie looked at her watch, and realized that it was already twelve thirty.
“Where had the day gone?” she thought to herself. “I appreciate the offer but I have to be home in an hour to get ready for a shopping date with my mom,” she replied. “Maybe another time,” She continued.

“Yes that sounds good to me. I
should get home anyways. I have to get the lawn mowed before my dad gets home from work like I promised him. It was nice talking to you,” he said as he stood up.

“Yes it was nice to talk to you today as well,” Katie said as she watched him walk away.

She couldn’t believe that she had grabbed his hand and still he had a conversation with her. She was not very good when it came to boys and she was probably the only girl in her school that had never been on a date. It wasn’t like she was one of those girls that was just average. No she had not ever been in pageants when she was little, but she was a very pretty girl with long blonde hair, blue eyes. She could eat anything and everything without gaining any weight. She was the envy of many other girls in school, but she just didn’t realize it.

Katie got up and turned towards the
door of the library again, but as she took one step towards the door, she knew once again that she was not going to make it in there today. No matter what she tried she was not going to have the ability to do this one simple thing today. She turned away from the library and started home again.

Chapter 6

When Katie returned home her mom was still not there, so she went upstairs and jumped in the shower. She figured she probably should at least shower if she was going to go with her mom and try on clothes, even if she did not feel the need to.

She was washing her hair when the bathroom door opened and her mom popped her head in. “Hey sweetie, I just got home. I will be ready in about a half hour.”

“Ok Mom, I will be ready then as well. You know we do not have to go out shopping we could just hang around the house,” Katie said
honestly hoping they would stay in for the night.

“No I need a few new shirts and I figured you could probably use a few new pairs of pants and shorts. It will be fun and relaxing I promise. We need to have a little bit of relaxation after the last few months,” she replied.

“Ok I’ll be out in a few then,” Katie replied. Mom shut the door as Katie rinsed the shampoo out of her hair, and applied the conditioner. She let it sit for a few minutes while she let the warm water run over her. After she rinsed her hair out she turned the water off and dried off .She pulled on her shorts and a tank top, blow dried her hair, and combed it out. She pulled it back in a loose bun, and ran down the stairs to the living room.

As she
stepped into the living room the door bell rang. Katie opened the door and was surprised to see Jack standing there with his hands in his pockets.

“Hi,” she said. “How did you know where I lived?”

Jack looked back at her and said, “I live down the street at the end of the block, and I realized when I got home that we did not actually decide when we would go get that lunch. So I was thinking about one o’clock tomorrow at the little diner on Main Street?”

Katie couldn’t believe that he was standing here in front of her after what happened at the library today. Katie glanced behind her to make sure her mom was not coming
down the stairs. “That sounds good to me. I am not doing anything tomorrow,” she replied.

“Great,” Jack replied with a big smile on his face. He was really intrigued by this girl standing in front of him. He could see that she was in pain, but he wasn’t sure exactly why she had the pain. He was sure he wanted to find out her story, so he was willing to do whatever it took to get close to her. “I’ll pick you up at 1245 tomorrow then?” he asked.

“You drive?” she asked in a surprised tone.

“Yes, I am seventeen and have had my license long before we came here,” he replied.

“Ok, then 1245 tomorrow it is, but how about we walk there instead?” She wasn’t ready for her parents to hear about her being in a car with a boy just yet, especially the one boy in town that has the bad reputation.

“Ok, see you then,” Jack replied as he turned and walked down the walk. At the end of the walk he turned and waved at her. Katie waved back and closed the door.

“Who was at the door?” mom asked Katie as she closed the door.

“Oh it was the wrong house,” she replied. She didn’t want her parents to know about Jack until she was ready to tell them. She knew they would not take the news of her going to lunch with a guy who is two years older than her
very well at all. As a matter of fact according to her parents rules she is not to even think about a boy until she is thirty-five. Besides there isn’t anything to tell them, she only talked to him for the first time today.

“Ok. Well are you ready to go?” Mom asked.

“Yes, let me just slip on my flip flops and grab my wallet,” Katie replied.

In the next five minutes they were outside in moms’ car driving to the mall. The drive didn’t take but fifteen minutes since the mall was almost straight down the road from her house. It was a quiet ride with the exception of the radio playing in the background. Katie couldn’t tell you what was on the radio because she was thinking about her day again. She
felt that presence again like there was someone there with her. She didn’t want to alarm her mom so she just continued with her thinking about the presence until her mom broke the silence as they pulled up to the mall.

“What do you want for lunch?” mom asked.

“Whatever is good with me, I am not really picky,” Katie said.

“Well then how about some Chinese food?” mom asked as they opened the door to the mall.

“That is fine with me. I could use some chow mien anyways. It has been forever since I have had some of that,” she said to mom as they got in line for food. Katie did not realize she was even hungry until she felt her stomach growl. She could already taste the orange chicken and chow mien.

When it was their turn in line, mom order some fried rice and mandarin chicken. Katie ordered the chow
mien, orange chicken, and her favorite Chinese food ever, cream cheese ragoons. If Jackson was there he would order the same thing. It was his favorite meal, and he would eat it all the time if he had been allowed to.

They ate lunch and talked a little bit about this and that. When they were both finished mom asked Katie “Where do you want to go first?”

Katie shook her head and replied, “I don’t really care where we start mom. I really don’t need anything.”

“Well how about we go into Old Navy and see if there is anything you see that you like. We have not been
able to go shopping like this in a while, so let’s enjoy the time together,” mom replied.

“Ok that is fine. I will look but I don’t guarantee that I will find anything that I like,” Katie said half heartily. She really did not want to be out shopping today. She wanted to be in her room where she always was these days.