Catherine's POV
By the time I reached the bottom of my popcorn bag, my cell had pinged at least five times, and my stomach was churning so badly, I thought I might be sick. Not surprising, I'd wolfed down the back as if I was starving when in fact I wasn't hungry at all. Mostly because I wanted to look like I was at least into the movie. Which I wasn't. At all.
I'd lost my appetite somewhere between the concessions booth and here. Jason hadn't bothered introducing me to his friends, though I supposed after the way I treated him earlier, that shouldn't be surprising.
What was surprising was the speed with which Anabeth ditched me. That stung. Oh, she'd played the whole "I'll sit with you if you want me to" card, but i didn't want to look like a jerk. I'd told her to go ahead and hang out with Noah, I got it. He was super hot. But still...
So here I sat, on the hood of Noah's truck, pretending to watch a movie, with nothing but an empty bag of popcorn to give me company. Anabeth and Noah were in the back of the truck, and last time I'd glanced back, she was stuck to him like glue.
Traitor.
I get that I wasn't great company these days, but still, what was up with that? I snuck a peak once more and sighed, swinging my eyes to the screen but not before catching sight of Jason.
He was leaning against the truck beside us with a group of kids from school, none of whom I knew all that well, and other than a few curious looks from a couple of the guys, they kept their distance. Some blonde girl kept poking Jason in the ribs and giggling like an idiot. She looked ridiculous.
She looked happy.
And I was just plain old pathetic.
I set the empty bag of popcorn down and fished out my cell phone. All of the texts had come from my dad.
Dad: Just back now. Where are you?
Nice of him to come home.
Dad: Mum must be at a prayer group?
Where else would she be? It's not like he was home, keeping her company.
Dad: Call me or text me right now.
Wow. Will do, Captain.
The last ping had been for a missed call. Again from my dad.
With a sigh, I texted him back because I knew that he would keep bugging me until I acknowledged him.
Me: At the movies with Beth.
A few moments later and then a text came back.
Dad: Next time let me know what your plans are. We're gonna have a chat about this. Come home right after the movie.
Whatever. I stared at the text for a few more minutes and then shoved my cell into my front pocket. Night had fallen and I shivered, putting my hands under my thighs, trying for some kind of warmth.
The drive-in was full, and yet most of the kids here weren't inside their vehicles. They were hanging out in groups like the one beside me, drinking, laughing, hooking up. I spotted several cars and trucks with fogged up windows and skipped my eyes over them, only to land on a couple a few rows up who were pressed into each other.
It was dark and hard to tell where the girl ended and the boy began. He had pushed her up against the car, his hand buried in her hair, and he was kissing her. He was kissing her like there was no one around. Like they were the only two people in the universe. He was touching her and pushed up against her and I couldn't look away.
Not even when his one hand slid down her hip to places I don't wanna mention. It was intimate and spoke volumes. I guess I was a pervert because I kept watching. Their kiss deepened, and as she tugged on his shoulders, trying to get even closer, I held my breath.
I thought of Trevor, a guy I'd dated for a long time. Never had I felt that way about him. So desperate to get close to him. So desperate to connect. To matter.
Something inside me tightened. It swelled and pressed into my chest so hard it was painful. I was one of probably five hundred kids out here under the stars, and for some reason, I'd never felt so alone.
I tore my gaze away from the couple and tried to focus on the movie, but it was hard because suddenly there were tears pricking the corners of my eyes. God, here we go. Hot, painful tears. Angrily, I wiped them away and jumped off the truck.
I didn't have a plan. I just wanted to get away. I rounded the truck, and Jason glanced up, a smile on his face-a smile meant for the blonde girl-and for a second I froze, letting the beauty of his smile wash over me.
But it wasn't mine, so I turned sharply, heading the other way.
Anabeth called my name, but I held up my hand as if to say I'm good and kept walking. What a joke. I was a joke. My life was a joke.
What the hell was wrong with me?
Trees surrounded the back end of the drive-in, and once I passed the first few rows, I started to run. I didn't stop until my chest burned, and by then, I was deep inside the forest.
It was quiet, and man the quiet was heavy. It was the kind of quiet that felt as if it was alive. It was the kind of quiet you could hide in.
My breath misted in front of me, and I wrapped my arms around my chest, shivering as my eyes adjusted to the gloom. My ponytail had come loose, and hair stuck to the clammy skin at my neck.
If my life was a movie, this would be where the stupid heroine (me), out alone in the dark woods, gets attacked by some deranged madman. I kind of laughed at the thought. If my life was a movie, it would totally suck.
I leaned back against a tree, wishing the tightness, that hard coil of pain and confusion inside me, would just melt away. Maybe if I counted. Maybe then I wouldn't feel like I was standing on the edge of something that I knew could wreck me.
So I did. I closed my eyes and counted to twenty, and then I started over. I wasn't so sure how many times I did it or how much time had passed, but a snap echoed in the dark, and suddenly I knew I wasn't alone anymore.
"Hey."
I knew that voice.
Slowly, my eyes opened. Jason stood a few feet away, hands shoved into the front pocket of his jeans. His dark hair fell forward across his brow and touched the top of his shoulders. I saw something sparkle at his ear. A piercing?
"Are you alright?" he asked.
I shrugged and said nothing, afraid to answer because I wasn't sure that i could. That damn lump was still stuck in my throat, and even though I blinked several times, the tears were still there, just waiting for an excuse to embarrass me.
"The movie sucked," he said quietly. I guess he wasn't going anytime soon. I cleared my throath but still said nothing, trying to hold in a shudder but failing miserably. It was damp, and I was cold and more miserable than I'd been in a long time.
Jason reached for the edge of his long-sleeve sweater, and my eyes widened when he began to pull it up over his head. He wore a T-shirt underneath, but even so, I saw a lot of skin as he raise his arms over his head.
Mouth dry, I didn't know what to say.
"Here," Jason said as he moved towards me, so close that I could feel his body heat, and I shivered again. He held out his hand and I hesitated, staring at his sweater, because anywhere other than into his eyes was preferable.
I didn't want him to see what was inside me. I wasn't ready for that.
"Catherine?"
I reached forward ad held my breath when our fingers connected. I swear something passed between us, but i was so emotional that I had no idea what it was. But it was there. And it was electric. Like a shock.
I angled his sweater over my head and slowly thread my arms through. My chest rose and fell, faster than I'd like, and I kept my eyes lowered as I pulled out my hair. I played with the tangled ends, afraid to look up.
A heartbeat passes. And then another.
"Better?" he asked, his voice low.
I nodded. His shirt was still warm and it smelled like him. Fresh and clean and just...Jason.
Several long moments passed. Several long moments where the quiet faded away and the crickets made their presence known. In the distance I heard the vague echoes of those at the drive-in, but here in this small patch of sanctuary, I heard Jason's breathing and my own fast beating heart.
I knew he was watching me, but I kept my eyes averted, still too afraid to let him see what was inside them. Too afraid that his intense, penetrating gaze would rip apart my defense shield. And that little bit of defense was all that kept me from breaking down right now.
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
My bottom lip trembled. Shit. Get a grip, Catherine.
I shook my head ad exhaled slowly.
Trevor took a step so that he was beside me, and he leaned back against my tree, hands folded above his head. He glanced up through the branches at the stars that twinkled over us.
I followed his gaze and relaxed into the bark once more, this time with the added barrier of Jason's shirt. The silence enveloped us, and we both let it. It was just easier somehow, and after a while, that big lump in my throat dissolved and the tightness in my chest faded to nothing.
"There's gonna be a blue moon this month."
Wow. I'm silent all evening and that's my opening line?
"Blue moon?" Jason pushed off from the tree and stood up facing me. I tilted my head slightly so that I could see him better. I knew he was tall, and maybe it was dark or maybe I was just feeling small and vulnerable, but right now, he looked larger than life. "What's a blue moon?"
"Every so often, there are two full moons in one month. The second one, that's the one they call a blue moon."
"That's kinda cool."
He inched a bit closer, and I found it hard to keep my breath nice and even.
"I'm sorry about today. I didn't mean to suggest that you had some kind of brain damage or something."
Oh. My. God. Brain damage? Could I have been anymore insensitive?
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say brain damage." Oh God. I said it again. "I meant..." Just stop. Right now.
"It's okay Catherine. I know what you mean." Jason shifted his weight, but his eyes never left mine. "Is everything okay with you?"
Surprised, I didn't answer right away. I tried so hard every single day to be normal and, at the very least, some sort of version of the old me. Guess I was failing at that too. "Why would you ask that?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. You look sad or something."
"Is it that obvious?"
He moved again. Another inch now ad there was only a whisper between us.
"Yeah," he said slowly. "It kinda is."
"I'm fine. Just tired."
"You're lying."
"Why do you care?"
"I don't know." A slow smile crept over his face. "Maybe because I'm a moron?"
I opened my mouth to reply but had nothing, and the two of us stood there for a long time, so close I only had to lean forward and I could bury my face in his chest. And that's pretty much all I was thinking about right now. What he would feel like. Warm. Hard. Alive.
"I can't figure you out," he said so softly that at first I wasn't sure if he'd even spoken.
"Why would you want to?" I blurted.
"I don't know," he murmured. "Maybe because you're nothing like I remember, and for once, I'm pretty sure that thought has more to do with reality and less to do with"-he tapped his forehead-"the brain malfunctioning."
"You are." I blew out a breath.
"I'm what?"
"You seem the same."
There was that lopsided smile again. "I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but trust me, Catherine, I'm not that guy anymore."
Slowly he reached for me, and I inhaled sharply when his hand tucked a long strand of hair behind my ear.
"Well, I'm just a girl," I finally managed to say. "No big mystery there."
"Wow."
"What?"
"You have a very different view of yourself from the one I see." His tone was light, teasing even, and I relaxed a bit.
"Really."
"From the whole universe, if you want to know the truth."
"The whole universe?" I tried to hide my grin but it was hard. "That's pretty big and far-reaching."
"Yep." Jason moved to the side. "Good thing I've got the whole summer to work on it."
"On what?"
"On figuring you out."
The thought of Jason Smith figuring me out was not only terrible, it made no sense. I chewed on my bottom lip, curious. "I was such a bitch at the library. Most guys would just blow me off."
"Most guys like a challenge."
"I disagree. Most guys like the easy win. The slam dunk. The whole nine yards."
"I'm not most guys, Catherine."He wasn't teasing anymore. "A year and a half ago, I would have blown you off. I would have told you exactly where to go." He shoved his hands back in the pocket of his jeans, and I noticed goose bumps on his arms.
"Truth?" He shrugged. "Maybe you're right. Maybe most guys would just say screw it. Or maybe I need to pass the government test so badly, I'm willing to spend the summer with a girl who is cold as hell one moment and the next she's talking about ink and Celine Dion. We're gonna spend the summer together, so we might at least try to get along. Don't you think?"
Panic. I felt it nipping at my toes, clawing it's way up my legs until it landed hard in my stomach. So I dug in. "I'm sure your pretty blonde friend wouldn't like that."
"Who? Lauren?'
"Is that her name?" I knew exactly who she was.
"Lauren is just a girl I know," Jason said. "But you're..." His voice trailed into nothing, and my stomach tumbled again. This time harder.
"I'm?"
That slow grin was back, and if my stomach tumbled before, it was now spiraling out of control. Whoosh. Not an entirely pleasant feeling, and in fact, I didn't like it at all.
"You're more complicated than that."
I laughed nervously. "I'm not complicated at all."
He grinned. "Well, lucky for me, I've got the entire summer to figure out if you are, in fact, a bitch or just a complicated girl who was having a bad day."
I didn't know what to say to that, so I said nothing. I exhaled and glanced back up at the moon as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
Oh no. Nope. That was so not going to happen. I did not need someone like Jason Smith on a mission to figure me out.
Mostly because there was too much that had to stay hidden.
...........................
Ahhhhhh!
You know what you need to do, so do it. Please.
I'm starting a poll series on Disney Couples so if you have any that you want me to include, put it in the comments or in my personal messages. If you also feel the need to you can follow me on instagram. I'll put my nametag somewhere below so, do that.
Team Aurora and Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty or Snow White and The Prince from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
I mean, is there even a competition. I would really love to hear your opinions, especially if you're Team Snow White and The Prince.
Bye Caramel's.