"Kaateee!!!", Jessica hollered, waddling like a duck towards Kate before giving her a big hug.
"Ugh, you lil' shit! You both crashed here?", Kate responded.
"Yeah! We got wasted, duh."
"Hold up... Babe, I gotta hit the bathroom," Kate said.
"Babe??", Jessica blurted out.
"Yup, they're official now. This chick's brother introduced him to the fam," Lorraine chimed in. As Kate headed to the bathroom, the three of us watched her go.
"Yeah, we're together, but holy crap, your buddy is nuts! He dumped me yesterday!" I whispered, seething.
"Oh, damn... Haha! Well, good luck with our friend. She's sweet but totally bonkers," Jessica laughed.
"Sorry about last night, Lorraine," I said, grabbing her elbow as she stood there.
"It's all good, dude. Jess and I should probably head out so you guys can chat," Lorraine replied calmly. I still had a hold of her elbow.
"We'll talk later," I said, locking eyes with Lorraine as she gave me a forced smile.
"Jessica," I said, sitting next to her and taking her hand from the chair.
"It's fine, dude. We love our friend. She's childish and a bit nuts, but she's real. You just gotta tame her. About last night----" I let go of Jessica's hand when we heard the bathroom door.
"Go eat, we got you breakfast," I called out to Kate, signaling Lorraine.
"Thanks, dude. I'm starving," Jessica replied.
"I'll just get changed," Lorraine said.
"Cool, cool," I said, turning my gaze back to Kate. I noticed her light brown eyes and fair skin. Her sharp brows gave her a fierce look. Her nose, resembling Dolphy's, matched her mom's, and her thin eyes were a bit slanted due to her double eyelid. Imagine a younger Vanna Garcia, minus the nose. That's Kate. She's about 4'9" and loves tight clothes, making her G-cup boobs super noticeable on her petite frame.
"Hey!" she snapped, noticing my silence.
"Sorry... Just lost in thought," I replied, facing her.
"What's on your mind? You're so spacey sometimes."
"We need to talk later."
"Okay."
Soon, Lorraine reappeared, dressed like Jessica. Lorraine must've woken her up and filled her in on the situation between Kate and me.
"Kate, we're heading out!" Jessica hugged her friend.
"Hey, bro, let me show you where I put Arcy's clothes," Lorraine led me to the kitchen. Out of Kate's sight, she handed me a folded piece of paper. I tucked it into the cupboard with the bills.
"Right there, bro! Tell Arcy thanks!" Lorraine yelled so Kate could hear. We returned to Jessica.
"Kate, we're outta here, you lil' shit!" Jessica hugged Kate again, then I opened the door and gate for them.
"Bro... good luck with Kate! Haha!" Jessica teased.
"Ba--byeee!!!" they both waved as they left.
"Kate, I'm locking the gate. That cool?"
"Yeah, that's fine."
"For safety... you know, in case anyone tries to break in." I sat down facing her.
"You sure you ate? There's a good eatery nearby."
"I'm good, already ate."
"Sorry I ratted you out to your mom about you and Jeric," she looked at me as I continued.
"I just... I want you all to myself. I don't like the idea of you liking another guy. If that's the case, I can let you go," I confessed seriously.
"What the hell, babe----"
"Wait, Kate, let me talk first," I interrupted, recalling my feelings as I left her house.
"Kate, repeat what you said to me yesterday at your place, and right now... I'm ready to forget you. Someone else likes----"
"What's wrong with you! Just a small issue and you wanna break up? Can't we fix this?"
"Alright, tell me why you like being with Jeric so much?"
"Because he was the first to court me! But then you showed up! And I got pissed because you snitched! Now they want to send me to the province. But it's cool... my parents said to choose you. It's not hard for me to do that! Especially since... I love you! Isn't what happened between us enough... for you? I swallowed my pride for you!" she snapped, tearing up. I was stunned into silence. She held back her tears, which pooled in her eyes.
"Fuck you, get over here next to me! You idiot, you made me cry!" she said, trying to joke but still couldn't hold back her tears. So, I sat beside her, and when I hugged her, she hugged me back tightly. It was the first time I saw Kate so emotional. She really let it all out, reminding me how young she still is. Kate's got this childlike innocence, this unique character. Maybe she hasn't figured out who she really is yet, how she wants to present herself to the world. She's so genuine. Meanwhile, I'm just a big ol' mess of pretense.