20| Sarcasm doesn't look good on you.

When I'm with you, hours feel like seconds.

When we're apart, days feel like years.

Kathy's POV

(A week later!)

I wake up to my alarm and sigh. I take a deep breath and get out of bed. A week ago, I shot my dad. A week ago, Jasmine was kidnapped. A week ago, I had a family. Uh no. Fine, a week ago, I had someone who shared the same blood as me. Now I'm alone in this world. What a depressing opener.

With that thought, I glance at a picture of my mom and me sitting at my desk. Knowing I didn't actually murder Samuel did help me cope with the situation.

It turns out that when the ambulance arrived, Samuel was saved. After his surgery, he was in recovery. But some gang he worked with killed him. He knew too much, and he was planning on using that information against them.

As for Will... I hope he's rotting in hell with Samuel. After Anthony reassured me his death was not my fault, I didn't feel as guilty. You barely knew the guy. I'm glad he's dead.

After I make breakfast, I go to my bathroom to get ready. I grab my belongings and wait for Cece to pick me up. The nice thing about this area is that Cece is close enough that we can carpool now.

Outfit:

When she arrives, I slip in, and she quickly hugs me. Then she grabs my hands and asks, "How are you feeling?"

I finally told her about Samuel dying, and she cried tears of joy. She pulled me into a long hug and said she wished she had done more to help me. But her staying by my side since high school has made life less of a hell.

I squeeze her hands and say, "I'm getting better. I sometimes get confused if I should be grieving or not, but I'm slowly coming to terms with all of it."

"Slow progress is still progress." She says.

When we get to school, we separate to get to our first classes. I sometimes think people know what I did, but then I remind myself that no one knows me.

I get to my first class and sit at a desk in the back. When the bell rings, Anthony makes it just in time. He spots me and slips into the desk next to me.

"How are you?" He whispers with a concerned look.

I softly smile and say, "I'm okay. Getting better."

"If you ever need-" He starts to say before I cut him off.

"I know. I appreciate it." I say.

"What are friends for?" He says with a shrug.

"Ya..." I laugh, ignoring how my heart feels. Haha, you caught feelings. Shut up.

"Are you free after school?" He asks randomly.

I raise an eyebrow and ask, "Why?"

He hesitates and says, "Jasmine misses playing with you."

Before I could stop myself, I playfully asked, "Are you sure you didn't miss me?" That was so smooth. Do you want a high five for that? Shush.

"Maybe." He coughs.

Then he turns his attention back to the teacher as if nothing happened. I try to hide my grin and focus on the teacher. Why do I sound like those cheesy books now...? Because you're in one. What? Nothing!

"I'm free," I whisper. He doesn't turn to face me, but I can sense him smiling adorably.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"Hi, Thony!" Jasmine says, not spotting me. After she buckles up, she looks up and notices me. "Kathy! What are you doing here?" She asks excitedly.

I look at Anthony, but he doesn't look in my direction. Then, I noticed his cheeks were a bit pink. He's fucking blushing!

"Anthony told me you missed me," I say.

She gives me a confused look and says, "I never sa-"

Anthony fake sneezes and says, "Let's listen to some music." He drowns us out, but Jasmine and I giggle when we look at each other.

When we got inside the house, I heard a woman say, "I made cookies."

I glance at Anthony, and he says, "My mom returned from her business trip. I'll introduce you."

We walk towards the kitchen, and she sets down the tray of cookies. Jasmine is about to grab one when her hand is slapped.

"They still need to cool." She says.

She looks up at us and says, "Oh, hi there! I'm Anthony's mom. Are you his girlfriend? Finally! Grandbabies!"

I blush and say, "No... Just a friend."

"This is Kathy," Anthony says.

"I'm Karren." She says, giving me a quick hug.

"Nice to meet you!" I say politely.

"Let's watch a movie!" Jasmine says, dragging me towards their movie theater.

She grabs a movie from a shelf and sets it up while Anthony makes popcorn. I sit on one of the reclining chairs and wrap myself in a blanket.

Anthony comes back with a big bowl of popcorn and sets it down on the table. He sits beside me, and I lean on his side to get comfortable.

"You're invading my personal space," I murmur, holding in a laugh.

He playfully rolls his eyes and wraps an arm around me. I snuggle into his chest while he starts twirling my hair through his finger.

I'm not sure if he's doing it on purpose or absentmindedly, so I decide not to say anything. While the movie is playing, I feel my eyes start to close.

Two hours later, I started to stir and try to twist my body to the left. But then I realize I'm not on my bed and open my eyes.

I look to my right and see Anthony asleep, and both his arms are around me. I smile and admire his face. You're being creepy. I know. But he looks cute, and I don't remember ever finding him attractive. Liar.

Shit. Did I just- Yep. No, I didn't. I take it back. I shake my head at my thoughts and go back to lying on his chest. I look around, and notice Jasmine has disappeared. She probably got bored and left.

I feel him slightly tighten his hold on me before he starts to stir. I pretend like I just woke up and grab my phone.

"What time is it?" He asks huskily. Holy shit. He still sounds hot. Shut up. No, it wasn't.

"Almost 8," I reply.

"I can drive you back if you want." He says, still half asleep.

"No, I think I'll walk. It's only like 12 miles." I respond.

"Sarcasm doesn't look good on you." He says, slouching against me.

I pat his cheek and say, "Everything looks good on me."

He laughs and says, "I guess I can't argue with that."

We both stand up, and I grab my belongings. We head back to the kitchen, and Karren is typing on her laptop.

"I'm just dropping Kathy off," Anthony says.

"Oh, before you leave, would you like some cookies to bring home? It's the least I can do seeing you have to suffer hanging out with him." She says, pointing to Anthony.

Anthony rolls his eyes and mutters something under his breath. "Thank you! They look delicious." I say gratefully. Food!

After I say goodbye to Karren, Anthony and I get into his car. When we arrive in front of my apartment, I say with a smirk, "Thanks for having me. I'm sure Jasmine missed me a lot..."

"Are you seriously going to keep making fun of me for missing you?" He asks, shaking his head.

I gasped and said, "So you did miss me!" Awwwwwww! I laugh and give him a quick hug.

"Okay, get out." He says, pretending to be annoyed.

"Bye!" I say, walking towards the entrance.

I hope you liked this cute-ish chapter! ❤️

Byeeeeeeeeee! 👋