Second Time Around

*Katrina POV* Growing up in Pineville, Kentucky made me appreciate the simple things in life. However, as much as I love it here, I'm ready to escape to bigger and better things. My name is Katrina White, and I just turned 18 this past January. I am a senior at Bell County High School. I graduate in 23 days, and once the summer is over, I will start classes at the University of Tennessee. I had been hoping to be joined by my best friend since I was 6, Seth Davis, but he had to go and get himself locked up for dumb s**t. He got mixed up with the wrong crowd at the beginning of the school year, and they thought it would be fun to burn down abandoned houses and businesses throughout downtown. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison last week. My heart broke at the news, but at the same time, I feel he deserved the punishment he got. I loved Seth. Who am I kidding? I love Seth Davis, and have since I was very young. The love I feel for him wouldn't just disappear overnight, but I also couldn't stay in this town and wait for him to be released. A life of weekend visits and calls when he could afford one, wasn't the life I wanted for myself. He had already stated that I wasn't to wait around for him either. He said he had no choice but to let me go, and I needed to forget he ever existed. There was no way that would happen. I will never forget him. He was too much a part of me. To understand what I mean by that, I would have to tell you the history between us. Seth Davis and I met on the first day of Kindergarten. I was super shy, and kind of nerdy. My long dark blonde hair was thin and stringy. I had large black framed glasses, and crooked teeth. My family was typical middle class, and although we didn't lack much, my daddy always made sure I had the things I needed. Things I wanted were few and far between. I didn't have designer clothes or shoes, or expensive new toys. Daddy considered those luxuries, and he would have rather me taken interest in 4-H or some kind of sport. Anyway, like I said, I met Seth on the first day of kindergarten. I was standing in the line outside our designated classroom waiting to go in. Two little boys were picking on me by pulling my hair and calling me names because of my glasses. I tried to ignore them, but the more I ignored them, the worse it got. "How about you two dummies just leave her alone?" Seth yelled. The little boys laughed at him, and pushed him to the ground. They started to kick him and punch him, and didn't stop until I threw my book bag at them. One of the teachers came and interrupted the commotion, but I was the only one she yelled at, thinking I was attacking all three boys. Seth, however, stood up for me. "Ma'am, she didn't do anything but try to help me. Those kids were picking on her, and when I told them to stop, they started to pick on me too," he said. She just warned me to not hit anyone anymore, and to always go to a teacher first. We agreed to her rules, and decided to stand in line together. From that moment on, we were best friends. Inseparable when we were together, and as we grew older, the bond only became stronger, until eventually we became more than friends. We were boyfriend and girlfriend until the beginning of this year. When he met Matt Walker and all of his gang, Seth said that we should enjoy our last year of high school and not tie each other down. If, at the end of the year, we still wanted to be with one another, we would get back together, and he would move with me when I left for college. It's not something I wanted, but I had no say. He was going to break up with me either way, and it was my choice to be his friend or just someone he used to know. I chose to remain his friend. When word got out that we weren't dating any longer, the girls flocked to Seth. I can't blame them. He is gorgeous. Seth is 6'1", he has short brown hair, and his haircut made him look dangerous. He had the most beautiful chocolate-colored eyes, and many tattoos and piercings. Total opposite of me. I am about 5'2" with long blonde hair. It's thicker than it used to be, and I usually keep it back in a braid or high ponytail. I am pretty pale, so my freckles kind of stand out. I have dull green eyes, and am pretty skinny. I still have to wear glasses, but the frames now fit my face. Most of the girls that were attracted to Seth were from well-off families, and were either cheerleaders or on the dance team. He honestly pays them no attention, but I still can't watch them throw themselves all over him. We haven't talked much, but if he sees someone treating me badly, he steps in. My mom said that Seth was just going through something, and not to worry too much about it. His mom had left him and his dad, and ever since, he has been a different person. My daddy had passed away two years ago during my sophomore year because of a heart attack. I knew what it felt like to lose a parent. The difference is, Seth was with me through it all. He helped me learn how to be alright again, and was even the one to convince me to go to college and get out of this town. Now, that he is going through something similar, I feel horrible that I couldn't be there for him. Not that I didn't want to, but because he wouldn't let me. When I found out that he was part of all the arson incidents, I was shocked. This wasn't the Seth I knew, and there was no juvenile hall for him in this one. He was an adult, and would face charges as an adult. I went to every court date. Not just for Seth, but the other ones involved too. I wanted to compare sentences and what they said. Every single one of the other 6 boys threw Seth and Matt under the bus as the instigators. Seth was sentenced to 6 years, and Matt was sentenced to 15 because he was the leader of the gang. Seth would be sent to USP McCreary, and Matt would go to Luther Luckett Correctional. The others that were involved either got a very short-term sentence or probation. It wasn't fair. Seth had never been in trouble in his life, the rest were constantly in and out of juvie. He should have gotten probation too. At least in my opinion. However, he thinks he was given the proper punishment. "Kat, I participated. I found the items to light up and throw inside the buildings. It was dumb, but at the time, I felt so free. I felt like I was in control of what I did and who I was with. I just wish I could turn back time and spend time with you instead," he told me on one of our phone calls. The rest of the school year flew by. I attended the classes I still needed to graduate, but I was able to leave after lunch break because I had no classes to attend. Usually I just went to the library to study for the classes I had, especially with finals coming up. Other days I would leave, and pick up a shift at the diner I worked at. I kept my promise to Seth, and visited him every Tuesday and Saturday evening. The prison wasn't far from my house, and I had saved up to buy a car, so mom didn't have to take me. I placed money on Seth's phone so that we could talk, and would continue doing so as long as he needed me. Even though we weren't together, he was still my best friend.