Freeing Katie

Ch. 4 Connecting

CHASE POV

It’s finally spring break!  Junior year is almost done and then it’ll be summer.  I know I’ll end up getting a job once school lets out, so this week, I’m planning on having fun.  Instead of a party, J.R. just had the guys over for the weekend.  We literally spent our time playing video games, talking smack and eating junk food.  It was a great time, but now we have a real party to look forward to later in the week.

I pull up to my house and glance over, seeing Katie laying down on the porch swing she and her mom installed a couple of weeks ago.  Instead of taking my weekend bag out and going inside, I find myself going over annoy her.

She doesn’t even sense me there as I slowly approach.  She’s reading a book and I see her with her glasses off for the first time.  She looks like she’s in her own little world and I just stand there observing her.  Her hazel eyes look more green today, which works well with her olive complexion.  Her hair has gotten a little lighter, making me think she dyed her hair darker for the winter, but lighter looks good on her.  She didn’t take my advice on wearing her hair down more, which sucks, because those thick waves would be so much better to look at than her messy bun- just a personal preference.  “Whatcha reading?”

She lets out an awkward scream as she jumps, and her glasses land on the ground.  When I laugh, she turns a glare on me.  “You almost gave me a heart attack Chase,” she scolds.

“Then you need to be more aware of your surroundings.  I’ve been standing there for a couple of minutes.”  I walk on the porch and pick up her glasses, fold them, and put them on a side table.  She’s still glaring at me and I can’t help but continue to smile.  I go to pick up her ankles, but she quickly jerks her legs closer to her, and something like fear crosses her face.  I hold my hands up.  “Didn’t mean to spook ya, just didn’t want you to feel like you had to move so I could sit down.”  I sit down anyway, seeing that her feet are already drawn up, but now I feel like an ass.   Has she not had her feet in a guy’s lap before?  I never thought of it being an intimate thing, but maybe she’s one of those girls that’s shy like that?

I put my arms on top of the swing, letting my hands drag behind so she can see that I’m not going to grab for her.  Her body relaxes, but I can still see her going through something in her head.  Slowly, ever so damn slowly, she relaxes her legs until her toes are touching my thighs.  “Did you go on vacation this weekend?” she asks, probably looking for a way to make that interaction less awkward.

“Nah, my friend J.R. had a guys weekend.  Not going anywhere for the break.”

“J.R.?  I don’t think I’ve met him yet.”

I rap my knuckles along the wicker back.  “He lives on the other side of the city.  We’ve known each other our whole lives, but his mom and dad split during middle school, ended up moving.  It sucks, but I see him almost every weekend.”  She nods her head absentmindedly.  “You have any plans?”

“Staying home,” she shrugs.  “Jason went to some type of camp with a couple of friends.  Mom’s working.  It’s just me and Mr. Charles Dickens for the week,” she says, waving her book.  I raise my brow.  “Great Expectations..?”  I shake my head.  “Chase…. our spring break reading.  Seriously?”

I shrug my shoulders.  “You know I hate that class.  But since I’m here, and you’re reading it anyways, read it aloud.”  I turn to look forward and use my feet to begin rocking the swing, ignoring her ‘what the f**k’ look.  I almost cave and say ‘just kidding’ until I hear her sigh and move about to get comfortable, hesitating while putting her legs on top of mine, and starts reading out loud.

I lean back, listening to her voice, occasionally looking over to her to show her that I am paying attention.  After a chapter, my arms get tired of being stretched out, so I bring them forward and slowly drape them across her legs.  I hear the stumble in her voice, but she doesn’t stop reading to freak out on me.  I call that a mini victory. 

The sun makes the cool air just a tad warmer as we sit there comfortably the more she reads.  At some point, my fingers and thumbs have been drawing circles and rubbing her calves through her jeans, but she keeps on as if she doesn’t notice.  I didn’t even realize I was doing it until she stopped talking.  I look over to her, finding myself wanting her to keep going. 

“It’s been three chapters.  My throat is starting to dry,” she laughs, then removes her legs from my lap to stand up, making me miss the comfort already.  “Want anything to drink?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

I watch her walk into the house, thinking to myself ‘what the hell am I doing right now?’  I like Katie- she’s a cool girl from the brief interactions we’ve had…. But why do I want to hang out more?  I watch her come back out, and try to look over her body.  Her clothes make that difficult, because most of them are too baggy to show off anything good.  I know she’s not fat, but she’s not exactly a skinny girl either.  She’s taller than most girls, and part of me can’t wait until summer so I can get a peek at her legs.  Something tells me that they are shapely.

We begin to talk about trivial things- about our parents always working and school.  Her friends really want to go to one of my friends’ parties and I laugh, telling her that anyone was invited as long as they don’t start s**t.  She laughed too, saying that’s what she told them. 

Even though we are sitting a foot apart and not flirting, I feel that we are connecting on some level.  I can’t even remember holding a conversation this long with a girl without trying to get into her pants. 

“Chase, where’s your mom?”

“She died when I was six.  Car crash.”  Simple, and to the point.  It’s one of my least favorite questions to have asked.  It sucks that I can barely remember what she sounded like, but me and my dad have dealt with the grief for over ten years.  “Where’s your dad?”

“I never met him,” she says softly.  “Jason and I have different dads.”  I wasn’t going to ask that, but I know from the glimpses of her mom, she doesn’t look like her.  Jason does though.

I see my dad pull up the driveway and I smile.  It’s been over a week since he’s been home, and it’ll be glad to spend some time with him.  I look over to Katie and she’s looking at me with a small smile that does something to stomach.  “You going to read some more chapters to me?”

She shakes her head.  “No, because then you’ll start getting spoiled.  Do your own homework Chase Young.”

I roll my eyes and get up to leave in the process.  “Yes Ms. Roberts.”

*

*

“Please don’t hit on the neighbor’s daughter, Chase,” my dad groans as we head to the kitchen to start a late lunch.

I just laugh.  “I’m not.  We’re actually friends, I think?  She’s cool, but not my type.”  I toss the bread into a buttered pan and pile on some cheese, sealing it up with another piece of bread- definitely avoiding that topic.  “How was the conference?”

I look over and catch him looking at an old photo of him, mom, and me a few months before she passed.  I focus back on the food when he snaps out of his daydream.  “It’s all the same.  I’ve been thinking of getting a new job...”

“Really?” I ask with a little too much enthusiasm, and he sports on a smile.

“You just turned 17.  I’ll only have a year or so left to spend with my kid.”  He grabs my shoulders in a side hug.  “Plus, I’m sick of the traveling.  It’s starting to take its toll.”

“Do what you feel is right, dad.  It’ll be great to have you home more often,” I say with honesty.   We finish up in the kitchen and go sit in front of the TV.  Dad starts in his usual questions about friends and school. 

“And what’s your friend’s name next door?”

“Katie.  She lives there with her mom and brother.  We have a couple of classes together.”

He nods his head absently, and part of me wants to suggest to have a cookout so we can all meet, but I don’t.  Instead, I get lost thinking about Katie’s voice while reading, then shake my head, almost startled by that.  Why would I think about someone reading?