Katie took a deep breath and stepped out into the sunshine. It was a quarter til two that day, and she was leaving her house to go to the park. Nicole had called earlier to see if she was coming, and she had asked her to come early.
"She had better be there." Katie muttered, grabbing her duffel bag.
"Can we go?"
Katie turned around to see Melissa and Madison standing in the front doorway.
"Um, not today." Katie said,
"Why not?" Madison asked.
"Because i'm going to meet a bunch of big kids playing soccer. I"ll take you guys next time, i promise." She said.
"But we wanted to go today while it's not raining." Melissa whined.
"I said i'd take you later." Katie said, starting to get anxious.
"Fine." Melissa said, slamming the door.
Katie sighed and walked over to the side of the house to get her bike. She felt bad about not taking her little sisters, but she didn't know what was going to happen that day, and she didn't need her little sisters there to complicate anything.
Ian had called her house earlier that day, but Katie had told Krista who had picked up the phone, to tell him she was sick. She felt bad, but she wasn't ready to talk to him yet. He was cute, but she wasn't sure about how he would be as a boyfriend. She was flattered that a boy that cute would like her, because at her old school she was a little dork.
She got on her bike and rode down her street and then turned down another side street before arriving at the park. It was a good park, with a lake with paddleboats, a couple soccer fields, baseball fields, playgrounds, and lots of space. It was also near the pool Katie had been to earlier in the week. She pulled her bike over to one of the fields where she saw a few people. Her stomach churned because she knew she would meet new people, and she wasn't that great with introductions.
Zac was there already, leaning on a post talking to two other girls, and Nicole was there talking with another girl and two other boys. She walked up, set down her bike, and walked over to stand by Nicole.
"Oh! Hi Katie." Nicole said, turning away.
At hearing her name, Zac looked up and sauntered over to where the two girls were standing.
"Hey." He said.
"Hi." She said flatly.
"What's the matter?" Nicole said.
"Nothing." katie said, determined not to let Zac know he was getting to her.
"What did you do yesterday?" He asked. "Talk to anyone special?"
Katie gave him her death stare. "No." She said shortly.
"Oh, i think you did." Zac said. "What was that i heard about yesterday?"
"What do you mean?" Nicole said slowly, sensing something was up.
"Nothing." Katie said, smacking Zac squarely across the face.
"Ow!" he said, his hand flying to his face.
Katie stayed to stare at him for a moment, then she turned and walked away.
They started playing and devised teams. Around twelve people turned up, so they had six on a team. Zac was on the other team that Katie was, and she noticed that he avoided her like he would rather die that come within twenty feet. Katie met a few other girls that weren't to bad. She met Emily,Claudia, and Lindsay, who were Nicole's other friends, and Katie already knew Zac from one of the first days she was there.
For the first few minutes they played, Katie found herself worrying that smacking Zac might not have been the best thing she could have done. He kept looking at her like he was sorry, but she couldnt' put aside how mean he could be. She would just wait it out. She did want to be friends with him, but he was making that a very hard thing with all the comments he was making.
She tried to forget about it, and she soon found herslef having fun with all of the new people she had met. They weren't that bad, and she hadn't been as nervous as she thought. They played for nearly two hours, then most of the people had to leave or go home. Soon the only people who were left were Nicole and Katie.
"Oh, i'm tired." Nicole said.
"Me too."
"Yeah, i'm out of shape."
"Speaking of that, when's try-outs for soccer?" Katie asked.
"Um, they're in late August, just before school."
"Oh."
"Yeah, we'd better start conditioning before the tryouts." Nicole said.
"Is your coach really tough?"
"I don't really know him, he's the high school one."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"So who all plays soccer?"
"Well, a lot of people around here."
"Like Zac?"
"Why do you ask?" Nicole asked, elbowing Katie as they got on their bikes.
"Oh...I just wondered."
"Uh huh." Nicole said with a smile.
"Well, he's probabally not that happy with me now."
"Well..."
"I dont' care if he's mad. he should learn to shut his mouth."
"What was he talking about?"
"Oh...Something stupid, i don't know." Katie said, trying her best to shrug it off. She knew that if Nicole found out what Katie had done, she knew she would been in for it.
"He's not that bad, Katie."
"Ulgh, yes he is."
"Katie...-"
"That's my story, and i'm sticking to it!" Katie said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Oh." Nicole said.
"yeah."
"Hey, what are you doing Saturday?" Nicole asked as they slowly wheeled down a street.
"Nicole, I only do things with you and my family, I'm never busy." Katie said with a laugh.
"Oh yeah."
"What's up?"
"Well, the rec center everyone goes to is having a dance Saturday night, and I thought it would be fun." She said.
"Do i have to wear a dress?"
"Well, yeah."
"ulgh, i dont' know. i only own like, two."
"You can borrow one of mine."
"Well..."
"Come on, Katie, it'll be fun."
"I guess..."
"Great! Be at my house at seven, the dance starts at eight and goes to eleven." Nicole said, turning down her street.
"Okay..." Katie said.
"Bye!"
"Bye!" katie said, then pedaled toward her street.
She wasn't sure how she felt about this whole dance thing, but then she had a few days to think about it.