It was Friday evening, and Katie was sitting on her bed, leaning against the wall. She was trying to make herself believe she was sick. She really didn't want to go to the party, because she knew that Nicole would, A: give her crap about Zac. B: make her do things with Ian she didn't want to do. And C: introduce her to new people. So, she was still debating whether or not to go.
She had ironically enough woken up that morning with a sore throat and a stuffy nose, but that usually wasn't enough to hold her back. She looked out the window and saw that it was again clouding up. She sighed. It had rained on and off all week, and she was getting tired of the rain.
She got up, went to her dresser to pick up another cough drop, and then sat back down on her bed. It was going to be a long night. Should she go? Nicole would probably be royally pissed off if she didn't go, but then again, she really didn't want to go because she knew Zac and Ian were there. Katie had been sort of keeping a low profile all week, but then again, that was the way she preferred it.
Three hours later, she was still sitting on her bed, but she was dozing this time. She really felt awful, and wouldn’t have had a good time at the party anyway. The ringing phone startled her, and she jumped up to crack open her door so she could hear who it was.
She stuck her head out of the door, trying to listen to who Judy said hello to.
"Yes, she's here…she is? I wonder why…maybe she forgot…no…okay…yeah…lemme go check…I saw her a few hours ago…" Judy said, coming for the stairs. Katie quietly closed her door and ran to her bed. She whipped back the covers and jumped in, pulling them all the way up. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
She heard Judy calling her name all the way up the steps and open her door. She walked over to Katie's bed, looked at her, then left, shutting the door behind her.
"No, I'm sorry, she's asleep. Do you want me to take a message...I didn't think so." She said before hanging up.
She walked back into Katie's room, and over to her bed. "Now what is this about?" Judy said, sitting back down on the bed.
"What is what about?" Katie asked, forgetting that she was 'asleep'.
"Acting like you're asleep and not going to Nicole's big party. She's been talking about it all week." Judy said.
"I know." Katie said, looking down at her hands.
"Well?" Judy asked expectantly.
"Well, I didn't really want to go…and besides, I'm sick."
"Are you really that sick?" Judy asked.
"No…" Katie said slowly.
"So what's up?"
"I just didn't want to go."
"Why?"
"Undisclosed reasons." She said.
"Are you that afraid of meeting new people?" Judy asked.
"No…"
"Then what?"
"It's none of your business."
"Is this about Zac?"
"What did I just say?" Katie retorted.
"All right, all right." Judy said, getting up to leave.
"Thank you." Katie said exasperatedly, pulling her covers back up.
"Just remember." Judy said, stopping in the doorway. "You shouldn't burn bridges you haven't crossed." Then she turned and went downstairs.
Katie shook her head. Relax, she told herself. It was only Judy trying to creep her out. Well, she was getting close, and Katie didn’t like it.
Katie woke up the next morning around nine, and went downstairs for breakfast. She found Judy in the kitchen with the three youngest children making something in the oven that smelled like it was burning. Well, it probably is if Judy is making it, she thought with a smirk.
Judy had actually been acting slightly normal for the past couple of days, but a couple times a day she would do something that really set her apart. Just the way she said things sometimes creeped Katie out.
"Katie, do you want to try out mouse pancakes?" Madison said, running up to her. She was holding a little baked thing, in the shape of a long blob.
"I'll pass this morning, thanks." Katie said, grimacing at the object in the little girl's hand.
"Okay, but you don't know what you're missing!" She said, shoving the entire 'mouse pancake' into her mouth. Katie cringed and poured herself a bowl of cereal.
"We've been making them all morning, you should have tried one." Judy said, looking at her over her black framed glasses.
"That's okay, I've got my cereal." Katie said, shoving a spoonful into her mouth.
"Okay, that's fine. We'll make them next Saturday too." Judy said, shoving another pan into the oven.
She didn't notice Katie's cringe at the mention of making the little gross blobs again.
"What are your plans for today?" Judy asked, turning around with batter all down the front of her.
"Um, I have to get over my cold and do some cleaning I think." She said. And make amends with Nicole, she added silently in her head.
"Okay, well I'm taking the girls to that play place in the mall, so I'll be gone most of the afternoon." Judy said.
"Fine with me." Katie said. Suddenly the doorbell rang. Judy went to go get it while the kids ate their pancakes. She heard the door slam shut, and a few minutes later, Judy walked back into the kitchen carrying at huge vase of red roses.
"Wow!" Madison said.
"Those are beautiful." Melissa said, entering the kitchen.
"Who's are those?" Sandra said, entering right after her.
"I don't know." Judy said.
"They're really pretty. I can already smell them." Katie said, suspecting that they were from Taylor to Morgan.
Judy set them down on the table, and red the card.
"I'm so sorry you had to miss the party and you don't feel well. I hope you get better soon, so I can take you to a movie tonight. Sorry if I came off as a jerk, I just really liked you. Katie, will you go out with me?" Everyone gasped and looked at Katie.
"Zac asked YOU out?" Sandra shrieked.
"Apparently." Krista said, coming into the kitchen from the hall, where she had been listening.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, that's what it says." Judy said, flipping the card over. "Then I guess these go up to your room." She said, handing Katie the vase filled with roses.
"I guess so." She said, still unable to speak.
"That was so sweet of him." Krista said, looking at them.
"I know." Katie said.
"Did you know he liked you?" She asked.
"No."
"Oh, then it was really a surprise!"
"Yeah, it was."
"Wow, what are you gonna say?" Melissa asked.
"She's gonna say yes of course…" Madison prodded, tugging on Katie's shirt.
"Let her answer." Melissa shot back at her.
"Well she is."
"Whatever. You don't know."
"Hey now, stop it you two. I don't know what I'm going to say." She said, sitting back down.
"You can't say yes!" Sandra said, walking over to her with a look of death.
"Oh yeah? Why not?" Katie asked.
"Because I like Zac, not you!" Sandra yelled.
"Okay, enough you two." Judy said.
"Judy, tell her she can't. I mean, she doesn’t need a boyfriend!" Sandra defended herself.
"What business is it of yours?" Katie shot back.
"You just can't!"
"Give me a break, Sandra, you can't always get what you want." Katie said.
"Both of you, stop it." Judy said.
They were both quiet.
"Sandra, she's right, it is none of your business. Katie, what you say is your business, and no one else's." Judy said.
Sandra just gave them both a look of pure death and stomped back upstairs, where several seconds later, they heard a door slam shut. Everyone was silent for a few moments, then they all exploded about the roses again. Katie just sighed, and took the vase up to her room.
Once she was there, she set the vase down on her dresser, so she could look at it. Why would Zac just ask her out like that? She didn't think he liked her that much. Well, aparently his immaturity was fading a little, she thought with a smile. She would have to give him a call later on that evening to tell him her answer.
Of course she was going to say yes, she thought. Screw Ian, she never really liked him other than for his looks anyway. In fact, not that she thought about it, Zac was ten times cuter than Ian every was. Maybe Zac wasn't so bad.
Katie couldn’t help but wonder why he would just out of the blue ask her out like that. He had only known her for a week. Maybe he just knew what he liked. Yeah, that's it, she thought. He just saw me, and knew that he liked me from the first minute. She smiled when she thought of the sleep she had already lost over him. Oh well, hopefully he'll make up for it.
But then, she remembered how Ian had kissed her at the movies. Zac had even seen that. He must be a really brave guy to try and take some other guy's crush, she thought. Well, that's another plus about going out with him. He wasn't afraid to take chances.
The more Katie thought about him, and the longer she spent lying on her bed and daydreaming about what it would be like to go out with him, the more she liked him. He was just what she needed to get Nicole off her back. Maybe she'll even forgive me too, she thought. Yes, things were looking up.