Katie found Nicole and her other friends and quickly walked over to their table. She threw down her bookbag and sat down, loosing her appetite.
"You okay?" Nicole asked Katie, noticing that something was wrong.
Katie looked at her friend. "No." She said quietly.
"We'll talk later." Nicole assured her. Katie nodded and tried her best to listen to the different conversations that her friends were having. She was finding it had to keep up.
"I can't believe she made that due tomorrow."
"I know. What a bitch. It's like she thinks we don't have lives." Christine said.
"Really. Sometimes I just want to get up and smack her. I want to shake her and say 'Hello, my life does not revolve around your biology class. I do other things.' It's just too much." Jessica muttered, taking her sanwhich out of a plastic bag.
"What are you guys talking about?" Katie wondered aloud.
"The biology thing." Christine said.
"Biology thing?" Katie asked.
"Yeah, the project we've been working on for the last three weeks." Liz said with a laugh.
"Oh no." Katie had forgotten all about that. She was in no mood to do half a science project that night.
"You can't tell me that you forgot about it." Liz said.
"I did." Katie said, burring her face in her hands.
"Holy shit." Christine said. "How could you forget about that?"
Katie looked at her friends, and she suddenly had a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Oh..."
"She's had other things on her mind." Nicole answered for her.
Katie smiled at her friend.
"Oh yeah." Jessica said. "Zac."
"No." Katie said.
"I'll help you tonight with your science project." Nicole said.
"Thanks." Katie said, giving her friend a weak smile.
"So...have you talked to him yet?" Liz asked.
"No." Katie said quietly.
"It's hard." Christine said.
"Yeah." Katie said.
"It's like, does he want to talk to me, or does he just want to be left alone?" She wondered aloud.
"Yeah, when I broke up with Clay, He wouldn't even look at me for months. I think he's said maybe five words to me the last year." Jessica said.
"You guys were really close too." Nicole added.
"Yeah. He was my best guy friend for like, three years, and then one little thing..."
"You kissed another guy, Jess." Christine said with a laugh.
Jessica laughed. "Oh yeah." SHe looked around at the table. "Well you make it sound like such a big deal."
Katie cracked a smile at her friends. They were able to lighten her mood a little.
"I hope that doesn't happen with you guys." Jessica said to Katie.
"Me too." Katie said.
"I don't think it will." Nicole said.
"Why's that?" Katie asked.
"Well." Nicole said, chewing on a carrot. "He's not that mean."
"Hey!"Jessica defended her taste in guys.
"Shut up." Nicole joked. "And you guys really liked each other." She said.
"I guess."
"Don't worry about it." Liz said.
"I'll try." Katie said weakly.
"You don't need him." Christine said.
"I know." Katie said.
Liz sighed. "But it's nice to have him, isn't it?"
Katie smiled. "Yeah." And it sure was nice.
"But what was she supposed to do? Take the shit that was going around?" Christine asked.
"Yeah." Jessica added. "It might have kept going for all we know."
"I don't think so."
"You say that now."
"Oh, I think it would have stopped."
They girls were silent for a few moments before Liz spoke up again. "So how are you coping?"
Katie sighed. "Okay, I guess."
"That's good."
"Yeah."
"As long as you don't rip yourself to shreds about it."
"She's already done that." Nicole said.
"I have not..."
"Yes you have."
"Well it's just hard."
"I understand." LIz said.
"Thanks. I just...Everything is weird, and It'll take some adjusting to, but I'll live." Katie said.
"Yeah." Liz said. "Life goes on."
"Exactly." Nicole said, looking at Katie. "Life goes on."