Walking home

Katelin heard the police nearby, but chose to ignore the noise. Why had she done that!?

Katelin was a very quiet girl. She had a bunch of friends, okay school grades, and had the best hair in 8th grade. The only thing was that she hated confrontation, but their her friends were in the middle of some. Though they walked all together, her friends walked home in silence that day. It all started earlier at lunch when it was announced that Tasaline’s father was put in Jail and then Tasaline ran away to cry, then the rest of the girls were left to try to talk about what they were going to do for their fundraising project. Each person or a group of up to four people had to fine a cause, and a fundraiser to kitty that cause. Gem’s brother was having a concert with his band, which could be the kitty for a cause, but she had no cause to fund for. Lazy pleaded that the money go to her cause because her volleyball team needed funding, or the team would be canceled forever, and Tomeka also needed funding for this shop by her house ran by old people, who couldn’t keep there shop’s doors open without a little help. Gem thought none of those causes important enough, and Katlin hadn’t even thought of anything for her project yet. Disaster in the making.

Katelin’s first idea was to try to start a conversation with Gem, who usually if you said one thing to her her mouth would move as fast as a full speed roller coaster. Katelin looked over at Gem to see if she was in the mood to talk. But she could not see even a slither of her face, since she had a kind of 90’s side ponytail that was covering the side of her face Katelin was behind.

Katelin was thinking of something to say when the police rolled by. She knew what to expect. She knew this police car, it was the one her aunt Mem and Uncle Rench drove, which meant that-

“Hey Katlin!” said a girl from behind the front seats. It was her cousin Jane, who, since both of her parents were police staff, got to ride in the back seat of their cruiser. Katlin did not get along with her cousin, and hoped after she said hey her family would just turn the corner and move on with life.

But nope. They stopped the car and Jane hoped out.

“I’ll walk home from here daddy. See ya!” she yelled to her parents before they left the curb and drove home.

Katlin frowned. She hated everything about her cousin. How she always wore a short plaid skirt to how she called her father daddy. Katlin hated that cringey word. It should be downright disrespectful to call your father that. Or wear short plaid skirts.

While her friends stared at the new arrival, Jane cut the charade. She knew she was hardly ever that nice to her cousin Katelin.

“Alright craplin, there’s this stupid report I have to write for school and you have to help me.” Jane demanded.

“Uh Kate? Who is this?” Gem couldn’t help asking.

“Someone who seriously needs a life,” Katelin said angrily. She rarely ever got angry, but when she did, it was usually at her cousin. Everything about her stinks! Katelin thought.

“Go away,” Katelin said after a while. “I’m not helping you with your project.”

“You’d better. Otherwise, I’ll rain all over the parade of your life, you’ll see.”

And with that, it started to rain, first little drips then downright poring, and the girls shriked and dispersed.

Alot of “see you tomorrow’s!” and “gotta go’s!” were traded as they ran.

“Aw, my house is far!” Tomeka yelled.

“come with me to my house!” Katelin yelled over, and Tomeka ran over. Jane followed.

As soon as they went inside, they took off their shoes and sweaters if they had any on, then went into the kitchen.

“You can stay here until the storm passes.” Katelin told her friend Tomeka. Then she glared at her cousin and said “you too, Jane. then you’ve got to leave.”

Jane sighed. “I can’t wait ‘til the day where you get what you deserve. One day all this rudeness will come crashing back to you.”

Katelin chose to ignore that. “I made cookies this morning before school.” she began, but Jane was already digging in the basket grabbing all the ones with the most chocolate chips. As to claim them, Jane took bites of the three she had in her hand and was about to get another when she noticed Katelin’s eyes widen dramatically.

“Those were experiment cookies,” Katelin said slowly.

Jane rolled her eyes. “So?”

Katelin’s eyes filled with tears. “Those had bleach in them.” she sputtered.

Shocked, a wave a fear flew through Jane’s body. She involuntarily dropped the cookies. She even stopped chewing the bite in her mouth to let her jaw drop.

Even Tomeka jumped away from the cookie basket with a shriek.

TO BE CONTINUED