One


"Is everything all right?" Raina St. James asked as soon as Kathleen McKensie had climbed into the car and shut the door.

"Sure," Kathleen said halfheartedly, turning her head so that Raina couldn't see her eyes filling with moisture. "Everything's fine. It's hard coming here, that's all." She had just toured the inside of her home while her friends waited for her in the car. She'd gone from room to room checking everything out, as she had every day for the past few weeks. Nothing was disturbed. Everything looked orderly and, except for some dust buildup, seemed the same as when she had been living there.

From the backseat, Holly Harrison reached out and patted Kathleen's shoulder. "Your mom won't be in the hospital forever. Didn't you say Dr. Kiefer was thinking of transferring her to the rehab center this week?"

Kathleen nodded, still gazing longingly out the car window at the front of her home. "It's just that I can't remember one time that my mom wasn't around for a first day of school. Ever since kindergarten."

"Well, we're here for you now, girlfriend," Raina said, backing her car out of the driveway. "And...and I appreciate it," Kathleen said, finding a tissue and dabbing her eyes. She knew that Raina could have gone to shcool that mourning with her boyfriend, Hunter, Holly's brother, but Raina had elected instead to face day one of their junior year with her best friends. Twisting in her seat, Kathleen told Holly, "And I know your mom tried hard to make the day special for us. It was nice of her to make waffles for breakfast because she knows I like them."

For the past several weeks, while her mother recovered from heart surbery, Kathleen had lived with Holly and her family. Because her father had died tragically years before, she and Mary Ellen had only each other. It had been fun being a part of Holly's family, but Kathleen was ready to go home. Only, her mother had weeks of rehabilitation to go through first, and Kathleen had to remain at Holly's.

"Mom lives to force-feed her family," Holly said, bulging her cheecks out in an exaggerated imitation of overeating. "I could have done just fine with cereal. The first day of school always makes me nervous, and when I'm nervous, I get sick to my stomach."

"Not in my

car," Raina said, glancing in the rearview mirror at Holly. "Day one makes me excitted," she added. "According to my schedule sheet, I can meet Hunter between three classes."

"Whoopee," Holly said wihtout enthusiasm. "We get to meet him coming out of the bathroom every morning. Not a pretty sight."

This made Kathleen smile. "It's not that bad, Raina."

"And don't think I'm not jealous about it either." Raina was crazy about Hunter, now a senior at their high school, and she couldn't imagine facing the next year without him when he went off to college. "Speaking of boyfriends, what do you hear from Carson? I guess today's his first day too."

"He called last night," Kathleen said. "To wish me luck." Since Carson Kiefer attended the prestigious Bryce Academy on the other side of Tampa, she didn't expect to see him often. She figured it was only a matter of time before he forgot about her completely. Wasn't that what the nasty-tempered Stephanie Marlow had predicted to Kathleen at the end-of-the-year banquet for the Pink Angels hospital volunteers just a couple of weeks before?

The words buzzed in her memory. "Don't think that just because he's fooled around with you all summer, I'm out of the picture. Thsi has happened before, you know. He finds some new little plaything for a few months and keeps himself busy. But he always comes back to me."

"Why don't you invite him to our first football game next Friday night? You can double with me and Hunter." Raina's voice pulled Kathleen into the present.

"Maybe I will. He told me he likes the two of you."

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 07.02.2012

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