A Dark and Stormy Night

Light was the first thing that he became aware of. It was almost hard for James to believe that there could be anything other than the total blackness that he had been engulfed in. As his eyes began to flutter open, James thought of last night. There was a moment, which lasted across the space of a single heartbeat, but one that felt like an eternity, that it had all been a dream. That he hadn’t really been locked away in the field house, and that Kat hadn’t really been there. James was terrified at that thought. Being all alone again, with nothing to console him but his seemingly endless misery. But just as the coils of fear began to tighten around his chest, they were shattered an instant later.

“Good morning.”

James strained his neck and looked down. And there, she was, her face resting comfortably on his chest, and her eyes sparkling brighter than he ever could have imagined. She was like a vision that seemed just to perfect to be real.

“Kat…” James whispered. “Is this…”

“No.” she said with a deep nurture in her voice. Before he had a chance to say anything else to her, Kat scooted up to his face and gave him a soft, gentle kiss. “It’s not a dream.”

James sighed, laying his head back down and pulling his arms around Kat. Lying there, he did his best to try and remember every little detail of what had transpired between them the other night. But there was just too much for his mind to process, too much that had been so terrifyingly new to him, and so much that had returned warmth that had mended the shattered core of his heart. The more he thought about it, the more James felt the temperature of his body rise. He didn’t know what was more embarrassing. The fact that Kat was not only able to see his completely naked body and was laying almost completely on top of him, or the fact that she herself was naked. His embracement became so bad that he couldn’t hide the fact that his face was blushing badly and that he couldn’t find a trace of his voice to speak to her.

After a time, Kat broke the silence between them. “James.”

“What?” he whispered softly.

“Do you believe in fate?”

“I don’t know, why?”

“It’s just…nothing.”

James propped himself up slightly on an elbow so he could look into Kat’s face. “No, seriously, what is it?”
He saw Kat nibble slightly on her lower lip, a small gesture of hers that he realized was really cute. “Well…” she said, tracing one of her fingers slowly across his chest, taking great care to not come close to the badly bruised portion of his stomach. “I was just thinking. Remember how we first got in here?”

“How could I forget.” Truth be told, he really didn’t want to think about it, considering how completely nasty he had been to her.

“You spilled that cup of soda on my uniform. And so I came in here to clean it off before it stained. And what you did to Marcus…that was a cup of water that got you in here. Two little cups, that was all it took…to come to this.”

James stared up at the plain ceiling as he processed what Kat had told him. Two cups. Two measly little cups had completely changed not only his life, but hers as well. To think that such simple things could have such immense impact on two people’s lives, it was scary. A path that he never before could have imagined possible was suddenly lying before him, and he had no idea where it would lead.

Kat almost seemed to sense what he was thinking. “J?”

James immediately detected the concern in her voice, the faint trace of fear. “What is it, Kat?”

“We’re going to have to leave here soon, aren’t we?”

“I suppose so.” James was sure that in less than two hours, someone would be coming along and then they would be out. James didn’t know why Kat was getting so upset about being able to leave. She could finally go home, eat, snuggle up in a comfortable couch or bed, and enjoy the rest of her weekend. What she said next made him realize what was really on her mind.

“So what’s going to happen once we leave? What’s going to happen…to us?”

Us.

James rolled that thought around inside his head. He never, ever in his wildest dreams would have thought that this question would be lurking in the back of his mind when he had first shown up to work the game yesterday. Was there an ‘us’ for him and Katlyn? Right when they had gotten locked away in the field house, James would have said not a chance in hell. But now… he had gotten to know Kat, and see a side of her that he never knew existed. A special, nearly mystical experience had been shared between them. James was certain that he would never again have something as unique as he had the last night. Looking into Kat’s eyes, James saw how the desperate need for answers lurking in the depths of her iris. But…he didn’t have an answer for her. He didn’t have the first clue on where what had happened could go now. And he was absolutely scared with the lack of direction. And despite his fear, he knew that Kat desperately needed an answer from him.

“Kat…”

“What?” her voice was hushed, the worry in her tone barely controlled.

James licked his lips. He needed to tell her something. But would it be the right thing? He didn’t know. “I…”
Just as that one word passed his lips, they both heard the heavy rattling of the lock to the front door. Someone was coming in. James and Katlyn both looked at each other in complete silence for a moment as the color drained from their faces. They were about to be caught totally naked on the floor in the head coach’s office.
“Oh shit!” James cried, leaping to his feet. Kat gave a startled yelp of her own, which did more than enough to express what was going through her mind. James madly scrambled to pull on his pants as Kat started searching around for her clothes.

“I’ll go out and distract them.” he told Kat. “Just get dressed as fast as you can.” Kat gave a quick nod, reaching for her own pants. James buttoned his up and threw his shirt quickly over his head as he stumbled out into the hallway. He had walked half the distance when the door swung open. Assistant coach Ronald walked in and clicked on the lights. When he spotted James, the two of them froze.

“James?” he asked. “What are you doing in here? And why were the keys lying outside in the grass?”

James nervously ran a hand through his hair. He was sure that he looked terrible. He certainly felt like it with the awkward position he was suddenly in. Ronald put his bag aside and stepped closer.

“And what happened to your face? Did you hurt yourself?”

Before he could give Ronald an answer, James heard Kat walk up from behind him. In the next moment, she was by his side, one of her hands gently resting on the lower part of his back. James swallowed a thick lump in his throat. Ronald put his hands on his hips and glared at the two of them.

“Just what in the hell his going on here?”

“Maybe you should ask Marcus that.” James told him.

“Marcus, what’s Marcus have to do with this?”

“He locked us in here all night.” Kat suddenly said, stepping in front of him. “And he beat James up.”
Ronald clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth. “Is that true James. Did he hit you?”

James just nodded. He wasn’t afraid of ratting on Marcus. The prick deserved whatever was about to come to him. But he couldn’t say that he was entirely pissed about what had happened, not after what he had experienced with Kat. Ronald looked over at her. “Are you alright young lady, he didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No.” Kat said. “I spilled a drink on my uniform and I got permission to come in here and clean it off. I was in the bathroom when Marcus locked us in here.”

Ronald folded his rather large arms across his chest and his face turned a deep shade of red. “Well,” he said slowly, clearly trying to control his anger, “I suggest you get going. Your parents are probably worried about you. And James, I want you to tell me everything that happened.”

“Sure coach.” James said. There was a short pause before he worked up the nerve to speak again. “Coach?”
Ronald was starting to turn to pick up his gear, and he turned back. “Yes?”

James lightly patted Kat’s shoulder. “She’s got a lot of stuff, you mind if I carry it out to her car for her real quick?”

Ronald almost seemed to form a smile on the corners of his lips. “Sure thing James. Just hurry back when your done.”

“Alright.” James walked into the back room and grabbed Kat’s duffle bag. He also grabbed the trash bag that had the discarded condom in it to throw away. He really didn’t need to have to try and explain that one to any of the coaches.

With Kat’s clothes and musical equipment, he walked out into the shinny morning light with her at his side. They both squinted slightly in the light, trying to let their eyes focus to the near blinding glow. James followed Kat around the side of the building and saw the small beat up car that was hers parked in the far end of the gravel parking lot. They were halfway across the empty lot when she spoke. “James.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think he suspects something?”

“I’m sure. But I don’t think coach Ronald would guess exactly what happened. Besides…” James lifted the small garbage bag for Kat to see. “It’s not like he has anything to prove it.”
Kat breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad. I…you know I’m not that kind of girl. I don’t want people saying nasty things about us.”

There it was again. Us. Was there an us? James thought. He needed to come up with an answer really damn quick. They were at her car before he knew it. Kat opened the door and took her bag from him. She tossed it inside and turned to him.

“J.”

James bit his lip and looked off at the empty field just behind her.

“What do we do now?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well…” Kat whispered hopefully, “we could…”

James lowered his head. “Kat, I…” James knew where she was trying to take this, what she wanted him to say. And deep within him, he wanted to tell her what she wanted to hear, because he also wanted it. But at what cost? The cat was out of the bag now. It would just be a matter of time before coach Ronald reamed Marcus for what he did. And James just knew if somewhere in there that Marcus found out that Kat had spent the whole night in that field house with him, the whole school would know it by the end of the week. And he knew exactly what they would be whispering about Kat behind her back. A plump slut, James was sure would be one of the names she would have to endure. To have Kat go through more torment, because of him, was something that James just couldn’t bear. She deserved to be happy and safe. And he was completely sure that she would have both, without him.

If the price of keeping her from that torment meant that he was going to have to walk away from her, right here and now, and never look back, then that was something that James would just have to do. He just didn’t want her to suffer anymore, not because of him.

“This…I don’t know if this will work.”

When he glanced up at her, and saw the complete shock on her face, James just wanted to crawl into a hole and vanish forever. Hurting her was the very last thing he ever wanted to do, but he didn’t see what other choice he had.

“James, why…why are you doing this?”

“Kat, what are people going to say? About last night, about you and me?”

Kat’s entire body was beginning to tremble, and James could already see her eyes starting to glisten in the morning light. James felt as if someone was reaching into his chest and putting a clamp over his heart. It felt even worse than the emptiness he had been wading through the previous day.

“But…but…” Kat stammered, fighting to get the words out. “What we had…it was…”

“Something I’ll never forget.” James told her in a hushed voice. Even now, he was fighting so very hard to hold back his own tears. “But, Kat, do you know what they’re going to say about you if we start going together? How long it’s going to take Marcus to figure out that we were alone in that building together? Do you realized the awful things that he’ll say about you, and what others will too?”

“I don’t care.” Kat snapped. “It doesn’t matter to me what any idiot says.”

“You just said you were worried about people talking about us.”

“I lied!” Kat cried. “I don’t care what anyone says. If I have you, then it doesn’t matter to me.”

“It matters to me, Kat!” James said loudly. “I don’t…want anyone else hurting you. Not because of me.”

“James,” Kat said, her voice breaking, “What are you trying to tell me?”

“I don’t think…that this should go any further.”

James glanced down at his feet, completely unable to look into Kat’s face, because he knew how badly that would tear him apart.

“Don’t do this, please.” Kat begged, her words barely passing from her trembling lips.

James finally worked up the courage to look into her face, and saw the deep cuts that he was slicing into her. It made him want to just die right there. “This is it, Kat.” he said. “Goodbye.” Without another word, James turned and walked away. It was a dozen paces after he had turned when the tears finally became too much for him to hold back.

**

Katlyn felt like she had just been stabbed. She never could have imagined that such pain could exist that wasn’t physical. But then the pain morphed into something much worse, emptiness. It was like a great void had suddenly appeared and swallowed up her heart. Her head was pounding and she suddenly became faint. Stumbling against her car, Kat collapsed inward and fell into her seat.

Without really thinking about it, she closed the door and sat staring out the grimy windshield. It was as if she had plunged into a complete and total daze. Slowly, every so slowly, her blurry eyes turned to the rear view mirror, and the reflection of James slowly walking away.

“Don’t go.” Kat whispered, her hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles had become deathly pale. “James…come back. Please come back. Don’t leave me.”

Kat sniffled slightly as she fought to take a breath.

“I love you.” she blurted out.

Kat blinked, barely believing that those three words had just escaped her lips. She didn’t want to believe it. Her mind went from being in a daze to a spinning mass of confusion. It was crazy, she thought to herself. She had only known James for a single night. But looking on at his departure, and how the emptiness within her grew with each step he took away from her, Kat knew that there was no way to deny what had happened. In that one short, and amazing night, she had fallen completely head over heels in love with James. Kat wanted to get out of the car, run over to James, take him in her arms, and tell him how desperately she had fallen fallen for him. But…she just couldn’t find the strength to even lift herself out of the seat. It was as if a ton of bricks had suddenly fallen on her shoulders. Moving almost without any conscious thought, Kat stuck her key in the ignition and turned her car on. It proved to be the worst decision she could have ever made.

As the engine rumbled to life, the radio’s tunes blared throughout the interior of her car. It was that damn Avril Lavinge song.

“You were everything, everything that I wanted.”

Just those words made Kat feel like someone had punched her in the chest. And the worst part of the words was that Kat knew they were so horribly true. James was everything she could have ever dreamed to have in guy. So strong yet in need of comfort. Brave but shy. And headstrong yet caring.

“We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it.”

As he continued to walk away, Kat couldn’t help but feel that was so horribly true. How could this be happening? How could he be leaving? What they had…it was fate. What else could explain what had brought them together? As James neared the edge of the building, the next course of the song haunted Kat’s ears.

“All the memories so close to me just fade away.”

Kat clasped her hands together, almost as if she were praying, and looked on so desperately as James came to within just a few paces from disappearing from her view, and she feared, her life. And after that, he would become nothing more than a memory. One which she feared would indeed fade away with time.
And just like that, he rounded the corner and disappeared. All the air in Kat’s lungs just drained away, leaving her feeling as if time and space around her had just stopped. He was gone. Gone forever.

“All this time you were pretending, so much for my happy ending.”

With the deepest reluctance, Kat looked away from the rearview mirror. It was all over, everything that she and James had had, and everything that could have been, was finished. Kat’s fell forward, her head striking against the top of her car’s steering wheel. The first of many tear drops spilled from her bloodshot eyes as anguished sobs announced the breaking of her frail heart. As Kat spiraled downward into a complete and total emptiness, the song continued its haunting mockery of a suffering that made her to just want to die.

“So much for my happy ending.”