-sigh- ...This story is very slowly coming along. D: Sorry about that. I'm hoping soon it will start to get better. Maybe in another few chapters (my organizing of this story is very bad...almost as bad as my organizing of HTRAE o: ). Anyway, I hope you keep reading and enjoy as I make my way to the climax. :3
<3 MB
Asher chapter 5
Chapter 5 Best Friends
“That was fun,” Mark admitted to his friends as he pushed his bike behind them on the street. He smiled cruelly at the backs of their heads. He had won their game.
Kate glanced at Ricky, who had his hands deep in his pockets. He had grown shy of embarrassment for losing. Kate thought for a moment it was because he didn’t want to let her down, but shook away the strange thought and decided it was because Ricky didn’t want to have to look at Mark’s silent victory parade. She understood that. She wanted Mark to stop although he wasn’t actually doing anything. Kate looked at Mark.
Mark dropped his smile.
Kate asked, “What time is it? It’s getting kind of dark…”
“Almost seven,” he answered. Mark slipped his cell phone back into his pocket. “You need to go home?”
Ricky looked up.
“No,” Kate said. “It’s not like I have to go to school anytime soon.”
Ricky quietly chuckled.
Kate gazed at him, wondering if she should ask what was funny. She decided not to.
“That’s true,” Mark agreed. He raised his eyebrows, and jumped on his bike. He pushed his weight onto the handles, and the bike sped into Ricky’s back. Ricky yelled. Both him and the bike came down onto the pavement. Ricky first, then the bike, then a laughing Mark.
“********,” Ricky complained.
Kate stared at their pile in an awkward daze.
Mark moralized, “Hey, don’t you be cussin’ in front o’ no lady.”
Ricky took a deep breath to distress himself, and started pushing everything off of him. It wasn’t working very well since Mark planted himself right of top of him. “Get off!”
“Make me!”
Kate didn’t feel like waiting for the childish behavior to stop, so she started walking again. She thought about going home, and wondered what Alice was planning for dinner. Kate knew it wasn’t her night to cook, and was happy about that. She subconsciously licked her lips. Before she knew it she was almost at the end of the block. It was slowly getting darker and darker, and she was alone, or at least she thought. The street lights suddenly all came on at once, and Kate saw a shadow. She turned around.
“Katherine! Wait up,” Ricky called as he ran to her. Alone. Mark and his bike were nowhere to be seen. A collection of dark sat in the backdrop where Ricky had probably stuffed Mark’s head in a mailbox.
Kate asked in a way that sounded like a demand, “Where’s Mark?”
“He’s gone home,” Ricky answered as he came next to her. Ricky was smiling now. His fog of embarrassment that hid the contagiousness of his smile was gone, like it had never even came.
“He went home? But why would he just leave? I thought he was walking with us for a while.” Kate looked suspiciously at Ricky.
“So did I,” He rolled his eyes away, and let his smile drop. “I guess he changed his mind. He just said he was gonna go home after I nearly rammed my foot up his a** to get him off.” Ricky obviously looked like he was fighting another smile. “Maybe I scared him?”
Annoyance came over Kate suddenly, and she said, “Whatever. He does weird things like that sometimes.”
“I know,” Ricky said to her. “Mark and I are like brothers. I know more than I should about that kid.”
Kate rolled her eyes, and didn’t respond. She tried to refocus her thoughts back to dinner with Alice. She got as far as picturing Easy Mac packages laying on the counter when Ricky pulled her back into reality.
He asked with a hint of shyness creeping into his voice, “Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. Why?” Kate looked at him.
Ricky was looking at her, but looked away before their eyes met. “No, it’s nothing. You just got quiet, so I didn’t know if I…” His voice trailed off until it couldn’t be heard. He mumbled the rest.
“You’re mumbling,” Adrian pointed out. “What did you say?” Her voice was still sharp.
Ricky smiled a little at her, and nodded apologetically. He didn’t look like he wanted to repeat himself because is shoulders shrugged, and his hands came to his arms. “I said,” he said, “I didn’t know if I offended you or something. You and Mark are friends too. You’re probably better friends than him and I are.” Ricky laughed.
Kate sighed, letting the frustration slowly come out. “Probably,” she agreed.
Ricky gasped for air like he had been holding his breath. He could probably tell Kate wasn’t in the mood for much talking. To avoid an awkward silence he quickly pulled out his phone, and dialed a number. For a few minutes Ricky spoke on the phone with what sounded like his older brother, or dad. He spoke about something Kate couldn’t follow, so she just continued walking home as he followed beside her.
Kate felt alone. Ricky seemed more like a shadow to her than an escort home. She began to play with the zipper of Mark’s hoodie. Then she remembered she had forgotten to give it back. Kate zipped the hoodie up, and put the hood down. Cool air hit the back of her head, and blew dry her sweaty hair. The cool air was starting to irritate her lungs. Every step she took felt like a struggle to carry her body forward. Without warning Kate felt ache spread throughout her entire body. It then started to ease away as Kate ground her teeth in a struggle to ignore it. The pain went away everywhere except for her lower stomach, where it all now seemed to focus. Kate swallowed hard. She couldn’t keep it in anymore. Tears built up in her eyes, and she let out a small cry.
It wasn’t small enough for Ricky to miss it, though. As he listened to the person on the other end of the call, he carefully watched Kate from the corner of his eye. When Kate started to breathe heavy, he asked, “Katherine, what’s wrong? Are you OK?”
“I don’t know,” Kate said. Tears fell onto the street as she stopped walking, and leaned over. She swayed back and forth a little, and almost tripped over herself as she tried to catch up with Ricky.
“Katherine!” He looked worried. Without informing the other person, he hung up his cell phone, and went to Kate.
Kate fell into Ricky, and hit her chin on his shoulder, biting her tongue. She cried quietly.
“Tell me what‘s wrong! Katherine!” Ricky put his hands on her arms. His voice quivered a little. He let Kate lean on him, somehow just enjoying the closeness. When he told himself he should act more concerned, he finally stood her up again.
Kate held her hand over where she felt the most pain, and looked up into Ricky’s eyes.
His mouth partially opened. He read Kate’s expression, and then took his cell phone out again.
Her Name Is MB Community Member 
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