Chapter 21

    The guy had a crooked smile on his his face as he stuttered “I”s while trying to explain himself. Katrina wanted to laugh, she didn't know the guy, but he seemed sweet. He first thing she noticed was the way he kept flicking his hair aside when it tried to get into his eyes. She decided that two was company, maybe she would just walk down to where her car was probably parked.
    The people down that way knew of her and her car, they wouldn't even try to mess with either. If they knew Bev, they should know not to mess with the car, she hoped. Besides, maybe the guy needed some company. She didn't need to tell him that she was protection he didn't know he had. There he was walking into the lions den. She walked and continued to tease him little by little. At least that took the thought of killing Bev out of her mind.
    The guy finally blurted out his name. It was funny, he didn't look like a Jeremy. He finally did string together more than a few words when he asked why she was walking in the dangerous part of town. She told him the truth, kind of, just left the particulars out. Besides, if worse came to worse, by the time he finally asked, they were walking in front of Dee's house.
    “Watch.” Katrina plucked a phone out her coat pocket and mashed a few buttons on the screen. She waited for a few seconds before someone had answered.
    “Hello?” It was Dee, she sounded content, and out of breath.
    “Hey girl, you asleep?” Katrina tried not to laugh.
    “No, I'm up.” There was a grin in Dee's voice.
    “Yeah?” Katrina wanted to ask why she sounded so spry, but held up. Not in front of the company. “Okay, hey, can you look out your front window and wave?”
    “What? Why? The heck out of here.”
    “No, really.” Katrina looked over at the window. “Yeah I'm just walking by.”
    “What the heck are you doing? Need a ride or something?” Dee's face peered out the window, her hand turned over while she asked.
    “No.” Katrina put her hand up, she didn't want to disturb her too much.
    “Really, I can get you a ride. Seriously, what are you doing out there?” Dee mingled concern and a laugh in her voice.
    “Stupid b***h borrowed my car then I think she got drunk at some a*****e's party so I have to go get it.” Again, Katrina heard herself swearing and felt bad about it.
    “Want me to come with you?” Dee was giggling. It probably wasn't at what Katrina said.
    “No, I think I'll enjoy the company.”
    “Ah, finally going to get some, eh?” Dee waved, still giggling. “Aren't you going to introduce me?
    “Okay.” Katrina winked, Dee probably didn't see her wink, but did it anyway. She laughed and nudged the guy with her elbow then nodded over to the window.
    Jeremy looked over and he nodded, Katrina nudged his arm again.
    “Well, wave.”
    Jeremy pulled his hand out of his pocket and waved.
    “So, tell me about your new squeeze,” Dee said. Katrina could hear Spencer laughing in the background.
    “Far as I know his name is Jeremy.” Katrina looked at him.
    “Oh, since everybody is out, going to bring him home and show him a good time?” Dee was making her blush. Katrina was lucky it was too dark to see.
    “No. I doubt it, he didn't even give a lame pickup line.” Katrina wanted to go and strangle Dee.
    “Oh, only courting then, I see.”
    “I think so.” Katrina could feel her face go redder, even in the cold wind.
     “Okay, I'll let you get back to your business.” She said it in a way that only Dee would know. It was the 'shut your damn mouth, I'm going to kill you later' voice. That made Dee start to laugh again.
    “Okay, I'll stop  teasing, but I can hear you blushing from here.” Dee took a breath. “Are you doing anything later? Miki wants us to meet her friend, up for a late coffee somewhere?”
    “I don't know, maybe later.” Katrina wanted to meet this Lisa, she seemed like somebody who could take some of the pressure off of Miki.
    “Okay, well, you're probably going to have to leave a message since-” Dee was already rolling around on the floor and laughing.
    “Okay, yeah.” Katrina cut her off, she knew what was already happening.
    “Okay.” Dee thought she must have hit the button and Katrina heard a few things she wished she didn't. “Bye.”
    It was lucky that the guy, Jeremy, cut into Katrina's thoughts because they were yanking her down roads she didn't want to do down. Sure, it was a long time, but, it's like riding a bicycle, right? And how long was it since-
    “Lame pickup line?” Jeremy asked when Katrina put her hand back into her pocket.
    “You didn't even ask my name.” Katrina laughed, again thanking the darkness for covering her blush. Jeremy's question startled her out of her daydream.
    They kept walking and Katrina kept talking. It took some doing, but she finally got him to almost open up. Kind of. He liked blurting out all his answers and she liked that. Sort of bugged her that he always kept his face hidden. Well, it was cold, I guess she could give him a break about that.
    They were almost there, but just up the block she saw a couple familiar people walking in front of them. If it wasn't twiddle-dumb and twiddle-shithead. Looked like they finally got their casts off. She hoped their memory outlasted their casts. Jeremy's gait stiffened and she could see he would step in front of her, didn't want to, but would. Either he was crazy or chivalrous, probably a little of both. In this part of town, maybe a little more crazy. She told him that she had this, no problem. Maybe. Depending on their memory.
    “Aw crap, here we go.” Katrina thought when the two guys stopped to turn around.
    “Just keep walking, don't stop, don't say anything at all, let me do the talking.” She told Jeremy.
    The street they were on was a little on the dark side, perfect place for an ambush. She looked around for some kind of light, they didn't recognize her. There was a little light that came across from the a railway marker of some kind. She stopped Jeremy from walking, the last thing she really wanted to do was something so dramatic as sweep her hood off and thrust her chin out. Just so these two tools would recognize who they were up against. Yet, they kept moving in so she did just that.
    Katrina felt so stupid to do it, but she shoved her hood back over her head. The string tied around, to keep the wind out, cut into her neck. It hurt. She wanted to laugh, but the two lugs advancing probably didn't need to be provoked. They didn't stop until she pushed her face out into the light. Her hair blew to and fro from her hood and she must have looked like a lunatic. It made her smile as she tried not to laugh, which probably looked like a Medusa grimace. Whatever the look, it was effective. The two guys saw who she was and suddenly remembered they were supposed to be anywhere else.
    Whatever just happened, it had to be a little bit of a shock for Jeremy. She couldn't explain it so she tried to play it cool. She felt like a dork. So she just told Jeremy that if they came back, she was going to run like hell and he best do the same. So they kept on, they were still a ways from where she hoped her car was. That would be something else she would have to explain. Might be an even bigger shock to Jeremy.
    The funny thing she noticed about Jeremy, he didn't really like to talk all that much. If possible, he would just look over, smile, and nod. So she started asking more in depth questions, every time he answered in his short, blurted way, Katrina couldn't help but laugh.
    Before she knew it, they were getting to the party house. Of course it was the one place that Jeremy was going. Maybe that's why he wouldn't talk a whole lot, probably was different when he was sloshed. Thinking that he was being charming when he was just being loud. She couldn't stand Bev when she was drunk, it was like Bev pushed her emotions to the edge of a cliff. It could take a lot or just a little nudge to send them over the side. Katrina only sighed, at least she got to know a nice side of Jeremy. Maybe that would be the way she remembered him if at all.
    Though, she thought, he did want a ride home. Hopefully, this was only a last desperate choice. She decided she would try to ask again, she liked Jeremy so if he wanted a ride home, she'd give him one. Not for any 'other' purpose, but he seemed like somebody who was a little more grown up than the other guys she saw around.
    “You know, that offer for a ride home is still up if you need it.” Katrina looked over at him before going inside to strangle Bev.
    “Don't think I want to impose on your kindness, but I don't think I want to stay here.” Jeremy was looking down at projected implications that the plastic toys showed.
    Katrina's heart jumped. A good guy, they did exist here.
    “I'll be a minute, just need to go find my keys.”
    It didn't take more than a minute before some guy waded his way through the beer stank, skunky smoke, slurred laughs, crappy music, and assorted losers. The drunk bumped into Katrina and mashed his face into the side of her head while he tried to burp sweet nothings into her hood. A palm slid down her back before getting too far, Katrina put an elbow into the guys face as hard as she could. She expected the party to stop and everybody look, but only one person noticed what she did. That person was standing there rubbing her elbow and watching the drunk look around the room with a surprised look on his face.
    People seemed to section off the house, everywhere there was room, people were trying to dance. The ones who were there with their other halves were busy rubbing against each other. Other people were cheering or watching or trying to make their way around the place like Katrina. She squeezed along the wall until she almost fell backward into a half empty hallway. She must have hit a lightswitch because it got dark when she reached up to stop from falling. The paired off dancers took this as a romantic signal. She had to hurry and check the backrooms or she'd be trying to pry her way back out of, hopefully, dry humping drunks. Never knew with some crowds.
    The first room was occupied with people already passed out. The second was the washroom. The third was, otherwise, occupied by a group of writhing naked limbs. An automatic apology came that she knew they didn't hear. The last room had to be the one, she didn't want to go downstairs to check. She opened the door and it was a room with two cribs pushed to the corners of the room.
    There was people on the floor, Katrina elbowed the lights on and there she was. So much for Earl. Katrina really didn't want to stare, but she had to make sure it looked consensual. As much as she hated Bev at the moment, that wouldn't stand. The loud, familiar laugh came from Bev. Katrina saw more butt than she wanted while looking for Bev's coat, or pants, or purse. When she found her keys, she turned off the light and left.
    When the door wouldn't close, Katrina had to turn and kick some clothes back into the room. She turned to try and make her way back out when a pair of lips found her eye. Hands groped and she brought her knee up as hard as she could. Whoever it was, she couldn't see in the dark, went down in a ball. She squeezed her way back through the people and made her way to the door.
    “Hey, baby,” the guy she elbowed was cut of by his own burp, “how about we go out sometime?” He bounced back and forth between the walls.
    Katrina only laughed and stepped outside. He sounded like a cartoon character that always made her laugh. She couldn't help it, she had to get away from him before he really made her start giggling.
    “Come on, come have one drink with me. At least tell me your name.” The staggering moron, wouldn't give up.
    “Hey.” Jeremy tried to step in for Katrina. “Hey!”
    She was grateful and hoped Jeremy wouldn't take it the wrong way if he saw her ready to start giggling.
    “Come on, honey. I'll be good to you.” The drunk tried to pull her back, it was all that kept her from falling to her knees as she wailed with laughter.
    Jeremy stepped toward the guy and shoved him. He tried to keep his feet underneath him, but it looked like he was running to ran his head through a basement window. When he head hit the plexiglass window, it resounded with a loud “thonk”. That's when Katrina lost it and started to laugh. She was going to feel guilty about it, but noticed that Jeremy was laughing along with her. She thought it couldn't get any better, but a head peeped out from the window, eyes wide and mouth 'O'ed. Katrina held her stomach and could barely breathe.
    “I'm sorry, ma'am” The drunk slurred then turned and staggered his way back inside.
    Katrina was just about to say something about 'the live entertainment', but after pulling her coat back on she couldn't find her phone. She swore out loud and started to look, Jeremy helped search. She noticed that she was almost on her hands and knees crawling around. After seeing her with her hair dishevelled while she tried to strangle herself with the string for her hood, she imagined Jeremy must be wondering what was wrong with her. She rolled her eyes at herself and clapped the dirt off her hands. She heard her phone ring, even before she thought of what she was doing, she waddled over to where it was. She wanted to dig a hole to die in, Jeremy was probably trying not to laugh at her.
    “Hello? Hello?” She could hear somebody talking a million miles an hour.
    “...out of town, now! Nevermind Bev, I think she's safe until I get there. I'll get her, but you got to go now! I already told Dee and Miki. Hello? Hey!” The voice was at a near babbling speed.
    Katrina saw Jeremy walking towards the vehicles, she fished her keys out of her pocket. She thumbed the start button, then the unlock button. Jeremy looked surprised, but that was only registering in her mind from far off.
    “Hello? Who is this?” She turned so she could whisper to whoever was talking.
    “Earl. You got to get out of Wilkins Lake now! I bought some time, but it's not going to last. Only thing you can do now is make for any of the reserves out there. Any rez and leave right now. Dee and Miki are already gone. Bev is the only one I can go and pick up.” Earl sounded frantic, Katrina's insides churned.
    “What? Why?” Katrina didn't want to hear about Ryn being dead.
    “Just go, damn it. There's no time. Don't tell anybody where you're going. You're safe zone went from most of BC to just the reserves. You have only minutes to run!” It sounded like Earl was really trying not to start swearing at her.
    “Okay, thanks. I already got a place to go I think.” Katrina thought about wherever Jeremy might live. “I got a quick question, for how long?”
    “Jesus f**k, s**t, I don't know, just hope that you get there. You don't understand what's headed your way. Might already be there so go!” Earl yelled the last few words.
    Katrina ended the call.
    “Still need a ride?” Katrina pulled the drivers side door open and looked over at Jeremy. “I need to get out of town for a while.”

Reviews

[Norma M Sutton]

This has the making for quite a story. I want to read it when you are finished with it.