Dear Heart, I Hate You

“Blue?” Taylor whispered back hopefully.

“No, green. But still . . . hello! Is it hot in here?” Katherine laughed softly and fanned her face.

“It’s just you. And apparently him,” Taylor teased back.

“Ladies, is there a problem?” The professor’s voice rose with irritation as he stopped his lecture and looked pointedly in their direction in the back of the classroom.

“No, Professor. Sorry!” they responded in unison.

Katherine punched Taylor under the table. The green-eyed boy looked back for one more glance followed by a quick smile, then settled into his seat. Katherine’s breath hitched.

When class ended, Katherine gathered up her things and scanned the room. “Well, that’s weird. I mean, where’d he go?”

“Clearly, you scared him so he had to run away,” Taylor joked.

She shrugged her shoulders and pulled Taylor toward the door. “Come on, let’s go.”

They walked outside and into the blinding sunlight. Katherine squinted and quickly reached for her sunglasses. She looked around at the huge green trees and walked toward an unoccupied stone bench.

“Let’s sit for a minute,” Katherine suggested.

“Okay. I want to ask you some more questions anyway,” Taylor said.

Katherine laughed. “What more can you possibly want to know?”

Taylor pulled out her notepad after they sat on the bench. “Why were you crying?”

“I can’t explain it. It’s the very thought of him. That moment when I heard the gunshot . . .” A gentle breeze tossed strands of Katherine’s hair in front of her face. She tucked the pieces behind her ear before pressing her hand against her heart. “It physically brought me pain. It’s like I went to bed with a whole heart, but I woke up with it in pieces.”

“Kat, that’s really intense. We’re way too young and too hot to be this crazy over some guy we’ve never met before,” Taylor informed her with a serious look on her face.

“We?”

“Yeah, we. I mean, I’m totally involved in this now too, so . . . we.” Taylor folded her arms across her chest.

Katherine stood up from the bench and smiled. “You’re crazy. I’ve got to go to my next class. Chemistry. Exciting.”

“I’ll see you at home. Did I tell you that Kylie is stopping by to see our place and say hi and stuff?” Taylor reminded her.

“Who is she again?” Katherine asked.

“One of my best friends from high school. Don’t worry, you’ll love her. I think,” Taylor said with a laugh.

“What?” Katherine’s eyes widened with worry.

“I’ll make sure she’s on her best behavior,” Taylor reassured her confidently.

“Oh my gosh, seriously? Why? What’s her deal?”

“She just . . . I don’t know. She can be a real bitch sometimes. She’s competitive.”

“And she’s your best friend? How did that happen?” Katherine asked.

“Eh, it’s a long story.” Taylor hesitated before quickly saying, “I hated her at first, but then something happened that brought us together. And here we are.”

Confused, Katherine shook her head and threw up her hands in surrender. “Okay. Whatever. See you at home.”

“You’re not mad, are you?”