Fifteen

KATHERINE

Wasn’t this supposed to be a family gathering to celebrate her mother’s birthday? So, why was Alexander here? Did Katie leave something out of the invitation before inviting me?

Today was supposed to be my happiest day because I would be free from him and wouldn’t have to see his face, but I was mistaken; today just happened to be the worst day.

He hasn’t given me a moment’s rest since accepting to be his. He told Katie that we were dating, and Katie congratulated me thinking I was following the plan. I hadn’t had the opportunity to fill her in because she was called home to prepare for today.

Receiving death stares from his maniacs wasn’t enough, I had to be interrupted every minute by a knock on my door from him constantly asking me to let him in for a movie, food, water, and so on. I was already losing brain cells, and I thought I was going to use this party to replace every one of them, but him being here ruined everything.

I wasn’t ready to do this with him. I wanted to leave the party regardless of whether I was going to hurt Katie, she would forgive me, but I just wasn’t ready to stand close to him.

When I saw him approaching, waving at me with a smile on his lips, I quickly excused myself, apologizing to the couple I was talking to before fleeing.

I was lucky to see Katie in the living room, holding a drink and smiling at a handsome man in a black suit. ‘How dare she put me in this position while she’s flirting with a man?’ I approached them, hands clenched, and apologized to the young man before dragging Katie off to her room.

“Jeez Kat, what was that for? I’ve had my eye on that dude for months and I finally got the chance to shoot my shot. You’ve ruined it;” she grumbled.

“Right back at you! You’re not allowed to complain when you’re doing the same by ruining my perfect getaway and relaxation!” I yelled.

“What did I do this time? Why are you making a fuss?”

“Alexander!”

“What about him?”

“You forgot to tell me that you invited him for your mother’s birthday. You’re aware of our situation, but you still decided to invite him over! For what, huh? To torment me?”

“Why would I torment you? Everyone else was bringing their dates, so I decided to invite your boyfriend over, you know...to bond and get to know one another.”

“But he is neither my friend nor my boyfriend.”

“Stop the joke, Kat. I was there when he said you two are dating. If he was wrong, you would have said so right away.”

“I was trying to tell you, but you were too preoccupied with the fact that we were dating and your plans were going so well that you ignored me when I tried to speak to you,” I explained.

“I’m sorry, I thought you accepted because of what we discussed... Anyway, forget about that; how did he conclude that you two are dating?”

“Because I said so.”

“You did what?!” Katie yelled.

“Well, I was put in a difficult situation in which saying yes to him was the best option available to me.”

“What are you talking about? Situation and options?”

I told her about the bathroom scene and how I was afraid of people finding out that I was in the restroom with him. I didn’t want to hear people say I pretended to be innocent when I was a slut, or have them be arrogant to me and rude to me, or toss me around like a bottle, or call me names I wasn’t used to. The only way to break free from his hold was to say yes.

Saying yes has brought me many mysteries, and I told her that I wanted this birthday to be a place for my relaxation because he was always by my side, but now everything was wrong. He was here, and my peace was gone.

“I’m sorry, Kat, I should have listened to you. What are you going to do? I can’t just walk him out of the party because it would embarrass him.” Katie said, her eyes filled with concern.

“No, don’t do that, I’ll have to leave. Help me tell Mum that I’m sorry, but I was sick or something, and I need to get home on time.” I told her, and she nodded.

“So, where are you going right now, and how are you going to hide before you leave the gate? He is standing near the door.”She pointed to the door, where Alexander was conversing with the man Katie had her eye on.

"My dad’s place. It’s a five-hour drive from here, and speaking of escaping, I’m glad your soon-to-be boyfriend is with him. You will divert their attention to you while I flee. Can you help me with that?” I requested.

“Of course, just give me a few minutes and I’ll signal to you when to leave.” She told me before walking to where they stood.

I stood there watching them as she laughed and smiled at them before signaling for me to leave as she led them away from the entrance.

When I saw my escape ticket, I dashed towards the gate, finally free. I exhaled a sigh of relief before hailing a cab and making my way to my dad’s house.

I took out my phone and texted him to let him know I’d be spending the weekend with him. I’d rather spend time with them than go see my mum.

Besides, I wanted to use this as an opportunity to speak with my dad and see if he would tell me everything about him and my mum. I wasn’t going to press him because he had assured him that he would tell me when he was ready, but if I had to wait for him to be ready, I doubted he would tell me. I had to be the one to lead the conversation.

Mum’s side of the story was smooth and clean, telling me how dad prioritize work over us, but after knowing my dad for a month, he didn’t seem like the type to prioritize work over family. He was always there for me when I needed him, and from what I’ve heard from my stepmother, he’s always there for her when she needs him and is always available when she wants him to be.

That made me question everything she’d ever told me. I wanted answers and I didn’t want to be left in the dark.

I need to figure out two things: the truth about my parent's divorce and what to do about Alexander.