new kid / h.s

42

K A T

Kimberly drove me home that day, because to my worry I didn't see Harry for the rest of the school day. He must've been sent home, or maybe worse. I prayed not.

In the car, I texted Harry and asked him what was wrong. If he got punished, where he was.

He didn't answer.

"I think I need to go over to Harry's and see what's going on." I told her when we parked in my driveway. As much as Kimberly did not like to be my personal chauffeur, she obliged.

When I got to Harry's, all the cars were parked outside. Kimberly dropped me off and headed back home.

I walked up to the doorsteps cautiously, but something about this visit felt different. It felt like I was at my own house, and that was a nice feeling to have.

Anne answered the door. "Why, hello Katrina. It's nice to see you again."

I smiled politely and gave her a hug from under the threshold. "Same to you." I offered nothing but a smile to her because of how kind she had been to me. "I just came because I was worried about Harry."

Her smile instantly turned into a frown. "Well, right now he's in his room. He's grounded."

"What?" I asked, my mouth agape. "Why?"

"Because he's been expelled from Eastern. He can't go to prom any longer, and he has to repeat senior year next year in order to graduate."

I could feel the whole room spinning at her words. Why such an extreme punishment over a face full of pasta? What had Harry done to deserve this?

"C-can I see him?" I stammered, and to my surprise Anne gravely nodded and let me in.

Without her guidance I walked up to Harry's room, where he laid belly-up on his bed, staring at the ceiling with despair.

"Harry." I said numbly, and he jerked up right away. He looked more than happy to see me, and he got up off the bed to give me a hug.

"Katrina." he sighed into our embrace. "This is terrible. That whole thing with Noah was a set up. He wanted this to happen."

It sadly made sense to me. "And now you can't go to prom."

He nodded. "And I can't graduate, and I can't go to school. Which also means I'll be seeing you less of the time and being locked in my room with maximum security for most of it."

"Maximum security?" I managed to laugh a little. "Anne just let me walk in through the front door straight up to your room. And you're grounded."

He cringed. "Don't remind me. Being grounded with Anne around is horrible. No more cookies. No phone."

I hopped onto the bed with him. "No cookies." I reminisced. "What a pure tragedy."

"Honestly." he half smiled at me. "What's even worse is that now I have to sneak into prom."

My smile quickly faded. "You're not seriously going to do that, are you?"

I could tell that Harry was expecting a more positive reaction from me, but I honestly couldn't care less. The idea was ridiculous. It could get him into even more trouble than he already had been in.

Still, he nodded. "If this plan on Saturday doesn't follow through, I'll be forced to kill you when their guards are up. And I am not losing you-- do you hear me?"

I hesitantly gave him a thumbs up. "Just don't get into trouble, Harry please."

He frowned. It was obvious Harry didn't like to be told what to do, especially when he was under the assumption that he was on top of things. "I won't." he promised. "The hardest part of all of this is going four days without talking to you at all."

That sounded like torture to me, too. Whoever this was wanted Harry and I split, but I knew that it would be a hard job. We had become inseparable. "We'll make it."

He turned on the television and climbed under the covers. "I couldn't even survive an hour in here." he groaned. "When I want food, Anne opens the door and puts the plate on the floor. I'm on room arrest."

He was more than frustrated, which upset me in more ways than one. But there was nothing I could do about it. That felt bad, knowing that if the roles were switched Harry would find a way to sneak me out and go for a movie or something. I just wasn't as witty as he was. As smart; as cunning.

"Your visiting hours are over." he said in a monotone voice, his blank eyes glued to the television. His voice returned to normal and he said, "Bye Kat. Thanks for coming to see me."

I hated to see him like this. "We'll talk soon, alright?" I asked for reassurance but he just shrugged.

"In case you haven't noticed, I can't make any contact with the outside world right now."

"We'll talk soon, alright?" I asked again, my voice more firm this time. He raised an eyebrow at me and nodded, and with his affirmation I walked out his bedroom door and down the stairs.

Now if only I had a ride back home.