Kathy spent an entire week locked up in her room, barely eating anything, trying to dry her eyes permanently. It wasn't such a big deal, she told herself, but it didn't work. Donnie's rage-filled face still popped up in her nightmares. She actually suspected she had a mild form of PTSD.

As much as she tried to purge his memory from her house, it seemed buried inside every piece of furniture, tied to every little gesture. His goodbye was so confusing. Was the Donnie she loved still in there, fighting to come out and get back to her?

Her brain had somehow separated her ex into two separate entities. Jerk druggie Donnie and her best friend and the boy she loved. It didn't help. She spent every waking minute trying to push the two back together into a full, ugly package.

The confusion gave Kathy a headache beyond her injuries. And she seriously wished her parents would stop finding excuses for Donnie and giving her updates on his progress, as if he'd suffered from something that wasn't his entire fault.

It all culminated with Cassandra coming to her room two days after her breakup. Kathy's face was still swollen both from the punch and all the crying, and it made her mom scrunch her nose.

"Honey, we need to talk."

Kathy sat up in bed and scooted over to make room for her mother. Cassandra sat on the edge of the mattress as if she were afraid she'd catch some form of madness from her daughter.

"I waited for you to get a little better before having this talk, but there are things which need to be said." Her mother's voice was weary, exhausted. "I don't like what happened."

"Me neither," Kathy said. Her voice was so croaky, she could barely recognize it.

"I think this family has suffered enough. We need... I need peace of mind. I lost a child and I'm not about to lose my second one."

Kathy's eyes filled with tears again. "You're not going to lose me, Mom."

"I surely hope not. What you did, how you threatened us..."

Kathy blinked. "What?"

"I know this is hard, that this isn't ideal, but Donnie is Donnie. We've all known him since he was a baby. He's going through a rough time and you need to stand by him."

"Stand by him? Mom, he hit me! He's been abusive to me--" She halted when Cassandra raised her hand.

"He made a bad choice. But he's sorry."

"How do you even know that?" Her voice came out high and desperate.

"He apologized to us thoroughly. I know he also apologized to you."

"That doesn't make what he did okay!"

Did it? Was she being unreasonable? The look on her mother's face said that much. But she couldn't even think about speaking to Donnie, letting him touch him again.

"You are not perfect either," Cassandra said. "You failed to notice there was something wrong which I find very disappointing. I-- You've both made mistakes. So I think it's your duty, as his girlfriend, to be by his side through this."

"I broke up with him, Mom. That's why he hit me. Right after he embarrassed me in front of the whole school."

"Did you have anything to be embarrassed about?" Cassandra was merciles and Kathy's chest felt as if it was being squeezed by a giant vice. "Because I didn't raise you to have a reputation."

Kathy had nothing to say to that. She wasn't sure she could even speak without bursting into tears. All she knew was that her mother was tearing her apart, placing the blame on her shoulders. But was she right? Was Kathy the bad guy?

"Promise me that you will call him," Cassandra said.

Kathy wanted to protest. To rage, to scream, but she could see it wouldn't do her any good. It would just deepen the trench between her and her mother and she couldn't handle that. After William and Donnie, she couldn't lose her mother as well.

So she just nodded in acceptance.

Her mother patted her head. "Good girl." Then she let herself out.

Kathy buried her face in her pillow and started crying again. She'd said she'd call Donnie. She didn't say when.

🧩🧩🧩

Loneliness was both welcomed and maddening.

Without a phone, Kathy had contact with no one but Kelly who came over every day to bring her their homework. It lay in a huge pile on her desk, untouched.

Kathy didn't see the point in catching up. Her plan had been to get into a good college so that she and Donnie could move away together and start a new life that would include marriage, good jobs and two kids. That life was over before it even had a chance to take off.

Friday afternoon found Kathy laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering if she should go downstairs for something to eat or pretend she wasn't hungry. She had no idea how long she could miss school, but she hoped it was forever. Returning to the place it all happened was the last thing she wanted to do, right under pulling her nails out.

A knock on the door broke her out of her miserable thoughts and she was actually glad to see Kelly coming in, despite the huge pile of books in her hands.

"Our homework," she announced grimly, dropping the books on Kathy's desk. She eyed the mountain of undone homework, but didn't comment on it. "How are you feeling?"

"Pathetic," Kathy answered, sitting up. "Useless, mortified, hurt." Betrayed by her own family.

Kelly sat next to her on the bed. "Your face looks better. Almost normal."

"I wish the pain inside would dim, too," Kathy mumbled.

"You need to get out of this house," Kelly said, spitefully. "Get away from the memories."

Kathy tilted her head, watching Kelly interested. The idea had never come to her before, mostly because she didn't have where to go, but now that she thought about it, a weekend at Kelly's could do wonders. "I think that could work."

"And I know the perfect place," Kelly said brightly.

"Wait, what?"

"Joey's uncle has this really awesome cabin just two hours away, practically in the middle of nowhere, and he said we could have it for the weekend. It would be great to cheer you up," Kelly went on.

"Kelly, I'm not going away with you and Joey." Especially not now. What was Kelly thinking? Being around happy couples was the last thing she needed.

"It's not just me and Joey," Kelly said quickly.

Kathy raised an eyebrow. "Really? Who else?"

"Kyle, of course," Kelly said, though even she didn't seem to think this was such a good idea.

Kathy hadn't spoken to Kyle since he'd dropped her home after the fight. Her lack of phone combined with the lack of energy had stopped her from contacting him. Of course he couldn't come over, and Kelly hadn't mentioned him except to let Kathy know he was off the hook. And she had this weird feeling things might be a little awkward between them now.

Whether it was from all her wailing, him pulling her into his lap, or that stupid kiss on the cheek, she couldn't tell, but the mere thought of seeing him made her want to disappear from embarrassment.

"I don't think so. Thanks for the invite, but I think I'll take a rain check."

"Please, Kay, I already told my mom we're going out there to cheer you up, and we can't do that if you're not actually there," Kelly pleaded.

Kathy frowned, and not because Kelly was calling her Kay, because she'd gotten used to that, but because her friend was using her as an excuse. "What's going on? Why are you making up excuses to spend time with Joey?"

"I... " Kelly bit her lower lip and Kathy guessed she would finally find out why she and Kyle played chaperones. "My parents don't agree with Joey," she finally said defeated.

"What? Why? You two are so good together!" Kathy said, outraged.

"I know, right?" Kelly sniffed. "But they think he's too much of a distraction for my senior year. I know what you're going to say, but I've actually managed to find balance and I'm up to date with all my homework. So I had to promise my mom that I wouldn't be spending time with Joey. She didn't mention I couldn't spend time with him and someone else, so as long as you or Kyle are around, I'm not technically breaking that rule."

"I'm really sorry." Kathy scooted on the bed and hugged Kelly's shoulders. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because I thought you'd side with them since our relationship looks so unhealthy from the outside..." Kelly wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "So please, come with us. You need to get away from here and I promise we'll have fun. I've already spoken to your mom and she thinks it's a good idea, too."

Her mom. Kathy shuddered. Even if she loved her parents and understood they were in pain, being away from them would do her good. She still felt betrayed by their take on what had happened. But leaving her room still felt impossible.

Kathy nibbled on her lower lip, torn between her need for self preservation and wanting Kelly to be happy. Her life was miserable right now, but that didn't mean others shouldn't find joy in things. And Kelly had been by her side like a true friend. She couldn't deny her this.

"Okay then." Kathy smiled. It hurt her face. "When are we leaving?"

"In two hours, so you'd better pack up." Kelly kissed her on the cheek and practically skipped out of the room.

🧩🧩🧩

Two hours later, Joey's yellow Camaro with black racing stripes pulled into Kathy's driveway. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and poked her head in the kitchen. Her mom sat at the table reading a magazine, a cup of tea in her hand.

"I'm leaving, Mom," Kathy announced.

Her mother raised her bloodshot eyes and gave her a weak smile. "Okay, honey. I have something for you before you go."

Kathy followed her into the hall, and her mom pulled a box out of her purse and handed it to her. Kathy looked at her brand new iPhone, feeling relief and dread at the same time.

"We couldn't salvage your old number, so you have a new one," Mom said. "But, given the circumstances, maybe it's better."

Kathy nodded, the dread easing away. "Thanks, Mom."

Her mom gave her a hug. "Text me when you get there and try to relax. Maybe even have fun."

Kathy hugged her mom tightly then hurried out before she started crying. Joey and Kelly waited by the car, huge grins on their faces. Kelly hugged her when they reached them, but what shocked Kathy was that once Kelly let go, Joey hugged her too. Her body tensed at the intrusive touch, but she sucked it up and returned the gesture.

"Thank you," he whispered. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"No sweat." She hoped her smile wasn't as awkward as she felt. She looked around, but they were alone. "Where's Kyle?"

"He got delayed, so he's meeting us there," Joey answered cheerfully and Kathy hoped she'd just imagined the apprehension in his voice.

Shrugging it off, she got in the backseat. Joey started the car and screeched out of the driveway.

"Road trip!" Kelly yelled, throwing her hands in the air and Kathy couldn't help but giggle.

"It's going to be great," Joey assured them. "The cabin's practically in the middle of the woods and it's quiet, peaceful and remote. You'll love it, Kay."

"Thanks for taking me, then," she answered with a grin and watched the scenery zooming outside her window. Joey drove insanely fast. They'd already exited town.

"It's going to be the best five days ever," Kelly said excitedly.

Kathy's head jerked in her direction. "What, five days?"

Kelly turned in her seat to look at her. "It's the long weekend, remember? There's a three day conference at school and we get time off. It was announced at the beginning of the year." Kelly's blue eyes widened. "I'm so sorry! It slipped my mind that you could've forgotten. It's all everyone's been talking about all week." She pursed her lips as a silent admission that it wasn't the only thing on the tips of people's tongues.

Kathy slumped in her seat. Of course she'd forgotten. She wasn't even one hundred percent sure what day it was, and it wasn't Kelly's fault.

"It's okay. My mom probably knows already since you're the one who talked to her."

Kelly nodded. Kathy gave her a weak smile and took out her new phone. So she'd only packed for two days, but she'd manage. It wasn't like she had many parties to attend over the weekend. She busied herself with adding Kelly's and Joey's numbers to her contacts. And Kyle's. She then stared at his name for a few minutes before finally deciding to send him a text.

Kathy: I got a new phone

And a new number, idiot. How would he know who was texting him? On cue, a message from him appeared.

Kyle: I'm happy for you, lucky stranger

Before she could finish typing her answer to let him know who it was, another message from him popped up: kidding. Happy for you, Kay

Kathy: how did you know it was me?

Kyle: your handwriting. I hope you're not driving and texting while Joey and Kelly are making out in the backseat.

Kathy grinned and typed, no, Joey's actually driving which means they can't make out. It's heavenly. She hesitated for a moment then asked, when are you coming?

Kyle: leaving in twenty minutes hopefully. Giving Joey a head start.

Kathy looked at Joey and Kelly who were singing along to the radio. They were adorable and she loved them to bits, but she wasn't ready to spend time with them when nothing stopped them from kissing and touching.

Kathy: okay, see you there

Kyle: don't worry, Kay. I won't leave you more than fifteen minutes alone with them

Sweet, but they had an hours' head start and Joey drove like a maniac. She closed her phone and decided to focus on her friends while their faces weren't glued together.

🧩🧩🧩

So, life goes on. But you've probably guessed that a lot of things are going to happen at this cabin. What are your predictions? Do you smell anything foul?

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