Getting Back in the Swing of Things

[Katalina Harker]

The first week of classes had officially ended and Kat was having a hard time getting back in the groove of it all. She was thinking that this year was going to be a fair bit quieter and a bit less exciting, for lack of a better term. As she wandered out across the lakefront she grinned brightly at the now vacant spot right at the shore. The spot that had been inhabited by the Durmstrang students this time last year. Though she would miss having Katerina and Yvan here she was glad that the boat and everyone on it had gone back to wherever it was they were from.

It was a warm day so Kat pulled off her robes from over her uniform and spread it down on the ground under a tree. She sat with her back up against the tree with her legs crossed indian-style in front of her. This was going to be a good year, she was sure of it. After last year, this one had to be better she thought as she rested her head and closed her eyes, letting the light wind blow across her face.

 

[Kailey Harrington]

Kailey had decided to take a walk around the lakefront... She had, as of late, not been doing too well. With Njord coming back and Kailey finding out that Lemina liked him, then Kailey managing to find a way to blame herself for everything, she had had a pretty bad week... and lessons on top of it ll just seemed to be the poisioned icing on the burnt cake that was currently her life. She had been so wrapped up in these thoughts that she didn't see someoe coming until she had bumped into them. "Oh sorry." she said politely not bothering to see who she had ran into.

 

[Katalina Harker]

((Kat's sitting down on the ground ))

"Kailey, for the love of Merlin girl! Are you off in la-la land?" Kat said laughing at her friend who seemed oblivious to the fact that there was more than one person in the entire world, much less in the immediate vicinity. Kailey seemed to be a bit lost in her thoughts and that worried Kat slightly for some reason. "Woo hoo!! Earth to Kailey Paramore!" she yelled out after her friend.

 

[Kailey Harrington]

[-facepalm- I need to start rereading things...]

Kailey was thrown out of her thoughts by the sound of her best friend calling out. She shook her head a bit disoriented. "Oh Hey Kat!" she said with a false brightness before taking a seat next to her. "Sorry about that, I was just thinking about something." she said lightly "So, how have you been doing?" she asked, having not talked to her friend since her and Rhyspa left during the summer. "Good I hope!" she added

 

[Katalina Harker]

Kat gave her friend a skeptical look. Something was up and she was going to find out what. "Not a problem. And I've been well enough I suppose! How about you?" Kat asked with more than a slight amount of curiosity in her tone. Kailey was acting slightly off and Kat thought she had an idea as to why, but she'd let her friend confirm or deny those suspicions.

 

[Kailey Harrington]

"Thats good!" Kailey said "I've been doing well enough I suppose, I could be better I guess..." she responded, knowing it wouldn't do any good to try to put up a completely happy front, Kat knew her better than that. Kat probably already thought she was acting odd, Walking around like she was the onyl one alive and the unusual amount of chipperness she forced into her voice. I'm a horrible actress! Kailey thought... she didn't really know why she was trying to hide from Kat... Because you don't want to burden her prehaps? her mind suggested, yeah... That sounded about right to Kailey.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"And you're a horrible liar!" Kat exclaimed as she nudged her friend in the arm. The facade that Kailey was putting on was the worst one that she'd ever seen. "You gonna spill or are you gonna make me drag it out of you? The choice is yours of course!" she said seriously. Kat knew that the earlier Kailey just let it out the easier the recovery would be in the long run...or at least that's how it had been in her case, she just hoped it would be the same for her friend.

 

[Kailey Harrington]

"I swear... I can lie to everybody but you and Rhyspa!" Kailey exclaimed looking at her friend and letting out a sigh of semi fake annoyance. "I suppose I may as well just tell you because knowing you you would probably find some way to LITERALLY drag it out of me!" she said and thought a few moments. "But where exactly should I start from? Do you really want to hear the whole thing?" Kailey asked, it was quite a long story... but Kat was her best friend.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"Best friends remember...does you no good to lie to us, we'll just figure it out eventually!" Kat said with a goofy grin on her face and then added, "Good choice! Though dragging it out of you might have been a bit fun!" The look on her face turned very serious and she said to Kailey, "Every last little detail! Start from the beginning!" Kat had a feeling she already knew bits and pieces, but she wanted to hear it from the horses mouth.

 

[Kailey Harrington]

"You're probably going to hate me after I finish explaining this." Kailey said groaning and resting her head in her hands for a moment before she started to explain... She had planned on giving Kat a semi deatailed account of what had recently happened, but before she could stop herself the whole story... From the night of his departure, to the fling with Jake and the circumstances behind it, How every kiss felt slightly empty, to seeing Njord back sending her on a whole oter roller coaster of emotions, to when things had seemed to be going well again only to find out Lemina who she had become good friends with over the summer had liked him for a long time, all of her mixed up feelings of saddness, anger, confusion, betrayal, and guilt she felt, and how she blamed herself for it all. By this point a couple of tears were running down her face and she had to take a few deep breaths... It certainly felt good to get all of that off of her chest.

 

[Katalina Harker]

Kat listened intently as Kailey spilled everything. There were parts that she knew and then some parts that honestly shocked her. The fling with Jake this summer being one of them. Kat totally hadn't seen that one coming at all, but figured it was a rebound relationship and really didn't have too much meaning for Kailey. As far as Njord returning, Kat had already known that as he showed up at work for the meeting and she hadn't had much of a chance to talk to him to find out just what in Merlin's beard was going on. Then there was the issue of Lemina liking Njord. That was a delicate subject and could be sat on the back burner for now.

Kat had to think through all the information before she could carefully choose her words. "So the thing with Jake...that was after Rhyspa and I left right? I mean I didn't notice anything going on with the two of you, but I could have easily missed something." That addressed the first of her questions, now on to the one that was probably going to sting a little for her friend, but it would be better in the long run. "Have you, urm, talked to Njord since he came back? I mean, don't you think you should?" Kat asked as she picked a blade of grass and twirled it between her fingers.

 

[Kailey Harrington]

"Yeah... We started hanging out and we became pretty close... Then his girlfriend broke up with him, We kind of bonded over that... and it just happened, It didn't really have any meaning for either of us and we agreed to keep in touch as friends... But still, I can't help but feel extremely guilty about it." Kailey replied to Kats first question as Kat started to speak Kailey knew what was coming. once her suspicions had been proven right Kailey shook her head, "No... I know I probably should... But, I think I need some more time... to sort things out in my head." she offered a weak excuse, but really... she was just a coward or atleast it felt that way to her.

 

[Katalina Harker]

It was still a bit of a shock to think of Kailey and Jake in a relationship, even if it had been a temporary one. The guy was cute and really nice, but just didn't seem Kailey's type. Kat listened as Kailey gave a very feeble attempt at an excuse as to why she hadn't talked to Njord. She shook her head and chuckled a little under her breath. "Kailey Elizabeth Paramore! That's crap and you know it. You don't even believe that yourself." she said in a mock disciplinarian tone. She smiled warmly and then added more seriously, "You need to talk to him Kailey. Sort this thing out. It's gonna hurt like hell, I'm not going to lie to you, but if you don't do it then it's just going to hurt worse in the end. I can go with you if you want me to. You know, like moral support!"

 

[Kailey Harrington]

Kailey let out a soft chuckle before saying "You Katalina Emmalyn Vanderhol know me way too well for either of our well beings!" she then let out a sigh "I know I need to...I'd like for you to come with me, but then I know if you do he may feel a bit like were ganging up on him... But I'd probably chicken out if I didn't have someone there with me... Maybe you can just be there to kind of... shove me towards him and them block all of the exits?" Kailey suggested only half joking

 

[Katalina Harker]

"Yeah well what are best friends there for if not to be eerily aware of what is going on in the others life?" Kat asked laughing. She was hoping that this would help tie up some loose ends for Kailey...maybe make things a bit easier on her. "I don't want him to feel like he's being ganged up on. I'll just be there, lurking in the background. I won't say one word...it'll almost be like I'm not even there, but Kailey I'm telling you that you need to do it soon. Like as soon as humanly possible." Kat said with a hint of urgency in her tone. Having 'been there done that' before, Kat knew that the better this was all out in the open between both parties, the better off they'd all be.

 

[Kailey Harrington]

Kailey laughed at Kats comment before saying "Okay... you would know best about this after all..." Kailey replied remembering she had ben through something similar to this. "But I don't have to tell him about Jake do I?" she asked "I don't know how he would react to that." she added giving a small involuntary shiver "But... I'd probably feel guilty, oh I don't know!" she exclaimed frustrated.

 

[Katalina Harker]

Kat just rolled her eyes at Kailey's comment about her knowing best about this type of situation and then said, "Well I guess I have a bit of expertise with boys who like to disappear and then suddenly reappear. Though I'm really hoping that's not going to become a trend with the male population around here." She thought on Kailey's next question for a few minutes, not really sure what kind of advice to give her about it. This was where her situation was different, at least Kailey had tried to move on whereas Kat had sunk into a funk that had been hard to get out of.

"Hmm, well, I'd wait to see how the initial conversation goes. You'll have to tell him eventually of course...at least I think you should, but that's totally up to you. Might be better to get that out in the open now that way it's not eating at you." Kat said seriously to her friend.

 

[Kailey Harrington]

"I certainly hope not..." Kailey added her voice getting soft "But... I'm extremely afraid of what his reaction will be...But I suppose he'd be even angrier if he found out way later... Oh I'm so confused about this." Kailey said her voice getting quieter as she did to where it was almost a whisper. Every possibility that had played through her mind had been negative.

 

[Katalina Harker]

In the little time that she'd known Njord she'd never really known him to be once to get angry over something so trivial and Kat was sure that he would understand that what had gone on between Kailey and Jake had been nothing at all. "Kailey, I don't think he's got it in him to be angry over something like that. I've seen the way he looks at you in classes. It's quite pitiful actually, I feel a bit sorry for him. I know he's remorseful for what he's done. Just be honest with him." Kat said as she patted her friend on the shoulder.

 

[Kailey Harrington]

Large sparks of surprise flashed through her eyes as Kat had said she noticed the way he had looked at her in class. "He's really been looking at me in classes? In a way that makes you fell sorry for him? Wow..." Kailey replied blinking a few times... she hadn't noticed, then again she had been so intent on avoiding him for the past few days that she wouldn't have. She let out a sigh and said "I've been such an idiot!" before resting her head in her hands.

 

[Katalina Harker]

Kat laughed a little at Kailey's surprise. "You really haven't noticed? It's like he wants to say something to you, but is afraid of screwing something up...again." she said honestly and then replied to her friend's comment saying, "You're fourteen, screw ups are mandatory! Merlin knows I've had more than my fair share of them."

 

[Kailey Harrington]

She lifted her head from her hands and looked back at Kat, "Well I've been kind of busy... Avoiding him." Kailey admitted shame lacing her voice "I kind of want to talk to him, but I'm no Gryffindor... I'm scared out of my mind and don't have the bravery to talk to him. Promise me the next time were within close proximity of him you'll kind of, give me a push in the right direction?" she asked confidence in herself to do it on her own very low. "Thats true I suppose... I just hate it when you're actually in the process and the aftermath of a major screw up though everyone does." she added

 

[Katalina Harker]

"I think the avoidance is a normal thing. I'd probably do the same thing if I were in your position so being a Gryffindor has nothing to do with cases like these." Kat said honestly with a nudge to her friend. She wished that Kailey was a bit more confident in herself, but she didn't know what to do to make her friend see herself the way they all saw her. Maybe it was one of those things she'd have to figure out on her own. Kat smiled at Kailey's request and said, "Should I push you hard enough to warrant him some concern...maybe trip you a little bit? Or just a gentle nudge to where you might gently bump into him?" A sly grin spread across Kat's face as she waited to see what Kailey's response would be, hoping that her friend would pick up on the joke.

 

[Kailey Harrington]

Kailey laughed at her friends obvious joke, "How did I know you'd respond like that?" she asked already knowing the answer, "But you know what? Is it odd that after all of this I still want to be with him? I've never felt this strongly about a guy Kat... and to be honest it kind of scares me." she admitted, knowing that Njord had her heart in his hands and her emotions were hanging on a series of strings which he now shared a fair bit of control over without even knowing it. That thought scared Kailey worse than any physical fear could.

 

[Katalina Harker]

At one point in time Kat could have said that she knew almost exactly what Kailey was going through, but after a bit of careful examination of her past relationships there wasn't one that she could honestly say that she still wanted to be with. If you would have asked her this time last year then she would have said differently especially after the promise she'd made to Makato at last years Yule Ball. Kat could tell that Kailey was dead serious and that made her slightly envious of her friend because if she was being honest with herself, she hadn't had that yet and at the rate she was going she never would.

"Then there's only one thing to do...suck it up and go after what you want. Kailey fight for him!" Kat said, her voice cracking a bit. "I can't imagine what you're feeling, but I'm sure it must be strong if you have these types of emotions. I'm a bit jealous." she said flushing slightly.