AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ellis had added the question marks himself, his tone echoing the shocked look on Alex’s face. Katie’s too, actually. That didn’t sound like one of Landon’s jokes. Sure, she’d rudely hung up on him a few hours ago after saying the most embarrassing things she could imagine, but whoring around? That sounded a whole lot more viscous than the Landon she knew.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
Ellis gasped. "Oh my goodness, Kat! Who in the world is sending you these vile text messages?"
Oh thank god.It had been a really long time since she'd been happy to hear from Kyle.
Without even asking, Ellis clicked into the full conversation and started reading all the messages.
"Kat, you have to tell us what’s going on! This is insane and this guy is psycho!"
Tears sprung up in Katie’s eyes and not just because she was mortified, but because someone else finally knew. Someone else agreed that his messages were completely out of line. She’d been starting to wonder because, from her mother’s perspective, Katie was the crazy one.
Alex scooted to read over Ellis’ shoulder, then they both insisted she spill all the details.
So she gave it to them: the good, the bad, and some of the ugly, starting with when she’d started dating Kyle in high school. He was a popular, good-looking senior from a wealthy family. She was a shy sophomore who couldn’t believe he wanted to date her. Looking back, she realized how silly she was, following him around like a puppy dog, giggling with her girlfriends about bunny nicknames and first sexual experiences.
They stayed together when he went off to college and she planned to join him when she graduated. She wasted the rest of her high school years worrying he was cheating, while simultaneously ignoring all the hard evidence that he most definitely was. When she finally caught him red-handed, she broke it off and packed her bags for her dream school in Boston...until Kyle came swooping in with tears and an engagement ring.
They planned to marry after Kyle finished grad school, but they moved in together and things were pretty good for the next year or two. Looking back, there were some red flags, but nothing compared to how bad it got after Kyle graduated and couldn’t find that dream job he’d been so sure was waiting for him. He’d been forced to move back to their hometown and work for his dad, and like an idiot she’d followed.
That’s when the heavy drinking started. Then, the mean remarks and rough handling. She told herself if he ever actually hit her she would leave, and she surprised even herself when she actually did. It was a slap across the face and a shove into the edge of the table, neither of which hurt much, but it was enough for Katie to pack up and move, first back home with her mom, and soon after to a friend’s place when her mother continually let Kyle into the house despite Katie’s requests not to.
"Here’s the part where I’d like to say that I never spoke to Kyle again," Katie said.
Ellis and Alex groaned in mutual dismay. "Kat, please do not tell me you went back to him," Ellis pleaded.
"He came begging on his knees once again, this time swearing he’d gotten help for his…issues."
"But then he hit you again."
Ellis wasn’t entirely wrong, but also not entirely right. Katie squeezed her hands together before the prickles could make their way in. She suddenly wanted to be done with this conversation. To escape the claustrophobic panic waiting in the wings. She hunched one shoulder, then rolled it back and cleared her throat before answering.
"I wouldn’t sayhit, necessarily, but it wasn’t the same, so I broke up with him. It wasn’t after some big fight or anything, so he didn’t understand why. Then he tried once….we met up …but whatever, that was it. I was done."
"How long ago was this?" Alex asked, and Katie could see in his eyes that he knew there was more to the story.
"Since we broke up? A little over a year ago now. Almost a year-and-a-half."
"And he’s been sending you messages like this ever since?"
"No, he didn’t have my number up until a few days ago, but my dear mother, despite my explicit instructions not to, decided I might want to hear from him for some insane reason."
Ellis jumped back in. "I am seriously concerned for you, Kat. Not only do you have a heinous bitch for a mother—sorry, but it’s true—you also apparently have a psychotic stalker. How the hell are you keeping it together, girl? No wonder you’re dropping boxes of mugs at work!"
“No, no, I’m actually good about all of this,” Katie said, brushing off his concern. "The mug thing was just clumsiness and exhaustion from being run ragged by Lori. This stuff with Kyle, it’s…it’s the past."
"It’s not the past, he just called you a whore!" Ellis insisted. "This guy sounds dangerous, sweetie. Some of these messages are downright hateful. Maybe you should get a restraining order or something."
"For someone who lives on the other side of the country? No, no, it’s fine. Kyle is mostly talk anyway. As you saw, he does have a certain flair for words." She was trying to make a joke, but it fell flat, so she added, "I think I’m just going to block his number and delete the messages."
"I don’t know, maybe you should keep them," Alex piped in. "As evidence or something in case you really do have to get a restraining order."
Both men were making complete sense, but Katie didn’t want to hear it because she didn’t want to think about any of this. So she slurped up the last of the her Moonshine Margarita, rolled her shoulders, and gestured to the waitress for another round.
"Guys, you are amazing, and I appreciate your concern, but let’s talk about something else now. Anything else."
"Anything?" Ellis’ eyes lit up in excitement. "Like that young Val Kilmer who just sauntered in? Ooooh and he just gave you the look too, Kat."
