Katie's Glimpse (The Glimpse Series) (5 page)

  He parked in my
driveway and we slowly got out of the jeep. Both of us attempting to delay our
goodbye.

   He took my hand,
and I leaned against his shoulder as we walked to the door. “I had a great time
with you tonight. Thanks for choosing me to be your first date,” he said,
turning to face me.

    “I’m glad it was
you,” I whispered, feeling my cheeks redden and my heart race as he leaned his
head down towards mine. I knew what he was about to do, and I had no plans to
stop him.

  Seth’s warm lips
met mine. It was a short kiss, over before I even realized it began. He stroked
the side of my face with the back of his hand and whispered, “Goodnight.”

  “Uh, goodnight,” I
stammered out, turned, and stumbled into the house.

  I heard his
chuckle as I closed the door. I leaned against it, listening for his jeep, and
heard it pull out of the driveway. I turned and found my parents sitting together
on the couch. I tried to disguise the huge grin on my face but couldn’t. It was
determined to stay there, now that Seth was in my life.

  I sat on the couch
with my parents and answered their questions about my first date. I had
fun...he was nice...no, he didn’t kiss me. I knew that last one was a lie, but
I didn’t think it mattered much. They asked if we were going to be dating now,
and I replied I wasn’t sure. Seth said he had a good time but didn’t ask me out
again, so I didn’t know where this was headed- if anywhere.

  I said goodnight
and rushed upstairs to get ready for bed. I snuggled under the covers and began
to giggle. My night had been amazing, and I was bombarded with all these new
feelings, but part of me was nervous about what school would be like on Monday.
Would he ignore me, or would we be a couple now?
I tossed and turned but
finally managed to drift off to sleep, dreaming of one of the boys of fall.

Anxiously, I plodded
into school on post-date Monday, not ready to face the possible rejection from
Seth. I had filled Hallie in about my date when she visited after church on
Sunday. She was tickled for me, going on and on about me finally having a
boyfriend. I quickly shut that conversation down, and informed her I wasn’t
sure what we were to each other. He hadn’t called me after our date, and I had
a sinking feeling it was going to be our only one.

When I made it to my
locker though, Seth was already there, leaned against a locker chatting with
Hallie. He smiled when he spotted me and stood up straight. Hallie made a ridiculous
kissy face behind his back causing me to giggle. He turned to her, but she
already had her innocent look back in place. She smiled sweetly, shrugged her
shoulders, and took off towards class.

He shook his head,
laughing, and reached for my hand. “Have you missed me like I’ve missed you?”

 Well, I guess he
still likes me after our date.
“I have missed you, Seth. So, does this mean we’re a couple now?” I asked
hesitantly.

“Yup,” he replied
and just like that, we were together.

 Seth Turner was my first
real boyfriend, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

***

     I went to all
his home football games, cheering for him until I was hoarse. He’d look for me
in the stands and smile when he found me. It made me feel special for him to
acknowledge me in front of the whole school. We walked the halls side by side
and ate lunch together every day.

About three weeks
into our relationship, Seth informed me we were going to sit with his friends
from now on. I dragged Hallie with me, and she tried to sit by JT but after he
completely ignored her a couple of times, she gave up and sat beside me. She
stopped talking and became more distant with each passing day. I tried
desperately to include her, but she finally said she just didn’t fit in with
that crowd and started eating lunch with some kids from our church youth group.
I missed her terribly, but Seth would lead me away when I would try and hang
out with her at school.

 “Look, Katie, I
know she’s your friend. I like her too but you’re with me now, and I expect you
to spend your free time with only me, okay?” he said as he drove me home from
school one afternoon.

     Hallie had been
my best friend for years, but I didn’t want to lose Seth. I was beginning to
think I was in love with him. “Okay,” I replied but knew it was a lie. I wasn’t
about to stop being her friend for anyone.

He patted my knee
before turning up the volume on that football song again and began to sing
along. I was tired of listening to it, but I plastered a smile on my face and
pretended to enjoy it.

***

Seth took me out on
dates every Saturday night. We went to the movies, out to dinner, and even to
the fair when it came to town. He even joined me at church some Sundays. My
parents were thrilled that I finally met such a great guy and so was I. At
school, I occasionally snuck off with Hallie, but Seth always found me and made
me hang out with his friends instead.

I began to notice
something strange about JT. He seemed to watch me quite a bit, and I didn’t
care for it. He would also brush up against me in the hallways or stand just a little
too close. He caught me alone coming out of the bathroom one night after a football
game and blocked the exit. He appeared sweaty, obviously not showering after he
played.

 “Hey, there you
are. I was looking for you,” he said, leering at me.

 I took a step back,
alarms sounding in my head. “Why?”

 He chuckled, the
sound echoing off the bathroom walls. “I wanted to talk to you alone for a
minute. I get the feeling that you don’t like me, but I’m a nice guy so I don’t
understand why?”

 “I..I don’t really
know you,” I stammered.
And I don’t want to.
I couldn’t hold back the
small shudder that ran through my body.

 “Well, we could
always change that,” he said in a hushed tone, a smirk crossing his face.

Fear surged
throughout every pore of my body, and I began to pray silently for protection.

 “Uh..no thanks.
I’ve got to go,” I blurted out, attempting to get past him. He finally moved,
but only far enough that I still had to brush against him to get by. I cringed
when I felt his chest touch my arm. I practically ran to find Seth and stayed
stuck to his side the rest of the night. I didn’t tell him what happened. I
just let it go, thinking maybe I’d made more of it than it really was.

***

     We’d been
dating a little over a month and everything seemed perfect, with the exception
of his creepy friend. I planned to tell Seth I was in love with him after his
football game but they played terribly and lost. He was in a bad mood and it
was something I’d not seen before. I waited for him by the fence like always,
but when he came out he didn’t greet me with his usual smile and kiss. Instead
he reached out, grabbed my hand and jerked me hard in the direction of the
jeep.

It startled me. I’d never
seen him like this before. “Wh-What’s wrong, Seth?” I asked, unable to steady
my voice.

 He remained silent.
I figured he would be upset after the loss but this was more than that. He
didn’t speak as he practically dragged me across the parking lot.

 “Get in, Katie,” he
growled, once we were beside his jeep.

 I gasped, shocked
at his tone of voice. I stared at him unmoving, confused, and afraid. Seth had
always been kind to me. He had never raised his voice. I opened my mouth to
speak but before I could, he pressed me against the side of the jeep with his
body, his hands clenching my waist roughly.

 I felt his nails bite
into my skin as he dug his fingers into the soft flesh above my hip bones. “Why
can’t you just do what I say?” he roared.

 I stared into his
eyes and noticed they weren’t their usual green. They were darker, and I saw
something in them I had never seen before- rage.

  “Seth, let go of
me. That hurts,” I pleaded, almost in a panic.

 Breathing heavily,
he finally released me. “Please, Katie, get in the jeep,” he said, his voice
softer.

 I didn’t hesitate.
I turned and opened the door, climbing in the jeep as best I could with my legs
feeling like jelly. I slumped into the seat and tried to slow my pounding
heart.
What is going on with him?
He climbed in, settling in his seat,
but didn’t move to start the jeep. He turned to me, and I peeked up at him
through my lashes.

  “I’m sorry. I
didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m just so mad. My coach got in my face after the
game, and I took it out on you.”

 I studied his eyes,
they were back to normal. Whatever I’d seen a few minutes before, was gone.

 He reached over and
cupped my face with his hands. “I love you, Katie,” he whispered as he lowered
his lips to mine.

 I froze for a
second, unsure of what I felt, but as I thought back on the past month, I
realized how happy he made me.
He said he’s sorry, and he sounds sincere.
I let it go and returned his kiss.

We went on to
dinner, talking and laughing like normal, the incident at the jeep forgotten.
He walked me to my front door later that night and kissed me gently.

 “I love you,” he
said, gazing into my eyes.

 I smiled, enjoying
the sound of those words coming from his lips. “I love you too, Seth.”

 I reached up and
placed my hand over his heart. He tugged on my arm, pulling me against him.

  “I’ve been waiting
to hear those words from you. It took you long enough.”

 I rested my head
against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “I’ve known it
for a while. I just couldn’t say it first,” I whispered.

  He rubbed his hand
down my arm, taking my hand in his. I leaned back to watch his face. He brought
my hand to his lips and kissed it. “And you’ll never say it to another guy. I’m
it for you, and you’re it for me,” he said and gave me a cocky grin.

 I stilled at his
words.
Is he serious?
He hadn’t given me time to process his intense
comment before leaning down and kissing me passionately. All thoughts I had
before the kiss fled my mind. He smiled once more before sauntering back to his
jeep.

I went inside the
house, knowing my face glowed. Mom glanced over at me from the couch, where she
sat folding laundry.

“What’s with the
giant grin?” she asked with a laugh.

 I giggled and reached
for a towel. “Seth told me he loved me.”

 Mom’s smile matched
my own as she took the towel from my hands, threw it back on the pile, and
scooted closer to me. “So, how do feel about him?”

 I knew she already
saw the answer on my face but wanted to hear the words. I felt myself blush all
over.

 “I love him too,
and I think he might be the one for me.”

She pulled me in for
a tight hug before leaning back and looking into my eyes. “You know your dad
will want to talk to both of you if this is getting serious.”

    “Mom, I already
told him I was saving myself for my husband, and he is fine with that.”
Good
grief! Dad seems determined to run him off.

 “Good, he seems
like a wonderful boy,” she said, smoothing my ponytail.

 I rolled my eyes.
“Mom, he’s not a boy. You make it sound like we’re twelve.”

     She laughed
loudly. “Sorry honey, but you know you’ll always be my baby girl. I don’t care
how old you get.”

 I leaned my head on
her shoulder, and she kissed my forehead. We said our goodnights, and I climbed
the stairs to my room. I took off my clothes and was about to slip on my
pajamas, when I caught a glimpse of something dark in my reflection in the dresser
mirror. I looked down at my bare belly and noticed two small purple bruises
above my hips. I reached down, touching one, and winced at the pain. I turned
to the side and there, on the back of my hip, were four small bruises in a row.
I twisted to look at the other side and saw the same pattern of bruises there too.
I stared at them as a tear fell from my eye and rolled down my cheek. The happiness
and love I’d felt only a few minutes before had vanished. I tried to mold my
fingers to fit the bruises but couldn’t, because Seth’s hands were much larger
than mine.

***

     The next day we
had a date to go to the movies, and my parents were about to leave to go to the
grocery store. Dad stopped at the front door. “Katie, watch for Seth out the
window. He’s not allowed to come in while we are not here,” he said.

     “I know, Daddy.
He won’t.”

He kissed my cheek
and smiled. “We trust you, pumpkin, but as your dad, I still have to say it,”
he said with a chuckle and they went out the door.

I ran upstairs to my
room to check my hair once more before Seth arrived. I heard the front door
close and called out, “Dad, did you forget something?”

I didn’t hear a
reply so I stepped into the hallway and there stood Seth with a huge grin on
his face.

“Seth? How did you
get in the house?”

 He gave me a sly
grin. “I saw your parents drive away and tried the door. It wasn’t locked.”

I put my hands on my
hips, angry at him. He knew the rules. “You’re not supposed to be in the house
when they’re gone.”

 He sighed and
rolled his eyes. “Don’t be such a baby. I just want to see your room.”

 “No, Seth. They trust
me,” I said, holding out my hand to keep him back.

 He brushed past me
and stuck his head into my room. He laughed as he stepped in and looked around.

 “Man, even your
room looks innocent.”

 I looked around my
room. It looked normal to me. “What do you mean?”

 He picked up a
stuffed teddy bear that was on my dresser. It was one I had since I was a
little girl. He held it out and shook it at me.

 “Don’t you think
you’re a little old for this?”

 I walked in and
took it from him. “Let’s go, Seth,” I said, putting it gently back on my
dresser.

 He wasn’t done though.
He sat down on my bed and noticed my pajamas on the floor. He picked up the
shirt and shook his head. “Tell me you don’t seriously sleep in these hideous
pajamas. They’re covered in kittens.”

 I felt tears well
up behind my eyes and looked down at the floor. I’d never been so embarrassed.
Why
is he being so mean to me?

 “Hey, come here. I was
only playing,” he said, his voice gentle.

 I walked over to
him and stopped. He grabbed my waist to pull me forward and his hands hit my
bruises, causing me to cry out in pain.

 His head shot up,
his eyes searching my face. “What’s wrong?”

 “Nothing,” I
replied quickly.

 He lowered his
head, staring at my middle for a second before raising my shirt. He cringed
when he spotted the bruises on my belly. He turned me to the side and tried to
tug my jeans down so he could see the others, but I placed my hand over his,
stopping him.