SOUNDTRACK: WhiteSnake -- Is This Love
"What on earth"? said Mrs Bernson startled. Cat came flying up the aisle, almost right behind Crissy.
"Don't worry Mrs Bernson, I got this", said Cat.
Harry swollowed hard, looked like he might wet himself, with his jaw on the floor.
"Cat" he said, too low for her to hear.
Cat flew out the door as fast as she could but Crissy was already out of sight. "Well crap -- now what"? she said, frustrated, before spotting Crissy's shawdow just outside the door, by the football field. Cat sighed to herself. She'd never seen Crissy this bad before. She took a deep breath, then went outside to see what she could do to comfort her.
She saw Crissy sitting on the bleachers, sobbing her heart out, in an excruciating emotional state.
"Criss, for goodness sakes, you're scarin me. What's wrong? What happened back there"? asked Cat.
"It's killing me inside Cat. The love I have for him grows stronger and stronger day by day; and that poem he wrote....with every word that came out of his mouth, he might as well have gotten a needle and thread and sown me to his side. That's how passionately I feel for him. I don't know how much longer I can take it, without saying something to him. I was so miserable, last night, trying to fall asleep and all I did was toss and turn, thinking about him, seeing his sweet, precious face", sobbed crissy.
Cat smiled softly at Criss and said: "You should have seen it baby. You couldn't even look at him, but he was sure lookin' at YOU. Almost every word he spoke, he had his eye on you. What's funny is, it seemed like the entire class was rooting for him. Even THEY knew who the poem was written about. I swear that boy never took his eyes off you during the last half of his reading. What does that TELL you?"
Crissy just sobbed, looked at Cat and said: "What am I gonna DO Cat"? Cat took Crissy's forehead and just layed it on her shouldar. "We'll think of something babygirl. We'll think of something. I will never leave you alone Criss. You won't have to face this by yourself. All I know right now is.....that boy wants you and I think this whole thing is gonna happen faster than you think. You should have seen.....the whole class...they got quiet, and everyone was practically Casper The Friendly Ghost white. Nobody saw this comin' as far as they could throw it. I'm tellin' ya one thing Crissy, people will remember this day for as long as they live. That boy got some new found respect in that class. They won't look at HIM the same way again...and that's a GOOD thing. In a sick, twisted, classification way, he got elevated to a whole new level in their eyes.
Crissy sniffled and looked at Cat and said: "Would you do me a favor? Go back to class, get my stuff, shove it in my locker, then bring me my keys. It's the last period of the day and I hate math anyway. I just wanna go home. I really need to think".
Cat said: "Criss, you know I'm your Beck-N-Call girl" she laughed. You're my home girl baby doll and you always will be. Give me a few minutes". Crissy watched Cat walk back to the school and round the corner of the building. She just lifted her head up toward the sun and closed her eyes. She inhaled and exhaled a long breath and, with her eyes closed, she let the sun warm her face and her hair.
Back inside the school, class had just let out but Cat noticed that Harry was still seated while the other students were leaving. They caught each other's eye and he looked at her as if to say "what happened-where is she"? Cat just dropped her eyes and walked past Harry to grab Christina's things. Harry just sighed in frustration. He turned around and looked
at Cat kneeling on the floor, gathering Crissy's things. His heart was heavy with grief at seeing Chrissy in such a distraught state of mind. He felt it was his fault and that he had caused her embarrassment, her tears,......
"Cat" he said, looking at her.
Catsha froze when Harry said her name, but she never met his eyes.
"Cat, where is she? Please...TELL me. I feel like it's my fault she's upset".
Cat just smiled softly to herself at those words. While still kneeling on the floor, she looked up at Harry. "You have no idea what you've done to her by reading that poem today. You should have seen it. I was watchin' the class almost the entire time". Her smile faded as she said: "It's why I didn't notice Crissy's soaked face until you were just about done".
Harry looked at her inquisitively, not sure what she meant.
"You were good up there", said Cat, voice shaking. "The day she noticed you, that day at the lacrosse game? I did everything I could to convince her that you weren't good enough for her, that she needed and deserved someone in her own social class; and boy, she sure yanked the rug out from under me that day", she said shaking her head, remembering that day as if it were yesterday.
Cat looked at Harry with tears running down her face. "Forgive me, please? I was wrong. I was so wrong about you. After you read that poem & I heard those things come out of your mouth...." Cat just shook her head. "I'm so stupid. Crissy keeps telling me not to judge a book by its cover and to not judge someone before you get to know them & I've gone
and done just that.
"We're from a whole different world than you Harold. You don't understand where we come from, what it's like for us. Not everything is so black and white in our world as it seems to be in yours. Both mine & Chrissy's parents are determined to marry us off to the first single Socialite Bachelor when we turn 18. Girls and boys from all walks of life look
forward to turning 18, but Chrissy and I have talked about it....extensively. We're DREADING it", said Cat, then she paused and looked at Harry.
Cat locked eyes with Harry and he could tell she was, at that moment, at her utmost sincerity. "Why can't I find a guy like you?" She paused and laughed to herself: "Maybe it's my own fault, I've been too judgmental. Maybe he was there & I missed him".
Harry just tilted his head at Cat and said: "Don't worry, he'll come along when you least expect it. I know he's still out there & when the time is right, the two of you will find each other. Fate always has a way of working itself out".
Cat, not sure she entirely believed Harry, just said: "At least with you, she'll find a way out. I've never seen her like this, not over a boy. I'M even seeing her in a new light. She's REAL about this. She's REAL" she said staring in Harry's eyes.
Harry just stared back, unable to open his mouth or move a muscle.
"So at any rate, I'm asking your forgiveness, not because of Chrissy, but for MY behavior, for what I said to her. Thank God she wouldn't listen to me. She's following her heart on this one...and it's leading her to you".
Harold was taught by his mother that when someone is sincere in asking your forgiveness.....you forgive them...no matter what. "Don't worry Cat, it's all water under the bridge -- we're good".
Cat smiled contentedly to herself & closed her eyes. she wiped her nose with the back of her fingers and said: "She's out by the football field. Today HAS to be the day. You HAVE to go to her....now"
Harry just looked at Cat with doubt and said: "Oh I don't KNOW Cat. After that poem, I...how do I know she'll want to see me? You saw her face. What if she's having doubts now? I embarrassed her, I indirectly put her on the spot, and even YOU said, the whole class seems to know it".
Cat just grinned and said: "You did no such thing Harry. You won her HEART. THAT much is certain. Look, the last period for you, is what? Study Hall? That's always optional during the last period of the day. You can pretty much go home if you want to".
Harry looked at her questioningly as to how she knew his class schedule. Cat caught on to his non verbalized question and just said: "Harry I don't know. You have to ask Crissy that. Somehow she knows your class schedule. She didn't tell me HOW she knew....she just kinda blurted it out a few days ago, haha!!"
Harry had to laugh to himself. Apparently he'd been on her mind as much as she had been on his.
Harry got up to leave and said: "I WILL finally talk to her. Thanks Cat, and.....for what it's worth, Chrissy is lucky to have a friend like you".
"Thanks Harry" she said, then almost forgetting, she said: "Here, take her keys and her purse. Don't worry she'll know what it means".
Harry walked out of school, then rounded to the back of the building, onto the huge field 100 feet away. As he got closer, he saw her. She had her back turned to him and it appeared she was still wiping tears from her face. His heart sank when he saw her. He honestly didn't know what to think of the way his poem had affected her. He knew that they were
both attracted to one another, but after his poem reading, it was Open Season on his heart....and it would be his fault if things didn't go as he had planned.
He was about 50 feet from her, and was about to take another step, when she turned around......they were now standing face to face.
"No turning back now Harold Timothy" he told himself.....
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