Chapter Four

Kate fell asleep to the heavenly feeling of Robby running his hands through her hair.  Her mind wondered off to earlier in the year when she had been sitting with Alyssa in the drama portable just talking during lunch.

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“So who are you going with to Sweetheart?”  Kate asked sitting down on the table next to Alyssa.

Alyssa looked up at her with a dreamy look in her eyes and smiled softly.  “Well I know who I want to ask, but I don’t think I could.”

“Why not?”  Kate asked recognizing the shyness that had once ruled her own life.

“I don’t have the courage,” Alyssa looked over at him and could read in her eyes that she was waiting for the name of the person she wanted to ask.  “I want to ask Kyle, but I just couldn’t.”

Kate just smiled at her as a plan began to develop.  “I tell you what, you just ask someone that wouldn’t mind it if you would all of a sudden wonder off, and I’ll take care of everything else, okay?”  Alyssa looked at her a little confused but nodded in understanding.  “Okay, I’ll be back in time for King’s Players, but I need to go and run an erron first. I’ll see you in a little bit.”  Kate jumped off the table and slipped out the door in search of Kyle.

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Kat looked down at the list of who was sitting at the table with her and Kyle.  She was glad that he had agreed to go along with her little plan.  He would have done anything if it meant he got to spend time with Alyssa.  Kate thought that it was funny, the way Alyssa and Kyle were so obviously head over heals for each other but too shy to say anything to one another.  All they needed was one small push.

The next name on the list was Alyssa but in the slot for her date, all it said was “guest”.

“So Alyssa, so are you taking to Sweetheart?”  Kate asked as they sat down later that day at lunch.

“I don’t know.  I’m still working on that.”  Alyssa said somewhat troubled by the fact.

“Well you better hurry, it’s this Saturday.”  Kate reminded Alyssa with a laughing smile.

“Don’t worry, I’ll have a date by then.”  Alyssa reassured her.  Ever since Kat had come to her with this plan the wheels in her own head had stated moving.  She was going to make sure that she wasn’t the only one who what going to have a good time.

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Kate gave herself one last look in the mirror to make sure her hair wasn’t doing anything to crazy.  She had just gotten her hair chopped short about two weeks earlier and she was still getting used to it.  She had shocked people when in the middle of their senior chapel at school she cut her hair so it was short and spiky, before she cut it her hair had been down to her waist!

Her hair for Sweetheart was done spiky and a little funky.

She smiled as she heard laugher form downstairs.  Alyssa had come over that morning and they had spent the whole day having fun and then had gotten ready together.

Kyle had shown up about 10 minutes ago.  As soon as she had both of them comfortable, she had excused herself.

Alyssa’s date was due any minute.  Alyssa still hadn’t told her who it was, only that he was a good friend and that he wanted to drive.

Kate hear the door-bell and was about to get it but Alyssa yelled up the stairs that she would get it.  Kate shurgged and put the last touch to her outfit, just the perfect amount of glitter to make her sparkle.  The glitter had been Alyssa’s idea.  She said that it was the perfect touch to her white dress, Kate’s mom had told her that the dress made her glow and look like and angle.  With the glitter, it finished the look.

Alyssa came up the stairs and stood in the bathroom doorway.  “Oh my gosh, Kate, you look absolutely beautiful!”  She sighed, leaning back against the doorframe.  “All the guys are going to want you to dance with them.”

“Who’s the lucky one?  You are going to be the one dancing with the guy that you like.”  Kate gave Alyssa a knowing look, and she in turn blushed.

“With the way you look tonight, so will you.  You’ll have the pick of all the guys there.”  Alyssa caught the flash of sadness across Kat’s face before she was able to cover it up.

Kate smiled down at Alyssa, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes.  “You’re just saying that.”  Alyssa couldn’t help but smile, Kate was in for a surprise tonight.

“Ready to head down?”  Alyssa asked brightly.

“You bet!”  Kate gave Alyssa’s hand a little squeeze.

As the girls started down the stairs Kate could see Kyle and Alyssa’s date.  He was tall, thin, and oddly familiar.  His back was turned towards them so that they couldn’t see his face.  Kyle was standing next to him looking handsome in his tux, and his eyes never left Alyssa as they were coming down, he elbowed Alyssa’s date to turn around.  Kate stopped when Robby’s eyes locked with hers.  He didn’t’ even glance at his sister standing next to her.

Robby tried to take everything in, the dress flowed around her as she moved and the way it clung to her body in just the right places.

“Well?”  Alyssa’s voice snapped him out of his gawking trance, by then her and Kate were standing in front of the boys.  She twirled around in her dress so he could get the full effect.  Her red dress poofed out at the waist to give her the presence of royalty.

“Wow,” was all Robby could say but he still wasn’t looking at Alyssa.  His eyes were still on Kate.

Kate blushed and looked down with a little smile.

“I knew this would work.”  Alyssa whispered to Kyle with a wink.

Kate’s mother ushered them all into the living room.  “Okay picture time.”  Kate had told her that she had set up Alyssa and Kyle, so she took the pictures accordingly.  Mrs. Faith wasn’t obvious, she made the excuse that she wanted a variety of pictures, she ended up taking almost a whole role of pictures.  “Mandy and Drake will meet you there okay?”  Mrs. Faith joked as they were heading out the door to Robby’s car.

Alyssa and Kyle had headed out first and piled into he back seat together.  “You’re driving your mom’s van?”  Kate commented.

“Yah, Alyssa insisted, she said she didn’t want to try and hassle with getting in and out of my car in her dress.”  Robby said sounding as if it had been a bit of a soar subject.  Robby opened the passenger side door to let Kate in.

Kate tried stepping up into he van but her heal caught itself in the door frame and she fell backward.  Luckly for her she fell into Robby’s waiting arms.  “How did I know that was going to happen?”  Robby jokingly whispered into her ear.  He could smell the enticing aroma wafting from Kate’s skin.  It was a smell all her own, a bland of strawberries and mint.  Robby was all too awair that Kate was still wrapped in his arms and that he wasn’t ready to let her go, but if they stayed that way any longer his sister just might notice and then he would never hear the end of it.

He lifted up Kate’s delicate body and deposited her gently in her seat.

All the while that they were driving Kate couldn’t get the thought of Robby’s arms around her out of her mind, and how he had effortlessly lifted her up and put her down into the seat.

Robby also couldn’t get his mind off that short moment of contact.  He couldn’t get the smell of her out of his head.  It didn’t help the fact that she was sitting so close.  He tried to distract himself by turning on the radio and concentrating on the road even more.

this is the story of a girl

who cried a river and drowned the whole world

and while she looks so sad in photographs

Kate hear the song come on and sighed, it was one of her favorites so she reached over to turn it up.

At the same time Robby reached over to turn up the radio, he liked this song.

Their fingers collided on the volume knob, and their eyes flew to eachother’s.  “Have you been reading my mind?”  Kate joked.  The thought of him reading her mind made her blush, she was thankful that she didn’t believe in those things.  She could feel the electricity between their touch and wondered if he felt it too.

Robby did feel the power in their touch but he wouldn’t admit it.

I absolutely lover her

When she smiles…

Robby thought how appropriate the words to the song where when he saw Kat’s intoxicating smile spread across her lips. So many times he had looked over at her face and seen a secret look.  She had so many demons inside of her, he was impressed by her strength to survive them and still not let it destroy her.

Robby pulled into he parking lot and parked the car. Alyssa and Kyle bullted from the van the moment it was parked.  Kate was just reaching for the door handle when the door opened for her and Robby’s hand reached out to help her down.  “Wouldn’t want you to fall again.”

“Watch our, you might jinx me.”  Kate joked as she accepted his offered hand and, this time, gracefully exited the van.  “Which way do we go?”  Kate looked around at the surrounding buildings on the waterfront.

“If it’s in the same building they took us after graduation last year, it’s this way.”  Robby guided her in the right direction with his hand resting lightly on her bare mid-back.

Kate shivered when she felt his hand on her skin.  Her dress was backless with a high front and spaghetti straps.

“Are you cold?”  Robby asked, concerned.

“A little, but I’ll be fine once we get inside.”  Kate shivered again when his hand moved slightly higher up her back.

Robby slipped his jacket off and rested it on her shoulders.  “Here.”  Robby pulled his watch out of his pocket, “We have over an hour before dinner, do you want to walk around down by the water for a bit?”

“Need you even ask?”  Kate joked.  She lipped her arms into the sleeves of Robby’s jacket and pulled it in close to her body, inhaling his sent that now encompassed her.  They didn’t get far before one of the chaperones spotted them and told them to start heading in and get their pictures taken, so they turned around and went inside.

“By the way, who are Mandy and Drake?”  Robby asked when he saw Kate scanning the different groups of people with her eyes.

“My aunt and uncle.  My parents arranged so that they could be chaperones at the dinner and at the dance.”

When they got to their table they saw that Alyssa had moved the seating arrangements so that her and Kyle were sitting together, leaving Kate and Robby next to each other.  Neither of them complained but they also didn’t let on that they had been hopping the change would take place.

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