Page 1 of Perfect Chemistry

Chapter 1

Katie’s Point of View

August 23rd. Today was my last first day of school. I couldn’t wait to leave this place and see the world. I hated this town. Everyone knew everybody here, and there were no secrets to be kept. Every year I did my best to avoid the drama and bullshit, and just hope that something better would happen for me next year.

Knowing I still had one more year before I could leave made me grumble quietly as I dragged the brush through my hair for the umpteenth time before I headed into school.

I hated this school too. Biggest school in the state. Biggest gathering of assholes was more like it. Everyone here was so judgmental and critical about every little thing. Who was wearing what brands, or how you did your hair. Not to mention, who you dated said so much about your worth.

And here I was, finally a senior and had never had an actual boyfriend.

I had never been on a real date in my 17 and a half years on this planet.

I never had a guy pour his heart out to me. I just existed in this state for 17 years. Walking to my first class, my thoughts drifted to Kai. If Kai didn’t have a girlfriend this year, I would tell him how much he meant to me. I would tell him how much I liked him.

But that would never happen because he seemed to be dating all of my friends. This was what sucked about this town. As big as this town was, as big as this school was, we all knew each other. So, I was prepared to sit and pretend I cared about how great his relationship was with Alison. I didn’t.

Just like I pretended that I cared when he was dating Michelle. I didn’t. I didn’t care if he was happy with Jennifer, Janet, or Kimberly. I wanted him to be satisfied with me. I pretended that we were better off as friends. I told him about whatever random boy I had a crush on, but they didn’t hold a candle to my Kai. He was perfect for me. I just wished that he would see me as something other than one of the guys.

Imagine my elation when I arrived to second period and Mr. Tinneson paired me with Kai for chemistry labs! I had to keep calm and not squeal as we walked back to the lab benches. I didn’t know what was wrong with him today. He had seemed like he was distracted or upset about something since the class started. I didn’t know what happened over the summer, but I was sure I could get it out of him.

“Hey,” I whispered as we set everything up. “Are you okay? You don’t seem like yourself.”

I watched as his hands paused for a split second before continuing with the directions for the experiment. He looked at me from the corner of his eyes before he whispered quietly back.

“There’s this girl that I liked, but she doesn’t like me like I like her,” he confessed to me, and I heard my heart break as the test tube I held shattered on the floor.

“Shit! I am so sorry, Mr. Tinneson. It slipped out of my hand,” I apologized as I walked to the back of the room to get the dustpan, broom, and another test tube for the lab.

“Just clean it up, Katie. Thankfully, it was empty and didn’t have white phosphorus. But, be more careful,” Mr. Tinneson scolded me.

I returned to our lab bench and did my best to seem normal. I couldn’t cry in front of him again. “What were you saying?” I whispered to Kai, “about this crush you can’t have?”

His blue eyes sparkled, and then they looked into my big dull brown eyes. I wished he could look at me the way he saw the possible girlfriend. At least as someone other than one of the guys.

“It doesn’t matter. She doesn’t see me like that, so I decided to just let it go,” Kai whispered back to me as we observed the apparatus at work and took our notes.

“Is it someone I know?” I asked. “Maybe I could help you out?” Why did I offer to help him hook up with some other girl?

I watched as his body stiffened for a second. She was someone I knew. I only had so many friends in school, and he’d already dated most of them.

“Yeah,” was all that he responded to me with. He didn’t say anything else to me during the rest of the lab that wasn’t related to the experiment. It was the longest and most agonizing hour of my life.

When we had finally cleaned everything up and the bell rang, I grabbed my bag and left for my next class as quickly as possible. Thank God, I only had two classes with him this year. My eyes watered up as I lost myself in the crowded halls. It didn’t matter. I was leaving this town next summer. Whether my mom signed my contract or not, I was joining the military when I turned 18. I couldn’t stay here and watch him live happily ever after with someone else.

I found Andie at lunch and we grabbed a table together. She was going on and on about this person and that class, but I just felt like crying. I had been so excited to see Kai, and hoped even just a little, that maybe there was something more than friends possible.

“Hey, are you listening?” Andie asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

“What? Sorry, I didn’t hear you,” I confessed.

“I was saying that my sister invited me to go dancing Friday. Do you want to go?” She asked, her eyes twinkling with all kinds of evil thoughts.

I looked over to where Kai sat with all of the other jocks and sighed. What did I have to lose? “Sure, I’ll go. Sounds like it could be fun.”

Andie squealed loudly, and began hugging all over me which drew a bit of attention. I didn’t want to look to see if he noticed. I didn’t want to look and be reminded once again that this was all a one sided love.

By the time we were headed to our next class, I was engrossed in whatever crazy shit Andie was planning for Friday night. She was amazing and had me laughing to the point of tears in no time at all.

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