Kathleen's Story (14 page)

“I’
M SORRY
I can’t come to your banquet tonight,” said Mary Ellen. She was still in ICU with tubes and wires coming out of her body, but the feeding tube had been pulled that morning, so now, although her voice was raspy, she could talk.

“Mom, don’t worry, Holly’s dad is taping it and you’ll get to see the whole thing.” Kathleen had come up to visit her mother before the volunteer awards banquet, scheduled to begin soon in one of the hospital’s banquet rooms downstairs. “Besides, it could be boring.”

“I’d love being bored. I want to go home.”

“You will.” After her mother was released from the hospital, she would have to go to a rehabilitation facility until she could function on her own. No one could predict how long that would take.

“How are things at the house?”

“Fine. I stop by and check on things every day.”

“Do you like staying at Holly’s?”

Kathleen thought for a minute. “It’s kind of fun being with her family. There’s always something going on. TVs blaring, doors slamming, people coming and going. Holly and I are forever fighting Hunter for the bathroom. Yeah. I like it.”

“You’ve never had a normal family life, that’s for sure.”

“Oh, Mom, what’s ‘normal’ mean, anyway? ‘Normal’ is whatever we make it.”

Mary Ellen grimaced and shifted in the bed. She still had a lot of discomfort. “Are you ready for school?”

Classes began the following Monday. “The school sent my new schedule and I’m making a supply run tomorrow with Holly and Raina.”

“How about clothes?”

“I’m all set.”

“No…take my department store card and buy yourself some new things. You deserve it.”

Her mother’s offer touched Kathleen. “Well, if that’s okay. Holly’s a genius with fashion and I know she’ll help. I won’t spend too much.”

“Get what you want. Life’s too short to wear ugly clothes.”

Kathleen laughed, then caught sight of the time. “I’d better go. I’ll come back when the banquet’s over. Want me to bring you a piece of cake? Carson’s parents donated a huge cake because they’re so thrilled that he actually completed the program.”

“Just take plenty of pictures,” Mary Ellen said. “Go have a good time.”

Kathleen saw that her brief visit was taxing her mother’s energy. She kissed Mary Ellen’s forehead and said goodbye. Out in the hall, she caught the elevator down to the cafeteria and banquet rooms. Carson would be waiting for her, along with her friends and their families. She felt wonderful.

She was halfway across the almost deserted lobby of the cafeteria wing when Stephanie Mar-low materialized in front of her. Kathleen stopped short. “You startled me,” she said, struggling to regain composure.

Stephanie was dressed to kill in a suede miniskirt and matching thigh-high boots. “I came for the banquet,” she said. “From a fashion shoot.”

Kathleen felt plain and ordinary in her summer dress.

“Carson invited me,” Stephanie said.

The news shocked Kathleen—he’d never said a word to her about it. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” Stephanie crossed her arms. “Listen, don’t think that just because he’s fooled around with you all summer I’m out of the picture. This has happened before, you know. He finds some new little plaything for a few months and keeps himself busy. But he always comes back to me.”

The smug, haughty expression on Stephanie’s face made Kathleen want to slap her. She thought of all that had happened during the past few weeks, of how her life had been tossed upside down and of how she’d almost lost her mother. And although she had no way of knowing whether she and Carson would last, she couldn’t give Stephanie the satisfaction of thinking her hateful little speech had gotten to her. Kathleen glared at the willowy model. “Well, here’s a news flash. I’m not Carson’s ‘plaything’ and he’s not a boomerang. And if he wants
you
, then he can have you, because you’re all flash. I have a party to go to, so please get out of my way.”

Stephanie gave her a look of pure venom, but she stepped aside. Kathleen swept past her, heart racing, anger boiling inside her. She paused at the doorway to gather herself before stepping inside the banquet room. People were everywhere—volunteers, their families, staff. She craned her neck, looking for her friends.

Holly and Raina found her. “We’re sitting at table five…” Raina’s voice trailed off. “Whoa. You don’t look happy, girlfriend. What’s wrong?”

Kathleen quickly told them of her confrontation with Stephanie.

“Why, that b—” Raina stopped herself, remembering where she was.

“It’s okay. I’m thinking the same thing,” Holly said.

“I can’t believe Carson invited her.”

Raina made a face. “Why would you believe her? She’d say anything to get back at you.”

“I sure don’t believe her,” Holly said, looking around. “And I don’t see her.”

Kathleen looked too, and Stephanie was nowhere in sight. Kathleen had no way of knowing whether or not Stephanie had lied, but at least she was gone. “Let’s keep this between us,” she said. “I want to have a good time, and I don’t want to even think about that awful girl.”

“What girl?” Raina said, making Kathleen smile.

“Hey, Kathleen, over here!”

She heard Carson call her name. The three girls threaded their way to a long table holding an enormous cake frothy with mounds of pink and white icing and emblazoned with
CONGRATULATIONS PINK ANGELS!
in hot-pink candy letters.

“Think it’s big enough?” Hunter asked.

“You’re drooling,” Raina said.

“I’m hungry,” Hunter countered.

“How’s your mom?” Vicki leaned around Kathleen’s shoulder to speak.

“Wishing she was here.”

“Then she must be feeling better,” Vicki said with a laugh.

“Come on,” Holly said from behind the table. “Dad wants a picture of the three of us with the cake.”

“What about me?” Carson asked, mugging.

“He wants an
attractive
picture,” Raina said.

Carson grabbed his chest.
“Ow-w
. I’ve been shot.”

“Get used to it,” Hunter said, swiping a taste of frosting.

Kathleen went around the table to stand next to Holly. Raina took her place beside Kathleen. They locked arms and posed for Mike Harrison’s camera—three smiling Pink Angels, soon to be juniors, best of friends, closer than sisters.

Lurlene McDaniel began writing inspirational novels about teenagers facing life-altering situations when her son was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. “I want kids to know that while people don’t get to choose what life gives to them, they do get to choose how they respond.”

Her many novels, which have received acclaim from readers, teachers, parents and reviewers, are hard-hitting and realistic but also leave readers with inspiration and hope.

Lurlene McDaniel lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

You’ll want to read more about the
angels in pink
.

Here’s a sneak peek at
RAINA’S STORY
,
the second book in the

angels in pink
series.

Excerpt from
Angels in Pink: Raina’s Story
copyright © 2005 by Lurlene McDaniel.
Published by Delacorte Press,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Books,
a division of Random House, Inc.

“I
S EVERYTHING ALL RIGHT?
” Raina St. James asked as soon as Kathleen McKensie had climbed into the car and shut the door.

“Sure,” Kathleen said halfheartedly, turning her head so that Raina couldn’t see her eyes filling with moisture. “Everything’s fine. It’s hard coming here, that’s all.” She had just toured the inside of her home while her friends waited for her in the car. She’d gone from room to room checking everything out, as she had every day for the past few weeks. Nothing was disturbed. Everything looked orderly and, except for some dust buildup, seemed the same as when she had been living there.

From the backseat, Holly Harrison reached out and patted Kathleen’s shoulder. “Your mom won’t be in the hospital forever. Didn’t you say Dr. Kiefer was thinking of transferring her to the rehab center this week?”

Kathleen nodded, still gazing longingly out the car window at the front of her home. “It’s just
that I can’t remember one time that my mom wasn’t around for a first day of school. Ever since kindergarten.”

“Well, we’re here for you now, girlfriend,” Raina said, backing her car out of the driveway.

“And…and I appreciate it,” Kathleen said, finding a tissue and dabbing her eyes. She knew that Raina could have gone to school that morning with her boyfriend, Hunter, Holly’s brother, but Raina had elected instead to face day one of their junior year with her best friends. Twisting in her seat, Kathleen told Holly, “And I know your mom tried hard to make the day special for us. It was nice of her to make waffles for breakfast because she knows I like them.”

For the past several weeks, while her mother recovered from heart surgery, Kathleen had lived with Holly and her family. Because her father had died tragically years before, she and Mary Ellen had only each other. It had been fun being a part of Holly’s family, but Kathleen was ready to go home. Only, her mother had weeks of rehabilitation to go through first, and Kathleen had to remain at Holly’s.

“Mom lives to force-feed her family,” Holly said, bulging her cheeks out in an exaggerated imitation of overeating. “I could have done just fine with cereal. The first day of school always makes me nervous, and when I’m nervous, I get sick to my stomach.”

“Not in
my
car,” Raina said, glancing in the rearview mirror at Holly. “Day one makes me excited,” she added. “According to my schedule sheet, I can meet Hunter between three classes.”

“Whoopee,” Holly said without enthusiasm. “We get to meet him coming out of the bathroom every morning. Not a pretty sight.”

This made Kathleen smile. “It’s not that bad, Raina.”

“And don’t think I’m not jealous about it either.” Raina was crazy about Hunter, now a senior at their high school, and she couldn’t imagine facing the next year without him when he went off to college. “Speaking of boyfriends, what do you hear from Carson? I guess today’s his first day too.”

“He called last night,” Kathleen said. “To wish me luck.” Since Carson Kiefer attended the prestigious Bryce Academy on the other side of Tampa, she didn’t expect to see him often. She figured it was only a matter of time before he forgot about her completely. Wasn’t that what the nasty-tempered Stephanie Marlow had predicted to Kathleen at the end-of-the-year banquet for the Pink Angels hospital volunteers just a couple of weeks before?

The words buzzed in her memory.
“Don’t think that just because he’s fooled around with you all summer, I’m out of the picture. This has happened before, you know. He finds some new little plaything
for a few months and keeps himself busy. But he always comes back to me.”

“Why don’t you invite him to our first football game next Friday night? You can double with me and Hunter.” Raina’s voice pulled Kathleen into the present.

“Maybe I will. He told me he likes the two of you.”

“Hey!” Holly interjected from the backseat. “What about me? Who will I go to the game with if you all double?”

“Is there anyone you could ask? We could make it a triple date,” Raina said.

“As if my father will allow me to date anyone. I’ll be an old dried-up prune before Dad ever lets go.” Holly rolled her eyes. Mike Harrison was known for his strictness, especially when it came to Holly. Since she was the youngest of her friends and wouldn’t be sixteen until mid-May, she knew she was facing another dateless year. “Is it going to be like this all year?” she groused. “You two running off on dates and me sitting home all alone?”

“We still have our volunteer jobs at the hospital,” Raina offered. “We’ll be together then.”

“And don’t think I’m not glad about it, but that’s only two afternoons a week.”

“And on Saturdays, if you want. I know I’m going to volunteer most Saturdays,” Raina said. Hunter worked on Saturdays at a fast-food place,
so she’d already decided to volunteer at the hospital while he was busy, because it allowed her to miss him less. “What do you say?”

“Count me in,” Holly said, still unhappy about her solo status. “Anything’s better than hanging around the house being bored and getting into my parents’ way.”

“I don’t think I can commit,” Kathleen said. “At least not until Mom’s home and I see what her needs are going to be.” Even before Carson’s father had performed heart surgery on Mary Ellen, Kathleen had hesitated to be away from her mother too long. Because Mary Ellen was a victim of multiple sclerosis and Kathleen was her primary caregiver, much of her mother’s care fell on Kathleen’s shoulders.

“Well, don’t let her tie you down too much,” Raina said in a lecturing tone. “You’re just now getting a real life.”

“Raina…” Kathleen’s voice held a warning note.

“Just a caution,” Raina added quickly. By now they were in front of the high school, and she whipped the car into the student parking lot, which was already filling with returning students’ vehicles. “I have to go to the office and get a parking permit for this school year,” she announced.

“I’ll come with you,” Kathleen said.

“I’m casing out the commons,” Holly said.
“I’ll meet you there before first bell”—she looked at her watch—“say, in twenty minutes.” They’d purposefully left extra early so that they could hang in the school’s large atrium to check out incoming freshmen and hook up with old friends.

“If I can get the permit in twenty minutes, that’s where we’ll meet. Tell Hunter to wait with you, okay?”

“As if he’ll stand around with his sister.” Holly snorted.

They piled out of the car, gathering up their purses, new notebooks and supplies. Three big yellow school buses were lined in front of the auditorium, and kids were off-loading. Cummings High was less than ten years old, well planned and shaped much like a huge wheel, with the atrium at its hub and classrooms shooting off like spokes. The grades were kept in separate wings, so that except for assemblies and pep rallies, kids moved through with their own class. The student body was large and it was easy to get lost in the throngs, but Raina and Kathleen knew their way around, so they sidestepped the crowds and headed toward the office wing.

“I hope this won’t take forever,” Raina grumbled as they hurried. “I really want to see Hunter before the bell rings.”

“What are you going to do when he goes off to college?”

“Mourn.”

Kathleen laughed. “Maybe you can test out and go to college with him a year early.”

“Holly’s the smart one, remember? I’ll need every minute to keep my grades steady.”

“Then you should be relieved that you won’t have any distractions next year.”

“Are you kidding? I’m worried that my lips will dry up and fall off from lack of kissing.”

“He
will
come home on breaks,” Kathleen said with a grin.

As they walked, Kathleen couldn’t help noticing that Raina waved and nodded to half the population in the halls. She seemed to know everyone. And why not? Raina was pretty and popular. That was the way it had always been. Holly, cute and perky. Kathleen, shy and quiet. How she had ever attracted Carson was still a mystery to her. And even if they didn’t last—
please God, let us last
—she was facing her junior year feeling like a veteran of the dating wars. Through the summer, she’d had a wonderful time with a totally awesome guy, thanks to the hospital volunteer program where she’d first met Carson.

“Here we are,” Raina said, looking dismayed at the line snaking from the main office. A second later, she perked up. Along the hallway, a table had been set up, and behind the table sat a teacher. Above him, taped to the wall, was a sign that read
PARKING PERMITS. UPPERCLASSMEN ONLY. “Can they possibly be this organized? I’m stunned.”

“Go get your permit. I’ll wait over here,” Kathleen said, stepping out of the stream of foot traffic. She leaned against the wall, wondering how Carson’s first day was going. Bryce Academy took Tampa’s elite and wealthy, so it probably wasn’t as chaotic as Cummings. She longed to hear his voice, see his face. Yet for all his attentions, Kathleen still felt insecure. He could have any girl he wanted. Why had he chosen her? She wasn’t beautiful like Stephanie, who also attended Bryce. Stephanie was a model, and her pictures were all over newspapers and magazines. Kathleen caught sight of herself in the plate glass of the case across the hall that housed the school’s sports and academic trophies. Her long red hair looked frizzy with the humidity and her shirt was droopy. Maybe it
was
better that Carson went to another school after all and couldn’t see her at the moment.

“Got it.” Raina waved the permit and decal at Kathleen. “Let’s go hook up with Holly.”

Kathleen fished for her class schedule as they walked. “Umm, it says here that I have geometry first period. How about you?”

“English lit. Lunch at twelve-forty.” “I’ll miss you by fifteen minutes.” “Last period on Tuesdays and Thursdays are our volunteer times. We can meet in the parking
lot and all go together. And don’t forget—orientation’s this Saturday morning. I’ll pick you and Holly up. You going to break out of Admissions and record filing?”

“I like it there. No blood.” Kathleen wasn’t crazy about hospitals, so remaining in the admissions office and working with paper and files seemed logical to her.

“Just remember, we’re getting a school credit this time around, so diversity counts.” For Raina, the credit was an unexpected bonus. She’d have worked without it, but the Pink Angels program offered a high school credit if a student volunteered a hundred and sixty hours a semester. A volunteer could work more hours if he or she had a parent on staff. Raina’s mother, Vicki, was director of nursing, so Raina already knew she’d be at the hospital beyond the requirement for credit.

“The difference between us,” Kathleen said, “is that you want a career in medicine, while I just want to graduate from high school and get into a decent college. I volunteer to be with my friends.”

Raina sighed. “You’re just too honest.”

“What’s this?” Kathleen asked, seeing Holly barreling toward them, dodging clusters of students along the way. Her face looked pinched and pale, and she was clutching her notebook to her chest with a death grip.

Holly stopped short in front of Raina and grabbed her arm. “Don’t go to the atrium.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Kathleen said.

“Worse than a ghost.” Holly’s voice trembled. “I’ve seen the devil himself.” She looked Raina in the eye. “I—I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Raina, but Tony Stoddard’s back.”