The Kate In Between by Claire Swinarski

Author:Claire Swinarski
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2021-03-11T00:00:00+00:00

13

I SLEPT THE WHOLE WAY HOME FROM CALIFORNIA, THAT uncomfortable airplane sleep where you dream about the music playing through your headphones and keep waking up with a sore neck. I just wanted to get home and curl up on the couch. I didn’t want to do another interview, ever. Taylor texted me asking how it went, and I couldn’t even bring myself to text her back. What was I supposed to do at school? Go to Taylor’s lunch table like nothing had happened? Switch back to being Haddie’s best friend? And how was I supposed to tell Taylor about Haddie? Cory hadn’t shared the video yet, but he was going to as soon as it was edited. I needed a plan, and fast.

When we landed in Madison, a little girl and her mom ran up to me. “Kate the Great,” they said excitedly, asking me for my autograph. It’s so weird how your entire life can change but you’re still the same you who sleeps on a scratchy pullout couch and binge-watches Cory Seymour videos. Nothing about me had changed, except that knowing, that raw, aching feeling that the truth would not leave alone.

“Listen, Kate,” Dad told me after the Uber driver dropped Haddie off. “I want things to go back to normal, okay? We’ve done a lot of interviews. Lots of fanfare. But you know this isn’t going to last forever. Someone else is going to get their fifteen minutes soon. So let’s chalk this up to a cool experience and return to the real world.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” I said.

When we arrived at the apartment, I did my classic unpacking move—shoving everything into the laundry hamper—before collapsing onto my bed. It was only the early afternoon; I could have gone back to school, but Dad thought I needed sleep. He even called Coach Watt and told her I wouldn’t be at basketball for the second day in a row, which I was pretty sure would send her into a coma. He went to work and I fell into a deep nap, the complete opposite of my airplane doze. When I woke up, I had a text from Mom.

So, so proud of you!!!! Dad said it went great.

So she’d talked to Dad, but not me?

I also had another text from Taylor: ??? I had no idea what that meant. I quickly clicked over to Cory Seymour’s channel, but the video still wasn’t up. What was she asking?

I glanced at the time—dance practice would have just ended. I dialed Taylor and knew I was in for it as soon as she answered.

“Um, hello? Are you alive? You didn’t text me back at all!”

Whew—just a text-ghosting freak-out.

“Sorry,” I said. “I was so busy the whole time I was there. And then I fell asleep when I got home.”

“Well?! Tell me everything! Did you, like, get a souvenir from his house? Wait, stop—I want to hear the whole story. Should I come over?”

“No,” I said instantly, probably louder than I should have.

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