“Katelynn, Katelynn…” he said shakily, sitting up in his bed quickly, looking down at her, worry clearly plastered on his face. “What is it? What’s wrong? Don’t cry, it, it’s okay please…” Jack reached out to her, wrapping his arms around her, trying to help but not knowing if this could help. “A hypocrite, a-about what?”
She let out a breath to try to calm down, eyes shut and refusing to look him in the eye. She didn’t want to see the anger when she told him or the hurt or the hate. She’d break down if she did.
“I wasn’t..I wasn’t being truthful to you about yesterday..” she started with a scared timbre in her voice. “I wasn’t robbed..yesterday..I lied..”
Tears began to leak out of her eyes, fearful of his reaction. “I just..I didn’t want you to worry is all! I was still so scared, that was true! I didn’t lie about that! I was attacked yes..but it was by two villains…Psycho Delic and Hot Flash..Psycho..he appeared in my apartment with a knife and I ran away. I didn’t want you to get hurt and so I disappeared into the crowd but he still found me. He took me down into the sewers and threatened to kill two civilians if I didn’t make a news report and put it on the air. I was so scared for those people! I couldn’t..I couldn’t say no. But he let me go after he cut my cheek. And I turned in the tape and he let the civilians go!”
She paused in her tirade to breath before continuing. “And not long after that Hot Flash appeared to me. She also threatened me. She..she said she’d hurt my friends if I didn’t tell her who Metro Man’s friends were. But I refused to tell her. I didn’t want her finding them. But either way, they both know where I live and I’m just..I’m so scared! And I didn’t want you to worry and so I lied but god I didn’t want to and the guilt kept eating at me! I couldn’t stand it anymore! I’m sorry! You hate me now!”
She began to sob, putting her hands up to her face, her body shaking.
He didn’t know what to say.
He honestly had no idea what to say, or do, to make this better.
It felt like a knife had suddenly been slammed into his stomach and twisted violently.
She’d been attacked. Twice on the same day. Kidnapped by Psycho Delic. Cut by him. Threatened by Hot Flash.
And she hadn’t told him a thing.
She had looked him in the eyes and lied.
No sign to say she was.
He took a slow, steadying breath, as his heart continued to shrink in on itself. “She lied to me. She lied to me. She said she’d never lie to me about anything. We’re meant to be honest aren’t we? Isn’t that the idea of a relationship? She didn’t want me worrying? Isn’t not worrying worse than not knowing? What if it had been worse? What if she had died? Then what? Where would I be? Alone all over again and I know I would box myself up in this apartment and never leave. What do I do. What do I say. She lied to me… she… lied… but with good reason…?”
He was quiet for a long moment, unable to say anything, incapable of it. So he held her close.
It was all he could do.
Jack Maple 