It was all too common for Katherine to wake up upset lately. There were days where she would spend hours standing in front of the mirror and pinching every bit of fat of her body, wishing that she could rip it off, or sobbing uncontrollably in the shower. The fact that she had to go to school today didn't make things any better. Even though they wouldn't be doing any actual school work, Katherine hated anything that had to do with school. She wasn't smart and she would willingly admit that, but even if she did act like she was just completely indifferent towards doing well in school, when it came down to it, even if she tried her hardest, she usually still failed. It was embarrassing and for someone who already had so many secret self-esteem issues, this was just one more to add to the list.
Besides the fact that school was starting again, her biggest trigger this morning had been a call from her father. He had left early the morning before to go on some "business trip" to Hawaii. He was supposedly scouting out a new location for one of his resorts, but to Katherine, it seemed like more of a vacation than anything work-related. If he really wanted to focus on work, why would he bring his bimbo wife along? She really didn't mind her father being gone, and actually kind of preferred it that way, but if he was gone, she didn't want him to bother her at all. When Olga, Katherine's primary caregiver, woke her up with phone in hand, she knew to expect the worst.
"Hana is family, Katherine. I expect you to treat her as such," Alexandre said, finally drawing the conversation to a close after a good hour of lecturing her on how she had to be kinder to Hana. Katherine had barely been listening though, and had left the phone sitting on her desk on speaker phone mode as she put all of her attention into getting ready. By the end of the conversation, she was ready to go, donning a sleeveless white blouse, school-provided skirt, and navy flats. Had her father actually been home, he probably would have insisted that she at least wear a pair of knee high socks with her outfit. Although it would probably pass the school code on a shorter girl, Katherine's height allowed her show more leg than the school approved of, but she didn't care at this point.
"She's not family by my choice," Katherine reminded her father quickly.
She hadn't even started on her makeup when her bedroom door was pushed open, once again allowing Olga to enter. Having known Katherine's ways for a few years, she was much more brazen around her than some of the newer staff, and after glancing down at the cell phone, she announced herself to Alexandre, before saying, "Breakfast is ready so when you finish your call, come downstairs, Katherine." The older woman didn't move from the room though, as she must have predicted that Alexandre would take the opportunity to end the conversation himself. He wished Katherine good luck at school and again reminded her to be kind to Hana, before hanging up.
"I'll be down in a second," Katherine insisted, tossing her phone onto her bed as she frantically searched for the earrings she had planned on wearing.
"Now," Olga insisted sternly, meeting Katherine's glare. She managed to hold the look long enough for Katherine to eventually give up. She scowled and grabbed her bag and phone, before sluggishly following Olga down the large staircase.
"I'm not even close to being ready and you know that I'm not hungry. I really feel like everyone in this house is trying to ruin my life," she complained dramatically. If anyone could pull off the teen angst attitude, it was Katherine.
Olga didn't budge as she continue to nudge Katherine into the kitchen. Hana, her step-mother's sister, sat at the kitchen table with an empty plate in front of her and her eyes focused on her phone. Even though the girl had done nothing more than just be present, Katherine rolled her eyes at her back. Just being present was enough for her to be annoying. Most days, Katherine would find something nasty to say about Hana but today, she simply ignored her. She similarly ignored the steaming omelet that Olga motioned her towards but after a minute of rummaging through the pantry, she settled on taking a granola bar with her. She would throw it out when they got to school, but at least it would appease the woman for now.
If the morning hadn't already been going poorly, Hana soon spoke up and brought the fact that they had to be at school shortly to Katherine's attention. Her face was bare and her hair in a simple ponytail, and although Katherine was pretty enough to pull off the natural look, she didn't think that way of herself. Part of her considered refusing to go to school until she actually finished fully getting dressed, but she didn't want to test Olga's patience today and she knew that by the time she really got ready, school would already be over. This one day, she supposed, she could go to school without it.
"Obviously I'm ready to go," she snapped at Hana as she stuffed the granola bar into her bag and brushed past her. Her eye-roll count was now up to two, and again, for no good reason. She didn't wait for Hana as she made her way out of the home and soon ended up on the street. She only paused a few feet away from their door when her phone chimed and she realized that Annelise and Lexi had texted her.
To: A
Omw too. Hopefully I get hit by a bus on the way tho!!!
Omw too. Hopefully I get hit by a bus on the way tho!!!
If anyone understood Katherine's dramatic, uncensored and overly emotional persona, it was Annelise. Katherine knew how lucky she was to have the girl as a friend- not only socially, but also emotionally.
To: Lexi
Yess! Be there in 5. Where are you?
Yess! Be there in 5. Where are you?