Kristen's Awakening

"Please, I want you both to just call me Maggie. I want to give you both my card with my office number, but on the back is my home number and personal cell number should you feel an emergency rise and need some immediate help with.

Well, that was over two and a half months ago, and now here I sit, starring out my window, watching the drops of water slowly making their way down the glass, some appear to be creating their own path, and some, joining the path of others and moving on together. I guess in my own mind, I was the one creating my own path, and kind of doing things my way. Somewhere I read that memories are like the bubbles in a glass of soda, they appear somewhere at the bottom of the glass, rise to the surface, only to burst and be forgotten. The trouble was my little memory bubble never burst, so it was never forgotten.

And now here I sit, a little older, and in some ways a lot wiser. Seems my mother found some fertilizer and laced my food with it since I developed into a more mature woman in that short of time. My butt turned out, I think rather nicely and at least my chicken legs filled out making me look really sexy from the waist down. My meager breasts did manage to grow out to a nice firm C cup. I keep my auburn hair about shoulder length. I feel that it gives me some options, wear it up, or down, depending on my mood for the day, hell, sometimes for the whole week, especially if I'm on my period. If mom walked into a room where I was, hair down and unkempt, she'd just turn and walk out knowing today was not the day to be around me.

Drawing little sad and happy faces on the window, I remember Maggie telling me towards the end of my sessions with her, that I never would really forget that terrible afternoon, but it would be more like how I accepted it as a part of my own life, and what I really needed was to find something worth fighting for, I would then be able to deal with it on my own terms. Well, after hearing the judge sentence all four men to twenty plus years, and they all were to pay restitution, like that was going to happen while in prison. I couldn't hug Officer Richardson or Officer Todd too hard or long enough for keeping their promise to me.

Every now and then, I get a phone call from Officer Richardson, wanting to know how I am doing on keeping my promise to her. I told her that it's going slow, but I am getting better. She knows all the help Maggie has as given me, and the support I received from family and friends, like her and Officer Todd made all the difference in the world. She told me that Officer Todd had found herself someone she thinks very special of. She wouldn't let on to who this person might be, but that would be Officer Todd's decision to tell me when she felt the time was right. Funny how some drops seem to form with others and move on together, where like Officer Richardson and myself seem to make our own path.

Tonight was supposed to be the senior Halloween dance. Being a senior, I guess we were expected to show up so the lower classmates would have fun poking at us. I never intended on going in the first place, but my mother soon squashed that idea. She had volunteered to attend the dance tonight and be one of the chaperones. We argued back and forth about the whole idea of her being there, and of course, of me going in the first place. I told her no way was she going to be spying on me, checking out who I talked to, if I talked to anyone. She promised me that in no way was she even going to be looking for me, until it was time to go home.

Both of us being hard headed, neither was willing to give in, but being my mother, she also had the final say. I knew if she put her foot down, I would have no choice, but felt like she held it back, just to give me a chance go on my own without being forced. Either way, I was being forced, either by feeling so guilty I had to accept, or by being hog tied and dragged to it anyway. Goddam my mother, she never plays fair.

The dance was to start in three hours, and my mother promised me she would take me anywhere I wanted to go to eat before we went to the dance. I suppose I should get up and take a shower and start getting ready. With a sly grin, I was going to make her pay for doing this to me, so I had planned on us going to the most expensive restaurant in town tonight. She may have won this battle, but I was going to make sure I got in at least one good jab.

The restaurant was all that it was advertised to be, service was impeccable, and the ambiance was actually to die for. The food however, was something altogether different. What looked like two twigs on a plate with some kind of sauce poured over it, was supposed to be the appetizer. The entrée, was another matter, one little slice of meat, a potato no bigger than my thumb, and a baby carrot. How was a growing girl like me supposed to eat this and be satisfied for the evening? I believe my little jab turned out to be a kick in the butt, my butt to be exact. Why can't I come out ahead on something, just for once?

As we got to the door, my mother told me that she would meet me here at eleven PM when the dance was officially over. With a quick hug and a peck on the cheek, we then went in and each to our separate ways. I was standing off to one side on the far end of the auditorium, actually it was as far away from my mother as I could get, without leaving the building. I was standing there, against the wall, watching the other students milling around, some nodding their heads in recognition as they passed, but for the most part I was being content alone. I guess I wasn't really paying all that much attention close to me, when a voice broke my train of thought next to me.

"Your secret is safe with me!"

Turning quickly to my right, stood a girl, maybe an inch shorter than myself, with silky long blond hair, and a pair of baby blue eyes, I could swear I've seen them somewhere before. She was a little on the petite side, but did have what appeared beautiful breasts. Her clothes were not very tight, but you could see she did have a slim waist, and hips that flared out perfectly.

"What do you mean my secret is safe with you, I don't have any secrets?"

"I just wanted you to know that your secret is safe with me, just in case I decided that I liked you enough to let you become my friend."

"Like I said, I don't have any secrets, and who said I even wanted a friend, much less be your friend!" I started to turn and walk away, when she called out...

"Kristen!"

Stopping dead in my tracts, I turned and glared at her, trying to place her. I couldn't. I had no idea who this girl was, but she knew me. I slowly walked up to her, stood directly in front of her.

"How do you know my name? I've never seen you before, so I have no idea who you are. How do you know me?"

"I read the papers a lot, I like reading crime reports and court cases. Sometimes I work in the front office at school, doing odd and end jobs. I came across a form one day that had your name on it, but it wasn't the name you use now. It was your old name, Watterson. I know you are now Kristen Miller. I know you have a secret, and it's safe with me. Besides, if I were actually a guessing type person, I would say that you were forced to come here tonight, it really doesn't look like your first choice of where you wanted to be tonight."

"No, you are right, I do have a secret and yes, this is not really my first choice of where I would like to be tonight, and yes, I was more like coerced into coming tonight. Do you see that lady near the front door, the one wearing the red blouse and white slacks, she is my mother, and she's the one who dragged me here."

"Do you see the lady with the grey sweater and black slacks? She is my mother! Do you think they may have conspired together to get us both here? I just may have to kill my mother if that were true."

"You can go and kill her if you like, but if your still thinking of being my friend, I'll tell you now, I don't do jail visits."

As we turned and faced each other, I saw a faint smile form on her lips. She stuck out her hand, taking mine in hers, "I'm Abby, Abby Hart, and that lady I pointed out is Mary, my mother."

"That name, Hart? I know that name from somewhere, I'm just not sure where now? You already know my name, Kristen Miller, and that lady I pointed out is Helen Miller, my mother."

"Let's sit down and talk, since we both aren't going anywhere soon. Let me ask you, does the name Michelle Hart ring any bells?"

"Wait a minute, yes, I do know that name, she was the one in the hospital that examined me when they brought me in. The first doctor that came in, I wouldn't let him get anywhere near me. She came in, and talked to me. I thought she was really nice. I never did get to thank her for all that she did for me."

"Dr. Michelle Hart is my dad's sister. Seems doctor's kind of run in the family on my father's side. My father, his father and mother were also doctors, as is my aunt."

"Damn, talk about being in a small world, I would have never thought it was this small."

"Let me tell you, it's about to get a lot smaller."

"How so?"

"Do you recognize the name Alex Richardson?"

"Yes, she was the detective who worked on my case. She calls me every once in a while to see how I am doing."

"If you knew her as well as I did, you would know she can be a real bitch, while not even try too hard at it."

Just like a light being switched on, it came to me. Those baby blue eyes, now I know where I had seen them before. "You have the same eyes as Officer Richardson, the detective?"

"Yeah, the one and the same. She is my mother's sister. Alexandra Abbigail Richardson, the one I am also names after, Abby, is short for Abbigail. She thinks that since I also have her middle name, gives her the right to make more rules for me then my own mother does."

Looking at Abby in the eyes, "Don't you dare say anything bad about Officer Richardson, she promise to me the assholes who raped me would spend the rest of their miserable lives in prison, and she kept that promise, so don't you dare say anything that would get back to me, or your dead."

As we sat looking at one another, Abby slowly lowered her head, then looking back into my eyes, "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I mean I really didn't know she was the one who worked your case to make sure those bastards paid for what they did. I was just razzing on her, just like we do with our rents. I love Alex to death and wouldn't trade her as an aunt for anyone in the world."

"You said something about razzing the rents, what are rents? I've heard another girl use that same expression, "rents", what does it mean?"

As Abby sat back in her chair and was holding her stomach while laughing her ass off, I was becoming a little peeved, trying to figure out what I was missing.

"Kristen. It's sometimes how we refer to our parents, get it "pa rents". Instead of saying the whole word, we just cut it short and call them rents. Don't you dare say it in front of my parents, they hate it with a passion at least that is what they want me to think, but I know they are smiling when they think I'm not looking."

"I need to ask you, do you know, or are you somehow related to Maggie Proctor?"

"No, I have no idea who that would be, should I be, or do I want to know her?"

"Oh, ok. She was my therapist that helped me after my incident, I was just wondering if this world was going to get any smaller, that's all. She is really good, if you like I could introduce you to her, she just might help you understand how weird your brain really is."

We both giggled a little, then for the next two hours or so, we talked about music, clothes. We told each other what we thought we wanted to do the rest of our lives. She thought she was going following in her father's footsteps and becoming a doctor, I told her I was maybe thinking of getting into law enforcement, and maybe becoming a detective, just like her aunt, and try and put all the bad guys in prison where they belonged. We talked about our classes, seeing how we were in the same school, and the same grade, we never met before this evening.

We did discover that our lockers were almost next to each other's, hers was three eighteen and mine was three twenty six. I found out we lived about four blocks from one another, we both had pools in the back yard, but she had a large game room. I also found out she had a brother. Well, not every family is perfect, but she did say that for a brother, he was well trained. We never did discuss anything about boys or dating, but she did tell me she wasn't really interested in boys, She said that to her, boys were so immature and any thought of kissing one or even holding their hand made her sick to her stomach.

Before we knew it, we heard the DJ announce he was about to play the last song for the evening, and everyone should have the last dance. Before I knew what was going on, Abby grabbed my hand and was pulling me onto the dance floor. I tried telling her I had no idea how to dance and I wasn't going to make a fool out of myself. She wouldn't hear any or what I was saying as she put her hands on my hips, as the song started playing. I remember it very well, it was Carrie Underwood, Forever Change. We stood there, hands on each other's hips swaying side to side, looking into each other's eyes. For the first time that I could remember, it felt good to be this close to someone. After talking all evening, it's almost like we knew each other forever. When the song ended, Abby took my hand and started walking towards the front entrance. For only a very brief second, I thought it strange that she was still holding my hand, but the warmth and security I felt, stopped me from letting go of her hand.

Walking up the our parents who were waiting patiently for us, Abby called out to her mother, "Mom, I want you to meet a friend of mine, this is Kristen, Kristen, this is my mother Mary, and I am sure you know this other lady also standing here in front of us."

"Why I do believe so, I would think her name is Helen, Helen, I would also like for you to meet my friend, Abby." Both of us gave a little giggle, as our parents, at the same time, tried to acknowledge our greetings. After what seemed like a long silence, I slipped from Abby's fingers, walked over to her mother, Mrs. Hart, it is very nice to meet you, and I truly hope we get to know one another better in the months to come. Out of the corner of my eye, I could almost see my mother catch her breath, not for one minute believing just what came out of my mouth, but more precisely, how it came out.

Abby, not to be out done, walked over to my mother, "Miss Miller, I am also honored to make your acquaintance, and likewise, we also get to know one another better in the months to come.

I believe both our mothers were a bit shocked at the two of us, being really just kids, but acting very much adult like. I knew I was going to be hearing about this for the next few weeks, 'I told you so.' It might be true, but she'll never get me to admit in, even in my dying breath.

"Mom, you know, there's no school tomorrow, can we stop and maybe get a hamburger or something, and I bet if Abby pleads nice and hard, Mrs. Hart I bet would love to join us, huh, what do you say?"

"Yeah mom, can we join Kristen and her mom, pretty please, I'll even clean the pool tomorrow?"

"I don't know Abby dear, maybe Helen just wants to go home and get to bed, it's has been a long day."

"No, that is ok, it would be nice if the two of you could join us Helen. At least I'll have a little adult company while we get something to eat, I'm kind of hungry also."

"Oh! Alright, there is a little place down on Fourth Street that serves really good food. Why don't we meet there, say in fifteen minutes?

"Sounds good, we'll see you there, are you ready to go pumpkin?" Mrs. Hart asked.

"Yes mom, let's go then."

On the way over there, I was asked if I had enjoyed myself, and reluctantly I had to admit that I did have a good time. She also asked what all we talked about, and if I felt like Abby and I could be friends. I told her that Abby seemed really nice, and yes, I did want to be friends with her.

After we all sat down and ordered, Abby and I of course got ourselves lost in our own conversations, as our mothers were fully engaged with themselves. Sitting there, talking and laughing with Abby, I felt for the first time in my life that I enjoyed being around someone. I began feeling a closeness with Abby. I really didn't understand it, or even know how to ask myself why. I just felt safe with the feeling that I wanted to be near her all the time. When talking and making a point, we would touch each other on the forearm, or rest a hand on top of the others hand, and while doing this, it kind of made my bond with Abby grow stronger. When it came time for everyone to leave, I almost felt like wanted to grab onto Abby, and not let her go. I did give her a hug and a squeeze as we were standing in the parking lot.

As my mother put her arm across my shoulders as we walked together back to our car, a sadness washed over me, but quickly disappeared, knowing we were going to be seeing each other soon.

On Monday, as I walked to my locker, there stood Abby waiting for me. This became a normal routine, either me waiting for her or her waiting for me. When I wasn't home with my mom, I was at Abby's home, and thankfully Mrs. Hart knew my mother was a single working mom, and accepted me into their home, treating me like a second daughter. I know she and my mom talked often on the phone, because she said it was ok if I took some of my clothes and left them at Abby's house. The nights that I spend with Abby were some of the best times ever for me. Some nights as we slept together, I could feel my emotions rising for Abby. After she would fall asleep, I would snuggle up to her, and peacefully fall asleep. On the mornings that I was wrapped around Abby, she never really said anything, but would always have a smile on her face. This went on for the rest of the school year, and through the summer months.

During the summer between visiting universities trying to pick the right one. Luckily we both were excepted into the State U in our home town. It seemed that my to-do list was never getting shorter with all the things I kept adding to it.

It was during this time when I really first started noticing that things really started to change for me, when I was invited to spend the weekend up in the mountains with them at their summer cabin near the end of our summer vacation. After we had gotten there, unpacked and Abby and I went out exploring, I began to notice little changes in Abby. It was the way she would look at me. When she would put her hand on my arm, she would leave it there, not really pulling away as she normally would, and while she had her hand on my arm, or on top of my hand, she would be looking at me, like she was seeing into me. Sometimes when we were just walking, she would wrap her arm around my waist, pulling me in close. She did this more and more, I too was looking at her differently. I was almost craving the touch, sometimes I would grab her hand and hold it. When I would notice Mrs. Hart looking at me holding Abby's hand I would pull away, feeling a blush rising within me.

After we had gotten back from our weekend trip, I thought that it was probably the mountain air and all would return to normal, especially with school starting in two weeks. During those two weeks, Abby and I really didn't get to spend too much time together, with her going to visit with her grandparents, and me getting myself ready for school.

Being freshmen, we were obligated during this time that we had to stay in one of the dorms for the first year. I had already moved into my room, but since Abby didn't return home from her grandparents until the day before school, she had yet moved into her room, so I really didn't get to see her until we were standing in the school hallway.