[Leopard]

3. Nursed Feelings

Katie and I walked along the covered pathway between the classrooms that led up to the school office, me scuffing my shoes against the concrete slabs, while Katie’s footsteps were accompanied by a constant tinkling from the tiny bell on her charm bracelet. I’d observed some time ago that Katie always wore that bracelet; it wrapped around her left wrist with intricate silver links, and the charms, uncommonly enough, were six silver cats spread out along the bracelet, and a pink cat collar bell. The result, of course, was that you could hear her coming anywhere she went.

‘I like your shoes,’ Katie mumbled as we walked.

Apparently we both had our eyes on the ground in embarrassment. I tried to lighten the mood a little.

‘“Nice shoes; wanna fuck?”’ I said, quoting the famous pick up line that I was dorky enough to love.

‘Would rather in private than out here,’ Katie replied.

I did a double take.

‘Um, that was just a quote,’ I said awkwardly after a few seconds, blushing.

‘Was a joke, mew,’ Katie replied in a tiny voice.

I’d heard her talking in that quiet little cat talk to her friends, but never to me before. For some reason that was important to me. It just seemed to be something she did with people she was comfortable with. Maybe others would think it was odd, but I found it absolutely adorable. Cats suited her.

I glanced across at her as we walked. Katie’s head was down, eyes on the floor, cheeks flaming. She’d stuffed her hands into the little pockets of her tiny summer shorts, silencing the cat bell on her charm bracelet. Our footfalls sounded heavy in the resulting quiet.

I don’t love her, I told myself, the words on a mantra loop as if I could force them to be true. I don’t love her. ‘How’s your head?’ I asked then, to cover the awkward silence.

Katie looked up at me, her eyes wide and shining, her hair set to white fire in the afternoon sunlight.

Okay, maybe I do love her, but I’m not in love with her, I amended.

‘Bit sore still,’ Katie replied.

‘I’m sorry.’ After all, I’d caused it to happen.

‘My fault,’ she said. ‘Shouldn’t have been messing about on the chair.’

Our arrival at the school office cut our conversation there. We walked past the reception desk and straight into the small sick bay area. The room was basically what you’d find in any doctors - there was a bed of sorts, leather padded with a slight incline at one end, and a row of cupboards with a sink set into the lower set.

There was no nurse on duty - we didn’t have a permanent nurse; several teachers with some first aid training volunteered in shifts, checking in during breaks between classes - so Katie hopped up onto the bed and sat, feet hanging off the edge, to wait.

‘I should get back to class,’ I murmured, feeling uncomfortable spending so much time alone with Katie, but at the same time not wanting to move a step away.

‘Stay and keep me company,’ Katie smiled, patting the bed beside her.

That was all the encouragement I needed. I hopped up onto the bed to sit beside her - we’re both short, okay; those doctors beds aren’t designed for us - but then we sat in silence, staring at the cupboards opposite. I found myself wondering what was in each, wondering if any of it could be used in kinky ways. Yes, I’m that perverted.

‘Never met anyone by finding them masturbating over me,’ Katie said after awhile.

And there went my cheeks, bright red all over again.

‘Yeah, well, you are really cute,’ I laughed, trying to pass it off as nothing.

‘Still a girl, mew,’ Katie murmured. I wasn’t looking at her, but I could hear the blush in her words.

‘Is it a problem?’ The words came out in a choked whisper.

‘Really liked it,’ Katie whispered back.

‘Even though I’m a girl?’ I whispered.

‘Only like girls,’ Katie whispered.

‘Me too,’ I whispered.

Katie looked up at me then, a shy smile spreading across her face. Her cheeks were a deliciously cute pink - though I have to admit, the whole situation felt terribly awkward. Katie was locked in my mind as a cool confident girl; i wasn’t used to this permanently blushing innocent, especially so close in proximity.


The ceramics teacher, Ms Parsons, walked in then, putting an end to our whispered confessions. Ms Parsons was one of the few teachers at the school I adored; she was pretty, but more importantly, very alternative, preferring to encourage us in our projects rather than worry too much about a strict curriculum.

‘Now then, what brings you girls here?’ Ms Parsons asked, standing before us.

Katie remained silent, so I answered for her. ‘She fell off her chair and hit her head, Miss.’

‘Well that’s no good,’ Ms Parsons said, beckoning Katie to lean forward.

Katie did so, and the teacher leaned closer, carefully running her fingers through Katie’s luxurious hair.

As she did so, my own eyes wandered up along Ms Parsons’ arm and saw that the teacher’s loose tan tank top had shifted forward enough to see in through the arm slit - and what was more, she wasn’t even wearing a bra!

I felt myself getting hot again as my eyes traced the rising curve of my teacher’s breast over and over. I am such a perv.

‘Well there’s no blood,’ Ms Parsons was saying. ‘That’s a relief - wouldn’t want to ruin this amazing hair, would we, Katie?’

‘No, Miss,’ Katie said in a tiny muted voice.

I tore my gaze away from my teacher’s boob and saw that Ms Parsons was caressing Katie’s hair lovingly.

I wasn’t sure whether to be jealous or not - surely there was nothing more to the gesture than kindness and fondness - but I did find the whole image very arousing, watching my teacher touching the girl I wanted so familiarly, with me stuck watching unable to do anything myself.

‘Does it still hurt, Katie?’ Ms Parsons asked, her fingers still slowly stroking Katie’s hair.

‘Still hurts a bit, Miss,’ Katie replied quietly.

She was still looking at the floor as she sat there hunched forward, but I could see an embarrassed smile playing across her lips. I decided that Katie really loved the gentle attention.

‘Okay, well I’m going to send you home,’ Ms Parsons said. ‘I want you to put some ice on it, rest up and take it easy, understand?’

‘Mew, yes’m, Miss,’ Katie replied warmly, coming out of her shell enough to fall back into her cat speech even with the teacher. She glanced across at me for a moment, then looked away again, her cheeks becoming redder. ‘Kate’s been looking after me,’ Katie said then. ‘Can she come with me and make sure I’m okay?’

She knows my name! She knows my name! I couldn’t believe it. She actually knows who I am! Wait, what? She wants me to come with her?

‘Of course, sweetie,’ Ms Parsons replied to Katie, oblivious to the emotional explosion going on in my mind. ‘I’ll write you two a note so that the school knows you’ve both left. Just head on out whenever you feel ready enough to walk; I’ll sort out the rest.’

Katie sat up, giving the teacher a big smile.

‘Thank you, Miss,’ she said warmly.

‘Anything I can do to help,’ Ms Parsons replied with her own warm smile. ‘You two girls take care.’

With that, Ms Parsons left the sick bay, heading out to Reception to notify them of our missing the rest of the afternoon’s classes. As she walked out, there was no way to miss her hard nipples poking up from beneath her tank top.

‘Is that okay?’ Katie asked quietly, interrupting my musing over our teacher. ‘Will you come back to my house with me for a bit?’

‘Of course!’ I blurted the words out a little too emphatically. ‘I’d love to! And I want to make sure you’re okay, too.’ I floundered off into silence.

‘Thanky, mew,’ Katie said.

Blushing heavily, she leaned over and kissed my cheek.

And so my little world exploded. The kiss only lasted a second, maybe less, but time slowed to make Katie’s soft lips pressing against my cheeks a slow, graceful, and yet thundering event in my mind. She … kissed … me.

Okay, so it was only on the cheek, perfectly normal for female friends, but that wasn’t the point! Katie kissed me. Me! and she was soft and lovely and perfect and oh my gosh, she smelled amazing. I wanted more. I wanted my skin pressed close against hers, no clothing in the way. I wanted her kissing every inch of my awkward little body. I wanted her. all of her.

I wanted Katie.

Badly.

I guess at some point Katie asked if we could leave now, and I nodded, or something. I vaguely remember us walking together to the bus stop, waiting quietly together for the bus in the sun, the bus’ compression breaks hissing and squeaking when it finally arrived. But the entire time, my mind was lost in a flushing pink haze, the same three thoughts looped on repeat through my brain:

Katie knows who I am, and she kissed me on the cheek. And now she’s taking me back to her house!