Hundred Days To Decide

Everything about Kathy was going well until her relationship with her boyfriend ended.

Not only has she been fighting the urge to be crazy, she was also fighting the urge to stop the whole payback thing with her friend.

She couldn't bring herself to having one night stands but knew she needed to do something to get her mind off Mason.

"Fuck!" she growled after realizing her alarm had rang for almost fifteen minutes.

"Kathy!" Her mother's voice squealed from the living room.

She raised her hand to her hair and scoffed loudly.

Kathy could not have whatever discussion her mother was expecting right now.

She sat up on her bed and stretched. Walking into the bathroom, she turned on the shower allowing it pour on her bare back.

She traced her fingers on her body as she shivered, not because of the coldness of the water but because of what her heart felt that moment, the burden it carried.

She got her shoes and laced it. She changed to a blue singlet, wore a hoodie over the black leggings and took a matching face cap. Call it whatever but she needed to get away from what she was feeling.

The moment her bedroom door opened Angelina came barking, sorry to say.

"What the fuck is wrong with you Kathryn?"

"Mum please-"

"We need to talk."

"Of course we need to but I can't afford that right now."

"Listen I'm sorry about-yeah, him. Kathryn I need you to understand that-"

"Fuck it Mom, I don't need this right now."

"It's for your good."

"That's what you say! That's all you ever say. Every damn bad decision you've made is for my good, I fucking need to breathe!" she blurted and left the house.

Kathryn was okay with being left out. Her mother made most decisions, pretty bad ones without her consent but she was an adult, few months from turning 22 and the last thing she expected her mother to do was to try to fix a relationship she ended.

She turned on the car engine and drove away. Thankfully her 2019 Toyota corolla was everything but frustrating.

From her side mirror she could see she looked a mess. She came to a halt and sighed.

Her hands ran through her bag till she found her hair brush.

You can definitely tell how fucked up a person is from their hair and she wasn't about to entertain those pity fuck stares.

She was headed to Starbucks, for her morning shift.

She usually had her brown hair cut into a messy bun. After brushing the hair backwards she managed to make it look a little better.

She brought a lip gloss closer to her lips and carefully applied it. She continued her journey and in little time she arrived.

She packed her bag, took her cell phone and came down.

Her cell buzzed in her hand and it was her best friend, Mia.

"Oh damn," Kathy muttered after realizing she had forgotten to pick Mia.

Mia had texted her the previous night asking if she could drive her to her office. Her car broke down and she couldn't fix it before leaving.

"You left me, didn't you?" Mia asked immediately she picked the call.

"I'm really sorry Mia, I just-I just forgot. It wasn't intentional."

"Right. You owe me one."

"I'm really sorry."

"Right but you still owe me," Mia said.

"Sure do, see ya."

When the call disconnected, she walked into the building. Her boss was already there, She had a new hairstyle on. Seneganese twist, is it? Oh well, she looked a little better than awful.

"Hey Kathy," she called immediately Kathryn made it to the counter.

"Hi Mrs. Leeds."

"You don't look as awful today," Mrs. Leeds complimented in her own way.

The entire week had Kathryn looking really messed up. Starting with the eye bags, the dark circles under her eyes, and the constant black out.

"Neither do you," Kathy replied with a quick faint smile.

"Almost," she said pointing to her wrist watch.

"Almost Mrs. Leeds, Almost but I beat it. Came in three minutes earlier."

"Right. Be nice to my customers or I'll have your ass kicked out."

It was a friendly reminder that she had lost two customers this week due to her constant black out and mood swings.

She got to the counter and was trying to settle in when the customers began tripping in.

"Hi."

"Hello, good morning. What flavor?" Kathy asked.

"The usual."

"Right," she replied and handed the brunette a cup of cappuccino and she in turn slid $4 to her palm.

"Hello, Hot chocolate please," another man ordered.

"Sure. Here you go."

"Thanks."

It was literally a busy morning that left her wondering why everyone wanted a glass of coffee right now.

"Hey girl."

Kathy raised her head to meet the red headed lady. It was Mia with her porcelain skin like milk, her full lips painted red.

Her hair was brushed neatly to let the waves show. She was on a black button gown, a blazer and a low shoe. She looked smart as expected from her job as a customer resolution specialist.

"Hi," Kathy managed to say with her eyes still on the system. " I didn't mean to-"

"You owe me," Mia announced.

"Good lord I know," Kathy replied rolling her eyes. "Here you go."

"Thanks best friend," she said sipping her vanilla Latte. "Did you get my text?"

"No. I've not had the time to check. Not when everybody on planet earth needs a cup of coffee right now."

"Screw them and read my text," Mia insisted.

"Hi, please Ice brewed coffee," A customer requested.

"Sure. Here you go, enjoy."

Kathryn turned back to Mia. "See? There's no break so just say it."

"Right. So I had this guy take me on my kitchen floor and fucked me real bad. I mean real hard my pussy hurts right now- but that's not the issue, I think he came in me and I may be fucking pregnant since I'm out of my pills."

Kathy looked at her sides immediately.

"Christ- reduce your damn voice," Kathryn blurted covering her face in embarrassment.

"Language ladies," A co-worker said raising his brows.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound raw," Mia apologised to her.

"Of course you did. Girl get going before that kid turns six months in your damn womb."

"You could be her godmother."

"Girl no. No damn children yet."

Mia laughed and took her bag. "And Jack?"

"I don't want to talk about him. Not right now, not here."

"Alright sweetie, tell me how it goes okay?"

"Okay," Kathryn muttered with a soft smile as Mia left.

She took a deep breath and just remained grateful that Mia wasn't asking for the details.

"Your girl is loud though, A cup of cappuccino,"

A bald headed man announced in front of her.

"Go and fuck yourself bald head," Kathy said with distaste. As she turned to leave, she heard her name.

"Kathy, wait!"

Kathy was the only child of her single mother, Angelina.

When she was sixteen, she used to tell her mom how much she wanted to meet her dad but things changed when she turned eighteen.

She stopped asking and even drifted from her mom. Kathy was few months away from turning twenty-two and she no longer cared about either of her parents.

Angelina wished things was different with her daughter, Kathy. No one would believe she could barely stay in the same room with her daughter.

It's like they're both constituents from the big bang theory waiting to explode each time either of them wanted a conversation.

The breakfast she made for Kathy was left untouched on the dinning. She wasn't sure which annoyed her more; her new relationship or that she tried fixing an abusive relationship.

Maybe she should be ashamed of herself for asking her daughter to endure the whole bullshit she's been through but-Sigh, parenting isn't any easier job.

She had a panic attack few hours after Kathy left. She used up her inhaler and needed to get another one.

Her house was visibly a clean space with a white painted wall characterized by a monochromatic color palette.

The lines in the room form a rectangular shape. Portraits of Kathy decorated the sitting room. A piece of artwork Angelina worked on years ago was still hung carefully on the wall.

Angelina could pass for Kathy's elder sister. Aside the fact that she had Kathy when she was Twenty, her features made her look incredibly beautiful for a woman her age.

She was about 5'7ft tall, slim and curvy. She had a black long straightened hair and often wondered why Kathy chose to cut hers.

Her smoky eyes, her ivory skin, slim legs all caused doubts whenever she was asked her age and she said forty-two.

"Ourgh Kathy," she grimaced when she touched the plate and felt the coldness of the food. "The least you can bloody do is respect me!"

*********

The drive to the hospital was not short, neither was it long. Angelina was caught up in traffic a few times and had to look at her cell phone. When she finally arrived the hospital, the familiar smell hit her.

The smell profile was of antiseptic, artificial fragrance contained in soaps.

On arrival, the reception was silent but in few seconds, the silence was broken by the approaching footstep of a nurse.

After a quick nod and smile with the nurse she headed to the hospital pharmacy.

She took her steps calmly till she got to the counter and saw Mia.

"Mia?"

"Lord," Mia mumbled trying to hide the packet of the contraceptive she had taken from the Pharmacist.

"Stay safe Ma'am," the nurse told Mia but she only gave a nod and walked towards Angelina.

"Hi Miss Lina."

"Mia. Are you alright?"

"Yes- I just needed some multi vitamins," she explained.

"Alright," Angelina replied believing her.

If only Kathryn could engage in such conversations with her, she could definitely play along and pretend to believe her even if she was lying.

"Your inhaler?" Mia asked looking at her hands.

"Yes, ran out of them. Have you heard from Kathy?"

"I was with her earlier. She's beating her tough time quite well."

Angelina gave a nod and Mia left. For Mia, it was a near catch. Being 21 didn't mean anything as far as her mum and Kathy's mum are concerned.

She picked up her phone to call Kathy, to ask how her day was going and most importantly, to tell her about the near catch.

She raised the phone to her ear but there was no response.

Hey there, it's Kathy. Leave a text if it's so important.

"Fucking hell," Mia cussed and slid the phone back into her pocket.

Mia was the exact opposite of her best friend but that made them closer.

They had similar childhood and trauma of a broken home. She had no idea why it happened but all she held onto was the memories of her dad.

Whenever she wanted, she tried remembering unclear images of her father teaching her to kick and punch.

She was barely eight; about fourteen years ago.

Mia's father was an FBI agent. He loved his work and to prove commitment left his family for California.

Mia would never understand why he left, never.

Often times she wondered how her father would react if he knew she could barely kick like he taught her.

All she ever did with her legs was to open them wide during missionaries or some shit. Yes, you got the picture clear. Mia was a sex freak.

She never had time for relationships, never been in one and never had a plan to get in one. She lusted over guys, got them and left. Her life was that simple, quite eventful.

"Miss?" A voice called and she shook her head back into consciousness.

"Do you need help with something?" The security man asked.

She must have gotten lost in thoughts while waiting for Lina to leave.

She turned to look at the exit door and Angelina was walking out with a small bag.

She smiled briefly and turned back to the security man. "Not really, I better get going."

Mia was only trying to not create the bad impression of herself to Lina. She actually liked Lina a lot but Kathy didn't enjoy talking to her mother.

She always made an excuse for everything and sometimes, she stayed over at Mia's place just to escape from her mother's presence.

Mia clutched her bag tightly and reached for her phone again. She knew Kathy was having a busy morning but she still needed to talk to her.

The call went to voice mail again.

Hey there, it's Kathy. Leave a text if it's so important.

She rolled her eyes and heaved.

Kathy wasn't taking any of her calls. I mean who would take calls in the middle of an argument?

Kathy was right at the coffee shop, preparing to leave when this tall guy with a broad shoulder ordered for a vanilla latte, she was handing it to him when he missed it and it spilled on his clothe.

"Fuck, I'm so sorry."

"Oh shit," he said staring down at his pants.

"I'm really sorry sir, I-"

"Of course you should. Who works in a coffee shop when they're blind?" he fired without giving a moment.

"Maybe me cause I'm blind and I can't see this one go on your jean too," she rudely replied and let the remnant pour on this trousers.

"Fucking bitch," he cussed. "You're a fucking bitch!!"

"That's right. What else, asshole?"

Their little heated argument got Interrupted with Jack walking in.

"You good?" Jack asked Immediately he saw Kathy scowl at the young man.

Kathryn turned to him and swallowed hard. "Yes, let's get the hell away from here."

The young man, Stone stood there pissed at what just happened. He turned to Jack. "Your girl is a Pyschopath."

"And you're an asshole!" Kathy yelled back.

Stone gritted his teeth and ran his hand through his thick dark hair. He needed to keep his cool if he was to achieve anything.

As soon as they got into the car, Kathy heaved a sigh and held her head to avoid an explosion.

Jack thought of the smartest thing to say. "You need to relax." "We don't always get the best customers."

After a few seconds of silence, Kathy turned to Jack.

"I'm sorry, I should have called you before now."

"It's fine, we agreed to hook up after work-"

"Hook up," Kathy replied. "That's it, I was drunk. Fucking high and had no control over my words."

Jack stared at her, raising an eye brow. He looked at her like he was hearing her speak another language entirely.

"Listen, I was so broken, so hurt, high and all I could think of was to do something to get back at my ex. The whole call, everything..."

"The sexting too?"

Now at the mention of that, she swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn't remember much when she woke up but sexting sure sounded familiar.

"That too."

Jack swallowed hard. "I understand."

She wasn't cancelling this whole hook up thing because Jack wasn't a hot catch or whatever but she'd rather heal the normal way.

Jack was a dark skinned hot guy while Mason had a medium tanned skin. They had striking similarities and-not again. She was comparing Jack to her ex boyfriend.

"I'll drop you off," Kathryn offered and Jack gave a nod.

He had been a friend from high school and had a huge crush on her, aside the sex, he was ready to take anything she offered, the sex inclusive.

"Call me later," She said to ease the awkwardness as he climbed down her car.

"Sure, take care."

Now she was alone in her car, she gave a loud sigh and drive away.

Getting home, she pulled her shoes and went straight to the dinning. She was famished and hoped her mum left something, anything for her.

"Thank goodness," She brightened at the sight of the plate Lina left.

Although it was cold, she was glad she met it. Lina was a darling after all.

Her phone rang again and when she checked the screen, it was Mia.

She already missed three of her calls and she definitely owed her an explanation.

"Hey," she said as she picked up her phone. "Tell me you made it out of there alive."

Mia chuckled. " Back from work?"

"Yeah but I almost killed this asshole who walked in and made me mad."

"Damn. What happened?"

"Forget about it and tell me the gender. Boy? Girl? Twins?"

"Shut up. I'm not pregnant," Mia laughed.

"Good to know."

"Are you home?"

"Yes. I arrived few minutes ago."

"Oh. But I thought-"

Kathy scoffed. "Yeah, I cancelled. See Mia I can't go on with it."

"What do you mean?"

"What would anyone think of me when they hear I fucked a random guy because I wanted to get back at my ex for cheating on me with my friend?"

"Crazy. That's all they'd say. Plus Charlotte should not be called your friend. She ceased to be called that the moment she let Mason fuck her."

"That's right," Kathy said picking up a glass of juice. She washed her food down with fresh orange juice. "You're right Mia."

"Got to go. I love you baby," Mia said right before the call ended.

She was definitely the only friend Kathy had. She was supportive, Confident, classy and obviously sexy.

She decided to call Kathy to know how she was feeling.

Although revenge was a shitty advice to give a hurt friend, it was definitely the fastest route to get a grip of her life. It was the ninth day since the party; the party responsible for Kathy's constant black out.

At about 9pm that day, the three friends arrived at the club with Kathy on the sexiest gown she's ever owned. Charlotte was stunning too, Long brown hair, Olive skin and green big eyes. She was modelling a skin-tight gown with an impressive six-inch heels.

It was Mason's birthday and he told her he had a gift to make up for the days he's been acting strange.

Kathy has never been a drinker, just a vibe and leave person. The party was going fine till Kathy needed to use the restroom and found Mason and Charlotte having sex in the restroom.

Mia wasn't aware of the entire thing but the moment Kathryn ran out looking like she was about to have a panic attack and walked straight to the bar man, she knew something was wrong.

Kathy raised the glass to her lips and blitzed the entire whiskey, she then grabbed her purse and stormed out of the club, wiping tears from her eyes.

Mia stood discombobulated for a minute then ran towards the direction only to see Mason with his boxers down and Charlotte bent over, taking him.

That was it, the night that changed Kathy's life.

Stone was obviously not in the best of his mood.

His black hair was shorter around the sides but fell across his forehead messily.

He took a few steps from the stairs to the dining and grabbed a chair.

"Hi son," his mum said raising her face to him.

"Hey mum."

They didn't share the best Mother-son relationship in the entire New York since his dad died but they definitely had a good time.

Her brown hair was styled not too different from the rest aged women in New-york.

The only difference was that she didn't allow her hair remain grey. She dyed her hair back to brown each time she noticed the slightest change. "I know I'm getting old but I can still push old age to the side."

That was her favorite line whenever Stone or Ashton talked about her routines.

Stone swallowed the lump in his throat and looked at his mom briefly.

She took a sip of water and dropped the glass on the table. "What's the issue son? You seem occupied."

"Hmm."

Anyone could tell Stone had something bothering him. His brows were arched and the lines on his forehead wouldn't stop being so visible.

"Body aches, work, stupid workers bla bla bla."

That was all he would let out and she knew it. She would never argue but she'd ask to be sure.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah. I'm just busy with work."

His mum nodded like she understood his feelings and gave a soft pat on his head. "Eat sweetie, you don't want to starve."

He stretched his hands and grabbed the plate of Scotched eggs.

"Where's Ashton?" He asked the moment he noticed his baby brother didn't come down for breakfast.

"Upstairs. He's been moody and has refused to tell me what happened. He just claims he's not hungry."

A frown lined his forehead as he shook his head. "How long now?"

"Three days."

"I'll be right back," he announced and stood up.

Stone headed to his little brother's room. He silently hoped that little man wouldn't make life any harder and just get his ass downstairs.

His mother remained calm, turning some fresh juice into the jug. She was trying her best but having two sons who chose when they wanted breakfast wasn't really helping.

"Ashton!"

Few knocks on the door and a threat was all it took to get Ashton open the door.

"Are you crazy or something? Mum says you haven't had food in three days."

"Not true. I'd have been dead, you know."

"Don't even try to be sarcastic with me, get down now."

"I don't want to-"

"Let's get down and have breakfast," Stone ordered. "Now."

"I just needed time alone," Ashton replied. "can I have that please?"

Stone was obviously not the big brother to have chit chats with.

He scowled and heaved a sigh; something was wrong with his brother and he had to know what.

"Tell me what happened Ashton, you can always talk to me," Stone said in the least convincing way.

Ashton didn't respond. He couldn't bring himself to tell his brother what was really going on with him.

"Girlfriend issues?" Stone asked suspiciously. He was trying to think of what could make a teen this way, he barely remembered what could have gotten him like this when he was a teen.

"Definitely is," He said laughing at his little brother.

"Not funny," Ashton brushed off and turned to face the wall.

"I know man, been there. Listen, it only gets worse if you keep being like this, like a pussy. You need to man up, eww."

Ashton raised his head to meet his big brother and gave a faint smile. "You don't know how it feels, do you?"

"Of course I do." He sighed in relief. "You thought I was joking when I said I've been there? Common man."

"I just don't know what to do."

Stone gave a nod. "I'll tell you. Focus on other distractions. Games? Football? Lord knows I'd kick your ass if I ever find you like this."

"Alright," Ashton laughed and Stone pulled him into a brotherly hug. "Come here, little man."

They returned downstairs for breakfast.

"Now that my boys are here, let's have breakfast."

They all sat down and had baked rice served.

Stone tried as much as possible to ignore some of the questions his mom was asking.

He didn't want to reveal too much because it was only safe if they had no idea what was going on in his life.

As he raised the glass of water to his lips, his phone pinged.

His mom turned to look at him and Ashton followed.

"It's nothing," he said and dropped the glass of water on the table. He raised his phone and read the text.

"I have to leave now," Stone said as he stood up from the chair. He turned to Ashton and patted his shoulders. "We have a deal remember?"

"Yeah, I remember."

He turned to his mom and kissed her cheek.

"I always want you around, Liam."

He beamed and gave a small nod. His mom was always going to be his priority.

She walked behind him to the door and he paused. "You don't have to see me out."

She smiled. "I know but I just-" she sighed." You are the perfect son, Liam."

That was her way of appreciating her son. She often times told him she loved it when he spent his days over with them.

Stone moved to his own apartment three years back but made it a habit to still come over, unexpectedly or expectedly.

He owed that one to his father, to make sure his family was okay. It was his last wish before the trigger was pulled and a bullet fired to his damn chest.

"love you mum," he finally said and brushed off the memory from his head.

He got into his car and his phone buzzed again.

Emergency, be quick.

He read the text and slammed his foot on the accelerator immediately.