Excerpt: Paper Hearts

The weatherman promised a sudden drop in the weather. “A cold front is coming in” were the magic words for Caitlin. She needed to get out of her apartment. A sudden rush of butterfly nerves shot through to her stomach as she scrutinized herself in her closet mirror. Green sweater, red plaid jacket, orange hat, blue striped scarf, and pink arm warmers; none of it matched and she felt like an idiot, but she was low on options. All that mattered was that most of her skin was covered.
Taking a deep breath before quietly opening her front door, she glanced in both directions down her hallway. No one was around…it was all clear for her to leave.
Wringing her hands together as she waited for the slow moving elevator, she could feel sweat start to form on her forehead under her hat. She told herself it’ll be fine once she gets out into the cool October wind.
When the elevator doors slid open, Caitlin jumped back and nearly let out a squeak.
“Hey stranger! Where’ve you been lately?” It was her friend Violet. Her bright hazel eyes shone out against her curly blond hair that fell over her newly tanned body, showing off under an off the shoulder top and frilly skirt. She was just as flawless as the last time Caitlin saw her four months ago. The last time she saw any of her friends. Caitlin felt guilt felt an anvil of guilt sink to the bottom of her stomach.
“Hey…” Caitlin could feel her cheeks getting as red as her hair while Violet held the elevator doors open and waved her in. “Aren’t you gonna be cold out there?”
“What? No, I’d say you’re a bit over dressed…whatever, you look cute, so…” When Violet moved to give Caitlin a hug, not wanting to risk seeming rude, Caitlin angled her head away from her friend, thankful that Violet’s hair and Caitlin’s clothes were thick enough to keep the two from any skin on skin touching, she hugged her back as the guilt in her stomach began to do flips. “Where have you been missy? You know I had to hear from Ricky that you took a leave of absence from work so you could disappear? I would be upset I had to hear from Ricky if I wasn’t so worried about what happened to you. It better have been an emergency.” She gave Caitlin those accusing eyes she was so good at.
“Oh, yeah…yeah it was.” Caitlin could barely look her in the eyes; she didn’t have her lie completely planned out yet since she returned home a week ago. “My…grandparents…they had some last things to be taken care of, you know…”
“oh my God, I feel horrible…I should have known when Ricky said you went up to their lake house…but I thought all of that was taken care of when they…”
“Yeah…but, there were a few things that slipped through.” Caitlin was going to hell for that one. It was partially true. She was at her grandparent’s lake house, but not to take care of anything, but to hide out. Violet moved to give her another hug, but they were interrupted by the elevator doors opening again. Caitlin silently thanked the intrusion.
Two boys and a girl people made their way onto the small elevator. Violet and Caitlin scooted back to make room. Caitlin’s heart started to pound in her chest as sweat formed on her back and forehead. Looking between Violet and the new people, Caitlin could feel her brain start to panic.
The woman in a lightweight, sheer shirt over a tank top…the man holding her hand in a short sleeved polo shirt…and the other man in a thick fall jacket. Caitlin tried to figure out if she was in fact overdressed. They gave Violet and Caitlin friendly smiles as they all stood in silence waiting for the cramped ride to be over.
Once they reached the lobby, everyone piled out. The trio went to grab their mail in the slots off to the side of the lobby while Violet and Caitlin stood before the doors. Caitlin didn’t know what to say next, how to be around her friend, how to nicely cut her off from her life. She didn’t want to do it, but she knew it would be for Violet’s own good…and everyone else Caitlin knew for that matter.
Violet tried to break the silence first, “So we should really—”
“Aren’t you cold?” Caitlin didn’t want Violet to try and make plans that Caitlin knew she would have to bail out on.
“No…you really have been out of it lately.” She started to walk out, lightly pulling Caitlin along with her. The grip Violet had on her arm over her coat was the most welcomed and gut-wrenching feeling in Caitlin’s entire body.
It all turned to panic as Caitlin stepped out into what should have been a cool fall breeze. Instead she was greeted with not wind, but a bright, nearly blinding sun that was already starting to toast her overdressed body.
“Oh.” Caitlin’s breathing started to pick up. Damn weatherman Caitlin thought to herself.
“Yeah, kooky Chicago weather, huh?” Violet looked Caitlin up and down. “So are you busy now? Everyone’s gonna flip when they see you’re back.”
“Actually, I have to—”
“No! You get no excuses, now come one,” she tried to help Caitlin out of her coat, “Don’t need to melting before everyone can see you didn’t drop off the edge of the earth.”
“That’s fine, I’ll get it.” Caitlin hesitantly pulled off her coat, hat scarf and arm warmers. It won’t be that bad she silently prayed. Just be extra careful of yourself for the afternoon. You still have a sweater on. Caitlin tugged on the ends of her sleeves so most of her hands were covered as she draped her coat over her messenger bag. “I’ve just been a little sore and clammy lately; don’t want to spread it to anyone.”
“Well, I think we’ll risk it. Come on!”
As they started to head down the street, Caitlin looking in every direction, trying not to accidentally bump into anyone, someone from behind called out to them.
As they started to walk down the street, Caitlin felt her scarf fall to the ground. Turning back and bending to pick it up, someone else got to it right at the same time. The woman from the elevator politely picked it up; she smiled down at Caitlin as she handed it back.
Caitlin was going to smile and thank her but then it hit her. She could hear and feel her heart scream at her, the world moving in slow motion in front of Caitlin’s eyes. The woman loosely held out her sweater to Caitlin, her manicured fingers curving upwards to drop the sweater in Caitlin’s hand. Her fingers had ever so slightly, just barely but just enough, tapped Caitlin’s wrist.
She hoped it was nothing. Maybe just the air between them made Caitlin think she touched her. But as Caitlin stood up just as the woman was turning to go back to her boyfriend and friend, Caitlin knew it was too late. She didn’t have to look at the woman’s face to know that as she froze in front of Caitlin, she had that glassed over look to them.
Please let her look at her boyfriend. Caitlin’s mind was racing and she could feel her brain and heart pound and vibrate throughout every inch of her body. Look at the boyfriend. LOOK AT THE BOYFRIEND!! If only the woman could hear Caitlin’s mind praying and willing her on.
But she didn’t.
She looked at the other one.
She quickly strode over to the boys, but instead of heading towards the man who she was just holding hands with in the elevator, she forcefully collided with the friend and began kissing him. He in disbelieved shock as her boyfriend’s face went from shock to anger in a millisecond.
He pulled them apart and pushed his friend in the chest.
“What the fuck man!?”
“I don’t know! She just—”
“I want him!” The girl tried to stand between them; the friend’s eyes looked as if they would pop out of his skull.
“You backstabbing little prick!!” The man quickly moved around the girl, ignoring her as she tried to pull him away from the friend.
With his free arm, he swung and missed him. She lost her grip as her boyfriend continued to go after his friend. Swinging and punching him in the face and chest. At first the friend couldn’t come down from his shock quick enough to react before trying to run away from him.
“What’s going on!?” Violet and a few pedestrians on the block all rushed over to see the fight. Some gasped when the friend hit the ground while others commented on what the fight was all about. The whole time the boyfriend attacked the friend while the girl stood off to the side screaming for him to stop and how much she loved the friend, which only made the boyfriend angrier. “What sort of stupid whorish bitch would do that right in front of her boyfriend?”
Caitlin couldn’t respond; her mouth stuck open as she watch the scene in front of her. She felt dirty and wrapped her arms across her body.
The boyfriend was clearly the stronger of the two.
As they stumbled into the street, cars were forced to abruptly stop; angrily honking and yelling at the men, a few men standing nearby by ran after them and tried to get the boyfriend off his former friend. They were both breathing hard and sweating, the friend slightly scarred and bruised, his face still stuck in shocked mode. Some people near Caitlin and Violet were amused, even letting out a few chuckles. Someone yelled for someone to call the police.
Caitlin silently mumbled, “Shit.”