Feelings

Jeff clangs around in the kitchen, as one of the first ones up, and hungry for pancakes. Becky and Mel soon join him to help out, deciding a nice breakfast for everyone would be good, especially after the prior evening’s tension.

Clint’s alarm goes off, wailing in his ear. Having been in a deep sleep, he reacts with a jolt, whipping his weight to the side to get within reach of his clock. With eyes barely open, the distance to the edge of the bed wasn’t even calculated, and in the next second, his shoulder is slamming into the nightstand, and he’s in a heap on the floor. Blinking, he groans at himself and scoots up into a sitting position to rub the sleep from his eyes. His covers had been pulled down with him, and he’d knocked the lamp off his nightstand as he’d hit. What a great way to start of the day.
He rises, throwing his bed not even close to back together again, and stumbles to the shower. “First chairs now my own bed,” he grumbles, though is glad there was no witness to this one.

A pan is dropped with a clatter in the kitchen, and Mick finally opens his eyes. Taking a moment to get his bearings, he lifts his head and winces at his sore neck. He yawns and starts to stretch before remembering that he’s not alone. Sensing Rosetta is awake as well, a wry grin spreads across his face and he playfully roughs up Rosetta’s hair. “You make a pretty good hot brick, ya know that?”

Austin and Con enter the mess hall together as usual, taking up their now-regular seats at the near table. Austin glances around, not seeing Jason yet. He’d thought a lot last night…and though still disagreeing with Jason, his temper had cooled. A hope had risen in him that they would be able to work things out today, and perhaps a little bit of guilt lingered for things said the evening before.

Cindy takes a chair down by the fireplace, chilled by the crisp morning. The dark circles under her eyes prove that she’d gained little sleep, but her feeling of helplessness for the situation remains.



Jason sits on the edge of his bed, showered and fully dressed. A deep sigh makes its way to the surface. Couldn’t there ever be just one thing to deal with instead of a zillion at the same time? Pictures of the night before continue to flash in his mind. Austin…Rosetta…his mother…Katie… He shakes his head at himself, feeling at fault for more things than one. Though fighting it, his mind takes him back to Katie’s bunk. He should have known better…he shouldn’t have allowed Katie to kiss him like she had. A voice deep down reminds him that there was a reason he hadn’t exactly resisted her affection.

He rolls his eyes and stands, going for his crutches. It was just a bad idea to get involved like that. Katie liked him too much, and she’d soon realize that it had just been a fleeting lapse in judgment when she let her emotions get the best of her. Her feelings for him would not last, and because of that, he should not encourage her. He needed to be more careful, no matter how hard it was. Yet he also knew that it required a delicate hand - otherwise he’d be jeopardizing their friendship, and he had to admit to himself that it was one thing he didn’t want to lose. Katie was the first real friend he'd ever had, and he recognized her loyalty. But how could he maintain that friendship if he turned her away from him?

Hobbling to the door, Jason’s eye catches the papers from Carter, sitting on the table. A knot forms in his stomach. He was supposed to talk to Katie about it. But it would just make things worse at this point, wouldn't it? It would just complicate things even more. He couldn’t bring it up now...

Slowly he makes his way to the mess hall, dreading any confrontations, though knowing that it’s necessary to get this day over with. Upon entering, his eyes sweep the room. He sees his mother…Con…Austin…. Katie. His stomach lurches, and for the first time, he can't meet her eye. Instead, he grabs a seat at an empty table, not even sure how to proceed, or what will happen next. It's all wrong...how could things have fallen apart like this? Who would be the first to make a move? He had two completely different issues being shoved down his throat, and he was choking on both. Where were the answers he needed?