Katie's Quest

"Hey, Katie!"

Katie looked up, jarred from her thoughts by the voice of her best friend, Hannah Mayes. A fellow cheerleader and longtime next-door neighbor, Hannah was a cute redhead with a freckle-dusted face and bright blue eyes. "How was your weekend?"

"It was great!" Katie beamed. "My dad and I went out to the drive-in theater for movie night. How was yours?"

"Can't complain. Mike and I mostly hung out at his place."

Katie felt her heart warm toward her friend. Hannah had been seeing Mike for almost a year now--longer than all her previous boyfriends, and she'd had quite a few. "It's really getting serious, huh? I'm so happy for you!"

"Yeah." Hannah's eyes shone. "He's so sweet, and he's always so much fun. I really want to see where this thing with him goes. Honestly, Katie girl, you need to get yourself a guy!"

Katie suppressed the urge to laugh out loud. If only you knew! "I'm sure I will," she said with a chuckle. "Who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky." And in more ways than one.

"I can't understand why you haven't even kissed a guy yet," Hannah went on. "Do you know how many guys would kill for a chance to get with you? They'd probably fight to the death like gladiators in ancient Rome for it!"

"Oh, stop!" Katie gave an embarrassed laugh.

"It's true," Hannah said as they walked toward Mr. Benson's homeroom. "You should give it a chance. Guys can be a lot of fun, once you learn how to handle 'em."

"Oh?" Katie arched an eyebrow. "And how do I 'handle' them?"

Hannah replied without missing a beat. "Easy. When they misbehave, you smack 'em with a rolled up newspaper and make 'em sleep on the couch. You know, like with dogs."

"That's not very nice," Katie said, though she took care to keep her reproof gentle. "Guys are people too, you know."

"I know that! All I'm saying is, you gotta set boundaries and strictly enforce them. Oh, and here's another tip: guys crave attention. They'll never admit it, but they do. Show them even a little affection and you'll have them wrapped around your finger."

"Noted," Katie said dryly. "Should I also keep a spray bottle of cold water if they get too clingy?"

Hannah snickered. "See? You're catching on."

Katie was about to reply, but a glance to her left as they passed one of the rapidly-filling classrooms made her forget whatever she was about to say. For some reason Katie could not explain, her eyes were drawn immediately to a young man sitting in the middle row. He looked to be her own age, and was hunched over a textbook and a piece of paper, a pencil clutched in his hand. He wore a plain gray hoodie over his uniform shirt, and his messy black hair--which seemed a little too long--hung partly over a face that might have been boyish were it not for the serious expression it wore. His nose was straight, his eyes a dark shade of brown. His skin was slightly tanned, and from what Katie could tell, his body was lean and fit. To just about everyone else, he would have seemed rather plain and unremarkable.

Not to Katie. For some reason, she was immediately drawn to him. How could she have not noticed this guy before? How had he slipped under her radar for so long?

"Hello?" Hannah snapped her fingers under Katie's nose. "Earth to Katie. Come in!"

Katie flushed, embarrassed. "Sorry. I, er, got lost in thought." She wanted to ask if her friend knew who the guy was, but knew that Hannah would immediately start trying to play matchmaker. Her friend meant well, but Katie couldn't afford outside interference in her plan. She would have to find out herself.

Something about the guy piqued her curiosity. There was a quiet thoughtfulness about him that intrigued her. He was also, Katie admitted silently, very cute.

When they reached Mr. Benson's room, she plopped her books down and said. "I think I forgot something in my locker. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Sure, just don't be late for the bell. You know how Benson is about that kind of thing, the old tyrant."

Katie rolled her eyes good-naturedly. Once she was out the door, however, she headed back toward the classroom where she'd first seen her mystery male. All eyes turned to her when she walked inside. Katie was so used to it she barely noticed it anymore.

"Good morning, Mrs. Martinez," she chirped.

"Good morning, Katie," the teacher replied warmly. "What can I do for you?"

"I need to double-check the rolls. The school computer system has been glitching lately and putting students in the wrong classrooms, so Principal Morris asked me to help make sure everyone's where they're supposed to be. Do you have a copy of your roll call and seating assignments I could take a look at?"

Martinez didn't even think to question any of Katie's cover story. "Of course," she said, reaching into her desk. "Here you are."

Katie glanced at it, seeing the names laid out in neat columns. "And this corresponds to the seating arrangement? From left to right?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

Katie discretely looked over the edge of the page, checked where the guy was sitting, and found his name on the chart. It didn't escape her notice that he was one of the few males in the class who wasn't staring at her. That marked him out from the rest in and of itself, but it was more than that. Something about him fascinated her on a fundamental level. Katie couldn't articulate exactly what it was, but it was there, and she felt it. Something about this guy made him stand out from the crowd in Katie's eyes. He was a puzzle waiting to be solved--and Katie was very, very good at puzzles.

His name on the chart read Kieran Callaway.

There. She had a name to go with the face. That was a start.

Kieran Callaway. The name seemed to roll off her tongue. Kieran Callaway.

"Katie? Is there a problem with the seating?"

Katie cleared her throat. "Not at all," she said. "Thanks for letting me check!"

"Of course, sweetheart. Take care now!"

"You too! Tell your grandson I said hi, okay? He was so good the last time I babysat him."

"I'll make sure to," Martinez chuckled. "He's done nothing but ask when you can come babysit him again. You really know how to work with kids, you know that?"

Katie beamed. "I do my best! See you!"

She practically skipped back to homeroom. By the time she got there, she was already planning her next move.

Katie intended to find out everything she could about Kieran Callaway. And she knew exactly where to begin. The records for each student at Sunny Meadows High were stored in the main office, but Katie needed to wait until the secretary went to lunch before she could look up Kieran's file. The secretary was not a very nice woman, and Katie doubted she would able to convince her as easily as she'd convinced Mrs. Martinez. She felt a pang of guilt at that, but quickly quashed it and focused instead on the object of her interest. What would Kieran's records reveal? There was no way to predict what might be in there.

Again, she felt a stab of remorse. She was, after all, invading the guy's privacy. She regretted that, but told herself over and over that it was necessary. She wasn't stalking him or spying on him, she was simply doing research to make sure she chose the right guy to father her baby. She couldn't just jump into bed with him blindly, after all. Nor did she have any intention of sharing or compromising anything she learned about him.

Katie squirmed with impatience for the rest of the morning. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Lunch seemed to take an eternity to arrive, but when it did, Katie made a beeline for the office. She even passed the secretary in the hall, on her way to eat lunch alone exactly on schedule. Katie smiled at her. The older woman pursed her lips and did not smile back.

The file cabinets in the office were locked, but Katie often worked as an office aide during her free periods and she knew that the secretary was sloppy. She often left her keys in her desk drawer, and the drawer did not have a lock. It was a simple matter for Katie to retrieve them, and a simpler matter yet for her to open the file cabinet marked "Student Enrollment, C-H."

Katie riffled through the files. It did not take her very long at all to find the one with Kieran's name it. She would have preferred to make copies of it, but she couldn't risk the noise from the copier drawing anyone into the room and if she stayed to read it, she risked being discovered. Instead, she took out her cell phone and carefully photographed each document. Then she put the file back and carefully replaced the keys.

Katie was in and out of the office in less than five minutes. No one saw her enter or leave.

She ducked inside the nearest girls' bathroom and locked herself into a stall. Then, and only then, did she allow herself to start reading.

Kieran Callaway, age 18.

Father: Sean Callaway. Mother: Audrey Callaway (deceased).

That gave Katie pause. So, Kieran was being raised by a single parent? How long ago had his mother died? Katie thought of her own mother and shuddered at the thought of losing her. She couldn't imagine how hard that must have been.

Disciplinary record: Mr. Callaway has had several detentions for tardiness, but is otherwise well-behaved.

That was also encouraging. Katie didn't want her baby's father to be a punk.

Mr. Callaway speaks only when called upon but is otherwise quiet in class, a trait that has grown more pronounced since the death of his mother several years ago. Several of his teachers have voiced concern about the effect this loss has had on him, remarking that Kieran used to be much more outgoing before.

So Kieran had become more withdrawn since his mother's passing. Katie couldn't blame him. She might have done the same thing.

Nonetheless, Kieran maintains good rapport with his instructors and is polite when addressed directly by them or by his classmates.

Next, Katie looked at Kieran's medical records. They were very thorough, but that was only to be expected. Let's see...no history of hereditary illness, no STDs, no major surgeries or operations over the past five years. An appendectomy when he was younger, but that's about it. He seems healthy as a horse.

Slowly, she nodded to herself. Yes, her instincts were right. Kieran was a strong candidate indeed, but there was still one thing she needed to know: his relationship status. If he was in a relationship, she would have to take him out of the running. Katie refused to have any part in infidelity. But how could she find out for certain without tipping her hand too early?

Katie tapped her lips with a slender finger as she contemplated her next move. She was still mulling it over when the bell rang to signal the end of the lunch hour, but as she made her way to her next class, the answer popped into her head.

She searched until she saw Kieran weaving through the crowded hall, his head bowed as he listened to something on an antiquated-looking Ipod. Katie, with all the bubbly cheerfulness she could muster, went right up to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

Kieran took the earbuds out, turned, and nearly dropped them when he saw her. Katie fought back the urge to grin triumphantly. Apparently, he wasn't immune to her good looks after all.

"Hey!" she said cheerfully. "It's Kieran, right?"

Kieran looked a little nonplussed. "Uh...yeah. Is it--is there a problem or something?"

Katie shook her head and laid a hand on his arm briefly. Her big, green eyes gazed up into his. Kieran stood nearly a foot taller than her. "No, there's no problem at all! In fact, I'm hoping you can help me with something!"

"Me?' Kieran frowned. "I mean...I guess I could try--"

"Great!" Katie said. She rocked back and forth on her heels slightly as she spoke. "Oh, sorry! I didn't tell you my name. I'm Katie Petersen! It's awesome to meet you!" She stuck out her hand.

Kieran hesitated, then took it in a firm handshake. It was the kind of handshake one would use to greet a colleague or coworker. It was a professional handshake, and Katie liked it. "Likewise. Though I hope you're not offended when I say that I already knew your name. It seems like everyone does."

"No offense taken! Anyway, the school newspaper is doing an article for Valentine's Day next week, and they asked me to help them gather some stories about student romances that they could include in the story! Do you have anything you'd like to share? Someone as cute as you must have a girlfriend, right?"

Kieran flushed with embarrassment, as Katie knew he would. For a moment, his gaze met hers. His eyes were the color of molten chocolate. Katie felt herself go a little weak in the knees.

"Er, no," he finally said, looking away hastily. "I'm not really seeing anyone right now. I'm sorry, I wish I could be more help."

Yes! Elation flooded through Katie, and it took all her formidable self-control not to keep it from showing. "Don't apologize, Kieran! You've helped more than you know. I'll see you around, okay?"

"Er...y-yeah." He inclined his head, giving her a small smile despite his obvious confusion. "See you, I guess."

She watched him walk away. Had Kieran turned back to look at her, he would have been a little unnerved at the almost hungry gleam in her eye. Katie watched him go like a lioness watching an antelope it planned on eating later.

Soon, Katie vowed. Soon.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. For the first time in her life, Katie paid almost no attention to any of her classes. She tried, she really did, but it was impossible. All she could think about was Kieran and how cute he was, in his quiet, unassuming way. She thought about his chocolate-colored eyes and dark hair and wondered if her baby would take after him. She hoped so. She wanted to ask him to go on that Disney trip with her, but she knew that it wouldn't be wise to push too far too fast. She would wait a week and build a friendly rapport with him first, get him more comfortable around her. That way, when she did make the offer, he wouldn't be as likely to turn it down.

Katie sighed. More patience and more waiting. Ah, well. It can't be helped, she thought resignedly. This has to be done right the first time.

She was still thinking about Kieran when the bus dropped her off that afternoon. Her mother was already working on dinner by the time she got home. Laura Petersen was the spitting image of Katie, though older. The crisp suit she favored at work looked incongruous when paired with the white apron she was wearing now.

"How was your day, sweetie?" she asked. "Anything interesting happen?"

Katie grinned over the rim of a glass of milk. Oh, Mom, you have no idea. "Yeah, I think I might have made a new friend. They seem nice."

"Well, you can always use more friends," her mother agreed. And nothing more was said on the topic. K

That night, as she lay in bed, Katie reached her hand between her legs and began to pleasure herself. She thought of being in bed with Kieran, of his lean body against hers. She imagined what it would feel like when he filled her womb with his seed and--

A soft moan like the coo of a dove escaped her and a wave of pleasure washed over her body. Katie bit her lip and reveled in it, but she knew it was only a shadow of what she and Kieran would feel together. His face was the last thing she thought of before she drifted off to sleep.

Kieran...