here we go now

There was the whole Kyle matter to consider. What could she tell Kyle who was being all together in a different mode lately in the last days of school.

"You are passing everything," Ellie wanted to know.

"Well, yeah." He wasn't so close to her as she remembered, and it was hard for her to explain anything to him when he was aggravating her dog Henry at the park. He kept teasing him and making him bark and jump.

"So you're OK." Ellie wanted him to know about Nick. "Rex told me. He came by other day and told me."

Kyle blew out air with a sigh and then caught a laugh. "Are you sure thats all there is to it?"

"Yes."

"OK." but from the tone of his voice, she knew he didn't believe her so she sealed it with a kiss. He had to believe her, but he was tense and backed away just a bit, pushing his fingers through his thick hair.

"Listen, there is this thing I have to do on the last day of school." He gave her a dead stare.

"What thing?" Why was it, when they kissed, it always happened when he wanted and on his time. She was seriously thinking this wasn't going to last another day.

"Its this fight." He shrugged.

"What fight?" She tilted her head wondering what could possibly make him want to have a fight. It had to have something to do with Kelsey.

"Its just I said I'd make it happen a long time ago, and I'm a man of word." He looked down to study the grass, anything but to look Ellie in the face. "So I have too."

"You have too?" Ellie looked at the sky, then Henry who was licking his feet then back to Kyle, "With who?"

"Caleb." He swallowed the word back and remained even lipped.

"You wouldn't." She sighed.

"I would. And I can and I don't care what you think." He started pulling the bark from the tree where they were standing. She saw his arm stretched out and noticed the long deep scratches.

"The cat been after you, again?"

"Yeah, we fight all the time."

Ellie almost laughed. She didn't believe him, but then maybe he just wanted the cat to do that to him. She didn't know.

"Well, good luck." She hated to say that, but there wasn't anything to change his mind. It hurt to see it all play out. She thought she knew him, but evidently she didn't. "With the cat, and Caleb, too."

Perhaps it was just as well if they distanced themselves. But then, she wanted to be there for the fight. She had to. She was his girlfriend. She supposed.