Part 5

I started the car and drove out of the parking lot, my eyes trained on the road as I mentally prepared myself to go through with my threats. I took an occasional glance now and then at the three naked women that were in my car. Katherine was hugging her chest tightly with her legs crossed as she hung her head in shame, not once looking up at me or anyone else. April was staring out the windows, her chest heaving as she breathed heavily and looked around anxiously and covered herself. Occasionally she would give me or Aggie an angry glare, only to go right back to an expression that was a mixture of fear and embarrassment. And speaking of Aggie, the woman in question merely glared at me as she crossed her arms over her chest.

It's odd, but I felt an apology well up from within me.

"I'm... I'm sorry that I have to put you through this." I finally apologized.

"Ha!" Aggie scoffed, "It's about time that you show respect to - "

"NOT YOU!" I snapped as I glared at Aggie through the rearview mirror before gesturing to Katherine. Taking a deep breath, I calmly said, "But there's one thing I don't get. You apparently have a crush on me, so why were you always joining Aggie and April in picking on and bullying me?"

Katherine let out a whimper, slowly turning her head to face me without making eye contact. With a sigh, she finally said, "It... It was... I'm so sorry, Jack. I was just so scared that maybe if I liked you, you wouldn't like me back. So I did the only thing I could think of to try to make you notice me, and that was to make your life miserable as possible. And I never realized that Aggie would want to make my life miserable by constantly using my crush on you as leverage to become her lackey."

"And is it... Is it true that you use the pictures that you three take of me in my underwear for...?"

"S-sometimes..." Katherine admitted sheepishly, her face going red again, "But why are you letting me off so easy when compared to the others? I mean, I was just as big of a jerk to you as Aggie and April were."

"You were scared." I stated simply.

"That doesn't mean I'm not sorry."

We lapsed into a brief silence before I spoke up again, "Katherine. You're... You're not the only one here that never told another person that they liked them out of fear that they wouldn't like you back."

Katherine stared at me in confusion for a few seconds before her eyes went wide in shock.

"Jack?" Katherine asked, a look of guilt on her face, "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yes." I replied with a nod, "I have a crush on you too."

Katherine's mouth dropped open as she just sat there in silence. She shook her head slowly from side to side.

"No... No, I don't believe it." She said as she tried to fight back tears again, this time ones of guilt and remorse. "I... I was a complete monster to you. You... Y-you don't like me in that way! You're either just saying that, or you're using this to bully ME with! Which is it?!"

"Neither, Katherine." I responded as I turned down a street as I got closer to our destination before looking into her eyes, "I think that you're very beautiful, and I know that you're not even a quarter as bad as Aggie or April. I... I love you, Katherine."

Katherine burst into tears once again as my confession sent her spiraling into another guilt-ridden breakdown. I didn't know if it was okay to hug her or not, so I just reached out my hand to try to give her a supportive gesture.

"I'm sorry." She cried as she hugged my arm tightly, tears streaming down her face, "I'M SO SORRY, JACK! I DESERVE ALL OF THIS! I'M a monster! You're so much better off without someone like me around! YOU DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER THAN SOMEONE LIKE ME! I'M NOTHING! I'M NOTHING! I'M POND SCUM! I'M THE GUNK THAT YOU SCRAPE OFF YOUR SHOE! NO! I'M LOWER THAN ANY OF THOSE THINGS! Plus, I'm an idiot! If I had just told you that I liked you instead of making your life a waking nightmare, I - "

"KATHERINE!" I shouted, cutting her tirade short as I got her attention. Taking a deep breath, I calmly said, "Katherine. You need to stop right now."

"I... I..."

"Katherine. Look at me." I commanded as she wiped her eyes and nose, looking up at me. "You are NOT a bad person. You just made some mistakes. You were very scared, and you panicked. I get that. And I forgive you."

"W-what? But-"

"If anything," I continued, "I'm the jerk that made you strip down to your underwear before a certain SOMEONE," I glared at Aggie in the rearview mirror, "made you get completely naked. And If you're an idiot because you thought that I wouldn't like you back, then I'm a bigger idiot for thinking the same thing!"

Katherine laughed a bit as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I love you, Jack."

"I love you too, Katherine."

"Ahem!" I heard a voice interrupt from the back. Glaring into the rearview mirror, I saw Aggie looking at us in disgust. "If your little soap opera with Ms. Pony Undies is done," she growled, "would you mind telling us where we're going."

"Well, Aggie," I said with a smirk, "we're going to the beach for you and April's first forfeit. Katherine can stay in the car if she wants, and can even wear my jacket, but the two of you are going for a little dip."