[ She's halfway to the door and trying to align all the papers when the knock sounds against the wood. Rolling the papers in a loose kind of tube, she takes those last few barefoot steps and turns the latches with the swift efficiency of habit and when the door opens, she's framed in it. Possibly looking a little creased around the edges, maybe a little tired or half-awake still dressed in her uniform's pleated skirt and a cotton shirt. ]
Hey.
[ She doesn't expect the hitch in her breath when she greets him. Or the warm sensation of bittersweet relief that spreads outward from the center of her chest. ]
So, what? [ Kate, don't. But she tries. Better to laugh, right? Make jokes and be perfectly fine. It's not like her best friend died or anything like that. ] You just happened to be running--
[ --she meant to say "in the neighborhood".
Poor girl doesn't get that far.
Her jaw clenches and she looks away, blinking back tears. ]
;A;
Hey.
[ She doesn't expect the hitch in her breath when she greets him. Or the warm sensation of bittersweet relief that spreads outward from the center of her chest. ]
So, what? [ Kate, don't. But she tries. Better to laugh, right? Make jokes and be perfectly fine. It's not like her best friend died or anything like that. ] You just happened to be running--
[ --she meant to say "in the neighborhood".
Poor girl doesn't get that far.
Her jaw clenches and she looks away, blinking back tears. ]