The 25th reunion of Roosevelt High continued, after the dinner was over, with dancing and drinks. At one table conversions started during the meal continued.
Sarah looked at William and asked, "So, what happened to Katy?"
Simone shrugged and said, "I don't really know. We stopped being close after Thomas disappeared. I saw her with Vic and couldn't understand why she was with him instead of Vic. Then Thomas was gone, and we drifted apart."
Christine, a former cheerleader and drama club member, pipped up, "I stayed close to her for the rest of the school year. We were in the same plays and usually in the same scenes during the Winter and Spring Pageants. She was really in a funk through Christmas. After New Year's, she seemed to be more her own self. She started hanging out with Chet, the QB that replaced Vic. We got our college acceptance letters. Katy, Chet, and I ended up going to State. That's where I met Ted, my husband."
Ted remarked, "I first met Chris and Katy at orientation. Didn't meet Chet until classes started. During the 1st Quarter, we were all pretty tight up until the end of October. Chris and I were working on a project together. Got invited to a Halloween party, but it was a Thursday night, and the project was due on Friday, so we kept working on it. Didn't see Katy in class the next day or that weekend. A few days later, we heard the police had found, outside of town, a dead woman. It was confirmed it was Katy. Lots of rumor about what happened, but nothing definite."
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Shoot, how could I be so stupid! Flirting with and kissing Vic. Worse, letting Thomas see.
Katy pushed Vic away and said, "Stay away from me! Don't ever come near me again!"
She looked around the party for Thomas, but he was nowhere to be found. Everyone she talked to said he looked sad and broken as he walked out the door. Katy couldn't believe what she did and started to cry. A couple of female classmates helped her over to a couch and hugged her as she cried her heart out. She knew she had lost Thomas.
The party was winding down, so Katy left, catching a ride home. Walking in the door, her parents saw her red eyes and morose face. Asking what happened, Katy was embarrassed but told them what happened with Vic and what Thomas saw.
Picking up the phone, her father called Thomas' father. The two men briefly talked about the situation. Thomas' father confirmed he wasn't home. Thomas' father came over and the two men drove off looking for Thomas.
Katy stayed in the house with her mom, who hugged her and tried to console her as Katy's heart was breaking. All through the night, there was no word. Around dawn, Katy's and Thomas' returned. There was no sign of Thomas. Police had been looking and would continue to look, but they also found no sign of him.
Disconsolate, Katy stayed home from school, missed the Saturday football game where Vic was injured, slipping into a deep depression as there continued to be no word about Thomas. On Monday, she returned to school and meandered through the days until her 18th birthday on Dec 3rd. Some friends had abandoned her, and others stood by her. Regardless, she missed Thomas and kept hoping he was well and would come back to her.
Christmas came and there was little joy in either household. Katy had wanted to give Thomas her cherry for Christmas, sealing their love for each other. Ruefully she wondered if she would ever have sex and resolved on New Year's Eve to save herself for him.
The new year came, and Katy started looking forward to graduation and going to college. In the lead up to getting acceptance letters, she became closer with Chet, the nineteen year old boy who replaced Vic as QB and took the team to the State Championships. No dates, but the two of them were spending more and more time together as situations in and out of school kept putting them together.
Spring came and acceptance letters rolled in. Everyone was excited, though many were also disappointed. Katy, Chet and several other seniors were accepted to State. Financially, it was the best option for her family, so she accepted. Chet and her friend, Christine, also accepted. It was good to know she'd have friends at State. Katy was sure she'd make more, but having a few at the start mitigated her concerns about being at school alone. She and Thomas had agreed they'd go to the same university for that reason, and because they had been in love and wanted to get married after they graduated from college.