the girl with the cinderblock garden

Kathryn Katie Matlin Queen of the soccer field “I am too intelligent, too demanding, and too resourceful for anyone to be able to take charge of me entirely. No one knows me or loves me completely. I have only myself." -Simone de Beauvoir

[problematlin]

✗ Cutting Corners, Skipping Stones ✗

who: Katie Matlin, Jake Martin where: Southampton Farkmers Market when: Morning of August 7th what: Katie and Jake go for an early morning outing.

Katie hated having to get up early when she was supposed to be on vacation. She got up this early every day she had soccer practice and it always made her feel like a zombie. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed when she saw how crazy her hair looked. Grabbing her brush, she pulled the mess of hair up into a messy bun on top of her head. She dug through her bag for a moment before pulling out a pair of blue running shorts and a black tank top. She hated having to get up and get ready to do things so early in the morning, but getting fresh strawberries from the farmers market would be worth it. Slipping on a pair of running shoes, she left her room and walked down to the pathway that connected the girls condo with the boys, waiting for Jake to get there.

Jake was welcoming the change of scenery, and being in Southampton in general. The air was fresh, and there was space between himself and whoever walked next to him. He could hear himself think without having to squint and focus too hard. It was beautiful. The only downside about the trip, aside from having to share a room with Eli Goldsworthy, was that it essentially marked the end of his summer vacation. He'd only be spending on week in the Hamptons, and with all that was on offer, Jake didn't think that it would be enough. Fortunately, he was able to plan his days with relative ease. The farmer's market was only open in the early hours of the morning, and to his pleasant surprise, he'd managed to find himself some company. It was none other than Soccer Girl, now affectionately known as Katie, who would be joining him, and Jake couldn't be happier. After rummaging through his bags and finding something to wear, he walked to the path that joined the condos, seeing Katie already waiting. He wondered if she'd been for a run. "Good morning" he greeted her with a smile.

Katie smiled when she saw Jake and raised her hand in a wave. "Ah, but that's where you're wrong. By definition, a morning is not good, and it won't be good until there's coffee in this body, and the clock strikes 12pm." She said, mostly teasing as she scrunched up her nose. “So, coffee on the way, yes? I’m not sure my brain knows how to function without it.” She pushed one hand in her pocket and let the other dangle at her side. “Sleep well?” She asked. She had never been good at making small talk, so she wasn’t that sure what to say. The two didn’t know each other all that well, but she enjoyed his company, and thought the trip to the farmers market would be a good way to get to know each other better. 

Jake knew for certain that Katie was wrong. There was definitely such thing as a good morning. Perhaps the girl hadn't had the good fortune to experience one recently, and it made him feel for her. That was no way to live. He raised an eyebrow in speculation, eager to pick at what she had said, for something about her made it seem like she almost always got things right. "That's not true" Jake responded matter-of-factly "Well, not for me." The fact that she was there and talking to him made the morning good by default. "Besides, by the time twelve comes around, it's afternoon, so it's like good mornings don't exist. Sorry" he added, nervously rubbing the back of his neck with one hand "Probably too much small talk without coffee in your system, right? How do you like yours?" offered Jake. "Oh, and I slept alright, I guess."

Katie grinned again and tilted her head to the side. “You must like mornings, then?” She asked, trying not to giggle. With how often she found herself up at the crack of dawn to run drills and kick a ball back and further, it was hard to be cheerful in the mornings. Her legs were aching out of habit and she didn’t really know what to do. “Good mornings come around very often for me. I mean, with practice and school, it’s just really tedious to have to get out of bed when I could still be sleeping. The allure of fresh picked strawberries is the only thing keeping me standing upright at this point. Coffee. Usually an iced vanilla latte if I have soccer practice. A normal black coffee if I don’t.” She told him, shrugging her shoulders. 

Jake was enamoured by her smile. "I do" he answered simply "I like watching the sun rise." Seeing the sun rise over the Southampton horizon was mesmerising, and Jake couldn't help but look forward to the start of each new day. He wondered as to what Katie had against morning so much, whether it was something to do with bring up bright and early for soccer practice, or perhaps even craving more time in bed after a wild night out. For all he knew, it could be both reasons. He still didn't know Katie to the extent that he'd like to eventually. He made a mental note to himself, to make sure he remembered that she liked strawberries. That, and black coffee, so it seemed, as there would be no soccer practice on their combined school trip. "I'm sure there'll be somewhere on the way to the market. I'll get you a coffee; my treat."

Katie nodded. She could see how the sunrise, especially here, could be beautiful. Those colors over the water and the sand would look gorgeous. "Okay, good point. The sunrise is nice to see." She admitted, nodding her head once more. She typically encountered the sunrise when she was on her way to practice in the mornings, and she couldn’t deny that they always looked so nice. Even when she was almost too tired to stand, and just wanted to crawl back into bed, she liked the colors that painted over the sky in the early hours. “Oh? How chivalrous of you. I’m not gonna let you buy my strawberries, though. That would send the wrong impression. You know what they say about strawberries...”

Jake was pleased with himself when she accepted his offer. Buying her a coffee was the least he could do for her, considering that she'd brought him such joy from the first time he'd set eyes on her. It was a small gesture, but one she didn't need to repay, and simply just to say 'thank you' for being herself, and for her company today. "What do they say about strawberries?" he teased, playfully raising an eyebrow and looking her way. "It's alright. I get it." His heart sank a little bit, but deep down, he knew that he didn't really have a chance with Katie. She was far too good for him, in practically every way. It was good enough, more than good enough, that they could be friends, and spend some one on one time together during the trip. "I won't buy you ansy strawberries, but I'm not changing my mind on the coffee. Thanks for waking up so early to see me."

Katie laughed. “Actually, I don’t know what they say about strawberries. I was just trying to be funny. I think it might have backfired.” She said, shrugging her shoulders. “Besides, I plan on walking out of there with a few dozen pounds of strawberries, so I won’t subject you to buying that. I think I might make strawberries tarts and take them to the bonfire tonight, so I’m going to need enough for me to gorge on while baking, and enough to make the tarts. I can only imagine how many of them Zig is going to eat...” Katie had seen Zig scarf down food like no other, and while he was usually the one doing the cooking, when she did cook, she never felt like she made enough. “But first, coffee.” She said, pointing to a little coffee shop on the corner of a street. 

Jake couldn't help but smile at what Katie said to him. She was cute when she was trying to be funny, regardless as to whether her joke backfired or not. Considering how she was always seemed to be so focused and competitive, Jake felt lucky to spend some time with her when she was relaxing. He would have offered to buy all the strawberries she wanted if she asked, especially seeing as his move to Manhattan came with a hefty increase in spending money. Still, he respected her choice, and he didn't want to come on too strong, either. "Make sure you save me one, alright?" he asked her playfully "Can't have Zig eating all of 'em". It didn't surprise him that Zig had quite the stomach, especially after indulging in a bit of Mary Jane. "Yeah. Coffee first" he added, catching sight of the place that Katie had suggested. "Good eye."

Katie giggled. “I can find a coffeeshop anywhere.” She joked, shrugging her shoulders as she walked up to the shop and opened the door, breathing in the rich aroma of the coffee. She held the door open for Jake before walking up to the barista at the counter and giving her a smile. “Can I get a Cafe Verona black?” She asked, one arm draped over the counter. It was still so early and she wanted to go back to bed, but her heart was calling her to get strawberries. The coffee would help, though. Once the order was put in, she made her way over to where the drinks would come out, and watched as the baristas in the back made the drinks. “Oh, of course. I’ll save you as many as you want.” She told him, giving him a smile.

Jake nodded and smiled, impressed. "It's a good talent to have" he remarked "I mean, you never know when you might need it." Jake happily followed the girl to the entrance of the coffee shop, instantly feeling more awake as the delightful smells of the brewing beans wafted into his nose. He reached into his pocket and placed some money on the counter, paying for Katie's black coffee, and then ordering a cappuccino for himself. Once the transaction was over, he ventured to the collection counter, where he waited for their drinks to be presented. "Okay," Jake replied before mirroring her smile "Save me two. I'm imagining that with my eye for good fruit, and your cooking skill, these are gonna be pretty amazing." Their names were called and their drinks were placed on the collection counter. "Where do you wanna sit?" he asked "Or we can walk and talk."

Katie nodded. “Especially in the mornings, in the city, trying to find a place to get coffee quickly is like finding a needle in a haystack.” She said, laughing lightly. “I will save you two, then. Though, I can’t promise that they’re going to be cook. I can only promise that they won’t give you crippling stomach cramps.” She said, giving him a smile and scrunching up her nose. She picked up her coffee and wrapped her fingers around it, feeling the warmth radiate off of it. “Wanna keep walking to the farmers market? Kill two birds with one stone, or whatever?” She asked, lifting a hand to her face and pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I want to get there before some other nut job like me decides to buy up all the good strawberries. Hell, no. I’m getting the good ones.”

Jake figured that Katie was simply being modest. She seemed to be so good at everything else he had seen her do, and he thought that her cooking skill would be no exception. Still, he had no qualms in humouring her, letting out a giggle when she suggested that her tarts may not be as good as he may have liked. Deep down, Jake wasn't even too concerned when it came to the state of the strawberry tarts. He was much more pleased by the fact that Katie was going to save him a couple, and keep him in her thoughts. "Sounds good" he replied, following suit as he took hold of the warm drink in one hand. "I wouldn't worry too much, though" Jake insisted "It's still pretty early." As far as there being another 'nutjob' present at the market to hoard strawberries, the senior seriously doubted it. He was fairly sure that Katie was one of a kind.

Katie took a sip of her coffee as she led the way out of the shop. “So, I don’t actually know where the farmer’s market is. You’re going to have to led the way.” She told him, giving him a soft smile and looking up at him. “You underestimate how many strawberries I can eat, Jake Martin.” She said, teasing him a little. “I could eat my weight in strawberries in one sitting if I had enough strawberries. I have no self-control over it.” Taking another sip of her drink, she savored the warmth of the liquid. It wasn’t that cold in the Hamptons by any means, but they were surrounded by water and that meant the breeze came in stronger. She was wishing she had brought a jacket along with her, but knew she’d have to settle for the liquid to keep her warm. “So, yeah, lead the way.” She said, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and glancing down for a second, thinking about how easy it would be to just slip her hand into his.

Jake had trouble imagining Katie eating her weight in fruit, especially since she had a rather slender and athletic physique. "I'd pay to see that" he teased, before taking a sip of his drink. Despite it being summer, he still enjoyed the warmth that his coffee provided. The mornings were still on the crisp side with the breeze from the beach blowing with no signs of being soft. "Okay, if you're ready, then so am I." Jake lead the way out of the quaint coffee shop and was faced with the broad sights of the beachfront once more. He had a vague understanding of where the farmers' market was supposed to be, but figured that even if they didn't arrive there as early as he would have liked, it certainly wasn't going to be a morning wasted, for he had Katie's company.

Katie laughed back when teased her. “Hang around long enough after we get back to the condos and you won’t even have to pay for it.” She shot back, giving him a bright smile. Oh, how she hoped that he was going to stick around a little longer. “I am very ready.” She said. She let him get a little bit in front of her so that he could lead the way, occasionally glancing at his hand. God. Why did she keep looking at his hand? She had a boyfriend, for god sake. A boyfriend she claimed to be head over heels in love with. So, why was she so hellbent on holding this boy’s hand? She shook her head for a second, trying to snap out of the daydream she had let herself get lost in for a moment before paying more attention to him, and less on what she was thinking.

Jake narrowed his brow as a playful smirk stretched across his lips. "I thought you were making tarts!" he joked "We might as well buy the whole market, am I right? If we're gonna do that, though, I'll have to insist I pitch in at least a little. It's only fair." He continued to walk a couple of steps ahead of Katie, secretly hoping that she would just stand next to him, so that he could occasionally sneak glances at her as they ventured towards the market. He wondered if they'd get much conversation in once they arrived at their destination, or whether they would be far too engrossed in picking the perfect strawberries. Either way, he supposed it was much better than nothing. Jake still found it unbelievable that after thinking for months that he'd never see Soccer Girl again, they ended up going to brother and sister schools, and actually having proper discussions with each other. It was almost too good to be true.

Katie shrugged her shoulders and giggled. “I’ll make a few tarts. Who knows how many, though.” She told him. Most of the things that she baked didn’t ever make it to the oven. When it came to baking cookies, most of the dough ended up in her mouth before it was even rolled into a little ball on the baking sheet. Tarts worked the same way. She’d eat the strawberries while cooking, and then look down at the bowl of fruit, and have barely enough to fill the little tarts that she had prepared. “You’re more than welcome to pitch in, but I might though some flour on you. Just, you know, a fair warning.” She told him, scrunching up her nose. “Hey, buy the whole market if you want to. I’m down. I won’t judge.”

Jake laughed after conjuring a serious of rather humorous mental images. He could only wonder as to what Katie was like in the kitchen, if she ate as she went, or if she made a spectacular mess while preparing all of her ingredients. Of course, she could have mannerisms that opposed his thoughts entirely. She could be mindbogglingly precise when it came to measurements, and bent on keeping all of her surroundings squeaky clean. He briefly pondered on the idea of buying the whole market, thinking it would be rather hilarious. Jake supposed it was something he could technically do, now that Helen Edwards was helping to boost his allowances. Still, in this scenario, it was really bad taste, especially since he knew Katie was on scholarships, and living in a Brooklyn apartment. "If we bought the whole market, do you think we could eat it all by the time we go back to the city?" he teased.

Katie’s smile grew wider when he laughed. She was starting to really like that sound. “Oh, I think you underestimate just how much fruit I can eat. I can really put away the fruit.” She teased, scrunching up her nose. Katie wasn’t lying when she said she could eat a lot. Especially after soccer practice, she was pretty talented at eating an entire thing of strawberries and whipped cream. It was crazy to watch such a little girl put away so much food. “Hell, I’ll probably have half the strawberries eaten by the time we get back to the condo.” She teased, folding one arm over her chest, and holding her coffee to her lips, breathing in the heat.

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@katiekicks: class

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uppereastplaid:

“Okay then” he told her in earnest. It seemed a good idea to both of them to hold off on using the blender, and also from eating the popcorn of unknown age. However, it did make Jake smile when Katie suggested a rain-check, meaning that she’d like to have him over another time, or at least have him make her a milkshake. It was nice to think that despite the fact that the school year was about to start, and that he and Katie would be off to St Jude’s and Constance respectively, they’d still be keeping in touch. The Hamptons trip had really showed him that it was something he’d like to have happen. “So is there anything you wanna watch?” he asked “Or are we channel surfing?”

“I’m always a slut for Game of Thrones.” she teased, scrunching up her nose as she turned back to face him, palms flat against the counter behind her. She had already blew her way through every episode of the show, but she was addicted, and she would watch it over and over and over again if she had the time. “Have you seen Game of Thrones?” She asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

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uppereastplaid:

“I might pass on the popcorn, then” he replied before chuckling, even though the idea of nine-month-old popcorn didn’t appeal to him in the slightest. “I should’ve brought something. Sorry.” Given the time of night and what he hoped the occasion would be, Jake didn’t take much time to consider whether to bring a welcoming gift of food. The only thing he did bring with him, aside from his cell and a few dollars, was a condom stuffed in the back pocket of his trousers, but he was almost certain that he wouldn’t be needing it. After all, Katie had requested for him to come over and be a good friend to her, nothing more. He narrowed his brow at the mention of his friend Zig Novak being in the apartment as well, but figured that it was a Saturday night, and he supposedly had some history with Katie’s sister. It wasn’t something he pondered further. “They like their sleep, then” Jake thought out loud “Got it. Let’s just say I owe you a milkshake some other time.”

“Probably a good idea.” She said, making a face at the idea of eating the old popcorn. There were few things she would flat-out refuse to try, but something as old as that wasn’t something she’d try unless she was way too drunk to be thinking clearly. “They do. Life is a bitch when I try to get them up for school. Or when Felix stays out too late on the weekend and I’m trying to haul his ass to bed before he wakes up everyone in the apartment building.” The idea of any three of them waking up was terrifying to Katie. At this time of night, they were not people she wanted encounter after having been woken up by a blender. She valued her life far too much to let that happen. “i’m going to have to hold you to that.” She said, smiling at the thought of seeing him again. He’d only been here a few minutes and she was already thinking about seeing him again.

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uppereastplaid:

“Well, that’s good, ‘cause I’m dressed perfectly for movies.” Something told him that Katie wasn’t dealing so well the whole cheating scandal as she had let on to him previously. Given that the relationship with her sister wasn’t the best, she needed company, and that was what Jake would give her. “So what kind of movie are we watching?” he asked, trying to change the subject to one that might make Katie feel more comfortable “Do you wanna raid the cupboards for food or…?” Jake paused for a moment. “I could make you a killer milkshake, but I don’t wanna wake anyone up with a blender, and I don’t want you feeling bad if you didn’t have soccer practice today.”

“That you are.” She said, taking in his appearance once again, this time under the guise that she was looking at what he was wearing, and how it fit nicely with watching movies. “We have a lot of stuff to chose from. Go ahead and find something.” She said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I think we have caramel popcorn in one of those tins. Not sure how good it’ll be, though. It might be left over from Christmas.” She listened to him talk about making milkshakes and smiled. “Yeah, Felix and Zig would probably come out here with machetes in hand if the blender went off at this time of night. They’d be so mad that machete’s would appear out of thin air just so they could wave them around.”

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uppereastplaid:

The door to the apartment opened to reveal Katie in a very flattering set of silk pyjamas. He lightly bit on his lower lip while hungrily eyeing her figure, before his gaze settled at her toothy and genuine smile. “Of course I did” he replied simply, knowing well and truly that he was past the point of being able to say no to her “You asked me to come over.” He noticed the way that Katie was looking at her outfit, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she was embarrassed. “What, I think it looks good” offered Jake “I mean, I couldn’t pull that off. Did I come overdressed?”

“Depends on what you want to do, I suppose.” She said, scrunching up her nose. “I kinda figured we could just... watch movies or something. I dunno. It’s late, I don’t feel like being alone.” She said, shrugging her shoulders. The TV was playing through the opening credits of whatever movie had been left in the blu-ray player last and glanced back at it for a second. “Thanks,” she said, blushing and looking down for a moment before looking back up at him, trying to disguise the smile on her face. 

[problematlin]

uppereastplaid:

Jake could remember well the apartment above his own in Brooklyn, but he had never been personally invited inside. He wasn’t actually sure as to why Katie had asked him over so suddenly, especially because it was so late, but he was more than happy to comply with her wishes. While part of him hoped that she’d asked him over to hook up, Jake wasn’t necessarily expecting that. After all, the girl had just had her heart broken, and as much as he wanted to hold her and make her feel better, not to mention relieve some of his own frustrations, it probably wasn’t right. He knocked on the door and waited patiently for Katie’s answer, all while not knowing exactly what to expect.

When Katie heard the knock at the door, she bolted up from the couch and went to answer the door, glancing over at the doors to she and Maya’s room, and to Felix and Zig’s room. She was hoping that they hadn’t heard that and that they would stay asleep. She opened the door and gave him a smile, moving back to let him in. “Hey; you made it.” She said, giving him a toothy grin as she ran her fingers through her hair. She looked down at the revealing silk top she was wearing, and the matching shorts, and wondered if she looked alright. It was just what she usually slept in, but now that she was thinking about it, she wondered if it looked too ‘sexy’ for just hanging out.

[problematlin]

Katie grabbed a pillow and a blanket off her bed and left her room, trying her best not to wake everyone up. Felix and Zig were snoozing in their room, and Maya was on the top bunk. Or, at least, that’s where she was supposed to be. Katie wasn’t sure if she was actually there, or if it were a mess of pillows under her blanket. She tossed the stuff on the couch and turned on the TV, changing the source to the blu-ray player. It was late, and she wasn’t sure what she and Jake were going to do. Did he think this was a hook-up? She contemplated grabbing a condom from the drawer in her room, and then thought against it. She sat on the couch, phone in hand, scrolling through twitter, as she waited for Jake.

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@gardenofjake: @katiekicks Really? I mean yeah, okay.

@katiekicks: @gardenofjake i'll text you the address.

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@gardenofjake: @katiekicks Meanwhile, I don't really know what I'm gonna do :P

@katiekicks: @gardenofjake come over.

[problematlin]

@gardenofjake: @KatieKicks Touche.

@katiekicks: @gardenofjake ;)

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@gardenofjake: @katiekicks Exactly! Plenty to look forward to. I thought you'd be going for the Olympic soccer team, though.

@KatieKicks: @gardenofjake who says I can't do both?

[problematlin]

@gardenofjake: @katiekicks New adventures, and graduation to look forward to :)

@KatieKicks: @gardenofjake and then on to columbia :)

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@gardenofjake: @katiekicks That's good to hear. Plus, it's a new school year. Fresh start.

@KatieKicks: @gardenofjake New year, new stresses.

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@gardenofjake: @katickicks are you feeling any better?

@katiekicks: @gardenofjake I am now :)

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miniimats:

C’mon, it’s not that exciting, or surprising. I just… I’m not dreading it. 

I’m so proud. I’ve raised you right. We may make a scholar of you yet. 

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clarefromconstance:

No, no, she bought actual groceries too, the nectarines just stood out to me.

Okay. I was concerned that your family was going to try to survive on nectarines alone.