Free With Wings I Soar by Norah Simone

sorry.” The words felt bitter and tart as they left her mouth. She meant them, but her previous words had already done irreversible damage to their relationship, that she knew.
    “It's okay. I'm sorry, too.”
    Neither girl spoke for a moment before Katie ventured a question. “Do you still want to come over?”
    Tabitha nodded quietly and followed her friend into the house.
     

Chapter 16
     
    Katie's house was a warm reprieve from the cool winter air. Tabitha shed her jacket and gloves thankfully and slid onto the living room sofa. She nuzzled back into the couch and pulled an afghan onto her lap.
    “Okay, I'm ready for movies!”
    Katie laughed. She still had her jacket on.
    “I'm amazed at how quickly you shed your gear and got under that blanket.” Katie carefully removed her coat and hung it on the coat rack. She slid her gloves and hat into her jacket pockets so that she would be able to find them later. While Tabitha tended to lose things easily, Katie was quite meticulous about her belongings and tried very hard to keep things in order. She dropped her book bag on the floor before sliding onto the couch next to Tabitha.
    “Kenny should be home soon. When he gets here, we'll order pizza. He's got the money.”
    “Sounds like a plan. What movie should we watch first?”
    “We've got a bunch of classic films, but Kenny is at the family video store right now renting us something we haven’t seen before.” Even though most people watched movies digitally or on DVD, Tabitha and Katie both still loved watching movies on the rusty family VCR. There was nothing quite as satisfying as having to rewind a movie to re-watch a funny scene.
    “Like what?” Tabitha giggled. There were several old movies that she wanted to see. She loved watching dramas and romantic comedies, and it had been far too long since she had the chance to sit down and really enjoy a movie. Sure, she had watched television since Dad left, but she had spent most of her time focusing on being angry and sad. She had spent so much time dealing with her out-of-control emotions, in fact, that she hadn't really gotten to just enjoy being a teenager.
    “No idea. He's going to try to bring us a foreign flick so he can study for Spanish class, so we'll have to veto that when he gets here. I told him we didn't want to watch anything that wasn't in English, but you never know with Kenny.”
    Katie flicked on the TV and flipped through a few channels before giving up. “There isn't anything good on. Let's just wait for Kenny. I'll go get us some snacks.”
    Katie exited the room and soon Tabitha heard her banging around the kitchen. Tabitha felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and she pulled it out. Mom was calling.
    “Hey Mom,” Tabitha answered the phone. When she heard the tone of Mom's voice, Tabitha immediately remembered that she had forgotten to let Mom know about her afternoon plans.
    “Where are you?”
    “I'm at Katie's house. We're just going to watch some movies and maybe eat dinner together.”
    “When were you planning on letting me know?”
    “I-I was going to call you, but I just forgot,” Tabitha stuttered, caught off guard by Mom's fierce tone. “Mom, why is this even a big deal? You don't usually get home until late, anyway.”
    Even through the phone, Tabitha visualized Mom frowning.
    “I came home early today so we could talk. I'd really like you to come home. We have a lot to discuss.”
    “Mom, please, can I just stay today? I really just want to relax and have some fun. It's just Katie's house, Mom. I'm not out running rampant at the mall or hanging out in a parking lot somewhere. I'm really just sitting around with her. Please, can I just stay?”
    Mom sighed. Tabitha knew that Mom hated their arguments just as much as she did.
    “Okay,” she conceded. “You can watch one movie, but just one. After that, I want you to come straight home. We really do have a lot of things to discuss before we go to court next week. I