DISCLAIMER :: I wish I owned Seth. Or maybe Caleb's house. But, I don't own the OC.
Julie lay out on the grass in her front yard, her sister Cindy right next to her. Her cheap, knock off Chanel sunglasses with G's instead of C's lay on top of her face. She had searched for hours trying to find the perfect ones, the sunglasses that looked the closest to the real thing. Her eyes were closed, and she was letting her skin soak up the sun.
When Julie went tanning, she liked to dream. Dream about the future. Her hopes for the future. Marry a handsome, rich man, and get a huge mansion by the ocean in Newport Beach. She pictured herself lying out by her own personal pool overlooking the beach, real Chanel sunglasses shading her eyes from the sunlight. A Gucci bag laying beside her, filled with credit cards that would never be declined.
She opened her eyes and looked behind her at her dirty, boring, one level house. For now, her dreams would only stay dreams.
&&&
Kirsten Nichol drove by the various split-level houses, run down apartment buildings and trailer parks in her new silver BMW convertible that her father had just bought her. If her father knew she was even in a five-mile radius of an area like this, he would blow his top. 'Just think if anyone saw you!' She could hear his voice yelling at her, worried about their family's "image".
Kirsten shivered at the thought of her father finding out why she really was all the way out here.
She hadn't meant to get pregnant. She thought they had been being safe. I mean, they used a condom. Wasn't that enough? Apparently not.
When she found out, she thought her life was over. She could never tell her parents. Her father would disown her, or lock her in her room for the rest of her life, and her mother would release her sorrows in a bottle of vodka. She couldn't tell Jimmy. He would marry her. And even though she loved him, she wasn't ready for that. She was ready for her SAT's. She was ready for her friend Alexa's party at her beach house that was happening a few hours later. She wasn't even close to being ready to be a mother, or a wife to Jimmy. And now it was over. She didn't have to worry about it anymore. She should be relieved.
Suddenly she felt her car begin to slow down and then turn off, right in front of a tiny house that was in need of a fresh coat of paint.
"Crap," She whispered and tried to start her car up again. All she got was the whizzing sound that usually signals a car starting up before it died again. She then looked up at the house, where two girls were laying out in the front.
"Excuse me?" Kirsten said while getting out of her car. "Can I use your phone?"
&&&
Julie's soaking up of the sun was disturbed by a beautiful blonde girl who had parked her gorgeous convertible outside of her house. The car looked completely out of place in their neighborhood.
"Excuse me?" The girl asked as she stepped out of her car, revealing a gorgeous outfit, even it was completely casual. On top of her head were real Chanel sunglasses. Julie almost gasped in awe before quickly regaining her composure. "Can I use your phone?" She asked, leaning against her car as if she was afraid someone would come up and drive away with it.
Julie stood up and walked to the edge of the driveway.
"I think my battery's dead." Kirsten said as the girl approached her. She was surprisingly pretty. "Can I use your phone? It would really help me out."
Julie nodded "Sure," She said, wishing her phone were outside. She didn't want this rich girl to see her hole of a house with furniture that had been around longer than she had, while she probably had a huge mansion filled with expensive furniture.
"Thank you so much," She said as they began to walk to front door. "I'm Kirsten."
"I'm Julie." Julie said as her sister walked up to the pair.
"I'm Cindy!" Cindy said extending her hand to Kirsten.
"Kirsten," Kirsten said.
"What's wrong with your car?" Cindy asked
"I'm pretty sure the battery is dead. It's not starting." Kirsten said.
"Where are you from?" Julie cut in to their car conversation. She wanted to prove her suspicions.
"Newport Beach." Kirsten answered as Julie pushed the old open.
Cindy looked at Julie from behind Kirsten and mouthed the words 'She's rich' before Julie put a finger to her lips, signaling her to be quiet.
"The phone's in here," Julie said, motioning towards the tiny kitchen.
Kirsten walked followed Julie into the kitchen, staring at the house. She didn't want to seem like a snob, but she really had never been faced with this kind of atmosphere before. Everything in the Newport bubble that was her life was elegant, glamorous, and most of all, expensive. Things in Riverside were definitely…different.
Kirsten picked up the dirty, off white phone and punched in Jimmy's familiar number. He picked up after the fourth ring.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me." Kirsten said, twirling the phone cord around her finger.
"Hey, I was just on my way to pick you up." Jimmy told her.
"Well, change of plans. My car broke down in Riverside."
"Riverside? What the hell are you doing there?" Jimmy asked, sounding confused.
"I, um" Kirsten stammered, and Julie looked up at her from her seat at the kitchen table. What was a rich girl like Kirsten doing in Riverside? "I had a doctor's appointment. In LA." She said, quickly trying to think of an excuse.
"I thought your doctor was in Newport," Jimmy pointed out.
"New doctor." Kirsten hastily responded.
"Okay" Jimmy said, not giving it a second thought. "So, are you still coming?"
"Yeah" Kirsten said, "Just come pick me up. I'm calling the someone to come get my car right after this, but I need you to come get me."
Jimmy sighed, "I don't know, Kirsten. That's like a half an hour away, and I really don't…" His voice trailed off, trying to think of excuses.
"Jimmy! Please!" Kirsten begged "How am I supposed to get home? Call my dad?"
"I don't know…" Jimmy said "Call a cab? Please, Kirsten. Just call a cab, meet me at the party, we can go up to Alexa's guestroom…"
"Fine." Kirsten said "But you may to rethink that whole guestroom idea if you're really going to leave me stranded here." She whispered.
"I'll see you later?" Jimmy asked "I'm sorry, Kirsten. I love you."
"Yeah, whatever. Love you too. Bye." Kirsten said before placing the phone back in the receiver.
"Your boyfriend?" Julie asked.
"Yeah, and apparently he can't come pick me up." Kirsten sighed. "Now I have to call a cab. Do you have a phonebook? I need to call the car guys, and then I guess I have to call a cab."
Julie walked over to the cabinet and pulled out the phonebook and handed it to Kirsten.
While Kirsten dialed, Julie spoke up. "I can give you a ride. My mom's car is here." Julie was desperate to see Newport up close and personal.
"That would be great" Kirsten said, turning her attention back to the phone as she told them her situation and asked Julie for her address and then relayed it to the worker.
She hung up, and said "Are you sure?"
"Yeah," Julie said. They waited for the tow truck to arrive, and when it did, Kirsten handed over her platinum credit card to pay for their services. Julie eyed the card with envy as the man drove away.
"My dad's going to kill me." Kirsten whispered as she watched her BMW be driven away. "Can we leave?" She asked Julie.
Julie nodded, and they walked over to her mother's old, beat up Honda. Kirsten slipped in the front seat, and they drove to Newport, Kirsten giving Julie directions, even though she didn't need them. She had driven to Newport once or twice to gaze at the beautiful houses, and the boys in them.
When they finally reached Kirsten's street, Julie was filled with envy.
"It's this one." Kirsten said, pointing at the biggest house on the street. They pulled up towards the driveway and Julie put the car in park.
"You live here?" Julie said in astonishment.
"Yeah." Kirsten said, getting out of the car. "Thank you so much for the ride. And the use of your phone."
"No problem." Julie said.
"Well, thanks again." Kirsten said, about to slam the door, before she got an idea. "There's this party tonight. Do you want to come?"
Julie tried not to erupt with joy. A Newport party? With Newport boys?
"I'd love to."
