Here's my first attempt at a story of Miss Audrey R. Archibald, the seventeen (and maybe +years) years old protagonist of this story. I am SOOO excited to write this story!!! Woot, yay for NB love and AG love. If you don't know who the A/G pairing is, please go read my one shots of this character- you can find it on my profile. So feel free to click on my username and read them. Also, like my one shots, this is based on both the beloved book series as well as the television series that are so differed from each other.
I need to tell you right now that I am currently writing a 3,000+ worded story for original fiction. It is due in March and will therefore be taking up 98 of my free time. Be aware that updates here will be slow but I will try my hardest to update. I promise. I am really sorry to do that to my fan fiction readers but this story is a challenge for me personally. I have such trouble writing stories and finishing them- especially original work. Please be patient.
Don't forget to read and review. Please. I hardcore appreciate long, well-written reviews with comfortable/uncomfortable feedback (i.e. what I did wrong, etc.). Please try to do that for me. Thank you very much for reading, and reviewing.
I wanted to tell you I changed
I wanted to tell you things would be different this time
I see you, you see me differently
I see you, you see me differently
''Swans,'' Unkle Bob (Sugar and Spite - 2006)
"If I get married, I want to be very married."
-Audrey Hepburn
Paul: "I love you."
Holly: "So what."
Paul: "So what? So plenty! I love you, you belong to me!"
-Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Audrey ripped open the white envelope, crossing her right index and middle finger behind her back. The letter was supposed to in here. The letter that would make or break her. It fell into her hands.
Dear Miss Archibald,
Congratulations on your acceptance to Dartmouth College, Class of 20--
She dropped the letter on the ground, took off her gold ballet flats and ran around the apartment until she found her mother in the living room amongst lillies and roses and other flowers. Her mother was sitting on the couch talking animatedly to her best friend, Aunt Serena.
"Mom?"
Audrey stood against the white wall as she watched her mother smile at whatever Aunt Serena was saying.
They looked like two peas in a pod. Sometimes, Audrey wondered how they ever disliked each other. According to Mom (and Graham's insistant bringing it up), she knew that Aunt Serena had slept with Daddy. It seemed so unreal to her sometimes, Aunt Serena and Daddy? Daddy who was so in love with Mom and Aunt Serena who was the princess of her Brooklyn castle?
"Mom!" Audrey questioned.
Her mother put a hand up, which adorned a small ruby ring (given to her mother by Daddy back in high school), to let her know she would speak to her in a minute. Audrey wanted to pull her hair out. Sometimes, Mom could be so frustrating. All Audrey wanted to do was tell her the best news in the world, but no, Mom had to use 'proper etiquette.'
"Yes?" Her mother turned to her and Audrey grinned at her.
"Mommy, I have the best news." Audrey skipped over to her mother and Aunt Serena.
Aunt Serena was wearing a gorgeous blue top and jeans and she looked like she was a model. Audrey then remembered Aunt Serena had been a model; a long, long time ago. She looked beautiful and Audrey understood how (sometimes) Mom got jealous of her beauty.
Her mother raised an eyebrow. The only time Audrey called her mother 'Mommy' was when she either 1. needed something or 2. had something huge to say.
"I got into Dartmouth!" Audrey fell into her mother's lap. She hadn't done that since she was a little girl.
"That's wonderful!" Mom kissed Audrey's cheek, wearing a smile of her own.
Aunt Serena gave Audrey a wink. "I knew you could do it, kiddo."
Audrey rolled her eyes. "Duh, I wrote a kickass essay, screwed my admissions counselor, and got into Dartmouth."
Her mother's smile faded and turned into a disapproving look. Audrey was always making fun of her mother (something she did daily) but never in front of her mother. And this was one time she was. It was her mother that had slept with her admissions counselor, almost didn't go to the college and then eventually was accepted to Yale.
"Audrey Rose..." Her mother spoke sternly as she brushed a few brown hairs out of her blue eyes.
"Let it slide, Blair. She's only kidding. Besides everybody on the planet knows Audrey's a good kid." Aunt Serena swooped in to save the day.
Audrey was often grateful for Aunt Serena. Whenever Mom was bitching at her, Aunt Serena was there to put Mom in her place, or at least forgive Audrey. She wasn't a horrible teenager, she wasn't even too bad (at least not by her parents' or brother's standards), but she often made comments that could be taken seriously and allowed someone to get hurt.
"Alright," Mom kissed her again softly. "I'll call Bolo and set up a reservation and then Graham, Daddy, you and I will go out to dinner tonight."
Audrey bit her lip from smiling too hard. Bolo was her favorite restaurant and it was located on East 22nd Street. The food was to die for, and she loved it but her family never went there much. It was expensive and yes, they could afford it but it was regarded for special occasions.
Audrey wore a vintage (well, nineteen-eighties) black and white Chanel dress to her family graduation celebration at Bolo's. She wore her gold ballet flats (she practically lived in them) and she let her hair down.
Sitting around the table with her brother and mother and father, Audrey felt like a princess. Well, she sort of was. Her uncle Dan always called her the 'princess of New York,' as a joke of course.
She ordered the pan seared scallops with Spanish lentils, her usual. It was excellent and she loved the Spanish lentils. She watched as her parents whispered to each other about their food and Graham sulked while eating his pork.
"Are you jealous I got into Dartmouth and you're still waiting?" Audrey threw the question at her brother.
He was wearing a blue sweater that matched his eyes and his golden locks were all over the place. He was wearing a nice shirt underneath the sweater and Graham sort of looked like Dad, except with their mother's blue eyes.
His eyes narrowed. Audrey could tell he was angry at her for saying that. Her mother's fork dropped and the sound of it clashing onto the plate could be heard probably for miles.
"Audrey..." Her mother whispered.
She wanted to roll her eyes but she knew her mother was just acting that way to preserve their perfect reputation. She apologized in a mock whisper with all the sincerity she could.
She didn't mean it. She loved Graham. Of course she did; they were twins. They knew what they were feeling; they weren't sure how but they did. They both had the same nose and smile and liked watching Mom's old movies when they were sick. Graham may have not gotten into Dartmouth (he got a rejection letter), but he would certainly go somewhere. She knew it.
They went home in a limo that her parents had rented. Graham barely spoke to her the whole ride home, choosing instead to listen to his iPod. Audrey stared out the window and watched the city lights go by.