Ashley

it was a warm day in aug. actually it was the last day of aug. a fri. it was 2 wks. After my cousin annabelle's 25th birthday. She my siblings and rebecca had come down to help me unpack.

"so uh where's your roommate?" alexa who was now 18 asked.

Tom hadn't come but he said he and eric leo and gavin would all visit me at some point along w/ lacy and mark.

"she's coming in later. I don't exactly know when. I don't think she likes big groups of people," I replied.

"oh. When do classes start?"

"um on Mon."

"oh."

"yeah. I'm taking modern dance, english and math. Cause I have to."

they laughed.

"lila's invited for thanksgiving although I don't know her," jesse said.

"yeah I know. I've never taken modern dance."

"i have few yrs. Back. Actually we went to the same college," annabelle said.

That's right she was 6 yrs. Older than I was. I was 19.

"do you want help w/ anything?" rebecca who was now 19 asked.

We had boxes of my stuff and the stuff we'd bought in the rental car.

"um just put the boxes in my room which is..." I spun around: "to the left of the kitchen if you're lookin at it. Just put them against the walls we already got my bed and furniture in there. Put them wherever there's room the bed's fine."

"ok. Hey come help?" she asked evan who was 20.

"ok I will."

they went and got the boxes and put them in my room.

"do you know when tom's coming?" I asked alexa.

"he said next fri." she replied.

"oh ok."

"nice place," hannah who was also 18 said looking around.

"thanks."

"oh so i'll be coming w/ tom eric gavin and leo," she told me.

"oh ok."

my aunt susanna and her husband mike annabelle's parents were paying my college expenses.

"when are...mark and lacy coming?" I asked jesse.

"after eric and them," he answered.

"oh."

"where's the wine?" karen the alcoholic asked.

"well i've heard there's a cvs right down the street so they might have wine..."

"ok I...i hope you have a good time. I'm going to go," she said and left.

"sorry about that. Not that it's my fault I just. Feel obligated to apologise for her," pam said.

"oh. ok."

"it's warm here," rose said.

"i know that's what I like about it," annabelle said smiling.

"me too," mandy 16 said.

"wow this place is big," louisa also 16 said.

"yeah it is," I said.

Lily came over to me. She was 18.

"do you want help w/ anything else?" she asked.

"no just the boxes if you want to help em...er I mean evan and rebecca."

"ok."

"and I literally mean if you want to."

annabelle smiled.

She went and got some boxes and brought them into the bedroom w/ jesse and pam following. Alexa helped. That left me, rose, hannah, annabelle and the twins in the living room. Hannah explored the kitchen going around and opening and closing the cabinet and fridge. Rose was also 18.

" 't have food yet," she informed me.

"i kknow that's why we bought groceries," I reminded her.

"oh that's right."

"so where's there to eat around here?" rose asked.

"well there's a publix that's a grocery store down the street. And apparently there's a gas station not too far. And a ruby tuesday's. And...a...um...um...the...oh a smoothie place. I only know this cause annabelle told me."

"ok well I could go for a smoothie. Ya want something?"

"ok."

"i. actually i'll write down what everyone wants."

"yeah hit up dad for..."

"i will."

rose went around getting everyone's order.

"and I could go for a smoke," louisa said.

"yeah me too," rose said hearing this.

She was done taking everyone's smoothie order.

"hey so we're going to go to the smoothie place," louisa told me meaning her hannah and rose.

"ok," I said.

They left. I told jesse where they were going.

"i. where's the bathroom?" mandy asked.

"right by my bedroom," I told her.

"ok."

she went and found it. Evan lily and rebecca jesse and pam were in my bedroom. The living room felt empty w/o everyone in there. It was weird.

"wow it's . Like idinno there won't be a whole bunch of people around for the first time in...like um...3 yrs. Wow so this'll be weird."

annabelle approached me: "i can stay the night if you want me to hon."

" . I actually would like to spend some time just you evan and I. The 3 people i'm closest to."

"ok. Hey when are the glee people coming?"

"i don't know but probably some time after...fu...mark and them come."

"ok. I'd like for you and I. Well...um. I'd like to spend a few days here myself got nothin else to do and he'll understand."

she meant her current boyfriend.

"ok. Yeah how are you 2 doing?"

"we're ok."

"ok. And of course you know you're always welcome."

"ok."

evan came back into the living room.

"hey," he said going over to another box.

"hey um anna and I were talking and we decided annabelle I mean"

"right"

"anyway we decided. Well i'd want to spend some time w/ just you I and her maybe for a few days don't know when."

"ok i'll talk to rebecca about that."

"shit."

"what?"

"i just realised anna and kate are still at the store. I um i'ma text kate."

"ok."

who was 17. anna was 15.

"she's gotta be back by sun. cause school starts on mon. and..."

"you're fine. Ok? Louisa and rose are smoking if you want to join them."

"ok yeah maybe I will."

"i'll tell rebecca."

"ok."

"you're not usually like this," annabelle told him.

"yeah I just it's just. I'm gonna miss her."

"you can always come visit," I told him.

"i know but it's not really the same."

"no it's not."

"anyway going to go smoke."

"ok."

he left.

"hey rebecca," I called after he'd left.

"yeah hon?" she said looking at me and smiling.

"um he er I mean evan …...he went to go smoke w/ rose and louisa."

"oh ok. Ashley you've become like a sister to me and i'll miss you. I know we're not close but I just. You're really strong and sweet and when you sing...damn you got a helluva voice."

I laughed taken aback by her swearing.

I smiled: "thank you. I'll miss you too honey. You're sweet and just lovely and oh so pretty."

"i know evan'll update me but it's...that's different."

"yeah I know."

lily came into the room.

"have we finished w/ the boxes?" she asked.

"yeah most of them," I answered.

"ok."

she went and sat on the blue sofa lila and i'd picked out earlier in the summer. It had been a busy summer w/ me getting ready for college and kate getting ready for her 1st yr. In a public HS. She was now in remission.

I got a text from pam. I opened my phone and read it: 'there's something from me in your suitace. Sorry to have been invasive. Read it later'.

'ok thank you' I sent back.

"yeah...oh ok so are you...um ok...no I know. Whenever you're ready" I heard jesse on the phone in the bedrrom.

When he was finished he came back into the living room.

"that was your mom er I mean karen. She's going back to the hotel," he told me: "w/ her wine which she found at cvs."

"oh um ok," I said.

He want and stood by one of the walls.

I got a text from evan; 'I found louisa, rose, kate and anna. W/ them'

'ok' I sent back.

Pam came out of the living room.

"hey are we done w/ the boxes? Actually...i don't think w/ the furniture in oh wait we can just put the rest of the closet. Ok lily will you help?" she asked.

"ok," lily said getting up.

"i'll help too," mandy said also getting up.

"ok."

"honey i'm...i'm gonna miss you. I know i'm not your real dad but-" jesse said.

"yeah but you're a helluva lot better than my real dad," I said.

"ok so you're right."

"sorry."

"it's ok. Anyway i've always thought of you as my daughter even though it's not been 5 yrs. Yet. There's something from you in the suitcase."

"ok and there's something from me in yours."

"ok. So um...how do you want tonight to go who do you want here?"

"well um you anna er annabelle and evan."

"ok that's fine. The others will be idinno at the hotel or something."

"ok."

"yeah i'm getting hungry anyway," lily said coming out of the bedroom.

"yeah me too let's hit up that ruby tuesday;s," pam said also coming out of the room.

"ok oh but wait our smoothies. Damnit. And I could go for some food," mandy said.

"oh yeah that's right. You guys are welcome to wait here or...yeah here's probably best," I told them.

"ok."

"we're done putting the boxes in that room?" lily said.

"yeah except for these which won't fit. Well they're labeled so. Not like lila's going to go through them. and i'll be unpacking tonight so," I said.

"ok."

"so...help me w/ the groceries hon?" I asked annabelle going over to the table we'd put the groceries against and looking at annabelle.

"ok," she said smiling.

"oh right we bought groceires," jesse said.

"yeah that sounds like hannah earlier," I said.

"mmm i'm going out onto the balcony," mandy told me.

"ok sweetie."

and she went out onto the balcony.

"so we could have some of your food um I mean if that's ok w/ you damnit we should've bought more some for us but then you won't have some and..." jesse said.

"it's ok I mean I can buy more at the store not like it's closing forever or something."

"oh that's right."

"well first let us unpack them and then maybe. Well we'll see."

"ok."

"so what do you know about lila?" annabelle asked me as we got the bags of groceries and brought them over to the kitchen.

Rebecca was sitting on the sofa w/ lily.

"um well I know that she's quiet really quiet. She's a private person keeps to herself. Um oh she likes dance. She's from CA and her mom's in paris dad's in chicago he goes there a she doesn't have any siblings. Her friends are in CA."

"oh."

we set the groceries on the kitchen counter and went back to the table to get more bags. We had 4 bags each. We went back to the kitchen.

"actually I think we should unpack these first and then um. Get the other ones. Otherwise there won't be any room left," annabelle told me.

"oh ok."

we began unpacking the bags.

"i had a roommate for awhile in college," annabelle said: "actually I think we were in this v. apt. actually. Yeah we were."

"i know I think you've told me."

"oh."

"like it's ok you can tell me again i'm jus sayin."

"ok. Yeah 't work out. We were 2 different people. She was um loud in a sense. Well she was more social than I was. She'd have people over w/o asking we'd get in fights well we'd argue. She um was honest which I didn't like you know how I am w/ that."

I smiled: "yeah."

"and so eventually she moved out and it was all mine just as it is now. She actually was from CA."

"right."

"ok so where do you want these any particular order or...?"

"well the milk juice fruit soda and vitaminwater should-" I began.

The balcony door slid open and in came mandy.

"hey I heard vitaminwater " she said coming over to us.

"um you it's ok if you have some but it won't be cold," annabelle told her.

"ok that's ok. Thank you," mandy said taking some and going back to the balcony.

"i'll have some too if that's ok," lily said.

"um sure ok," I said.

She took it and sat back down.

"does anyone else want some?" I asked.

"i would like some," rebecca the polite one said.

"ok," I went and got some for her.

"jesse you?" I asked.

"no you know I don't like it."

"ok well we also have normal water. Er I mean."

"not that vitaminwater is abnormal in any way," annabelle said and we laughed.

"now that i'll go for," jesse said standing and coming over to us.

"ok you know where the cups are," I told him.

"do I?" he asked unsure.

"yeah in the cabinet closest to the laundry room."

"oh ok that's right."

he went and got a cup and got some water for himself.

"i should actually probably have some myself," I said putting a vitaminwater bottle in the cabinet so i'd remember it.

"i could go for some soda," annabelle said.

"it won't be cold."

"i know that's why i'm waiting. Now what were we talking about?"

"um we were talking about where I wanted things."

"oh yes that's right. So anyway you were saying?"

"well I was saying that I want the milk, soda, juice, um vitaminwaters and fruit in the fridge. And the cheese, pasta sauce. the frozen stuff in of course the freezer."

"right ok," annabelle laughed at this.

"and the …...bars and rice and...um...the pasta will go in the cabinets."

"ok."

"but not where the dishes are."

"no of course not."

"ok."

as we set to work putting things away I got a text from lily: 'hey where's the fire?' it read. She meant the fireball.

'in my suitcase I moved it when we were at the hotel' I texted back.

'ok'.

"what was that about?" annabelle asked.

"i'll tell you later."

"ok."

jesse went and got some more water from the sink.

We put the things in the fridge the frozen stuff in the freezer and the bars, rice and pasta in the cabinets. I went and put the bags back on the table we'd gotten them from. I got the vitaminwater down from the cabinet and opened it and sttarted drinking.

"hey so do you want to start unpacling your bed and clothes er I mean bed linens and stuff?" annabelle asked.

"no we have time. And besides I could use a break," I told her.

"yeah me too actually."

"ok."