Chapter 4
A/N: don't hate me! I know it's been way over a month, but at least I updated, right?
Warning: Stuff is going to go down in this chapter. ;)
June 26, 2012
"Hey mom." I hadn't called my mom since we moved, but she also hadn't called me. Our relationship these days wasn't very good, but we were still on speaking terms, even if it was once a month.
"Katherine?" She asked as if she couldn't believe it was me calling. My mother was the only one allowed to call me Katherine. She'd wanted me to be named Blake, Auden, or god forbid Frost, like the poets, but thankfully my dad and her agreed on at least one name; Katherine.
I smiled through the phone. I may not get along with her, but it was still great to hear her voice. "Yeah, it's me. How are you?"
"I'm glad you asked, Katherine. I'm wonderful, never been better actually. we just arrived in the island of Santorini this morning. It's beautiful!" My mother then went into a 20 minute speech about how beautiful the island was, but never even bothering to tell me the location of Santorini. Typical of her..
"You should come visit me soon." I said. "I want to show you the new house, I bet you'd like it."
She made a clucking noise. "Oh, I wish I could. but we won't be back until late July, dear."
"Oh. Well I miss you a lot, Mom." My voice cracked. It didn't even sound like my voice. I rarely sounded this vulnerable. My mother may be a bit negligent and distant, but it is very hard to not care for her.
"I miss you too. Well I've got to go now, we've got to go to dinner. Bye, Katherine."
"Bye." It was too late, she'd hung up before I could even say goodbye, before I could tell her I loved her. That's how phone calls with her always went.. She'd never ask me questions about myself when I wanted to tell her about my life and feelings more than anything in the world. I just wanted her to care.
June 27, 2012
My dad finally finished the also said I should go out tonight. I was a bit suspicious since my dad normally wanted me to stay inside with him, but I didn't argue. I guess I'd take the opportunity to check out the library.
~0~
The library was smaller than the one I was used to in Manhattan. (Obviously) But it was pretty reasonably sized. It looked like one of those libraries that had the essentials at least. I pulled on the door, but it wouldn't open.
"Shit." I whispered. It was closed. I'd just have to find something else to do..
"You should have checked first before you drove all the way out here." The familiar voice of Travis Stoll called out.
Had he followed me? "You little stalker.." I said as I turned around to see him sitting inside his crappy car Old Bessie. "You followed me?"
He laughed. "I wouldn't call it following. I'd call it being curious."
"It's still stalking." I corrected. "Why are you so obsessed with me?" I asked out of frustration.
Travis started humming a bit of the Mariah Carey song, and I rolled my eyes. "Don't flatter yourself Gardner, I'm just bored on a Tuesday night." He motioned for me to come to the car. "I've also got a better way to repay you for the window. Better than my mom's lasagna. But don't worry, it's not another party either." I let out a sigh of relief..
"What could possibly be better than your mom's lasagna?" I asked sarcastically.
"My dad's lasagna."
~0~
And somehow I found myself hurled into another one of Travis Stoll's adventures. Believe me, I would never have agreed to come over if my dad hadn't wanted me out of the house. I was just bored, that's all.
"So your dad's lasagna is better than your mom's" I asked as we walked into the Stoll household.
"Way better." He said with a twinkle in his blue eyes, which I couldn't help but notice look especially bright in the porch light.
When I walked in, I was overwhelmed with the business going on in his house. Two boys ran in front of us playing tag, one nearly crashing into me.
"Harry! Watch where you're going!" He shook his head and laughed. "I'll warn you, my house is a bit more loud than yours."
There was a warm smell coming from the kitchen which had to be his dad's lasagna. The kitchen had a friendly feel to it, the walls were painted a dark red which somehow worked in their house. It wasn't very big or small, almost just the right size. The black granite countertops were dirty and needed cleaning, but I assumed they'd fix that after dinner.
Connor sat at the kitchen table drawing or writing something, though I wasn't sure how he could concentrate in the noisy kitchen. Another little boy, this one about two sat on the floor sucking on matchbox car.
"Why's Katie here?" Connor asked, noticing for the first time I was standing in the entryway.
"She's our guest for the night." Travis said and pulled out a chair for me to sit in.
It was weird, but I felt sort of at home despite the fact my home was never close to anything like this. The place just gave off a warm vibe, which was something I was not accustomed to at all.
"Who's Katie?" A woman's voice called from a far off room. I guessed she was Travis's mom. When she entered the crowded and bustling kitchen, you could tell she was pregnant, almost due too. How many kids were in this family? "I have four brothers." He said as if reading my mind.
"And I'm hoping for a girl this time." She said with a laugh and shook my hand.
"Nice to meet you Katie." Up close I could see she had the same smile as her son. That friendly smirk and the same mischievous blue eyes. She looked strikingly like her sons, but she had blonde hair instead of their brown. I assumed they got that trait from their father.
I smiled politely. "You too, Mrs. Stoll."
She winked. "Just call me Jen."
Before I even realized what was going on, I had a plate of hot lasagna in front of me. Which just from the smell, I could tell was better than Mrs. Stoll's.
"It smells good." I said to his dad who was wearing a 'Kiss the chef' apron. Sure enough, Mr. Stoll had brown hair just like the boys. When you start thinking about it, genetics are really weird..
"Thanks, I hope it tastes as good as it smells."
The table was filled up, they had to add another chair since I was here but it seemed like they did that often.
"I hate lasagna." One of the boys grumbled. "Well, I love it." His brother said and punched him in the arm.
Mr. Stoll raised his eyebrows at them. "No fighting at the table remember. There'll be plenty of time to fight after dinner, boys." Fighting was prohibited in this house? I almost laughed. Were families really like this?
Mrs. Stoll, sorry Jen, asked me a few questions about myself. I talked (well about as much as I could over the two arguing boys) about how I lived across the street and that I enjoyed reading and writing, and that I played the saxophone throughout high school instead of sports. Which led to more questions. normally I hated talking about myself, but they seemed like actually okay people to me.
They seemed overall impressed that I was an intelligent girl. I guessed maybe the girl's Travis had brought over in the past weren't as classy as me.
"Well, you're also the prettiest girl Travis has ever brought over." Mr. Stoll said with a smile.
Travis made a sour face. "Ew, Dad that's really creepy. Don't say that." I laughed and blushed a bit.
"C'mon Travis, you can't say I'm wrong though." This made me full out blush. I guess everyone has a lower opinion of themselves than what they actually are. I never thought of myself as pretty, I mean if I didn't have makeup, heaven knows what I would look like.. I was also very overlookable, with basic black hair and brown eyes, not even the kind of brown eyes that are worth looking at.
~0~
After dinner, little Harry insisted that he had a piano show to put on. I sat on the couch holding the baby. I flinched every time Travis's shoulder brushed against mine.
I couldn't tell what Harry was playing on the piano. I guessed it was an original piece. I still clapped for him even though it was the worst piano playing performance I'd ever heard in my life.
"Travis plays an instrument." Jen said to me. "Right, sweetie?"
"Uh yeah. I sort of play drums." He shrugged and tapped his foot to the non existent rhythm of Harry's piano playing.
His dad shook his head. "He's actually way better than he lets on."
"Dad." Travis said looking a bit embarrassed since his ears turned scarlet. I smiled since he looked kind of cute with his face flushed like that. Cute? Um, I mean, like it was funny that he was nervous..
The baby pulled at my blue tribal print scarf almost choking me. That was the perfect subject change. "Jeez, Cole doesn't normally try to choke people." He laughed.
"It's alright." I said and took the scarf off. "Go wild kid." I said and gave it to the toddler, who instantly started sucking on it.
~0~
"That was actually fun." I said as Travis walked me up to the my door. I rocked back and forth on the balls of my feet.
He gave me a wide smile. "Right! You were actually tolerable for once!"
I smacked his arm. "I'm always tolerable."
"coughcough Lies coughcough." We both laughed. This was truthfully the first moment I actually could stand this boy. Maybe there was a hope for a friendship. If he didn't bring goats over and break windows..
"Your family seems really nice." I said randomly.
He leaned against the railing of the stairs. "Really? They're just your average suburban family, you know."
That was probably why I liked them. I'd never known anything but living as an only child, with one parent. Loud wasn't a possible tribute to my lifestyle.
"They might be. But I still liked them. I can't believe you came from that." I poked him square in the chest.
"Same. I still don't know how blessed they are to have such an amazing child like me. For once I agree with you, Gardner." He gave his usual contagious smile. I normally fought the urge to return the smile, but this time I just let it go and laughed.
"It seems pointless for us to stand on your porch for no apparent reason, so I should probably go." He stood close to me and for the first time I realized how tall he was. He had to be almost 6 feet.. "And this is normally the part where I'd kiss you and say 'That was fun we'll have to do it again sometime'. But neither of us feel that way so I'll give you a hug instead because I'm a nice guy like that."
Before I could say that I didn't enjoy hugs. I was pulled into a strong embrace. Then he let go and I could feel a ghost of exactly where his arms had been around me.
I walked into the house, all the lights were off except for the family room. I figured my dad was in their watching sports or reading. I was shocked and completely unprepared to see him against the wall kissing some woman. And it wasn't just kissing, it was seriously strong kissing and groping. I locked eyes with the woman and she pushed him away. "Dad?"
"Oh. um." His face turned bright red. "Hi Katie. I didn't hear you there."
"Clearly." My voice was thick with venom.
He stuttered starting to explain but I just headed up the stairs, locked myself in my room and did something I hadn't done since freshman year when Jake Fields didn't ask me to the dance. I cried.
~0~
Thanks for reading! Please, please, please leave me a review! I need to know if anyone still cares about this since I basically abandoned it. But it's summer and I'm back! Plus, The Fault in Our Stars movie comes out today so yay.
~*DEDEBUG9*~